Disclaimer: Why do I have to do this again? Oh yea, that's right, it's because I'm only 13 and therefore can't afford to be sued… sigh… I don't own Tales of Symphonia, or any of its characters. But my birthday is August 15th, so can I have Zelos? Pretty please?

Chapter 8: Feelings Voiced

Lloyd's POV

The next day brings hope. Zelos is up and moving, talking clearly, no sign of a fever. It's almost as if he was never sick at all… Some of the others are starting to believe that the Chosen was faking the whole thing, but I know he wasn't.

And se we, ourselves, are sitting in the living room of Zelos the Chosen's gigantic mansion, debating over when to continue.

"We have to go to the Tower of Salvation, to end everything once and for all. We can't just wait around forever! The longer we wait, the more people will have to suffer!" says Sheena. All of us nod in silent agreement.

"We don't forget that we still need to stock up on supplies, as well as Zelos' gald, while we're still here in Meltokio," Regal adds. "That is okay with you, Zelos, right?"

"Hmm… on one condition. We have to… take a vacation!"

Everyone, even bubbly little Colette, looks at Zelos like he's crazy.

"What do you mean! Oh, sure, let's all take a vacation and let Mithos run rampant while innocent people are suffering, just so that we can relax! What are you thinking! Besides, what do you call all of this time we've spent trying to get you and Lloyd better?" demands Sheena. She really does have quite the temper, at least when it comes to Zelos…

"A time of rest and regeneration. And since I was sick the whole time, I wasn't having any fun! Vacations require a certain amount of enjoyment to be called vacations.

"Look at it this way. If we are all tired, stressed, nervous, weary, and all that good stuff, do you really thing we can take on Yggdrasil? He's strong, guys, stronger than anyone else we've defeated. If we don't have all of our energy, he'll kill us all, and how would we help return the world to its original state if we were dead?"

He does have a point.

"Well, then, where do you propose we go for this… vacation?" asks Genis is an insecure, undecided voice.

"To Altamira, of course! Fancy hotel, nice casino, amusement park, and plenty of hot babes all around!"

For some reason, that last comment struck a nerve that it shouldn't have.

All of us sigh except Colette, who now seems nothing but happy at the thought of a break, but we all accept it as inevitable. After all, it is his money… The now beaming redhead flies up the stairs, muttering something about needing to pack. I decide to follow, if only for lack of better ideas.

When I enter the room, it appears empty of all idiot Chosens. I step farther into the room, looking around in every nook and cranny. When I open the closet doors, an unidentified flying object launches itself at me, toppling us both onto the plush violet rug. Luckily I realize that my so-called 'attacker' is actually Zelos, before my instinct kicks in and tells me to kill him.

I blink my eyes momentarily as my feeble mind tries to figure out what just happened, and why there's an annoying red-haired idiot on top of me. So… Zelos was hiding in the closet. When I opened the door, he jumped on top of me, and is now… huggling… me. Yes, huggling, with his legs on either side of me, arms wrapped around my waist, head lying on my chest. More blinking on my part. The redhead then lifts himself into a knelling position, straddling my hips, and leans down, lowering his lips onto mine. For the third time in only a few days, I find myself being kissed by Zelos Wilder.

"Mmph!" I mumble as I push him off. It felt so good… but it shouldn't have. It should have been horrible, disgusting, revolting—but it wasn't. And that scares me. Things like this have been happening more and more often lately; three kisses with this man (that was my first kiss, too!), and a very sensual wet dream.

Why Zelos? He's not exactly what I would normally call 'my type.' In fact, up until now, I thought I was straight… So why now, why him?

It seems that Zelos, still on top of me, face mere inches from mine, has noticed that something is not quite right with me. "Is something wrong, buddy?"

It takes me a minute to gather up my eclectic thoughts before I reply. "Yes, Zelos, something is wrong! You're wrong, I'm wrong, the whole fucking world is wrong!" I shout, voice growing in volume with each word.

At this point, the redhead has crawled off of me and is reclining back on his arms, eyes blinking in bewildered confusion, while I stand straight up.

"And you know what else is wrong, Zelos! I don't care! Everything is wrong with everything, and I don't give a flying rat's ass! Why is this happening…? What's wrong with me…?" These last two sentences are spoken in a mere whisper. Tears trail down my face, not heeding any warnings thrown from my brain, which has failed me in more ways than one.

Finally I plop down onto the floor again, pull my knees up to my chest, and let the sobs take over my body. Stupid teenage angst/hormones.

I soon feel a pair of warm arms wrap around my huddled body, and a head come to rest on my trembling shoulder, making me cry even harder.

I have no idea how long it takes, but soon I manage to calm myself down, breathing deep, though still shaky, breaths.

"Lloyd, I have no idea what exactly is going on here, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you. You're my best friend, and I care about you. A lot."

The redhead squeezes me one more time before letting go and forcing me to uncurl. He grabs my hand and lifts me to my feet before embracing me tightly once more. I put my arms over his, which are wrapped securely around my chest, and clasp our hands together. The seconds tick by, but I never want to let go. It's hard to push away my doubts, but for this short time I want to simply indulge myself in the warm embrace of the one I… love.

Zelos finally releases me, and I sigh contentedly, albeit quietly. "Sorry, bud, but I've still gotta finish packing. I'd assume we're leaving shortly for our vacation."

I blink for a moment, as I've been doing a lot lately, and then nod, exiting the room. When I'm out of earshot I bang my head solidly against the wall, just once, for impact. How could I have let this happen? How could I have fallen in love with Zelos, the Chosen, playboy extraordinaire? My idiotic, stupid, lazy, arrogant best friend? Fate is obviously out to get me.

This vacation to Altamira could be a very dangerous circumstance indeed.

TBC!

Okay, okay, I know Lloyd's been acting rather OOC, but you gotta remember that he's still a teenager, so most likely would have problems with teen angst, y'know? So please don't hurt me!

Anyways, R&R! You know you want to! I love getting reviews… I'm a review-aholic.

BTW, this story, so far, is 13 chapters and going! I expect it to be around 15 or 16 by the time I'm done.