Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended as I'm only borrowing the characters in order to amuse myself. In simple terms: The characters and anime/manga plot belong to Nobuyuki Anzai, whilst the plot for this and my OC belong to me.
Warning: OC loving, swearing (on my own part), OOCness (precaution). All spelling/grammatical errors are my own. If you spot some mention them and I will fix them.
Scraggy
From beneath an emerald and khaki green ceiling of thriving leaves tangled with brown branches, Alviss found himself lounging against the twisted and curled, thick, brown roots of a tree. He eyed the speckles of blue that peeked through the thick foliage with his own cobalt eyes. He was deep in thought, neither annoyed nor minding the cool breeze that blew his midnight blue bangs across his gaze and caused his hair to tickle his own ears.
He was musing on the ways of the world. Just as he often did, now that the Chess were demolished and the Zombie Tattoo that had haunted him for the six years prior to that day wasn't tainting his pale skin like a far too prominent, crimson vein. He almost couldn't believe it as he ran his strong fingers up his own arm and examined the skin beneath his pristine, white jacket. Dear Lord… He wouldn't need to suffer from the sweltering heat of summer in the blasted garment now.
Alviss smiled at the thought, as he sat up and tugged off his jacket after yanking down the zipper, just to prove that he could. He was wearing a sleeveless, black shirt much like Jack's in style underneath. Despite how much Alviss denied it, Eris had claimed time and time again that it made him look scraggly and scrawny, like an overly tall kid ('which does nothing for our relationship' as she so often said with a sharp cackle). Alviss couldn't help it if his arms refused to bulk up despite his training (which had lessened considerably since the War). He definitely had muscle definition, he noted as he examined his arms, but they were still as skinny as they'd ever been. He scowled at them darkly.
"Alviss, why are you glaring at your arms?" A small, mouse like voice asked him from above him.
He continued musing for a moment before he turned cobalt eyes up towards the fairy girl, the twin, scarlet triangles on his left cheek squashing themselves slightly because of the smile pulling the corners of his lips up into a smile that made his face glow like a lantern within a dark room, "Do you think I have scrawny arms, Bell?" He asked pleasantly, "Tell the truth."
Immediately, Bell's head started shaking as though a woman from within Kaia thought it were a dusty mat in need of a good thrashing. Her tiny hands balled into fists and she drew them to her chest as a soft blush was brushed across her cheeks and she answered passionately, "No! You have really nice arms, Alviss! Who said they were scrawny? No one insults you with me around, Alviss!"
Alviss chuckled, as he returned to staring at the sky, and then the surrounding forest peacefully. There were a few stumps here and there from the Chess Soldier's attack on the village; however, they were healing and were now the mother of many baby vines and colourful funguses of fiery orange and an ill yellow, "Thank you Bell, but that won't be necessary." He stated calmly and politely, "There's no doubt that she said that to get a reaction from me." And he wasn't going to give her one; it was enough that she'd had him so curious that he'd examined his arms as it was.
"Eris, Alviss?" He hummed in confirmation, before Bell squeaked, "She's so mean! I don't see why you like her as much as you do!" Her blush brightened as her voice grew in volume and her chattering escalated to a full blown rant. Alviss felt sympathetic towards the tiny woman.
They'd talked about her love for him, talked for hours, though it had seemed like much longer than that whenever Alviss thought about it. It hadn't ended exactly as he'd wanted it, but after a few minutes of explaining how much she meant to him, Alviss managed to choke out his expectations for their relationship: They were friends and no more. They couldn't be more! She'd bawled and asked why, her voice loud and high pitched like the mouse he'd fished out of Eris' barn that morning by its fleshy, thin tail. Alviss still felt a spike of guilt stab his chest as he remembered his blunt answer and the consequential bout of crying it'd caused: There was no way two people of their respective stature could have a beneficial romantic relationship (and he didn't care for her that way, but Bell seemed to have missed that part of his answer as she raved about this and that and how love didn't need to be physical between them). But he'd stuck stubbornly to his words. The kind of relationship Bell was happy with was not one that he could live with for the rest of his life; he was a man and he wasn't going to deny that sometimes other parts of his body (besides his head) made decisions for him. It would be torturous for each of them to even attempt such a relationship. And he was sure Bell would be happier with a nice fairy-boy that was only slightlytaller than her and could fly into the sunset like she so dreamed they'd do.
Alviss' smile didn't falter as Bell growled mutterings over his current lover. Eris wasn't a saint; he knew that; they'd been enemies before they'd been even remotely friends, when they'd first met. Supposedly their meeting each other was entirely his fault as he'd – accidentally! – stepped on one of her saplings, too taken in by the charming scenery to care about where he was walking. He'd apologised whilst in a daze and continued to stare at the green as green trees, the carpets of green grass and moss, and simple examined their health. It had seemed as though they hadn't been touched by the war at all. Eris, however, hadn't shared his awe and had been absolutely ferocious and with her acidic tongue, sarcastic comments and her quick wit; he'd almost been winded by her words alone! Her mouth wasn't one of his favourite parts of her, he admitted with an airy smile.
Bell continued her rant from somewhere above him, leaving Alviss to his own thoughts as he hummed and 'ah'ed to whatever she was saying at intervals he couldn't keep track of. Such reactions were neither yes nor no, so he was sure she couldn't trick him into anything. Alviss hadn't known how cunning Bell was until Eris had stomped into his life.
The man's thoughts returned to his charming lover as the birds surrounding them twittered to each other contently. Eris was pretty enough with her usually narrowed, deep blue eyes and as orange as fire hair that she always kept in a single plait. An image of her sprang to his mind, as though a painter had squeezed into it and painted the masterpiece. His eyes closed as he followed the curves of her body down to her black boot clad feet. She wasn't skinny or overweight, simply fleshy which resulted in her possessing a cute belly that was encased in a white, long sleeved shirt and wide hips that were snugly fit inside an auburn skirt. Alviss was glad about their existence; he had never understood Nanashi's love for slender girls; there was nothing there to touch or to hold, just bones that were covered with smooth skin and sharp, hidden joints. They bruised him simply by sitting in his lap and he saw nothing alluring in it. Eris' tummy was his favourite part of her, perfect for petting (much to her own chagrin) and fantastic for snuggling into (which usually resulted in a calming finger or two being brushed through Alviss' unruly, dark locks).
However, Eris never liked sitting in his lap. It was a bit annoying; he'd always been under the guise that women liked to cuddle and to be held and spoilt. Eris didn't. Just like the galling woman didn't enjoy shopping; supposedly she hated the crowds and the annoying tenders who haggled until they were blue in the face. Alviss sighed mutely. She flipped and switched ideas and expectations whilst she caused complete confusion within his mind, which did nothing for the situations that plagued their not too smooth relationship.
Alviss hadn't been with many women in his seventeen years of life; two or three at random times when he'd allowed himself to get drunk off the atmosphere during a festival and his own need for human contact. But then the zombie tattoo had found its way down to his legs and he couldn't bare the thought of a woman seeing the ugly marking on him. He'd been completely celibate for basically a year and a bit before Ginta's summoning.
But it was gone now, leaving his pale skin in pristine condition and Alviss had been keen to take complete advantage of that (the first night after it was gone in fact, which was what had lead Alviss to his beliefs on skinny girls). He'd come to Kaia to get away from everyone that knew him, away from everyone that could want to be with him simply because he was a man that fought in the second War Games and helped save MAR Heaven. The villagers of Kaia, however, didn't know him. The gigantean trees blocked the view of the sun and moon from them so they hadn't witnessed his or the other warriors' fights, whilst it seemed as though they hadn't been attacked at all. To them, the Chess didn't exist and he couldn't be any more pleased with finding such a place.
"Alviss!" The shriek knocked him out of his thoughts with as much force as Gaira used to with his fist whilst he'd still been training him. Immediately, his cobalt eyes were wide as he spun to his left and spied his seemingly enraged lover striding towards him like a bull on a rampage.
He stood up and dusted himself off, his countenance calm, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he retrieved his jacket and folded it, "What is it?" He asked in a smooth baritone as she came to a halt in front of him, the one that Nanashi had claimed made girls swoon.
The top of her head reached his eyebrows, her straight fringe a mess as she raised a hand, then a finger, poked his chest with it and shrieked, "What have I told you about leaving your dirty dishes in the sink? I now have a colony of ants living there! And I'm not going to be the one that cleans them out!"
Bell beat Alviss to a reply as she swooped in front of him, her tiny face contorted into an expression of rage, "Hey! Don't be so mean to Alviss!" She yelled as she pointed at the much larger female.
"Oh," The woman scoffed with a flick of her hand as her nose rose into the air, "Buzz off. I wasn't talking to you and I'm sure your darling doesn't wish for some pathetic fly to protect him."
Bell's face grew very red, very, very fast as though she'd been stuffed inside a boiler. She growled and her mouth opened to shout a reply, but Alviss cut her off with a kind smile and a soothing tone, "Thank you Bell, but I'm fine. Will you leave us alone for a short time?" The fairy stuttered, but Alviss pushed on, gently pushing her away with his index finger, "Go on. I'll have a nice lunch ready for us when you get back, alright?" The fairy pouted and nodded dejectedly, but flew away, her head down and flight staggering.
He sighed and turned to Eris, who was looking at him with a less than pleased expression which consisted of a dark frown and a raised brow, "I was going to do them when I came back." Alviss reasoned as though talking to a raging beast that wished to each him limb by singular limb and spit whatever bones they came to at his forehead just to spite him, despite his calm countenance, "You said I could leave them there for two hours at the most, right? It hasn't been two hours."
Eris didn't look pleased as her right eyebrow rose and she snapped, "It's been three. And I was expecting your help in the garden half an hour ago." Her hands planted themselves on her wide, russet skirt clad hips as she snapped, "I may be four years older than you, Alviss, but I am most certainly not your mother. I won't be treating you like a kid, now get inside and clean out that sink!"
He nodded passively, his heart thumping with love and fright in equal amounts as he strolled to the small cottage; the attention that she paid to him was nothing like what Eris paid to the rest of the population of MAR. Usually she ignored them, but not him. Alviss knew from his own actions that her blatantly shown annoyance with him was a milestone that showed how well their relationship was progressing. Just like how he actually talked to her, not at her. His somewhat sarcastic comments like jabs with a blunt toothpick rather than a pick.
Alviss' thoughts jogged towards the cottage they were strolling too. It wasn't very big, though it possessed more than enough room for two people. The paint was peeling off the strong wood outside the house that didn't seem weathered down at all, whilst the paint living inside had dulled like a cheaply died cape. A moat of flowers surrounded it that consisted of daisies, tulips, lilies and dahlias, their colours like that of an artist's paint palette. There were other weed like things with spiky, red flowers and goldfish plants hanging off the tall vine nets that stood like a gate to the outside the world to the left of the cottage. It was sweet; somewhere he wouldn't mind living (especially when he compared it to the cheap, dusty and wind haughted inn room he was living in now).
As they continued along the dark dirt path Eris tutted and hissed at him, lecturing Alviss on his laziness and willingness to stare the day away. "It isn't healthy," she'd told him time and time again. However, there was something oddly comforting about being ordered around without that person fearing harm by doing so. Not even Alan had done so unless he was talking to the entirety of Team MAR (though Alviss doubted it was respect, not fear that had kept the older man to do so). However, her tone annoyed him more than his actions obviously aggravated her, "Be quiet," He said monotonously, "You sound like a furious wife."
His words sparked a deadly reaction, "'Furious wife?'" She repeated in mutter, "Someone's getting very far ahead of themselves. Who says anything about me marrying at all, let alone some two-faced, pretty boy like you? We've only known each other for six months!" She glared ahead of them after flinging her nose up into the air and she'd crossed her arms tightly under her white encased breasts.
"Don't call me two-faced." Alviss admonished with slight irritation.
She didn't miss a beat as she continued, "You have managed to worm out most if not all the information about my own. Even my first relationship's dismal end and yes, I know," She cut him off before he could utter a mutter, "That was caused by my own stupidity. But, it's only fair that I expect something in return." She replied without a moment's hesitation, her voice as sharp as a dagger straight from a wet stone, "Isn't that how relationships work?"
Alviss frowned as he met her gaze stubbornly. He supposed that was true. But why burden her with something that she'd never have to bother with in the first place? He didn't have the Zombie Tattoo any more; he wasn't battling the Chess either… There really wasn't much else to tell; both things had taken over his life respectively.
"We'll start at the basics, shall we?" The woman growled as she closed her deep blue eyes and huffed. Alviss watched as her fringe fluttered about her ear, as the wind tugged on it. Suddenly her eyes had opened with a flash of warning, "Where did you grow up?"
His brain stopped for a moment as he recalled all the fond memories he could from the time before the first War Games. They charged at him like angered bulls, but hit him as though he'd had extremely plush pillows pegged at his person. He beamed up at the sky as he answered, "I grew up in a town quite a distance from here. Aquartz. Have you heard of it?"
Eris's eyebrows rose as she stared up at her forehead, a hum passing her pink lips as she nodded, her sun darkened skin glowing in the bright sunlight, "It's the town from which the gems used in most of the jewellery on this world originate. Am I correct?"
Alviss nodded, "Yes. It was a beautiful town."
"It must have been with the money it would have made from the jewel mining industry that would have been there." Eris replied testily.
They travelled in silence after that brief exchange and Alviss took to admiring the landscape again. He spied red berries hanging from vines that had woven themselves through intricately tied branches and he watched with curiosity as a rodent of some sort disappeared beneath a large rock. His eyes turned so they were focussed ahead of him again. The cottage's chimney appeared over the hill the couple were climbing leisurely, "Anything else you'd like to know?" Alviss asked idly. It was odd for Eris to say something, make a point of it and leave it alone. Surely one questions hadn't satisfied her sadistic hunger for causing others to feel uncomfortable. His cobalt eyes flickered to her form rigidly set form.
"That will do for today. I don't want you straining yourself." Her tone was almost smug as Alviss glared and tried not to pout after her, his hands fisted in the white jacket that had been folded in his arms neatly, "Hurry up Two-Face, or I'll have you clean out the entire house."
"I'd like to see you try, you bitter bag." Alviss returned immediately.
His large eyes shone as though daring her to retort, which she did, sharply, "Better bitter, than scared." She replied haughtily, before she continued on her way, a cackle bounding from her throat as Alviss fumed silently, "Now hurry up! You're not getting out of righting your mistake; I don't care how scrawny those arms of yours are! I'll work you until they bulk up if I have to!"
Alviss' handsome face fell into one of great aggravation as he followed the obnoxious woman with sulky steps and a glare much like the huge bonfire Team MAR had made to celebrate the Cess Soldier's defeat. Sometimes he found that being with Bell would have been preferable; at least then he wasn't picked at like a piece of meat stuck between Eris' immaculate teeth.
He scowled, fleshy tummy or not, this relationship wasn't going to last if Alviss wasn't treated with a little more respect! That was, unless that was cake he smelt lingering on a breeze that caressed his cheeks as the heavenly smell teased his elegant nose as Eris opened the door and disappeared inside. It was of his favourite sweet: carrot cake. He scoffed to himself and smirked to himself; perhaps this relationship could work out well.
Woffy: I've just gone against everything I stand for (and made a really less than good fic whilst doing so). And I'm not sure what I did this for was worth it. You see, I've always admitted that I'm addicted to chocolate. A day without it sends me nutters and makes me paranoid. My brother ate all of the chocolate cake and I haven't had any for over a week. Not that it needs to be said; I'm effing dying. I feel like absolute shit (I said I was an addict, didn't I?). So my friend made this challenge: write an Alviss/OFC fic and be sure to make it as in-character as possible (not that the latter needed to said). Anyway… My reward for doing this (it tortured me it did): Triple chocolate fudge cake. My favourite. Mmm… I can't wait.
Also, yes, I was stating my confusion over skinny people in this fic. I believe Alviss has more sense than Nanashi; skinny people's butts hurt, damn it! They need meat on them!
Anyway (before I get into a full blown rant), reviews are appreciated. Flames included, because I'd be very close to doing the same should I have read this and someone else written it.