Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time Fan Fiction ❯ Eye of Apris ❯ Part IV ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Eye of Apris
by Mishaela

Disclaimer: Most of the characters represented here are property of SquareEnix. I'm just borrowing them for a little while to appease the muses who have taken me hostage. This story is homo-erotic in nature: if you're not a fan of yaoi/slash or you're too young to read this, turn back before it's too late.

* * *
The next morning, Albel opened his scarlet eyes slowly. The solid warmth pressed against his left side and shoulder surprised him, drawing his gaze that way. Fayt was still there, in the bed, sleeping soundly against him. The younger man's left hand rested on Albel's chest over his heart.

So far, he seemed none the worse for wear after his experience the night before.

Albel brought his right hand up, using it to rub at his eyes. His own slumber had been soundless, deep, and devoid of the nightmares that plagued him. It had been a long time since he could claim such a thing. Perhaps his determination and zeal when dealing with Fayt's predicament had brought about a… reward of sorts in that regard.

He was going to have to wake the younger man up, and soon, if they were to reach the mountain crest early enough. Once they found the flower and returned to the lower reaches, Albel could have the Dragon Brigade give them a far swifter trip to Aquios so the physicians there could make use of the bloom.

Of course, that was all depending on whether or not the Eye of Apris hadn't gone fully extinct.

He was broken from his thoughts by movement, feeling Fayt rousing slightly, stretching out the stiffness brought on by sleep. "Are you awake yet?" Albel asked in a low whisper.

"Mm-hmm." The azure head rose showing sleepy green eyes to the commander. Once reality hit, the face around those eyes went crimson. Fayt now realized and remembered: both of the men were nude in the same bed.

It was almost comical and pulled a smirk to Albel's mouth.

"Your robe is on the floor next to the bed - the left side to you."

"Uh, thanks," Fayt stuttered out, trying to get to that side of the bed without giving up the shielding of the blankets around them.

Albel caught him with both hands, holding him still. "Stop squirming, idiot. I'll get it for you." He rose from the bed gracefully, reaching down to lift the teen's robe and toss it to him.

"Aren't you cold?" Fayt asked when the older man made no moves to cover himself. He himself was struggling to get into the garment and get it righted under the thick comforter.

The commander looked over his shoulder at the teen. "I'm used to this kind of weather. Besides, someone has to coax the fire back to life. I'm not going to trust that to you."

When Albel knelt to do just that, he heard Fayt shift on the bed, but the youth didn't leave its warm embrace. "I never realized just how thin you are," the younger man said softly.

"Hmmm?"

"You look almost… anorexic."

"Is that some kind of pathetic insult?" Albel retorted, turning his head from the weak, though steady fire he'd been working at.

"No, no… I just… It's unusual to see a man of your height so slender," Fayt answered in an attempt to placate the sometimes volatile man.

"Hmph. My father said I took after my mother that way," Albel responded, returning his attention to the fireplace.

Fayt was silent for several minutes before he spoke again. "You… never knew her?"

"No," came Albel's honest answer. "She died shortly after I was born."

"I'm sorry."

That sympathetic reaction caused the swordsman's head to tilt curiously and he half-turned to regard the younger man. "You idiot. Why would you say something like that?"

"Because no one should lose both of their parents so early."

The conversation was now becoming uncomfortable. Albel wanted to end it before it went any further. He settled for a logical reason, that one being the easiest and most appropriate. "Hmph. It doesn't matter. Get your lazy ass out of bed and get ready. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back and I want this done with."

The young man took the hint, rising from the bed slowly with a wince. He gave Albel a soulful look before exiting the room silently. The door closed behind him with hardly a sound.

As soon as he was gone, the commander stood again. Chances were, he'd either offended the boy or hurt his feelings. Well, there was no help for it now and it didn't really matter. The subject of Albel's family was always a sore one; something that even the king only touched on when absolutely necessary. Fayt was just going to have to deal with the feelings he'd provoked in himself over the matter.

Albel had no inclination to try to soothe him… but why the hell was it even bothering him in the first place?

He shook it off and set about to getting dressed. Too much had to be done today and, if he didn't start moving soon, it would be well into night before he had the chance to rest again. Albel dressed with a soldier's efficiency before moving to bind his hair.

Likely, he would have to take Fayt again before they got to Lyvithia in order to keep his scent strong on the youth. The mountain winds were fierce the higher they rose and he didn't want to risk last night's efforts being pulled away. With that in mind, he tucked a small vial of the oil he'd used on the teen into the belt of his sarong before leaving the room himself.

* * *
The clouds surrounding Lyvithia's mountain had decided that their trek up was a good time to start spewing snow. It was bitter cold, but only out on the open paths. Albel put his gloved hand on Fayt's shoulder and directed him towards the shelter that the soldiers often used when the weather became unmanageable. "Get inside," he shouted, trying to be heard over the wind.

Once inside, they barred the door but made no attempt to remove the protective layers of clothing covering them. Albel immediately set about to building a fire in the center of the shelter. "I was afraid of this," he muttered while skillfully piling thinly split logs over the kindling.

"What?" Fayt asked, his voice muffled by the heavy scarf around his shoulders and throat.

"The weather around this mountain is only rarely stable. That was why Lyvithia chose it. It helps to protect her egg clutches from unwanted visitors."

The teen nodded at the reasoning and edged closer to the fire pit. Ever since that morning, he'd been rather quiet and had said very little to the commander. Perhaps he was trying to keep from upsetting Albel again. Perhaps he was focusing on the task at hand. Whatever the reason, it annoyed Albel. He preferred it when the young man was predictable.

"We should be able to go back out in about an hour, maybe two at most," Albel said before pulling the fur-lined heavy robe from his shoulders. The fire was catching, already giving some warmth, though he was sure that Fayt would remain covered until it was a healthy blaze. "Don't put your hands too close to the flames," he warned when the youth shifted closer.

"My hands are fine," Fayt said after pulling down the uppermost hem of his scarf. He held out another of those odd, heat-producing pouches and shrugged.

"Clever," Albel said, complimenting the boy for the first time. "There's hope for you yet."

The praise made Fayt blink before he looked at the older man. "Are you feeling all right? I think that's the first time you've ever said anything… nice about me."

"Are you complaining? I can take it back. Keep prattling and I'll change my mind."

Fayt went silent after that, prompting the young commander to turn his gaze to him.

The room was warming up and becoming almost pleasant, which made Albel realize that if he was going to take the boy again, it had better be soon. He reached out with his flesh hand and wrapped it around the back of the younger man's head.

Without allowing Fayt to offer even a noise of surprise, he drew him into a full and deep kiss. Immediately, the teen gave a soft moan in his throat which evoked that primal instinct in Albel. When he broke the kiss, his voice was hoarse as he spoke. "I'm going to take you again... You're going to cry out for me... and I'll force my scent into every part of you."

There was a low groan at the words before Fayt nodded his assent. Albel knew the youth probably didn't need much preparation after the previous night, however the oil he carried would still be necessary. He reached up and separated the edges of the boy's coat, pulling it off, then tossed it aside without a second thought.

Fayt's shirt vanished in much the same way before Albel was pressing his face against the younger man's chest and licking at it fervently. Hands clenched around the two long tails of hair that fell along each side of the commander's neck as the youth sought some kind of anchor against the pleasurable onslaught. There were no protests or objections when Albel tugged meaningfully at the younger man's lower garments.

When the teen was nude, the swordsman let his flesh hand run up one of the slim legs, only halting when it reached Fayt's rapidly swelling sex. Albel wrapped his fingers around the length, stroking it, listening to the sweet gasp the sensations evoked. That his companion was so hard already was a surprise.

The next surprise was when Fayt leaned in to press kisses against his throat, the younger man's mouth dragging up to Albel's ear. The boy groaned harshly into that ear and it caused Albel to make a hungry noise in response. He didn't stop to consider the fact that, up to now, none of his lovers had ever managed to create such a strong reaction within him.

"Can I touch you this time?" the teen asked him in a lust filled voice. Just the words and tone of it caused the older man's blood to quicken, making Albel nod his head just once.

He started with Albel's chest, using his fingers to tease at the older man's nipples through the cloth of the half-shirt Albel wore. Though inexperienced, the teen's enthusiasm more than made up for the lack of finesse. As he did this, Fayt's lips brushed kisses against the swordsman's throat, causing the man's head to fall back enough to allow the youth more room to work.

Fayt worked his way down Albel's body, sliding to his knees between the man's thighs, and reached under the sarong to take the commander's cock in hand. The blue-haired teen ran his tongue along the length in broad sweeps, forcing a moan out of Albel's throat. Putting his hand out, the swordsman brushed his fingers through the silken hair as a show of encouragement to keep Fayt going.

It felt good. Albel couldn't keep his hips from rocking forward when the teen took him into the warmth of his mouth. A low groan escaped him as he shuttled back and forth slightly, the sounds falling from between his panting lips hungry and urgent. When he couldn't take it anymore, Albel hauled the boy up and gave him a fierce kiss. As their tongues tangled, he pulled Fayt onto his lap while shoving aside the cloth from his lower body to expose himself.

A shaking hand dribbled the oil down his length and the swordsman groaned again when Fayt smoothed it over every sensitive ridge. "I need you, Albel," the teen breathed into his ear, the tone of his voice pleading.

"You'll have me," the man promised with a growl, jerking the boy closer to his heated body. There was no preamble as he started pushing his length into the opening. Albel watched while Fayt cried out in a low voice, his head falling back as his body accepted the invader with little resistance. The swordsman shifted them forward until the blue haired youth was on his back by the fire.

He was pulled down into an eager kiss by the teen as he gave the first careful thrust into the supple form below his. Like before, Albel took his time with Fayt, backing down when it would overwhelm the youth and filling that interim with teasing caresses. The younger man didn't seem to mind at all and the sweet sounds of pleasure came from him easily.

"Keep me like this... as long as you can," Fayt begged him with passion glazed eyes.

Albel lifted one of the slender legs over his arm and drove into the youth with a single, full thrust. "Little fool," he panted out as the boy's body arched up in bliss, "that was my intention all along."

When the commander's own need for release couldn't be put off anymore, he drew Fayt's knees to his hips; thrusting into the youth fully and quickly. Albel reached down, grasping the teen's neglected length, roughly stroking it. The boy cried out under him at the touch, his eyes open but unseeing as everything went white for him. Even as the ribbons of Fayt's release painted his stomach and chest, Albel slammed in a final time, his own peak sudden as he filled the boy with his own.

The arms that wound over his back as he collapsed against the slim chest were trembling, but adamant about keeping the man where he was. Fayt was the first person in many years that had ever held him like this. No previous lover Albel had taken felt the need to remain so close once they'd been given what they wanted. Part of the man wanted him to rip free of that embrace and curse the boy for his sentimentality.

There was, however, another part that was less often heard. One that seemed almost greedy for this kind of simple affection. Albel had no illusions that this was the last time they would be entwined like this, so he indulged that lesser voice. Truth be told, the teen was warm and had never been anything but inviting or kind - even when he was trying to talk sense into the older man.

"Can we... stay like this a while?" the boy asked in a low, soft voice. One of his hands had lifted, threading quivering fingers through the loose dark hairs at the swordsman's temple.

Albel resisted the urge to turn his head and look at the younger man's face. He allowed a rare, hidden smile to rise up before settling more comfortably against Fayt's warm body. "Sure."

* * *
Dragonflight got them to Aquios a lot faster than conventional travel would have. With the flower Albel had identified as the Eye of Apris in hand, Fayt raced to the chief healer in the royal palace and nearly begged her to hurry up and use it. He knew that it was starting to get critical for Nel; that her time was growing ever shorter.

The commander of the Black Brigade managed to drag the youth out of the woman's way and into the hall, despite his struggles and protests. "What do you think you're doing, you idiot?" Albel asked him in a sharp voice. "With all the trouble we went through to get that flower, do you really think you're going to help her by getting under her feet every time she turns around?"

Fayt's head bowed at the chastising and his hands clenched into trembling fists. "I... I just want her to get better, Albel."

"Then let the woman do her job. You're of no use in there now. Accept it.”

The swordsman was not prepared for it when Fayt buried his face against his slim chest and clutched at his narrow waist for support. Albel wasn't sure what he was supposed to do after ignoring his initial urge to shove the young man off. Instead, he settled for laying his hand against the teen's bent neck and rubbing it lightly.

"She'll live," he said at last when it seemed as if the youth wouldn't be consoled easily.

"What if we were too late?" Fayt asked, his voice muffled.

"She'll live," Albel reiterated in a firm tone. "A warrior of her skill won't be laid low so easily, especially with a cure having been given her."

When the young man's head lifted, Albel wasn't surprised to find him crying again. He sighed and used his hand to guide Fayt from the room where he'd been hassling the healer. Neither of them spoke as the swordsman took the teen back to the quarters they'd been given for their stay.

Inside, he walked to the window as the younger man settled himself down on one of the beds. "I'm... I'm sorry, Albel," Fayt said softly after a few minutes.

The commander looked sidelong at him from where he was standing and gave a low snort. "Hmph. You should be. Having you hounding that woman was embarrassing."

Such a typical "Albel" response actually drew a laugh from the young man and he half-turned on the bed to stare at his profile. "I don't know what you'd do if I changed into something you wouldn't berate," Fayt chuckled out. "I think you like having excuses to call me names and complain about me."

"You say that as if I need an excuse," came the retort. "I don't."

"I know, but... Thank you, Albel." The younger man's voice was sincere and so was his gaze when the swordsman looked over at the words.

The crimson eyes of the man raked over Fayt's face for the merest of seconds. "Be silent. If I ever want your gratitude, I'll tell you."

"Albel, just say 'You're welcome' and then shut up."