Chapter Eight: Not Ready Yet
"I figured it out," X blurted.
By the way Zero's eyes widened and his cheeks pigmented a dark red, X knew he hit it on the head. The blond quickly sat up all the way, crossing his legs on his bed and taking a deep breath.
"Figured out what?" he asked, eyes staring into X's, looking, it seemed, right into his soul.
X felt like shivering, although why, he wasn't sure. "Who it is that you're in love with." X swallowed what felt like to be a lump in his throat. Why was he so nervous? Why was he shaking?
Zero bit his lower lip. "Yeah… I guess I sort of dropped the ball on that."
"It's me, right?" X hadn't moved from near the door, and it tugged at Zero that his own best friend looked ready to bolt away from him should he budge from his spot in the bed. "You're… in love with me?"
"I didn't mean to tell you—"
"Why not?" This time, X looked hurt.
Zero growled in frustration. In one way, it looked like the realization freaked X out in the bad way, and yet telling him Zero wasn't quite ready to deal with this was hurting his feelings? Where the hell was the middle ground, the happy medium? Was there ever one when it came to this complicated scenario?
The simulation training room sure didn't have this in its memory stores. "Look, X, this is obviously not a happy realization for you. Do you remember how nervous you were trying to tell Delia you loved her?"
"That's completely different—"
Zero jumped from the bed to his feet and X tensed, especially as Zero strode over to him and towered so imposingly over him. "You were afraid she'd reject you, X. You were so goddamn scared she'd say no and you couldn't have her as a friend. Well take that feeling and escalate it! I may not have acted like it, but I'm damn scared. 'What if he says no?' 'What if it scares him?' 'What if he can't stand to be around me anymore?' X, you have no… no idea just how important you are to me, and not just in a lover's sense."
X swallowed the lump again, but it stayed lodged in his throat. Zero's fears were justified and, now that his mind was clearing, X could see why his friend seemed so off at times. All the disappearing in the mornings, the random staring, and the secretive files that were about him… And, despite Zero's words, X did have an idea of how much he meant to the elite Hunter, both as a best friend and unrequited love.
"I don't…" X rubbed his hands together, as if he were cold. "I don't hate you, Zero. I just… I'm just not ready, you know? I…"
"I know that," Zero's voice had dropped to a whisper, and he bowed his head in such a way, X could not see his face hidden by flaxen strands. "I know. It's another reason why I wasn't going to tell you. Just… just forget about it. Delete that part of your memory. I don't want things to change over this."
"I can't ignore it, Zero; you're obviously not happy sitting there pining for me—" X stopped in mid-sentence when he noticed the slight quake in Zero's shoulders. Was he crying? "Don't be sad, Zero. I don't hate you, I could never hate you! Look at me."
When Zero didn't, X grabbed his arms and shook him slightly. "Look at me!" His friend hesitantly raised his head, the hairs parting, and, thankfully, X saw Zero was not crying. He looked ready to, however, and it was enough for X to hug him.
"You'll always be my best friend, Zero, regardless of anything and everything," X said in his most comforting tone.
Zero took a deep breath. "I'm an idiot."
"There's nothing stupid about falling in love, dolt," X scolded. "Look, Z… if you think our given genders bother me, well… it doesn't. We're robots for crying out loud. I'm just not ready to jump into that. You're not Delia, I know… but we're risking a shit-ton, you know? I just…"
"It's fine, X." Zero stepped away and weakly smiled, patting X's head. "So… so we're okay? Despite all this?" Zero did not even want to consider the possibility of X distancing himself away—such an occurrence could not happen.
"We're okay. I just… I just have to think about it. But, we're okay." X smiled, and it wasn't at all forced.
Zero's spirits lifted then. Their bond prevailed over such an awkward and touchy subject, and despite whatever crap could come from it, X wasn't going to back out and abandon him. That was friendship, that was closeness Zero cherished and never wanted to lose.
"Thanks, X," Zero murmured, closing his eyes. "Thanks."
~*~
Despite their damnedest, even Zero saw there was new tension between them. Their companionable silence was charged and uncomfortable, and their outings were much fewer than before. X obviously did not go out of his way to avoid Zero, but he didn't pull the same strings to get free time with him. Although the blond felt a little hurt, and maybe betrayed, he also was man enough to realize this was more or less normal and to be expected. They still did hang out and still had good fun with each other, and the distance was gnawing at Zero's gut at every moment awake or asleep, but Zero was still grateful they were 'okay.'
The rest of Hunter Base didn't seem the think the same, for their acquaintances were coming up to them—individually, of course—all the time to ask what was wrong.
"You're not with Zero on your day off, Captain X?"
"You and X okay, Commander Zero?"
"You guys didn't have a fight did you?"
"You're still good friends, right?"
While X seemed to bear the questions a little better, it was driving Zero insane. So they only spent twelve hours together as opposed to twenty-four! Maybe they were just that busy? What made it their business anyway—it was Zero's and X's problem and Zero and X will deal with it.
Only…
Zero slumped in the watching booth of the simulation room, burying his face in his hands even at the sharp edges of his helmet threatened to slice through his gloves. Were they really okay? Did X really mean it when he said nothing could destroy their friendship? Zero clutched at his head as a headache began to seep into his brain, gripping him in an iron hold that made him squeeze his eyes shut and clench his teeth.
Not again…
They happened infrequently, these headaches, but nowadays they were getting worse and worse, coming at the worst possible times. If they were just minor pains due to stress on his systems, he could deal with it. But Zero had gone to seen Cain several times, and each time his systems were clean, despite the fact that the pain was debilitating. Once in a mission, a headache had struck Zero and driven him, howling, to his knees, his entire unit freaked out and the Maverick had gotten away. There was no 'fixing' it either, and it's been something Zero had to suffer alone.
The pain finally dulled to a whisper, and Zero slammed his back against the wall, the back of his head resting against the wall and his eyes closed as he panted. Sweat trailed down his face, dripping into his lap; sweat from his recent death-defying simulation and from bearing the pain in both his brain and soul. Zero opened his eyes slightly, the blue now darkened to a near black.
This is such bullshit…
Coupling headaches with creepy nightmares, plus the whole crap with X, and Zero was not having a good week.
"Zero? "
Zero groaned as Alia's voice filtered from the receiver in his helmet. He waited a few minutes, with her still calling his name, before he put his hand over his ear and pressed the microphone button.
"Yes, Alia?"
"Better come up to the infirmary. X and his unit found a survivor and you're wanted to help question. " With that, Alia cut off.
Zero groaned again, his hand falling back into his lap. He counted to a hundred slowly before opening his eyes and heaving himself to his feet. He stood shakily and half-limped to the exit. Maybe he shouldn't have turned off the safety procedures for his simulation…
He passed by his dorm and toweled off the sweat, but he didn't have time for a full shower. But the detour helped, and he didn't look quite as injured. When they were done and X was gone, Zero needed to get Lifesaver to look him over, as he had probably dented something and it was fussing with his wires. Maybe getting fixed would keep his headache at bay, too.
In the infirmary, X, Lifesaver, and Signas were crowded around a bed. Zero walked over to them and took the usual position at X's free side. Thankfully, when X noticed him, he didn't exactly shy away.
"So this is the survivor?" Zero asked, looking down at the Reploid in the bed. The survivor had several wires stuck in him, three of them pumping energy into still-damaged parts, his core wide open in his nearly-destroyed chest cavity.
Looking at the face, Zero was rather shocked at the youthful appearance. If it weren't a Reploid, the blond would have thought him just a poor kid. Two scars formed an x on his face, extending from his forehead to his cheeks, and his hair was wildly spiky and a pleasing shade of orange. As Lifesaver opened one eye to shine a light into it, the color was a paler green than X's own. Studying him and his injuries, Zero couldn't imagine what exactly happened.
"Some group of delinquents," X was saying when Zero decided to pay attention again. "Calling themselves Red Alert. Apparently, this poor kid wanted to quit, and they let lose a Maverick on him. The group apparently wants to be Maverick Hunters, but instead of getting rid of the Mavericks, they capture them and keep them in their crazed state."
Zero scoffed. "Least we give the benefit of mercy…"
Lifesaver let the boy's eye close and tucked his little flashlight away. "He's past the critical condition; it's safe to boot him back up after I close up his cavity."
"Please do so," Signas rumbled.
Lifesaver nodded and set to work, and the three backed away to give him room. X stood off away from Signas and Zero, and though he thought maybe he shouldn't, Zero still went over to him.
"How'd you find him?" Zero asked, trying to start conversation.
X sighed. "We barely did. Caught wind of his life pulse on radar and barely managed to get him here in time. Lifesaver truly lives up to his name."
"So we got a new enemy, huh?"
"More or less," X sighed again, rubbing his forehead crystal. "As if Sigma and his never-ending resurrections weren't enough, we got egotistical idiots, too."
Zero put his hand on X's shoulder, who looked at the hand with a blank expression. "We'll get through it, we always do."
Zero secretly prayed X wouldn't shrug him off, wouldn't just turn away and walk off. Some semblance of 'normalcy', even if just for a moment, was all he wanted, all he needed right now.
X smiled and put his hand over Zero's, the blond nearly smiling at the rush of relief he felt at X's expression. "Thanks, Z. You're right; I don't need to mope over this… I just hate fighting."
Before Zero could utter his usual comforting 'I know,' Lifesaver's voice dominated the room. "He's waking up."
X turned away from Zero, his hand slipping from his and Zero's hand sliding off his shoulder. Zero flexed his hand a few times before balling it into a fist and walking to the bed, the interruption making his headache come back a bit. The kid was slightly moaning and clenching his eyes shut, cringing away in fear.
"Go away," he moaned. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Go away."
"You're safe now," X said comfortingly.
The Reploid's eyes snapped open and he jerked up, pulling wires and earning a 'whoa there!' from Lifesaver. His pale green eyes fell on X, and they widened.
"Not… Red Alert?" the Reploid asked sheepishly.
"This is Maverick Hunter Headquarters," X answered. "We were hoping you could tell us about the group that let the Maverick loose… But first, what's your name?"
The young-looking Reploid swallowed hard before looking all over, his eyes falling on Lifesaver, Signas, Zero, then back to X. He seemed to be debating on answering, but finally settled on, "It's Axl."
~*~
As it was, X and Axl hit off pretty well once Axl realized he wasn't in danger. Well, he and Zero got along too, but it seemed like Axl liked X more, and Zero tried his damnedest not to let it get to him. X was a very fatherly figure, and from what he'd seen of Axl, the new kid really did act like a kid. Maybe it was in his program to look for parental figures, and one did not get more parental than X.
Zero shoved his hands into his jean pockets as he walked to the outside lobby of HQ. Off call, he had changed into civilian clothes and even asked X to come out with him, but X was still on duty and was now the appointed 'caretaker' of Axl, who, at the time, was on the verge of clinging to X's arm like a crazed fangirl. Zero smiled it off and waved as he left, but the instant he turned around, he was frowning.
Outside, Zero made his way to the farthest corner and pulled out of his pocket a pack of cigarettes. He hardly got addicted to them like humans did, but the sensation of wispy smoke circulating his systems did, in ways, calm his nerves. Zero had stopped the habit when X asked, but now, for some reason, Zero really did actually crave a cigarette. As he lit one up, he made a mental note to delete the developing 'addiction' file later on. He would hardly die from smoking, but the things did have tar, and tar was bad for his internal systems. Sure, cleaning wasn't too hard, but it was time-consuming.
Then again, it wasn't as if he suddenly had a free twelve hours in a day.
Zero sat on a bench under the shade of an artificial tree, one leg propped up on the other, one arm stretched out on the back of the bench and the other bent so the hand holding the lit cigarette dangled near him. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes as his loose hair gently tried to rise up with the breeze. He brought the burning stick to his mouth and took a draw, and focused solely on the almost ticklish feeling of the smoke churning throughout his systems, the way his cooling fan pushed it back up to exit through his nose.
"Spare one?"
Zero cracked an eye open to see Alia stand near him, also dressed in casual clothes. Her hair was down like his, and the headset she always wore was missing, replaced by a white headband that matched her white sundress. Zero held his lit cigarette with his lips as he fished out one for her and his lighter. Alia sat next to him and lit hers.
"Didn't think anyone else bothered with human habits," she admitted as she handed him his lighter. "Glad to see I'm not the only one."
"Cain get on your ass about it, too?" Zero asked around his as he pocketed the red lighter.
"Oh yeah, he saw I even manually installed the addiction simulation myself." Alia shrugged as she crossed her legs. Zero didn't bother to move his arm off the back of the bench.
"Why'd you do that?"
"I like to pretend sometimes I'm just a regular human woman as opposed to a nearly overworked Navigator," Alia tossed her chin toward him. "You?"
"Surprisingly enough, it just sort of developed. I tried it once, then again, and went from there." He flicked the excessive ashes off.
They shared a silence, only the nearly inaudible sound of their inhaling from their respective cigarettes reaching their ears. The lobby was surprisingly empty, which suited Zero just fine. He came here to get away from everyone and be by himself, but Alia's company was hardly a burden.
They made small talk, sharing Zero's pack between them. In a few hours, Zero's head again tilted back and eyes closed and Alia mimicking him, they were down to their last cigarettes. Alia finally breached the subject itching her mind.
"So what's up with you and X?"
Zero groaned, letting his head to hang to his chest. "Et tu, Alia?"
Alia opened one eye to look at him and she smiled. "Being your guys' Navigator got me to actually care about your asses. So tell me, what's actually going on? I looked at your schedules and neither of you are any busier than before. Did you have a fight?"
"In a sense," Zero flicked his cigarette away, even if it was only half consumed.
Alia kept hers, bringing it to her mouth and taking a drag before exhaling through both mouth and nose as she spoke. "Who started it?"
"I did."
"You apologize?"
"Yep."
The female threw hers away and bent low, her arms around her legs and her head nearly in her lap as she looked over at him. "So what sort of fight was it?"
Zero sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand that was not behind Alia. "Frankly, Alia, it's none of your business."
"No, but like I said, I care about you guys."
She was persistent, and Zero supposed that's why he liked her as both his Navigator and the few times he spoke to her off the clock. She wasn't a fair-weather friend, certainly, he could tell.
Zero shrugged. "Honestly Alia, I thought we were okay. He said we were…" his head started to sting and he winced behind his hand. "But I guess he doesn't think so yet."
"Well, he's got his hands full with that Axl kid. Now that he's relaxed, he's a troublemaker. You hear what he did to Signas?"
"Nope."
"Put oil in his coffee."
Zero actually managed a laugh, although it made the needling in his head worse. He tried his best to hide it—it wouldn't do to howl in pain next to Alia. "Oh jeez."
"So spill, Zero; this was obviously more than a friendly spat. Seriously," Alia straightened up and waved one of her hands. "You two are acting like you had a lover's quarrel."
That made Zero smile through his headache. "Oh yeah? Dare you to say that to his face."
"Ooo, this is juicy; you and X dating?" Alia giggled.
"Want the truth?" Zero shrugged. Why not? Alia seemed like a good enough girl, and she held secrets like a fortress with no door. Besides, if Zero didn't talk to someone outside himself or X, he'd probably explode in the middle of a briefing. She nodded and Zero shrugged again. "I told him I liked him that way."
Alia did another 'oooo' and tapped her chin. "He not take too well to it?"
Huh, she isn't freaking out. Then again, she's a Reploid… and a female. She probably thinks it's adorable. "Not really. He's still hung up over what Delia did… and, well, if we didn't work out, that'd be pretty devastatin', you know?"
"But you'd never know until you jumped in," Alia giggled. "You two would be cute together."
Zero shrugged for the third time, then sat up, careful not to hit Alia with his arm. "Well, the ball's in his court… all I can do it wait for him to pick it up. But, and I think it goes without saying, don't tell anyone or mention it to him."
"Course. Cross my core and hope to deactivate." Alia held her hand up before standing herself. "Feel better?"
"Yeah, actually. Thanks, Alia."
"Not a problem."
"You still owe me a pack."
"Oh, come on…"
<--- PREVIOUS CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER --->
"I figured it out," X blurted.
By the way Zero's eyes widened and his cheeks pigmented a dark red, X knew he hit it on the head. The blond quickly sat up all the way, crossing his legs on his bed and taking a deep breath.
"Figured out what?" he asked, eyes staring into X's, looking, it seemed, right into his soul.
X felt like shivering, although why, he wasn't sure. "Who it is that you're in love with." X swallowed what felt like to be a lump in his throat. Why was he so nervous? Why was he shaking?
Zero bit his lower lip. "Yeah… I guess I sort of dropped the ball on that."
"It's me, right?" X hadn't moved from near the door, and it tugged at Zero that his own best friend looked ready to bolt away from him should he budge from his spot in the bed. "You're… in love with me?"
"I didn't mean to tell you—"
"Why not?" This time, X looked hurt.
Zero growled in frustration. In one way, it looked like the realization freaked X out in the bad way, and yet telling him Zero wasn't quite ready to deal with this was hurting his feelings? Where the hell was the middle ground, the happy medium? Was there ever one when it came to this complicated scenario?
The simulation training room sure didn't have this in its memory stores. "Look, X, this is obviously not a happy realization for you. Do you remember how nervous you were trying to tell Delia you loved her?"
"That's completely different—"
Zero jumped from the bed to his feet and X tensed, especially as Zero strode over to him and towered so imposingly over him. "You were afraid she'd reject you, X. You were so goddamn scared she'd say no and you couldn't have her as a friend. Well take that feeling and escalate it! I may not have acted like it, but I'm damn scared. 'What if he says no?' 'What if it scares him?' 'What if he can't stand to be around me anymore?' X, you have no… no idea just how important you are to me, and not just in a lover's sense."
X swallowed the lump again, but it stayed lodged in his throat. Zero's fears were justified and, now that his mind was clearing, X could see why his friend seemed so off at times. All the disappearing in the mornings, the random staring, and the secretive files that were about him… And, despite Zero's words, X did have an idea of how much he meant to the elite Hunter, both as a best friend and unrequited love.
"I don't…" X rubbed his hands together, as if he were cold. "I don't hate you, Zero. I just… I'm just not ready, you know? I…"
"I know that," Zero's voice had dropped to a whisper, and he bowed his head in such a way, X could not see his face hidden by flaxen strands. "I know. It's another reason why I wasn't going to tell you. Just… just forget about it. Delete that part of your memory. I don't want things to change over this."
"I can't ignore it, Zero; you're obviously not happy sitting there pining for me—" X stopped in mid-sentence when he noticed the slight quake in Zero's shoulders. Was he crying? "Don't be sad, Zero. I don't hate you, I could never hate you! Look at me."
When Zero didn't, X grabbed his arms and shook him slightly. "Look at me!" His friend hesitantly raised his head, the hairs parting, and, thankfully, X saw Zero was not crying. He looked ready to, however, and it was enough for X to hug him.
"You'll always be my best friend, Zero, regardless of anything and everything," X said in his most comforting tone.
Zero took a deep breath. "I'm an idiot."
"There's nothing stupid about falling in love, dolt," X scolded. "Look, Z… if you think our given genders bother me, well… it doesn't. We're robots for crying out loud. I'm just not ready to jump into that. You're not Delia, I know… but we're risking a shit-ton, you know? I just…"
"It's fine, X." Zero stepped away and weakly smiled, patting X's head. "So… so we're okay? Despite all this?" Zero did not even want to consider the possibility of X distancing himself away—such an occurrence could not happen.
"We're okay. I just… I just have to think about it. But, we're okay." X smiled, and it wasn't at all forced.
Zero's spirits lifted then. Their bond prevailed over such an awkward and touchy subject, and despite whatever crap could come from it, X wasn't going to back out and abandon him. That was friendship, that was closeness Zero cherished and never wanted to lose.
"Thanks, X," Zero murmured, closing his eyes. "Thanks."
~*~
Despite their damnedest, even Zero saw there was new tension between them. Their companionable silence was charged and uncomfortable, and their outings were much fewer than before. X obviously did not go out of his way to avoid Zero, but he didn't pull the same strings to get free time with him. Although the blond felt a little hurt, and maybe betrayed, he also was man enough to realize this was more or less normal and to be expected. They still did hang out and still had good fun with each other, and the distance was gnawing at Zero's gut at every moment awake or asleep, but Zero was still grateful they were 'okay.'
The rest of Hunter Base didn't seem the think the same, for their acquaintances were coming up to them—individually, of course—all the time to ask what was wrong.
"You're not with Zero on your day off, Captain X?"
"You and X okay, Commander Zero?"
"You guys didn't have a fight did you?"
"You're still good friends, right?"
While X seemed to bear the questions a little better, it was driving Zero insane. So they only spent twelve hours together as opposed to twenty-four! Maybe they were just that busy? What made it their business anyway—it was Zero's and X's problem and Zero and X will deal with it.
Only…
Zero slumped in the watching booth of the simulation room, burying his face in his hands even at the sharp edges of his helmet threatened to slice through his gloves. Were they really okay? Did X really mean it when he said nothing could destroy their friendship? Zero clutched at his head as a headache began to seep into his brain, gripping him in an iron hold that made him squeeze his eyes shut and clench his teeth.
Not again…
They happened infrequently, these headaches, but nowadays they were getting worse and worse, coming at the worst possible times. If they were just minor pains due to stress on his systems, he could deal with it. But Zero had gone to seen Cain several times, and each time his systems were clean, despite the fact that the pain was debilitating. Once in a mission, a headache had struck Zero and driven him, howling, to his knees, his entire unit freaked out and the Maverick had gotten away. There was no 'fixing' it either, and it's been something Zero had to suffer alone.
The pain finally dulled to a whisper, and Zero slammed his back against the wall, the back of his head resting against the wall and his eyes closed as he panted. Sweat trailed down his face, dripping into his lap; sweat from his recent death-defying simulation and from bearing the pain in both his brain and soul. Zero opened his eyes slightly, the blue now darkened to a near black.
This is such bullshit…
Coupling headaches with creepy nightmares, plus the whole crap with X, and Zero was not having a good week.
"Zero? "
Zero groaned as Alia's voice filtered from the receiver in his helmet. He waited a few minutes, with her still calling his name, before he put his hand over his ear and pressed the microphone button.
"Yes, Alia?"
"Better come up to the infirmary. X and his unit found a survivor and you're wanted to help question. " With that, Alia cut off.
Zero groaned again, his hand falling back into his lap. He counted to a hundred slowly before opening his eyes and heaving himself to his feet. He stood shakily and half-limped to the exit. Maybe he shouldn't have turned off the safety procedures for his simulation…
He passed by his dorm and toweled off the sweat, but he didn't have time for a full shower. But the detour helped, and he didn't look quite as injured. When they were done and X was gone, Zero needed to get Lifesaver to look him over, as he had probably dented something and it was fussing with his wires. Maybe getting fixed would keep his headache at bay, too.
In the infirmary, X, Lifesaver, and Signas were crowded around a bed. Zero walked over to them and took the usual position at X's free side. Thankfully, when X noticed him, he didn't exactly shy away.
"So this is the survivor?" Zero asked, looking down at the Reploid in the bed. The survivor had several wires stuck in him, three of them pumping energy into still-damaged parts, his core wide open in his nearly-destroyed chest cavity.
Looking at the face, Zero was rather shocked at the youthful appearance. If it weren't a Reploid, the blond would have thought him just a poor kid. Two scars formed an x on his face, extending from his forehead to his cheeks, and his hair was wildly spiky and a pleasing shade of orange. As Lifesaver opened one eye to shine a light into it, the color was a paler green than X's own. Studying him and his injuries, Zero couldn't imagine what exactly happened.
"Some group of delinquents," X was saying when Zero decided to pay attention again. "Calling themselves Red Alert. Apparently, this poor kid wanted to quit, and they let lose a Maverick on him. The group apparently wants to be Maverick Hunters, but instead of getting rid of the Mavericks, they capture them and keep them in their crazed state."
Zero scoffed. "Least we give the benefit of mercy…"
Lifesaver let the boy's eye close and tucked his little flashlight away. "He's past the critical condition; it's safe to boot him back up after I close up his cavity."
"Please do so," Signas rumbled.
Lifesaver nodded and set to work, and the three backed away to give him room. X stood off away from Signas and Zero, and though he thought maybe he shouldn't, Zero still went over to him.
"How'd you find him?" Zero asked, trying to start conversation.
X sighed. "We barely did. Caught wind of his life pulse on radar and barely managed to get him here in time. Lifesaver truly lives up to his name."
"So we got a new enemy, huh?"
"More or less," X sighed again, rubbing his forehead crystal. "As if Sigma and his never-ending resurrections weren't enough, we got egotistical idiots, too."
Zero put his hand on X's shoulder, who looked at the hand with a blank expression. "We'll get through it, we always do."
Zero secretly prayed X wouldn't shrug him off, wouldn't just turn away and walk off. Some semblance of 'normalcy', even if just for a moment, was all he wanted, all he needed right now.
X smiled and put his hand over Zero's, the blond nearly smiling at the rush of relief he felt at X's expression. "Thanks, Z. You're right; I don't need to mope over this… I just hate fighting."
Before Zero could utter his usual comforting 'I know,' Lifesaver's voice dominated the room. "He's waking up."
X turned away from Zero, his hand slipping from his and Zero's hand sliding off his shoulder. Zero flexed his hand a few times before balling it into a fist and walking to the bed, the interruption making his headache come back a bit. The kid was slightly moaning and clenching his eyes shut, cringing away in fear.
"Go away," he moaned. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Go away."
"You're safe now," X said comfortingly.
The Reploid's eyes snapped open and he jerked up, pulling wires and earning a 'whoa there!' from Lifesaver. His pale green eyes fell on X, and they widened.
"Not… Red Alert?" the Reploid asked sheepishly.
"This is Maverick Hunter Headquarters," X answered. "We were hoping you could tell us about the group that let the Maverick loose… But first, what's your name?"
The young-looking Reploid swallowed hard before looking all over, his eyes falling on Lifesaver, Signas, Zero, then back to X. He seemed to be debating on answering, but finally settled on, "It's Axl."
~*~
As it was, X and Axl hit off pretty well once Axl realized he wasn't in danger. Well, he and Zero got along too, but it seemed like Axl liked X more, and Zero tried his damnedest not to let it get to him. X was a very fatherly figure, and from what he'd seen of Axl, the new kid really did act like a kid. Maybe it was in his program to look for parental figures, and one did not get more parental than X.
Zero shoved his hands into his jean pockets as he walked to the outside lobby of HQ. Off call, he had changed into civilian clothes and even asked X to come out with him, but X was still on duty and was now the appointed 'caretaker' of Axl, who, at the time, was on the verge of clinging to X's arm like a crazed fangirl. Zero smiled it off and waved as he left, but the instant he turned around, he was frowning.
Outside, Zero made his way to the farthest corner and pulled out of his pocket a pack of cigarettes. He hardly got addicted to them like humans did, but the sensation of wispy smoke circulating his systems did, in ways, calm his nerves. Zero had stopped the habit when X asked, but now, for some reason, Zero really did actually crave a cigarette. As he lit one up, he made a mental note to delete the developing 'addiction' file later on. He would hardly die from smoking, but the things did have tar, and tar was bad for his internal systems. Sure, cleaning wasn't too hard, but it was time-consuming.
Then again, it wasn't as if he suddenly had a free twelve hours in a day.
Zero sat on a bench under the shade of an artificial tree, one leg propped up on the other, one arm stretched out on the back of the bench and the other bent so the hand holding the lit cigarette dangled near him. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes as his loose hair gently tried to rise up with the breeze. He brought the burning stick to his mouth and took a draw, and focused solely on the almost ticklish feeling of the smoke churning throughout his systems, the way his cooling fan pushed it back up to exit through his nose.
"Spare one?"
Zero cracked an eye open to see Alia stand near him, also dressed in casual clothes. Her hair was down like his, and the headset she always wore was missing, replaced by a white headband that matched her white sundress. Zero held his lit cigarette with his lips as he fished out one for her and his lighter. Alia sat next to him and lit hers.
"Didn't think anyone else bothered with human habits," she admitted as she handed him his lighter. "Glad to see I'm not the only one."
"Cain get on your ass about it, too?" Zero asked around his as he pocketed the red lighter.
"Oh yeah, he saw I even manually installed the addiction simulation myself." Alia shrugged as she crossed her legs. Zero didn't bother to move his arm off the back of the bench.
"Why'd you do that?"
"I like to pretend sometimes I'm just a regular human woman as opposed to a nearly overworked Navigator," Alia tossed her chin toward him. "You?"
"Surprisingly enough, it just sort of developed. I tried it once, then again, and went from there." He flicked the excessive ashes off.
They shared a silence, only the nearly inaudible sound of their inhaling from their respective cigarettes reaching their ears. The lobby was surprisingly empty, which suited Zero just fine. He came here to get away from everyone and be by himself, but Alia's company was hardly a burden.
They made small talk, sharing Zero's pack between them. In a few hours, Zero's head again tilted back and eyes closed and Alia mimicking him, they were down to their last cigarettes. Alia finally breached the subject itching her mind.
"So what's up with you and X?"
Zero groaned, letting his head to hang to his chest. "Et tu, Alia?"
Alia opened one eye to look at him and she smiled. "Being your guys' Navigator got me to actually care about your asses. So tell me, what's actually going on? I looked at your schedules and neither of you are any busier than before. Did you have a fight?"
"In a sense," Zero flicked his cigarette away, even if it was only half consumed.
Alia kept hers, bringing it to her mouth and taking a drag before exhaling through both mouth and nose as she spoke. "Who started it?"
"I did."
"You apologize?"
"Yep."
The female threw hers away and bent low, her arms around her legs and her head nearly in her lap as she looked over at him. "So what sort of fight was it?"
Zero sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand that was not behind Alia. "Frankly, Alia, it's none of your business."
"No, but like I said, I care about you guys."
She was persistent, and Zero supposed that's why he liked her as both his Navigator and the few times he spoke to her off the clock. She wasn't a fair-weather friend, certainly, he could tell.
Zero shrugged. "Honestly Alia, I thought we were okay. He said we were…" his head started to sting and he winced behind his hand. "But I guess he doesn't think so yet."
"Well, he's got his hands full with that Axl kid. Now that he's relaxed, he's a troublemaker. You hear what he did to Signas?"
"Nope."
"Put oil in his coffee."
Zero actually managed a laugh, although it made the needling in his head worse. He tried his best to hide it—it wouldn't do to howl in pain next to Alia. "Oh jeez."
"So spill, Zero; this was obviously more than a friendly spat. Seriously," Alia straightened up and waved one of her hands. "You two are acting like you had a lover's quarrel."
That made Zero smile through his headache. "Oh yeah? Dare you to say that to his face."
"Ooo, this is juicy; you and X dating?" Alia giggled.
"Want the truth?" Zero shrugged. Why not? Alia seemed like a good enough girl, and she held secrets like a fortress with no door. Besides, if Zero didn't talk to someone outside himself or X, he'd probably explode in the middle of a briefing. She nodded and Zero shrugged again. "I told him I liked him that way."
Alia did another 'oooo' and tapped her chin. "He not take too well to it?"
Huh, she isn't freaking out. Then again, she's a Reploid… and a female. She probably thinks it's adorable. "Not really. He's still hung up over what Delia did… and, well, if we didn't work out, that'd be pretty devastatin', you know?"
"But you'd never know until you jumped in," Alia giggled. "You two would be cute together."
Zero shrugged for the third time, then sat up, careful not to hit Alia with his arm. "Well, the ball's in his court… all I can do it wait for him to pick it up. But, and I think it goes without saying, don't tell anyone or mention it to him."
"Course. Cross my core and hope to deactivate." Alia held her hand up before standing herself. "Feel better?"
"Yeah, actually. Thanks, Alia."
"Not a problem."
"You still owe me a pack."
"Oh, come on…"
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