Homecoming
. o .
This isn't a love story. It isn't even close.
He thinks he loves one of the girls who are sleeping upstairs.
…Still, Genis would kill him if he walked in now.
None of that changed anything, though. What mattered was that he had just splattered Presea's pigtail with a handful of flour, causing her to spin around in surprise. She lost her faraway expression as the flour settled into her hair, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.
Lloyd wondered at his errant thoughts and his sanity, but didn't have long to ponder either – what had to be a twenty-pound bag of flour was hurtling towards him, so he did what any sensible person would do. Steadying his hands, he vaulted over the kitchen island behind him and ducked.
He also spluttered as the bag collided with the wall behind him, its contents covering him completely as the sack split apart in a blinding cloud. "P—Presea," Lloyd stuttered, spitting out flour as he stood up, "you're supposed to throw handfuls of flour. Not – phtooie – not the whole bag!"
From where she stood on the other side of the counter, Presea tilted her head inquisitively. "This is… more efficient," she said softly.
He could swear she smiled as she said it – barely a smile; hardly the beam that was Colette's signature or the curved smirk that always meant that Zelos was up to something – but it was a start. Looking around the kitchen, which was covered in flour from the oven to the countertops to the windowsill, Lloyd sighed. It looked as snowy inside as it did outside; there was no way that this was going to be cleaned up by morning.
But before he could throw the handful of flour he had collected, in retaliation for Presea's attack, the loud buzzing of the oven timer indicated that the cookies were finished.
Right. The cookies were the reason that he and Presea were covered in flour at some ungodly hour in the morning. Sort of.
If someone had told Lloyd three weeks ago that he would be sequestered in the kitchen of the Tethe'allan Chosen's manor, baking cookies and having flour fights, of all things, with an axe-wielding young girl, they would have been met with incredulous laughter.
Yet here he was, carefully batting away Presea's curious grasp as he pulled the tray out of the oven, his hands protected by threadbare towels. He'd have to mention that to Zelos; for a guy who was so meticulous about his own appearance, it was odd that these towels were so old. They were easily the oldest thing about the entire room, which sparkled brightly in the way that showed it was never used. It seemed the Chosen ate out a lot, and Lloyd sighed as he set the cookie tray down on the counter.
Thoughts like that reminded him of the relatively quiet life he'd lived in Iselia. It had been nowhere near as grand as these bright clothes and sparkling lights in Meltokio, but it had been comfortable, and Dad – Dirk – Dad-who-was-not-Kratos – and he wasn't going to think about that right now – always had something on the stove; stews and soups and what Lloyd knew now was relatively simple fare. But it had been tasty, and sure wasn't as haphazardly cooked as the food had been during their journey. Sure, life had been boring in Iselia sometimes, but…
For example, fancy dinners like the one they had all just returned from were okay, but the food was sure strange… When he had stumbledsleepily into the kitchen, causing Presea to look up from the cup of tea she had cradled in her hands, he had blamed hisinsomnia on the appetizer from earlier that evening that Genis had called 'caviar,' but hadn't admitted that it was composed of fish eggs until after Lloyd had swallowed it.
Lloyd had chased the younger boy halfway around the grand ballroom in playful fury until they'd collided with Professor Raine, who had seized them quickly. Ignoring the fact that she had two of the worlds' saviours under her arms whose delicate pride might have been at stake, the professor had hauled both Lloyd and Genis out of the room by their ears. Once they were clear of the ballroom, Raine had drawn herself to her full height and scalded their ears in a different way with her carefully chosen and quietly biting words.
What hurt, Lloyd thought as he dug through the cabinetry for a spatula, was that the Professor had been right for the most part. Even though they'd been in Tethe'alla for what seemed like months, they still were guests, she had scolded, and should behave accordingly. He froze, surprised, as Presea tapped him on the shoulder and handed him the tool he had been looking for. "Thanks, Presea," Lloyd said, taking it and starting to flip the cookies onto a plate. "I didn't know, um, that you were too familiar with cooking stuff."
"I observed the others on the road when they took their turns to cook, and it is not difficult to guess what you required, Lloyd." Whisking the filled plate from his hands, Presea walked to the table, stirring up tiny clouds of flour with every step. Sweeping off the seat of a chair, she curled up in it, wrinkling her nose at the layer of flour that had settled over her cup of tea. "Hmm," she murmured. "Perhaps you were right about not throwing the entire bag."
"You bet," Lloyd replied, rubbing a hand self-consciously through his hair. "Is it ever messy in here! But I guess I deserved it, huh? Besides, like Zelos said, his house is our house while we're here, so he can't get too mad." Following her to the table, Lloyd pulled out a chair, collapsing onto it and snatching a cookie. "Mmph," he said around a mouthful of chocolate and cookie dough, "these are actually pretty good, hey? Think that Regal and Genis would let us cook sometime?"
Presea nodded demurely, finishing her cookie before answering. "We shall have to leave some of these for them to sample… and then, perhaps they will."
Grabbing another cookie from the plate, Lloyd leaned back in his chair. "Sure thing… Say, Presea, why're you up? I mean, I told you why I couldn't sleep – fish eggs just shouldn't be eaten like that, right – but why weren't you able to sleep?"
"I… do not need as much sleep as everyone else," Presea answered. "It is why I normally take the last watch when we are on the road, as by that time I am fully awake." Despite her statement, the little axgirl yawned.
Lloyd grinned. "Except when you don't sleep at all."
Slowly, she nodded. "I suppose that you are correct." Taking another cookie and tucking it into the little pouch at her waist, Presea stood. As she reached the door, the axgirl turned around, and her smile was small but undeniable. "Good night, Lloyd… and thank you."
"Sleep well, Presea; we've got a busy day tomorrow…later today, whatever." Returning her smile, Lloyd waved from his spot at the table before returning his attention to the plate of cookies and his cup of hot chocolate, piled high with half-melted marshmallows from Zelos' stash. She's still a little strange, he thought to himself, but Presea's really a sweet girl.
As he took a look around, however, Lloyd cringed with the realization that Presea was also sneaky – she had waltzed out of any cleaning up, which the kitchen needed desperately.
"Darn it," he cursed to the empty room. "How'd she do that, anyways?"
The kitchen had no answers for him.
Petulantly eyeing the broom standing in the darkest corner of the kitchen, Lloyd sighed as he finished his hot chocolate. As he set down the mug and trudged across the room, Lloyd chuckled wryly.
He could have sworn that all the heroes he'd heard about never had to do housework…
. o .
we're anything brighter than even the sun
(we're everything greater
than books
might mean)
we're everyanything more than believe
(with a spin
leap
alive we're alive)
. o .
…f i n i s…
. o .
Sabe's Scribbles: A belated Merry Christmas, Pearl – your giftfic is here at last! All the best in this new year, and I hope you enjoyed my twist on Lloyd and Presea. (Hurrah for unapologetic fluff!)
Disclaimer: The characters and locations mentioned within this story belong to Namco, and the verse at the end is part of one of e.e. cummings' poems (which lacks a formal title, unfortunately.) Comments and concrit are always welcomed.