Zelos was a genius.
Whenever people would get too close he would push them away with snarky comments or flirtation. Whenever he felt Sheena getting too under his skin he would make her hate him, he would flirt with her, call her names thing he knew would annoy her. Everybody had a different image of him, one that was almost always negative in some way. "He's a good guy but a pervert.", "He's a great friend but egotistical." There was always a 'but'. It was that 'but' that kept people away from him, from seeing what he truly was, except for one.
Colette.
She was always kind to him and with her it was always "Zelos is funny"," Zelos is kind";" Zelos is actually a great guy." There were never any buts. Because she saw through his facade, she saw him pretend that he would give everything for the sake of the world, which she knew he wouldn't. She saw how much he cared for his sister though he pretended like he didn't care whether she lived or died. She saw how much the death of his mother had truly affected him. Because he still had her picture on the wall and he would stare at it for hours and Colette could imagine him asking why she hated him so much.
She saw how he pretended to be okay when he was truly waging wars on himself. He didn't know who to trust or who to fight for. Colette saw it all because she always plays pretend too. She pretends to be okay even when she's in pain, she pretends to be happy when all she wants is to cry, and she pretends that she's brave even though she's screaming in fear in the inside. She pretends she doesn't notice how smart Zelos truly is. You can only play pretend for a little while, until reality comes crashing down on you.
"Zelos?
Zelos looked up at the knock on the door. He looked to the rock in his hand that he quickly hid under his pillow.
"Come in my beautiful angel."
Zelos watched as Colette entered the room. She was fiddling with the wing flap on her shoulder as she entered giving him a bright smile.
"It's snowing Zelos! Everybody has gone out for the night to look at the snow. I wanted to see if you wanted to come too"
Zelos looked at Colette. She was so cute. She was so innocent even though she had been through more things than any normal person her age. How did she do it? She lied of course, she had to. Zelos saw her pretend she was okay with everything they were doing. She also saw how she winced every time she killed something.
"Nah. I don't like the snow."
Colette cocked her head to the side as if the very idea of someone not liking snow was incomprehensible.
"Why not? It's so pretty and fluffy."
Zelos looked up at her with a plastered smile. Fake. As always.
"Snow is just frozen water, angel, and your feet get stuck in the snow."
"Well you like beaches even though you feet always sink in the sand. And sand is just salt...i think...or minerals...or rocks."
Zelos smile faltered slightly and then it became slightly weak. It wouldn't work but he would try anyway. Try to push her away with flirtation like he did for the other girls in the group.
"It's not the same thing. The beach is beautiful and the water feels nice. You remind me of the beach Collette, your eyes are as blue as the sea and your hair the colour of sand."
She smiled brightly as she beamed down at Zelos.
"You remind me of the sky Zelos!"
Zelos smiled brightly. This smile held traces of true happiness. His plan had backfired. It always did with her.
"How is that angel?"
"You're always changing. Sometimes you're as bright as the sun on a clear day and then sometimes it's like your in overcast at certain moments. And then it's all cloudy sometimes and sometimes windy. Your so change-y but always bright!"
His smile brightened even as he really wanted to frown at his next words.
"What if there is a storm Colette?"
Her smile weakened before it got stronger than it was before.
"Then you've done something bad and you're guilty."
Zelos smiled at how right she was.
"I'm never guilty."
Colette smiled and started walking towards him.
"Yeah because there is always light in your sky. That means you'll never betray us right?"
She tripped. She tried to grab for Zelos who was sitting on the bed but instead she grabbed the sheets and a pillow. They came tumbling down with her and she was hit on the head with a rock. She picked it up as she looked up at Zelos who looked down at her smiling, masking his panic expertly.
"Zelos, why do you have a rock?"
"I...uhhh."
"Do you collect rocks? No then you'd have more of them. Do you have more of them? Can I see them?"
Zelos looked away at her hopeful expression. He then looked at her with that closed eye smile as he spoke.
"Nah. I just saw that rock and I thought it was so pretty so I picked it up."
"Zelos? Are you lying?"
Colette turned the rock over and over in her hands as she looked up at him.
"Why do you say that?"
"You always close your eyes and smile when you lie or don't believe something or something like that. You did it with Sebastian and at the abbey when we told you about your sister saying 'to be safe'."
He opened his eyes and gave her a smile that was slightly off. It took everything he had not to squeeze his eyes shut.
"No really. I just saw it on our way here and picked it up."
They sat in silence for a few seconds while they both stared at Colette fiddling with the rock. Both of their expressions were sober.
"Zelos, why don't you like the snow?"
As soon as she looked up at him he had a smile on his face. One that never reached his eyes. That's why he closes them when he lies.
"I told you angel dearest it's..."
Collette's cheeks puffed up and her cheeks turned a pale tinge of pink as she got angry.
"Zelos stop lying! Did something happen when it was snowing? Or was it cold when it happened?"
Even with his eyes wide open and his best fake smile she could sense the lie, hear it perfectly in his voice. Colette, unlike Sheena and Raine, did not only not mind his nicknames but liked them. He couldn't push her away with those.
He couldn't be cold towards her either for she would certainly confide in someone else thinking something was wrong with him. He couldn't push her away without drawing the others in, so he couldn't push her away. He thought she was quite easy to fool. He had been wrong; he should have known she would know how to hide feelings also.
Even though he knew she could see right through it he continued to smile while closing his eyes. Old habits die hard.
"I don't want to talk about it angel."
She looked up at his smiling face hoping for him to open his eyes. He didn't and she signed putting a small smile on her face to as she placed the rock by his side on the bed.
"I'm sorry. I'll go now."
Zelos opened his eyes to stare at her back as she went, he made no move to neither stop her nor apologize. She was dangerous, she knew him too well.
---
It was morning now in Flanoir and after a long conversation it was decided everybody would go to the Tower of Salvation. Colette was happy. She went to ask a question and found that Lloyd wasn't by her side anymore; she looked back and saw him talking with Zelos. She looked at the others walking ahead and stopped before her angelic hearing got out of range.
"Zelos, I trust you."
Zelos looked back at Lloyd in shock and then closed his eyes and smiled as he pushed Lloyd forward.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go already."
Colette's eyes started to water as she looked on. She quickly turned around and started to walk towards the group.
"...Liar..."
She had a smile on with her eyes closed as Lloyd returned to her side and she asked him her question.
---
"Colette come here for a second."
Zelos had called her, he had apparently set up something last time they were in the Tower of Salvation were they could go to Derris Kharlan. She watched as Zelos smiled with his eyes closed. He was lying, but against her better judgement she walked over to Zelos.
"Oh, okay. Like this?"
He looked at her and nodded then his bright grin turned into a smirk. She looked up at him and spoke so only he could hear.
"Even though you just lied, I trust you Zelos."
She gave him her brightest smile, with her eyes shining with belief. She truly trusted him with all her heart. She had no doubt he would come help them when it was needed.
Colette knew Zelos was smart.
This all had to be apart of his plan. She kept thinking that even as everything went black.
It was at that moment that Zelos chose to help them and the storm that covered Zelos' sky dissipated and the bright sun shone through sending light upon the beaches.
Bleh. I hate it and love it to. I'm an Oxymoron. It's okay I guess but the description is kind of bleh, I got lazy. Thanks to my Nii-san who sort of kind of inspired this when he mentioned the couple and how it would work and we were at the Flanoir scene and i was like "yesh". Review pwetty pwease.
The One and Only
