An unwanted side effect of staying for winter that Zelos hasn't anticipated is holiday related business. He's almost always away once December rolls around; the other people in his department are ecstatic to have him at home for once. Zelos' fanbase is a lot larger at home, only because he can interact with them on a more regular basis, so the expected business is off the charts.
The two weeks before Christmas are booked before Zelos can have a say in anything. He's set up to participate in three charity events and promote two new Christmas sales.
Ignoring Lloyd's calls and texts is definitely the hardest part; he's usually so good at responding, he almost prides himself in it. But Zelos is swamped with conference calls and ass-kissing in order to land crucial dates for public events, and by the end of the day, all he wants to do is sleep.
On the fifteenth of December, about nine days before their Christmas shindig, Zelos is out on stage decked out in full winter gear, trying his damnedest not to shiver too noticeably. A large crowd buzzes in front of him, excited to hear the details of the limited-time blow out sale. He finds it strange, really, that so many people would be interested in the sale of furniture and other practical items, but then again, who wouldn't want to see his face?
Zelos grimaces. What a fucking farce.
As he clears his throat and puts in his final effort to cease his shivering altogether, Zelos scans the crowd. While he can recognize certain faces and figures from time to time, there has never been a moment where Zelos could recognize a member of the crowd.
Zelos almost chokes on his spit when his eyes land on Lloyd. Their eyes lock immediately and a wide smile spreads across Lloyd's lips.
"You got this," he mouths, giving Zelos a thumbs up. The redhead rolls his eyes.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen!" Zelos greets the crowd, drawing their attention.
He launches into his speech with his best brand of faked enthusiasm, wearing his usual charming smile. Although the cold makes his body stiff, he gets through the presentation without making a fool of himself.
The crowd claps when he finishes. Zelos can't fathom why, but he bows nonetheless, ending it with a flourish.
He directs him to the other members of his team for questions and walks off the stage. His fangirls clamor behind him, but he dodges them and hides behind the stage equipment.
"Hey."
Zelos nearly jumps out of his skin. Lloyd just laughs at him.
"How the hell did you get here?" the redhead asks, resuming his journey away from the stage.
"You're pretty easy to track, you know," Lloyd replies, stepping into place beside him, "You are a peacock, after all."
Zelos hums in response.
"Hey, listen," Lloyd says, bumping Zelos' shoulder with his own, "Let's grab drinks."
"Mmn? Don't you think it's a bit early?"
"Shouldn't be early at my place."
Zelos whips his head around to face his companion, his eyebrows rising into his hairline. "You're joking."
Grinning, Lloyd loops an arm around one of Zelos'. "C'mon, I'll drive."
Lloyd looks down at the redhead dozing in his lap and chuckles quietly to himself. His head is light, the room isn't exactly straight, but his current object of affection is sleeping right on top of him, preventing him from making any sort of progress.
With some effort, he fishes his phone out of his pants pocket.
"hey collette you wont believe what jus hap pended" he texts. His vision shakes slightly, but he treks on.
"Is everything alright?" Her response comes within seconds.
"yeahh everythigns pefrect! me and zelos were drinkingg., it was great. hes sleepping now tho."
"Lloyd, it's only 6:00. Do you need me to come over?"
"nonono, don;t worry, wel'l be fine. really."
"Well, alright. Text me again if you need me, okay?"
"promose! byebye colettee 3"
Lloyd's phone tumbles out of his fingers and onto the floor. Swearing under his breath, he reaches for it, but Zelos' head on his lap prevents further movement. He whines quietly, then settles back with a sigh.
The redhead dozing in his lap is irresistibly adorable. His hair falls in waves over Lloyd's thighs and onto the floor, perfect, silky locks of ruby. Although Lloyd tries to resist the urge, he can't help himself; he begins to run his fingers through Zelos' hair, an easy, relaxing movement.
Listening to Zelos' steady breathing and going through the comforting gesture of running his fingers through siky strands bring Lloyd's eyelids to a close. Everything is quiet, and the warmth emanating from his companion's body is simply too cozy. Eventually, Lloyd finds himself falling asleep as well.
Zelos wakes up slowly, his surroundings hitting him one sense at a time. It smells unfamiliar, it's much too quiet, he feels too comfortable to be normal... Once he opens his eyes, he recognizes just why things feel so strange.
It seems he's landed himself back in Lloyd's apartment. His head is situated in the brunet's lap, a stray hand locked in his hair. If he tries to move, Lloyd shifts so that he is forced to stop.
It leaves him with no choice but to enjoy their proximity while he can. Zelos can't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt, however. As fun as drinking can be, Lloyd's not exactly amazing at holding his liquor, and he doesn't want the brunet to be making any rash decisions. For instance, letting them share such an intimate position. At least he didn't force Lloyd's hand into his hair...
But would this relationship ever move past a crush? They've only known each other for a few months now, and there's no guarantee that Lloyd won't just suddenly realize that Zelos isn't all that great or worth any of his time.
Lloyd's fingers move in his hair again. Zelos looks up at the younger man and sees that his eyes are twitching, perhaps struggling to open.
Sighing inwardly, Zelos decides that maybe he should have a little bit of faith.
The waiter mumbles something incoherent, using his free hand to rub at his eyes. When he tries again, he croaks, "Time is it?"
Zelos takes this opportunity to slowly inch away from Lloyd's thighs. "Here, lemme check."
"Alright."
Fingers move against Zelos' scalp, slow and quizzical, then quickly dart away. Chuckling, Zelos finally sits up, his hands digging into his pockets for his phone.
"S-Sorry about that," Lloyd murmurs, folding his hands together in his lap, "I-"
"Here," Zelos interrupts, holding up his phone so that Lloyd can see the clock on the digital display.
"It's later than I thought." Lloyd blinks, fighting back his sleepiness, as well as the blush seeping into his neck.
"Yeah."
They hold each other's gaze until Lloyd grins his wide, infectious smile. Zelos can't help himself and grins back.
"Hey, uh- Thanks for this," Zelos says, "I mean- You really didn't have to. I generally don't invite you guys to those stupid promos because they're pointless and boring as hell."
"Well, it was interesting to listen to you speak," Lloyd replies, "You're really good at that."
The redhead chuckles. "I get paid for it, I have to be good at it."
"Isn't it usually the other way around?"
Zelos shrugs. "Does it matter?"
"Guess not."
Silence settles upon them as Zelos stares at his lap. He can feel Lloyd's gaze on him, can practically hear his name on Lloyd's tongue as the younger man attempts to find something to say. The tension in Lloyd's body gives his nervousness away; Zelos would be amused if he wasn't so nervous himself.
"Zelos-"
Lloyd is interrupted by Zelos' ringtone. The redhead raises his head and exchanges a look with his companion, guilt pooling in his stomach once he lays eyes on the disappointment in Lloyd's expression. Hesitation slows his hand's journey to his pocket, but he can't stand the silence any longer.
The name on the display screen belongs to one of the men in his department. If he doesn't pick up now, he'll keep calling until Zelos turns his phone off.
"Sorry," Zelos mumbles, standing.
"Ah-" Lloyd stands up too, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's okay! Don't worry about it."
Working a sheepish smile onto his face, Zelos answers the phone. He keeps his answers curt and to the point before hanging up. With a sigh, he pockets his phone and returns his gaze to Lloyd's.
"New set of paper work to do," the redhead says, "I need to be back in the office soon."
"Oh." Lloyd bites his lip, the action catching Zelos' eye until he continues, "I can- drop you off! Since I drove you here and all."
Zelos leans in and ruffles Lloyd's hair. "Hunny, the offer's sweet and all, but you do know I have a personal driver, right? Don't worry about it."
"But-!" Lloyd cuts himself off and eventually gives a slow nod.
"Good."
Once Zelos' eyes meet Lloyd's again, he's tempted to lean in further and close the distance between their lips. Lloyd seems to be inching towards him as well, eyes still a bit heavy with sleep, lips slightly parted to let out warm puffs of air.
Zelos gives Lloyd a firm pat on the shoulder. As a second thought, he gives it a squeeze as well.
"This was fun," Zelos says, his smile soft, "I'll see you around."
It takes a few moments for Lloyd to process his companion's words before he nods. "Yeah!" Lloyd returns the smile with one of his wide grins. "Yeah. I'll- text."
With a chuckle, Zelos takes a step back. If he hadn't, he's sure he would have planted a kiss to Lloyd's cheek at the very least. Once he feels that he's at a safe distance, he gives a wave to the brunet, then moves towards the door.
