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Chapter Three
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The halls of the Diplo softly echoed Fayt�s steps as he walked the corridor that led to his room. He breathed in deeply, loving the purified air that circulated within the metal walls of the ship. It was comforting to be back in an environment he knew well.
It was late, and Fayt was alone in the halls. He was likely the only one still awake. But he couldn�t sleep, no matter how much his body screamed for it. There was just too much on his mind. The meaning of all he had done and what he would do once he returned home were most prominent in his thoughts. But everything he came up with was inadequate. It just didn�t make sense. He couldn�t go home, go to school, and pretend he was just a normal person now. It was absurd. The question was, what exactly did fate have planned for him after all was said and done?
Fayt was coming to approach Albel�s door. He stopped before it, recalling the most genuinely depressed face he had ever seen on the warrior as they made their way into the ship. It was somewhat disturbing. Albel was not the type to show emotions that generally weren�t hatred, amusement, or arrogance. Though Fayt knew that deep down Albel did have substance. No matter what had happened in the past, the man still had something left within that could be crushed. Fayt believed he saw it today, though he only had an idea as to why that was.
His feet automatically carried him closer to the door and he listened. No sounds came from the other side. He knocked and waited. There was no reply. What am I doing, Fayt thought, he�s probably asleep anyway. He quickly moved away to steal back to his own room. He had barely made it three steps when the door behind him whooshed open. Fayt stopped and turned.
�How did I know it would be you,� Albel said from the threshold, his chest and arms bare, except for the white bandages wound around the majority of his left arm.
Fayt smiled in the dim light of the corridor and shrugged. �Maybe you�re psychic.�
�Hn.� Albel watched Fayt for a moment. �Well, are you planning on coming in or are you just going to stand there all night?�
Fayt accepted the pseudo invitation and entered Albel�s room. The door slid shut behind him. The main lights of the room were off, and only the bedside lamp shed light in soft golden strokes against the walls. Albel sat on the edge of the bed and picked up his katana.
Fayt sat in the chair on the other side of the small room. �How are you feeling?� he asked, eyeing Albel�s bandaged arm before letting them roam over the rest of his body. Albel was currently clad in only his skirt, his lean body bent over his work. A fine sheen of sweat glittered on his well-toned chest and biceps. Fayt looked away, quickly determining that his infatuation was not exactly dead yet.
The swordsman ran a sharpening stone slowly and carefully along the edge of the blade and didn�t look up. �Fine. You?�
�I�m alright.� Fayt looked at the shadows on the wall, wishing he wasn�t always so damned graceless when it came to talking with this person.
�You�ll be going back soon, right?� Albel asked disinterestedly.
Fayt barely nodded. He had forgotten that Albel wasn�t watching him.
The scraping of rock over steel stopped and Albel looked up. �Well?�
Fayt blinked and met a red gaze. �I- I don�t know.�
Albel�s eyes narrowed slightly. �What does that mean?�
Fayt toyed with his fingers. �I just don�t know if I can go back. So many things have happened��
Albel snorted. �Tell me about it.� He continued his work.
�I�m not sure I even want to, really.� Fayt said this quietly, subconsciously hoping Albel would not hear him. But the swordsman did.
�Don�t you want to be with your mother and Sophia?�
�I do, but�I just have this feeling that trying to go back to the way things were is going to make me miserable. Like there�s something else that I need.�
The Elicoorian set his sword and the sharpening stone down on the floor before wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Tossing the stray hairs from his eyes, he looked up at his companion. �What would that be?�
Fayt met Albel�s eyes, and for the first time he wasn�t inclined to yank them away out of discomfort. He was ensnared in that gaze. He wanted Albel to be the one to break it. But those crimson eyes weren�t even blinking. For a long moment neither of them said anything, but simply watched one another�s subtle reactions.
The union made Fayt�s stomach fill with beating wings, and he felt his cheeks flush. Albel smirked then, and finally broke their eye contact.
�I see,� Albel said and laid down to stretch out on his back.
�Huh? See what?�
�You truly are hopeless, worm.�
Fayt furrowed his brow. He was about to request more clarification but couldn�t find the words. Albel suddenly sat up. Fayt watched baffled as the Elicoorian yanked at the wrist end of his bandages. With the fluid grace of one who is well practiced at doing such an act, Albel unwound the length of bandages and tossed the white gauze to the floor. He held his scarred arm up into the light so that Fayt could see it clearly.
�You�ve been wanting to ask me about this.� It was a statement rather than curiosity. Albel waited for Fayt to speak.
The blue-haired boy gave the older swordsman a confused look. �Well, yeah, sort of.�
�Ask me.�
Fayt reddened. �Um, well, how did it happen?�
�These scars,� Albel said and traced a finger over his marred forearm, �are the insignia of my damnation. I should have been the one to fall that day. But my father died instead. Just the way yours did.�
Fayt�s mouth fell open slightly. �I�m�so sorry, Albel.�
�I�m not showing you this for pity, fool. You wanted to know.�
Fayt closed his mouth and nodded.
�Doesn�t it repulse you?�
�No! That�s a dumb thing to ask. There�s nothing about you that can repulse me.� Fayt clamped his mouth shut firmly after saying that. He couldn�t believe he had just let such a thing pass his lips. He might as well have told Albel that he wanted him.
Red eyes went wide for a moment before falling back into amused slits. A deep chuckle rumbled in Albel�s chest. �If you�d seen some of the things I�ve done, you would never say that.� He picked up the bandage from the floor and began to rewrap his arm.
�We can�t change the past. You were a different person back then. I don�t believe you have it in you to commit atrocities anymore.�
Albel suddenly swept the long katana off the floor and in one feline movement had Fayt on his back on the floor with the blade pressed against the youth�s throat. He straddled the boy�s chest and hunched his back to hover over the sword.
Fayt was so surprised he held his breath, his green eyes wide in terror. Albel had the blade against his skin so that one movement might open his throat. He felt the recently sharpened blade scratch the side of his neck and liquid heat quickly follow.
�A-Albel? What are you doing?� Fayt whispered, trying to keep his throat from moving as he spoke.
�Don�t. Think. You know me. You know nothing.� Albel�s gaze was feral.
Fayt closed his eyes to hold back the tears. �Please. Don�t.� His voice was desperate.
Slowly the blade was lifted away and Albel set it aside. All at once, he adjusted himself to straddle Fayt�s lap and grabbed a fistful of the boy�s shirt, yanking Fayt up abruptly to meet his lips. Fayt�s eyes opened wide.
Albel Nox was kissing him.
He had waited for this moment with little belief that it would ever actually come to fruition; now that it was upon him he was not ready at all. He sat still, allowing Albel�s whims without protest.
Albel kissed Fayt hard, occasionally biting the boy�s lower lip and smoothing away the resulting trembles with a slow sliding tongue. But Fayt was being stubborn, or else the boy was still caught off guard, so Albel eventually bit the boy�s lip hard enough to draw a gasp. He then forced his tongue into Fayt�s mouth, snaking his fingers through fine blue hair.
When Albel�s hot tongue coiled around his, Fayt melted. He groaned and decided to become a willing participant, despite how this scene was earned. His hands slid over the bareness of the older man�s back, relishing at how incredibly fine the skin there was.
Albel released his mouth and maneuvered Fayt�s head so that he could easily run his tongue through the blood that his sword had drawn from the boy�s neck. He did it slowly, savoring the taste of the younger man, coating his tongue in the thick red essence before sucking more from the wound.
Fayt groaned in painful arousal. He was growing hard quickly from this act that was nothing short of vampirism, but he didn�t so much mind the morbid quality of it. And since Albel was sitting on his lap, he was sure that the older man must have noticed.
�Wicked worm,� Albel whispered in response. He brought Fayt�s lips to his once more and forced Fayt to taste his own blood.
They kissed fervently with bloody mouths as Albel roughly began on Fayt�s clothing. Luckily for him, the boy was no longer wearing those damned complicated boots, so his work was not going to be entirely stressful.
As soon as Albel�s hands reached the clasps of Fayt�s pants, the blue-haired boy turned his head away. He knew what as about to happen and reddened.
Albel pulled back and ran the backs of his fingers over his mouth to swipe away the moisture. �What?�
Fayt didn�t look at him. �It�s just that, I�ve never��
Albel rolled his eyes. �Please. Spare me the �mourning of innocence lost� act.�
Fayt was baffled. �But it�s true! I really��
�Shut up.�
Albel pressed his mouth over Fayt�s again to smother the other�s words. He continued to work at the boy�s clothes.
Fayt began to shake, despite his desire to keep calm. Didn�t Albel believe that he was still a virgin? Was that so hard to take seriously? But the swordsman had shown signs of annoyance as soon as Fayt had begun to speak. Though he was frightened, he didn�t want to risk losing Albel. Not this night. It might be the only chance he would ever get.
Before he knew it he was lying completely prone, Albel�s head working between his legs. At first contact of the man�s mouth on him, Fayt had lost his fear of the impending. Nothing filled his mind but tactile sensations. He had clamped his eyes closed; yet when he felt warmth slide down around him he couldn�t help but reopen them. The sight of the vicious swordsman, eyes closed, mouth stretched to take him in, almost made Fayt come right then. He balled his fists and dug his fingernails firmly into his palms as he let himself fall further into the chasm.
Fayt shuddered deep and groaned when he suddenly emptied himself into Albel�s mouth.
The older man straightened and spit Fayt�s seed into his hand. He coated his own neglected member with the substance before gruffly commanding Fayt to turn over.
The blue-haired boy did so, but slowly and breathing deep. When Albel suddenly seized his hips to lift him, fingernails digging into his skin, Fayt gasped.
The first thrust made him scream.
Fayt felt his skin tear and blood begin to seep from the fresh wounds. He breathed in pants, trying to fight the pain rending his body. He didn�t have much of a chance before the second thrust came, deeper than the first. He cried out again, tears already spilling from the corners of his eyes.
Albel raked his fingernails along Fayt�s spine. �Yes, scream more. That�s it. Nnnn, yesss.�
Fayt whimpered involuntarily and pressed his hands to his face. �It hurts.�
Albel didn�t illustrate his acknowledgement of Fayt�s revelation, if he heard it at all. He then built the two of them into a steady rhythm.
Fayt couldn�t quell his tears, but bit on the side of his fist to muffle the aggravated sounds that he couldn�t stop from escaping his mouth one after the other. Though he had fantasized once or twice over what this would be like, he had never imagined it could hurt that much.
�You�re so noisy,� Albel declared and changed his angle.
Fayt let out a surprised yelp when a pang of pleasure emerged from the sea of pain. That pain subsided when Albel continued his assault on that spot buried deep within him. Fayt groaned throatily. His eyes, closed, rolled back and he felt as though he would pass out from the torture. Without really meaning to, Fayt moved to encourage his swelling erection with shaky fingers.
Albel swatted the boy�s hand away. �Stop that.�
Fayt whimpered in agony. �But I�need more��
Albel�s hand snaked around Fayt�s hip and squeezed the base of the boy�s erection harshly.
Fayt lurched forward.
�This will be over when I decide it so,� Albel hissed in the younger man�s ear and thrust faster. �Do you understand?�
Fayt moaned at the accelerated momentum pummeling him from within and drooped his head, his mouth gasping for air.
Albel squeezed hard enough to make Fayt reflexively jerk away, but he held the boy fast. �Answer me.�
Fayt bit his lip. �Yes.�
�Good.� He slowed his pace again. �Now, if you finish before I give my permission to do so, you will pay for it very painfully, Fayt.�
The blue-haired boy nearly came undone at the husky voice quite deliberately articulating his name. He breathed deep and held it to keep his control. Fayt didn�t want to know how Albel would react should he disobey, though it was clear that the older man was just as turned on as he was.
Albel eventually curled his own fingers around Fayt�s erection and pumped it in time with his thrusts. �Is this what you wanted, Fayt?�
Gods, but the man did it again. Albel was cruelly testing his self-control. There was no feasible way he could hold out if the man said it one more time��Please�� Fayt breathed without meaning to.
Albel bent and bit the nape of Fayt�s neck, building his momentum further. �Please what? Do you want it harder, Fayt? Faster?�
�Uungh�yes�Albel�!� Fayt tensed his muscles vainly to control his reactions. Yet he couldn�t help but tumble over the edge when his seducer complied. Glittering white sparks flew behind his eyes and he violently came.
Albel seized a handful of Fayt�s hair and yanked the boy�s back up against his chest, further quickening his thrusts as he breathed raggedly. Fayt cried out in pained shock and brought his hands up to try to free his hair from the steel grip.
Albel made a sound like a mixture of snarling and groaning. �You�ungrateful�maggot...� He came soon after and dug burned fingers hard into the skin of Fayt�s hip.
Once relinquished, Albel withdrew and fell to his side against the floor, breathing hard. After a moment of rest he stood and swiped up his skirt before briskly stepping into it. Thumbing a stray hair from his eyes, he sat upon the edge of the bed and retrieved his sword and stone. Sounds of metallic sliding cracked what would have otherwise been unbearable silence.
Fayt had risen to his knees and snatched his pants to his lap. He wasn�t sure why, but he suddenly felt very awkward. Albel was acting as though nothing had even happened, let alone that Fayt was still in the room.
Fayt redressed slowly; his body felt as though it had just taken a beating. He shuffled through possible things to say. Offering praise for getting his brains skillfully fucked out was out of the question. Nor was asking Albel if he could sleep there appropriate. Maybe he should just leave.
Once fully dressed, Fayt glanced at Albel, who appeared to be completely absorbed in his work. Green eyes descended to the floor and Fayt turned to the door. Maybe it was all a mistake. It was clear that Albel either thought so or simply didn�t care. He should never have come.
He wasn�t sure what was worse. The fact that Albel hadn�t tried to stop him or that the man didn�t even bother to look up.
Fayt trudged back to his room through the sterile hallway, no longer enjoying its cold comforts.
*
The next morning wakened Fayt in a black mood. He had hardly slept at all, but paced about his room all night worrying. Fayt paused in front of the mirror and grimaced at the dark rings beneath his eyes. He rubbed at them and shrugged; he could always play it off as insomnia if he had to.
He changed his clothes into the simplest attire from the guest room�s closet and decided to seek out something to eat, praying for as little interaction from the others as possible that day. But as he rounded the corner on his way to the stairs, he collided head-on with Cliff. The muscular blonde caught Fayt�s shoulders to steady him.
�Whoa! Sorry �bout that. I was just coming to get you.� Cliff paused and lowered his head to get a good look at Fayt�s face. �Um, I hate to be blunt, but you look like hell, Fayt. Didn�t sleep well?�
Fayt smiled weakly and nodded.
Cliff suddenly grabbed Fayt�s chin and moved the boy�s head back and to the side. �What happened to your neck?!�
Damn. Fayt had forgotten all about that. The wound probably looked awful from not being treated. �I cut myself shaving,� he lied.
Cliff snorted. �Right. It must be pretty hard shaving with a sword, especially when you have yet to grow a beard at all.�
Fayt tensed. He should have known that Cliff would recognize a cut from a sword despite how dense the man usually was. �It�s nothing, really.�
Cliff looked skeptical. His eyes narrowed as they wandered over the bruises surrounding the cut. Finally, he grabbed the boy�s arm and pulled him toward the stairs. �Come on, you need to get that bandaged up.�
They entered the sick bay a bleak sight. The woman on duty stood and addressed them with a pair of wide eyes. Cliff looked pissed and Fayt was practically a zombie trailing behind him.
�My goodness. What�s the problem?� she asked.
�This kid�s got a nice decoration on his throat I was hoping you could fix up,� Cliff said and all but flung Fayt onto the bed.
�S-sure. I�ll take a look.�
Fayt sat wearily on the edge of the bed and refused to look at Cliff. The irritation in the blonde�s voice was naked, and Fayt feared the worst. But Cliff couldn�t possibly be that perceptive. Still, the weight of the man�s eyes bored against his lowered head.
�Make sure he gets some sleep too, would you?� the blonde asked and left the room once the doctor nodded.
*
That evening, the group met together for supper. Fayt had awoken several hours after having taken the sleeping drugs when the doctor informed him of the announcement. He felt a little better after his rest, but was still famished.
After making a trip back to his room to straighten out the mess of his hair and change into a high-necked shirt to conceal the bandages, he joined the others. Every seat around the long table was taken but one, and that one happened to be between Cliff and Albel. Great.
Fayt sat gingerly and answered greetings all around. Sophia sat across from him, beaming. She immediately commenced in striking up a conversation with him about what they would do once they got home. He had prompted her into doing most of the talking so that he wouldn�t have to think or act.
It was nothing new that Albel was not involved in any conversations, but Fayt felt a silence between them that pressed brutally on his consciousness. He nodded at Sophia and lifted his glass to his mouth to hide unsmiling lips.
*
Cliff was aware that something was amiss. Usually on social occasions no one ventured to speak with Albel except for Fayt. The boy had a stubborn notion that he could bring the swordsman out of his shell. But Fayt was the only one Albel really spoke with. It was obvious the two were friends and related to one another more than the others could perceive. But tonight they were pointedly ignoring each other.
Something had clearly happened between the two of them last night. Given Fayt�s depressed mood, which was very out-of-character, Cliff assumed it was Albel who had hurt the blue-haired boy. He had not been blind to certain recent looks between the two of them and had even conceived the notion that Fayt had a crush on the older swordsman. As much as he disapproved of such a thing (in fact it gave him the creeps to imagine it at all), he couldn�t do anything to stop it. But if Albel forced Fayt into doing anything against the boy�s will�
*
Once supper had ended, and everyone retired to his or her rooms, Cliff went straight to Albel�s door. The swordsman answered promptly and looked disappointed with the one who stood on the other side.
�What do you want?� Albel all but snarled.
�I was hoping you could help me out,� Cliff answered with equal disdain.
�What, you�ve bulked up too much to get your clothes off? Sorry, but I can�t help you there.� Albel moved to press the button next to the door.
Before the structure could lock against him, Cliff threw out his hand and pushed it back open. The machine whined against the force overwhelming it.
Albel crossed his arms and sneered. �Please come in.�
Cliff stepped into the room. �I�ll get straight to the point.�
�One would hope,� Albel growled.
Cliff breathed deeply to resist the urge to strike the swordsman. �Were you with Fayt last night?�
Albel looked surprised for a brief moment before assuming his usual indifferent countenance. �Hmph. What if I was?�
The blonde ground his teeth. �I couldn�t help but notice the strange way he was acting today. Not to mention the cut on his neck that was obviously made with a sword. Now, I can�t possibly be overreacting to think that you had something to do with that, can I?�
Albel rolled his eyes. �I thought you said you would get straight to the point. If you had, you would have asked me whether or not I raped him, right?�
Cliff seized Albel�s shoulders hard and shoved the other up against the wall. His voice was deadly. �Don�t you dare mock me. I put up with a lot of your bullshit, but I will not tolerate this, Nox. So go ahead. Give me a reason why I shouldn�t just kill you right now.�
Albel was unfazed. �Fool. As usual, you jump hastily to conclusions. I haven�t said or done anything to provoke vengeance. He came to me.�
�You expect me to believe that?�
Red eyes narrowed into amused slits. �I don�t care what you believe. But know this, he screamed my name when he came. How does it feel, maggot, knowing that you didn�t get him first?�
The swordsman ducked down just in time to avoid the fist that plowed a hole in the steel wall. Escaping to the other side of the room, he swept up his katana. Assuming a fighting stance, Albel smirked at Cliff.
�You bastard,� the blonde spat.
�Come on then, worm. But don�t blame me when you end up dead before morning.�
�I�ll pulverize you!� Cliff sprung into Albel�s direction, steel knuckles at the ready.
�STOP IT!�
Both men looked with surprise at the open door where Fayt was standing, a look of horror on his face.
�Fayt,� Cliff said paternally, �you don�t have to protect this jerk.�
�What are you talking about?� the blue-haired boy demanded angrily.
�He hurt you, and I�ll be damned if he thinks he can get away with it.�
Fayt wavered. So Cliff had figured it out. The last thing he wanted to spill out into the open and he totally screwed it up. Bracing himself against the doorframe, Fayt pressed a tired hand over his eyes. �No. Albel didn�t do anything wrong. I was the one that provoked him.� He felt his face grow hot. Why was this happening?
Cliff looked back at Albel, who shrugged as if to say �I told you so.� He turned again to Fayt and shook his head in disbelief. �Fayt, you�you can�t seriously want to get involved with this guy. Can you?�
Fayt lowered his hand over his mouth and looked at Albel. The swordsman was looking at the floor. Green eyes then moved to meet Cliff�s. �I wanted to go with him. Back to Elicoor II.�
Albel looked up then, lips parted in disbelief.
Fayt looked away. �I�ll understand if you hate me for that.�
Cliff rubbed at his forehead and sighed. �I�really don�t understand.�
Fayt laughed wearily. �But it doesn�t matter anymore, because I changed my mind. I�ll go back to Earth. Back to where I belong.�
Fayt didn�t wait for a reaction from either of them, but pushed himself away and stalked back to his room. He would not be the weak one that others fought over. He would not be injured by Albel�s cruel slight. He would forget this ever happened and return to his home planet with Sophia; that was the way it should be. How in the world did he even imagine for a moment that going to Elicoor with Albel would work out? Fayt forced a bitter laugh, cursing the tears burning behind his eyes.