The sweater lies draped over the back of a chair in Zelos' bedroom. Zelos stares at it from across the room, buried in blankets up to his chest to fend off the morning cold.
It mocks him from a distance. It would definitely help with the cold, but Zelos can't. He can't.
No one's looking. But- he still... He still can't. That'd be the most cliche thing he could ever do, and that's saying something seeing as Zelos isn't one to shy away from the classics.
He sinks a little lower into his nest of sheets. No one would see him. No one would care. It'd just be him and that sweater in all of its softness and warmth. Zelos can still remember the scent of it, too.
Frowning, Zelos pushes the blankets away from his body. Immediately after doing so, the cold assaults his body, drawing goosebumps to the surface of his skin, his hair standing on end.
No one can see him, and that's the only comfort he has as he dashes to collect the sweater. Once it's in his grip, he rushes back to the spot of warmth in his bed, clutching the pullover to his chest.
There's nothing particularly special about it aside from the fact that it's Lloyd's. It's lovingly worn, too, and as it falls over Zelos' bare chest and arms, he can just imagine what it'd be like to be surrounded by Lloyd's soft warmth.
It's pathetic, but Zelos has already come to terms with the fact that he isn't anything close to what others make him out to be.
Comforted by warmth and softness and faint hints of Lloyd, Zelos is content to melt into his sheets and sleep the day away. It's only two days before their party and his holiday has already started; he might as well start it right.
Unfortunately, his phone starts ringing from its place on the nightstand. Zelos grumbles as he reaches to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Yo, Zelos, it's me!" Zelos immediately recognizes Lloyd's voice. "Let me up, I'm at your condo."
Zelos' blood runs cold despite the warmth cocooned around him. "Wh-What? Why?"
"You left your suit jacket in my car. I texted you I was on my way over, didn't you see?"
Evidently not. There's no point in checking the validity of his claim now. "Does it sound like I saw them?"
"I dunno, does it matter? Just let me up." Lloyd pauses. "Oh my god, did I wake you up? Were you sleeping in?"
"No," Zelos groans, reluctantly untangling his legs from his blankets, "You just caught me off guard. I'll let you up in a sec, okay? What a pain in the ass."
"Hey, I was trying to do you a favour!"
Sighing, Zelos walks over to his front door. "Yeah, I know." He presses the buzzer to let Lloyd in and tells him his room number. "You're annoyingly nice, did you know that?"
"Damn right I am. I'll see you soon."
Lloyd hangs up. Heaving another sigh, Zelos pulls at the sweater with two fingers, lifting it from his chest. Taking it off means giving into the cold. It would crawl under his skin, over his flesh, taking over his body. It means letting winter win, and going back to sleep would be futile.
Three knocks echo through the room. Zelos shoves his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants and drags the sweater over his head. Approaching the door, he folds it and peers into the peep-hole in order to identify his visitor.
Lloyd stands on the other side of the door, suit jacket over his arm. There's an earbud dangling from his neck, the other snug in his ear, and he taps his foot in time to the music.
Taking one last deep breath, Zelos brushes his hair out of his eyes. No doubt that's a mess, but he doesn't really have the time to deal with it now.
He opens the door.
"Hey," he says, drawing Lloyd's attention immediately. "I got something for you, too."
"Hmm? What's that?" Lloyd's eyes start at Zelos' face, but they don't stay there long. They drift over to Zelos' hair, then down his neck, his chest, and further downwards.
Part of Zelos is tempted to say 'eyes up here' for the sheer irony of it, but ultimately, he decides against it. Instead, he opens the door wider and steps back.
"Just come in already, geez."
Lloyd's gaze rises to meet Zelos'. "Oh, ah- it's okay if, uh- I mean, you know, I'm just here to drop this off, you don't have to."
"Do I look that awful that you don't even want to come inside?" Considering that mess of a reaction, Zelos can't tell if Lloyd is really impressed or really unimpressed with his appearance. "You drove all the way over here, you might as well."
Lloyd blinks wide eyes. Again, his gaze starts to drift over Zelos' person, but halfway down his stomach, Lloyd snaps his chin upwards. It's such an exaggerated motion, Zelos can't help but lift an eyebrow.
"Uh, you okay, Lloyd?"
Pink floods Lloyd's face. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine! I'm fine, totally... yeah. Uh. Here." He sticks his arms out and his earbuds fly off his shoulders. "Shit."
Lloyd swoops down to collect them. Hastily, he shoves the wires into his pocket with one hand, his other hand still occupied with Zelos' suit jacket.
Wearing a crooked smile, Zelos accepts his jacket in exchange for the sweater in his grip. "Here. You forgot about this, too."
"Oh! Right." Lloyd bows his head to examine the sweater. "Was it- Was it good? I mean, did you-" Cutting himself off, he mumbles something incomprehensible under his breath. "Holy shit."
Zelos dumps his jacket on the nearest surface and approaches Lloyd. He pats Lloyd's shoulder, then his cheek.
"Earth to Lloyd. You in there?"
The contact stuns Lloyd into wide-eyed staring. It's not much of an improvement from his previous state.
"I'm sorry, you just-" Lloyd clamps his eyes shut and hugs the sweater to his chest. "You- You look..."
There's a chuckle on the tip of Zelos' tongue as he responds, "Good enough to eat?"
Lloyd's eyes snap open and he nearly drops the sweater. "Zelos! S-Seriously?"
"What? It's either that or I look like shit. I'm going for the better option since I'm such an optimist, you know."
Lloyd's ears are bright red by now. "I..." His eyes dart to Zelos' and his brows draw together. "I'm- I'm just... I'm just gonna go now. Thanks for the sweater." He takes a few quick steps backwards and bumps into the doorknob. Wincing, he steps around it. "See you later!"
There's no time for Zelos to respond; Lloyd is already out the door by the time he finds his tongue.
That... Well. There aren't many words Zelos can use to describe that. Weird, mostly. Unexpected. A little shirtlessness is all it takes to get Lloyd tongue-tied?
Just as Zelos moves to close and lock the door, he feels pressure from the other side. His brow furrows as he opens it instead.
Lloyd surges forward and grabs the back of Zelos' neck with his free hand. When he pulls, Zelos doesn't have the mind to resist, allowing Lloyd to bring their lips together.
It's sudden, it's a little messy, but it's Lloyd cascading through Zelos' senses like a tidal wave. His breath rattles out of his lungs through his nose and suddenly he forgets how to breathe.
When Lloyd draws back, Zelos stares down at him, chest heaving with shallow breaths.
"Zelos," Lloyd says, his voice rough around the edges and cracking slightly, "Zelos, I- God, I've been- for so long," he pauses to swallow, and Zelos can hear the hitch in his breath, the movement of saliva down the muscles in his throat, "I wanted to do that for so long, you know? I..."
"Lloyd," Zelos whispers, "Lloyd, what the hell are you- what the hell are you talking about?" His own voice is raspy and it sounds so foreign to his ears. He speaks a little too fast, he's unsure if his tongue kept up with his lips and teeth.
"Zelos...?" His name sounds weak on the wisps of Lloyd's breath. Lloyd shakes his head and lets his hand drop from Zelos' neck. "What I'm saying is- I like you, Zelos. Like... More than a friend."
This- no, this isn't happening. Zelos takes a step back from Lloyd. Panic is quick to set in Lloyd's expression.
"Zelos?" he asks again.
Zelos shakes his head. "Lloyd- Lloyd, you don't know what you're saying," Zelos says, his tone firmer than he expects it to be when it leaves his mouth, "Sure, I flirt like crazy, but that's just- You're not supposed to take that seriously. You're not- you're not serious."
"What? I don't get it." Lloyd takes a step forward and Zelos takes a step back. Lloyd's eyes widen as he stares up at Zelos, shoulders slumping. "But you- You always-"
When Zelos shakes his head, he can can feel his hair go flying. "I'm an idiot, remember? I'm an asshole. I do things for the fun of it. You can't honestly think of dating someone like me, can you?"
A moment of quiet fills the room with thick air. Zelos fights to regulate his breath.
"Zelos," Lloyd says again. His voice is soft and disarming, crawling up Zelos' arms to settle heavily on his chest. "Of course I can. You're not an idiot. I mean, you are, but, you know, so am I."
"You're... not an idiot," Zelos murmurs, hanging his head, "You're dense, but you're not an idiot. Don't make a stupid decision, Lloyd."
"I'm not-"
"I think you should leave," Zelos interrupts, "I... I've got stuff to do, you know?"
Lloyd stares up at him, his mouth pressed into a firm line. His hands crumple up the sweater and his shoulders tremble. There's an instant where Zelos feels the air move, as if Lloyd means to come closer, but the feeling passes just as quickly.
Lloyd turns on his heel and walks out. The door shuts with a click and Zelos inhales sharply, loudly. His blood boils in his veins and he wants to feel something break in his hands, but he won't, he's better than that. He moves to lock the door, then presses his forehead against it.
He's an idiot, a fucking idiot, but at least he made the right decision.
