A Love on the Sidelines

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt

Rating: R - Warning: Yaoi, please don't read if you don't like this.

Summary: Fayt and Cliff show off how good they are in battle together as they take on the Greeton guards in their quest to leave Granada. The lemon ensues back in their room at the palace, but they are uneasy from strange dreams they have been having. Cliff has a talk with Fayt about grieving and the loss of his dad. Finally, Lord Arzem sets his secret plans in motion...

Shout Outs - Zel: Finally updating! Haha you're on the ball. My inspiration for the prophecy is from FF X-2. And Cliff is totally not 36. I dunno what they were thinking with the manual. So i fixed that :D OMG, today this inflatable globe that my five year old brother has was sitting on the kitchen table and it was deflated and i was like HAHAHA its Albel! on a barnacle! lol. ya that april fool's joke was mean. when i checked the page SO TTET was winning in the poll so it would have remained anyways :D are u into the other series too? In reference to your profile...haha you're crazy too like Loco! sounds like the physics trip was fun. im so bad at it but its good u like it :D LOL FASTER HARDER! haha. oh ya i forget to press 'save' too in the account area of FF net!

Chapter 16 (censored version, cut scene is replaced by a type in-link if you wanna read it):

"Leave this one to us!" Cliff shouted to the rest of the crew as they backed away. "Fayt!"

The bluenette bolted to his boyfriend's side and they were swiftly surrounded by at least a dozen guards. Standing back to back, they both flashed confident smiles to their captive audience. Fayt stood with his sword at the ready, his determination displayed in the strained lines under his eyes. Suddenly, Cliff reached around and started feeling up the bluenette's ass. What the hell...

"CLIFF! What are you doing?"

"Just grabbin' some blackberries from yer back pocket. Relax, I'm all out….Ya ready?" the Klausian inquired, his neck muscles tensing up. Fayt nodded in agreement.

Cliff clenched his right fist and slowly rotated his arm outwards. "Let's pulverize them!"

In a spinning blur of movement the blond's fist pounded into the chest of a guard in front of him who flew backwards onto the ground, armor rattling on the glassy street surface. Cliff didn't stop there. He whirled around sending guards flying in different directions as his deadly knuckles did their due damage. Fayt, meanwhile, was knocking sentinels over left and right, occasional spurts of blood glistening like melting rubies against the foggy grey skies. One of the guards managed to sneak up behind him and a mace soon brushed along his back as he swerved out of the way just in time.

"SOPHIA!"

"Healing!" she squeaked back, watching from the sidelines.

"Fayt! Here, jump on me," Cliff ordered, linking his fingers together as a bunch of guards leaped to their feet and charged back towards the couple. Fayt ran towards his buddy's hands, which formed a platform for him, and jumping up he placed one foot onto Cliff's palms as the latter flung his arms into the air, shooting the bluenette way up into the sky. Focusing on where he was going to swing his sword when he came back down, Fayt's eyes shifted from side to side like a lion on the hunt or like Maria when she was getting ready to pounce on him (HA!). Shooting down from the heavens like a meteorite, Fayt blasted around in a ring of fire, flattening everyone around him as he smashed into the ground. He finished the move by giving Cliff a spirited high-five.

Just as the guards were getting up and looking for more, Lord Arzem arrived on the scene with a group of servants from the palace.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he barked at the guards, most of which were moaning in pain and clutching onto each other. Dismissing them with a swing of his arm, they slowly slunk away towards their quarters by the gate. Some of the servants rushed to tend to their wounds. "I'm so sorry Sir Cliff. I don't know what's gotten into them. I told them to close the gate, not to attack you."

"Pffff. I knew something strange was goin' on. But why can't we leave, huh?"

"It's got nothing to do with you. We always close the gate when it gets late, you never know what kind of beasts are lurking in the jungle and will try to attack our city," Arzem replied, gracefully lying through his teeth. "Come with me, I'll escort you all back to your rooms and you can join us for a dinner feast."

"Great. I'm starved," the Klausian bellowed. "Anything to erase this nasty Albel taste from my mouth."

--

Fayt sat quietly in an empty classroom, pretending to do homework as the clock on the wall ticked on by. A handsome male teacher was sitting in his chair by the chalkboards, eyeing the bluenette as he relaxed his feet on the desk in front of him. The teacher was wearing a dark blue dress shirt complete with a tie that clearly wasn't done up right. He looked the student over, starting at his feet and moving upwards.

Fayt wore brown shoes and navy socks that almost went up to his knee and his upper legs were bare except for a sparse spattering of cerulean hair. Around his waist hung a short ocean blue skirt with ruffles that barely covered his undies. The shirt of his school uniform was the same shade of blue except that the V-neck collar had a background of white that was lined with blue stripes. It all matched perfectly with his vibrantly coloured mop of hair. Fayt glanced up from the paper on his desk and his teacher almost slid off the chair as those dazzling emerald eyes stared piercingly at him, beckoning him closer.

The teacher stood up and walked up to the first row of empty desks. "You've been a naughty boy haven't you Fayt. Detention again, for the third time this week. It's almost like you're doing it just to spend time with me here, all alone, after school…" The man undid his belt buckle and flung it to the floor.

"Seems as if you wouldn't be totally wrong," the bluenette responded in a low voice, his pen slipping out of his fingers and clanging on the wooden desk.

"It's time to teach you a lesson. Clearly this whole detention thing isn't the right punishment. You still aren't doing your coursework. Playing video games all day...Ya that's right. I've seen you in the hallways, mashing away at the keys on your gaming system. I've been watching you a lot actually…" At this the instructor unzipped his fly and let his pants drop to the floor. There was a defined bulge poking out of his underwear.

He walked over to Fayt and grabbed the dirty magazine he could see hiding under the papers on the young man's desk. "You like that, huh?" he asked, referring to the pictures of naked men.

"Yup, it's pretty educational," Fayt replied with a smirk.

"Is this what you're gonna major in?"

"I think I already have really…"

The teacher lay a hand on Fayt's shoulder. "Guess you're really good at it then?"

"You could say that...I haven't had any complaints yet," the bluenette responded truthfully, tapping his fingers on the side of his desk.

"Well get down on your knees and I'll grade you on your performance. It'll be an oral exam by the way," the older man assured as he brushed his member against Fayt's skirt.

Fayt got up out of his seat and came around to where his instructor was standing. The latter pulled down his undies and let his erect dick flop out into the open. The bluenette knelt down and got smacked in the face before taking the wagging cock in his mouth, slowly sucking up and down its full length. Oral exam! ORAL EXAM! Fayt mused, his mind wandering. Gagging ever so slightly, he proceeded to burst out laughing as he fell backwards onto the floor holding his stomach, unable to stop, even if his life depended on it.

"Awww, Fayt c'mon ya ruined it!" Cliff whined, standing there feeling rather forlorn.

He responded after getting his laughter under control: "I'm sorry Cliff. It was just so ridiculous I couldn't help it. Where do you come up with these things? HA! An oral exam," he snickered. "Let's go back to our room and really get naughty…"

"'Kay, fine. But ya just weren't into it enough. After all that effort. And look...now it's all sad and drooping," the blond said, looking downwards.

Fayt sighed heavily. "Pull up your pants silly. This whole role-playing thing is just too weird for me. I'm in a girl's outfit, again. If you ever coax me into doing this for a second time YOU'LL be the one wearing a schoolgirl uniform, I'll make sure of that."

--

The couple left the empty school they had found and marched back to the palace. Fayt wore a large jacket over his uniform to avoid any more attention than they already got. And they got a lot. It seemed that Granada's citizens were becoming utterly enamored by Cliff, their holy saint, and he truly was the talk of the town. Cliff played along, smiling and waving, but Fayt knew he wasn't enjoying it as he did when they first arrived. And I keep having this nagging feeling that something bad is going to happen. Lately he'd been having strange and unsettling dreams, and they still hadn't opened the gate today.

The rest of the team had volunteered to snoop around the palace and the city, trying to discover more about the prophecy and what Lord Arzem was hiding from them. But Fayt and Cliff wanted nothing more than to relax, and when you're horny there's no turning back.

As soon as they reached their room they shooed Coco and Loco out and began making out standing up. As the sound of their lips smacking together echoed through the room, Fayt used his keen sense of touch to unbutton Cliff's dress shirt and his pants, once again. Monsieur Fittir returned the favour by slipping off Fayt's schoolgirl shirt but leaving the pretty skirt untouched. They kissed over and over again as the bluenette ran his hands along the curve of Cliff's big chest and up and down the sides of his toned stomach. The Klausian gently rubbed Fayt's upper arms like he was trying to soothe a bruise from some daft monster.

They drifted towards the bed and lay down together, cuddling in each others arms. Resting with his head on Cliff's chest, Fayt stared down the length of the blond's arm through a grassland of golden hairs that fluttered in the wind with every puff of air he directed their way. Captivated by the beauty of Cliff's skin, the young man ran his index finger along the tiny hairs on the other's arm, feeling them sensuously slide between the grooves of his fingerprints. Pulling the arm closer, he proceeded to lick and kiss all over, dampening and exciting the soft, dry desert skin with an afternoon tonguestorm.

Moving Fayt off and onto the bed, Cliff slid downwards and started tugging at the bluenette's skirt with his teeth, trying to pull it down his legs. He eventually gave up and slipped it off with both hands before smothering it over his nose and sniffing deeply, smelling Fayt's fresh, oceany musk (well, at least that's what he thought it smelled like). Grabbing Fayt's dick with his left hand, Cliff got to work. Taking it in his mouth, he ran his lips up and down the warm shaft while breathing heavily through his nose. "Oh that feels so good," Fayt muttered to himself in delight while stroking the blond's thick biceps with one hand. Moving his hand and mouth in synchronization, the blond then jacked off the bottom of Fayt's cock while sucking on the top, sending the young man into a rapturous haze: HOLY CRAP HE'S GOOD!

Finishing his oral examination with a slurp, Cliff slithered upwards over Fayt's body and started rubbing his dick against the bluenette's as his face hovered a centimetre away from his lover's. They were both flushed like pink roses and the Klausian's bangs dangled down and tickled Fayt's cheeks. The latter tilted his head up and playfully licked Cliff's nose, a subtle sign he wanted more.

"Hmmm...ya want somethin' from me?"

"Oh yes wise teacher," Fayt said grinning as the hot breaths from his sweety settled on his face. "I'm ready for the final."

"...It's a real pain in the butt, let me tell ya," Lord Cliff joked as his teeth shone through a widening smile. "It's hard and it's long, and I hope you can make it through in the allotted time period."

"There's a time limit!" the bluenette chuckled in a high voice. "Oh god Cliff, just fuck me okay. I'm dying here."

"Yessir!"

And the next 2 paragraphs are NC-17 and therefore cut out. Type this into your address bar: 4-quintessence(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)75982(dot)html and scroll down to the red squigglies and read from there.

After taking a quick shower, they let the ferrets back in and both flopped back into bed. Just before falling asleep, Cliff whispered into Fayt's ear: "Ya passed with flying colours, kid...Bachelor of the Yaoi Arts. Ha ha. I love ya so much…" He kissed a smiling Fayt on the cheek and soon they were both fast asleep.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

--

In his dream, Cliff was back on Klaus sitting on a rock by the ocean as happy as could be. He could tell it was back when the Federation was committing injustices against the planet for not submitting to its rule, but he wasn't thinking about all that as he stared out over the rippled surface of the water. Above all, this was a time when his family was getting along. Everything seemed perfect. The entire dream was exuding an aura of bliss. Behind him his parents were tending to their fruit tree orchard. A young Mirage was strolling down the beach, bending over every once and a while to look at starfish and other interesting sea creatures.

Suddenly, his house and yard behind him faded to black leaving only the ocean in front of him. Flying cars began to materialize over the water and they zigzagged this way and that, shattering the tranquility of the landscape. Cliff felt a terrible anxiety pulse through him but he was unable to move. 'No, I must stop him!' Then out of the blue, two of the cars smashed into each other and burst into an inferno of flames, the smoldering pieces of metal falling into the depths of the sea as a deep voice called out his name...once...twice...then deafening silence. There was somebody behind him. He slowly turned his head and there standing over him was someone wearing a black mask and holding a sword in both hands about to bring it down and…

"AHHHHH!"

Cliff abruptly awoke from his dream breathing heavily and sweating all over as he glanced around the room, gathering his bearings. Calm down, it was just a dream… he reassured himself. Fayt was still sound asleep beside him, lying on his side facing away from the blond. Coco and Loco were curled up at the end of the bed by Fayt's feet. As Loco's glowing eyes met Cliff's, he had a feeling he may have accidentally kicked his pet during the nightmare. Lowering the covers to his waist, the Klausian rolled onto his side and placed an arm over Fayt, hugging him close. A few minutes later sleep took him again.

--

Fayt awoke from a deep sleep to the wonderful feeling of Cliff holding him in his arms. He didn't want to move because it would probably rouse his sweetheart. The blond was holding onto Fayt so tightly, his sonorous breaths bouncing off the back of the bluenette's neck. Looking downwards, Fayt saw Coco and Loco stirring at his feet and they both started squeaking rather noisily, hoping for their breakfast.

"Shhhh!" Too late. Cliff had woken up and rolled onto his back, rubbing the sleepy sands out of his eyes.

Fayt slid out of bed and snatched some ferret food out of his bag before jumping back in and turning to look at Cliff. The strange dream was still fresh in the Klausian's mind and he figured now was the time to have that 'talk' with Fayt.

"Hey man, can I talk to ya 'bout something?" the blond asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Of course, what's up?"

"Ummm….how are ya takin'…I mean now that Ameena and Dion are gone...are you okay with it all?" he questioned, stumbling over his words like he sometimes tripped over the ferrets when he didn't see them at his feet.

A short pause. "Uhhh, yes I think I'm okay…" the bluenette replied, his face contorting like he was trying to hold something back. He covered his eyes and suddenly shifted himself towards Cliff, smothering his face into his boyfriend's bare chest. The Klausian had hit a nerve.

"Actually, I'm not okay!" Fayt cried out of nowhere as his breathing became erratic from the tears he was holding back. "Why did it happen Cliff? They had just found each other again and I'm the reason the Vendeeni came here and we had to fight them in the battlefield where Dion got hurt. It haunts me every day Cliff. And they aren't the only ones...I've seen so many people die right before my eyes…"

The blond was initially going to say it wasn't Fayt's fault, but he always said that and he figured it was slowly sinking in anyways. "Fayt, of course yer gonna be sad after something like that. I think yer takin' it really well, yer very strong, you know that. Shit happens. We have to move on but it's not easy. Ya need time to grieve and we've just been goin' and goin' nonstop on this mission."

Cliff began to run his fingers through Fayt's hair, staring into those moist green eyes — those scared eyes, those lost eyes. "Fayt, I know what it feels like. I'm still haunted by my dad's car accident. At first it was such a relief...can ya believe it? That's what I actually felt...to be free of his rage...my mom would be able to sleep at night. I was young though…"

The Klausian brought his hands behind his head and gazed back at the ceiling. He felt a warm teardrop settle between his pecs. "But it didn't hit me until years later. When ya lose someone you love ya feel this big empty space. Ya wonder if you knew it was comin', would ya have done things differently...you almost feel guilty for not preventing them from getting into that car...time warps from that day on, it dulls the pain but it never goes away...things start to not matter anymore...but still we go on, y'know? You expect too much of people around ya when yer the one that needs to take control. I feel this endless need to wander, to search...and I've been doin' that ever since I left Klaus..."

"Thanks Cliff, I feel better now," the bluenette chimed in. "I'll get through all this with you by my side."

"Well, we better get up and go eat."

Fayt wrapped his arms around Cliff so they were lying stomach to stomach. "No wait! Hold me just a little longer…" The bluenette closed his eyes and listened to the comforting beat of Cliff's heart.

Relaxing his muscles and exhaling deeply, the blond lay his hands lovingly over Fayt's back and turned his head to the side, trying to shake the eerie ending to his dream from his thoughts.

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
And then I kiss your eyes
And thank god we're together
I just wanna stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

- Aerosmith 'I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing' (1st verse Cliff's perspective, 2nd verse & chorus Fayt's)

--

"Send out the secret police. I want him contained now. The ceremony preparations are almost complete."

"Yes, sire."

"You may also open the main gate once he is captured. Don't let me down, Darien. The resistance is on the move, we must act quickly."

--

Nel's crimson hair flashed fiercely in the thin rays of light from the surrounding windows as she scampered down the aisle between the pews towards the diary. Might as well check this place again, maybe they missed something in the book, she mused. Glancing left and right, she opened the diary and scanned through it. Okay, blah blah blah, never give up, blah blah blah. She turned to the blank page Fayt had stopped on. She continued flipping. AHA! There's more. The writing is different though, I wonder if this was added later...New Testament?...anyways let's see here. By pleasing the prophet who envisioned our future, he will save us and restore glory to Granada immediately without the time needed for the two lineages to carry out the task. In order to do this, the descendant saint who arrives with the markings on his neck must be…

"WHAT!" Nel screamed out loud, her voice bouncing back to her from all four walls. A pigeon sitting in one of the window sills flew away in fright. NO! I must warn them…

She shot out of the room like a bolt of lightning, racing to find Cliff and Fayt out on their morning stroll.

--

Fayt and Cliff were walking in Granada's shining streets making their way to the shopping plaza to buy some items (especially blackberries for Cliff). The sun was high in the sky and the air was muggy as it always was in this region between the jungle and the sea. Oodles of Greetoners were out and about, trading, working, playing, doing whatever they had to do. Every once in a while one of them would descend from the sky and land nearby, briefly surprising Fayt by appearing out of nowhere. Cliff was walking a few steps behind him.

"Hey Cliff, don't you wish you had wings?"

"Hmmm...I dunno, kid. Would kinda get in the way when we're making love…"

Fayt's laugh drew the stares of people around them. "Well what about…"

He heard a faint muffled cry and turned to look at Cliff. Cliff was gone.

Suddenly Fayt was young again, alone and scared, all by himself in a busy shopping centre, having lost his mom in the crowd. He snapped back to the present. "CLIFF! CLIFF! Where are you?" he shouted, scanning the streets, looking for that golden covered head poking out of the hordes of people. He started panicking. He rushed this way and that, searching, hoping. He finally collapsed on the ground, an aching feeling seeping through his body as people rushed by, no one noticing. He thought of his dark dreams (omens?). His arms were going numb. Then somebody rested a hand on his shoulder.

"They took him," a voice said, the person's white hair dangling down in Fayt's line of vision.

OMG! TO BE CONTINUED!

(A/N: uh oh. i hope you enjoyed the classroom scene :D betcha were a little shocked there. like wtf? why is he all the sudden in school? haha. is this what you're gonna major in? lol. and so the sad part begins...)

Update: Spectralwings, one of my amazing reviewers, has drawn a lovely picture of Cliff and Fayt for this chapter, so check out my profile page to see it!