Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic; it was supposed to be just a short Zelloyd one-shot of the Flanoir Doctor scene that spiraled wildly out of control! So here it is, spanning that scene to the end of the game, with a little aftermath thrown in from Lloyd's POV. It follows the storyline closely, but of course is Zelloyd! :) Last chapter will contain a lemon, so be warned.
I, of course, don't own Tales of Symphonia, or else this stuff would be in it!
I can't believe this is happening. Has all of this been real? I just wanted to go on a journey with my friends, and help Colette, the Chosen, save our world. But so much has changed since I left Iselia. And now not only do I still have to somehow save Sylvarant, but I have to find a way to do it without losing Colette or any of my other friends and without sacrificing Tethe'alla, the world connected to mine. All of these people – my friends, family, Chosens, dwarves, humans, elves, half-elves, Summon Spirits, everyone in both worlds – they all deserve the chance to live their lives to the fullest. The only thing standing in their way is Cruxis, and its' leader Mithos Yggdrasill. I will not give in to his twisted view of the worlds. I won't let his Age of Lifeless Beings happen!
The sound of someone knocking on his door jerked Lloyd out of his thoughts. That's right; Zelos, Sheena, Genis, and I are still waiting on word from the others who took the Doctor to Altessa, Lloyd thought. Out loud, he said, "Who is it? Come on in."
The door opened, and Zelos stepped into Lloyd's room at the inn. He studied Lloyd a minute, taking in what he termed the "farm-boy peasant look", and noted the serious, and somewhat troubled, expression on his face.
"Hey man, you awake?" Zelos asked, grinning.
"I just got sleepy right now. G'night." Lloyd deadpanned.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Don't be like that!" Zelos said. "Come on, let's go talk outside for a bit. Sitting in here staring out into space and worrying isn't gonna help you any. You need to relax, loosen up! Come on, let's go check out the snow! I bet a bumpkin like you has never enjoyed it! Let's go!"
Lloyd rolled his eyes and muttering, "I'm not a bumpkin", brushed past Zelos and headed to the inn's entrance. Zelos is right, Lloyd thought. Sitting in my room depressed won't do me any good. Maybe pummeling Zelos with snowballs with make me feel better. It'll be fun, at least.
Zelos grinned and followed Lloyd, closing the door to the room behind him. As the pair walked down the hall, Lloyd tried to ignore the stares they were getting from every girl they passed. He rolled his eyes, but he was used to the effect Zelos had on women by now, and, ignoring the Chosen's winks and waves, continued to the lobby of the inn.
"Hey! Lloyd!"
Lloyd turned to see Genis waving at him. He and Zelos waited while Genis ran up to them. The twelve year old gasped as he came to a halt next to them.
"Better watch it, brat, you'll hyperventilate at the rate your breathing," Zelos remarked.
"Shut…up!" Genis panted.
"Genis, just take a few deep breaths. You okay?" Lloyd asked.
Catching his breath, Genis replied: "Yeah. But, Lloyd! The others still aren't back yet! I'm worried about Altessa!"
"Don't worry," Lloyd said. "Sheena says this Doctor knows his stuff. I'm sure Altessa will be fine. Plus, the others are there to help as well."
"Y…Yeah." Genis replied.
Zelos grinned. "Oh, come on! You're more worried about being away from Presea, right?"
Genis turned bright red. "Sh…Shut up, Zelos! I'm worried about Altessa, that's all!"
Zelos winked. "Sure, shortie, whatever you have to tell yourself."
Lloyd laughed. "Come on, Zelos. Leave Genis alone. Genis, if you're that worried, talk with Sheena. I'm sure she can make you feel better."
"O…Okay." Genis said.
"Did someone say my name?"
"Well, if it isn't my voluptuous hunny! The brat here is worried about Altessa." Zelos said, grinning.
"Zelos! Don't call me that!" Sheena yelled as she joined the group. Zelos just continued to grin at her. Ignoring him, she turned to Genis.
"Don't worry, Genis. This Doctor helped the Chief a lot when he got hurt; he is a really good Doctor. Altessa will be okay." Sheena said.
Genis sighed. "You're right; there's no point in worrying. All we can do now is wait for the others to return with news."
Lloyd smiled. "Right! Zelos and I are going out to check out the snow. You guys want to come?"
"Yeah, why don't you join us, Sheena? We could have a really good time!" Zelos said as he tried to sneak his arm around Sheena's waist to grab her butt.
"Zelos!" Sheena yelled, smacking his arm.
"Aww! You're no fun, Sheena!" Zelos whined.
Glowering at Zelos, Sheena replied to Lloyd, "No thanks. I'm not going out with this idiot Chosen here. I'm gonna go back to my room to get some rest."
"Yeah, I'm really tired, too. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Lloyd. Wake me up when Pre… when everyone gets back. Good night!" Genis said.
Lloyd shrugged but said, "Sure. I will. G'night, you guys."
Sheena gave Zelos once last withering stare and stalked off, Genis at her heels. Grinning, Zelos turned and headed for the inn's entrance.
"Well, we can still have some fun. C'mon, Lloyd." Zelos said.
Lloyd and Zelos left the inn and walked to the terrace overlooking the city. The buildings were all covered in snow, and big, fat flakes fell down on the pair as they looked out at the city.
Lloyd bent down and scooped up a handful.
"It's so cold! But, it's kinda pretty, too." Lloyd said.
"Heh. I knew a bumpkin like you would appreciate it." Zelos replied.
Lloyd grinned, and turning to Zelos, proceeded to throw the snow in his hand right at his face! Zelos stood shocked for a moment as the snow melted on his face.
"Okay, you asked for it!" Zelos cried. He ran, scooping up snow while dodging Lloyd's next throw. He managed to get behind Lloyd and dumped the snow right down the back of his clothes.
"Ah! Jeez, that's cold!" Lloyd shouted.
The next twenty minutes were a frenzy as the two pelted each other with snow. Exhausted, Lloyd collapsed onto his back.
"I give! No more!" He said.
Zelos grinned, and plopped down beside him.
"Heh. You should know you could never beat me at a snowball fight. I bet it doesn't even snow in Iselia, since you're so close to the desert. But it snows regularly in Meltokio…" Zelos said.
"Hey, you okay?" Lloyd asked.
Zelos ignored him, and got up to stand at the edge of the terrace, leaning on the rail.
"On that day, Meltokio had a record snowfall. It looked just like this city." Zelos said.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?" Lloyd asked.
"Ah, just a story about the past. I suddenly felt like talking about it. It's nothing, forget it." Zelos answered.
Lloyd got up as well and stood next to Zelos. "If you want to talk, I'm all ears." He said.
After a pause, Zelos said, "I was so excited to see snow for the first time, and I made a snowman in the garden with my mother. Then suddenly, the snowman fell apart. Before I knew what was going on, red snow began to fall."
Confused, Lloyd said, "Red…snow?"
Zelos turned to him, and said, "It was my mother's blood. She was murdered."
Lloyd stood speechless, staring at Zelos and imagining a little boy out playing with his mother, a pretty picture that shattered in one horrible minute.
"Zelos…"
"As she fell, she grabbed my shoulder and told me, 'You should never have been born'." Zelos said, turning to look back out over the city, reliving that moment in his head.
"But that's… that's horrible!" Lloyd said, shaking his head as if to deny the ugliness of the words.
"My mother probably loved somebody else. But because of the oracle from Cruxis, she had to marry the Chosen at the time – my father. And the old man had another woman as well. So not only was she forced to give up her own chances at love, but she was forced into marriage with a cold, cheating bastard." Zelos said.
Lloyd angrily said, "But none of that was your fault! Yeah, that's horrible that your mom couldn't choose her own husband, and yeah, it sucks that he cheated on her, but placing the blame on you, an innocent child caught in the middle, just wasn't right!"
Zelos turned to Lloyd, and said, "The magic that killed my mother was meant for me."
"Wh…what?" Lloyd asked.
"I was targeted because I was the next Chosen. My mother was caught in the crossfire. Having me killed her. The one who tried to kill me was Seles' mother, the woman my bastard of a father not only was having the affair with, but had another child with. They executed her, and Seles was placed under house arrest in the abbey, for my protection of course." Zelos said.
"So that's what happened. Is that why Seles hates you?" Lloyd asked.
"Yeah. And really, can you blame her? I never wanted to be the Chosen. I spent every moment of my life wishing I could just run away. The Church had Seles, right? So why couldn't I just leave?" Zelos replied.
After a moment, Lloyd said, "Chosens lead really difficult lives. I can only imagine what it's like. But I can still understand how hard it must be."
Zelos closed his eyes a moment, then forced a smile. "Sorry. Kinda hard to think of anything to say to a story like that, right?"
Lloyd shook his head, then put his hand on Zelos' shoulder. "Don't worry about it. But why did you suddenly decide to tell me?" He asked.
Zelos shrugged, causing Lloyd's hand to drop. He turned to Lloyd and said, "I should've never been born."
Lloyd was stunned. Zelos was always the confident, cocky member of the group.
"Wh…why do you say that?" Lloyd demanded.
Zelos shook his head. "I'm not saying I still think that way now. But all my life, I've been rejected by my parents, shunned by the Church, and viewed as a threat by the royal family… I just wanted to run away."
Lloyd felt some relief at knowing Zelos no longer thought like that way. But…
"You're here with us now, though, right? I mean, we've accepted you into our group. You've stayed. You're here with… with me, right?" He asked.
Zelos turned away again to face the city. "I don't know. Even now, to tell the truth, I get tired of all the problems. Sometimes I think it'd be easier if everyone and everything were just destroyed."
Lloyd shoved Zelos' shoulder, forcing him to face him. "Zelos! How can you say that?" He yelled, fisting his hands at his side.
Zelos cocked his head and studied Lloyd for a minute.
"Did I piss you off?" He questioned.
Lloyd quickly responded, "Hell yes! Of course! It'd be a huge problem for me if everything was destroyed! It'd be a huge problem for me if you were destroyed!"
Zelos just sighed. "But think about it, Lloyd. If everything was destroyed, you'd vanish, too. And if I was destroyed, well… you'd be fine."
Lloyd angrily shook his head. "No. I refuse to vanish. And I don't want anyone else to be destroyed… I want you to live, Zelos. I need you to live. To be here, by my side."
Stunned by Lloyd's words and the sincerity behind them, Zelos just stared at him a moment. Trying to regain his cocky, sarcastic attitude, he said, "I think I'm gonna cry."
Lloyd shoved his shoulder again. "Don't make fun of what I'm saying. Tomorrow, once we're sure that Altessa is okay, I'm going to challenge Mithos to a final battle. But if that's the way you feel, I'll be too worried to bring you along. I have to know that you'll stick with us, with me. I have to know that you'll fight by my side. Zelos… I need you to stand on my side."
"Lloyd… You're going to fight? Do you really think you can unite the worlds?" Zelos asked.
"Of course! I can fight. I will fight. I'm not going to run away." Lloyd answered.
"Alright, alright, I hear you. I swear, your fervent enthusiasm is enough to melt all the snow in Flanoir. I'm in. I guess I'll give this not running away thing a shot. And if you hit me one more time, I'll hit you back. You know, you give incredibly moving speeches when the mood strikes you." Zelos said, rubbing his shoulder.
"Zelos… I meant it. I can't do this without you. And if I have to, well, I'd spend most of my time worrying about you and end up dead. I need you." Lloyd said.
"Lloyd…" Zelos murmured.
"Look, we're in this together, okay?" Lloyd said, sticking out his hand to Zelos.
"Heh. Yeah. Together." Zelos said, grabbing Lloyd's hand.
Lloyd looked down at their entwined hands. He'd never noticed before how soft Zelos' gloves were. But he could feel the warmth of the hand he was holding, and, curious, rubbed his thumb a bit about Zelos' hand. Zelos suddenly stiffened, and seemed to not even be breathing, as Lloyd felt his rough calluses through his glove, showing the hard work he had put in to fight for Lloyd. Lloyd looked up into Zelos' eyes, and turned bright red, suddenly dropping Zelos' hand.
"Ah…" Lloyd mumbled.
"Let's go back. It's way too cold out here." Zelos said, breathing again but staring at Lloyd in a new way.
"R…right." Lloyd said.
Together, they walked back to the inn. Lloyd was suddenly aware of his body in relation to Zelos', and was very conscious of the mere inches of space separating them. Zelos, meanwhile, was so preoccupied that he forgot to keep up his charming façade and wave to the few girls they passed as they made their way through the mostly deserted and closed lobby. The pair stopped in front of Lloyd's room first.
"Well… thanks for listening to me, Lloyd. I hope you're feeling better than before, 'cause when I first walked into your room, you looked really depressed." Zelos said.
"Yeah. Thanks, Zelos." Lloyd said.
Lloyd searched his right pocket for his room key. Then he searched his left pocket. Then his jacket pockets. Panicking, he turned to Zelos.
"Oh man! I forgot to grab the key before we left! And the main desk has closed for the night! What am I gonna do?" He said.
Zelos thought for a moment, then said, "Well, I guess there's nothing you can do to get back in there till morning. You'll have to bunk in my room for the night."
Lloyd just stared at him. "But…"
Zelos waved his hand and said, "No buts. Come on, you can have the couch." He turned and headed to his room, a reluctant Lloyd following him.
"Here we are." Zelos said, as he used his key to unlock the door.
The pair entered, and Lloyd looked around as Zelos relocked the door. He noticed immediately that the bed took up almost the entire room. To make room for it, the chair, desk, and dresser that were in his room were missing from this one.
"Ah, yeah. I had them take out the useless junk and got a bigger bed instead. I like to be comfortable when I'm relaxing in bed." Zelos said.
Lloyd audibly swallowed, and walked toward the couch.
"Help me set this up, will you?" Lloyd asked.
Zelos walked over and both of them pulled at the couch, but nothing happened.
"Huh. Doesn't it pull out? The one in my room does." Lloyd said.
"Maybe there's a lever or something?" Zelos suggested.
The pair searched but couldn't find anything.
"Well, since I doubt you'll fit or be comfortable on it, it looks like we're sharing the bed." Zelos said.
Lloyd just stared at him.
"Oh, please. You've bunked with Genis before, haven't you? Nothing will happen." Zelos said, annoyed.
He walked over to the right side of the bed and sat down to remove his shoes. He then took off his gloves, jacket, and pants, and stood facing Lloyd in his undershirt, shorts, and socks.
"Stop gawking and get moving." He said mildly, then climbed into the bed.
Lloyd walked over, and repeated the process Zelos had, taking a bit longer to removing his overalls, then climbed into the left side of the bed. He stared at the ceiling and tried hard not to think of Zelos laying two inches next to him.
"Well, good night, Lloyd." Zelos said, turning on his side to face him.
"Good ni…" Lloyd said, looking over at Zelos and faltering mid-sentence. The moonlight caught on Zelos' Cruxis crystal and made it seem impossibly bright and beautiful. He reached out, then stopped, realizing he had been about to touch Zelos' upper chest.
"It's okay," Zelos whispered. "It doesn't hurt. Most days I don't even notice it. Go ahead." Zelos grabbed Lloyd's hand.
"H…Hey!" Lloyd said, turning red.
Zelos pulled Lloyd's hand closer, ignoring his protests, and placed it on his Cruxis Crystal, on his upper chest. He closed his eyes.
"Lloyd… I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone. I like you. You're a good guy, a good person. The truth is, all the flirting and commentary that I make… it's all an act. Sure, I like women, just like I like the beach and I like sleeping in. I don't like them enough to sleep with them, though."
Lloyd traced the shape of the Crystal with his fingers. He could feel Zelos' muscles bunching, and he noticed how incredibly muscular Zelos was. He glanced at Zelos' face, then stared at his hand. "I've never… It's not… I…," He tried to speak, but couldn't think of how to say what he wanted.
"From what I've heard and seen about Sylvarant, I'm guessing you never knew you didn't have to fall in love with a woman. That's okay. But Lloyd, I have to know… Do you love Colette?" Zelos asked.
"What? No!" Lloyd said, jerking his hand from Zelos' chest. More calmly, he said, "No. She's like my annoying little sister. I've never felt the way about her that she feels for me."
"I see…" Zelos said.
"…Before, when we were talking outside… Zelos, if you were destroyed, I would not be okay, I…" Lloyd took a deep breath. "I've never felt this way about anyone… Except you." He said.
Zelos smiled. "Heh. Well, you finally admit it. I've been waiting, hoping you'd feel the same way."
Zelos moved closer, until there was just a fraction of an inch of space between them. Lloyd let him, then hesitantly reached out and put his fingers through Zelos' hair.
"Heh. I've wanted to do that since I saw you." Lloyd said, smiling slightly.
Zelos grinned back, then without warning, closed the gap and kissed Lloyd.
"And I've wanted to do that since I saw you." Zelos said.
Lloyd stared at him for a minute, his face heating up.
"Come on, none of that. Not after everything you've said tonight." Zelos said.
"You're right," Lloyd said, "Why don't we try that again?"
Zelos grinned. "Gladly."
They both leaned into each other this time, and the kiss lasted longer than the first.
Pulling away, Zelos said, "It's late. We should get some rest if we're going to kick Cruxis ass tomorrow."
They both smiled, and Lloyd nodded. They stayed close together, arms and hands linked, as they slept.
-
Yes, I know, it's not that good. I'm new, I'm working on it. Review?