"Congratulations again, sir Asbel."
"Ah… thank you, Frederick. I… do appreciate all this."
"It is my pleasure. I regret only not being able to help organize this sooner."
Asbel let out a light sigh as the last guests, Hubert and Pascal, left.
"Really, uh… don't worry about it." Asbel leaned against the rail of wide staircase, avoiding Frederick's gaze.
"You seem somewhat unnerved. Was the party not to your liking?"
"No, no, it was - great. Really. You and Mom and Cheria and everyone did a great job putting this together. I just… I guess I can't help but feel a little awkward having a party for becoming the Lord of Lhant so many months after it's happened."
Sophie paused from eating her crablette, looking up at Asbel with a firm nod. "Asbel deserves to be celebrated."
"I… appreciate that, Sophie."
An uncomfortable silence fell upon them - or perhaps it was only uncomfortable to Asbel. Truth be told, today was horrid. Being the lord of Lhant felt awkward enough on its own, and being celebrated for it just made it worse.
And the worst, the absolute worst, was the fact that Asbel's didn't even get to see the one person he was looking forward to seeing. The one part of this Asbel had thought would make it worth it. How long had it been? Weeks? ...Months, even?
The thought of it made Asbel's stomach knot.
"Oh, speaking of celebrating Asbel," Kerri chimed in, and Asbel was both thankful for the breaking of the awkward silence and apprehensive at where this could be going, "we should look at the flowers!"
"Flowers?" Sophie said, obvious wonder in her voice. "There's flowers?"
"Indeed," Kerri said as Frederick walked off into another room. "It's a tradition to give a new Lord flowers when he takes the title. I'm sure there's many."
As Frederick opened the door from side room, with him he pulled a cart filled to the brim with all sorts of flowers. Some in bouquets, some in baskets, but all a wide variety of colors and shapes.
"They're so pretty!" Sophie said, nearly skipping over the cart. "Are we going to plant them? Can I help?"
"Of course, of course," Asbel said with a small chuckle. His eyes skimmed over the tags and cards attached to flowers. Most were from residents in Lhant, but he found a basket from Hubert and Pascal, and one from Malik, and even a small bundle from Duke Dalen, though he hadn't been at the party.
"Ooh, Asbel, look at these," Sophie said, picking out a bouquet from the pile. "I've never seen these flowers before."
"Oh, Sophie!" Kerri exclaimed giddily. "Those are red roses! Who are they from?"
"It doesn't say," Sophie said, turning over the bouquet and looking for any kind of note.
Kerri sighed. "That's a shame. Asbel, I'm sure a lovely lady sent those."
Asbel fought the urge to sigh back. After today, the last thing he wanted was his mother going on about marriage again.
"Oh, wait. I recognize these ones," Sophie said, delicately pushing some of the roses apart to reveal more, smaller flowers. "These are some flowers that grow on top of Lhant Hill. The ones near the tree."
Asbel felt his heart skip a beat. No. That didn't make sense.
"Uh, Sophie, can I see?" He asked, and Sophie nodded and handed over the bouquet. Seeing them up close, the roses truly were beautiful. They were redder and brighter than any roses Asbel had ever seen. They almost seemed fake, but from one touch of their soft, delicate petals, Asbel knew they were real.
And true to Sophie's word, in between the roses were some flowers that could be from nowhere other than Lhant Hill. Asbel gently pushed them a bit further apart, looking for something, anything else.
At the very bottom, something rustled a bit. Asbel peered inside - it was... a small piece of bark. Wood bark. From a tree.
His heart truly stopped then.
"Hey - uh, mom. Can I see the guest book?"
"Why of course," Kerri said, taking a small book from an end table next to the stairs and handing it to him. "Do you know who the flowers are from?"
"Oh - uh, no. No, I just wanted to check something else."
Asbel's eyes flew across the pages. Once, twice. And nowhere did he see the name he was looking for.
But then was he mistaken? No, he couldn't be. He couldn't be. This bouquet could only be from one person.
"I have to go," Asbel said, handing the guestbook back to Kerri and glancing at the clock.
"You have to go? Whatever for?" Kerri asked.
"I'm sorry - I don't have time to explain. If I don't hurry, I'm going to miss the last ship to Barona. I just - remembered something I need to do there. Uh, a council meet, tomorrow, really early, so I gotta go tonight."
"Oh. Well that's a shame. Still, I'm glad you were able to stay for the whole party. Travel safe, dear."
"Be careful, Asbel!" Sophie called as Asbel nearly ran for the door.
"I will!"
Practically sprinting his way to the port while clutching a bouquet of roses closely to him got Asbel more than few confused looks, but he didn't care, or perhaps even notice. His mind was on only one thing. Though by the time he arrived at Barona castle, the sun had long set, and there were few people on the street. The surroundings were quiet, and only served to make the pounding of his heart seem louder.
"Asbel Lhant? You may enter," a guard said, and Asbel continued on with only a quick nod. Now that he had safely gotten here, there was honestly no need to rush - yet no matter how many times he told himself that, he found himself only moving faster. He had to hurry. He just had to.
Trying to visit him was always tricky. Rarely did it ever work. Asbel was long past the point of asking anyone around the castle for help. They always suggested the same things - check the throne room, then check his living quarters, and if not there, then perhaps somewhere else in the castle, if he wasn't out of luck. The king had a tendency to leave often and without giving notice to too many of his people - more often than not, to eradicate straggling nova monsters, or some other business with which he wished to trouble as few people as possible.
Asbel knocked on the door to the throne room, and when there was no response, opened it. His heart sank as he cast his gaze upon the empty room. With only the moonlight to illuminate it, it seemed somehow emptier and heavier. Much too empty and heavy for a single person.
Asbel shut the door quickly and made his way back down the stairs.
He wove around a corner, and then another, until he finally found himself at his next destination.
With a somewhat shaky hand, he knocked at the door.
No response. He bit his tongue.
"Richard?" He tried futilely, quietly.
"...Asbel?"
Asbel's head shot up. "Richard?" He repeated, louder, scared that perhaps he had imagined it.
"Asbel, is that you?"
Before Asbel could reply, the door was opened.
There, of course, was Richard. Which Asbel obviously should have expected, given he had just heard his voice and this was his bedroom, yet still when he met his gaze Asbel still found himself at a loss for breath.
Richard's eyes moved quickly from Asbel, to the bouquet of flowers, and back again. And they continued to stand in silence.
"Asbel, what… ah… are you doing here?"
"I… uh… that's…" Asbel's eyes moved away and he bit his tongue; it occurred to him now that he actually had no idea what he wanted to say to Richard now that he was here. He hadn't thought about it. All he had that was that… he needed to see Richard. Now. And now that Richard was standing front of him - in only his light overshirt and pants, no less - Asbel found himself unable to say anything.
"Well… why don't you come in?" Richard offered, stepping aside.
Asbel swallowed, nodded once, and followed in at his motion. "Thanks."
Richard only nodded as he shut the door.
"I'm sorry I was unable to attend the party today," Richard said, walking toward the middle of the room.
For a moment Asbel said nothing, and only stared at the flowers at his hand. "But… I… uh, these… aren't… from you…?" He finished, voice trailing off.
A silence fell over them again.
"Even if I was unable to attend, I'm sure I was not the only person to have flowers delivered on their behalf."
Asbel took a step toward him. "I… don't think you would do that though. I don't think you'd trust anyone but yourself to deliver these," he said quietly.
Richard said nothing.
"I just…" Asbel looked down at the flowers, before his gaze returned to Richard, whom had yet to face him. "I'll be honest, I… wasn't really looking forward to the party. Actually, the only part of it I was looking forward to was seeing you."
There was a pause before Richard said, quietly, "I'm sorry."
"Richard, I - please, don't apologize. I'm sorry. I didn't come here just to… be like that. I also… I wanted to say…" Again, Asbel looked down at the bouquet. In the dim room with only the moonlight cast upon them, they seemed almost ethereal. His eyes moved back up to the only thing in this room - in the world - that was more ethereal. "They're beautiful, Richard. I love them. When I saw them, I…" Asbel pulled the bouquet a bit closer to his chest, looking down at them once more - and again, just like any time he looked at them, his heart skipped a beat. "I was so happy. I am so happy. Thank you so much."
Slowly, Richard turned around, though his eyes still did not meet Asbel's. "No… let me apologize. I did come to the manor today, and… I did deliver those. And I did intend to see you. However… when I thought of the fact that this would be the first time we had seen each other in so long… I… became anxious. And I knew that you would become concerned over me. So… I simply did not want to become a burden to you again. Especially on a day like today."
"Richard," Asbel said, taking a quick step forward, "please… don't say something like that. You've never been a burden to me… not once. If you're anxious, then… I always want to try and ease it away," he finished quietly. "Besides… I was nervous today too, you know."
"You were?" Richard asked, his eyes finally meeting Asbel's.
Asbel nodded. "I mean… you're right. We haven't seen each other in a while. And even if things didn't change in those seven years… sometimes, I just… with how our lives are now…" Looking back down the flowers, Asbel bit his tongue. Right now, with these in hand, and Richard in front of him like this, and the rest of the world so, so far away, his worries seemed insignificant. Silly, even. "I worry." And then he looked up at Richard, a small but warm smile on his face. "But… you always seem to remind me that there's no reason to worry, huh."
Asbel had no time to react before Richard surged forward and pressed his lips against his. And if he had time to react, the only thing he would have done was wrap his arms around Richard's back faster. Despite the fact that the kiss had started fast and suddenly, the way Richard kissed was just the opposite: it was soft, gentle, so very Richard. So comforting and warm.
It was Richard also who pulled back first, though only centimeters from Asbel's face. Just enough to properly look into his eyes, so as to ask the silent question – answered by Asbel surging forward and kissing him again.
This time, Richard sucked on Asbel's lip, and Asbel quickly responded by swiping his tongue across Richard's mouth. Whenever Richard sucked on him like that, with more teeth than intended, Asbel knew that he was holding himself back, that he wanted more.
And so Asbel swiftly but delicately placed the bouquet of roses on the nearby bureau, so as to hold onto Richard properly. His hands ran down Richard's back, stopping at the dip of it and pulling him so close he was nearly lifted off his feet. It was enough of a push for Richard, who made a small whine as he tightly gripped onto Asbel's shoulder and tugged.
Asbel loosened his hold a bit and their kiss broke. Instead of going back in for another, however, Asbel shrugged off his jacket as Richard pulled on the sleeves. Before it had even fallen to the floor they were stepping toward the bed, Richard speckling kisses on Asbel's neck and jawline as Asbel in turn gently moved aside locks of Richard's hair and kissed along his ear and the nape of his neck.
Eventually the back of Richard's legs hit the bed and he sat back onto it, his hands falling from Asbel's shoulder's the buttons of his shirt, hastily starting to undo them. Asbel fought the urge to giggle – seeing Richard like this, all openly needy and wanting, it was honestly cute. Richard would never be like this if it were not just the two of them, alone together, and the thought of that made Asbel's heart flutter almost more than the sight of Richard undoing the top of his shirt.
After shrugging off his now unbuttoned shirt, Asbel leaned down and kissed Richard again, this time trying to keep his hands from moving too fast. He let them slide down Richard's sides before slipping them up and under his shirt; Richard shivered, letting out a light moan against Asbel's mouth. Their kiss was broken as the shirt came over his head and Asbel let it fall on the floor next to them.
Richard wrapped his arms around Asbel's waist and pulled, and Asbel quickly went along with the motion, bringing either of his to Richard's sides, straddling him as he slid onto his lap. Now that they were closer to the window, the moonlight illuminated Richard further – it made his features somehow softer, it seemed to make him glow – it only added to his ethereal effect. As Asbel started to planted kisses along Richard's neck and shoulder, they were slower and gentler than his previous actions. When his mouth reached Richard's chest, he felt Richard's hips buck up into his, eliciting a moan from both of them as their cocks rubbed together through their pants.
Restraint rapidly leaving him, Asbel dove his hands down to Richard's pants, curling one of them around his length. Richard gasped as his body tensed and then relaxed, moans escaping him as his breath steadied again. The hardness of Richard's cock in his hold made Asbel bite his lip, made him push his hips against Richard's, begging for something, anything. Richard was quick to oblige, swiftly undoing the button at the top of Asbel's pants despite his trembling hands. Asbel moaned loudly as Richard pulled out his cock, keeping his eyes on Richard's face - just the mental image of Richard's slender, delicate fingers coiled around him was enough to make his cock twitch, his thighs shaking around Richard's.
Asbel tried hard, so hard, to keep himself to Richard's somehow slow and steady pace. Even now, Richard was gentle, holding Asbel just enough so that he felt the sensation, but no more. His finger glided along the entirety of his length, low enough to barely be on his cock anymore, and high enough so that sometimes just his thumb would run feather-light over his tip, in a way that made Asbel gasp each time.
It was agonizing, going this slow, but not in a bad way. Especially with his gaze focused on Richard's face, it left Asbel savor every second of it - the way Richard's face was getting redder and redder with each stroke, the way his eyes would shut whenever Asbel squeezed him, and when they opened again they were darker and lust-blown than the time before. Asbel moved his free hand to the side of Richard's head, tangling his fingers in his hair and moving it away from his face before pulling him into a somewhat sloppy kiss.
Richard's hand tightened around Asbel's cock and the other dug into his back, shaking hard and steadying only when their kiss broke and he was left gasping sporadic, heavy breaths. Seeing Richard like this, a disheveled mess, such a contrast to his usual prim and proper self - a mess only Asbel got to see - perhaps made Asbel moan more than the sight itself. It made him pump Richard faster, faster than he even intended, and Richard nearly jumped. He shakily moaned Asbel's name, and his strokes became erratic around Asbel's cock. Asbel bit his lip, trying to keep his head from spinning too much. He was moaning and panting with every motion by now, heat coiling in his stomach.
He leaned down and kissed Richard again, hard, and Richard only tensed suddenly before coming into Asbel's hand, moaning his name loudly against his mouth. His body shook so hard he could barely keep ahold of Asbel, who only stroked him faster, eyes fixated on Richard as he squirmed and nearly screamed.
After a few moments Richard's noises quieted back into just pants, and Asbel tentatively let go of his cock. He fought back the urge to moan in almost a kind of pain; Richard had been holding him tight, almost too tight, unmoving as he had finished. However it only took a few seconds for Richard to start moving again, kissing Asbel chastely, almost apologetically. In turn Asbel wrapped both his arms around him, as if to assure him it was fine.
Now Richard's slow movements were truly agonizing, and Asbel bucked his hips into his hold once, twice, trying to get any more kind of friction that he could. After what felt like years Richard picked up the pace, quickly reducing Asbel to loud moans interspersed with Richard's name. It was when Richard moaned Asbel's name again though that Asbel came with a muffled cry, burying his face into Richard's shoulder. Even as he was coming, Richard's strokes slowed down as he drew out every moan and shiver from him.
Eventually Asbel became relatively still, his only motion coming from his chest as he took in heavy, long breaths. For a few moments, or perhaps minutes, they simply stayed there like that - with Asbel exhaustedly lying against Richard, and Richard with both his hands wrapped around Asbel's waist, his face pressed against Asbel's neck.
It was a silent agreement when they started to untangle their arms from around each other, and as soon as they were done they fell back onto the bed, Asbel rolling next to Richard. They quickly scooted closer together though, Richard draping an arm over Asbel's chest and nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck.
It took only a few heartbeat's time for Richard's breaths to become that of the steady pace of slumber. Through heavy eyelids, Asbel caught a glimpse of the bouquet on the bureau, the flower petals shimmering against the soft moonlight.
Like the flowers at Lhant Hill, which persevered through any season, any time, the two of them would always have this. And like the roses that shined so brightly, so profoundly, more brilliantly than any Asbel had ever seen - their love was just like that, too.
That was Asbel's last thought before his eyes closed and sleep took him.