Author's Note:
I don't own Xenoblade Chronicles and all characters belong to their rightful owners.
This is mostly set pre-game, it's spoiler free. And the - - - are time jumps, as if that wasn't obvious. Happy reading!
The usually quiet Residential District of Colony Nine resounded with the shouts of children. Two yelled at each other in a heated row concerning the third.
"Shulk likes me best!"
"No way! Shulk likes me better!"
A girl and a boy bickered back and forth, while Shulk stood offset but in between the two. Shulk glanced at the two with wide blue eyes.
"Reyn! Fiora! Please stop!"
"Shulk, you like me better, just say it," Fiora insisted. She put her small hands on her equally as small hips and pouted at him.
"Ain't no way you like her more than me." Reyn countered. His brown eyes cast a glare in her direction.
"I-I-um…" Shulk clasped his hands together nervously and looked frantically between them.
"Pick me!" The two demanded in unison, which ignited another exchange of words. Shulk looked on and tears bubbled in his eyes. The tears burst out and he cried, unable to make a decision.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" A familiar voice spoke and Shulk felt a weight of a hand on his golden hair. Reyn and Fiora fell silent. Shulk looked up and smiled despite his tears.
"Dickson!"
"What could you kids be arguing about that would make Shulk cry?" Dickson asked. Reyn and Fiora spoke at once and neither of them could be understood. Dickson silenced them with a look before kneeling down next to Shulk. "What's wrong?"
"Fiora and Reyn wanted me to pick which one of them I like the best." Shulk explained through his sniffles. Dickson nodded and turned back to the two.
"You're all friends here. Don't go trying to play favorites. Don't go doing something like this again. You're only making trouble." Dickson scolded them.
"…we're sorry, Dickson…" Reyn muttered as he looked at the ground.
"Yeah…sorry Shulk." Fiora braved a glance up at him.
"Good. Run along home now." Dickson instructed. The two scurried away with their heads hung low. "Come on, Shulk, it's time for dinner." Dickson lifted the sniffling boy into his arms and started back towards their home.
A few days later, the fight had been mostly forgotten, and Shulk and Reyn played together once more. Reyn had been invited over for a sleepover at Shulk's house. The two romped around for the day and retired inside after dusk had fallen. They built a fort in Shulk's living room (with Dickson's help) out of pillows and blankets. The space inside was small, only large enough for the two of them to sit close together. A single flashlight (belonging to Shulk) lit the space. The bulky yellow lamp sat up between them.
They talked in hushed voices, knowing that Dickson was only a room away. Shulk stuck his head out of the fort to make sure no one was in the room before telling Reyn.
"I have a secret and you can't tell anyone."
"I won't tell. I ain't no squealer." Reyn nodded and leaned forward expectantly. Shulk cupped a hand around his mouth and whispered.
"Reyn, you're really the one I like best. I didn't want to make Fiora mad. Don't tell her! It's a secret!"
Reyn's mouth fell open in surprise.
"Really?" The word came out loud and Shulk shushed him quickly.
"Yes. But you have to promise not to tell her."
"I promise." Reyn nodded vigorously. He grinned and leaned closer. "I've got a secret too. I like you best."
Shulk smiled widely.
"I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"I know," Reyn stuck out a pinky and held it forward. "Let's promise to like each other best forever."
"I'll always like you best." Shulk linked his pinky with Reyn's. "Always."
The two smiled at each other and relished their secret promise.
'- - -'
Puffy white clouds rolled across the blue sky. Two boys laid in the grass and watched them go by. Reyn and Shulk laid side by side on one of the hills around Colony Nine. They were at the awkward age where the opposite gender had sparked some sort of fascination in them, but the fairer sex was still considered a strange thing to keep at a distance.
The two discussed the girls that were in their class. Labels were cast; annoying, funny, cute, plain, and hot. The last adjective only used for the one particular girl who had managed to mature quicker than the others. However, one adjective ruled over them all and the boys easily deemed all girls as such: weird.
After a brief peal of laughter, Shulk glanced over at Reyn.
"Do you like any of them?"
"Who? The girls you mean?"
"Yeah."
"Hell no."
Shulk laughed and grinned widely. He held up his arm and stuck out his pinky.
"Reyn, I still like you best."
Reyn smiled and knew exactly what his best friend was talking about. He reached up and linked his pinky with Shulk's. Their hands were bordered only by the blue and white patchwork sky.
"I'll always like you best. Always."
'- - -'
Reyn leaned in the doorway of the lab as he waited for Shulk. He stood in his Defense Force uniform. He heard voices coming from down the hall and he looked up hopefully. Shulk walked toward him with Fiora at his side. Reyn frowned a little upon seeing her. The two greeted him warmly and Reyn smiled back. Fiora quickly dismissed herself, having to cook dinner for Dunban, and retreated back down the hall. Shulk leaned against the opposite side of the doorway.
"What's up?"
"I wanted to talk to you about something." Reyn started weakly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Shulk…It's about that promise we made."
"Which one? We made a lot of promises."
"The one about always liking each other best. It's okay that you broke it. I-"
"What? When did I ever say I broke it?" Shulk furrowed his brow in confusion.
"It's Fiora, you love her, don't ya?"
"Love Fiora?" Shulk blurted incredulously. "What would make you think that?"
"I don't know." Reyn shrugged helplessly. "It just looked like it."
Shulk shook his head. He held out his hand and stuck out his pinky. Reyn immediately linked his pinky with his. Suddenly, Shulk pulled him forward and placed a kiss against his lips. Reyn flushed immediately but recovered from his shock to return the kiss. After a tender moment the two pulled away. They stood close, their foreheads almost touching.
"I could never love Fiora. I'll always like you best." Shulk admitted in a whisper.
"Always." Reyn breathed the word against Shulk's lips.