Title: Enduring Love
Chapter: 1/3
Author: The Silent Black Violin/XMiss-NoirX (DeviantArt)
Rating: M -17+
Characters: Balthier and OC (Lily)
Genre: Romance/General
Warnings: LEMONS, small amount of drama, swearing and a hint of kink
Disclaimer: I Do NOT own Final Fantasy XII. If you don't like OC pairings with original canon characters, this isn't for you.

Dedication: To BeckyUchiha
Summary: Non-canon! After the passing of several years, Balthier has come into Lily's life once more. Years strain friendship, as well as the ties of love.

XxXxX

'I hope this is enough for Vaan and Penelo...it should be.' Lily's thoughts were interupted when she heard the sounds of crunching rock beneath the soles of her boots. The transition of terrain onto flat pavement provided only a soft scraping of her shoes, barely distinct proof that she was there. Still, there was no muffling the sounds of the soldiers pursuit. It was obvious that in order to outrun them, she needed to be much, much faster.

Still, the fleeing female ran as fast as her skinny legs allowed, all the while dodging the people in front of her. All of a sudden, a child gripped her waist and several other obstacles threatened her momentum. Soon enough however, the crowd engulfed her. 'If I can get deeper into the crowd, I'll lose them.' Lily continued to weave through the throng, dodging bodies and roving limbs, stopping every so often for children. After what seemed like a lifetime of movement, she made it to the back of the assembly of people. 'Why are people here? Does it have anything to do with that poster I saw?'

Lily paused before a flight of stairs, looking both ways before she dashed up the steps. The courtyard that was littered with palm trees and several stragglers coming to join the crowds was lost on her. All she cared about was getting to the overhead pathway. It's better to be up high to see the soldiers coming, then on the ground like a sitting duck. Her movements were almost silent along the black pavement.

After her smooth incline up the stairs, Lily wasted no time in sprinting across the overhead pathway. As she runned, the noise of sudden applause from the ground level erupted all around her. She didn't care about the source of the cheers; all she wanted was to get as far away from the place as she could.

That had been her objective. However, she never counted on slamming directly into someone. The impact landed her flat on her backside, a wave of her dark-brown hair veiling her face. Anger flashed in her clear blue eyes, spiking through her body with the pain of the impact. "Hey asshole, watch where you're going!" All the fury she felt previously flooded out of her the moment she saw the flash of metal in her peripheral vision.

Before she could react, the chill of a gun barrel pressed to her temple. Lily's eyes opened wide, all to observe the person holding the gun. Her hair obscured the left side of her face, but there was no hiding the immediate shock she felt when she saw the threat. The one with the gun, most certainly a man, gave her a thrill of deja vu so immense, it was enough to send her reeling. I've seen him somewhere before, I swear.

The man instructed her to turn around and face the building, and he proceeded to thoroughly frisk her for money or anything of value. Humiliation flushed her face a deep red and she ground her molars to keep from releasing a strand of colorful language. All of a sudden, the man's hands grazed her backside for longer than what was appropriate. 'Isn't anything sacred?' A growl brewed in her throat, and the moment she was about to release all of her pent-up anger, the hand that once explored her backside wrapped around her right wrist. The man gently forced it to his face, and from the immediate proximity, Lily couldn't help but feel the hot breath on her wrist.

After a few minutes, she realised he was speaking. Snapping out of her stupor, Lily caught the persistent question. "...I asked where you got this bracelet from, Miss." The tone was polite, yet demanding, almost as if this man was used to being in control of circumstances like this.

The enormity of the situation crashed around Lily. After running for her life, forcing herself with no sleep, and being pressed to a wall by a man she thought she knew, Lily had had enough. "I've had it since I was little...please don't take it..." she whispered, barely suppressing her tears. "My friend made it for me, and it's all I have left of him." Even looking at the bracelet brought back the memory of her childhood friend Balthier, someone who she hadn't seen since she was eleven.

The weight on her hands immediately leesened, almost as if her keeper realised something important. Lily looked inquiringly up at the man who had more or less felt her up. She was prepared to unleash a strand of questions, but the moment she was pulled into a warm embrace, every query died on her lips. 'What? As good as this feels, I need to end it.' Lily attempted to push the man away, but it did nothing to stop him from trying to hold her again.

The familiar man flashed her a dazzling smile, then proceeded to shove her down on the hard concrete of the pavement. Before she could protest-or, knock his lights out-Lily watched him put one finger over his lips. In the expanse of time it took for her to blink, realise the mouth the lips were connected to were sensual beyond belief, the man peered over the railings that protected people from falling from such a great height. The man gave a signal that it was safe to move, and as she did so, she looked over the railing as well.

What she saw floored her, though rationale told her that this was to be expected. Soldiers flooded the streets, running every which way, all the while looking for her. Stealing from one of them sentenced said thief to death.

For the second time since the unconventional meeting, Lily realised the blonde man was speaking with her, all the while eyeing the soldiers below them. "Are they after you?" He said this calmly, and his eyes held nothing but a serene glint.

Immediately after she mustered the ability to nod, Lily found herself gripped by the hand, forcefully half-dragged towards a peculiar looking bike. The vehicle gave her the strangest sense of deja vu, something that had been spiking up ever since she met this man. 'I've ridden this before.' However, this was hardly the time to think about staying behind. Lily jumped onto the seat, all the while noticing a strange ship in the distance.

A plummeting feeling lined her stomach the moment she saw a strange looking ship on the horizon. Her jaw opened in her shock, and the moment she was about to comment, she happened to glance down. The man's right wrist was encased in a black bracelet, identical to hers aside from the color. Whereas hers was blue, his was black.

Lily gave out a little happy exclamation. "Balthier!" She gripped him from behind, burrowing her face into his shoulder.

Balthier chuckled. "Took you long enough to realise, Mon Chou." He said this in such a low voice, she knew his words were only for her.

A blush lined her features. "Shut up Kupo!" She had hated the nickname ever since its untimely conception when they were eight years old. 'I still hate cabbages. It's not my fault I used to like them until he started calling me cabbage head, then learnt French and started calling me that! ' Somehow though, it didn't bother her that much anymore. This was Balthier, her childhood friend who she had missed dearly for years on end. Lily gripped his shoulders from behind, burying her head into the back of his vest. Not resting in well over twenty-four hours had finally caught up with her. Still, half-asleep, Lily managed to mutter a reply. "Don't call me that again."

Despite the fact that she was still standing, nothing felt better than closing her eyes for a few moments. Balthier's voice snapped her out of her sleep-induced stupor. "You need to get away, obviously. Also, I'll help you out, obviously." He flashed her a cocky grin, one that made her heart skip a beat. "What are friends for?" Balthier reached for her hand, rousing her into consciousness. "Come on now, let's go."

The cool air of the run managed to wake her up, of which she was thankful for. However, nothing was as much of a wake-up call than spotting the flying bike directly in front of her. Balthier jumped on with ease and he motioned for her to get on directly behind him. Her eyes opened wide, and she couldn't help taking a few steps backwards. 'Doesn't he know I'm afraid of heights?' It was either face the stupid fear and get on the bike, or spend a lifetime in prison, and eventually, death.

Lily chanced a look behind her, seeing the oncoming soldiers in the distance. She took a deep breath and jumped on behind Balthier, gripping his lean waist tightly, her fear tangible. Balthier let out a guttural sound that let Lily know she was squeezing him too hard. She released her death-grip on Balthier, all the while reminding herself that, whatever she did, to not look down. 'Wonder where we're going.' Politely, Lily voiced her query. "Hey Balthier, where are we going?"

"To my ship. You'll be able to rest there, and it'll give us some space between Rabanastre." Balthier increased the speed of the bike all the while. "Maybe we can go back to the City of Archades." The last part was for himself Lily knew, so she made no comment.

Upon the sudden increase of speed, Lily gripped Balthier's clothing a little tighter. 'At least if I fall, I might have some slim chance of surviving, if I hold onto him. He wouldn't want to die.' The humming and noises of the bike acted like a lullaby, lulling her exhausted eyes closed. She rested her head on Balthier's shoulder, the heat of his neck providing a small spot to keep her nose warm.

The moment before she slipped into unconsciousness, her eyes made out the faint outline of a sky-ship.

XxXxX

Lily found herself roused by an amused voice, as well as a persistent hand that shook her shoulder. "Wake up sleepy head." Balthier cooed to her, almost as if she were his newborn daughter instead of his childhood friend. "Breakfast is ready...I think you'll like it." He shook her once more, then turned on his heel.

Lily opened her eyes, blinked them a few times, and once she focused, all the saw was Balthier's retreating backside. 'Why am I thinking of chaining him to a bed, handcuffing him, and having him underneath me?' Shaking her head, Lily dragged herself out of the bed, covering her mouth as she yawned loudly. All the while, she realised she smelt like Balthier.

It took a few moments after she walked out of the room before Lily discerned that she had no idea where she was going. A blush came to her face as she ducked back into the room. She caught sight of books littering the floor, as well as several heaps of clothes disguising any hint of carpet. She gave out a small sigh, and resigned herself towards picking up the room. She was never immaculately clean, but in this area, it was all she could do to not scrub every nook and cranny until it shone. Lily picked up the clothes, wrinkled her nose, and chucked them on the bed.

Despite better judgment, Lily felt her eyes slip closed and before she knew it, her head hit the pillow once more. 'I don't want to walk out into the commotion of an unknown ship. That'd be unacceptable, considering I only know Balthier.' A light sleep claimed her, and she willingly fell into its grasp.

What felt like moments later, a body plonked itself directly on top of hers. Startled awake, Lily opened her eyes, surprised to find Balthier grinning down at her. The shock of his blonde hair was practically glowing in the flouresent lighting, a dramatic contrast occuring from the deep-brown of his eyes. They looked like melting chocolate. 'I love chocolate...he couldn't be any sexier at this moment.'

The very thought of chocolate made her stomach rumble, alerting Lily to the fact that she hadn't eaten yet. She turned away from Balthier, a light pink staining her cheeks.

Almost as if he could read her mind, a slender finger went underneath her chin, tilting her face upwards. Lily knew that this was to make her look at him. She anxiously awaited what Balthier's next moves or actions would be, all the while feeling her stomach make loud, angry noises. This deepened her blush, but with the way Balthier was gripping her chin, there was no escaping his eyes. All thought of hunger vanished when Balthier's mouth began moving ever-closer to her own.

Balthier spoke, and the voice was never so handsome than at that moment. "Oh yeah... I forgot since you didn't come out for breakfast, I ate yours... but you can still get the protein." Balthier winked at her, removed his hand from her chin and into her hair, and before she could blink, Balthier was kissing her.

Lily felt like her head was spinning as Balthier's soft lips pressed against her mouth. All the while, his hand tenderly gripped the back of her head, not letting her escape the searing kiss. After a moment, he released her, allowing the oppurtunity for breath. Lily gasped for air, all the while feeling as if she was a teenager again, wondering if she and her crush would 'do it.'

Once again, Balthier proved to be a mind-reader. His hand caressed her stomach from her navel to the collarbone, all the while feeling the breath expel from her lungs. The hand slipped down from her collarbone towards her thigh, stroking her calf muscles, eliciting a moan from her parted mouth.

Lily felt Balthier's hand slip from her calf towards in-between her legs, ghosting over her panties. The underwear of choice that day had been her red panties with the blace lace on them. T'hey're comfy; I didn't know I'd be having sex today!' Balthier's fingers rubbed in-between her panties, and Lily wondered if this was how she would reacquire that protein.

Lily let out a moan as one of the fingers picked up its speed against her, creating a delicious friction. Balthier's lips crashed on top of hers the moment he put his hand directly inside of her underwear, igniting a new level of sensations through her body. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, for the precise moment Balthier's tongue grazed her own, his digits found her clitoris.

Lily broke the kiss to breathe, greedily gulping air into her lungs. The moment her heart-rate stabilized, Balthier kissed a heated path down her cheek, stopping at her ear. He sucked and nipped at the tender lobe with his skilled mouth, making her arch into his body. Her body made a heated connection with him, giving way to the realization that Balthier wasn't as far away as she had thought. He let out a sigh, all the while kissing down the nape of her neck. He paused from the fabric of the bra, but even the flesh behind the cloth was singed from his lips.

Suddenly, Balthier grinned down at her, all the while looking like a predator that relied solely on carnal desires. It made Lily both nervous and stimulated. 'I like the promises that come with that grin.' Once more, Lily felt Balthier place his fingers deep inside of her, causing her hands to clench at the bedsheets. The pain receeded rapidly, getting replaced with a pleasure that would've sent her to her knees. With glazed eyes, she watched as Balthier lifted up her shirt, kissing a simmering pattern on her stomach.

Balthier removed his fingers, making Lily moan with the loss of contact. As she lay there, she couldn't help but feel exposed, for she was only in her underwear and a barely there shirt, for it was hoisted above her breasts. 'This is really happening. I always did want to jump his bones.' Balthier's tongue against her chest made her gasp, breaking her thoughts. His tongue snaked across the bra cup, igniting a strand of goose bumps against her skin. He continued to suck and lightly nip at the sensitive areas, working on her flesh with his lips. Lily's breath hitched when Balthier's tongue began lapping at her skin, all the while reveling in the mixture of cooling saliva and hot breath. It was almost too much for her to bear.

Balthier licked a path down her stomach, all the while making his tongue drop into the hole in her naval. "You know, I can stop if you want."

Before a coherent answer met her mind, Lily fell in rapture over the coasting sensations through her body. Finally, the question caught up to her. "Please...don't." Her body continued to grow hotter as Balthier's tongue got closer and closer to the hem of her panties. His hands had been resting on her hips, but now the fingers were playing with the lining of her underwear. Before she could think, the panties were off, exposing her sex. 'I'm totally naked...but this feels too good for me to care.'

Balthier slowly began kissing her thighs, the momentum of his lips arriving him at his destination. He smiled up at her, almost as if he were asking permission. Lily nodded to him, and he wasted no time in continuing. Her head tilted back and moments after she closed her eyes, Balthier's tongue entered her body. The sensation was alien, unfamiliar, but it made her moan. The muscle was skilled, and the tongue didn't fail to create waves of immense pleasure throughout her body.

Lily gripped the sheets in her clenched hands, releasing them every time he plunged in deeper with his tongue. Her climax was approaching fast, blooming her vision with bright white dots. There were screams echoing around the room, moans of immense pleasure that she didn't even think she had the capability of making. After an eternity of almost and not-quite-there, she came, gripping the sheets and moaning Balthier's name all the while.

After the headrush wore off, Lily got on her knees, took off her shirt, and rolled on top of Balthier. She arched into him, caressing his skin with her hands, her thighs and her face. It was then that she realised he was still fully clothed.

"Balthier...take off your clothes. I want to see that perfectly sculpted chest of yours." It was a foolish demand, but she knew that someone as spontaneous as him wouldn't mind. A grin came to her lips, one that was worthy of making the Cheshire cat green with envy when she saw Balthier's fingers working with the buttons on his shirt. Thankfully, that damned vest was nowhere to be seen. Meaning, Balthier would soon be in nothing but his birthday suit.

The sight of Balthier's chest stimulated her once more, and Lily couldn't help but kiss a path down his collarbone, all the while sucking and kneading the skin with her lips. Balthier released a shaky moan, something that made Lily grin. She moved further down his body, gripping his pectorals with her hands, all the while lightly licking the tip of one of his nipples. Balthier bucked into the touch, and there was no hiding the shiver that coursed through his body. Judging by the way a certain appendage twitched against her thigh, she knew that whatever she was doing delighted him.

Lily decided to take this one step further. She began sucking on the pink nub, all the while kneading the other until it grew hard under her fingertips. She repeated the actions with the other nipple, and with the ever-growing length that pressed against her leg, she knew that Balthier was enjoying this greatly. She began kissing her way down his body, giving his abdomen a subtle lick every now and then. When she reached the hem of his pants, she lightly nipped at the golden hairs that trailed into a world she would soon be familiar with.

Grabbing the leather pants he wore, Lily yanked them down, revealing the top of his blue underwear. Lily looked up at him with pleading eyes, all the while feeling a rush of blood to her head. 'I feel like a kid in a candy store. I never thought I'd be the type of girl who got excited to see how guys looked naked.'

Lily watched with rapt fascination as Balthier undid the buttons and zipper slowly, all the while observing how the pants peeled off of his legs like a second set of skin. She looked downwards, saw his obvious growing need, and though his lips were upturned in a sensual smirk, there was a pink tint on his cheeks, revealing his modesty. Within moments, she tore off the remaining part of his pants, and she stripped him of his underwear.

A gasp escaped her lips as she saw Balthier, in all of his glory. His now weeping member was now fully erect, almost touching his navel. Her hand raised, reaching towards the appendage. Lily looked up innocently at Balthier, all the while showing that her urge to touch his erection was very real. She spread his legs, letting her fingertips touch the fine hairs, all the while smoothing her hands up his thighs.

Lily reached the appendage faster than she assumed she would've, and the moment she stopped, she caught Balthier's anxious look. She knew he was wondering what her next move was going to be, and his eyes displayed a carnal curiosity. It was safe to assume then, that she could most definitely touch it, much less grip it in her hands. 'To make this more appetising, I always thought of penises as some sort of cream-filled burrito.' Lily chanced a heated look at her lover, and with the fire in his eyes, she saw genuine lust. 'Wonder what Balthier's burrito tastes like.'The persistent twitching of said appendage snapped Lily back into her present situation.

Balthier's eyes closed, almost as if he wanted to savour this moment by shutting his eyes. "Is it okay for me to...taste it?" A dark blush tinted her cheeks, for it seemed like such a stupid thing to ask. She watched his reaction nonetheless, and when nothing more than a lengty moan came out, she assumed that was her signal. Lily bent over slowly, all the while feeling all of the heat rush to her face. She inched her tongue out of her mouth, gripping the member in one hand, all the while caressing the red tip with her other hand.

Within a few minutes of lightly touching the tip of her tongue to the top of the appendage, the salty taste of her lover exploded in her mouth. Pearl coloured liquid leaked down the sides of his shaft, and she made sure to lick every last drop. Lily paused to breathe some hot air on the muscle before wrapping her mouth entirely around the appendage. 'It's wider than I thought.' All the while thinking about length and relative size, Lily continued to suck and lick the thick sex, all the while gripping Balthier's hips as he slid in and out of her mouth.

Balthiers hand snaked its way down towards Lily's head, gripping her hair as he bucked into her mouth. "Ahh...you don't know how...I'm going to..." Balthier continued moaning about when he would come, and the moment he did, she felt it. A thick substance entered her mouth, and she swallowed it to keep from choking. She continued swallowing, all the while feeling a bit of the cum dribble down her chin. She wiped it away, dropped onto her back beside Balthier, and closed her eyes.

Balthier adjusted his weight, and as she opened her eyes, she saw a question there. "Can we do it?" He asked it so innocently, and with the way his eyes twinkled, her heart melted. This was the ultimate trust, something she was willing to do. She nodded, watching Balthier turn his back. He reached over towards the bedside drawers and pulled out a bottle of lube. He sat up, shifted and positioned himself in-between Lily's legs, all the while squirting a liberal amount of lube onto his sex. She was thankful he had this in his drawer, for she knew it would make this that much more intense.

Her lover positioned himself in-between her legs, gently spread her thighs, and teased her with the head of his member. He rubbed against her clitoris, creating bright points of light behind her eyelids. Her hand tangled in the sheets, and the other hand held onto one of his wrists as he entered her, inch by painful inch. Lily let out a moan of pain, and despite how romantic this was supposed to be, she couldn't help the tear that fell from her eye, down her cheek. Balthier, once more the mind-reader, captured her lips in a kiss, as if to kiss away the pain of the entrance. He thrust all the way in, and the moment she adjusted herself, every inkling of pain was replaced with pleasure.

Lily opened her mouth, allowing Balthier's tongue to meld with her own, the same way their heated dance of bodies came together. A hot, thick liquid coursed down her thighs, and assuming it was merely Balthier's excess, she thought nothing of it. The thrusts slowed, causing Lily to break the kiss. The moment she opened her mouth to ask why he was stopping, Balthier hit that sweet spot, deep within her body that would grant her own personal pleasure, bliss beyond her wildest dreams.

Balthier's breathing sped up, matching her own frantic pants. Lily brought their bodies closer together, all the while noting that Balthier went deeper into her body. This produced a bright white light behind her eyelids, making her eyes roll back into her head. Balthier's hands gripped her thighs, and Lily dug into his back with her fingernails, wanting to show that he was giving her intense pleasure. The thrusts picked up, and she prepared for her second climax, knowing this orgasm would bond them for life.

The moment that thought entered her mind, everything went black.

XXxXxXxXX

Lily awoke to the feeling of someone shaking her awake. She opened her eyes, noticing that Balthier was directly above her, completely clothed. Everything had been a dream then, every last part. Sighing, Lily sat up, all the while rubbing her eyes.

"Did you know you moan my name in your sleep?" Balthier asked.

She blushed a deep crimson, all the while shaking her head to keep her eyes from meeting Balthier's. She felt the sheets tangled around her hips and legs, as well as the ever-present fibers of her shirt. Lily looked up at his sincere expression, wishing that she could hate him. It wasn't like he caused the dream, but there was no helping foolish anger. There was no way she could ever hate him though.

"I have some clothes you can change into. They're in the bottom drawer of my wardrobe, from my old shipmate. She left because she found someone." Balthier said all of this nonchalantly, all the while turning to leave. He didn't leave before flashing her a breathtaking smile.

'It was all a dream. All of it. Oh well.' Lily picked her self up, untangling herself from the sheets all the while. She found the wardrobe and the clothing she was expected to wear. When she looked at them, she had no idea what to think. 'This girl must've either been a slut or had no nerve endings.' She couldn't wear her outfit, for she recalled as she was half-asleep, that it was being washed. Sighing, Lily put on the strange bottoms, realising that it bore a similar likeness to a latex bikini bottom.

She spent ten minutes trying to figure out how the shirt-thing worked, and after that time, she found that it was made of metal and had a small, veil-like thing, a decoration that would cover absolutely nothing. Lily scoffed, but resigned herself to this terribly revealing piece of clothing, all the while putting on the metal arm guards and the latex shoulder bits. There were metal leg decorations as well, but she didn't care for them. Instead, she put on her own boots and slipped them on. I feel so exposed, Lily thought desparingly, leaving the room.

After walking into about a dozen empty rooms, she found Balthier sitting in the kitchen sipping from a large mug. She tried not to take too much satisfaction in the way Balthier took a double take over her outfit, but she couldn't help it. She grinned as she caught him watching the way her hips swayed.

A siren interuppted their small conversation, startling them both into an upright position.

"Shit! The Strahl is under attack!"Balthier ran towards what Lily assumed was the control area, and she made the motion to follow him. Though she wanted to help him, she didn't want to get in his way.

All thoughts of selflessness evaded her mind the moment a blindfold came from behind, covering her eyes. The moment her mouth opened, she felt a gag enter her mouth, extinguishing any hope of screaming.

'Shit... I am so fucked.'

XxXxX

A/N:I hope you liked it! I don't know squat about Final Fantasy XII so I hope it was okay. :) This was a commission story for BeckyUchiha. I hope you like it Hun! What a cliffy to leave it on!

-Sazzy