Wine, Chocolates, and a Banjo
There were three rules Asbel had, over the years, learned to live by. One- it was actually impossible to eat curry every day. Two- he should not mess with Sophie and her flowers if he valued his life. And three- he should never ever ever take relationship advice from Lambda.
But of course, knowing he shouldn't do something was very different from actually not-doing it. And really, there wasn't any other reasonable explanation why he was dressed up in a suit. Or why he was sitting on King Richard's bed, in King Richard's room, with a banjo by his side, a box of chocolates against his lap, and two glasses of wine in his hands.
He winced when his tired arms dipped, sloshing the red wine a little too close to the edge. It had been hours, and he'd rather face Fodra again than spend another second keeping the liquid from spilling onto his suit. The last thing he wanted was for Richard to walk into the room and assume he'd been stabbed on his bed. But after all the effort Lambda had gone through avoiding the guards to get them in Richard's room, Asbel wasn't sure if there was a way for him to escape safely. At least, not one that didn't include jumping out of the window in a failed attempt to protect his dignity.
"You poured too much wine," Lambda chastised him, his voice breezy in his ear.
"You know I don't drink!" Asbel groaned. "This was a very bad idea," he managed miserably.
Lambda sniffed. "It was not as if your plan was any better."
Asbel winced. Lambda was sort of right, but still. "When I said I wanted to cheer Richard up, I was going to buy a cake. Not.. all of this."
"This," Lambda said stiffly, "is going to cheer both you and Richard up after five years of beating about the bush."
Asbel flinched. "Wh-What are you talking about?" His suit was uncomfortably warm, the fabric sticking to his skin. Miserably, Asbel wondered how a simple invitation to an international meeting had turned out into this debacle. All he wanted to do was to buy Richard a cake, a token of affection and gratitude, after glimpsing how tired and busy the king had looked the day before.
But of course, the little voice in his head had decided that a cake just wouldn't do. Insisted, in fact, that Richard would enjoy this far more than a cake he'd have no time to eat. A small part of Asbel wished Richard would just appear and he could get this over and done with, while another part hoped that the king would never open the door. And yet, there was another part of him that would have been happy just to see his friend's face once more...
"Why can you humans not be honest with your feelings? You should have simply taken him the very first chance you had."
"Lambda!" The vehemence of his exclamation caught him off-guard, and almost too late, Asbel remembered the twin glasses he held in his hands. With some effort, he managed to stop the wine from spilling onto his suit (or Richard's bed). But any denial or reprimand he had for Lambda was cut short when he heard the click of the door.
It swung open without fanfare, only to be followed by a startled gasp as white boots peeked into the periphery of his vision. Slowly, Asbel lifted his head. White boots, familiar green clothes, a dark red cape... Standing at the doorway, King Richard of Windor stared back at him, a look of utter shock on his face.
"Asbel? Wh-what are you doing in my room?"
Asbel's mind was racing. Really, he could have focused on the wine, or started on his plan of escaping through the window. Maybe he should have formulated a reasonable explanation as to why he would be in Richard's room, uninvited. But when he caught sight of Richard's face, it was as if he had been hit by a gust of fresh air. As if he'd finally stepped into a beam of sunlight after spending too long in a tunnel.
A beam of sunlight that was looking extremely confused right now.
He gaped wordlessly until Lambda's mental nudge shook him out of his stupor.
"Hello, Richard!" He grinned awkwardly and almost attempted to wave, until he remembered the glasses in his hands. "F-fancy meeting you here."
He heard an imperceptible snort at the back of his mind.
Standing up, he held out a glass to Richard. "Are you thirsty?" he asked. "I... uh, got us drinks. They're uh. Vintage from Gralesyde."
That prompted a raised eyebrow, a hand on the hip. "I can see that," Richard said slowly. Cautiously, he added, "I... didn't know you drink, Asbel."
The window was looking more and more tempting with every passing second, and it took all of Asbel's restraint to keep himself from lunging out to freedom. It was ridiculous. Richard was his friend! Sure, they hadn't met up in months, or even a year, but he was still his trusted companion! His dearest friend, watching him with inscrutable hazel eyes that always drew him in, the longer he stared into them-
"Asbel!"
Asbel straightened. "Chocolates!" he yelped. He could feel the heat creeping on his cheeks under Richard's gaze. Placing the glasses on a nearby bedside table, Asbel picked up the chocolates and with a practiced bow, he presented the box to the king. "I brought chocolates too! They're bite sized and pre-wrapped, and they're from the Amarcians, so they don't melt easily. You could sneak a few in for the talks tomorrow-"
"Asbel." Richard was the picture of concern as he gently pried the box away from his hands, careful as he lay them on a nearby table. "Thank you, but this is... ah. Unconventional. I hadn't expected you in my chambers so late."
"Late?" Was it really that late? A glance out the window showed that the sky was already a deep shade of blue, stars slowly blinking into the sky. Asbel let out a shaky laugh. "I hadn't realized."
Lambda groaned and snapped, "Get back on track!"
Richard was watching him with a slight frown, a gentle tilt of his head; the golden sunbeams of his hair brushing lightly against his shoulder. "Is everything... alright, Asbel?"
"Of course it's fine! Why- why wouldn't it be?"
"You're... in my room," Richard said slowly. "At night. In a suit. With chocolates and wine."
Asbel shifted. His collar felt uncomfortably tight and he felt lightheaded and dizzy. Still, he soldiered on.
"Th-that's because-" He gulped and squared his shoulders. "A-actually, Richard. I'm here for a reason."
"Oh?" A flicker of surprise passed through Richard's face. Maybe it was the lighting, but there was a tinge of rosy pink on the king's cheeks. "I- is there something you want to tell me, Asbel?"
"Yes!" Asbel answered quickly. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but when Richard turned his expectant gaze upon him, his mind went blank. "I- uh-"
"The banjo!"
Asbel grabbed the instrument immediately. In front of Richard's curious gaze, he strummed his fingers along the strings. A discordant note rang out through the room, followed by another. He opened his mouth-
"Asbel, stop!"
Richard moved. A light pressure pressed against his hand, and when he looked up, the sheer proximity of the king was enough to steal his voice. Soft breath ghosted against Asbel's skin, and those hazel eyes were so much deeper up close than he remembered-
Richard quirked a wry smile. "You can't actually play, can you?"
Asbel swallowed. "I... was told it was the thought that counts."
The king laughed, a breathless chuckle that reverberated through Asbel's skin. "I suppose it would depend on what that thought is. Now pray tell, Asbel, what on earth is all of this about?"
"That's..." His mind raced as he tried to patch his thoughts together. But before he could figure out what it was he wanted to actually say, he heard someone scream:
"Kiss him!"
"Gah!" He dropped Richard's hand like a hot brick and backpedaled, but it was already too late. Any hope that the message was for him alone was crushed when he glanced at his companion's face. Richard's mouth had formed a small 'o', and his gaze was focused directly on him.
His cheeks were definitely blazing, but the king was standing in between him and any form of escape. "Th-that's not what it sounded like at all!" he protested.
"Really?" Richard tilted his head. "Because it sounded like Lambda was pushing you to kiss me."
"W-well..."
"He's not wrong. If only you listened to me, you'd have the outcome you desired!"
Asbel was about to retort, but catching Richard's gaze, he heaved a sigh.
"I take it all of this is Lambda's idea, then?" Richard asked, gesturing around. "The wine, the chocolates... Although, I have to say, I didn't quite expect to be serenaded with a banjo."
"It was supposed to be a guitar," Asbel mumbled as he placed the offending instrument on the bed. He shrugged helplessly at Richard's unasked question. "They only had banjos for sale."
"I... see." A small smile crept its way onto Richard's lips.
"Listen, Richard, I didn't mean for this to happen this way, I swear!" Asbel tugged at the lapel of his suit, choosing his words carefully. "It's just... yesterday, when I arrived in Barona, you were so busy, and you looked so tired and... I just wanted to cheer you up."
"Until Lambda decided to commandeer your plans?" Richard let out a small chuckle.
"Y-yeah." He didn't like how Richard's hazel eyes were fixated on him. Didn't like how he couldn't tell what thoughts ran behind the king's all-too-warm smile. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, or that it'd ruin our friendship."
Richard pursed his lips, then he took a step closer to Asbel. "And how am I supposed to take this, Asbel?" he asked softly.
Asbel swallowed. "Well, I'd hope you'd... uh, enjoy the wine and the chocolates and the... banjo."
"He'd much rather enjoy you."
"L-Lambda, shut up!"
Richard's smile stretched to an amused grin. His long fingers reached over, tilting Asbel's chin to meet his gaze. Then, staring into his eyes, he said, "Lambda, go to sleep for a while, would you?"
Asbel didn't expect Lambda to respond, or even obey. But a soft huff of satisfaction echoed through his thoughts, and strangely, he felt Lambda's power ebb, falling back till he was alone in his mind.
Richard studied him, before asking, "Is he gone?"
"For now," Asbel answered. "Why, Richard?"
He shrugged. "I figured he owed us some privacy, for what I'm about to say."
"And what's that?" For some reason, his voice came out weak. Asbel was all too aware of how Richard was taller than him, of how his hazel eyes were far too entrancing to ignore, and of the sensation of long fingers against his chin. "You're not... angry, are you? That I snuck into your room and ambushed you at night?"
"If I'm honest?" Richard let out a little laugh. "I'm actually impressed. And I enjoyed it. But you should know better than to listen to Lambda. You don't need to ambush me and serenade me with a banjo to cheer me up, Asbel. Your presence alone- your company- is more than enough."
Maybe it was the trick of the light. Maybe it was just the sensation of touch- of how close he was physically to the man that he admired; cared for, so deeply. Maybe it was the soft words, spoken with such care and feeling. Maybe it was because he had spent the entire time falling into Richard's hazel eyes that the whole world had melted away, leaving only the two of them.
Whatever the case, on the spur of the moment, Asbel closed the distance between them and pressed a kiss onto Richard's lips.
He didn't even know what he was doing. Didn't even know how his hands ended up tangled in Richard's hair, pulling him close; or how to describe the warmth of the king's body, pressed up against his. Didn't want to think, to make excuses for the hows or whys.
And when he pulled away, he wasn't expecting the broad, awed smile Richard wore, nor the way his eyes seemed even brighter than before. Wasn't expecting the way the sensation of the kiss lingered on his lips, nor for the knots in his gut to disappear, replaced by an easy warmth that had settled over his heart.
"Wow," Richard murmured. "What was that?"
Asbel coughed, but he didn't disentangle himself. Instead, he gave Richard a sheepish grin. "I guess Lambda was right about some things."
The king stared at him, before he shook his head with a sigh. He flashed Asbel a rueful smile."Let me guess. He told you to take me the first chance you got."
"Wait, how did you-" Realization dawned, and Asbel let out a little groan. "He knew."
"Apparently," Richard answered wryly, resting his arms around Asbel's shoulders, "we might need more help than we realized."
Asbel paused. Considered Richard's words. "So did the banjo help?"
"Just shut up and kiss me, Asbel Lhant."
And with a soft laugh, Asbel took Richard into his arms once more.
Maybe, just maybe, taking Lambda's advice wasn't such a bad idea after all.
(After having written angst fics for like years I decided to try my hand at something hopefully light-hearted and funny. To be honest, the idea of Asbel having to deal with third-wheeling Lambda antics has been on my mind for a very long time, so I figured why not write a Richass fic about it for Valentine's Day. Much thanks to my long-suffering betas Azureheavens and Daidairo who have to stop me from spamming hyphens everywhere. I hope everyone enjoyed the fic!)