Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters…

Summary: What kind of bathing suit did Peony get Jade? When challenged to find out, Tear's soldier background impedes her from turning down the bet. ::Tear x Jade::

Universe: In-game. Sometime after using the spa of Keterburg for the first time.

Author's notes: This is my first Tales of the Abyss fic! I just finished the game and I loved it! So, I'll probably be working on a few one-shots with different pairings. So, here's the first!Enjoy and please don't forget to review! ~Cheers!

Last edited: Oct/16/2013

"The power of acute observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."

-George Bernard Shaw-

"The Bet"

By: FenixPhoenix (Giselle González)

One-shot

Jade Curtiss somehow always managed to enjoy swimming in the pool before everyone else got there. And even if he stayed afterwards, he always concealed his body behind that cheap and embarrassing robe that made him look older than he really was. It was, upon pondering this, that all hell broke loose –at least, for a specific soldier.

It was Anise who came up with the question that started it all. There was no surprise there. Only she could convince everyone that something interesting had to be hidden behind Jade's antiques.

"Say… what kind of bathing suit do you think Peony got Jade?" she said the words with all the sweetness of an innocent child, but her eyes twinkled with dangerous mischief.

What Tear found unsettling though, was not the voice or even the question, but the way everyone had taken it into serious consideration.

"Hmmm… you're right," Guy crossed his arms as he inspected the Colonel through the corner of his eyes. "Now that I think of it, he has never taken off his bathrobe, has he?"

"Mieu?" the furry, adorable creature's eyes popped open and Tear could see he didn't quite comprehend what the fuzz was all about. Admittedly, neither could she.

Luke, however, turned to where the Colonel was lounging and tilted his head, the wrinkle in his forehead indicating deep thought. Tear could almost hear the gears of his mind working to come up with an idea that would provide an answer to Anise's question. That made her nervous.

"My, do you think he is perhaps… embarrassed?" Natalia offered, raising a hand to cover her mouth as if the mere idea was extraordinary.

And indeed it was. Jade didn't strike Tear as someone who would be easily ridiculed or who would be even capable of feeling something that was not amusement or the occasional exasperation. Fact was, even if his bathing suit was… 'odd', she was sure the old soldier would manage to find a way to make everyone believe that it suited him perfectly. And everyone, without exception, would believe him.

Of course, Tear could empathize the most with Jade. The bathing suit the Malkuth Emperor had provided her had made her blush more than five different shades of red! In fact, it still did! The simple thought of the garment being tucked inside her bag –which was somewhere in her room- made her squirm inside with embarrassment.

"We should just find out!" Anise offered, smiling devilishly. No wonder she looked fine with the devil suit she had used in Florian's play.

"Yeah, well… are you willing to find out for us, Anise?" Luke taunted with half lidded eyes and a cocky smirk.

Tear shared his mirth. It seemed Luke's wit was actually working in the right direction for a change. Who indeed would be brave or stupid enough to try and find out why Jade would hide Peony's gift behind that robe.

Anise's eyes widened and she gave a step back, as though the words had physically pushed her body away from the grinning Luke. "No way! Are you-" she stopped, cleared her throat and taunted, "Oh, are you scared of the Colonel, Viscount?"

Luke shrugged, "Of course."

Guy laughed, "He's at least honest."

"Well how about you, Guy?" prompted Natalia, clasping her hands behind her in the sweetest gesture she could muster. "Would you care to find out for us?"

Guy's grin faltered and he raised his hands in a gesture meant to remind Natalia that she should keep herself at a safe distance from him. Already he was shaking as his phobia kicked in. Or perhaps his insistent trembling had to do with the mere idea of messing with Jade?

"No, thank you," he retorted. "I am not that stupid."

"Bummer," Natalia sighed. "If Asch was here, he would probably take the challenge undaunted."

Yes. Tear had to agree with the Princess. Asch was stupid or brave enough –however one chose to see it- to try a stunt like that.

"Too bad we don't have someone from the intelligence division with us," Anise added with a melodramatic sigh. "A highly trained soldier would have the skills required for such a job! Not to mention that their discipline would impede them from backing out of the task at hand..."

Luke frowned. "Wait a second, Anise," his glinting eyes switched to Tear and his lips quirked upward. "We have Tear!"

"Ah! That's right!" Anise agreed, acting surprised.

Tear's eyes widened at the implication of their words. How, in Yulia's name, had she gotten pulled into their plan!

"Nah… forget it," Luke's words stopped the fright building up inside her. Tear turned to him in silent query, as did everyone else.

"W-what?" she prompted when Luke had remained quiet.

"Well… I don't think you could get the job done," he shrugged.

She knew he was doing it on purpose. It struck her suddenly that Luke had learned which buttons to push to make her snap, but she didn't particularly care she was being manipulated at the moment. Tear Grant was one of the best soldiers, with discipline made out of steel! Of course she could do it! How could he imply otherwise?! Did he think she lacked cunning? That she didn't have what it takes to be in the intelligence division?

"In fact," the Viscount continued, "I bet Mieu to the fact that she would not be able to find out what Jade's bathing suit looks like."

"Mieu?" the cheagle tilted his head unsure.

That did it! She not only wanted Mieu, but she could not stand by as they questioned her skill!

"Accepted," she declared and only after that, did she realized what her pride had gotten her into. Damn it!

"It's settled then," Anise said jumping up and down, "You have to find out before the day ends."

Having wished her the best of luck, the group dispersed. Tear sat down in one of the chairs biting down a groan. Why, oh, why had she gotten herself into this? Why had she allowed them to play her like that! It didn't matter, though. She'd played right into their hands and accepted their challenge. There was no way she would back out, least of all now. Her discipline –if not he pride- wouldn't let her.

On to a plan, then, she thought as, biting her lower lip, she rattled her brain for a strategy with high enough rates of success to risk angering Jade.

-o0o-

An hour or so later, a nervous Tear approached a very calm Jade. He was sitting at one of the slot machines in the casino, pushing the button without paying much attention to the monotonous game. When he saw her, she noted his concentration visually slipping even further away from what he was doing. Could he perhaps sense her apprehension?

"Ah, Tear," he greeted with one of his enigmatic smiles, "Something on your mind?"

She faltered. The Necromancer was truly a force to be reckoned with! She had trained her face into a stoic mask and still he was able to detect her discomfort!

"Colonel, I've been wondering something," she said, taking a seat beside him and pushing a coin into the machine. She hadn't planned on playing, but she really needed something to focus on, else she wouldn't be able to proceed.

She watched as Jade tilted his head very slightly through the corner of her eyes. Contrary to her, he was facing her openly and had his crimson eyes trained on her quite intensely.

"Could I enquire as to what you are wondering?" he prompted when an awkward pause –on her end, anyways- had followed her incomplete statement.

Tear knew it was now or never.

"What kind of bathing suit did Emperor Peony give you?" she enquired solemnly, letting only a hint of her real curiosity sipped into the question.

Jade chuckled softly, "Well, wouldn't you like to know."

This time she did turn to face him, "That's why I asked."

He smiled, "You know, I've been wondering precisely the same thing." Upon her obvious confusion, the Colonel elaborated, "I've been wondering what sort of bathing suit his Majesty provided you with," his voice was draped with amusement, but she could swear she saw something else, something dangerous glinting in his eyes.

"Ah…w-well…," she could feel a blush tainting her cheeks as she fished for words. What was she suppose to do now?

"I'll tell you what," his smile widened, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

For some reason, the mere idea made her dizzy. Or perhaps it was the tone he'd used? It had… well, it sounded a bit seductive. Then again, it could've been her imagination, right?

"Okay," she blurted before she could stop herself.

Jade looked pleasantly surprised. "Let's keep this private," he suggested, standing up. "I will see you in my room in an hour. Is that sufficient time for you to change?"

She nodded, unable to even speak, and watched him walk away. Horror made her bent over the machine as everything that had happened sunk inside her reluctant mind. Yulia helped her! What had she agreed to!?

-o0o-

Walking around a fancy hotel wearing a bathrobe made her feel very self-conscious, but it couldn't be helped. She only hoped that none of her friends would see her before she reached Jade's room. It would certainly look suspicious if she was seen entering the Colonel's room wearing naught but a flimsy robe, wouldn't it?

When she got to his door, she concentrated on steadying her breathing so that her heartbeats would slow down. As it was, she wouldn't be surprised if Jade could hear drumming heart. When she was somewhat composed –as calmed as she could get- she knocked on his door loud enough to be heard, but low enough so that the sound wouldn't reach down the halls.

The door opened to reveal Jade, wearing his usual pale robe. He smiled at her and stepped aside to let her in. She walked inside stiffly and felt her cheeks blush as soon as he'd closed the door.

"My, look at this," he beamed. "We match!"

Tear wasn't sure how to take his words, so she remained silent instead.

"So, who should go first?" he asked, approaching her frozen form.

Why did the man made it sound as though they were playing a very naughty game? Perhaps it gave her that impression because of that strange glint in his eyes? Or maybe it was the way he smiled… evil and…seductive?

"Lose the robe, Colonel," she said and –despite the confidence in her tone- she blushed at how very wrong that sounded. Apparently, she was now making this perfectly-innocent-little-game sound like the opposite.

"Ah, impatient, are we?" he chuckled, "But I do not see why I should object."

He shrugged in his signature way before untying the robe with nimble fingers. Without a trace of embarrassment, he shrugged it off and let it drop to the floor.

Tear's eyes widened as she gazed at his bathing suit. "That's so… cute," she murmured.

He was wearing knee-length, baby-blue shorts. Had they only been a plain color, they would have been fine. However, Peony had apparently made them especially for Jade, because one of the legs sported an imprint of none other than a rapping. Lil' cute Jade to be exact!

Her eyes –on their own accord- roved his body, devouring him from head to toe. She studied with scrutiny his half-naked body, finding it just as surprising as the shorts. It was hard not to gawk at just how well-toned his muscles were. Perhaps cute didn't really cut it.

"Well, now that I have been humiliated," Jade said, folding his muscled arms across his chest. "It's your turn."

How could he say that without blushing? Tear couldn't help but feel envious at the way he managed to say anything in that laid-back tone of his! Wait a second… it was her turn?

No…no-no-no-no-noooooo! she despaired inwardly.

Already the blush produced when her eyes had drunken in his beautiful body was intensifying into alarming levels. A hand shot towards the nearby chair and she clutched it when her legs weakened.

If Jade noticed this, he didn't say anything. But the way his smirk turned into a full-fledged grin was sufficient to indicate he had. She held her breath when he closed the distance between them.

"It's your turn to satisfy my curiosity," he whispered smoothly -seductively.

When she still didn't move, he took the ribbon of her robe between his fingers and pulled. The knot she had carefully tied undid without problems. Tear closed her eyes when she felt his hands slipping below the robe, touching her shoulders gently. His hands burned a path to her back, throwing the robe off of her body.

As soon as the robe puddle on the ground at her feet, Jade stepped back. Tear opened her eyes, still feeling quite dizzy and noticed as this time, it was him who took his time at admiring her barely covered body. Contrary to her, he didn't even attempt to hide his hunger as his blood-red eyes drunk her.

Tear felt something strange stirring in her stomach, as though a bubble of warm water had been cracked opened. Waves of warmth traveled through every part of her body as his eyes roved every inch of her flushed skin.

The Colonel licked his lips, a gesture that seemed odd because he'd never done it before. However –strange as it was- Tear didn't mind. Naturally, what bothered her was that he wasn't saying anything. It made her self-conscience. Peony had a twisted sense of fashion in Tear's perspective and she hated him for it now.

She glanced down at her body. She was wearing a two-piece, fiery red bathing suit. The upper part was barely covering, leaving a lot of her bosom exposed. She was under the impression that perhaps she was in need of a bigger size, but part of her suspected this was how it was supposed to fit. Additionally, the lower part of her bathing suit so little, she was afraid to even sit down. Not to mention that it was tied on the sides by fragile strings that could easily become undone. It was… an attire design to leave her vulnerable.

"I was wrong," the male's baritone snapped her off her self-conscious assessment.

"A-about what?"

Jade smiled but his eyes darkened considerably as he moved closer. She closed her eyes when she saw him leaning towards her, at a loss as to what was happening. Her mind seemed to have taken a leave of absence. One of his gentle hands tucked softly -teasingly the veil of brown hair behind her ear.

"Peony does have a marvelous taste sometimes," he whispered, his lips brushing the outer shell. "Standing before me is proof of that."

Her heart-rate accelerated when she felt his lips gazing her neck; his hot breath crashing against her sensitive skin, making her hold her breath. He then stole a feather-like kiss from her partly opened lips before turning on his heels.

"We should do this again," he decided, moving towards the bathroom. "Goodnight, Tear."

When the door to the bathroom closed, she touched her lips with the tips of trembling fingers. It had been a strange sensation that had produced –not fear- but unbound excitement such as the likes she had never felt before.

She heard the water running behind the closed door. It seemed Jade had decided to take a shower. She wondered why he would wish to have a shower after such an odd episode, but shrugged it off.

Retrieving her robe from the floor, she put it on and walked out. As soon as she was safely inside her own room, she smiled. She won the bet! Her smile faltered as a troubling thought barged in.

If she were to tell them of Jade's bathing suit, they would most probably ask her how she managed to find out! Then… what? Could she share what had happened without embarrassing herself in the process? No. If she were to tell them of hers and Jade's deal, they would most probably challenge her to show them her bathing suit next!

She sighed in defeat. It seemed to her there was no choice. She would have to lose Luke's bet and give up Mieu in the process. On the bright side, she could, perhaps, get something twice as good out of all this mess…

She smiled, touching her lips again. Yes. She could very easily hide this particular victory and accept this bogus loss.

…FIN...

Story Written by: Giselle González

© Tales of the Abyss is property of Kosuke Fujisjima and is distributed by BANDAI Games Inc.

:…:Other Tales of the Abyss Stories:…:

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