Title: Sweetness

Chapter 2: You Scream

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean.

A/N: It's been a while, hasn't it? But thanks to the requests for more, which I really appreciate by the way, I finally got my act together and finished this chapter. Maybe the next one won't take a month. One can only hope...

I apologize in advance for abusing certain characters in this fic, since this chapter may only be the beginning. Also, the opinions expressed by persons in this fanfiction are not my own, nor should anything be taken seriously...except the AlbelxFaytness. That's not a joke. They deserve each other :D

ooooo

Having considered Albel's offer, Fayt opened his mouth to speak, when the hand of God - ahem - Luther, intervened to stop him from making a horrible mistake. Or at least Nel happened to be walking past when she spotted the unlikely pair and moved in for a closer look.

Deus ex machina indeed.

Eyes narrowed, Nel assessed the situation. Albel was scowling, which she took to mean he was in a bad mood . . . or a good mood, no one could really tell for sure. Nothing unusual about that. Fayt's expression though was one of inexplicable gratitude, his mood apparently brightening due to her arrival.

When Albel finally noticed that his former enemy had casually sauntered over to spy on them, his impatientscowl which had been caused by Fayt, was replaced with the more familiar annoyed grimace. Albel opened his mouth to speak, and probably to toss an insult or two, but Nel beat him to it.

"What exactly are you two up to?" She inquired. To be honest, she couldn't care less what they were doing, but at least it would kill some time.

"Fayt was just about to do me a favour, weren't you?" Albel hooked his gauntlet arm around Fayt's shoulders in mock comradery and treated Nel to a very bright, but most assuredly evil grin.

"I'm not so sure about that . . . " Fayt grumbled moodily, scowling and looking the other way as if he had no intention of giving in to Albel's bullying . . . until he felt the sudden pressure of devious blades against his perfect skin. In a remarkable change of attitude, Fayt swallowed and gave a small nod. His actions were stilted but acceptable to Albel who readily lifted his claws from the boy's throat.

"See? He agrees with me. Now leave us alone, Aquarian!" Albel growled with as much vehemence as possible in his voice.

Nel shrugged off both the information and the insult. "That doesn't bother me, you know. I'm proud of my country, which is more than you can boast about Airyglyph, isn't it Albel?" She said slyly. Nel crossed her arms and grinned, hiding an arrogant smile safely behind her muffler, which only frustrated a certain wicked swordsman even more. For a brief moment, Albel looked slightly worried. His best insults weren't working, and they were supposed to be foolproof. Literally.

Therefore, Albel had no other choice but to use his designer line of last resort character bashing comments created especially for him by unintelligent, and predominantly illiterate, Glyphian peons. "Oh just be quiet, you man-hating Aquarian bit--"

But a shocked Nel quickly clasped her hands over Fayt's ears and shot the Wicked One a furious glare which humbled him in an instant. "Mind your tongue, Nox! There's a child present!"

"For the last time, I'm not a KID!" Fayt whined in the old, annoying pansy-boy fashion while meekly swatting Nel's hands away from his head.

"That's right," Albel seconded, patting Fayt's head lovingly. "Fayt here is a big boy now," he said with pride. "That means he doesn't need you around anymore, woman."

With a frustrated sigh, Nel almost gave up. "Fine, I'll go . . . but I have one more question for you." The redhead casually looked from left to right with an air of paranoia in her manner. Finished with her inspection, Nel turned her penetrating gaze on Albel. "What's in the box?" she asked suddenly.

"Nothing," Albel hissed, his body contorting in an effort to hide his frosty foodstuffs from Nel's gaze.

But Nel was a Crimson Blade, trained in the arts of tact, espionage, and infiltration. Using all of the skills at her disposal, Nel sighed and turned to Fayt. "What's in the box?" she asked again, giving the boy a deadpan glare which left him wondering just who he should fear more; the sadistic, skirt wearing Glyphian at his side, or the determined Aquarian in front.

Fayt had to admit that he deeply respected Nel, if only for the impressive willpower she displayed when it came to her choice of accessories. It wasn't even the twin blades she carried which intrigued him. No, Fayt admired something else about the Aquarian . . .

Nel always wore a scarf, even when there was clearly no need for it. Was it foolishness, or dedication? And Fayt, being the proud owner of a rational mind, as well as possessing above average reasoning ability and a keen thirst for knowledge, often asked himself those very questions.

One might even wonder at the impracticality of such a garment, especially in times of war. Certainly it was useful when dealing with the disagreeable climate of Airyglyph. And it also had the wonderful attribute of being able to adequately conceal one's emotions, but the negatives could almost outweigh the positive aspects. It was absolutely useless in warmer areas such as the lands of Aquaria, it would pose innumerable problems in battle as it interfered with maneuverability, and one simple tug from an enemy would send Nel flying backwards.

Of course the same could be said for Albel's rather attractive choice of, er, battle costume? Uniform? Traditional garb? Honestly, whatever could have possessed the man to wear something that revealing other than the fact that it looked damned good on him and he knew it. For a man who claimed, in that oh so arrogant, husky voice that 'easy wins have never been my style', he sure enjoyed reducing his enemies to drooling, sex-starved puddles of admiration before he took their lives. Then again, it couldn't be that bad to die smiling while looking at Albel . . . right? Still, it made little sense to wander around the war-torn countryside in an outfit which practically begged enemies to run him through.

On top of everything else, Albel continued to flaunt his free will by relentlessly teasing the gods of Good Taste and Function with his choice of hairstyle. How many times had Fayt been forced to resist the urge to slam a door on those taunting hairtails? Oh the opportunity often presented itself, since Albel's hair had the uncanny ability of standing straight out behind him as he walked, but since Fayt was an all-around good guy, he never acted on his impulses. Someday though, his self-control would fail him. It was only a matter of time . . .

But that was neither here nor there.

With a sickening feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, Fayt realized that he was doomed no matter how he answered . . . but there was absolutely no way he wanted to fight a woman like Nel. Everyone knew she was a biter.

Summoning his most powerful pout, Fayt explained the situation. "He's got ice cream, and he won't share with anyone," Fayt said, glaring at Albel who closed his eyes and shrugged, a small smile on his lips which clearly said, 'what of it?'

"I see." Nel gave Albel another once over. "Give me one," she demanded, her voice leaving no room for argument. "It will help the peace efforts between our two countries. If you deny me this little concession, it could plunge us back into a state of war."

"I don't care about that, fool! You're not getting any," Albel snarled possessively, tightening his grip on the aforementioned box of ice-cold sugary sweets.

"And Fayt is?" Nel countered, raising an eyebrow to further the innuendo, exploiting it to the fullest.

"If he does what I tell him to do, then yes," Albel informed her, diplomatically choosing not to specify just what Fayt would be getting, and certainly not indicating that the boy would be getting both if he complied. "But since you won't leave us alone to get to it, I suppose there's no choice . . . " Albel sighed and fumbled with his box for a moment. It almost looked like he was considering giving in to Nel.

Fayt was mortified.

"Albel, you're not serious!" Fayt protested, stamping the ground with his foot in a mini temper tantrum. "Don't you dare give her something for nothing! It's not fair. How come I have to work for it?"

"Have you forgotten that you were the one who offered to do so in the first place? Besides . . . " Albel's voice softened, smiling at Fayt in a way that was just as sweet as the ice cream he carried, "I want you, and if you'll be with me for nothing more than some stupid dessert, than I . . . I can't pass that up. It's just a simple trade really. She is rewarded for leaving, because that is what I want most from her . . . but you . . . I want something more from you, Fayt."

"Mmphmmmn," Fayt mumbled as the older man met his lips, muffling any further arguments. Given the way he felt about the whole thing, Fayt had to consider his own motives. Maybe it wasn't the ice cream he really wanted after all . . . Was it just an excuse? Something to give them both a reason to be together?

"I can't resist . . . teasing you," Albel purred. "Little fool . . . "

Albel had backed off, but his lips still hovered dangerously close to Fayt's, who was happily breathing in his partner's sweet scent with each inhalation. "You smell delicious, Albel . . . " Fayt murmured finally. "Almost as good as your ice cream . . . " Almost . . . not quite, Fayt thought, content with his discovery. Fayt closed in once again, licking Albel's lips rather than kissing them, trying his best to devour any trace of sugar, probing carefully for any overlooked flavour. If he couldn't taste the treats directly, he would experience them through Albel.

Caught in the moment, Albel's grip loosened slightly on his package, threatening to drop his icy delights to the ground and the change in Fayt was instantaneous.

Prying his mouth away from Albel's greedy lips, Fayt turned panicked eyes on that which he desired most. "W-watch it, Albel! You're going to spill them!"

"You two are sickening," Nel muttered. "Just hand it over and I'll be on my way. Then you can go about your . . . business . . . "

"Bothersome wench . . . Here!" Albel thrust one of his precious treats at the Aquarian, and Nel accepted it gladly.

"Thanks. That's pretty nice of you. I honestly didn't expect that."

She had taken the proffered treat from Albel easily enough, but years of fighting for her country and doing her best to survive numerous battles had helped Nel develop a bit of a sixth sense for danger. What confused her most though, was the fact that her instincts were setting off all the typical warning signs. Little red flags were waving in her brain, and a tiny alarm was going off somewhere, accompanied by screams of "oh dear gods my bakery's on fire!" which seemed a little strange to be in her mental musings. Whatever the case, some deeper part of her being was begging her not to accept something from the aptly named 'Wicked One'.

But these worries were dismissed as quickly as they had arisen. Nel wisely attributed them to her general distrust and hatred of the man, rather than being influenced by anything he had done right now. After all, it was only ice cream. What could possibly go wrong?

Her suspicions were dissolved completely when Fayt acted up and started complaining about the whole incident. It wasn't for her sake though, and Fayt obviously felt no desire to protect her from some foul trick. Fayt was being greedy, and if he still wanted the ice-cream packet she held, then it was obvious that there was nothing wrong with it.

Assuming that Nel had been taken care of, Albel turned his romantic attentions back to Fayt, who promptly shoved the older man away with all the force he could muster.

Rejection? Albel thought, feeling confused and vaguely heartbroken. It shouldn't have bothered him, but being pushed away simply because Fayt was more concerned with his ice cream, really hurt. Albel had found himself in a situation he certainly was not used to. He was battling two hungers, completely torn between his craving for Fayt, and his insatiable lust for ice cream with no resolution in sight. Albel couldn't seem to get enough of either one at the moment.

By giving ice cream to Nel, he had seemed to sacrifice one obsession for Fayt's sake, possibly in an attempt to prove where his affections truly were. It should have impressed the boy. Since this was not the case, it was utterly demoralizing to see that the emerald-eyed Earthling was apparently less than happy about the whole thing.

Sure, Fayt had to admit he was flattered and everything, but no warm, fuzzy feelings were going to cloud his judgement when it came to getting his just desserts.

"Why did you give one to her?" Fayt shouted in disbelief. He had nothing against Nel, but for her to receive a gift of ice cream from Albel was trying his last nerve. "Why the hell, do I have to put up with your groping while she gets off scot-free?"

Sensing an impending lover's quarrel, Nel selected the best course of action. For a moment she considered standing perfectly still. Hadn't she heard from somewhere that if you don't make a move, you won't be seen? It certainly sounded plausible . . .

Time dragged on. Nel, still motionless, watched curiously as the fighters' emotions were amplified by silence. Fayt was getting redder by the second, his entire body shaking furiously as he tried to keep his temper in check. Of course Nel could have easily prevented the imminent battle by handing her hard-won ice-pop over to Fayt. By doing so she would not only make the boy very happy, which would have been nice to see, but she also would have made Albel incredibly unhappy. So in other words, it was win-win. A twofer. Except for one little problem.

Nel didn't want to give her ice cream away. Like all who came into contact with the accursed sweets, she was caught and throttled by strong, possessive urges, quickly becoming intensely jealous of anyone who had something she didn't.

So she backed away slowly, refusing to make eye contact with either man as they watched her leave. At a distance of two feet, she turned and fled down one of Peterny's side streets. Once she was far away from them, and neither Albel nor Fayt could see her any longer, one trademarked phrase drifted back to remind them of what exactly had taken place.

"I did it, Clair!" Nel cried triumphantly. Both men shuddered. How could anyone ever deny Nel's love for her Aquarian comrade? It boggled the mind.

With Nel's abrupt escape, the tension had dissipated somewhat. Fayt was still peeved, but now he was calm enough to listen to Albel's excuses. Whether he would actually have a scrap of forgiveness for the other man was another matter.

Shifting his stance uncomfortably, Albel gave Fayt a worried look. "You aren't really mad, are you, fool?" Albel asked, somewhat nervously.

Fayt just frowned and tsked lightly. He didn't buy the remorseful act. "Damn it, Albel!" Fayt growled. "Just give me one good reason why Nel got one and I didn't!"

Albel stared thoughtfully at him. "It was mint," he said finally.

"That's IT?" Fayt gaped, incredulous, and stared blankly back at Albel.

Albel only shrugged. "I don't like mint . . . "

" . . . You don't like mint . . . " Fayt repeated the words to himself, but he still couldn't believe it.

" . . . And it was poisoned," Albel concluded.

"What?" Fayt asked, wondering if he had heard correctly. "Did you say poisoned?"

With a nod, Albel pointedly held out his box so Fayt could read the fine print.

"Bonus!" Fayt read aloud and squinted to read the rest. "Confound your enemies with kindness: A poison pop in every box . . . Specially marked packages only." He looked back up at Albel. "You bought poisoned sweets?"

"They're cheaper," Albel assured him.

"Since when are you thrifty?" Fayt asked out of pure curiosity, but before Albel could answer, the boy's eyes widened as he remembered Nel. "So you just?" Fayt thumbed in the direction Nel had gone, he couldn't finish the statement.

Albel simply nodded and blinked, giving Fayt an expression of harmless innocence.

"But, but Nel is . . . !" Fayt argued uselessly.

And his assertion was met with an impassionate shrug from Albel.

"Maybe it's not too late . . . " Fayt fidgeted nervously. Torn as he was between what he had just learned and needing to decide what to do, Fayt was proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that inaction is just another form of action. All of a sudden the decision was made for him.

"OH MY GOD! NEL!" Fayt easily recognized Cliff's voice. "Holy shit, I think she's DEAD!"

Fayt paled, and turned wild eyes on his companion. "Albel! What have you done?"

The Glyphian's expression was calm, but under the pressure of Fayt's horror it quickly warped into a smug grin. Albel couldn't contain his twisted glee, and within seconds he had erupted into a fit of evil giggles.

"You're, you're . . . " Fayt was outraged and unable to find a suitable word. Wicked? No, too overdone. Crazy? Too easy. Trembling, he finally made a decision all on his own. "You're EVIL!" Fayt cried out, levelling an accusing finger in Albel's direction.

"But that turns you on, right?" Albel grinned and gestured toward the inn. "Shall we?"

Fayt couldn't believe what he had just heard. Had he really trusted this man with his life, fighting side by side to save the whole fucking universe with nothing more than a heartless joker? "Poor Nel . . . " Fayt simpered. "It was my fault. I should have known better. How many people are going to die because I can't save them?" On the verge of tears, Fayt turned his sadness into anger and lashed out at Albel once again.

"You really thing that I would have sex with you just for your ice cream? After you killed Nel? How do I know you won't kill me? You know, after we . . . well . . . " Crimson reached Fayt's cheeks once again. He just couldn't stop it. Even if Albel was nothing more than a calculating, cold-blooded killer, the lowest of the low, he was still kind of attractive . . . and Fayt hadn't forgotten what it felt like to be up close and personal with the man. Albel made him feel things he hadn't felt for anyone else, so maybe he was drawn to evil. Who knew?

Just for my ice cream? So something else is driving the little fool . . . "She's not dead, you know," Albel offered lightly.

"But the box said . . . !"

"It said 'confound', not 'kill'. You're so gullible, Fayt. Really . . ." Albel scratched his head with a careful claw, looking puzzled. "How the hell are you still alive?"

Fayt only smiled as he ignored the insults and continued gazing at the elder swordsman with kind eyes, an embarrassed blush creeping onto his cheeks.

Fayt looked so relieved at his words that Albel's cool demeanor melted like ill-gotten ice cream on a hot day. He could never resist that look.

"So you didn't kill her?" Fayt asked, some of the affection returning to his voice . . . while restrained, and slightly wary desire returned to his eyes.

"No, fool . . . " Albel whispered finally. I won't kill your friends, no matter how much I want to . . . Seeing Fayt's favourable gaze, which expressed everything he had secretly wanted to receive from another human being, Albel just couldn't react in any way which might upset the younger man. To feel that way about someone . . . It confused him.

He reached out to Fayt again, gentler this time, and draped a companionate arm around the boy's shoulders. With careful fingers he tickled the nape of Fayt's neck, which prompted the boy to arch his neck slightly, inviting further caresses as if Albel's touch was more than welcome. That kind of simple intimacy just felt natural to them both.

"I'm s-sorry . . . I shouldn't have thought . . . you . . . " Fayt didn't have a chance to finish. His words were dissolving into quiet moans as Albel's hand moved farther down, massaging his back tenderly with firm, rhythmical strokes.

"Please don't . . . apologize . . . " Albel crooned, pulling Fayt closer until their bodies fit smoothly together. Fayt was still making faint noises of contentment against his chest, encouraging Albel to try harder to please him. Albel ran his hand over Fayt's back, effortlessly soothing tense muscles despite his own trembling touch. A deep sigh escaped the wistful swordsman, suddenly feeling very disappointed that there was still a layer of clothing between them.

"Now do you want some, or not?" Albel leaned down, whispering the words in his potential lover's ear, infusing every syllable with quiet lust. His meaning was made crystal clear with a soft kiss to Fayt's cheek, lips pursed slightly in a teasing smile when he felt Fayt inching a little bit closer, pressing shamelessly against him.

"Some ice cream?" Fayt asked hopefully, his own voice shaking with the stress of being so close, yet unable to truly act on his urges. It was Fayt's version of lighthearted foreplay, a smirking jest made while knowing full well that Albel wasn't offering him anything of the sort.

"Worm . . . " Albel grumbled against his throat. Fayt could practically feel the friendly glower piercing him, challenging all of his as yet unspoken taunts. "I'm a much better distraction than sucking on one of those."

"I bet you are . . . " Fayt licked his lips and cuddled closer, catching Albel with his guard down for once.

"What?" The Glyphian started, somewhat amused and perhaps even impressed with Fayt's candor, but mostly taken aback by the boy's fearlessness. "Well, I . . . " Albel fumbled for a comeback, suddenly unsure of his role in this delicate battle of wills.

"Oh . . . no smart-assed remarks?" Fayt pulled back and grinned broadly at him. "Alright, Albel," he coaxed, curling a slender finger through the last chainlink of Albel's collar and giving it a gentle tug. "Let's go." Fayt's unexpected confidence was infectious, and Albel soon found himself nodding in stunned agreement.

"Of course . . . " Albel managed to reply, still shaking slightly as he examined the change in the blue-haired youth's eyes. Lost in Fayt's charming emerald depths, Albel nearly dropped his box. Apparently the boy could play the game of seduction very well. Perhaps a little too well for Albel's liking. He wasn't about to argue though . . .

ooooo

A/N: A bit of an abrupt ending I suppose, but the longer the wait, the sweeter the reward, right? Besides, I liked writing this chapter, even if very little actually happened XD. So what will happen next? Perhaps Albel and Fayt will arrive at the inn, and perhaps they will engage in certain activities . . .

. . . And perhaps tragedy will strike when they least expect it. The suspense kills, doesn't it?