Field Testing and Chemistry [HUNT][Private w/Lloyd]

[ A Continuation of "When Flowers Bloom"]


The sun was shining rather early the next morning, it was only 9:00 AM and it coasted through the blinds of Lloyd's dorm room. Fleur, who had collapsed in his arms and fell asleep the night prior slowly started to stir. She yawned and sat up, still tired she didn't realize right away that she wasn't in her own room. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, she noticed that she was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, her cardigan was folded neatly on the bedpost and her shoes were also placed neatly at the foot of the bed.

'Lloyd...' she thought, she glanced over to the nightstand still half asleep, a piece of paper was scrawled on the desk, she picked it up still half asleep.

Good morning Sleeping Beauty, I hope you slept well. Sorry for not bringing you to your room like I said I would, but you fell asleep before telling me where to go, so I brought you here instead. Don't bother to wake me up when you do, you probably have better things to do right now and anyway I sleep like a log generally. So have a nice day, I'll catch you later!

- Lloyd ~

She reread the note again as her brain started to final process what had happened. She placed the note down and her eyes scanned the room, in the corner was a couch and on the couch was a sleeping Lloyd. Fleur slowly walked over to him and just looked at him sadly for a moment, she brushed his hair slightly before moving back to the center of the room. She could just leave... she thought about. After all, she had Lloyd's number so it wasn't completely leaving him if she just sent him a quick text when she got back to her place. Fleur walked towards the door and was about to open it when she heard voices outside, it sounded like a few students were moving in across the hall, she froze. This was a guy dormitory! She couldn't just walk out and leave! Fleur retracted her hand from the doorknob. No escape now, she briefly considered waking Lloyd up but thought against it when she peeked around the corner of the room again at his sleeping form. Fleur decided that she probably should at least wash her makeup off from yesterday. Fleur walked into Lloyd's bathroom and was happily surprised to find it orderly and clean, her stereotyped images of guys didn't help her low expectations.

"I definitely found a winner..." she mumbled  to herself as she grabbed a tissue and wetted it, she carefully wiped off her remaining eyeliner and slowly removed her lip gloss which was barely still on, probably from the kissing and from sleeping in it. After this process was complete she gave herself and good look in the mirror. Her hair was completely messed up, her bedhead was the absolute worst! She groaned in frustration as she knew her only solution would be a shower. Fleur glanced at the shower and then walked out of the bathroom at Lloyd was still completely knocked out even with the faucet running for 8 minutes. She frowned as she still heard the mover inners outside, she didn't understand how Lloyd could sleep with that racket. Fleur finally looked at her outfit, her leggings and tank top would still be almost perfect clean considering they both had layers over them the other day, she looked back at the shower. A shower sounded really refreshing... he wouldn't mind? Would he? Would that be weird? Probably not... Fleur silently debated this for a minute or so before giving in, whatever, she would just close the door, it's not like she didn't have clothes to wear. She quickly stripped and hopped in the shower, starting it.


Roughly 20 minutes Fleur stepped out, she was dripping wet, obviously. She grabbed a nearby towel, she really hoped she wasn't being a creepy and overstepping Lloyd's hospitality. She wiped off her hair which while still completely soaked at least laid flat. She listened to the door inside the bathroom, Lloyd didn't sound up, she quietly opened it, she was towel wrapped and walked outside. She walked over to Lloyd's bed and grabbed her cardigan just to have it. Fleur returned to the restroom and dressed in her leggings and tank top, she thought about her jean shorts and decided against it, this was only temp wear until she returned to her own room anyway.

'Now... time to wake up Lloyd...' she thought. Fleur's hair was still wet and she was freshly showered so she defiantly looked nice or as nice as she could look without makeup. Fleur tip-toed towards the couch. She looked at him, still fast asleep. She giggled slightly, she lightly shook him and kissed his forehead.

"Wake up sleepyhead!" she said. Hopefully, he didn't mind such a wake-up sight, girlfriend freshly showered... she doubted it.

It was going to be a bright sunny day if Lloyd judged by the rays of light that were entering his room. He could also know that it was going to be an awesome day. While he wasn't sure of what would happen he knew that he would enjoy it. Slowly waking up, he stretched and yawn silently as his squinting eyes were roaming the room. Seeing Fleur's shoes still right next to his bed, he figured that she hadn't left yet, but he couldn't see her in the bed or anywhere else. It's at this moment that his sleepy self began to hear the shower running which made his brain completely wake him up in a second as he lifted himself from the couch he had lied down all night. He listened carefully to confirm that it was indeed Fleur that was in the next room and was sure the moment he heard a faint humming. He simply smile before rubbing his eyes and lying back on the piece of furniture he was on. He didn't mind at all that she was using his shower, after all he thought about letting her know on the note he wrote the day before that she could actually use it if she needed, but refrained to for some reason. It didn't really mattered now anyway and he simply stayed there waiting as he would need a shower as well when she'd be done.

It's then that he heard that the water had stopped, meaning that Fleur was about to get out soon, but sooner than he first thought she did, and wearing way less that he thought she would as well. With his eyes half closed Lloyd could clearly see her forms covered by the towel she was wrapped into as she traversed the room to get her cardigan before going back in the bathroom, probably unsuspecting that he had woken up. He faked being still asleep as he didn't want her to freak out from him seeing her clad in only a towel, although she wouldn't have been able to blame him since she's the one who decided to walk back in the room "dressed" like that. The sight did put a smile on his face of course, which guy wouldn't have seriously. Fleur was very beautiful, both inside and outside, which only made her even more precious to him.

Still lying on his couch and pretending to sleep, Lloyd heard Fleur come out of the bathroom once more and this time she was fully dressed, minus the jeans short that she had yesterday. She approached him in his "sleep" while giggling, shaking him before kissing his forehead so he would wake up. Grabbing her lightly and pulling her closer in a little surprise attack, he brought in for a long good morning kiss. "You're calling me a sleepyhead? Should I remind you of what happened yesterday Princess or the note did it already?" He chuckled before brushing her still wet hair a bit while looking into her eyes. Even without makeup she was still as beautiful he thought while smiling to her. "I hope you you slept well and that you left me some warm water, cause now it's my turn to go take a shower. I would have taken it before going to sleep, but I didn't want to wake you up."

He kissed her once more before finally standing up from the couch, stretching properly now before her walk to his dresser to pick a new set of clothes. When he had everything he needed he looked back at her with a smile. "So, you'll stay here waiting for me or you'll head of to your own room? Because if you wait we could go grab our breakfast together if you want." Giving her a smile he walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him before undressing and stepping in the shower and turned on the water.

Fleur squeaked in surprise as she was dragged onto the couch into a kiss by Lloyd, of course, she didn't try and resist.

"Are you calling me a sleepyhead? Should I remind you of what happened yesterday Princess or the note did it already?"

Lloyd lightly brushed her wet hair, which reminded her that she would have to style it before too long.

"I hope you slept well and that you left me some warm water, cause now it's my turn to go take a shower. I would have taken it before going to sleep, but I didn't want to wake you up."

She giggled.

"Of course, I d-did!" she responded, he got up and headed towards the bathroom. She heard him say something about grabbing breakfast together, she responded with "OK!" She would just change back into her normal attire once that was over. Fleur heard the shower start. She grabbed her scroll and used it as a mirror, quickly touching up anything that seemed out of place. For such a shy girl, she cared a good deal about how she presented herself, this was just something ingrained into her brain through various slaps and knocks on the side of the head when she was younger. She used to resent it, getting ready in the morning, it reminded her of bad times, but over the month's things had gotten considerably better. And now considering she had a handsome guy less than 100ft away separated by a wooden then glass frame, she typical tried to care more.

Fleur thought back to the previous day, how amazing it was, she always thought back to just this morning. Lloyd totally did surprise her, not that she minded the kiss to start the day. He must have woken up when...she...started...the...oh no. She turned a bright red as she remembered her less than clothed display after her shower. How embarrassing, she really hoped he didn't see that. Fleur shook her head, she just wouldn't bring it up, it was an irrational fear, they were dating now... it wasn't a big deal...

Lloyd didn't take too long in the shower, about 15 minutes and he was already done and was drying himself with the towel before remembering. He always only had one towel at a time in here, meaning that he was using the same towel Fleur had used. He didn't know if it was something weird to think about ot not but shrugged, it was just a towel after all. When he was done drying himself he dressed up, only to notice that he must have dropped his shirt when he got in the bathroom as he couldn't find it anywhere. Exiting back into his room where Fleur was, he tried to look around to find his shirt. With his two tone hair still half wet and shirtless, he looked at Fleur with a smile before picking up the piece of clothing that was on the floor.

Without his shirt, Fleur could easily his mech arm completely, showing that it started at his shoulder and prolonged itself to his chest and back. The metal appendage looked pretty sturdy and seemed to sink into his skin where it was connected. It wasn't the prettiest scar, but he thought it was better than missing an arm. He put on his shirt, a black and red one with long sleeved, before he looked at Fleur with a smile. "Alright, ready to go? I figured we could go to the cafeteria, grab our food and then eat outside, like a picnic. Would be a waste to not be outside with the current weather. Any thoughts Princess?"

He walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and held her against him while looking at into her eyes. "Also, did you have any plans for today? Because, I don't know for you but I'd like to spent it with you. Yesterday was so amazing, I'd like that today be the same. How does a long walk in Finnek Forest sounds like? It could be fun, don't you think?" Giving her his usual soft smile he awaited her answers, but not without stealing a kiss from her.

When Lloyd stepped out of the shower and stepped into the main room Fleur couldn't help but stare, his well-toned body and his unique addition caused quite a sight; a sight she definitely enjoyed. He slipped on dark red and black long sleeve on and Fleur was slightly disappointed, even as shy introvert of a girl, she was a girl and seeing someone like that was a treat no matter how you swung.

"Alright, ready to go? I figured we could go to the cafeteria, grab our food and then eat outside, like a picnic. Would be a waste to not be outside with the current weather. Any thoughts Princess?"

The food was free in the cafeteria and it wasn't half bad, she shrugged happily. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned her head back into his shoulder. She sighed and relaxed her own body. She turned her head so she was looking into his eyes.

"Also, did you have any plans for today? Because I don't know about you but I'd like to spend it with you. Yesterday was so amazing, I'd like that today to be the same. How does a long walk in Finnek Forest sounds like? It could be fun, don't you think?"

She smiled, she would have liked nothing more, to be honest.

"I-I would love that..." he stole a quick kiss that turned into a very skewed definition of "quick" as she prolonged it. She broke off and smiled. "After breakfast, however, I need to c-change and grab a few things from my r-room. Is that o-ok?" she asked him, she spun out of his grasp like a dancer mid turn and stood little ways away from him smiling.

Lloyd smiled as Fleur seemed to enjoy the way he was holding her right now. He was also smiling because he did noticed the way she had been staring at him when he got out of the shower without a shirt on, which also made him chuckle a bit. As she agreed to his plan and kissed him back, his smile grew larger before she began to spin out of his grasp. Holding her hand as she did so, he decided to spin her once again and pulling her back into a hug, although this time he was hugging from behind, his head over her shoulder as he rubbed their cheeks together. With a smirk on his face while looking into her eyes, he whispered "Say, what were you staring at just now? Something you liked, hm? You clearly seemed happy about something, if you tell me what it is, who knows, maybe it'll happen more often."

With a teasing tone to his voice he chuckled before kissing her cheek and releasing her from his arm before putting on his shoes. "And of course we can stop by your room after eating. It is Finnek Forest after all, we'll have to bring our stuff just in case. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to my little Princess." He then offered his hand while smiling. He still couldn't believe the luck he had to have met Fleur. He still was grateful to whoever had brought the storm that day they met. It nearly seemed like it was to good to be true, like a long and pleasant dream. If it was one, he never wanted to wake up, sleeping into eternity seemed great if he was with her. Lloyd stood by the door waiting for his girlfriend to be ready before they would leave for the cafeteria.

"Say, what were you staring at just now? Something you liked, hm? You clearly seemed happy about something, if you tell me what it is, who knows, maybe it'll happen more often."

Fleur blushed, she had been caught! She thought she had made her eye moment a little less conspicuous. Lloyd spun her back into his grasp, she let out a "MmMmmm" as their cheeks touched. Lloyd pulled back and kissed her were his own cheek once was. She returned the favor on his other side. After Lloyd let go of her arm, he went a slipped his own shoes on, she did the same.

"And of course, we can stop by your room after eating. It is Finnek Forest, after all, we'll have to bring our stuff just in case. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to my little Princess." She teasingly rolled her eyes at this comment, she channeled her aura in her arms, her arms glowed a whiteish/yellow hue, a small little show before she let them return to normal color. She giggled at her own little display, no words were exchanged, just a quick kiss and a wink before she headed towards the door.

The people who seemed to be moving from earlier had taken a break or finished because they were nowhere to be found. Fleur waited for Lloyd and they held hands as they walked down to the cafeteria.  





The cafeteria was a large multiple windowed room with black and white tile. When Fleur walked in, Lloyd in tow, they could smell breakfast, bacon, pancakes and coffee fill her nostrils. The room was actually kind of busy as many students were coming back from summer vacation now. Fleur looked around, being around so many people made her slightly uneasy, she tried to remember she sang for a crowd roughly this size just the day before but she couldn't convince herself to feel better. She took a deep breath.

'Lloyd's here, deep breath, it's fine...' this seemed to calm her down as they entered the line. Fleur wasn't super hungry and just grabbed a bagel and cheese. She disconnected from Lloyd who would still be ordering.

"I'm going to find us a place to s-sit. C-come find m-me when you f-finish." she squeezed his hand one last time before wandering off to find a place to sit. As she saw an open section of a table near the back of the room, she felt eyes on her, she was too far from Lloyd at this point for him to be staring but when she stopped and looked around, everyone was engaged in their own conversations. Fleur shook her head as she sat down, she was just being anxious...her hair was finally it's normal color as it dried, she tied it into a ponytail and started spreading her bagel waiting for Lloyd.

Lloyd chuckled at Fleur's little aura display as it was clear that she didn't fear any Grimm that would happen to show up and ruin their walk. He didn't know what was her Semblance though, only that it had to involve her arms by how her aura flared around them. The glow was nice to look at by itself and really enjoyed looking at it. His own Semblance wasn't doing anything special when activated, only a dark red blur around the surface he'd select, whether it be his hand the floor, etc. He would return her kiss before following her.

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Lloyd let Fleur drag him around, not because he didn't know where the cafeteria was but more because he loved seeing her pulling him by the hand, he found it pretty adorable from her. As they entered the large room that was filled with early birds having their breakfast. He scanned the area a little before her and his girlfriend got in line to order their food. Of course Lloyd noticed that she was a little nervous right now, being in a room full of people and tried to reassure her with his presence by squeezing her hand gently before she squeezed his in return before leaving to find them a place to sit. He nodded before watching her go, keeping an eye on her as he ordered a plate of crepe that came with maple syrup.

Joining her shortly after she had sat, Lloyd sat himself right next to Fleur on her left before placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're alright? We can go eat outside if you want. He didn't want to force her to stay here if she didn't want to and even if it would be harder for him to eat in comparison to her, he didn't mind as long as she would feel better. He knew that she felt better when he was around, but even he probably had his limit to how much he could help with her anxiety. It made him wonder if there was anything he could do to help about that, just in general. It's not like they would spent everyday of their life together anyway, he knew he wouldn't be around all the time to help her even though he wish he could. There had to be a way to help her, and he would try to find it one day. Maybe starting by knowing what made her so shy and anxious in the first place was a good start? Now wasn't the time though, he'd need to wait for another time.

He looked at Fleur as she tied her hair into a ponytail, smiling before commenting. "Again with that pretty hairdo of yours Princess?" The second he called her Princess, silence fell around them as people turned to stare at the two. Lloyd blinked as he looked around wondering what had happened before everyone began whispering about the couple. There was nothing bad said between all of them, just comments on how cute they looked together along with some jealous things. The two tone haired guy scratched the back of his head before smiling with a sorry look on his face as he turned to Fleur. "Sorry... I think I attracted a little bit of attention to us..." He chuckled lightly and innocently, feeling bad about it.

They had been seated and Fleur was munching on her bagel slowly, she had Lloyd's hand on her shoulder. She slowly just ate, in silence. Fleur knew that overcoming her fear of being in groups would have to be resolved by the school year, classes would be starting soon and she wouldn't have Lloyd next to her at all times, even with they were dating, separation was inevitable at some point.

"You're alright? We can go eat outside if you want."

She looked at her new boyfriend and smiled, he really was the best thing that had happened to her since arriving in Bellmuse, she didn't understand how she of all people got so lucky. Lloyd was really attractive and sweet. He coulda had any pick of girls probably but he asked her, she felt so warm inside when she was next to him. Fleur smiled and nodded at his concern.

"I-I'm fine. T-thanks though" she returned to her food and thought about the upcoming time they would have in Finnek Forest, would they encounter any trouble? Would they just have a lovely stroll together? She preferred the latter of course but something tugged her gut that it wouldn't be the case.

"Again with that pretty hairdo of yours Princess?"

Lloyd's comment snapped Fleur out of her daze... and everyone else's. An awkward silence filled the table they were at, students were looked at the pair and Fleur turned bright red.

"They look so cute..."

"I like his eyes..."

"She's so lucky..."

"Hey, girl! You could do better!" *laughs*

Typical teenage banter and jealousness rumbled across the table. Fleur was speechless and Lloyd looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry... I think I attracted a little bit of attention to us..."

Fleur's head was now on the table, she took a deep breath before coming back up. Everyone had gone back to their own business so that made her feel a little bit better. She had finished her bagel. She pushed the plate a bit in front of her signaling that she was done, she looked at Lloyd, clearly embarrassed.

"It's f-fine... I'm r-ready whenever y-you are."

Lloyd gave his girlfriend a smile as she said that she was fine with staying in the cafeteria to eat. He thought that it was good that Fleur decided to stay, whether it was because she wanted to deal with her anxiety by forcing herself to stay among everyone or if she just didn't mind it that much with him around, it made him happy that she tried. Giving a nod, he poured his syrup on his crepes and began to eat while listening to the comments about the couple that were exchanged between everyone around them. He wasn't the type to seek that kind of attention, but since it happened he gave it a listen, only to chuckle at most comments. He thought that is was funny, yet he was glad when it stopped as he watched Fleur's head against the table. One day he felt like he would embarrass her to death, which he seriously hope wouldn't happen.

He quickly finished his breakfast and looked at Fleur with a smile when he did. "Ready as well, lets go then." Standing up, he took both their plates in one hand and holding her hand as he walked towards the exit and placed the dishes on a small pile that was around before gently dragging his girlfriend out as more comments could be heard as they walked. Now out of the cafeteria, Lloyd stared at the blonde girl with a smile and a nod. "Alright, so you lead the way to your room Princess."

Lloyd then remembered that they would need to go back to his own room afterward too as completely forgot to pick his coat and his weapon. He also remembered that he finally added its second form so he would finally be able to test it. So half of him hoped to encounter Grimms and the other half just wanted to enjoy a pleasant stroll with Fleur. He knew he would have a nice time either way to be honest, unless something really bad happened of course but he'd be careful, for her sake. "So lets go to your dorm then back to mine, I forgot to take my stuff. I was... preoccupied." He gave her a sly smile before bringing her closer for a kiss before they began to walk to her room.

"Ready as well, let's go then."

Lloyd grabbed her hand as they placed their dishes on a tray, Fleur was lightly pulled by her boyfriend as they exited the cafeteria. She heard a few comments as she left and a whistle by a guy who was sitting near the entrance of the room. Fleur then remembered she was wearing leggings and became embarrassed, she knew she should have worn the jean shorts over the top.

"Alright, so you lead the way to your room Princess."


"T-third floor" she simply stated heading towards the elevator. She pinged the door's up key and waited, she was still hand in hand with Lloyd. They were completely attached at the hip which she supposed wasn't completely uncommon for a new couple but she also wondered how long it would last. Would she always feel like this? Would there ever be a time where  she didn't want to be around him? Fleur couldn't see a near future where this was possible but...

*Ding*

The elevator door opened, nobody else was inside so she stepped in with Lloyd in tow. The doors closed and they slowly rode the 2-floor ride up to her level.

*Ding*

The doors slid open again and another guy was waiting outside the elevator waiting to board, he had dark hair, almost an indigo color; but he had the same golden eye color as her. They locked eyes, the guy narrowed his eyes before simply nodding at the couple before stepping into the elevator. There was something about him that seemed off but she couldn't place it... 'whatever'... was the response her mind came up with as she walked slightly ahead of Lloyd down the hallway. They reached a door relatively near the end of the corridor, she used her scroll and popped it into the door clutch, it clicked open and she stepped inside.

The room was a standard dorm-room except it was neatly organized. She had brought a pink rug that spanned most of the room, she didn't consider herself a "Girly Girl" but she liked the design on it. There was a bed with neatly organized sheets and a stuffed ghost animal in the corner with a smile on its face. In the far corner of the room was a desk, on the desk, was a picture, the picture was framed and showed a picture of her Mother and Father from when they were a little younger and little happier. A younger Fleur was in her Father's arms who was overjoyed in the picture, he was clean shaven and had slightly messy brown hair, he had green eyes and a huge smile on his face. Her Mother was also it the picture, she wore a conservative dress and had Fleur's golden locks and eyes, she had a small smile on her face, she looked tense.

Some books were scattered about also on the desk, basic textbooks but another slightly more tattered journal was sitting open, it had a drawing of another teenager, he was engulfed in flame and had a confident pose. She entered the room and stretched, she bent over ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) and grabbed a short sword with engraved writing on it, she placed it carefully on her bed. She turned to Lloyd.

"I-I'm going to go change, uh just h-hang tight! I'll be ready in a second!" she grabbed her combat dress which was folded neatly in a top drawer in a dresser and disappeared into the bathroom to put it on, style her hair and apply a bit of makeup.

EDIT:

OOC:

Lloyd let himself be guides by Fleur as she was leading him towards her dorm room so she could get ready for their stroll in the woods. She mentioned that her room was on the third floor which made sense since she was new to Syne and that all the best rooms were taken. At least she should had one of the best from her widows if she had any. His own room was on the first floor which was perfect for him with all the work he has been doing in there. He then thought that now since he dated someone he couldn't just bring spare parts and work on his bike and weapon like he used to as he wanted his room to be ordered and welcoming for his girlfriend to enjoy too. Wouldn't want her to get hurt by stepping on a bolt or a screw.

As they made their way to the upper level where Fleur resided, they came across a guy with dark hair who stared at them, more particularly at the blonde before they all continued on their own path. Lloyd looked back at him for a moment while thinking. "What's his deal staring at people like that?" Of course it wasn't the fact that the guy was being rude by staring the way he did that bothered Lloyd, but more the fact that he seemed to have something personal against Fleur. He didn't want to admit it to himself though and blinded himself with generalization to not feel like was some overly protective boyfriend, which he probably was in all honesty.

They ended up reaching her room and entered, Lloyd slowly walking inside and scanned the neat little space that Fleur was living in while she went to pick up some books that were scattered on the floor by bending over. And of course he noticed, how could he not when she was right in front of him. Trying to not look like he was staring, his head was oriented towards the window while his eyes could help but look for the short time he could before she straightened up. He was her boyfriend, it was alright to have a little look right? After all she did walked in his room earlier only covered with a towel so he had seen "worse" already. She then turned towards him to let him know that'd she change quickly. He smiled and nodded before wandering in her room a little.

The first thing that caught his eyes when he entered the room, after Fleur's lovely forms, was that ghost plush which he poked lightly and was slightly startled when the stuffed animal began to make ghost sounds, mainly the common "OOOoOoooooooOOoooh" that they were known for. It made him laugh a bit before he moved to the desk where he looked at the picture that was standing there, showing what he assumed to be Fleur and her parents. Everyone seemed happy, Lloyd couldn't believe what Fleur had told him when they first met and that her parents would fight or get into arguments. He simply picked up and stared at the picture with a mixed expression of sadness and hope as he would do his best to make Fleur as happy as she looked on the image.

Fleur closed the door behind her and locked it, she wasn't worried that Lloyd would barge on in or anything but it made her feel better. She took off her tank top and leggings, she folded them neatly and threw on the white combat dress, the dress was multiple layered. The innermost layer gave her a thin veil of cloth that kept the actual fabric from touching her skin, above that layer there was a slightly thicker white and gold crested layer that seemed to be made out of a protective binding and then the top layer was the outside of the dress itself. Fleur particular liked the dress because it didn't make her seem puffy and kept her light on her feet. Fleur then messed her hair up and rapidly fixed it, adding small little curls at the tips. She applied a soft shade of pink lip gloss and quickly also added some eyeliner. What's the point of hanging out with your boyfriend and potentially fighting monsters without looking good?

She was about to finish up by washing her hands when she heard a "OOOoOoooooooOOoooh" outside the door. She giggled, guess Lloyd discovered her stuffed ghost; Boo-Boo. She shook her head and dried her hands before stepping out looking much better than she did at breakfast. She saw Lloyd now standing by her desk looking at her photo of her parents, I don't think he heard her exit yet.

"I-I was told m-many times b-by my mother that my f-father u-used to b-be a charming man..." she walked towards him and looked at the photograph as well. She sighed as she looked upon their image. She grabbed it and rubbed her thumb over her Father and then her Mother. She paused before looking him in the eyes.

"I-I never saw t-that side of him..." she seemed to cower away as she placed the photo back down. She spun as she picked up her short sword, on the back of her dress was a little slot that extended upward, a clutch of some sort, she placed the sword through it. Fleur slipped her shoes on and moved close to Lloyd, she smiled and kissed him, they somehow ended up against the wall, a few minutes passed by before she finally pulled off. She took his hand.

"Ready?" she giggled as she moved throughout her room. Fleur sorted through some loose ends and headed towards the door waiting for him.

Lloyd's focus turned to Fleur as she approached him while he was staring at her family's picture. The guy looked at his girlfriend who had put makeup on and styled her hair, making him smile before he commented on her current look. "Well, looks like someone made herself all pretty. Would I be right if I assumed it's for me that you did that?" He then listened to her as she talked, his expression changing as he stayed silent when he saw she she looked rather sad. He wanted to say something, anything really that could make the situation look better, but he couldn't find anything, so he just watched her. It seemed like a lot had happened in her family, probably too much that she'd like to share with him. As she placed back down the picture and turned to face him, Lloyd moved his hand to gently caress her cheek with his hand, looking back in her eyes with a smile before she went to pick her sword and put on her shoes.

Fleur then closed in on Lloyd with her cute little smile before she kissed him and pushed him against the wall. He didn't mind at all, actually he quite enjoyed her spontaneity as usual, maybe a bit more than normal this time. Wrapping his arms around her waist and keeping her close as he worked his lips and against her own glossy ones. The kiss lasted for a while, each moments of it were perfect and Lloyd would totally have kept it going if Fleur hadn't pulled back before taking his hand and going for the door. Following her with a chuckle he intertwined his fingers with hers before walking back to his own dorm.

From the corner of his eye, Lloyd looked at how Fleur was dressed, finding her clothing quite fitting of her: adorable and beautiful and he way the dress puffed was cute he thought. He kept his eyes on her all the way to his room, where he entered immediately and put on his coat, which was obviously missing the left sleeve and picked up the two pieces of his weapon. He attached one on his back at the right shoulder plate and the other when into the custom holster that was on the coat's right side. Looking back at his girlfriend, he smiled before closing in and kissed her, pushing her against the wall like she did earlier to turn the tides on her. Holding the kiss for a while he slowly broke it before chuckling and caressing her cheek while locking eyes with her. "You're so adorable Princess, you know that?" He then walked out of his room with her, locking the door behind them before giving her another smile. [b]"Ready to go? Lead the way!"[b]

"Well, looks like someone made herself all pretty. Would I be right if I assumed it's for me that you did that?"

Fleur just shrugged innocently at this remark before the left.

The walk down to Lloyd's dorm room was quicker than the walk back up the stairs, the arrived within minutes of locking Fleur's own door. Lloyd opened the door and quickly threw on his coat. Fleur noted it was missing the left sleeve and she cast her eyes down a little at the sight, his hardships were probably ten-fold of her own and she felt bad even if there was nothing that could be done now. He attached his custom holster on, he placed his weapons and attached them to their specific places before turning to her. He smiled and closed in, he kissed her and flipped the script on her, the same trick she pulled in her own room. Not that she minded anyway, he was a fantastic kisser but she also had nothing to compare it to. He eventually broke away and she let out a little sigh, he caressed her cheek and chuckled.

"You're so adorable Princess, you know that?"

She smiled, she was still slightly up against his wall. She kissed him on the cheek before walking past him saying nothing, her message came across loud and clear. He told her to lead the way and she nodded as they exited the room.



Finnek Forest was always beautiful, no matter what your stance on nature and being outside was... the blue leaves and trees looked gorgeous. Fleur had only been here twice but she was still in awe. The couple reached a clearing, she spun and did a little graceful dance, like a ballerina

"Beautiful...isn't i-it?" she mentioned to Lloyd her back turned. She spun again, this time, facing him. "This p-place always makes m-me want to s-sing..." she smiled. Out here away from everyone and just with Lloyd, she finally understood the meaning of being "In Your Element"

As they both reached the famous blue woods of Finnek Forest, Lloyd and Fleur seemed to already enjoy themselves just having a nice little stroll together. The couple were quite clashing with the soft hue of the forest with their clothes mainly white, although Fleur's hair were quite more contrasting, which made a pretty sight to look at for Lloyd. The couple ended up reaching a clearing and that his girlfriend let go of his hand to spin around like a dancer, the two tone haired guy looked around, thinking about the comment the girl had made. "Beautiful? I couldn't agree more......... the forest's not bad either..." Chuckling at his own cheesy line, he smiled and winked at her before joining her and siting down on an old trunk that was laying on the ground, just the perfect improvised bench.

As she talked about singing, Lloyd smiled to Fleur. They were alone here, just the two of them, surely she wouldn't bother anyone by singing and he would really enjoy listening to her lovely voice. "Then why not do it? You know I won't complain, I love your singing and there's just me to listen to you right now. So go, sing your heart out and have fun." Lloyd would happily listen to Fleur if she decided to sing and probably hum along if he knew the song. With some luck they knew a bunch of songs that they could sing together like they did the day before. It was something nice and really fun to do, they had to do it again someday, maybe in front of the school during a talent show or something, that'd be nice.

While they were here relaxing a bit, Lloyd took the two pieces of his weapon and connected them together to form the rifle form of Gae Bulg. Inspecting it for a bit, he then took aim upward to test the scope he had on it. It was an anti-material rifle after all, a big bulky sniper made to tear through concrete and armored vehicles or even Grimms... primarily Grimms to be honest. Looking back at Fleur and her short sword though, he had a feeling that his weapon might be much. "Did I really need to have such a large weapon? She's surely doing great with hers... should I've picked something else?" did he thought to himself while looking back and forth slowly between his girlfriend and his weapon.

"Beautiful? I couldn't agree more......... the forest's not bad either..."

Fleur laughed at his cheesy line. She walked over to the trunk he was sitting on, she bent over so she was face to face with him.

"Lloyd...t-thank y-you" she hugged him and rubbed her head on his shoulder lightly, almost like a cat. She breathed in, he smelled really good... She smiled. He suggested that she sing, she looked at him.

"I love your singing..."

She heard his response and sat on the ground in front of him, her legs were crossed and her eyes were closed.

"Lloyd..." she whispered. She looked up at him and she took her ring off and gripped it in her fingers. "D-do you remember the p-photo in my room?" She sighed. "I-I don't w-wanna damper t-the m-m-mood... but I-I need to t-tell you this...." she stopped and frowned.

"L-listen c-closely..." she started to hum a tune before she softly sang... Fleur started singing her story.

♪ "This is an anthem for the homesick, for the beaten,
The lost, the broke, the defeated.
A song for the heartsick, for the standbys,
Living life in the shadow of a goodbye.

Do you remember when we learned how to fly?
We'd play make-believe; we were young and had time on our side.
You're stuck on the ground,
Got lost, can't be found.
Just remember that you're still alive.

I'll carry you home.
No, you're not alone.
Keep marching on,
This is worth fighting for,
You know we've all got battle scars.
You've had enough,
But just don't give up.
Stick to your guns,
You are worth fighting for.
You know we've all got battle scars.
Keep marching on.

This is a call to the soldiers, the fighters,
The young, the innocent, and righteous.
We've got a little room to grow.
Better days are near,
Hope is so much stronger than fear...." ♪

She lost herself in the song, tears started welling up in her eyes as she dropped the last note, it seemed to drag on longer. The entire song was filled with emotion... and very little of it was good.

"I-I'm sorry....!" she was crying now, crying for the times she missed out on, the loss, the heartbreak... for everything...

Lloyd placed his weapon against the trunk of the tree he was sitting on when Fleur approached him for a hug that he happily returned with a smile. "My pleasure Princess." Brushing her long blonde hair as she rubbed her head on his shoulder, he tightened the hug a little before she sat down after he said how much he loved her singing. She asked if he remembered the picture in her room, to which he nodded. He complied to her request and was ready to listen to what she had to say, or rather sing.

Lloyd simply listened in silence, feeling heavy from the meaning of the song. The lyrics seemed too real, they were telling a story to which he knew the pages by heart. As Fleur's tears began to roll down her cheeks, so did Lloyd's, they were fewer than his girlfriend's, but they were still there. Was this song, those lyrics meaning the same to both of them? Did they live through similar event to that point? When the blonde finished her song and apologized, he rushed on his knees and hugged her tightly, resting her head on his chest while brushing her hair. "I-it's alright... you don't have t-to apologize..." did he whispered to her softly.

With the realization of how similar they both were, on how strong their chemistry was, Lloyd decided that he wouldn't be by her side simply for her sake, but for their's. Sniffling a little, he lifted Fleur's face and caressed her cheek while looking into her crying eyes while whispering with a smile with his eyes still tearing up. "This is worth fighting for... you are worth fighting for." He was still under the effect of how the song resonated within him, but at least he felt like he was resonating with Fleur as well, really feeling a bond between them. Giving her a quick kiss, he returned to tightly hugging her while gently swaying from left to right while humming the melody of the song she just had sang.

Lloyd...Lloyd...he was crying. He was brave, he was handsome, strong... and she made him start crying. Her tears only came harder. What had she done?! She should have never opened herself up like this, people got hurt... maybe not physically... at least not anymore. He was hugging her tightly, her past was just a large black pit... it seemed to suck everything in, it grabbed her a long time ago... now it had claimed Lloyd. Was he crying for her sake? or for his own? Maybe for both of them...

She sniffed "I-I...!" she couldn't get the words out, she couldn't speak. She was a monster. How could she have said something that cruel! She reopened her own wounds... for what purpose?! FOR WHAT PURPOSE?! Did she want to be "Understood" "Pitied?!" or... did she just want someone to listen...

"I-it's alright... you don't have t-to apologize..."

Lloyd lifted her cheek so that she was looking at him.

"This is worth fighting for... you are worth fighting for."

She stared into his eyes "Lloyd... I.. mmph!" he kissed her softly and she fell into it. She could say she loved him... was it too soon to declare a statement like that?  They swayed left to right... she was in his arms, her heart was on fire... she had already dropped ONE bomb on him... might as well drop another, maybe this one wouldn't be nearly as much as a surprise.

"L-Lloyd..." she stuttered out, she was already heating up, her face red. She made sure he was looking at her, she kissed him and kept him there for a time. She pulled back just a bit and muttered "I... Love... y-you.." she didn't give him a time to answer before kissing him again. It didn't matter. At that moment, Fleur Aelagari wanted to be loved and when he kissed back... she knew... for once in her life... she was.

As they were swaying, Lloyd thought about never letting go, keeping on hugging forever if he had to for her to be happy and stop crying. He didn't care about his own tears, he could live with them, but not with Fleur's. He wanted to see her smile, to know he was doing something right for someone he cared about. Was he too selfless to think this way? Not accepting his own happiness as long as others around him were? Is putting his own joy aside for other's a good idea? When he looked into her eyes though, he knew the answer.

It seemed like Fleur wanted to tell him something, and by the way she was stuttering it looked important, so Lloyd gave her all his attention. As she said his name, he leaned forward, bumping his forehead against hers and was about to ask "What is it?" but was unable as Fleur went in for a kiss that she held for a moment. There was no way he'd refuse a kiss from her and gladly returned it until she pulled back to whisper three words, THE three words. "I... Love... y-you..." Lloyd's eyes grew wide before being kissed anew, not giving him the chance to say anything. Did he heard that right? Did she really just say that she loved him? His mind was racing, but not as much as his heart. Why was that? Why did those words made him feel so light? So alive? Was he... also in love?

With his heart currently ablaze and is mind melting, Lloyd simply gave in into the kiss. Now wasn't the time to think rationally, love isn't rational. It's something that comes from the heart, this feeling of strength that this special someone can give you, this feeling of being under someone's protection... none of it made any sense, so why not give in to this feeling of irrationality? His heart couldn't lie anyway, he knew what he wanted right now and he would grab it, keep it safe and cherish it with all his might.

Pulling back slowly from Fleur's soft lips and slowly opening his eyes to lock his gaze with hers, Lloyd smiled longingly before whispering words he never thought he'd say this soon. Way too soon in fact if he thought about it but he already had thrown rationality by the window at this point so he didn't care. "Fleur..... I-I....I..." Great, now he was the one stuttering, what a lovely pair they made! Taking a deep breath, he decided to go for the bandage method: quickly and without a second thought. "...I... I love you as well..." He succeeded! He managed to say it! He suddenly felt lighter and oh so great. Smiling ears to ears with a light chuckle on his hand, he caressed her cheek before kissing her lightly before continuing. "...I really do... I'm really in love... what have you done to me for that to happen so fast?" Laughing, Lloyd nudged his nose against Fleur a little before kissing her longingly again, holding it for as long as he could.

"Fleur..... I-I....I..."

She looked into his eyes and waited. She knew it. It was too soon, she should never have said anything! Their whole dynamic... it was probably ruined! He would say something just to make her feel better and suffer through the day and then slowly start ignoring her and... and.... she would never get to kiss him... hang out with him... nothing. She was stupid! Fleur couldn't believe she would say that and... and....

"...I... I love you as well...

Wait...

WAIT...!

... what?

Her face was probably a mix of shock, happiness and maybe a slight tweak of disbelief. She couldn't get the words out, her heart was in her throat and it was beating FAST.

...I really do... I'm really in love... what have you done to me for that to happen so fast?"

He kissed her again and she returned it was renewed passion. She didn't care that they were technically in "Public" nobody would be coming, at least she hoped. This kiss was easily the best she'd ever had with Lloyd, she was a fast learner and she showed it here. They finally broke apart, she grasped him in a tight hug, considering their position they were kind of already in one but nevertheless it worked.

"Lloyd... I-I'm so h-happy!" she had finally gotten the breath and mindset to tell him, his response meant the world to her. She truly meant that she placed her head on the inside of his shoulder and neck and sighed, he was amazing, she was riding an amazing high... and one she hoped wouldn't end anytime soon.

Fleur started to hum, it was the song... the song they had sung together before. She let the melody overcome her. She was in her boyfriend's arms. Happy and In-Love.

Their kiss achieved a new passion, the credit going to Fleur but Lloyd quickly matched her depth, turning the kiss into a fiery one with only a few moments. Holding the kiss for as long as he could with this new energy, as he broke he kind of let go of a little sigh as she began to hug him tightly. Leaning back against the trunk while keeping her as close to him as he could, he chuckled before brushing her soft blonde locks again. "I'm glad that you're happy Sweetie, you being happy makes me as well." The two of them were no longer crying, their tears had dried and they were there, in the woods all alone, nearly cuddling against a tree, telling that they loved each other.

As Fleur began to hum what Lloyd decided to call "Their Song", he rested his head on hers and hummed along, harmonizing with her soft voice. Meanwhile, he was thinking about how much what they had, their little love, felt kind of surreal, magic even. They met around a week ago and now they were a couple, completely enamored with one another and even everything went so fast, he seemed so right to him. There was no way Lloyd was regretting the speed at which things went, no way he would go back to change it. Looking back on it, it was perfect, at least for him it was but he would ask Fleur, he would just make it perfect for her as well by being there for her and making her happy.

They stayed in one another's arm, humming together as Lloyd's hand was lost among Fleur's golden hair. He wasn't sure how long they were here, but it didn't matter in the slightest, he felt like he could have stayed there forever as long as she was by his side. But of course, they had to move on, they couldn't spend the whole day at the same spot. It's then that he remembered, a spot he once saw further in the forest. He had to show her... Breaking the silence that has been there for a while, Lloyd raised his girlfriend's head to face each other and stole a kiss from her before locking eyes together. "Say Princess, how about we continue our little walk? I got something to show you, but we need to go further into the forest. What do you say? I'm sure that you'll love it."

"I'm glad that you're happy Sweetie, you being happy makes me as well."

The words were music to her ears. She sighed happily as she continued to hum what she assumed could be called "Their Song". Eventually, Lloyd joined in, they were now synchronized in their harmonies, their melodies grew in volume and soon they attraction a few birds who joined in. It was something out of a Fairy-Tale. Fleur was smiling so much, everyone and everything was buying into her happiness and she couldn't  believe it. Her energy was at an all time high! She didn't regret kissing Lloyd on the stage the other day, or going to the clocktower or anything, he was consuming her life and she loved every single minute of it. Fleur was lost in his scent, she couldn't tell what cologne he was using, he smelled really good. Eventually Lloyd broke the silence.

"Say Princess, how about we continue our little walk? I got something to show you, but we need to go further into the forest. What do you say? I'm sure that you'll love it."

She kissed him back, never tiring of it.

"A-anywhere w-with you. Let's go..." she smiled and kissed him slightly harder and got up. She grabbed his hand and waited for him to lead the way. The birds flew away at the ending of their duet, but it wouldn't be the last, she could feel it.

Lloyd was really glad that he could make Fleur happy this much. The first day they met she looked so gloomy and now, she was making shade to the sun with how bright and cheerful she was. Was he really having this much affect on her? Was he really making a difference in her life? He really hoped he was as it gave him a great excuse to spend time with her more.

She agreed to follow him wherever he'd go, which made him chuckle while he was standing up with her help. He felt like he could actually go anywhere with her which was a nice thought to have. They could travel one day, Fleur did say she was from Mistral and it's one of the kingdoms he hasn't visited yet. so it would be very interesting. Although it was probably too soon to think of travelling together, but it was something that Lloyd would think about for future times.

Picking up his weapon and separating the two parts and placing them at their respective spots on his coat, Lloyd grabbed Fleur's hand and intertwined their fingers together before he began to walk, dragging her with him along. They walked together for a while before a loud and continuous sound could be heard near them. "Good, I still remember where it is. Come on, follow me, you'll love it. Walking in between the blue trees, the couple reached a small river that was making it's way down a little hill. Smiling as they followed the river, heading for where it came from, they ended up reaching a cliff where a cascade was falling, creating a small pond that became the river they followed here before Lloyd turned toward Fleur. "What do you think Princess? Pretty nice, right? I haven't came here in a while now, it's good to see that I could remember where it was. But there's more... come on." Keeping her close to him, Lloyd marched toward the cascade before walking along a narrow path that led behind the waterfall where a little cave was. It was filled wit bio-luminescent mushrooms all over the place, giving a nice and pretty blue hue all over. He sat on a rock and pulled Fleur to sit on him before kissing her deeply and smiling. "So what do you think of this place? From what I know, we're the only two who ever came here."

Lloyd led her through the forest and while the blue beautiful nature was distracting she kept having a little unnerving feeling in her stomach. Lloyd has full of control of their direction. She completely trusted him, she loved him, she'd follow him anywhere. Was that obsessive? Was that wrong? Maybe should she tone it back just a tiny bit? Eventually, after sticking CLOSE to him they came across a river, it was fairly hidden and she was surprised he knew it was there. The river snaked down the hillside and the water rushed lightly, Fleur dragged her free hand through the water, it sent chills through her body but it couldn't extinguish the fire currently in her heart. They continued to follow the river and reached a small pond. There was a gorgeous cascade that seemed to be the source of the pond.

"What do you think Princess?

Fleur stared at the nature that was in front of her. The mere sight was enchanting, the way the blue hue of the trees seemed to sparkle off the blue water. The wildlife that surrounded the drink seemed to pay them no mind, it was truly amazing. She ended up turning toward him.

"It's b-beautiful..." she whispered, she let go of his hand for a moment and stepped forward towards the water. The now loud rushing of the moving current reminded her of Mistral... it reminded her of a similar spot when she was growing up, even if her childhood was masked and covered in pain she retained a few good memories. One included a small water hole near her house, it had a similar water formation and tall green trees around its perimeter. She smiled at the memory. Lloyd grabbed her hand again.


"...there's more... come on." he moved with her towards a narrow path that ran underneath the cascade. He led her into a little cave that was covered in bio-luminescent mushrooms, it shone off the walls and turned Fleur's blonde hair a nice shade of azure. Before she could comment on its beauty Lloyd sat on a rock near the center of the cavern, he pulled her into him and kissed her. Their lips connected and she smiled into him, he really was a good kisser and the atmosphere they found themselves in only amplified the feeling she had in her chest. Fleur was actually kind of disappointed when he pulled away.

"So what do you think of this place? From what I know, we're the only two who ever came here."

She noticed a small spot behind them, the cave wasn't very large but there was enough of an opening to do what she had planned. She ignored his question for now and sat up, she grabbed his hand. She pulled him slightly farther into the cave, enough so they were now completely surrounded by the blue light from the mushrooms. Fleur began humming "their" song. The area they were in gave them enough room to move around and be comfortable with it. Fleur took his hands and moved them into a proper dance hold and position for the both of them, she took her hands and followed suit. She continued to hum as they slowly swayed side to side in the cave. Fleur then looked him in his eyes and finally answered his question.

"I love it... and I love you." no stutter, confidence and with that she continued to move to her own rhyme with Lloyd, she kissed him again, under the blue light.