A short, pointless, fluffy one-shot featuring Lloyd and Colette. Set a fairly long time after the game.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers about what happens to Colette on the journey of regeneration.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. I believe that Namco own it. I'm just a rather obsessed fan who likes writing pointless fluff about it.
Colette had once said that she liked the cold. That had been a long time ago, on the journey where she had discovered what it was like to lose the ability to feel, sleep and speak, to lose what made you human piece by tiny piece.
She had appreciated the cold once her soul had been returned to her because it reminded her of what it was like to be able to feel. Cold flakes of snow landing on her skin, the wind playing with her hair. Even after all the time that had passed since the journey had ended she still liked the cold for the same reason, she would never forget what it was like to not be able to feel and because of that experience she would always appreciate having her soul returned to her.
There had been another reason why she had liked the cold that also still applied today. When she got cold it was always nice to warm up beside Lloyd afterwards. Lloyd always felt warm to her, a special type of warmth that seemed to reach the very depths of her soul. Playing in the snow at Flanoir until she felt she couldn't get any colder then going inside to snuggle beside a fire with Lloyd, a warm mug of hot chocolate each with a blanket wrapped cosily around their shoulders still felt as amazing now as it had when they had first done that.
There had been no snow today but they had spent time playing in the cold rain together. They had been walking home when a sudden downpour had begun. Because they had not been far from their home they had decided to enjoy the weather as they had become soaked in what had seemed like less than a minute anyway. Villagers rushing by, eager to get out of the rain, had paused in bemusement as they spotted the two adults jumping into puddles like little children.
After a while they had decided that it was time to go home. Smiling softly at Colette Lloyd had shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her before putting an arm over her shoulders. Although some might have said such a gesture was soppy, something that one might find in an old fashioned romance novel, Colette appreciated it. She liked it when Lloyd lent her some of his clothes, they always made her feel safe and comfortable and had a pleasant familiarity about them.
She sighed contentedly and nuzzled Lloyd affectionately. He sleepily smiled at her, playing with her hair. She yawned and snuggled up to him underneath the blanket, thinking how nice it was to sleep beside him in such a warm, comfortable bed.
She would, she thought, always enjoy chilly weather as long as she could warm up with Lloyd after she had been out in the cold for as long as was comfortable. She looked deeply into his eyes, letting herself become lost in the warmth and tender affection within them. She smiled and she knew, with an absolute certainty deep within her soul, that he would always be with her and would always be happy to share his warmth with her.