This was actually the first of the 30 hugs that I wrote. I love it a lot.

30 Hugs, Theme 03; Snap Snap! Photograph

Freedom

"Alright everybody!" Zelos sang as he skipped down the stairs that ran down the center of the city of Meltokio. He was almost an hour late - they should have been to at least the bridge by now. But no, he came with a large backpack full of who-knew what and carrying a black box with his butler trailing behind. "The great Chosen of Tethe'alla has finally arrived! Did you miss me?"

"No," Genis retorted with a snort.

"We should have left a long time ago," Raine said, too occupied with her own irritation to scold Genis. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave the Chosen a frigid stare. "I see you aren't much of one for first impressions."

"Ohhh, I'm sorry professor!" Zelos chirped in the sweetest way possible, ignoring the quiet "you don't sound very sorry" from Lloyd. "I was busy getting ready so I could look my best for our picture!"

"Picture?" Lloyd struggled to sound more irritated than interested, but he failed miserably. "What's that?"

Zelos' face fell into a pout. "You don't even have cameras on that hick-planet you came from?"F

Somehow, everyone managed to let the insult slide in replacement of their intrigue of the black box Zelos carried.

"Hmmm..." Raine said, barely able to contain her excitement. "It must be a creation of Magitechnology!" She reached tenatively out to touch it, only to have Zelos pull it away.

"Uh-uh! This is my special camera. I paid a lot of money for this thing you know." To the trio's disappointment, Zelos handed it back to his butler. "Do your work, Sebastian! Come on everyone!" Moving forward, Zelos caught the two closest arms to him and spun around, caught in between Raine and Lloyd who had moved as close as possible to examine the camera.

"Wha- what's going on?" Lloyd stammered, nervous and confused.

"Relax, bud!" Zelos chided, unable to hide his amusement at their ignorance. "We stand here and look pretty - which will be easier for me than for you - and Sebastian will take a picture!" Moving his arm away from Raine's for a moment, Zelos managed to maneuver Genis and Presea to stand in front while ordering Colette to sit in front with them. When she didn't, he gave up and let her stand with them, and he pulled Lloyd and Raine in as close to him as possible before Raine backhanded him to the face and pulled out of his grasp. "Ohhh" Zelos whimpered before clueing in and dragging Colette to his side instead.

"Now, say 'cheese'!" Zelos said, grinning like an idiot.

"Cheese?" Lloyd grinned hopefully, sincerely confused.

Colette - of course - said nothing.

Genis sighed. "Cheese..."

"Fermented cream," Presea stated.

Raine decided to remember now; "oh - who's cooking dinner tonight?"

There was a bright flash of light and Lloyd had his swords drawn. "Angels!"

Needless to say, it was the worst picture Zelos had ever remember having taken.

"The odds of angel prescence within Meltokio is nine-point-three percent," Presea stated.

"Nine-point-three angels!" Lloyd gasped.

"Lloyd! Did you even do your percentage homework?"

"...I was getting to that! We can't worry about that now, professor! The angels are attacking!"

"Lloyd, there are no angels attacking! It was the magitechnology!"

"This should be an interesting trip," Zelos observed with a smirk.

.x.

It was a free visit back to Meltokio when Zelos remembered the picture. Celebrating their political freedom and the safe rescue of the princess, she and the King hosted them a dinner party. Although it had been fun at the time, Zelos was exhausted. Each public appearance seemed like a masquerade, and with each passing day a forced laugh and light-hearted banter became more and more harsh on his concience.

It was late and he had just come home when he spotted the picture on the counter, coloured and bright. Their first days on Tethe'alla... Zelos couldn't resist a smile from crossing his lips as he looked down at Raine, mouth wide open in discussion. Genis was trying very pitifully to smile while he stared at Presea, a blush on his face. Presea and Colette stared blankly at the camera, expressions almost identical. Zelos' smile faded. To be an angel...

"You don't smile like that anymore," Lloyd spoke, his voice sounding out from behind Zelos, but the Chosen didn't jump as he looked down at himself. He was wearing the biggest, fakest grin he ever thought a person could muster as he hung off of Colette and Lloyd. Colette was standing as stiff and straight as if he wasn't there, but Lloyd was leaning into his tight grip - a stunned grin on his face as well. Lloyd in a nutshell.

Something had changed between then and now. Zelos could feel it, but he didn't know what it was... It was like... for the first time in his life, he had real friends rather than the girls that fawned all over him. The ones that were expecting him tonight to hop in through their windows with a rose between his teeth - just like how things used to be. He knew he could have them. He could shame them and laugh at them. They would do what he wanted... With them, he was in control. Back then, happiness was a matter of control and manipulation. Lately, he had been forgetting to do things that way.

Freedom... that was the way things should be. Free love, free laughter...

"Thanks, bud," Zelos said at length, turning to face Lloyd. They were both still wearing their best clothes, and Zelos walked forward to stand close to him. Lloyd gave him a confused look, but didn't back away as Zelos slid the picture into the waistband of his pants. "That's for later," he purred teasingly as he walked away, pulling his hair out of its braid as he went.

Left alone in the kitchen of the huge mansion, Lloyd wondered if he would ever be able to understand his red-haired companion.