Author's Note: After getting back into Code Lyoko, I noticed a LOT of Oddlita during the series, much to the happiness of my fangirl heart. And naturally, I decided to try and write something for them. This was sitting in my folder for a long time since I wasn't ever really sure how to finish it, but I think I finally found a suitable ending. This one-shot takes place right after the episode St. Valentine's Day when X.A.N.A. attacked Aelita with the necklace. So yeah.
The story picture is horribly photoshopped by me, so please don't mind it too much.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or any of its characters.
A lone figure sat along the bench, head resting on his knees while his arms wrapped around his legs in a small attempt for comfort. He seemed deep in thought, eyes staring at the setting sun but not really seeing it. The normal smirk was long gone and instead his lips stretched in a tight frown. I shrunk back, thinking that I must be intruding, but then reluctantly took a step forward until I was by his side. If he noticed my presence then he didn't give away any signs. I shifted from one leg to another, tucking my hands behind my back, trying to think of something—anything—to say.
I studied him for a while. Blond hair was styled to an unusual spiky point, with questionable purple staining the middle. But now it seemed to deflate a little. His eyes were dull, lackluster of his usual vibrant joy and I found myself at loss for words.
"See something you like, princess?" His voice pulled me out of my deep concentration and I could feel my cheeks burn from embarrassment. At least his sense of humor is still intact.
"The sun is awfully nice, so yes I suppose I do," I answered in an even tone and shifted my gaze towards the setting star, now staining the sky with swirling purples and pinks.
He looked at me for a second before staring at the sun once more, but I didn't miss the small curve of his lips. "Guess so. Purple and pink do make a good combo." He flashed me a charming smirk. "Right, princess?"
Before I could help it, a small giggle escaped with a smile. "Of course, Odd."
Pleased with my reaction, his smirk transformed into a Cheshire-like grin. He moved over a little to the left, then patted the spot next to him. I accepted the invitation and took my place on the bench, copying his sitting position. A slight breeze ruffled our hair and made the summer heat a bit more bearable and I could only grimace at the thought of how Yumi managed to stay cool with her dark monochrome wardrobe. Then again, purple is a pretty dark shade of color too—I looked over at Odd, who didn't seem to mind the heat as much as me, still clad in a long sleeved shirt and dark purple pants. He noticed my staring once more and lifted a brow.
"Something wrong with my face?"
I shrugged before sighing from exhaustion. "Just wondering how you can bear this heat."
"Easy. I'm always this hot." He threw a wink at me and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Whatever you say, Odd." I smiled.
He shifted his stance and leaned back against the bench with only one knee to rest his chin on and the other lazily dangling in front of him. He seemed a bit uncomfortable and still concerned about whatever it was his thoughts were preoccupying. I pursed my lips, trying to figure him out. He was like a puzzle that never wanted to be solved and that's what intrigued me most about him.
"Something on your mind, princess?" He stared at me with dark hazy blue eyes, almost like a stormy night. I repressed the urge to shiver, suddenly feeling a chill.
"I should be asking you. After all, you haven't been to dinner yet and you seemed a bit off today."
It was true. The day that Odd Della Robbia skipped out on a meal was the day that zombies would take over Earth. And throughout the entire day, he was eerily quiet, still joking around and laughing but not as often and definitely not as exuberant as usual. It concerned me and Ulrich but no one else seemed to notice, though Ulrich thought that he was just bummed because of the lack of a date or two on Valentine's. But something about his behavior didn't strike me as heartbroken or miserable from any of the trivial possibilities Ulrich had suggested.
"Is everything okay, Odd…?" I tilted my head towards his direction, trying to meet his eyes but realized that he was too busy glaring at the ground.
When it became clear that I wouldn't be receiving an answer any time soon, I scooted closer to him and placed my hand on his. He jerked up and stared at our hands. Even though I knew he couldn't see it, I smiled a little, and began tracing circles on his palm. We stayed like that for a while, simply basking in the glow of the sun and each other's presence before he spoke up.
"Princess…" He croaked a bit, but I sat patiently waiting. "I…" I played with his fingers, no longer tracing figures on his skin. He bit his lip, just like he always did when he was nervous about something.
"You don't have to, you know… If you're uncomfortable then I don't want to force you…" He placed his other hand over mine, as if trying to distract himself but at the same time reassuring me. It was strange, how he knew just how and when to comfort me. And it was just a little endearing, if I admit.
"No worries, Aelita… I want to tell you…" He began tracing circles on my hand, just like I had on his. "'sides, the princess always gets what she wants."
"But what do you want?" I cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering if he even knew the answer himself.
He mirrored my expression and then let out a chuckle, empty of mirth. "Well, no one's ever asked me that before…"
All of a sudden, arms wrapped around me and engulfed me in a tight embrace. A feeling of warmth spread in my chest as I couldn't help but breathe in his scent, unique yet pleasant cologne mixed with something that was completely just Odd Della Robbia. I could already feel a wave of crimson wash over my cheeks as he buried his face in the crook of my neck and I was glad that he couldn't see it.
"Princess…" My heart fluttered. "What I want…most in this world…is for you to be safe…" I returned the embrace. His body stiffened but soon he began relaxing into it, still holding me tight. "Aelita, I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt and…and I ended up being the one that hurt you today…"
"Hurt me?" I laughed at the ridiculousness of the statement and began to feel him stiffen again, then realized that it was the wrong thing to say. I decided to explain. "Odd, you never hurt me. You save me more than anything, really." I rolled my eyes at how he could ever come up with that incredible notion. Memories of how many times he saved me on Lyoko filtered through my mind: the times he jumped in harm's way just to save me from getting hit by a laser but then getting devirtualized himself, the times he saved me from certain death in the digital sea by grabbing me just in time, the times he landed on top of me just to shield me from harm's way…
I could feel my cheeks growing warm again and a small curve forming on my lips. They were some of the best memories that I held dear to me. No matter how rough the situation got, he was always there for me.
"Aelita… I had to shoot you today… Not once, not twice, but a good eight times—"
"Is that what you've been upset about this whole time?" I felt surprised that the small incident was eating at him this much. He looked taken aback by my shock and pulled away from me, holding me by my shoulders.
"What do you mean? You say that as if it didn't matter that I hurt you." I stared into his blue eyes and for once, I saw fear. And in a strange twisted way, I was a little touched that he held such concern for my safety, then felt guilty that I was happy at his discomfort.
"You didn't hurt me, Odd… You did that today for me and—"
"No… I didn't do anything but put you in danger… I risked your life for Christ's sake!" He released his grip on me and ran his fingers roughly through his hair but only resulting in more disheveled blond locks poking in every which direction.
"I really appreciate your concern, and I think that it's very sweet of you to worry about me like that but it's nothing to get upset about, you know?" I offered him a small smile, hoping it would light up the situation.
It didn't.
"I don't think you understand… I'm supposed to be shield you from harm and protect you." At this point, he had gotten up from his seat and started pacing around the rooftop, hands firmly tucked behind his back and eyes glued to the floor. His fast steps came to a halt as he stood facing me, meekly meeting my gaze. "How can I do that if I'm the one that's hurting you?"
A gasp hitched in my breath as his words slowly sunk in. I opened my mouth to speak. Nothing came out. I tried again. Nothing came out. Real smooth, Aelita… You look like a gaping fish out of water. I took a deep breath in before exhaling, feeling my running emotions slow down and my clogged head clear up.
"Oh, Odd…" He straightened at the sound of his name, but kept his staring contest with the cement. "Even when you were hurting me, you were still protecting me…" I bit my lip, then thought it over. "If that makes sense," I gave a small chuckle and was relieved when it seemed that he was giving it some thought. "You were just trying to make sure that X.A.N.A. didn't get to me and my memories, so you did the only thing you could to keep me safe. And from what I heard from Yumi…" I trailed off, trying to force the pink out of my cheeks. "I heard that Jeremie was the one that proposed the idea and you were very defensive for my well-being…" I suddenly found the floor more interesting to look at, no longer able to keep my gaze on him.
"Well… Course I was worried, princess… I still can't believe Einstein made me do that." He let out an angry huff, and I could already imagine him crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you really alright though?" His tone quickly changed from spiteful to concerned, and my heart fluttered once more.
"Y-yeah, I am, thank you…" I shuffled in my seat.
I got up from the bench and made my way towards the gate that blocked off the roof. By now, the sun was nearly drowning into the horizon and left purple and pink to dance with each other, twisting and swirling intricate patterns into the coming night sky. My fingers met the cool metal of the fence and I imagined myself touching the wonderful shades. Odd joined me soon after, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Feeling better?" I asked, turning towards him.
He seemed to ponder about it for a moment, lips pursed in thought and eyebrows knitted together, before grinning widely and shooting me a thumbs-up. "All better, princess! Wow, you should be a nurse."
I smiled, more than happy that he was back to his old self, and most importantly not feeling bad anymore. "And you should be a comedian," I shot back, albeit a bit sarcastically.
"Hey, I try." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, then remained silent for a moment. We stayed like that for a long time, just looking out towards the sun as it started to dip lower and lower into the horizon until we couldn't see it anymore.
"Aelita…?"
I looked up. He rarely ever called me by my name. Even though he gave nicknames to everyone, he stuck with mine the most consistently, and I grew to secretly love being called 'Princess'. "Yes?"
"I… I um…" He shifted awkwardly, and I couldn't help but wonder what's got him so flustered. "Well, I know that it's not as great as the necklace you thought Jeremie got you… Who knew X.A.N.A. had good taste?" He smirked as I shot him a look. "Well… Here. I um…wanted to make your first Valentine's Day special…" he paused before pulling out something from his pocket.
I gasped. It was a simple charm bracelet made of silver. There were only a few charms on it, but it was beautifully enchantingly nonetheless. It was held together by an infinity sign, with an angel wing and blue sapphire stone attached to one end, and a little charm that had the letter 'A' engraved in it.
"Odd… It's…gorgeous…" I breathed, at loss for words. When I looked back at him, I saw a genuine smile on his face and I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh Odd… Thank you…"
"I'm really glad you like it," he said before taking my hand and putting on the bracelet for me. "Happy Valentine's Day, princess…"
My heart skipped a beat and I was sure that my face was as pink as my hair. "Happy Valentine's Day, Odd…" I lifted my wrist to inspect the new addition before smiling at him. "But you know, as beautiful as this bracelet is, it isn't the best Valentine's gift I've gotten."
His face fell a little but then he quickly recovered. "Oh yeah? What would that be?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pocket once more.
I grinned. "The best Valentine's gift is my knight in shining armor saving me."
And as he looked at me, I secretly wondered who needed the sun when they had his smile.
Sorry the ending was really rushed, but I had no idea how to end it... I really hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Criticism is much appreciated. Thank you for reading!
ღ Shadow of the Eye