X (In Love and War: Chapter 5) X

Before you read, I'd love if you'd take a sec to listen to my author's note, the link for which can be found on my profile. 8D

X

Fayt found himself strangely cold when he woke. Even if the hotel was fairly well-heated and the bed supplied with thermal blankets, there was a natural warmth that he had grown so accustomed to in the past few weeks that he realized right away was missing. There was no Albel with his arm around him, holding him close, sharing heat and keeping him safe. Alarm spread through his body quickly and made his blood run frigid, making him feel even colder. He sat up, looking this way and that, not caring when the blanket slipped off him and landed in his lap. Screw the blanket. Where was Albel? The wicked swordsman was nowhere in sight and this fact made the blue-haired youth panic.

Could it be that Albel realized he didn't have to beat around the bush anymore and escaped? That was the most likely thing in Fayt's mind. Where else would he have gone? Surely he figured out what the events of the previous night were all about and had left to go join the Black Brigade. This meant that he would turn the troops around and lead them to attack Aquios… therefore making the possible destruction of his home all his fault! The youth nearly choked at the notion of such a thing. All his friends… his home… everything… gone? Because of him and his selfish desire to keep Albel by his side? No…!

"Albel? Where are you?!" he cried out into the still room, head turning from side to side rapidly. In his haste to scramble from the bed, his leg got caught in the blanket, and he instead fell on his face on the floor, kicking wildly to free himself. "Albel! Albel!!" he shouted again and again, voice muffled a little from having his mouth nearly touching the floor. At this rate he would alarm the other patrons in the inn. But he didn't care, he really didn't – maybe if he kept yelling Albel would hear him, or someone who recognized the name could tell him that they saw him leave and point out which direction he had gone, or… or…

A sudden pressure on his back caused Fayt to yelp and freeze in place, no longer kicking his legs in attempts to be free of the tangled blanket. The weight wasn't enough to hurt him, only to hold him still. Turning his head some, he glimpsed a small flash of purple before dropping his forehead against the floor. "Maggot, what the hell is your problem?" a familiar voice barked at him, seemingly only off to Fayt's left some, "Are you trying to wake the whole damned city? Because you're doing a fine job of it!"

"Oh, Albel…" Fayt murmured, relieved. The wicked swordsman was still there. He and his life as he knew it were safe… hopefully. Although Albel hadn't seemed as though he was mad after he had apologized last night, the youth found himself wondering if he wasn't simply acting that way to get the boy to relax. The swordsman was stepping down on his back. Was he going to die now?

"What?" the swordsman replied, taking his boot from the small of Fayt's back and moving away. "Fool, I've been here the entire time. I was standing by the window. Didn't you see me?"

"No," Fayt admitted with a bit of an embarrassed blush. He untangled his legs from the blanket then sat up, stretching a little. "I thought that maybe…"

"… I'd run off while you slept?"

"Well, yeah. … Why didn't you?" Not that he would ever want such a thing, but Fayt found himself curious as to why the older man hadn't taken the opportunity.

For a short time Albel was silent, and simply made his way back to the window, pushing the curtains to the side some so that he could stare out into the city. By now it had to of been something like eight or nine in the morning and neither of them had gotten much sleep. It showed in the slightly haggard appearance both men possessed, and the bags under their eyes. Fayt's hair was a disaster – Albel's clothes were mussed. "Because I didn't feel like it," the wicked swordsman answered finally, peering at Fayt from the corner of his eye.

The answer surprised Fayt a little, though he couldn't place why. "Oh," he said simply, wrapping his arms around his knees and giving a little shiver. Between the two of them, there was silence. Albel continued to stare out the window as if there were something fascinating there, and the youth proceeded to peer around the room, noting the various things that were in it. This place had a bathroom with what he guessed was a shower – much more than what he had at home. "What are you looking at?" Fayt asked finally, turning his attention back to Albel. He hadn't moved an inch the entire time.

"Nothing." The swordsman's response was short and snappy, suggesting that he thought little of the question Fayt had asked and of answering it. The boy had become used to telling these things when speaking with Albel; when to press for more, when to lay off. When he was happy, when he was upset, and when it was a good time to leave the room lest some horrible violent thing take place. Really, the man wasn't as difficult to understand as he had initially thought. "Get ready. We're going back to Aquios."

Deep unease settled in Fayt's gut. He stood, chewing his bottom lip, and took a few tentative steps toward the wicked swordsman. Would have reached to touch his shoulder, but decided that now was not a good time to touch him. "What are we going to do there?" he asked softly, directing his gaze to the floor in case Albel turned to look at him.

"We're going to go back to your house. What the hell else would we do there?" Albel replied harshly, rolling his garnet eyes. He still didn't bother to turn away from the window, even though he was getting very tired of watching people walk by.

"And… do… what there?" Fayt asked, bewildered. This certainly wasn't what he had expected at all. He had thought that Albel would either leave from Peterny and return to his command over the Black Brigade, or even go back to Airyglyph. And if they did go back to Aquios, he really hadn't expected that Albel would just want to hang out at his place. Not that there was anything worth doing there.

"Does it matter?! Stop asking so many stupid questions." Finally, Albel turned from the window and glowered at Fayt, although upon seeing that he was staring at the ground, the scowl died on his face and was replaced with a look that couldn't be easily deciphered. "… You're a bloody mess. Go take a shower," he commanded, pointing with his normal arm at the bathroom across the room.

The demand startled Fayt, and instead of questioning it or hesitating, he simply rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. It had been a very long time since he'd last taken a shower. These contraptions were fairly new on Elicoor II, and his family had never had enough money to acquire one. Sophia's had, however, and every once in awhile he would be allowed to go over and use theirs. Otherwise, he used water from the well to clean of, when it wasn't frozen solid. And so, even though he felt as though something was wrong with the situation Albel had in mind for the day, he was rather eager to try out the shower. Quickly undressing, he stepped into the contraption and poked at the knob there before realizing that it had to be turned, then did so, looking up at the faucet from which water was supposed to come expectantly.

After a short wait, water began spraying from the faucet, and Fayt found it highly fascinating… or would have, had it not been freezing cold. He stood stock-still under the steady stream of frigid water, too stunned at first to react. Then he leapt away from the spray, letting out a startled yell, and another when he slipped on the floor of the shower and ended up on his back, cold water hitting his body and face.

No sooner had he cried out a third time did the bathroom door fly open, and Albel, rather alarmed himself, stood in the threshold, claws of his gauntlet bared as if there were something in the room that was going to be killed. "What is it?!" he demanded, turning to look at the shower. There was no door on the shower – no curtains, nothing to stop anyone from simply looking over and seeing whoever was in it. So when the wicked swordsman looked, what he saw was the blue-haired youth belly-up on the shower floor, kicking and flailing and screaming, nearly choking on the shower water that was spraying him in the face, completely nude, and beginning to turn blue from the cold. "Oh, for the love of—!" he growled, stomping over to the dial on the shower. He wrenched it to the right, causing the water to slowly heat up, and as it did so, Fayt relaxed, shuddering as the cold left his body and was replaced by comfortable heat.

However, the boy's calm lasted a very short time, as he became aware of the fact that Albel was standing there, practically staring at him. He produced a sound akin to a squeak – something he hadn't even known he could do – and curled into something of a ball in attempts to hide from the swordsman. "Do you mind!?" was all he could manage to say.

"No," Albel responded simply, resting his hand on his hip. "What kind of stupid maggot are you? Don't you know how to use a shower at all? You'd best be thanking your goddess that I was here; otherwise you would have frozen to death! Fool…"

Blushing wildly, Fayt curled further into his ball, almost feeling as though he could cry. He had never thought of himself as shy, but then again, he had never thought about how he would feel if a grown man that was not only a potential enemy, but a potential friend, saw him naked. "I'm kind of not decent right now, you know!" he choked out, doing his best to glare at Albel. "H-Hey! Quit staring!"

"I'm not staring," Albel insisted, though his eyes did grow slightly larger. The faintest trace of red touched his cheeks and he turned away, growling in an animalistic way.

"Yes you were!" Fayt hissed, getting to his feet only after Albel had turned away. He was still a little uneasy, however, and pressed back against one of the shower walls, wishing he could disappear into it. "I didn't think you were such a pervert, Albel!"

"I'm not a fucking pervert!" the wicked swordsman snapped back, whirling back around to scowl at Fayt, regardless of the fact that the boy was standing and completely exposed. He was a tad embarrassed at the sight, himself, but was too offended to give a damn. "You know what, though, fool, I haven't heard you tell me to get out yet. So you must want me here!"

The youth recoiled from Albel's gaze, doing his best to cover up. At the accusation, however, he glared, moving toward the older man rather than away from him. "That's a stupid assumption! Why the heck would I want some guy in here when I'm trying to take a shower?!"

"I don't know, you're the one who does! So you tell me!" Albel taunted, moving closer to the shower and leaning forward, sneering.

"I do not!" Fayt hissed, moving forward some as well and leaning in the direction of the swordsman.

"Then tell me to get out!"

"Fine! I will!"

"Okay, maggot. I'm waiting!"

For a moment Fayt simply stood there, trying his best to be like Albel. Trying to make his eyes pierce into the other man's, trying to look intimidating. More than once, the swordsman had been able to scare him away by simply glaring at him. If Albel could do it, well, then so could he! However, the longer he stared, the more he became aware of how close they were leaning toward one another. His expression softened without his realizing it, and his gaze began to wander down, away from Albel's eyes and instead lingered on his lips. For some reason, he began to think that they looked awfully… inviting? What kind of a weird thought was that to have about another guy? Regardless of how strange it was, it was how he felt…

"Well?!" Albel snapped. As Fayt's gaze began to drift away, he raised an eyebrow, following the pair of green eyes and watching to see where he was looking. At his lips? How stupid. What a stupid, naïve maggot. The swordsman knew immediately what he wanted, but wasn't about to give it to him. No, it was much more fun to taunt him. He pursed his lips some, looking sullen.

Fayt noticed this and looked back up with wide eyes at Albel's, face reddening. The older man's ruby gaze said simply, make your move, fool. It was almost as if Albel had said it out loud. He could hear the taunt in his head, loud and clear. Make your move. There was no way he was going to be teased this way! Leaning further forward, he closed the gap between their mouths with a soft noise. Check, Albel.

Surprisingly, Albel gave no hesitation in returning the kiss, even going so far as to be rough about it. He gave a soft snarl, lifting the hand without a gauntlet on it to run a hand through blue locks, and then seize a handful of it, effectively holding his head in place and, after a moment, pulling him deeper into the kiss. It was clear the swordsman was no novice at this, and the expertise, as well as the viciousness of it, was enough to scare Fayt into struggling a little, then pulling away when the other man released him. The youth stumbled back, staring with wide eyes at Albel, face beet red. Anything he could possibly think to say died on his lips before he could get it out. As for the wicked swordsman – he acted as if there was nothing to say about it at all, smirking a little.

"D-Did you have to be so rough?" Fayt asked finally, pursing his lips a little. He could still taste Albel's there, though if there was a 'flavor' he couldn't place what it could possibly be. It wasn't that it was his first kiss – he and Sophia had pecked once, just out of curiosity, and Evia had smooched him once or twice in a playful sort of way – but he was still a beginner at it and certainly wasn't ready for something so violent.

"Don't be such a wuss," Albel snorted in reply, waving the hand that had previously been tangled in Fayt's hair. He thought for a moment, however, and then used that hand to motion Fayt closer. "Come here."

The youth hesitated, but inched toward the older man, wondering what he had in mind. Maybe this time he would bite him? Ever since they had met, it had been a perpetual fear of him. He had caught a glimpse of Albel's teeth before and was a hundred percent sure he had fangs. The last thing he wanted was to be bitten… but before he could expression confusion or hesitance, the swordsman had caught his lips in a second kiss – this one much softer and pleasant than the first.

He found himself falling headlong into it, even moaning a little against Albel's lips. Yes, he liked this much better. Staggering some, the youth brought his arms around Albel's neck for support, shivering when he felt the light brush of a tongue on his lower lip. This felt… almost too good. But he didn't really want it to stop. Not to mention this was the first time he had ever felt Albel do anything gentle. Even when he pulled him to bed each night, the way he draped his arm around him and cuddled him was… rough. The way he spoke was rough. But this… this was nice.

The reverie ended when Albel began pulling away, slowly, stopping only after their lips no longer touched. Fayt could hardly look at the other man despite how close they were still, wondering if maybe his head would explode from the massive rush of blood going to it. "A-Albel…" he said in barely a whisper, though the word was nearly lost over the running water behind him. He felt desperate for more, but didn't have the nerve to ask, and had no idea how to signal to the other man what he wanted. It seemed that Albel already knew, however, for he gave the faintest laugh, stepping back from the shower.

"Move aside," he commanded, reaching for the hem of his shirt. Fayt watched in stunned silence as he removed it, and slowly began to understand what the other man meant to do. He obediently stumbled to the back of the shower, shivering even though the heat of the water was still strong. No matter how much he tried not to stare, mouth agape as Albel undressed, it was impossible to turn away. Then the swordsman stepped into the shower, smirking a little, and moved toward him.

X

Fayt had never felt so glad to be home when he and Albel came into his home in Aquios. The entire way home, he had remained attached to the older man's arm, clasping his hand, and they had talked. It was an amazing thing, really, listening to the captain of the Black Brigade hold a conversation. But the swordsman had a surprisingly lot to say, even if it took a bit of prompting to get him to say it. And the youth found himself profoundly attracted to every last word. Just the sound of his voice was enough to stir a sort of happy, fluttering feeling in his chest. One he'd never felt before.

When he pushed open the door, the blue-haired boy was immediately tackled by Evia, who proceeded to squeal something about, "Where were you?! I was sooo worried! Nel said you left with Albel! I'm so glad you're okay! Oh, I'm so glad you brought the hottie back with you! I thought I'd never get to see him again!" The dark-haired youth squeezed his friend tightly, stopping either one of them from coming into the house.

"Ack! Evia! It's… it's a long story, okay? We were in Peterny, but we're okay and we're home now," Fayt attempted to explain over all Evia's yapping, patting the other boy's shoulder some. When that wasn't enough to get him off, he simply pried the older boy off and scrambled away before he could get clung to again. "I'm glad to see you too." He laughed some in spite of himself. There was a reason why Evia had been his friend for so long…

"Promise me you'll tell me every juicy detail later!" Evia insisted, dancing over to the table where he had made himself a snack of water and a few carrots. "I wanna know just what you did with the hottie!"

'The hottie' had become Albel's new name as far as Evia was concerned, and his mention caused the swordsman to simply grunt and move into the house, flexing the claws of his glove. He did this often when the dark-haired boy was in the area, for the desire to strangle something and rip it apart with his gauntlet was very strong during these times. Somehow he had managed to keep from doing this – maybe it was Fayt's influence.

"W-W-We didn't do anything!" Fayt squeaked, face immediately turning red. How did Evia know? Was he psychic too? How come everyone always knew what he was really up to, no matter what he did to keep it secret? Or had Evia followed them and saw the whole thing? No, that couldn't be possible. The other boy had to be just assuming things. Of course!

Evia simply shot his friend a lame look and folded his arms, one small half-eaten carrot poking out of the corner of his mouth. "Mmhm," he snorted, shaking his head. "You're so lucky, Fayt you've got the hottest of the hot to make it with and you won't!"

Abruptly, Albel gave a sharp laugh, shaking his head. "What?" Evia insisted, looking over at Albel instead. When the swordsman ignored him, he whined, scuffing the toe of his shoe on the floor. "Aww, hottie, tell me!"

"Shut up, maggot," the wicked swordsman hissed in response, and the topic was dropped, allowing Fayt to recover from his near heart attack. If Albel had spilled the beans about what they'd done in that shower, he wasn't sure he'd ever get to hear the end of it. Evia would freak for days straight. The dark-haired boy was always going on about how Fayt couldn't stay a virgin forever, but when he finally got over his sociopathy and did it, he wanted to be the first to know. Oh, boy.

"Gee so mean, mister hottie man. You break my heart!" Here Evia slapped a hand over his chest and pretended to cry, scuffing his shoe on the floor again. Then he tired of the act before it had really even begun and shook his head. "Fiiine. But Fayt, you better not keep me in the dark or I'll cry and tell Dion!" he threatened. After a few munches on his carrot, he moved toward the door and flipped his hair dramatically. "Speaking of whom, I'm going to go see him now! Bye-bye!" And off he went.

Albel rolled his eyes. "Good riddance. Why do you keep that fool around? Your maggot friends are… annoying."

Fayt didn't seem to have heard him, as he stood near the kitchen, staring off into space. Too busy recalling what had happened earlier. It was nothing like he'd even ever imagined before. Amazing, really, yet painful… incredible, yet frightening. Mostly he had never imagined that two men could have sex. Sure, Evia had explained it to him hundreds of times – "just so you'll know how to do it when the time comes!" – but it had never really sunk in. Especially not in that moment, when he had been so utterly confused and lost in the multiple waves of pleasure, and—

"Fayt! Dammit, answer me, would you?!" Albel snapped, waving a hand in front of the youth's face. The boy jumped, even gasped a little, and looked up at the other man, bewildered. How long had be been standing there trying to get his attention? It wasn't like him to daydream like that.

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking away and blushing embarrassedly. "What is it? Do you need something?"

The wicked swordsman remained silent for awhile, simply studying the youth. Then he smiled – faintly, so that you really had to look to catch sight of it – and sifted his hand through Fayt's hair. "Were you thinking about earlier?"

Why does everyone always know…? Fayt began to think, face heating up even more. There was no point in wondering that anymore. No matter what, he guessed everyone just would. He leaned his head into the touches, eyelids drooping a little. "Yeah," he answered honestly, giving a little purr. Catlike, the way he loved being petted so much.

Albel snorted a little. "Liked it, huh," he asked, continuing to stroke the boy's hair. He looked like he was going to get sexual gratification out of just that. Poor, pathetic maggot. Must have been awfully neglected and pent up to be so sensitive.

"W-Well, yeah," the youth mumbled, shutting his eyes and leaning toward Albel until he simply stumbled against him and cuddled against his chest. No matter how scant the man's clothes were, he was always so warm… "Wasn't I supposed to like it?"

The older man gave no response. He simply scooped Fayt up in his arms and carried him off, careful not to let him hit his head on the walls as he trekked up the stairs. When he got to Fayt's bed he laid him down in it, then slipped in beside him and tugged him close, shutting his eyes. "It's going to be dark soon," he said quietly, clearly ready to fall asleep. "Let's get some rest."

"I'm not tired…" Fayt whined a little, though was not averse to nuzzling into Albel's neck and nosing at the skin there.

"Silence, fool…" the wicked swordsman snapped tiredly, giving a little shift and an upward tilt of his chin before drifting off. Although Fayt claimed to be wide awake, he found himself easily able to be lulled to sleep by listening to the steady beat of Albel's heart.

X

Fayt found himself strangely cold when he woke. There was a natural warmth he had grown so accustomed to in the past few weeks that he realized right away was missing. As he opened his emerald eyes to look around, he saw nothing but the darkness of night in his room, aside from a little moonlight filtering in through the window. The spot beside him where Albel always lay, nestled against him, was bare, the blankets rumpled as if he had tossed them aside when he got up. Unlike earlier that morning when he had feared the swordsman's disappearance, the youth assured himself that Albel had simply gone to the bathroom or to get a snack. After today, the older man wouldn't go anywhere. He had shown that in his actions and in his words.

Yet as Fayt lay there, time passed and what was once the five minutes he figured Albel would be soon turned into one hour, then two, with no sign of the other man. Since he could think up no reassuring excuse as to what Albel could be doing for two hours or more, he decided that he would have to go look. He peeked into the bathroom – no Albel. However, when he went into the kitchen to see if he had gone into make himself a snack and had simply fallen asleep at the table, he found a piece of paper on the table that hadn't been there before.

It was folded into fourths, the word Fayt written in a messy scrawl on the front. Blinking, the blue-haired youth pulled back one of the chairs and stood in front of it, reaching for the paper, and unfolded it. There were only two words written on it, and those two words were enough to make Fayt fall back into the chair behind him, legs giving out from shock and disbelief. His mouth fell open, and his eyes watered, passing over the two words over and over as if they would change into something more comprehensible if he continued to read them. It only made him feel the full effects of what the note said even more.

In the same chicken-scratch handwriting that had formed the youth's name on the front of the paper, the inside read, Goodbye. Albel.