Fandom: Gankutsuou
Pairings: Franz/Albert
Rating: R
Warnings: Shounen ai (lime?), mild angst, fluff/sap
Disclaimers: Do not own the boys – just wish that Franz could be my personal slave.
Notes: Timeline is set before they meet the Count (sorry no ghost sex, boys and girls ^^). I’m still iffy about Franz’s age in the anime but hopefully this is about right.
Dedicated to the wonderful artists on the Gankutsuou community. I swear the stuff they put up is enough to inspire anyone any day.
Enjoy!



Whispered Secrets:

Outside it poured - the heavens shedding its never ending tears for nearly two days and counting. The forecast for the coming days weren’t going to be any better for no one knew exactly how long it was going to last. Transportation within the city was going to be a mess and one could only imagine how inter-communication within the network was going to be affected by this. He could already imagine phone lines jammed with people trying to secure portals or shuttles to Luna – all in an attempt to get out of Earth’s unreliable weather patterns.

Against the large stained glass windows, he could make out the large drops of rain that fell upon it. With its heavy staccato beat, they helped to fill the silence that had reigned within this room for almost an hour. Clear brown eyes stared at the window for a moment longer before shifting restlessly as he focused his gaze on the high ceiling. His fingers clenched the comfortable blanket around him as he struggled not to concentrate on the other person in the room with him.

It was ridiculous really. It wasn’t as if they were sharing the room for the first time and yet…

Thick soft hair, incredibly long lashes, flushed cheeks…lips full and moist with saliva and…

He groaned and turned on his side and away from said distraction; now staring resolutely at his desk which was still littered with papers that needed his attention. He had to meet with his journalist friend, Beauchamp, tomorrow to discuss plans about a possible article for a new government policy. He really had no time to be thinking about the young man who was sleeping just a few torturous inches away – even if the man was his best friend.

Come! Give me your hand, Franz!

Franz! Hold me! Don’t make me fall!

They had been little boys then and touching each other hadn’t meant much – at least Franz d’Epinay had told himself that several times. However, his friend, Albert Morcerf, had always been more welcome to body or physical contact. He would always reach out for Franz’s hand whenever they walked or would demand that Franz never let him go when they went climbing or something childish like that. Franz, for his part would have either laughed him off or told him to stop acting like a baby. He would smack Albert’s hand away and then be forced to listen to the dark-haired boy sniffle or break down into gut-wrenching sobs. It was always so easy to make Albert cry.

He lifted his hands slowly in the relative gloom of the room and stared at them with an unreadable expression on his visage. These were no longer the small hands of a child, but of an adult who had been raised to see the dishonesty and fragility of humans. It could be so easy to hate Albert - Albert who had been raised in a wealthy home. Albert who could have anything he ever wanted with a snap of his fingers. His father hadn’t abandoned him in his times of need. His father hadn’t been engaged in any scandals to blemish his family name. What was even worse was that Albert had two loving parents who cared for him, while he had lost his father to some civil unrest of which details were completely murky.

Franz could have walked away from it all – perhaps moved to the South of France and lived there on his own, but he had an obligation to fulfill and that was one of marriage. He still wasn’t sure of why he had been betrothed to Valentine Villifort – so yes, they were rather good friends and Valentine was a wonderful young lady when one got to know her…but was it wrong for him to feel absolutely nothing for her when it came to love? He assumed that he did love her as a sister but nothing more. He was sure that there was a man waiting for her out there – a man who would and could make her so much happier than he ever could.

And then of course, there had been Albert, who had made it literally impossible to pursue his plans of ‘escape’. It was hard to believe that only a year separated them in ages, for Franz had always been seen as the mature one while Albert was rash and impulsive. When he had talked about plans to leave the city, Albert had begged him to stay, promising that his parents would be more than accommodating to him and his needs. Throw in Eugenie Danglars – another female friend and fiancé to Albert – and he had been unable to put up any more resistance.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, none of that could still explain this rather unnerving attraction he had towards his friend. Neither could it explain the growing feelings of possessiveness and longing that filled him each and every time he was in the presence of his dark-haired companion. He swore softly in the dark – for the one millionth time – and cursed his ill-luck. He was no fool and had always taken pride in being able to discern truth from fiction most of the time. In this case, there was definitely nothing fictional about his feelings for Albert. He knew what was wrong with it and now…he had no clue on what to do about it.

Dear gods, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what Albert’s reaction would be if he dared to confess the way he felt. Or maybe he could.

“Hey, Albert, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it, Franz?”

“I think I’m in love with you.”

A surprised look and then happy laughter. “Oh, don’t be silly, Franz. You know I love you too! You’ll always be my best friend!”

And then he would get a hug and a pat on the back and an offer to go on a cruise or something of that nature.

Franz sighed and closed his eyes. What was the use of trying to make his naïve friend see that he wanted something more than just friendship? How could he ever tell Albert about something this shameful and embarrassing? How could he possibly convey the intense heat which filled his very being each time they touched? How could he tell of the tight sensation that filled his chest each time Albert came near or when they hugged or when they mock wrestled with each other? How could he tell Albert that watching him smile or laugh or even cry made his heart soar with an emotion that he couldn’t even describe? How could he tell his best friend that he was head over heels for him? There was simply no way to do such a thing.

Fate could be so cruel.

A flash of lightning had him opening his eyes quickly. Thunder rumbled in the distance and he decided that sleeping for the rest of the night wasn’t going to be feasible after all. He figured he might as well get some paperwork done to kill the time…and also stop himself from thinking too much about his friend and feelings that might never be reciprocated.

He rose to his feet slowly, glancing surreptitiously at his sleeping companion. His knees almost gave way at the sight that met his gaze for Albert was flat on his back with his mouth wide open (spittle included) and an angelic expression on his flushed visage. The pale blue night shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a smooth chest with a tantalizing view of a dark nipple hidden beneath the cotton cloth. Swallowing tightly, Franz turned away quickly and stumbled towards his desk. He could use a drink right about now – at least to stop the growing tent within his pants as he switched on the desk lamp quickly. He stared blindly at the sheets of paper spread out all over his work station and grimaced. He couldn’t concentrate unless he…

“Franz?”

He blinked and spun around quickly, staring dumbly at the other boy who was now sitting up slowly to rub his eyes. He could feel his mouth getting dry as his hands itched to brush down the tousled brown hair or to lick away the drool that teased the corner of Albert’s mouth.

“Go…” He cleared his throat, wincing inwardly at how thick his voice had sounded. “Go back to sleep, Albert.”

The dark-haired boy shook his head and lifted his arms to stretch them while yawning. That little action did more to reveal Albert’s chest and Franz all but groaned in misery as he turned his head away to glare at his papers as if they were the cause for his frustration.

“I can’t sleep now. You woke me up.”

“Ah…well…sorry about that…”

Soft laughter. “It’s okay…I guess I’ll just keep working on this thing…”

This thing, of course, being a model spaceship that he had been trying to build for a few weeks now. Franz could hear him walking about in the small room as he reached for his pen to begin writing. He didn’t bother lifting his head as Albert made himself comfortable on the floor beside him with his tools of trade. The blond couldn’t help smiling a little at the familiar tinkering sounds of wood and metal. It has always been like this since they were younger – he would be the one pouring over their school work while Albert was busy creating things with his hands. He was one talented young fool, no one could deny that.

“Ouch!”

“Careful…” Franz mumbled absently. He was glad to see that his attention was back on track – although it still didn’t stop him from imagining how Albert would feel writhing and moaning…

“It’s really bleeding,” Albert complained in a whine as he suddenly stuck his injured finger in front of Franz’s face. “See?”

“Albert! You’re putting blood all over my work!” came the indignant cry as Franz tried to push his friend away but instead he found himself tasting the slightly metallic red fluid as Albert’s finger accidentally touched his lips.

Neither was sure who had gasped at the intimate contact, but neither could ignore the bright spots of color that filled their cheeks as they stared at each other in surprise – perhaps aware of something that had made them even more aware of each other.

“Oh…ah…sor…sorry…” Albert began in a weak stutter as he began to pull his finger away. He noticed that there was a slight red smudge on Franz’s lower lip and for an insane moment, the thought of licking it away overwhelmed him. His cheeks grew even hotter as he lowered his lashes in shame. How could he even think of doing that to his best friend? He was sure that Franz would not appreciate such a gesture – no matter how close they were.

“I…I didn’t mean to…” he continued quickly, hoping he could diffuse the sudden tension that had grown between them. He tried to laugh, but it became a whimper as he watched Franz’s tongue capture the red stain to lick it away slowly. He could barely open up his mouth to protest as he felt Franz’s strong hand around his or as it was being lifted up slowly. Franz’s eyes were a dark shade of brown – nearly black with an emotion he could not describe. Albert could feel his heart beat racing faster and harder than it ever had before and it all came to a sizzling jolt of pleasure as his bleeding finger was imprisoned within Franz’s mouth.

His moan of delight at the feel of his friend’s tongue upon his skin echoed within the room like a mournful maiden’s voice. Franz, for his part, couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. He sincerely prayed that this wasn’t another part of his imagination or fantasy. He hoped that he wouldn’t open his eyes to see Albert still lying on the floor – fast asleep – while he had been dozing off at the desk. He hoped that this rich taste of his friend’s blood wasn’t some hallucination for at this moment, Franz was sure he had never tasted anything sweeter in his life. His tongue swirled around the soft pad of flesh and he had to hold on tightly to Albert’s arm for his friend was beginning to tremble rather visibly.

He lifted heavy lashes to stare into his companion’s face, groaning at the provocative picture Albert painted. He was on his knees, with that damned shirt almost sliding off his shoulder. Albert’s face was flushed with excitement, those impossibly long lashes fluttered weakly and those lips…

Oh, how Franz longed to have a taste…just a little taste…

“Albert…” he whispered softly, releasing the now clean cut with a slow lick. His voice was husky with need and in the gloom of the room; his eyes seemed to glow with a fevered light of near desperation. “Will you…can I…?”

Albert opened up his eyes slowly and without saying a word, rose to his feet to straddle Franz’s lap in silent response. He wrapped his arms around his friend’s neck and smiled shyly, not really sure of what he was doing but just knowing that this was something he had to discover for himself as well.

“Yes…” he said softly. “But…just a little one…I don’t know…if…this is okay…”

No, it definitely wasn’t okay, Franz thought as his arms encircled Albert’s waist to hold him tightly. Friends didn’t do such things…especially male friends. This was forbidden but yet…

“…it’s going to be our secret, okay?” Albert whispered against his lips.

…it felt so good and so damn right. Albert’s lips were shy and tentative for he had never really kissed anyone before, but with Franz’s gentle coaxing, he parted them slowly allowing his friend’s tongue to slip into his mouth. He could taste his blood and perhaps the whiskey Franz had drunk earlier in the evening as their tongues finally met. He closed his eyes and gave himself up to his friend’s expertise, relishing in this delightful sensation unlike any he had ever experienced.

Franz, for his part, was in heaven and didn’t feel like coming down anytime soon. His hands tightened around Albert’s waist as their kiss deepened. It was as if years of frustration had been building up to this very moment and he couldn’t get enough. He didn’t want to frighten Albert away with the depth of his need but he didn’t want to let this moment end so quickly either. He tore his lips away from Albert’s swollen ones to trail tender kisses along his jaw, his trembling hands slipping beneath the night shirt to caress those sensitive nipples that had teased him earlier.

“Fran…Franz…” Albert whispered thickly and almost desperately as he sank his fingers into the blond locks before him. He could feel something hot and not too uncomfortable rushing towards his groin and he knew that he would have to stop his friend from touching him this way or else…

“Franz…please…stop…I’m going to…to…” he pleaded weakly, only to gasp in helpless pleasure as he felt his nipples being toyed with gently. The heat within his groin was growing by the second and as he felt the rising bulge in Franz’s pants rub against his, Albert was powerless to stop what happened next.

“Oh…no…”

Franz stopped his kisses to blink almost dumbly at Albert, who had covered his face with his hands in embarrassment at this time. The warm sticky sensation that both boys felt was more than enough to let them know just what had transpired. Albert was beginning to make low moaning sounds of humiliation as he lowered his head to hide it against Franz’s shirt.

“Sorry…Franz…I’m so sorry…I tried to hold it a bit longer but…” He blushed darkly as he felt Franz’s chest rumble gently. He lifted his head to glare at the smiling boy, trying so hard to maintain his look of anger…although that didn’t last too long as he too began to giggle at the situation.

Perhaps they laughed because the enormity of their positions had finally sunken in. However, Franz covered his eyes with a trembling hand, now knowing that the ‘moment’ between them was finally over. They would go back to being just friends again and this little incident would just be another one for the memory books.

“You should go back to sleep now, Albert,” he said with a small smile as he removed his hand. “Clean up first though…huh?”

“No…” Albert whispered with a soft shake of his head as he snuggled closer to his friend’s warmth. He tightened his embrace and closed his eyes, inhaling the unique scent that was just…well…Franz. “Can…can I stay like this? For just a little while?”

The blond could feel his cheeks flaming with color as he stared at the dark locks that tickled his chin. His hand hovered in the air for a minute as if unsure of what to do.

Hug him! Say something, Franz!

“I…” he swallowed tightly and gave a small nod of gratitude as he finally allowed his hand to caress his friend’s back slowly.

How I love you, Albert…

“Say…Franz,” Albert mumbled sleepily.

“Hmm?” came the lazy reply as Franz felt his lashes growing heavier too. He could get used to being like this but he knew that this was only going to be a moment in time – one that he would cherish for as long as he lived. “What is it, Albert?”

“When…when we’re like this…it’s warm…isn’t it?”

Franz felt a stubborn lump fill his throat as he closed his eyes to will away the sudden burning sting that filled them. He tightened his hold on Albert and listened to the slow and steady breathing that signaled his friend’s descent into sleep.

“Yes…Albert,” he finally replied softly into the brown hair. “It is warm…it has always been warm.”

…and will continue to be so for as long as you will have me in your heart.


-The End-