Fic: No Worries (Star Ocean 2, Ashton/Noel, SFW)

[wallwalker]

Title: No Worries
Fandom: Star Ocean 2
Characters: Ashton/Noel
Summary: It's hard for Ashton to worry with Noel around, even when he knows that he should.
Notes: Written for fic_promptly. Set after their ending, which is supposed to be a friendship ending but to me is easy to see as romantic. Also posted on AO3.

So this was what peace felt like, Ashton thought, drowsy and comfortable. He'd almost forgotten, with all of the fighting he'd been through. But today was a beautiful day; the sun was warm, the winds were gentle, and even the dragons were calm, coiled up and sleeping on the grass. Noel was beside him, running his long fingers through Ashton's hair and gently scratching at his scalp; Ashton couldn't help but sigh with happiness, and grin when he heard Noel laugh in response.

He shouldn't be here, a dim voice said in the back of his mind - his voice, not one of the sleeping dragons. They didn't have long before they'd have to pay rent for another year in this little cabin. He should be out fighting to earn their rent, or trying to convince Noel to help somehow. Surely they could take a trip to Lacour and offer Noel's services as a healer, couldn't they? Or they could see if any of the wealthy nobles had a pet or the like, one that they needed help training. Noel was good at that, right?

But Noel had met all of his arguments with the same noncommittal answer. He wouldn't mind going to Lacour, but not today, he'd said. It was just too nice of a day.

When Ashton had asked him why he wasn't more worried about being kicked out of their home, Noel had just laughed. How could he be worried, he'd answered, when he was surrounded by so much life and love? How could he be stressed out over these small things when his entire planet had been destroyed, and he was still alive?

Maybe Ashton should be more worried for both of them, but with an argument like that, it wasn't easy. Especially when Noel had lifted Ashton's chin with a finger and kissed him, and whispered that he'd found another place where the flowers were sweet and the grass was warm and soft, and wouldn't Ashton like to rest after his long journey home? And of course the dragons had agreed with that, and for all of his fretting Ashton knew when he was outnumbered.

He was just postponing things, he knew that. Sooner or later they'd have to deal with this, and if they kept waiting they might run out of time. But it really was nice, not worrying about anything, just being able to rest with someone he loved and let himself slowly drift off to sleep.