Just a cute fluffy oneshot. Enjoy! Don't forget to review!
It couldn't have been more than 20 degrees below zero at the Temple of Ice, and the temperature was still dropping. Lloyd Irving and his team (which consisted of the chosens, Colette of Sylvarant and Zelos of Tethe'alla, the half-elven siblings, Raine and Genis Sage, the young girl Presea, the ninja from Mizuho, Sheena, and the convict Regal) were freezing their limbs off for the sake of saving the two worlds. They were shielded from monsters in the barrier Raine and Genis had made, and they'd set up their four-room tent under the barrier to keep out as much cold as possible while they were sleeping.
"It's probably time for bed," Raine, her voice commanding. "Try to stay warm, everyone."
"Raine, who's sleeping where?" Sheena asked impatiently, tapping her foot. She was the embodiment of the entire group's feelings: tired, cold, and ready to retire for the night.
"Oh, right," Raine said tiredly. "I guess we'll split boys and girls. Regal, Zelos, you two can share a room, and Lloyd and Genis, you guys too."
"Aw, I was hoping to spend the night with my sweet little Sheena," Zelos complained, snaking his arms around Sheena and squeezing her waist from behind.
"Get the hell off me!" Sheena growled, hitting at the redhead's arms with force. Zelos unwrapped his arms from the ninja and looked melodramatically sad, pouting his lip at her.
"Settle down, you two!" Raine said sternly. "Now, Colette and Presea will share a room, and Sheena and I will share one too. Try not to freeze to death, and if you have extra blankets, I recommend taking advantage of them. Goodnight, everybody."
They all said their goodnights and separated into the small rooms of the tent. Lloyd, in his shared room with Genis, curled up into a ball on a blanket on the tent floor and rubbed his gloved hands together. Genis zipped up the door of their part of the tent, trying to close out as much coldness as possible in the tiny room. He looked less cheerful than usual, and Lloyd looked up at the half-elf, wondering why.
"Is something wrong, Genis?" the brunette asked, stilling trying to generate heat in his hands.
Genis hesitated. "No, why do you ask?"
"Usually you're running around with an ear-to-ear grin on your face," Lloyd said, keeping his tone normal.
"This room is too small to run, Lloyd."
Lloyd rolled his eyes and smiled-that was an entirely "Genis" thing to say. Genis smiled back at him.
"I guess it's just the cold," he said, sitting next to Lloyd and grabbing a few blankets. He laid them carefully over himself and the older boy, trying to create some heat.
"Yeah," Lloyd conceded, snuggling under the blanket. "I don't even think I could fall asleep at this degree of freezing."
"Ugh, my hands are frozen solid!" Genis said, breathing a hot breath into his hands and scrunching up tighter into a ball under the blankets.
"Here, my gloves are pretty warm." Lloyd said, getting ready to take off his gloves.
"No thanks, Lloyd." Genis said with a warm smile. "I'll be fine."
Even in the biting cold, Genis' smile was enough to melt Lloyd's heart, and regardless of the temperature around them, it always seemed to do just that. The older boy couldn't figure out why the younger could always put a smile on his face, and make him feel so good even when the swordsman was facing his toughest times. Lloyd had never thought of Genis as more than a good friend; his best friend. In fact, the best friend he'd ever had, and ever would have. But lately, Lloyd couldn't help but see his best friend in other ways. The cute child that Genis was before they had begun their journey, and the mature-looking, wise, silver-haired beauty that snuggled up next to him were completely different, and Lloyd was falling in love with the latter. He'd been absentmindedly looking for reasons to get close the boy lately, most of them succeeding. And when he finally realized how close he was to Genis, he would get flustered and back off.
Lloyd reached under the blanket and grabbed one of Genis' small hands, holding it tightly in his own. "See, they're warm," he said with a lighthearted laugh, looking downward at his friend.
"Mmm, they sure are," Genis said softly, looking up at Lloyd with a smile. The small half-elven boy was looking the brunette straight in the eyes, and Lloyd was captured in the beauty of this one creature.
Lloyd continued to squeeze Genis' hand, and with his other hand, he brushed some hair away from Genis' face, resting his warm glove on the boy's cheekbone.
"You're so warm, Lloyd," Genis said with a blush.
Without quite realizing what was going on, Lloyd felt himself leaning forward, as if a magnet was pulling his face closer to his friend's. He came closer to the younger boy and touched their lips together lightly. The feeling was wonderful. He put a little more pressure on the kiss for a moment, because he wasn't sure what else he should do, then pulled away. Genis' eyes were closed and he looked peaceful.
As Genis opened his eyes, Lloyd blushed uncontrollably. He mentally cursed himself for letting his urges get the best of him... After all, Genis was so young!
"Genis, I..." Lloyd said quietly, looking down into the blanket in his lap, unsure of how to begin his apology.
"Oh, Lloyd, that was wonderful!" Genis said happily. Lloyd looked at the boy immediately, looking for any signs of that being a joke. He expected the younger to start laughing at any moment.
"Wha... what?" Lloyd said, dumbfounded. Was it even possible for his friend to have feelings for him as well?
"I said that was wonderful," Genis said cutely, but a bit quieter this time. "Can we... do it again?"
Lloyd gawked. "A-again?" he asked, looking at the younger boy, who carefully removed the blankets from their laps and shuddered at the cold.
"Let's be warm together, okay?" Genis said, crawling into Lloyd's lap and snuggling into a ball. He poked his head up just far enough to meet lips with the brunette, and they shared another gentle kiss. Their lips slowly separating, Lloyd removed the boy from his lap and laid him down on a few blankets, putting a pillow under his head.
"Let's go to sleep, Genis," Lloyd said softly.
"As long as you keep me warm," Genis said, reaching his arms out for Lloyd as he laid blankets over him.
Lloyd took another pillow from the corner and laid it by Genis'. He snuggled up close to Genis under the covers, and hooked the younger boy in his warm arms.
"Genis..." Lloyd said slowly, quietly, hoping that the boy wouldn't hear him. But of course he did, he was a half-elf. His hearing was incredible.
"Yeah?" Genis asked breathily, his voice tired.
"I love you," Lloyd sputtered nervously, squeezing the small boy tightly.
"Me too, Lloyd!" Genis said happily, pressing their lips together one last time before the two boys drifted off to a warm, cozy sleep.
Aw, wasn't that adorable? Let me know how you liked it!