Unspeakable

Sitting side by side on a bed in the cabin of the shuttle, they were so very alone. Richard found himself glancing at Asbel more than he should have been, but if the lord noticed, he gave no indication of it. Asbel leaned back and let out a relieved laugh.

"I'm so glad to be out of the Ghardia Shaft. Some of those monsters really were tough," Asbel admitted, with a smile as casual as it would have been after any general battle.

Richard could not bring himself to return the smile.

"I'm sorry," he said, apologizing instinctively.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that," Asbel said quickly, his smile fading in an instant.

"I know," he said, feeling even worse after seeing his friend's reaction. "Though I'm still sorry."

Asbel placed his hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The warmth of his hand was almost enough to distract Richard from the tension that hung in the air between them, but almost was not completely. He looked up and their eyes met, doubtless blue to guilt ridden hazel. For a moment, Richard felt as though he could have said something more. It was tense, but he was already starting to sense that the discomfort was simply manufactured in his own mind.

He started to put the words together in his head, ready to stay more, but the doors into the cabin opened up to let Cheria and Sophie in. They both carried rejuvenative items, but the sight made Richard's heart sink more than he would admit to. The chance was gone.

~oOo~

As they fled from the lab and after Richard grabbed Asbel's arm to pull him aboard the shuttle, they were the last ones to leave the air lock. The rest of the group went up to the bridge, while Richard stayed with Asbel as he caught his breath.

Richard stayed close to Asbel's side, perhaps a bit closer than he should have. Regardless, he was not particularly concerned with respecting the invisible wall between them at that moment. Asbel leaned against the metal wall for support as he labored to catch his breath.

"You should have fallen back sooner," Richard said, his voice more concerned than anything else.

"You're right..." Asbel trailed off breathlessly, pausing to take a deep breath. "I just hate to run from enemies."

Richard regarded him sympathetically. "I would not expect anything less of a knight."

"If I actually was one."

Asbel straightened and started to step away from the wall. However, at that moment, the airship took a sudden lurch upward. Asbel started to fall forward, but Richard was at his side in an instant. His arms were around him, even if it was just for support.

"You should rest, you've been pushing yourself too far with all of this," Richard said warningly.

"Since you're the model of getting adequate rest," Asbel joked. "It's just because the air is so thin."

"Is that so?" Richard asked in a tone that was so flat that it was evident he did not believe the excuse for even a second.

Realizing that they were lingering so close for just a little too long, Asbel straightened and took a step forward. The feeling was there again. Richard kept a hand on Asbel's back, just in case the shuttle lurched again.

"I'm fine, it just takes longer for me to catch my breath here on Fodra," he said.

The moment was there once again, manifesting in a time that they were alone. He wanted to say something more, something that went beyond the platitudes of friendship that they repeated so many times.

Richard tried to recall all the different ways he considered phrasing it, but before the right choice of words occurred to him, Pascal poked her head around the corner. The thoughts were dashed from his mind as soon as the two toned hair of the Amarcian came into view.

"What are guys doing back here? Canoodling?" Pascal asked suspiciously, with a finger pressed against her cheek.

"Ca-what?" Asbel echoed, somewhere between confused and defensive; he had the sense to know anything Pascal suggested would not be wholesome.

"Pascal, shouldn't you be piloting the shuttle?" Richard asked, changing the topic swiftly.

It was easy for him to put aside thoughts of unspeakable words. He had done it enough times to be an expert at recovering quickly.

"Autopilot," she grinned.

"Is that why the shuttle turned upward so suddenly?" Richard questioned.

"It's a great invention!" she said defensively.

"I'm sure," Asbel said, though he did not seem altogether convinced.

"Have you tested it prior to this?" Richard asked warily.

"Well…you can just consider this the autopilot's maiden voyage," she said brightly.

Asbel and Richard exchanged worried looks as Pascal bounced from foot to foot.

"Look at you two, looking at each other all knowingly like you've been married for ten years," she said gleefully.

"Pascal, where do you even get these ideas?" Asbel sighed as he started walking toward the door.

"From the deep pools of love in the mushy looks you two exchange," she said as matter-of-factly as though she was discussing hydrogen.

Richard trailed after the two of them as Pascal continued in some lengthy metaphor involving flowers, smiling slightly as he listened. Asbel looked almost as lost as Sophie would have. As amusing as it was to see the members of the group who traveled so far without him interacting, it still reminded him of just how many chances he missed.

Author's Note!

This is probably a lesson in why not to write a oneshot between 3 and 4 AM.

To confront the confession prompt, I decided to go with situations where there were chances for when there could be a confession but wasn't.

I do plan to continue the one I posted yesterday, but finishing that last fan art kicked me off schedule, so I'm just tossing this up for today. :'D Sorry for the shortness and derpiness but thank you for reading!

Thank you all for your support!