Fic for the day three prompt of Colloyd Week 2023, "Kiss/Confession".
Another post-game fic set in the same timeline as the other post-games fics I've written where Lloyd and Colette are living in Mizuho (but it could be set anywhere where they're living together).
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.
Lloyd looked over in the direction of the kitchen as he heard Colette call his name and answered with a friendly "yeah?" to let her know that he could hear her.
"Do you know what happened to the last of that first batch of cookies we made? The ones with the pecans rather than the walnuts in them?" she asked.
Lloyd thought about it for a moment, a slight frown crossing his face.
"Aren't they still in the cookie jar?" he asked.
"Nope, can't find any of those, just the rest of the second batch," Colette called back in reply and although he couldn't see her Lloyd could tell from the tone of her voice she'd probably shrugged slightly as she'd answered.
"Never mind, I'll just have some of the second batch. It's a shame though, I was saving the last of the first one because I thought they were even tastier, the dark chocolate chips added a nice, different flavour. These are still really good anyway," Colette said as she came back into the room with a few of the cookies on a plate. "I wonder what happened to the others though. Did you manage to pinch them Noishe?"
Colette looked over at the arshis as she sat down, giggling softly as he pulled an indignant face and gave a quiet, little huff-whine.
"Well it's not an unreasonable question, you have done that before," she said, giving him a gentle pat on his head. "But it would be difficult for you to have gotten into that jar without it being obvious you had, so not you. Hmmm. Maybe it was a summon spirit or a Centurion, I wonder how easily they could appear in the kitchen unnoticed."
Colette tipped her head slightly as she looked over at Lloyd and spotted that he looked both a little bit unhappy and a bit guilty.
"The ones with the dark chocolate chips were the first batch ones?" he asked quietly. His face fell when Colette, who had started chewing on a cookie, nodded.
"I'm so sorry, it wasn't Noishe, or anyone sneaking into the kitchen, I got mixed up with which ones were which and ate the last of them by mistake," he said, wringing his hands a little.
"It's OK, I figured that was what had probably happened," Colette smiled and leaned over to give him a light kiss on his cheek. "You can make it up to me by making another batch of them soon."
She giggled as Noishe's tail wagged enthusiastically, making a soft, gentle thumping noise as it hit the floor.
"See, the judge agrees that's a suitable punishment," she laughed.
"That's not fair, he's biased and will always try and do whatever he can to get more biscuits. And why does he get a say in the first place anyway?" Lloyd huffed playfully.
"He gets a say because there was a chance he'd be falsely accused of a theft he didn't commit," Colette answered, looking over at Noishe as he gave a firm, positive woof followed by a small growl.
"I think that means if you keep complaining you have to make two batches," she said, trying not to giggle.
"Now who's trying to get more biscuits?" Lloyd laughed, moving to hug Colette and blushing slightly as she held out a cookie for him to take a bite from.
The couple shared some of the cookies on the plate but turned away from it when Lloyd moved to show Colette his progress on the small carving he'd been working on. Noishe playfully snuck over and quickly snatched the last cookie from the plate, dashing off with it in his mouth.
"HEY! Noishe!" Lloyd yelped.
"It's alright, I think he deserves it as an apology for being included in the suspect list earlier," Colette giggled. "No point in chasing after him anyway, he'll have eaten it all before you catch him."
"Eh, you're right," Lloyd shrugged. "I'm sorry again about finishing the last of the ones you were saving."
"It's alright, although I definitely think you should make another batch," Colette replied.
In the distance Noishe barked a happy, affirmative bark.
"What makes you think you'll be getting any of them?" Lloyd yelled playfully in the arshis's direction.
Colette just smiled, giggled then kissed him again.