Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters, and I make no profit from writing this story.

A/N: Here's my first Tales story of any kind, but I'm hoping I did a good job on both characters and plot. I'm not sure if I want to leave it as a oneshot or post more chapters, but I'll leave it "In Progress" for now.

Hopeless Dreamer

Noelle sighed for what seemed like the tenth time since she had landed the Albiore for some rest. While Guy had offered to take over for her so she could sleep, she didn't feel comfortable about leaving her vessel in his likely more-than-capable hands without her awake in case anything went wrong. And that was the problem…

She felt horrible for not allowing him to fly the aircraft, even though as a Fon-tech enthusiast he would have done just fine. Just seeing his face fall after she refused broke her heart, and now she couldn't even sleep anyway. What an awful situation to be in…she sighed again, sliding out of the bed in search of some lavender, hoping it would make her tired.

She rifled through the shelf of items in the small resting area in the Albiore first, disappointed when she found nothing but a few dust bunnies and spider webs. Unconsciously, she shuddered at the feel of them sticking to her hands and quickly brushed them off on her pants before attempting to find her bag. She moved to the side of her bed where she always dropped it off, panicking when the space was completely empty. She shook her head to clear it, remembering that perhaps it was still in the cockpit. She was tired enough to have forgotten it there.

The Albiore was a disconcerting place to be at night with everyone else asleep and nothing but the residual hum of machinery to break the silence. She found herself alert and tense, checking every corner for danger, even though no one should be able to get in anyway. She almost wondered if she should have just stayed in bed, since she was getting so worked up. With soft footsteps, so she wouldn't hear any echoing, she finally arrived at the cockpit to pick up her supplies. Just as she figured, they were right next to her seat and she approached it.

"Whoosh!"

The sudden exclamation terrified Noelle, and she cried out in fright, jumping backwards. She couldn't see who emerged from the seat in a similar state of terror, but his mirroring yelp gave it away anyway. She held a hand to her chest, willing herself to calm down.

"Guy…you startled me!" she said, panting for breath. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, embarrassment setting in.

"I'm sorry. I thought you'd be asleep by now," he replied, sounding a bit ashamed of himself.

"I was just trying to find something to help me sleep. But, what are you doing in here?" she asked, thinking he should be asleep just like her.

For a few moments, there was an uncomfortable silence that neither seemed willing to break. Guy suddenly found the floor much more interesting than the curious young woman in front of him, and Noelle wasn't about to repeat the question, even in her desire for an answer. Finally, and unwillingly, it seemed, Guy spoke up.

"I was just imagining flying the Albiore. I know it's childish, maybe even a bit stupid, but…I love the thought of flying this aircraft, that's all." He seemed so sullen and guilt stricken that Noelle suddenly found herself giggling. "What? Why are you laughing?" Guy asked, feeling self-conscious.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh, but you're acting like you did something wrong, even though I understand completely how you feel. So don't feel bad, okay?"

Even through the darkness, she saw his bright blue eyes light up even more as he grinned boyishly. "Yeah, that's right. You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't have dreams of flying too, huh? Thanks."

"You're welcome, and feel free to keep going. I'll just grab my bag and be out of the way." She closed the distance between herself and the chair, careful not to frighten Guy, and started to sift through it.

Guy blushed lightly at that comment. "Nah, I think I'm done for the night. I was just trying to clear my thoughts a little anyway."

"Oh, do you want to talk about it?" she offered absentmindedly.

"Don't you need your sleep? I mean, that's why we stopped right?" he said back, holding his hand out in question.

Noelle closed the bag, the calming lavender still eluding her. "Yes, but as soon as I lay down, I was wide awake again, and I can't find what I was looking for to help me. So, maybe talking with you would help."

"I guess if you don't mind…but we might wake everyone else if we stay here. Should we go up to the deck?" Guy suggested.

She nodded in agreement, quietly opening the hatch door and leading the way up. Guy quickly found a comfortable spot to lie down as he stared up at the stars, waiting for her to sit as well. She did so a few feet away, just enough so he wouldn't be nervous. Noelle looked up at the sky as well, before turning to Guy in question. "So what were you thinking about?"

"It's really beautiful up here, isn't it?" he asked, seemingly lost in his own world.

Noelle was confused, but played along anyway. "Yes, the stars are very bright out here. I don't get to them like this very often."

"Well, then, could you lie down and watch them with me for a little bit, please? Just until I can figure out what I want to say," Guy said, the faintest strain of worry tainting the tone of his voice.

Instead of answering, she simply spread out on the deck as well, hands folded behind her head for comfort. For a few moments, there was only the sound of breathing, and Noelle tried not to pay attention to how calming it felt, simply laying there next to the swordsman.

She couldn't deny she felt a certain attachment to the blonde on the deck with her. He was always so excited when he was around her, though that was mostly due to the fact that she was the Albiore's pilot, but it truly was endearing to watch. He had such a child-like atmosphere surrounding him whenever he was near, she couldn't help but feel happy. No matter how many times she denied it as simple excitement to meet someone with similar interests, she knew she was only lying to herself.

She soon became so wound up in her own thoughts that she almost missed when Guy started speaking. She jumped as his voice cut through the silence. "Hey, Noelle, do you have any dreams?"

"I suppose. I guess I'm pretty much living one right now. It's amazing being able to fly like this, even just ferrying people back and forth. It's wonderful seeing how excited they get to fly as well. I can't imagine doing anything else with my life."

Still facing towards the sky, Noelle couldn't see the way Guy's expression clouded with each sentence. His voice was much darker than it usually was as he spoke again.

"I'm jealous."

She rolled over on her side to see him better, taking notice of his tense posture and fallen features. "Why? What are your dreams?"

"It seems stupid now after hearing what you said, how you pretty much have anything that you could ask for. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to come up here with me. I don't think I can do this."

As he moved to stand, Noelle didn't hesitate before reaching out to stop him, but he only flinched and fell from his half-standing position, landing painfully on his backside. As much as she wanted to comfort him, she knew attempting to help would only terrify him further. "Guy, are you alright? I'm sorry. I didn't think…"

"No, don't apologize. That's exactly the problem." He sat with his hands on his knees, curled up into himself and took a deep breath for courage before continuing. "This phobia always interferes with everything. All my dreams depend on my getting over it. But the longer I have it, the more I think my dreams will never come true."

"Which are?" she prompted.

"Things people take for granted sometimes. A wife, a family, maybe kids. Hell, even a first kiss…a relationship. Don't get me wrong: I have great friends. But sometimes, it just feels like…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

"You need something more?" Noelle supplied.

Guy smiled dryly. "Exactly." He went quiet again, leaving her to wonder what he was thinking about again, but the silence was anything but uncomfortable. The two of them didn't mind sitting on the deck with each other, and it was even relaxing. Neither felt the need to break the atmosphere just to provide noise. Instead, Guy waited until he had something to say before speaking again. "Is it wrong to feel lonely even though I have everyone else who cares about me?" he asked, seeming truly saddened by the thought.

"…I don't think it is. There's a part of people that is supposed to want someone special. People need to be close to others. It's only natural to want someone more than just a friend," Noelle replied, picking her words carefully. She was thankful to the dark night that covered the blush creeping up her neck as she spoke. She never thought she would have this kind of conversation with the swordsman, but strangely, everything she was saying to him rang true for her also. Sometimes, she thanked Lorelei that Guy was so dense when it came to women. But then again, she was just as lonely as he was. Maybe it would have been nice if he noticed…

She shook the feeling off, knowing that thinking like that would lead her nowhere with someone who had such a severe case of gynophobia. Perhaps that was the one dream that would never come true for her, same as Guy, but she couldn't tell him that. He would only end up feeling terrible that the circumstances had led to such a hopeless situation, and then she would feel even worse in return. But, maybe she could help him get over it…?

"Noelle? Noelle, are you listening?" the noble interrupted her thoughts. His small chuckle at her dazed look made her heart jump. "You kind of spaced out there. Does that mean you're ready to try and sleep, yet?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose I should get some rest. It's probably gotten quite late, hasn't it?" She stood up slowly, making sure she could move safely before taking a first step. Weariness had indeed set into her body, making her stiff, but she wasn't about to say anything. It wasn't like she hadn't enjoyed her time lying down on the deck.

Guy laughed again. "Yeah. Thanks for letting me talk with you, Noelle. I know I shouldn't have bothered you with all this, but you're a good friend. I appreciate it," he said, completely oblivious to the sudden effect his words had.

Friend. That was it. She was his friend, and nothing more, and nothing could possibly change that. He would get hurt if he truly knew, and Noelle couldn't put him through that. So she faked a smile and pretended that he hadn't just shoved a proverbial knife in her heart. "No problem. I'm glad I could help. Thank you for spending time with me up here."

He returned the smile brightly. "You're welcome. Well, I hope you sleep well."

"You, too."

Noelle wanted to stop him as he walked back to the sleeping area. She wanted to tell him how she really felt. But in the end, she merely watched as he disappeared behind the cabin door, catching the cheerful grin as he caught her while closing it. She turned away and walked back to her own bed, regretting ever having dreamed that she and Guy could ever be closer than friends and her own stupidity for having fallen for him without the courage to tell him so. She curled up under the sheets, exhausted from the racing thoughts, but one stuck out more than any of the others as she managed to drift off.

'I'm such a coward…'

A/N: Well? Should I leave it like this or continue it out? Any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated, but thank you for reading this far anyway. I appreciate it!