Fluffy Lloyd/Colette one-shot, because the Lloyd and Colette chibis (/muses/whatever) wanted to be written about.
Kind of an alternative to "Strawberries", which I felt could be improved and so I tried to do that here :)
For Urby, as encouragement to write, and good luck for, her next fic :)
Disclaimer: No, really, I don't own Tales of Symphonia, Namco do. I just have an obsession for writing fluff about it :)
Lloyd knocked on the inn room door and smiled as the noise of excited chatter was replaced by the same voices asking who was at the door.
"It's me," he called out. "I have some hot chocolate if you fancy any."
Colette opened the door, beaming happily, and moved aside so he could enter the room, closing the door as he put a tray containing three mugs of hot chocolate down on the bedside table. He passed a mug to Sheena who thanked him but was pounced on by Colette before he could pick up another.
She made a content, happy noise as she hugged him. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her.
"You two alright then?" he asked, somehow managing to get Colette to let go of him long enough for him to be able to sit down on her bed. She settled beside him, nuzzling him affectionately and cuddling him. He wrapped an arm around her and reached for a mug with the other.
"Yeah, Sheena's been teaching me some stuff about Mizuho traditions," the blonde said. She thanked Lloyd and released him from the hug to hold the mug he passed her.
"What've you been learning about?" he asked before taking a sip from the remaining mug.
"I've been teaching her about some of the festivals, what they're about and stuff like that," Sheena told him, seeing Colette was enjoying her drink too much to be able to reply. Lloyd had put some little marshmallows in it, knowing she particularly liked that. He smiled as he saw her smiling, eyes closed in an expression of pure enjoyment, both hands wrapped around the mug.
The three of them chatted for a while then, when she'd finished her drink, Colette began to nuzzle Lloyd again. Understanding this meant she wanted to be held he scooped her up and plopped her in his lap, cradling her in his arms as she nuzzled his chest. She purred happily, feeling content, warm, comfortable and safe in her most favourite spot in the worlds.
Sensing they'd appreciate some time alone Sheena got up from where she was sitting on her bed and pulled on her dressing gown.
"You know, that drink's put me in the mood for a midnight snack, I'm gonna go to the kitchen for a while, see you two later," she said as she moved to the door.
Colette mouthed the words "thank you" as Lloyd smiled and then both of them said they hoped Sheena would enjoy her snack. The summoner winked at the blonde angel then left, being sure to carefully close the door behind her.
Colette continued nuzzling Lloyd, making content little noises, her eyes closed blissfully as she enjoyed the simple pleasure of being held by him, feeling the warmth of his body and listening to the peaceful sound of his heartbeat.
He chuckled gently.
"You planning on staying there all night are you?" he asked.
"Yes," Colette beamed.
"Silly," he smiled, moving to run his hand gently over her cheek. She liked that, his hand felt warm and also made her feel a special type of warmth inside, the amazing feeling of being loved.
He began to softly stroke her hair, quietly humming a peaceful, nameless tune as he smiled at her. She smiled back, a light blush on her face as she continued to bask in the lovely warm, content feeling she felt when he held her close to him in his strong arms.
"I love you," she sighed blissfully.
"I love you too," he smiled adoringly at her, playfully tweaking her nose. She leaned up a little to kiss his and giggled, rubbing her cheek against his. He sighed softly, his face a perfect expression of contentment.
He leaned back a little, allowing himself and her along with him to lightly fall back onto the bed. He gazed into her eyes, the deep blue orbs showing her thoughts and emotions. He knew she was anxious and perhaps a little scared about their quest to reunite the two worlds, knowing so much depended on their success, but in moments like these she could relax, forget about all their troubles and lose herself gazing back into his eyes which he knew would be mirroring the feelings of love, peacefulness, contentment, happiness and joy he saw in hers.
After a while he slowly moved his head towards hers, his hand resting on the back of her head. She had her arms and legs wrapped around him, wanting to cuddle him as close to her as she could, and now she moved with him to bring their lips together as well.
A soft, tender kiss.
His eyes had been closed as he enjoyed the warmth of being so close to her but they opened in surprise when he felt her try to slip her tongue experimentally between his lips. It surprised him because, while they'd kissed before, they'd not kissed like that, having giggled when they expressed the thought it might be yucky. But something about the moment felt right so he parted his lips a little and she returned the gesture.
The kiss was a little uncertain, neither of them having done anything like it before, but at the same time felt so right, so good, to lose themselves in.
Eventually they parted and began to giggle a little.
"Guess it's not so bad after all," she smiled at him, reaching up to gently run her hand over his face then around his mouth.
"I guess not," he beamed, mirroring her action.
They lay snuggled together, warm and content, for a while then he asked quietly
"again?"
"Why not?" she smiled happily at him, not only with her mouth but with her eyes. One of the many things he loved about her was the way that, when she was truly happy, that happiness showed in her whole face, sometimes her whole body language. It made him feel wonderful to see her happy like that. This thought lazily wandered through his mind as he enjoyed another kiss with her and then another, each more sure than the last as they learned together what felt good.
After their lips parted again she shifted a little so she could rest her head against his chest once more. She still felt that warm glow of feeling loved and now felt delightfully floaty and light as well, as though she weighed nothing and could just float, warm and peaceful, in his arms.
These sensations and the comfort of the bed relaxed her so much she was becoming sleepy. He sensed her drowsiness and offered to tuck her into her bed.
"Stay with me? Just until I fall asleep," she asked quietly.
"Alright," he smiled tenderly and snuggled underneath the blanket with her.
As he watched her slowly drift into sleep, a peaceful smile on her face, he began to feel drowsy himself. He tried to fight it but it felt so right to be curled up warm and cozy with his arms wrapped protectively around her that he too slipped into sleep.
Sheena returned some time later, slowly and carefully opening the door. She smiled when she saw the couple curled up, blissful expressions on their faces as they slept. Quietly she closed the door again and snuggled into her own bed. She reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the alarm clock, setting it for early in the morning before replacing it on the table.
She'd wake Lloyd up so he could return to his own room before the others woke up. She suspected Raine, who was still acting in a kind of teacher and custodian role, might not be too pleased to find out the pair had shared a bed together despite the fact that they'd reassure her they didn't want their relationship to move too fast and simply enjoyed snuggling together to keep each other warm.
Sheena knew that this was sincerely the way Colette felt, having discussed it with the blonde one night, and could see from the way Lloyd looked at Colette and the way he acted around her that he could be trusted.
But still, it was probably best to keep the older half-elf happy. Even though it would be difficult to wake Lloyd and then get him to move, he so enjoyed being curled up beside the little angel.
Sheena smiled at them one last time and whispered goodnight before clicking the bedside light off and slipping into dreams of what it might be like if she too, one day, had someone special to curl up to at night.