To come undone
Title: To come undone to become whole
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Characters: Basch/Balthier, mentions of Vaan, Fran and Penelo
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: sexual content (homosexual situations), oral, solo, voyeristic tendencies.
Word count: 2254
Cross posted: Also found at my journal and perhaps other FFXII communities
About the story: A small piece of the multichapter story I'm working on, still trying to find the characters' voices (Basch is very difficult to write and I nearly stumble over Balthier's thoughts all the time). The situation has been explored before, Basch finds a different method of paying Balthier for flying him to Bhujerba but I think the characters' motives are slightly different than in some other fanfictions containing this "scene".
“I did not expect you to agree to this”
“The girl seemed nice enough and Fran and I do have an appointment in that part of the world” Balthier leaned back in his seat, letting The Strahl fly on auto pilot for a while as he turned his attentions to the ragged captain “Staying in Rabanastre wouldn’t be good for any of us.”
“True.” The dagger sang as Basch sharpened it, familiar movements the only ones his body could still perform while his mind was elsewhere “You take a great risk by letting me on your ship.”
“My dear captain” Balthier laughed “If they were to search my ship, you wouldn’t be the first thing I’d worry about them finding. You are not the most sought after thing The Strahl carries for me.”
“Still, I do believe that what I can offer is near enough to thank you” his voice was recovering with every syllable he uttered, one didn’t speak too much in Nalbina.
“Keeping the little brat away from me is more than enough.” Balthier yawned behind his adorned hand, his rings sparkling from the light the monitors spilled over the two men “He’s been close to hurting my ship eleven times already.”
“He’s young and the young sometimes need guidance”
“You think sending him to bed while holding on to that nasty sword of yours is ‘guidance’?” Balthier raised an amused eyebrow.
“If that’s what it takes to keep us in the air” Basch shrugged.
“Saying I’m not able to fly under pressure?” the soldier’s eyes widened slightly and an apology formed in his mouth, Balthier silenced him by gently putting a finger over his moving lips “I wasn’t too serious, Basch. Fact is I’m never quite as good as when I’m under pressure.”
Basch fell silent as if the pirate had cast Silence on him and adverted his eyes, swallowing hard. The brunette quickly removed his finger at the captain’s obvious discomfort, a bewildered frown appearing on his face.
“If I broke a Landisian taboo I apologize” Balthier spoke slowly, keeping his tone friendly and rather apologetic
“You did not.” Basch’s voice was weak but clear “I’m not accustomed to physical touch from a stranger with other intent than punishment.”
The pirate kicked himself mentally; it was far too easy to forget what the older man had lived through as few signs of it showed. Flinching at the sound of doors closing was one, slightly sensitive to bright sunshine still the other. Now it seemed he’d found another thing to add to that list.
“You have not known a friendly touch in two years time?” Basch shook his head, no longer startled but not too fond of the topic either Balthier suspected. “I fear I might not be the best person to be around in your situation… I do tend to touch people without thinking. Comes with the package you see.”
“That and constant innuendos?”
“That too” Balthier smirked, a very common occurrence Basch had noted “Though that does serve a purpose. Innuendos distract people, forces their minds to take a direction they did not intend. This makes them easier to handle in most situations and that suits me more than fine.”
“And I who thought you never got your mind out of the gutter.”
The comment seemed to delight Balthier who brightened up considerably.
“It happens. Sometimes.” The sky pirate stretched in his chair, long limbs graceful even in such an awkward position.
“With such a partner I’m surprised. You seem to appreciate beauty in everything.”
“Though her attractiveness is remarkable it is not the reason for our partnership, Fran is very beautiful indeed but her interest lies in those of her own gender. Thus I too seek my pleasure elsewhere, though I see how an outsider might think that Fran and I are partners in all aspects.” Balthier’s eyes searched the dark skies in front of them, a comfortable silence hanging in the air between them.
The engines hummed somewhere within the ship, content with the comfortable speed and the gentle wind. After Vaan had been forced to bed it had been a calm night, a slight turbulence had caused Balthier to remain by the controls but now that too had eased and the night was still.
“It’s a remarkable ship you have. I know little of airships but from what I can tell she seems to be one of a kind, beautiful yet well suited for your purposes.” Basch had never seen a ship like it before and Vaan had not been the only one who was fascinated by the Strahl.
“She is indeed, a one of a kind.” A little pride snuck into his voice and Balthier didn't seem to even attmpt to hide it “As you have already said: I do appreciate beauty. Be it ships, women, treasure, men, weapons or skies.”
“Then it seems I did not imagine those glances” Basch didn’t look at the pirate and instead kept his eyes on the scene in front of them, the pirate rotated his chair towards the other man who had claimed the seat behind Fran’s as his.
“No, you didn’t. Have you found my eyes offensive?” he didn’t sound bothered by Basch’s question and seemed to ask for curiosity’s sake alone, as if he'd had this discussion many times before, the captain wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. “Your physique is very appealing and quite interesting to watch in battle, after all it has endured but not because of it. I knew my method of silencing you gave me away.”
“Not offended. Though I might have discovered a way to offer my thanks, small token as it might be.” He turned his eyes from the skies and watched instead the eyes of the pirate, he only saw amusement.
“Think of my voyeurism as a way of accepting that token then” Balthier bowed his head slightly “It did make the long walk through the Estersand less boring.”
Balthier began to spin his chair back into its normal position but found that the chair did not move as it normally would, for a blink of a moment he appeared perplexed but a guarded expression replaced that once he saw the captain’s foot pressing against the right arm of the pilot’s seat. His lips parted to question what right Basch must think himself in possession of to mark the Strahl’s leather with his boot but no words came out, instead he swallowed when the scarred soldier moved out of his seat and sank to his knees.
“I thought this a favor better suited to put me out of my debt to you.”
A hand was placed on Balthier’s left wrist, battle scarred fingers gently loosing the pirate’s grip on the chair, callused palm against callused palm. Basch’s middle finger drew circles over the veins on the uncovered part of Balthier’s forearm and to his relief the pirate’s pulse seemed to quicken. Thin yet soft lips touched the centre of the brunette’s palm, the soldier slid his hand under Balthier’s and thus gently held his hand in place.
Balthier seemed to relax when the older man began nibbling on his palm, blonde strands of beard creating a wonderful contrast to the wetness of that mouth.
It was when a middle finger was sucked into a warm mouth and teeth slowly pulled the cold metal rings off and then pushed them back into place that Balthier’s breath hitched. The hand that wasn’t busy holding the long fingers was firmly placed on his right thigh, rubbing gently, fingers tracing the patterns in the leather, a thumb pressing against the inside of that thigh as the whole hand moved upwards to rub and caress just to the side of that heat.
Basch felt the pirate’s free hand being placed on his own wandering digits, urging him to press harder, closer. He dared to look upon that finely structured face, where slightly clouded amber eyes were the only thing that betrayed that the pirate was occupied with something slightly more interesting than watching the ship’s flight on auto-pilot. A hand palming the ever growing hardness on the other side of those adorned leathers put another expression on that stunning face, lips parted anew and morphed into the shape reflecting Basch’s own. The rings sliding over Balthier’s finger time and time again were finally put back into their accurate place as Basch pulled his head back and released the now wrinkling finger from his mouth which soon occupied itself with opening the buckles of the two ammunition pouches the pirate always carried.
“You are not obliged to do this” Balthier caressed the blonde hair between his legs when the captain began to work on his leathers “It is, as I have said, of very little inconvenience to fly you to Bhujerba.”
“All debts must be paid, I’d rather pay it like this than with blood.” Basch finally freed the now throbbing limb from its restraints and could not help but smile at its beauty for it was like the man himself, long, lean, elegant and glistening.
“You would suck cock for honor?”
Those were the last coherent words Balthier would speak for a while, when that wicked tongue licked a trail from his balls to the weeping top, painting a circle around his head before dipping into that slit and then lap at the underside of that sensitive knob all words seemed to leave Balthier’s mind. His world was reduced to touch, wetness, friction, suction and that delicious scraping of teeth that made him throw his head back and breathe harshly time and time again. The warmth of a hand pressing against and cupping his heavy sack through the leather was comforting and the other warmth against his hip kept him in place when he wanted nothing more than to thrust his hips up and forward.
Long fingers caressed and tore at blonde waves, begging for deeper, harder, faster, for more.
Basch savored the taste his tongue seemed unable to get enough of, caressing the velvet hardness to taste more. He hadn’t expected to react like this, he’d thought he would find it enjoyable but this was far more than he’d dared to hope for. He forced his jaw to relax and pushed down on the eager flesh, feeling another half of an inch passing his lips, the head was soft and wet and burning against the back of his throat, leaking that glorious liquid he eagerly accepted. Once again he brought his eyes up to look at the pirate, to find a way to decipher that enigma, the sight awaiting made him moan in utter pleasure. Balthier’s head was thrown back, his lips parted and moist as soft sighs escaped him, that long and elegant neck exposed for him to watch those fine muscles work, shoulders tense and chest heaving. Feeling the vibrations that were Basch’s moan caused Balthier’s hips to thrust of their own accord, craving more of that fantastic sensation and Balthier knew he wouldn’t be able to last. He did mean to warn the soldier but when he tried to speak, all air left him as Basch took that final inch into his mouth and swallowed. His hands turned to fists, roughly grabbing blonde hair, his body seemed to vibrate and the explosion between his legs caused him to arch off the chair. He screamed harshly as he came, hips jerking forward in spasms he couldn’t control and four shots were fired into the awaiting, gagging throat.
The world stopped spinning after several moments more than he would ever admit, shivering as he came to his senses again Balthier noticed the struggle the soldier was going through. The man’s body actually trembled from arousal as he struggled to keep his hands from giving him the final push over the edge, forcing one shaking arm to support himself against the chair and biting the other as he used it to capture the remaining drops of Balthier’s climax.
“If you want to repay your debt” Balthier saw desperation in Basch’s eyes “come for me.”
Basch barely had time to unbutton his shorts, the first desperate stroke being the only touch needed to push him over the edge, the guttural sound ripping from the abused throat was the most beautiful music Balthier had heard in many years. Balthier watches, amazed, as Basch comes for the first time in over two years.
“I’ll clean this mess up.” The scarred face is suddenly blushing “I’m sorry I soiled your seat.”
Balthier collects that reddening face into his hands and places a small and chaste kiss on swollen lips.
“My dear captain, we are all adults here. You have paid that debt a hundred times over before you even went down on your knees. I think we needed this, you and I both. I suspect it’s been a while for both of us. The least I can do is clean up. Go to bed, Basch.”
“I’ll hold no illusions for tomorrow. Neither should you.” Basch sounds a bit hoarse to no one’s surprise “I thank you for your kindness. We both needed this but I had more needs than you.”
It is then that Balthier sees how damaged this man truly was and still is, and to his own surprise he doesn’t pity him, he is confident that Basch fon Ronsenburg will recover.
“Go to bed now. Or else I will not be able to get nor the smell nor the stains out of the leather. Fran wouldn’t speak to me for decades.”
The knight leaves with a court nod and it might be Balthier’s imagination but before the older man turned around, he saw a small spark in those blue eyes. A spark of sanity and hope.