Snow Angel
The biting chill nipping at her fingers didn't bother Aelita in the slightest.
Seated on one of the many benches placed around campus, she stared sadly in the direction of the cafeteria, spotting Jeremy and Laura sitting together next to the window. Laura suddenly threw her head back, laughing. Jeremy must have said something funny.
Aelita sighed and lowered herself onto her side, resting her head on the bench. I need to forget about him. He obviously wants to be with Laura. Not even the comfort of Yumi could help the aching in her heart, brought by Jeremy's blatant rejection of her. Sure, he probably hadn't meant to break her heart, but nonetheless the damage was done. Now, not only did Yumi have Ulrich and Odd have Sam, but Jeremy had Laura, and they looked perfectly happy together.
"Hey…Are you alright?"
The bench creaked as additional weight lowered onto it. Aelita bolted up into a sitting position, staring at her new companion; William. He smiled softly at her.
"I saw you run out here after you saw Jeremy and Laura sitting together," William told her.
"Oh…I'm…fine," Aelita managed to choke out. She drew her feet up onto the bench, hugging her knees to her chest.
"You don't look like it," William said.
Aelita sighed and buried her face in her knees. "No…I'm not," she murmured.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" he whispered. Aelita turned to look at him, confusion darkening her eyes.
"Huh?" she asked.
"I know how you feel. It hurt to see Yumi with Ulrich," William said sadly. "But, I got over it." His tone brightened. "There's always a silver lining."
"How'd you do it?" Aelita burst out.
"Hmm?"
"Er…" Aelita hesitated.
"Come on," William said, smiling gently, "you can ask me."
"How¾How did you move on past Yumi?" Aelita asked quickly.
William stared at her for a moment, his warm brown eyes locking with her hazel ones. "Well, for one, I accepted that she's happy with Ulrich. That was the first step, and it really helped. I also told myself that, honestly, it's just a high school crush. I like her, yes, but I believed that I loved her, when really, I didn't. Now I'll just be there for her as a friend, and it helps me to accept her relationship with him even more."
"And it works? Thinking like that?" asked Aelita.
"Of course…but now, there's someone else…"
"Who's that?"
William flashed a smirk at her and patted her shoulder. "I'm not telling!" Aelita gaped at him as he stood up from the bench and started walking away, hands shoved into his jacket pockets.
"What?! No! You can't do that! Tell me, William!"
Aelita scrambled up from the bench and raced after him. William turned to look over his shoulder, grinning, and dodged to the side as she reached him. Laughing, he broke into a run as Aelita reached for him.
"William!" Aelita called, rushing after him. The snow piled up on the campus grounds slowed her down considerably, but it slowed him down, too.
For several minutes, Aelita chased him, spinning and twirling to try to catch him as he dodged surprisingly gracefully out of her way. Laughing all the way, Aelita finally managed to grab a hold of one of his hands ¾ only for him to turn right around and pull her with him down into the snow.
The snow cushioned her fall. Aelita laughed as she sank into the soft white substance, William laughing with her. Minutes passed, the soft tinkling of Aelita's giggles harmonizing with William's deeper chuckles.
Finally, after calming down, William glanced at Aelita. "It's easy to forget, isn't it?" he asked softly.
"Yeah…it really is," Aelita agreed, smiling to herself. It was only then that she remembered she was still holding William's hand. His fingers had shifted to intertwine with hers, warming her chilled hand.
Aelita's eyes flickered to their joined hands, before settling on William. He stared right back at her, smiling happily and warmly at her. He squeezed her hand.
"Figure it out, yet?" William asked.
Aelita blinked, puzzled. "Figure what out?" she asked. William chuckled lightly. His hand was solid and warm in hers.
"What were you desperate to find out earlier, hmm?" he asked her, sitting up. His hand didn't let go of hers, but Aelita didn't mind.
"Um…" Then it hit. "Oh, yeah! You wouldn't tell me who you like!"
William grinned. "There you go," he said.
"…How was all this supposed to give me clues?" Aelita asked innocently. Grinning, William fell back into the snow.
"Are you dense or something?" he teased.
"I just don't get how all this points to the girl you like now…"
"Who's hand am I holding?" William asked lowly.
"Mine…"
"Who am I laying in the snow with?" Slowly, William scooted closer to her, warm brown eyes locked with hers.
"Me…"
William sat up, pulling her up with him. Leaning in close, he whispered, "Who am I slowly falling in love with?"
"…me?" Aelita guessed, hesitating.
William grinned. "Bingo." He closed the distance between them, pressing his lips ever so gently against hers. Aelita's eyes widened in surprise as he pulled back a second later.
Getting up, William tugged her along with him. "Now, let's go, little pink snow angel."
Confused, Aelita tilted her head to the side, much like a child.
It was then that she realized there was white snow in her pink hair.
Author's Note:
This one-shot's been stuck in my head for the longest time! I think this pair is just so cute, even though it's so unlikely! Hope you enjoyed reading! Reviews are appreciated, and they keep me writing!