Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Tales of Xillia or that of What Starry Eyes Know. This version is (Two Door Cinema Club v. Ellie Goulding) - Neon Hitch. Wasn't even sure how to the whole song disclaimer thing, feeling pretty dumb, oh well I got the point across. I don't own, I don't make money, I think we're good.
Author Note: Never done a Song Fic. before, but I just had this song stuck in my head and this scene just came to mind.
And I can tell just what you want
You don't want to be alone
You don't want to be alone
Leia hesitated where she stood staring at his back. She hadn't been able to sleep so she had gone for a walk. She hadn't expected to find him out here, but that was Alvin. He was always doing things that she didn't except. Just like in Hamil. The swings were still as there wasn't a breeze to speak of, Alvin had walked passed them to stand at the railing and look down at the other buildings. His red coat was on and she could just see his black scarf peeking out from behind the collar.
It was her first night in Elyompias, or rather her first night staying with Alvin and his cousin, she had really been here for awhile now. When she had arrived in this city, in Trigleph, she had gone straight to where Jude was staying. Commandeering his living area had been easy and he hadn't minded. He actually seemed to enjoy her company. They had spent many hours talking about Leronde, even though she had sent him countless letters, but still those weren't the same. She had told him about her journey and he had told her about the research he was doing. The foolish, the childish part of her, had thought that maybe he was starting to see her as more than just a friend.
That idea had been shot down when he had informed her that he was having company. The company had been in the form of an attractive blonde with big, for a lack of better word, bazoonga's and bright blue eyes. She had been dressed real nice and Leia had looked dowdy standing next to her. At that moment Leia had never felt more like a child. She may have passed her off as a friend, but with the way the woman flirted over supper and the way Jude blushed, Leia could not deny the obvious. She had barely gotten through the meal without throwing the pitcher of wine; the woman had brought a lovely vintage. Leia had been far more tempted to throw things at Jude then at his companion. Instead she had remained silent and pushed her food around.
Handle bars,
And then I let go,
Let go for anyone
When Jude had been out in the hall saying good bye to the girl, no women, Leia had taken the opportunity to gather up the few things that she had and waited for Jude to come back inside. She had to wait a good while, she did the dishes. When Jude came back inside she was sitting on the bench with her bag by her feet.
"Leia, what's going on?" he asked, "Where are you going?" He generally seemed confused, but then Jude tended to miss the obvious, especially when it came to girls. Leia had thought that she liked that about him, but now she just found it annoying. She hid that behind a smile and stood up. She wasn't going to act like the hurt girl, not anymore. She had watched him fall in love with Millia, and she wasn't going to watch him do whatever it is he will do with this girl.
"Oh nothing, I've just overstayed my welcome. At the lodge there was always those couple of people that you wished would just leave, and I'm not about to be one of those people," Leia said with a grin. In reality she wanted to say that he was a big jerk and that she didn't want to be near him anymore or else she may hurt him. While she had done that to him as a child, she wasn't a child anymore, or at least she was trying to be more grown up.
"You can never overstay your welcome. I enjoy having you here," Jude said wondering if he had in any way done or said something that had made Leia feel unwelcome.
"Oh I know," she said with a wave of her hand and picked up her bag. "Still I feel that it's time that I stayed at an inn. I'll stop by tomorrow to let you know where I end up." Leia didn't wait for him to respond but instead gave a wave good bye and walked out of the apartment. She didn't stop moving until she had gotten to the first floor and stepped outside into the rain. Rain? When had it started to rain? Maybe when she had finally let go of the idea of Jude?
She knew that she should keep moving, but instead she just stood there and let herself become drenched. Leia didn't want to go to an inn. She didn't want to be alone. Her feet took her to the only place that she could think of going. It wasn't far just a couple of blocks. The elevator ride up to his floor seemed far too long, especially with her heart pounding so loudly and the drips of water that fell from her to the floor. Still that ride was nothing compared to the walk down the hall and stopping at the last door on the left. A brief look out the window showed that the rain was starting to lighten up. It would figure that once she was inside that it would start to stop.
Take me in, and
Throw out my heart
And get a new one
Biting her lip all she did was stare at the door. Could she really do this? It didn't seem like it the more she stood there. Maybe she should turn around and head to an inn. Still even as she thought that she didn't make a move to leave.
Eventually though Leia's legs grew tired and she found herself sitting on the ground, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She wasn't sure what she was doing. This was all just so crazy, why was she just sitting in front of somebody's door? All she had to do was knock or go away. Why couldn't she seem to make any important life decisions? All it seemed like she did was wait around for something to happen. Was that all she could do? Respond to life?
Before she could think of a response to her internal questions, the door in front of her opened and revealed a set of legs wearing brown pants and scuffed up shoes. It took Leia a moment to process that she was in fact no longer staring at the door and raise her head to look at him. Alvin was looking down at her with a small frown on his face. Leia gave him a smile as if the situation wasn't odd.
"I'm not sure I ordered a teenage girl," he said. He only gave the bag at her side a casual look, his full focus remaining on the girl sitting on the ground.
"The best things are never asked for," Leia said with a confidence she didn't particularly feel.
"True," he said with a nod. "Then I won't ask you to come in,"
Leia laughed at that, which only had Alvin smiling. He reached down and picked up her bag with one hand and the other he left in front of her.
Next thing we're touching
You look at me it's like
You hit me with lightning
When she placed her hand in his it was like a shock. He was warm and his whole hand enveloped hers and it was like they had one interconnected arm. Leia looked up into his brown eyes and saw the worry, but most of all she saw hope. It was so strong that it felt like the feeling was warming up her body and she found herself squeezing his hand and in a moment she was standing and they were only a few inches from each other.
Hit me with Lightning (x4)
Leia didn't look at his face just at his chest, wondering if his heart was pounding as hard as hers. If his body felt as alive as hers, the source of energy radiating from where they still touched. She wasn't sure why she did it, maybe it was just because it was right there in front of her, or maybe she was just disoriented from being so close to him. Regardless of the why, her free hand reached up and placed it on his chest. Her smile felt real when she did feel the beat.
And I can tell just what you want
You don't want to be alone
You don't want to be alone
When she did look up at him it was to find that he had closed his eyes. He looked so different; it was almost like she was seeing him for the first time. Then again maybe she really was. There were no lies between them this time. This was just Alvin, plain and simple. Or maybe it was Alfred. She wanted to reach up and touch his face, but that seemed wrong. This all seemed off and so she did the only thing that she could do at the moment. She let her hands fall from him and took a step away. Her face must have been a darker red then his coat. He didn't say anything but instead turned around and walked into the room.
Leia followed him closing the door behind her. She looked around the rooms and was thankful to find that it was empty. She didn't know if she would have been able to have looked at Balen without stammering about what had happened when she had no idea herself.
"Where is Balan?" Leia asked trying to get things back on a normal level; whatever normal was. Alvin nodded to the closed door to the washroom. Even now Leia was able to hear the shower running and felt silly for not figuring it out. She went over and sat down on the bench and instantly stood up once more when she saw the trail of water that she had left behind her.
"Oh I'm so sorry let me clean that up," before she knew it she was running around and mopping the floor, and then doing the dishes that were in the sink, making tea, and just straightening up the place.
Alvin watched with wide eyes as the girl ran around the room doing this and that and never seeming to stop for a breath. He thought about trying to stop her, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words. If she stopped then they might have to start talking and he wasn't sure he knew what to say. He didn't know what had happened in the doorway and he needed some time to sort it out.
And I can't say it's what you know
But you've known it the whole time
Yeah, you've known it the whole time
He ran out of time to think as Leia had brought over tea to the small sitting area just as Balan stepped out of the washroom. The man was fortunately wearing a robe and didn't even seem remotely put out that there was a girl in his apartment.
"Ah Leia it is good to see you again. I had heard from Jude that you had come to visit," Balan said happily accepting the cup that Leia handed him. He took a seat in a single chair as Leia was already sitting on the long bench. Alvin had been sitting at the desk, but moved to join them and take his own glass. Not one to be called a coward he plopped himself down right next to Leia and stretched out his legs so that they brushed against Leia's. He watched as she turned pink and tried to scoot further away from him. It was rather amusing and he found himself enjoying her cute reaction.
"Yes, I needed a bit of a change from home," Leia explained.
Balan nodded, "And you are staying with Jude?" it wasn't an accusation just a simple question.
Alvin having already been watching her could see the reaction she had to Balan's question. The first flash of hurt, the shame, and then the most surprising was the anger. The anger was gone just as quick as the other emotions and replaced with a look of doubt.
"Ah yes I was staying with him, but…" she trailed off with a shrug and a glance over at where Alvin had dropped her bag near the bed.
Balan never a slow man followed Leia's look and took in the situation instantly. "It is no trouble for you to stay here, as it is you are already a better roommate then Alvin,"
"Hey, I do my part," Alvin protested, causing Leia to laugh. The rest of the evening was filled with pleasant conversation and the topic of why Leia had left Jude's was left untouched. Not that Alvin needed to ask, he knew why she was here. Even if he did know the why of it, he was still surprised that she had come to him when she could very well have gotten a place to stay at an inn.
Leia was given the bed to sleep in, which left Alvin in the awkward position of having to sleep right next to her, if only on the floor. His bed had already been set up when she had shown up and Balan had already started setting up the extra mattress where they had taken tea. Still since Leia didn't say anything, he didn't either, but after the lights had all been turned out he stayed awake for hours.
So we burst into colors,
Colors and carousels,
Fall head first like paper
Planes in playground games
Sleep came somewhat, but it was troubled and only a few hours passed and Leia found herself staring up at the ceiling with blurry eyes and unable to convince herself to close them again. Turning on her side to look across the room her eyes instantly fell to the ground where Alvin should have been. Instead the light blanket had been thrown to the side and the thin mattress had been left empty. Confused she looked further up and saw that Balan was fast asleep, but other than him the apartment was empty. She didn't even see any light coming from under the washroom door.
It only took her a moment to throw on some clothes and put her headband on. She was just going for a walk, and if she so happened to find Alvin as she did so, well it would only be a coincidence. It wasn't a very good lie, but that was ok, it was only a lie to herself. Balan remained asleep as she closed the door to his apartment behind her.
Leia tapped her feet impatiently as she waited for the elevator doors to open on the ground floor. She wasn't sure why she was in such a hurry, but she felt like she had to move quickly. Which she did all the way outside and that's where she stopped when she saw him.
The moment of hesitation passed and she started foreword again. Alvin turned around just as she reached the swings. He didn't seem surprised to find her out there. He just gave her an unreadable look and he reminded her of the Alvin that she had been so afraid of. The one that kept secrets, the one that lied, the one that shot their friends in the back. She wanted to step back and away from him, to go back up to the apartment and hide under the covers.
That was what children did, Leia said to herself. With a great deal of determination and a smile on her face she straightened up and started towards Alvin. He remained where he was leaning against the railing and only looked down at her when she was standing a few feet away from him.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked, wishing that he would give her one of his classic smirks.
"Wondering why you're here," he said.
"Oh," she mumbled looking away and not sure what to say.
"Finally realized that Jude isn't the guy for you?" he asked and his tone was anything but pleasant.
"No," the words were whispered, her voice too low for him to hear.
"What?" he asked, "You haven't realized that Jude isn't the perfect wonderful guy that you thought he was?"
"No!" Leia shouted glaring up at him. "I already knew that," she went back to the whispery voice, but this time Alvin did hear.
"So what are you doing here?" he asked again.
"I don't know," she answered. Alvin snorted at that and turned back around so that his back was towards her. The sun was just starting to come up casting a dark orange glow around him.
"Go back upstairs Leia. Children need to be in bed at this hour," his voice was slightly muffled, but Leia could clearly hear him as if he had yelled.
"I'm not a child," she said angrily grabbing a hold of his shoulder and yanked him around so that he was looking at her again.
Next thing we're touching
You look at me it's like
You hit me with lightning
Before she knew what was happening he had grabbed a hold of her and yanked her foreword. She landed with a thump against his chest, and her breath came out in a gasp. She didn't even have a chance to say anything for Alvin was leaning down and kissing her.
Hit me with lightning (x4)
It was a harsh and demanding kiss, unlike any that Leia had ever had before. The two boys that she had kissed before had been sweet and gentle. Alvin made sure she knew exactly who she was with and that he was in control. Her hands were gripping his jacket afraid that if she let go she would fall to the ground. She couldn't even think, all she could do was react. And her reaction was to push her lips just as harshly against his, Leia was not going to allow him to control her.
And I can tell just what you want
You don't want to be alone
You don't want to be alone
When the two of them broke apart they were both panting. Leia leaned her head against his chest, but kept her grip on him firm. When she had come down looking for him this wasn't what she had thought would happen. She felt Alvin's hand trail up and down her waist and it felt rather good. It felt even better when one of his hands moved farther up and into her hair. Touching the dark strands, his fingers just grazing her head. He stopped though as he touching the headband and in a second he was tugging it off and holding it in his hand.
And I can't say it's what you know
But you've known it the whole time
Yeah, you've known it the whole time
"I'm going to keep this," he said and she can hear the rumble in his chest as he does so and it amuses her.
"Why?" she asked not particularly caring. It was her favorite headband the one that she had saved ages for, but at the moment she couldn't understand why it was so important.
"A reminder," he answered and the headband vanished as he placed it in one of his pockets.
And I can tell just what you want
You don't want to be alone
You don't want to be alone
Leia pulled away from him and looked up at his face. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't closed off anymore. She thought he looked rather handsome.
"Why are you here?" the question again, and this time Leia knew why he was asking.
"You know why," she said her hand touching his scarf, thinking.
"Say it,"
"Will you give me this?" she gave a tug on the scarf.
He gave her a raised eyebrow, but he nodded all the same. He loosened the knot and raised it over his head and just as easily placed it around her neck. He took the time to adjust it so that it fit properly around her. His hand remained on the silk fabric as he waited.
And I can't say it's what you know
But you've known it the whole time
You you've known it the whole time
"I don't love Jude." She finally put words to the thought that she had been wondering about ever since they had all last fought together against Gaius. It was just hard to let go. She had lived with this idea of loving Jude for so long that it had taken her awhile to realize what she should have known all along.
This time when she looked up at him he was smiling. Alvin took a brief moment to pull her closer using his old scarf and kissed her. This time it was sweet, yet just as passionate.
"You're kind of slow you know," he said pulling only slightly away from her lips.
"Just a bit lost," she mumbled closing the gap briefly before he pulled back again.
"And now?"
"Now," she repeated with a glimmer in her eyes, she pulled back and away from him. She started walking back to the entrance of the building. She didn't look back and even though she couldn't hear him as he moved; she knew he would follow her. "I've won a scarf. I'm pretty set," his laughter followed her inside and she smiled.
