Frost (Bxb)

Chapter Eleven

(Joseph's POV)

Friend. Asurah had called me his friend. I didn't know whether to feel happy that he saw me as something other than the "human that landed on his planet", or to feel scared, since I still had to betray him in the end. Having a friend wasn't something I was used to, since I had so little friends back on Earth. And knowing that I had to inevitably betray Asurah in the end...it felt like a spear went through my heart. He was innocent in all of this. He had no idea what my true intentions were, and I could only feel like utter crap, knowing that I chose my mother over him. If only my mother hadn't been ill. If only my father never left us to live with his new girlfriend. Maybe in different circumstances, Asurah would have been a perfect friend, with his carefree attitude and kind heart. Maybe I wouldn't be hating myself right about now.

I glanced over to the man in question as he poked at his holographic tablet with a furrowed brow. I couldn't help the ache in my chest as I stared at him, his beauty unmatched by any other. His long wispy white hair was pulled up on his head in a bun, showing off his sharp features and ear holes. He was wearing one of his more sedate outfits, a one piece that was long sleeved, the sides slit at the bottom, and a sheer blue fabric held at the front of his top. Even in his most sedate of outfits, he still managed to look utterly seductive, not that I would ever admit that out loud.

Hearing Asurah sigh in frustration, I looked up as he tossed his tablet onto the seat next to him, rubbing tiredly at his temple. "Something wrong?" I asked, folding one of my legs over the other as I rested my head onto my hand.

Asurah glanced at me, shrugging before he sat down next to me. "I was supposed to be getting a shipment from Hera, but apparently they ran into trouble with the carrier ship, and now I might have to wait two weeks until the stuff gets here. Why can't they have like...extra ships for when this happens? It puts both of us at a disadvantage with all these mishaps."

"Maybe because ships are expensive as hell, and they don't have the money for another one?"

Asurah rolled his eyes and leaned back on the couch, folding his arms over his chest as he stared at the ice sculpture in front of us. "They're a mass shipping company. They ship to hundreds of planets around the galaxy. Of course they would have enough money for another carrier ship."

I shrugged, scratching at my beard. "Well, I wouldn't know about that whole thing, since I've only ever lived on Earth. So, I dunno what to tell you."

Asurah sighed and stood back up, stretching his arms high as he stretched, making me unintentionally stare at him appreciatively, my eyes trailing up his body. No, I couldn't let my mind stray. I was already treading dangerous territory with thinking of him as a friend. Anything else would need to stay off limits, even if...admittedly, I didn't want to.

I quickly averted my eyes once Asurah turned back to me, his hands finding their way onto his perfectly rounded hips. "We need to do something fun."

I raised my eyebrow, a small smirk on my lips. "Oh? Fun, huh?"

"Of course! We're friends, aren't we? We still need to do the hanging out, thing."

My heart clenched when he called me his friend and I averted my eyes, feeling guilty for leading him on like this. "Well, what do you have in mind?" I asked, glancing back at him with a raised eyebrow.

Asurah scratched his hairless chin, a thoughtful frown on his lips as he trailed deep in thought. He then snapped his fingers and grinned, making my brows twitch in amusement. "Well, I've read somewhere that human friends usually go to malls, which is like a shop, or well, multiple shops. We could look around a few shops for fun, maybe buy a couple of things, if you want."

Going to a mall with Asurah seemed like it would be interesting and amusing. I briefly wondered what a mall would be like in space. Would it be the same as a human mall? Would it be a big building with multiple stores filled with the "hottest new stuff"? Or would it be different? Besides, did kings go to common malls? It seemed like a completely crazy thought, having a king go to something that wasn't high-end. Then again, what did I know? I was a mere human who had no idea that there was such advanced civilizations throughout the galaxy. Sure, I believed that aliens existed, because, why would humans be the only living thing in a giant galaxy? And I had been proven right when I landed here, on a planet of ice, with a king who was seductive, yet...innocent at the same time. It was a feat only he could pull off, and that made him all the more mesmerising.

"Sure," I finally answered, making Asurah grin as he grabbed his tablet off the couch and began typing something, concentration in those white eyes of his.

"Excellent. Let me see which planet I want to go on. Each planet has a different set of shops, so I want to make sure we go to one with the most diversity in their merchandise." He typed a couple more things before he smiled and nodded, glancing at the coordinates before he placed his tablet down. "We shall go to Amundo. Amundo is S'Vali's moonbase, and it's cold enough for me to be able to walk around without problem. Let me get dressed into something a little more comfortable, and we can head out."

I nodded and Asurah grinned at me before leaving the room, having an extra lilt to his step as he left to change. I watched him go with sad eyes, knowing that I was a bad person for decieving such a wonderful man. I still needed to update General Issak on the events that recently happened, though I was second guessing myself. I doubt he would notice if I didn't check in, right? Who am I kidding, of course he would notice. Even while I was a cadet, that man never forgot anything, even years into the future. I just hope he didn't decide to check in on me.

However, even with my aversion to give General Issak information, I still couldn't get out of the mission. When I had last spoke to him, I had let it slip that I was starting to befriend the Glacic. Issak responded by threatening the life of my mother, telling me that if I backed out of this mission, he would kill her in the cruelest way possible. So I had to betray Asurah. My mother didn't deserve the cruel fate Issak had planned out for her. And with that thought, I still needed to figure out the best time to go through with my betrayal. The mall wouldn't work, since there was too many people who went to malls. I would have to think about it as we looked around, even if I felt like I was being crushed by the cruel feeling of guilt.

I stood up, walking back to my room. I went into the bathroom, did my business, and trimmed my beard, careful to not knick myself. I then dressed in a more comfortable pair of pants, since the fur kind of wasn't doing it for me, and though I was cold, I could only assume that the Amundo moon was warmer than it was here on Glacion. I changed my shirt to a long sleeve turtleneck, brushed my hair, and went back into the resting room, seeing Asurah standing there, looking as elegant as ever. He wore a simplistic white one piece, with long sleeves and, surprisingly enough, snug pants that emphasized his round hips, luscious backside, and long legs. He wore a turquoise belt with multiple chains of gems hanging off of it, with a side sash that was sheer and blue. His hair was done in a tight braid, then pulled up into a high bun that shown off his pale features. He also had on light blue eyeshadow, making me raise my eyebrow curiously as he turned to face me.

"Oh, there you are! I was wondering where you went to. Are you all ready to go?" He asked, raising a pale eyebrow.

I nodded, shoving my hands into my pockets. "Yup. Let's go."