A/N: Once again I present a lovely chapter with Fayt and Albel. I have been informed by my lovely cousins that if I don't include other characters besides soldiers, they're going to murder me, so since I rather like Cliff, he is appearing in a guest role. Voila!
Disclaimer: Nobody belongs to me, except my dog, who loves me dearly, although not enough to read this story. XD But I'm sure if she could read, she would. She just loves me that much.
The next day Albel focused most of his anger on Fayt, as if to make up for being nice to him the day before. He was as contemptible as usual to Nel, but he pretty much ignored everyone else in favor of Fayt. Everyone noticed and they began giving Fayt suspicious look, wondering what he had done to attract Albel's rage. Even slow-witted Cliff had noticed.
Cliff was carefully cleaning one of the parts for the Eagle while leaning back against a stout tree. He watched Fayt out of the corners of his eyes as he spoke. "Looks like you and Albel are fighting," he observed.
Fayt shrugged. "I guess so."
"It's a shame," Cliff said slowly. "You and Albel seemed like such good buddies."
Fayt sighed. "I know. Albel thinks it's a sign of weakness to have friends. I think he's trying to push me away." Fayt nodded resolutely. "I need to go talk to him."
Fayt found Albel sitting against a fence, examining his weapons. He glanced up briefly at Fayt and growled. "What do you want, maggot?"
"Albel, what's wrong?"
Albel glared at him savagely. "What do you care, fool?"
"You're my friend. I'm concerned."
"You're not my friend," Albel growled.
"Yes, I am. I'm friends with everyone."
"I see," Albel said, dangerously quiet. "Are you comparing me to all the rest of the maggots you have befriended?"
"Of course no," Fayt said angrily, refusing to let Albel bait him. "Now, I'll be your friend whether or not you want to be mine. I don't care anymore." He whirled around to leave but Albel grabbed onto his wrist.
"You would do that for me?" Albel asked quietly, looking stunned.
"Of course I would." Fayt hopped up onto the fence and perched atop a fence post. "I don't want you to be friendless for the rest of your life."
Albel chuckled. "You're even more of a fool than I though. Who would want to be friends with such a weak, twisted creature like me? I'm-"
"Now, what did we say about moping?" Fayt scolded.
Albel smirked. "I'm not moping, fool. I'm merely stating a fact. I am horribly twisted. Don't try to deny it."
"I don't care what you look like," Fayt protested.
"Idiot," Albel muttered. "I was talking about my insides, not my arm. I'm not that vain."
"Oh," Fayt said sheepishly.
Albel smirked. "But my heart is just as disfigured as my arm. Would you dare be friends with such a one that is hated by all?"
Fayt rolled his eyes. "Oh stop it. Of course I'm your friend. I like you, Albel, not matter how hard you try to be unlikeable."
Albel settled back against the fence and closed his eyes. It was easier to just ignore fayt's words than respond. He was really not in the mood to argue. Fayt jumped off the fence and landed close to Albel, kicking up a cloud of gravel. Albel kept his eyes closed. He could still keep track of Fayt by sound.
Fayt knelt close to Albel. "Hey, are you asleep?"
Albel ignored him. He resisted the immediate temptation to grab Fayt and scare the crap out of him.
However, Fayt would not easily give up. After a quick internal debate with himself, he poked Albel in the stomach. "Hey, wake up!"
Albel's eyes flew open and he rose slightly. "Don't you dare touch me, fool," he growled.
"Sorry," Fayt said sheepishly.
"Leave me alone," Albel grumbled. He closed his eyes and went back to simply laying on the ground. He didn't want to sleep particularly; he just wanted to do absolutely nothing, if Fayt would let him get away with it.
"Albel," Fayt whined. "We're not done talking." Albel snorted, showing his conviction that he was clearly done talking.
Fayt poked him again. Albel's eyes opened wide. He looked slightly horrified. 'Don't do that!"
"Do what?" Fayt asked innocently. "Oh, this?" He poked Albel a third time.
"Yes! Cut that out! That-it tickles."
"Oh, it does?" Fayt grinned. "Then I think I'll have to do this more often."
Albel groaned and wished for a swift death. Perhaps Fayt would be merciful? So much for that.
Fayt had a lot of experience tickling. He remembered being tickled by Sophia as a child and tickling her back. Fayt sat on Albel's legs so he couldn't get up and then proceeded to spend the next fifteen minutes tickling him. Albel squirmed, pleaded, promised Fayt a violent death, all to no avail. He was doomed.
Albel let out a short bark of what passed for his laughter. Horrified, he clapped a hand over his mouth. Fayt grinned.
"Fayt, stop," Albel said breathlessly. "Please, Fayt?"
Fayt sat back on his heels. "I've never hear you truly laugh before. I'm going to keep tickling you until you do."
"It's not worth it. Come on Fayt. Stop, please," Albel begged. "My stomach hurts."
"You're a man," Fayt said firmly. "You can take it."
Albel groaned. "Once I get my sword, you're going to regret this."
"Good thing for me, your sword is just out of reach," Fayt said cheerfully. "Let's get this over with."
A few minutes late, Albel was genuinely laughing and squirming under Fayt's hands. "Alright, alright! Enough torture! Fayt, stop, I can't breathe. Stop!"
"Hey, gu-whoa, whoa, whoa!" Cliff stood in the clearing, staring at them with a mixture of disgust and horror on his face. "Fayt, how could you do something like that?"
Fayt jerked away from Albel, turning bright red. "It's not what it looks like! We weren't doing anything!"
Albel sat up slowly, still gasping for breath. "Oh, shut up, fool. You're only making it worse."
"But he has to know we weren't doing anything!" Fayt protested. "He'll tell Sophia something was going on and then she'll hate me."
"Oh, who cares what that foolish girl thinks?" Albel said dismissively. "As long as you and I know the truth, that's all that matters."
"If you two weren't having sex, what were you doing?" Cliff asked cautiously. "I hate to say it, Fayt, but it looks awfully suspicious."
Fayt glanced at Albel. "Don't say anything," Albel growled. "I have my pride to consider."
Fayt sighed and shrugged. "Sorry, Cliff. Albel would rather have you think I was having sex with him than let you know what we were really doing."
Albel had suddenly realized what it looked like from Cliff's position. "You idiot!" Albel exploded. "How dare you stoop so low to think Fayt was having sex with me! If anything, I would have sex with him. But that wasn't what we were doing anyway, so it doesn't matter."
Fayt turned crimson. "Albel, how could you say that about me? I'm your friend, not your lover. I don't swing that way."
Albel sighed impatiently. "Fayt, I meant that I would never let anybody take advantage of me. I didn't you specifically. But forget I said that." He glared at Cliff. "We weren't having sex, alright? Get it through your thick skull!"
Cliff sighed. "Okay, I get it. You two weren't having sex. But what were you doing? I heard Albel laughing and then screaming and I find you both in a compromising position. Something fishy is going on here."
"Should I tell him?" Fayt asked Albel hesitantly.
Albel scowled. "Fine, maggot. I could care less anymore."
Fayt sighed. "Well, I was tickling Albel. That's why he was laughing. But he didn't really like it and he kept screaming for me to stop."
Cliff looked amused. "Sounds like fun. Can I try too?"
"No," Albel snarled. "No one is allowed to touch me. You better not tell anyone else. I don't want all the pesky worms trying to tickle me."
"You won't let them get close enough to tickle you," fayt assured him.
Albel smirked. "True enough, fool. I'll kill them all!"
Cliff frowned. "No fair. You let Fayt touch you and you didn't kill him."
"You interrupted at the perfect time," Albel informed him. "Another second and I would have reached my sword and you would have only found me and no Fayt."
"Aw crud," Cliff muttered. "It sounds dangerous. Now it makes me want to tickle you more."
"I'll cut you a deal, maggot. You let me tickle you and then you can tickle me."
"You're going to use your claw, aren't you?" Cliff asked suspiciously.
Albel laughed cruelly. "You're awfully perceptive, certainly more than you look."
"Well, of course I-Hey, wait a minute! What do you mean by that?"
Albel smirked. "I take it back. Come along, Fayt. We'll let the idiot stay here and ponder it for awhile. Surely it can't take more than a few hours."
Fayt smiled and shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, Cliff. I have to go. Please don't tell Sophia anything bad just because Albel was rude. I don't think you're-"
Albel grabbed onto Fayt's wrist and yanked him away from Cliff. "Let's go. I can't spend another minute with that fool."
"I thought I was the fool," Fayt asked curiously.
"No, not anymore. You're dead meat. Just wait until I find a secluded spot where no one can hear you scream."
Fayt grinned. "Sounds like fun."
