((This fic was written as a response to a short fic by Alahnore or the-fluri-corner at tumblr, "In Wine, Nothing." She helped with editing this as well.))
It had been a few months; Asbel had trouble keeping passing time straight sometimes, but this was something he was sure on. The last time he had been together with everyone was two months ago; his twenty-third birthday party at the castle in Barona. Richard had missed his twenty-second because of something springing up on him, so to avoid that this last time, Asbel had requested everyone meet up in Barona rather than Lhant. It was a much better plan and he wished he could call together everyone like that for more than just birthdays. The birthday itself really didn't matter—Asbel didn't really feel any older and he didn't care for presents or cake or anything else. Getting everyone back together was something of a challenge; however, whenever they managed it was always the most fun he could have.
Sophie, Richard and everyone else could laugh and look back at things they did that might have been goofy or stupid; even if a lot of that ended in teasing pointed Asbel's way. He really didn't mind— it wasn't as though he ever left for home again angry at anyone, no matter how bad they got.
It was the time after the get togethers that were unpleasant... or, maybe not unpleasant. Not bad, but not the happiest of times either. He couldn't claim he was unhappy though either; he was always happy to see everyone else happy and doing well in Lhant. He managed to keep things under control a little better now that he had some years of experience. There were definitely tougher days, but nothing bad enough to lead to any feelings of unhappiness. It wasn't obvious at first, but the further time passed between one time seeing everyone to the next, the worse the lack of pleasantness and the growing void would get.
No, he couldn't put his finger on the exact problem—if there really was one. Maybe it was a non-issue and he was just rustling things up for himself in peacetime. It was still something of an adjustment, but there was enough to do that he wasn't ever really bored.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrating it became. He tried to ask Cheria about it, but was told more or less that it was normal to be a little down after a big celebration. He wasn't aware it could go on for months, but figured he was just making up things and didn't bother her again. Going to his mother for advice was out of the question; most of it amounted to "you should just settle and think about having a family." As far as he was concerned, he had a family, but Sophie brought up her dream for the future every so often, then Cheria would agree and generally hint that direction too. Maybe they were right.
It would certainly make them all very happy.
He wasn't entirely sure why, but whenever he reached that point in the line of thought he considered talking with his brother. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea; Hubert had a way of putting things into words that Asbel could never do. He might know what to say... Or he might just give Asbel a hard time about it. The latter he was willing to risk and there was nothing wrong with spending some time with his little brother after all, so he put out a message toward Hubert. It didn't take long for one to return with an invitation for him to come visit Strahta.
It was through that invitation that Asbel wound up at Hubert's residence a few days later. Living with the Oswells was not something the young man intended to do forever and the place he'd gotten himself was certainly no manor, but quite respectable for a man who was usually off visiting country to country. It was his first time here and now that he saw it, he could tell it was very much Hubert's. It was clean, neat and organized as his little brother always was.
When Asbel first stepped in the door, Hubert gave him the proper tour, spoke of how nice everything was and seemed generally quite proud of himself. Asbel had to wonder if Pascal got the same tour and speech or something else entirely. Those two seemed at least a little bit closer considering the party at the castle…
He shook the thoughts away and focused on now as best he could. Hubert caught on pretty quickly that Asbel was zoning in and out and let out a large, obvious sigh.
"It must have been some kind of trip for you. Maybe you're getting old, brother," Hubert suggested, at least half teasing this time.
"I don't think so. Besides, if I'm getting old, aren't you pretty old too?" Asbel shot back casually enough. Hubert pointed him to the sofa by the coffee table and seemed content to wait on him to take the silent order to have a seat. Asbel took the spot with no further argument; relaxing didn't sound so bad after all.
"You have enough of a head start that I'm not too worried about myself. Besides, if any of us could do with some aging, it would certainly be you," was Hubert's response, as sharp as ever. He takes a seat at the other chair across from Asbel, looking amused enough.
"Hey, I've matured plenty."
"One would think it should be more than you have, considering your responsibilities and your family. I haven't forgotten that last party we had just yet, Asbel," Hubert countered in record time. Asbel knew he hardly ever won on these things, it wasn't a fair battle.
"So I'm not as mature as maybe you or anybody else, but Lhant's still fine; so's Sophie and everybody else. I'm doing okay."
Hubert sat back in his seat, raising an eyebrow at that. "Just okay? Are you selling yourself short or is there a problem?"
That wasn't exactly what Asbel expected in response. Another half-insult or snappy comeback would have been fine, but there was something about that question that got him thinking again. "Well...everyone's pretty happy for the most part. I don't know if I'm doing enough sometimes so...it's probably 'just okay,'" he answered after a short deliberation.
"'For the most part?' Is something going on?" Hubert pressed. Now that Asbel was talking, he didn't intend to have his brother stop just yet. The way Asbel was a bit slumped, distracted and scatterbrained wasn't helping his case.
Asbel fell quiet for a moment, setting his hands in his lap; fingers weaving together. His gaze fell to the rings on either hand with a bit of intensity in that look. When he was thinking pretty hard he had a way of looking the part. "Mother...and Sophie and Cheria keep talking about...well, having kids. A kid? I really don't know what they're expecting exactly, I guess."
Hubert stared for a long moment before standing up and making a move for the kitchen. "You stew on that a moment...I think we're both going to need drinks at this rate." Asbel started to argue but Hubert was up and on his way already.
So the time had come. Hubert had really anticipated they would wind up talking about having families someday in the future, however, he did not expect Asbel to show up to chat about it in this state. Something seemed off from the usual Asbel; he wasn't sure what that was just yet, but some chatter should be able to clear that up.
Hubert returned shortly, a wine glass in either hand, one of which he set down on the coffee table in front of Asbel. His own he carried with him back to his seat, waiting for the older sibling to at least test his drink. It wasn't as though Asbel was a heavy drinker or anything close. A glass of wine when it was appropriate and that was about it for him, but he had caught his brother drinking a bit more than he should have at that last party. Disastrous wasn't the word for the occasion, so much as a bit goofy. He did seem like he was having a good time regardless. Maybe it was a good thing for him to let loose every once and awhile. Now seemed like a good shot for that, considering the subject matter.
The knight narrowed his eyes at the glass as if he had reason to be suspicious of it. Hubert was not the problem here so much as the wine. He could never be sure with the drink, but Asbel relented, taking a short sip and remaining with the glass in hand.
"Well then, go on. Tell me about this family business," Hubert said after a bit too long of a silence.
"It's what everyone wants, right? I don't know what you're asking for, Hubert."
The younger brother let out a longer sigh than the last. He had no clue how one person could be so incredibly dense. "Is this something decided on? Have you talked to them about yes or no on the matter? Clearly you're already fathering Sophie, and you and Cheria have been married for a while, so it's not as though it's an odd request."
Asbel devoted a little more attention to his glass for moment, drinking down more. "I know all that; I get reminded all the time."
"And what do you think about that? Is it unreasonable?"
Asbel took another drink from the wine, studying it before replying. "No, it's all fine. Cheria wants this and Sophie would be really happy to have a little brother or sister," he answered with a lower voice.
"But it sounds like you have reservations," Hubert observed quickly, sipping on his own drink more carefully than his brother had taken to his.
"I don't have any of those," Asbel replied back just as fast.
"Yes, you can say that, but it'd be a lie, correct? This is what you brought up when I asked what the not-so-good was, so it's obviously some kind of issue for you. If your problem is with how to go about making a child I will kick you out of my house right now. I refuse to speak on that level with you, brother," Hubert spoke out all at once, his tone very firm on the matter.
"No! No, no! I'm not stupid, Hubert!" Asbel blurted back, looking somewhere between stunned and completely embarrassed. He slumped into his glass a bit, drinking further. "Why does everyone act like I'm totally clueless? I know this stuff."
"Because I think they're all impressed with your density at times, it's hard to be sure. I don't really want to know the details of whatever you're doing, but if this isn't your issue then I don't know what is. With marriage comes children, generally speaking. Be more specific."
After a flustered grumble and a good swig of wine, Asbel was up to trying once more. "It's something that's going to make everyone happy. So I'm going to do it. I just...I don't know. There's nothing wrong."
It was an odd bundle of statements to take altogether. Hubert's eyes narrowed as he did his best to wade his way through the mix of messages. "If you don't feel like you're ready just yet, you can still wait. I'm sure they'll understand."
"I know...I...was told that part too. They'll wait, but...it's not like...nobody talks about it," Asbel answered slower this time, more carefully. Another drink out of his glass and it was empty. Without another word, Hubert simple rose from his seat and returned from the kitchen shortly with the whole bottle of wine; pouring Asbel another glass full. He had a feeling they might both need that.
Once in his seat again, Hubert addressed the statement. "So...this is something you say you don't mind, but it bothers you that they're onto you about it? Wasn't mother the same way with the issue of marriage? We've all been fairly supportive in that matter, I think. Was that nagging as well though?"
"Not nagging! Well, you know how she is, but everyone else...I guess thinking about it, everyone pushed this way, right?" he asked back quietly. For the first time in a while, he raised his eyes to be level with Hubert's; his expression a bit muddled.
"Pushed?" Hubert pushed his glasses back up a bit higher on his nose. "I suppose so... It was obvious to everyone else that it looked like you two were going to get together. I would say they were trying to help you along. So in this case, your family is trying to help you along again. You're... slow with these things, Asbel; I'm not going to mince words with you on this one. I sort of doubt you would take up the reigns and get moving that direction on your own."
There was a soft "oh" out of Asbel before he took another drink. Asbel wasn't surprised, but the reaction wasn't positive either. It came across oddly neutral. While his brother was thinking, Hubert took the chance to do the same himself; trying to stack the pieces together to get some kind of picture. Here sat his simpleton of a brother unable to even find words for whatever this was that was on his mind. It became clearer that this did not just suddenly spring up; for Asbel to complain about being nagged would not surprise Hubert at all, but this time he seemed genuinely down in general. Him dragging up old bothers like this with such a serious face left Hubert perplexed.
Somewhere in the middle of Hubert's inner analyzing, Asbel had just about drained the second glass of wine and was pouring himself another one. On his own. Hubert snapped out of it quick enough to actually take in what was going on. That was certainly unusual. It probably served as a good signal to try another angle.
"Asbel," Hubert began slowly as to not startle him while he was pouring. "If you could be doing anything at all right now...what would that be?"
Asbel gave Hubert a look; one that said he had a little more wine than he needed and that he had no clue what Hubert was talking about. "I came here, right? So...that's the answer isn't it?"
"No no, think a little harder, brother. If you could do anything in the entire world, with anyone, what would you be doing?"
"I'd wanna... have another party, with everybody invited. But everyone's busy so...it's not like I can have parties all the time anyway."
Hubert sprang his next question on him faster, trying not to give him a chance to think it over this time. "Do you not like taking care of Lhant?"
"I don't mind. You and everybody else seemed to think I could do it. And they need me to after all," Asbel replied faster this time in response to Hubert's speed. Taking advantage of that, Hubert kept it up.
"And not finishing knight school officially, does that bother you?"
"No, it's alright, I think. So much happened and there's other things I need to do now."
"Becoming Sophie's father?"
"I want to make Sophie happy. I'm probably not the best father, but I'll keep trying."
Hubert made sure to barely give his brother a chance to breathe; it felt like he was getting clearer answers now. At the very least, he wasn't getting 'I don't know' or huffiness.
"Marrying Cheria?"
"They were both really happy about it. Cheria and Sophie, I mean. And mother. And, well, just about everyone in Lhant. And you guys too, huh? So, it was good for everyone."
Hubert sat back in his chair, focusing on his wine for a minute while Asbel recovered and drank further still. Already Asbel felt his head was a bit foggier than normal, but there was something kind of pleasant in that. This talk really did warrant a drink.
"The only thing I really got from that is that you care about Sophie. You are not talking about you so much as you are talking about everyone else," Hubert pointed out. Asbel wasn't the kind of person who put himself before anyone else, but he was still asked directly. He wasn't that drunk yet. Maybe a bit buzzed, but surely he understood that much.
"What? That's the wrong answer?" Asbel sputtered out, almost choking on the drink he was about to take.
"I ask you about you and you're going on about just about everyone else on the planet. It is the wrong answer."
The older brother looked dumbfounded for a moment before answering with, "I'm fine." It was enough to pull a groan out of Hubert. Maybe it was too much alcohol already.
Hubert tapped his glass a few times, trying to approach this issue again. He had no clue what was wrong with his brother; besides maybe that he was short-changed in the thinking department.
"Listen brother, try again: Do you enjoy being married?"
"It's good for everyone, Hubert. I answered the question," Asbel huffed back at him, shooting him a look like he thought Hubert had gone mad. He was finding ways to drink that wine down like it were nothing at all, considering the rate Asbel's glass was draining at. The behavior was odd, very odd, but Hubert decided to let it go. Clearly he had gotten some idea about this in his head; Hubert was confident he could stop him before it got too bad.
"I am asking about you, not about everyone else. Are you really this thick-headed?" Hubert countered. He kept nursing the one glass of wine he had. A feeling he would need to be the sober one struck him fairly early on into Asbel's second glass.
Asbel looked offended in return for that comment. "I'm not thick-headed; I'm glad. Glad for all this. Everyone's safe, happy, taken care of and... everything." The drink seemed to be souring his regular ability to at least have some clarity. Hubert mostly understood the ideas, but for a man wasn't that well-spoken to fall into slightly less clear speech it was going to prove a challenge to decipher. It did seem honest at least; although Asbel always was.
Hubert's questions were making less and less sense for the knight. These things seemed so obvious; like he'd answered them to himself a thousand times, although he couldn't exactly recall asking himself so directly. Everyone was happy, what reason was there to complain? He halted at that thought. It was one he could drink on and did quite fully. After that drink he helped himself to filling up his glass once more, assuming Hubert brought it over for that purpose anyway. For a few minutes, Hubert let a silence fall between them; observing Asbel's behavior with the wine. He did appear fairly content to just drink himself away for this conversation. Usually he remained reserved with these things; never helped himself to a second glass, let alone three.
"At this rate," Hubert said after more of his wine had been pilfered. That bottle was looking terribly empty... "I think you'll need someone better at this than me. Maybe a shrink."
"A what?" Asbel blurted back, speaking faster than he could tip the glass away; winding up with a dribble of wine running down his face. He caught it with his palm, but it was in no way dignified at all.
"A shrink...You sit back on the couch, talk about your dreams and what have you," Hubert explained shortly, tilting his head slightly. This man was insufferable at times.
No more questions; Asbel laid back on the couch. It was shorter sofa however, so the only way he could find himself fitting was to have his legs hanging off at the knees. He kept the wine glass in hand, the stand resting on his chest. Hubert immediately panicked.
"What do you think you're doing?! Don't you dare spill that," he sputtered out, starting to get up out of his seat.
"It's fine. Just do the shrink thing, right? That's gonna help, isn't it?" Asbel turned his head to the side and held the glass up like he thought he was going to be able to drink just fine. It almost worked, but he ends up with red wine spilled all over his shoulder instead. Hubert leaned over the coffee table in a rush to snatch the glass out of Asbel's hands.
"Get up! If there's any spilled anywhere else I'm kicking you out..." he grumbled as Asbel sat up, displaying the big red splotch on his shoulder. Hubert sighed somewhere in between relief and frustration. "Give me your jacket, I'll see if we can't get started cleaning it up. New rule however..." He held his hand out as Asbel began stripping out of his jacket it hand it over. "You drink sitting up perfectly straight, am I understood?"
"Yessir," Asbel muttered in reply, forking over his coat and letting Hubert take off with it. While his brother was gone, Asbel slumped and picking up his glass again. That new rule was pretty quickly ignored as he drank this way. He had tried to think of something, to figure out exactly what the two of them had really even been talking about, but he found it hard to put together.
Hubert pressed on and on about what he thought about things, but Asbel still wasn't sure exactly what Hubert meant by all of it. The answers were the ones he always gave, was that the issue? When Hubert returned from the back part of the house he gave Asbel something of a look. The knight looked miserable, but at the very least, thinking as well.
"Hubert... is it bad that I wanted that party to go on... to keep being around everyone?" Asbel asked quietly, both hands gripped firmly around his glass.
Hubert took his seat once more, crossing his arms. "I would say not exactly. You do know what you want at least. It's not unusual to want to be around your friends after all. That would be the reason, right?"
It was a slow motion, but eventually Asbel nodded. "I wish that we could still be together. Having fun and talking still. Now I don't see you or Richard or anyone as much as I used to." Following that was a silent pause, Asbel's gaze sinking into the remaining wine in his glass. "Richard isn't that far away exactly... Just getting away from everyone else and work is hard. I know it's the same for him. I can only sneak away so many times."
That was a surprise. "You sneak away from Lhant?" Hubert asked, honestly shocked.
"From work and not for long! Just a couple days to go to Barona or maybe just a couple hours to check the roads myself! It's partly working!" Asbel blurted back before adding more calmly, "Sometimes I get permission too."
"You can't just abandon your duty, brother! I can't believe what I'm hearing right now."
"It's only been a couple times! And work was caught up, I made sure. Everything was taken care of, no monsters, nothing bad, nothing!" Asbel insisted. He had a very sour feeling that Hubert wasn't going to hear him out now and takes a more aggressive drink out of his glass. This was all going bad very fast.
Hubert took a second to cool his nerves, shaking his head after. "I can't believe you... Can't you just run home to your family after work? Do something normal?"
Asbel gave Hubert a blank stare for a very long time, like something was processing in his head for once. "I didn't want to."
Hubert reclaimed his own glass from the coffee table, adjusting his glasses with his free hand. He wasn't sure how to reply to that. He didn't doubt the truth of that; he just wasn't sure where his brother was going with it at the moment. The silence made Asbel squirm a little in place, obviously awkward with the statement and lack of reply.
"I guess that's a pretty selfish thing to say, huh?"
"You, selfish?" What had started out as Hubert's reply stopped and became a question, flipping to a thought. Asbel couldn't very well be called selfish; he did just about anything for anyone else. Considering all the burdens he took on by choice through their journey together for other people, the world, their own friends, Hubert started to piece together the picture. "I don't think so. You don't...ask for much do you?"
Asbel laughed a bit harder than he needed to. It was probably the wine's fault. "I ask for a lot of difficult things, I think."
"Ask them for yourself, I mean. You just ask for trips out to see Richard?" An affirmative nod was Asbel's answer, so the little brother went on. "So you take care of Lhant, of Sophie and Cheria and everyone else, but that is the thing that you want to do? Did you ever think that might be what's feeling off?"
Asbel shifted uncomfortably once more, looking more and more out of place and lost. He started to feel it at this point. "I guess... I didn't? Richard's my friend...my best friend I think I'll ever have so I...just wanted to be there."
"You want to be there more than you want to be at home?" Hubert started cautiously.
"Sometimes. I mean... he's my friend, I can want to be there, right? That's not... that's not bad?" Asbel started to stand up, but his brother reached out and pushed him back down from the shoulder. He did not need to be up and moving around like this.
"I wouldn't say it was bad exactly... If you're happy there... I don't want to turn you away from where you're happy. Although...You have to ask permission to go, so I suppose everyone else is keeping you put. That's your responsibility however. You signed up for all this, after all." Hubert rested back, his hand on his chin. It was what Asbel agreed to do, but was that not what he wanted? That didn't make sense. However, the more Hubert thought on it, the more a sinking type of feeling hung in his chest.
"Asbel... You were never going to ask Cheria to marry you... were you?"
Hubert's question brought on a heavy silence; Asbel looking like his eyes were getting wider by the second. He stared once more for a long time with this same look fixed on his face. Slowly, he brought the wine glass up to his lips and just drank.
"I realize now... I said you signed up for it, it's a responsibility, but we all pushed that on you, didn't we? We just all assumed you needed a push... With how Cheria and you were acting we just..." Hubert stalled there as he continued to get the same stunned look from his brother. His hand came to rest on his forehead, shielding his eyes a bit. "...assumed."
Asbel lowered the glass, gazing into the contents. "It wasn't like I said anything though..."
"Even worse for that. We didn't ask, just... pushed. For all the pushing you all gave me about Pascal at least I... well... I did not mask things well. And Cheria though... things were always a bit rough..."
"You're saying stuff like I don't care about Cheria at all. I care about her and about Sophie and Richard and you—"
"Basically everyone, Asbel. But this is something you differentiate. Your wife is not someone you feel the same way about as everyone else. If we hadn't all pushed you that direction, started planting this... this expectation in you... You wouldn't have, would you?"
Asbel sat back a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "I had to get married eventually... So... just eventually?" The answer sounded more like a question, but it was the answer. At least he thought so anyway. "That's... what a lord does right? Kings too? They get married, have kids and all that. In case Sophie doesn't want to inherit the title too. So for Sophie's sake..."
"Now you stop right there. Again, not about Sophie. This is a question to you. I guess there is an expectation of a lord, but... maybe you're unhappy with that?" Hubert started to feel like he was playing shrink at this rate. Asbel reached for the wine bottle again, but Hubert snapped it up first. He gestured for Asbel to put his wine glass down, the brother complying and only then did Hubert fill it. He definitely overdid it; however, it was loosening Asbel's tongue a little.
"I don't... I can't...? I mean... I'm fine. I have a lot." The knight grasped at his glass and drank heavily while struggling with words again. Hubert let him try, sitting back and drinking much more lightly; his gaze fixed aside and away. Asbel probably needed some space.
An odd silence filled the room for a short time; enough quiet to let the wine get to Asbel's head. The man was a good shot towards fairly drunk and while that normally would have been amusing, it left Hubert feeling more sympathy than anything else. Maybe all Asbel carried was a bit much for one man to shoulder, no matter how much of a simpleton he was.
When Hubert started up, he was sure to speak clearly and just loudly enough. "For whatever its worth, even if being where you are makes you unhappy at times, you are very good at it. Lhant is in great shape, Fodra and Lambda are taken care of, and you saved Richard as well."
Asbel interrupted there, his face lighting up a bit. "I'd like to go visit Richard. We should go see him. He... he'll say something funny about and it'll be just fine."
"Richard is not going to fix the problem, Asbel."
"No no, but... he's the best... very best friend I'll ever have. And I wanna go see him. Right now." Right now was just then even as Asbel stood himself up a bit wobbly, put his glass down and started to make a less than graceful trudge for the door. Hubert moved much faster to stop him by the arm, grasping it tightly.
"You are in no shape to go anywhere. You'll be staying put. Very put. You do not leave the sofa under any circumstances, do you understand?" the younger brother said sternly, waiting for Asbel to nod and let himself be led back to the spot in question. With everyone seated again, Hubert crossed his arms and looked over his brother. He wasn't swaying everywhere at least, but he certainly didn't look as put together as usual. "Go see Richard another time." He paused there to mull that over a moment. "If he's your friend, he can wait, can't he? You seem pretty fixed on the idea. You moved your party for his sake as well too..."
At that Asbel seemed to puff up, like he was taking offense, but looked too ridiculous to take seriously. "No, Hubert. My best... best friend. I can't not..." He stopped there to try and work out that double negative, only to reword it in the end. "I can't have a party without him. I don't get an excuse to go often enough so... it made sense!"
"Why don't you and Sophie go up there more often then? Go for Sophie's sake or at least tell everyone that. It could be for your own sake as well, but I'm sure you need a cover. And Sophie and Richard are quite a pair, I'm sure she would agree to visit her friend."
The suggestion left Asbel stewing on the thought, as best the man could anyway. Eventually, he shook his head. "I can't force Sophie in on this for me. I'll just... sneak out."
"I'm sure that gets you into plenty of trouble when you get home. Really, Asbel. I don't know what you're thinking."
"I'm thinking... about going to see Richard?"
Hubert gave himself a silent reminder to never let Asbel do this again. Get him even a little drunk and the man would take him dead serious, even more so than the usual gullibility. He couldn't say whether the trade-off for Asbel's chattering was worth it.
"Stay put. And go see Richard another time. Take my advice just this once. The last thing I need is you coming over here to get drunk off my wine because you're making yourself miserable at home." There, that sounded like a proper order.
Asbel put his glass down on the table without any grace whatsoever and flopped over on the couch, effectively curling up and facing into the cushions. Despite being muffled, Hubert could make out most of what he said. "I'm the worst brother ever," he whined into the sofa, sounding utterly pathetic.
"Y-you! Are not the worst brother ever; stop that! Sit up, you're making a fool of yourself," Hubert was quick to snap back, just a bit worried about how to tackle this if he didn't listen. But sure enough the elder of the two sat up, looking about ready to mope himself into a puddle. "What am I supposed to do with you? If I send you home like this, I'm certain Cheria will never forgive me."
The knight's eyes went wide. "Don't send me home! I'm... I'll go!" He made a move to get up and do so, but Hubert caught on first, nearly falling over the table to shove Asbel back down by the shoulders onto the sofa.
"Stay. Put. You cannot just take off to see Richard or go anywhere else. Stay right there, all night even."
"But the inn-"
"But nothing. Right there, Asbel. Tell me... Tell me about something else and don't move a muscle!"
For some reason Asbel both listened and laughed at that. "I have to move some muscles-"
"You're getting smart with me and now is not the time, no matter how surprising it is!" Hubert blurted back at him, not even letting him finish. It just wasn't worth it. "While you're at it, don't make a habit of drinking like this. I should have never let you into the bottle to begin with."
Asbel frowned once more and eventually laid himself down thinking it would help keep him put. That he could work out well enough. Once he was comfortable he spoke up. "You think if I went and visited Richard on the way home from here it'd be alright?"
"You realize I'm not going to cover for you, right? I won't lie to them about you being here when you're not."
"No, no. I'm gonna explain it."
Hubert couldn't help lifting an eyebrow at that. All this time fighting over this issue and he could suddenly explain it?
"I'll just say it's really important to my marriage," Asbel answered in a matter-of-fact way. There was even just a hint of a smile on his face.
"How is that going to help things between you and Cheria exactly?" Hubert asked although he immediately regretted it.
Asbel shook his head as best he could laying down. "No, between me and Richard."
Hubert felt like he was going to fall out of his seat and that his eyes couldn't go any wider. "Marriage between what?!"
Asbel held out his hand, displaying the ring Richard had given him all those years ago. "See? We must've got married eventually."
He had no idea where to even begin with Asbel. There was so much going on in just a few words and motions… So many corrections to make, it boggled his mind. "Asbel... just because you're given a ring doesn't mean you're married. It isn't even on the right hand. And... He's the king and lastly, you are already married! You can't do that twice... you're being ridiculous."
After a long stare at his hand, Asbel shifted Richard's ring over from the wrong hand to the correct one; sitting it right over his wedding band. "Fixed it," he announced proudly.
"That is not the main issue here! You...! You are more than I can deal with right now." Saying all that felt like a headache already pounding at his skull. He wasn't quite sure if he'd seen a more pathetic drunk in his life.
"I'll stay put. It's a promise," Asbel answered a bit more firmly than expected; the smile on his face faded and now fixed with a more serious look. He was all over the place.
It was hard to argue with that. Even if part of it was because it didn't make sense. Hubert let out a sigh and set himself in place as well. "I'll keep being here then. I can put up with a bit more... I suppose I only have one drunken mess of a brother after all."
Asbel soon smiled once more and nodded. "You're the best, Hubert."
It kicked a laugh out of him, but Hubert took some pride in that. Even drunk compliments out of Asbel were at least honest ones from what he could tell. He probably just needed someone to hear him out for a bit. It wasn't as though Asbel did much honest complaining about much of anything. Even if he had to sit through something ridiculous like this again, Hubert promised to himself he would be there for him next time as well.
The night carried on, but Asbel's chattering did not last long through it. He passed out there on the couch before too much longer, Hubert remaining in the chair to keep an eye on him for a bit. Eventually, he found himself nodding off before too long.
Morning came with a fairly unpleasant hangover for the knight, but nothing he couldn't handle after nursing the worst of it early on. When it came time for him to go, Hubert wasn't sure if he really would head straight home or not. He said little of the night before and Hubert kept the conversation to himself. It was a secret between them and he was fine with that; if he could carry just a small bit for his brother's sake, then he could be proud he had helped somehow.