Blank's POV

We pillaged and plundered. We ransacked and stole. I followed my faster companion as he swiftly maneuvered through the herds of noblemen. There's something so attractive about thievery. At least when Zidane does it.

It's agile. It's cunning. Devious and sexy, even. He'd pause to smirk at a pretty girl, capture her interest in his amazing eyes and then slip away with her purse.

I've been drawn to the lifestyle as well as the boy whom I taught it to. Zidane had learned so quickly. The boy could definitely pick a pocket and hold his own against a gang if caught in an alley. He'd surpassed my own skills within a few days of training. Baku raised him to be a good man... I raised him to be a good thief.

He's just cocky. But that's just Zidane. That's just what I love...

The kid suddenly took a turn down a narrow passage between two close houses. Amazingly I kept up until he halted and turned to me.

"I think we have enough for tonight, don't you?" He asked. I panted, checking my pockets and his with short glimpses before nodding. "You look tired Blank." He smirked, "Getting a little too old for this?"

I shoved the mocking youth playfully.

"Shut up Zi. I'm not that much older than you."

"True." Zidane nodded, turning to sit on the cobblestones against the filth of the alley. I took a seat beside him, my legs stretched and then returned to bend easily at the knees. There was a silence. It wasn't awkward. It wasn't comforting. We listened to the sounds of the bustling city. The sounds of people realizing their pocket change had been pilfered. Bliss.

Zidane's tail flitted over to me. I eyed it suspiciously as if it had a mind of its own. It rested on my thigh and I looked over at him. He seemed unaware, staring up at the stars, barely visible beyond the dank roofing of the towering homes. I felt the urge to stroke it again. Even now, while he's awake and completely in control of his senses.

It was sort of a sick little obsession of mine... but not really all about me. I wanted to give him pleasure and know that I was the one giving it. I wanted to make him happy. I wanted to make him mine.

I reached out cautiously and placed my hand over the soft fur. Zidane glanced over at this and grinned.

"Blank..." He spoke softly. I watched him, waiting for him to continue. The boy didn't speak anymore. He stared for a moment longer.

Those intensely turquoise eyes bore into me. Zidane edged closer. Our left and right shoulders bumped and he leaned up so his shallow breaths could be felt against my face. His eyes closed. My eyes were wide open, staring hard as Zidane continued to lean. His lips were pursed slightly.

"'EY!" Zidane fell back in shock and I looked up at to the rooftops. Marcus sat, crouched like a gargoyle at the edge of the shingles. "C'mon you guys! Baku is waiting, it's past midnight!" With that he disappeared.

I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath until now. I exhaled a deep sigh and stood solemnly. Did we just... did we almost... Damn Marcus. I clenched my fists for a moment and then started towards the mouth of the alleyway.

"Blank I..." Zidane began. When I looked back at him though, he was standing and shuffling behind without a word.

The trek back to the inn was in silence too. This silence was awkward. No comfort.

We arrived before Cinna at least. Baku didn't punish us, just asked for the usual slice of the haul and we were sent on our way. As soon as he was given the word of freedom, Zidane hurried from me. I didn't strain to keep up as he practically sprinted to our room but I was curious.

He was lying flat upon his bunk when I entered.

"Zi, you alright Bro?" I asked, taking my place on my mattress. Zidane didn't respond. I didn't question any further and kicked off my shoes. I turned to blow out the oil lamp on my night stand and then in the complete darkness I heard sniffling. Sniffling and small hiccups and gasps that come from bottled up tears. I can't just lay here and not help him. "Zidane..." I spoke his name gently.

"W-what?" He choked. I reached for the creaky ladder and slowly made my way up through the darkness. "D-don't come up!" Zidane cried.

"I already know you're cryin' what else is there to hide?" I argued. Zidane didn't press the matter further and I climbed in beside him. "Why are you upset?" I asked, my hand reached out and searched for his shoulder.

"I dunno..." Zidane mumbled. I found his head. My hand cupped the side of his face and I stroked his cheek with my thumb. Up to his nose and then back against his ear.

"That's awful childish... don't you think?" I reasoned. I felt him nod.

"Sorry. I just really don't know why." Zidane sniffed. I ran my fingers through his hair. Such soft, lovely hair. He let the tiniest moan, nearly a sigh, escape his lips. "Blank could you sleep up here again tonight?" He asked.

"Only if you can tell me what's bothering you." I surprised myself with this. Sure I wanted to help Zidane, but I turned down an offer to sleep at his side. I heard Zidane sitting upright and he mumbled some things before speaking louder.

"Have you ever wanted to be with someone so bad, but couldn't?" Zidane asked. I wanted to laugh, it was too ironic.

"Well yea." I nodded. Zidane must have been a little shocked at my lack of depression.

"It... doesn't hurt you?" He asked softly.

"Sure it does. The thing is though, you can't let it get to you. Appreciate the time you spend with that person, regardless. That is, assumin' you encounter them all the time." I added, thinking I was being to self-oriented in my advice.

"They haven't even said anything." Zidane replied.

"Well then why are you sayin' you can't be with them if you haven't even tried?"

"I just know they wouldn't want to..." He sighed. Who the hell wouldn't want him? I wanted to smack some sense into him.

"Zidane, why would you think that? Everyone on the planet wants to be with you. I'm with you all the time, I know. I've seen." I admitted, barely able to suppress my jealousy. I knew that had brought a pink tint to his cheeks.

"You mean all those chicks..." Well yea... who is he referring to? "There's another reason they probably will never understand."

"Zi... you're... not into chicks?" I asked. "It's okay if you aren't, I mean, I won't judge you." I rambled.

"Thanks Blank." He didn't exactly answer me, but in a way he did. Zidane wasn't actually into skirts... who knew? I felt his arms around me once more. I relaxed into his touch and returned his embrace. His hands ran up my back and rested on my neck, his fingers sifting barely into my hair.

"I'll always be here for you. I'm always in your corner." I promised. I hesitated and then placed a gentle kiss upon his head. My lips pressed carefully against those silky locks of blond. Zidane exhaled sweetly and hugged me tighter to him. Regardless of what he says, I can still feel the innocence in him. The youth. The child. He still has some growing up to do.

"Now let's get some sleep, okay?" I smiled, even if he couldn't see me. Zidane nodded, knowing I could feel it against my chest. We both reclined against his cool pillow. I realized that in my blindness I'd unintentionally placed my face incredibly close to his. I felt Zidane shuffling around then the comfort of a blanket over me. "Thanks." I said quietly, edging a bit closer.

Zidane's hands brushed mine under the sheets. When he retracted them like electrical shock I realized it was on accident. He sniffled some more and I sighed.

"Are you still upset?" I said. I felt Zidane's hands again. I went stiff as they gingerly ran up my arms and then his right hand slid down my side.

"Blank, in the a-alley..." Zidane stammered. My heart beat was speeding out of control as his smaller body cuddled up into my own. His arms wrapped around me. I returned his hold. I slid my fingers delicately about his neck and up behind his ear.

"Yea?" I urged. Zidane's left hand touched my chest. Soft fingers spread about my stitching.

"I shouldn't h-have. I still want to though. I want to..." His tail once again found a place about my torso. In the darkness I couldn't see. I couldn't see it coming. All I felt were Zidane's supple lips ever lightly pressed to my own. Not a hint of liquor could be tasted. I closed my eyes, not that I needed them anyways. I held tighter to Zidane's angelic face.

Me... it was me all along whom Zidane wanted to be with.

He tried to pull back. Maybe embarrassed or wanting to know my reaction. I held him though. I held taut and barely parted my lips, allowing for my tongue to lick at Zidane's own tightly shut lips. He parted them. My tongue slid into his smaller mouth and I moaned. I've waited so long.

I explored that lusciously moist cavern extensively. Our tongues meshed and slided against eachother. Zidane's tail tightened about my torso and he pressed harder to my body.

I had to stop before the poor boy couldn't breathe. I realized I'd done the right thing as he gasped in a large breath.

"Sorry." I chuckled a bit in my apology. "I got carried away."

"Y-you..." I could sense his smile. It simply radiated from him. I was creating that joy. Finally, it was me. "Can I kiss you again?" Zidane asked.

"You can kiss me as much as you like. Any time you like." I told him.

"You... you don't mind." He stated it, as if he needed to hear it from himself to recognize the phrase as fact.

"I've wanted to kiss you like that for as long as I can remember..." I admitted. Zidane dove for my lips again. He immediately opened his mouth to the kiss this time. Our tongues resumed their places in eachother's mouths.

"I've... never..." Zidane panted in between our passionate kisses, "kissed anyone... like this before." My chest warmed. My body flared up with heat. Between my legs became just a little more firm.

"Well you sure... are progressin' just fine..." I smirked as he clung tighter and pushed his legs to wrap in and about my own. This pressed our lower halves together completely. I blushed a bit. Knowing he could no doubt feel my lust for him now. We stopped kissing and he ran his fingers up my patterned chest to my shoulder and then back.

"Blank you're hard for me." He giggled. My blush deepened.

"Like that's my fault." I quickly returned in defense. Zidane's hand went back to my chest... then dipped down to my naval.

"I want to please you Blank." Such words coming from Zidane melted me. I made an incoherent mumbling noise and Zidane slid his brazen fingers into my leather shorts.

"Z-Zidane!" I gasped as his slender grip found its way about my half-hard cock, "You don't hhhhave to..." My voice was hindered by pleasure. My tongue tied by desire. He stroked the length of it once and listened to my restrained moans. I didn't want to wake our sleeping Tantalus brothers.

"Oh but I want to, and I know you want me to." Zidane whispered. Air caught in my throat and I swallowed hard. I keep forgetting he's not a child. "Tell me, Blank." His voice was hot against my ear, "Tell me you like it."

"Y-yes." I managed as I was completely erect now and painfully stifled by my leather. Zidane kissed my mouth again, it was gentle and chaste despite the speed with which he was now pumping my cock. It hurt only slightly, being bent against my own clothing. Zidane wasn't prepared. I could tell. This was spontaneous and he only sort of knew what he was doing. I wasn't sure how much sexual experience the boy had but I knew he'd never touched another man.

He only knew what he wanted. I was fine with that.

"Oh Zidane... hhharder." I shut my eyes tightly. His hands became slick as pre-cum was beginning to discharge.

As I grew closer to my climax, with every pump of his fist along my shaft, I gripped tighter to my Zidane. I held him for security as I was losing control of my senses. His tail flitted along my side and I seized it. I just need that little extra something to come.

Zidane was shocked for a moment, hesitant with a gasp but then recovered, sliding his digits firmly along. I traced his tail back to his rear and pulled gently at the base. "Unnuh!" Zidane moaned and his hips slammed up against me. He shuddered and I felt his warm release through his baggy trousers. That was enough. I came hard. My seed spilled over Zidane's hand and partially into my pants.

I was utterly drained. Exhausted. I panted heavily and rolled in close to Zidane. He pulled his hand from my pants and kissed me again. I kissed him back. His lips were devoured by my own larger ones. I bit softly at his lower lip. He breathed hard and I inhaled his frequent gasps. I love you. That's what I wanted to say. Instead I slurred some stupid brotherly commands.

"C'mon, we have to... clean up... then get some sleep." I nudged him. Zidane languidly followed me down from his bunk and we fumbled around in the darkness for the door. Zidane clung to me as I tried to remember the mapping of the inn. At last I reached the doorway to the docks and we rushed out into the moonlight.

It was sort of surreal to see his face after all that intimacy in the pitch black darkness. It was almost like it didn't happen. Oh but it did and I would remember it forever.

I stripped myself of my leather shorts and took a towel to my semen that barely rested on the edges where Zidane's hand failed to catch it. I then discarded the towel and turned to see Zidane, taking a brief dip in the waters with his pants in hand. I pulled my shorts back on and waited as he washed them hung them over the railing to dry. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it about his hips in a makeshift covering.

He approached me and encircled his arms about me.

I love you. Just say it you idiot! But I didn't.

Zidane's POV

The Next Day

I awoke to find myself alone in my bunk. I sat up lazily and stared around.

"Blank?" I furrowed my brow. No reply came. "Blank!" I shouted. I heard footsteps and Blank ran into the room. Toothbrush in his mouth, foaming a bit.

"Wrr wrr izit?" He mumbled through the paste and brush.

"Sorry..." I giggled, "I didn't know where you were." Blank relaxed and shook his head at me, he spat his saliva and teeth-scrapings out on the floor.

"You scared me." He muttered, heading towards me with a smile. I apologized again and he pulled me down for a kiss. Mmm minty! "It's okay." I leaped down and tackled Blank to the ground, knocking his toothbrush from his hand and crushing his lips with my own. "Zidane!" He chuckled as I pinned him to the ground. I straddled his hips and held tight to his wrists against the floorboards, not that he was really trying to get away at all.

I kissed him again, again and again. I never thought he'd ever care about me this way. The way I care about him.

"Zi... Haha ZI!" He finally pushed me back so he could prop himself up on his elbows. "As much as I'd love to lie here all day and make out with you, we gotta go." He motioned with a thumb towards the door. I pouted and kissed the tip of his nose smoothly.

"But I love kissing you..." I smirked. Blank's legs pulled up behind me, pushing my body further into his.

"Later." He replied, giving me one last peck before standing and forcing me from my comfortable position on his hips. "I'll make it up to you, promise." He said slyly. He picked up his toothbrush and I followed him out of our room in a trance. Later better be soon.

The rest of the gang, as I was becoming accustomed to, had already began to eat their breakfast.

"Well well, Zi and Blank. The two of you are such slackers!" Baku pounded the table as we took our seats. "You're hardly ever up in time anymore. What are ya doin'?!" He growled.

I looked to Blank and he didn't return my uneasiness. Always the cool and collected one, he shrugged off Baku's rage with a smirk.

"Relax Baku. Zidane and I have been rakin' in the best haul Tantalus has ever had. We can chill a bit." He reasoned, taking a bite out of the sausage Ruby had set out.

"You could rake in a bigger haul if you'd quit stayin' up so damn late!" Baku countered. Blank paused at this and shook his head.

"We're not up late." He argued. Baku frowned in disapproval but let the comments die. Maybe we should be more careful.

Breakfast was quickly devoured and once again we set out into Treno. Our parties had been changed up a bit since Blank had decided to try and reason with Baku... Marcus was now the one struggling to keep up with me through the crowds and Blank was somewhere shaking his head at Cinna.

I paused for a moment to allow Marcus to catch his breath. He sat against a fountain, lounging on his elbows and pulling his left leg over his right knee.

"You're ridiculous, kid. How does Blank keep up?" He smirked. I climbed the fountain's rim and stared into the waters as the gushing spout rippled it's surface and distorted my reflection.

"He manages." I shrugged.

"What's the deal with you two anyway?" Marcus asked, leaning back further to look me in the eyes. I evaded his gaze and turned to the stars.

"W-what do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"I saw you two... in the alley." Marcus reminded me.

"We go in alleys a lot. You're going to have to specify which-"

"The alley you tried to kiss him in." Marcus said sternly but with a smile plastered across his face. I opened my mouth to reply but couldn't. Marcus patted my back and stood up. "C'mon we gotta go."

"Wait!" I shouted as he started down the street to the inn. He turned, eyebrows raised. "That's it?"

"From me, yea. It's not my business what you two do. Just be careful." Marcus shrugged.

"Careful?" I repeated. Marcus sighed sadly and moved closer, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Not everyone in Tantalus approves of stuff like that. So keep it a secret or decide which you love more; thievin' or Blank." He then turned and continued on.

I never thought I'd have to choose between the two...

End of Part II-TBC