Chapter Text
“X has a body pillow?!”
Alia blinks at the bewildered Zero. “Yes?”
Zero wasn’t one for human-inspired comforts, but based on some light internet browsing with Axl on some hobby sites, his impression of body pillows was a bit, um, cringey.
“Stop making that face,” Alia sighed, “X mentioned he had trouble sleeping, so I thought having something to cuddle with would help.” Alia took a sip out of her mug. “I got it for him.”
Before Zero could say anything, she left.
He decided not to pursue her about it (she clearly thought it was no big deal), but he couldn’t help but wonder about X’s pillow. Maybe the picture on it was something innocent, like a kitten, not an anime character, right? Right. Alia wouldn’t do that. …Maybe, as a joke, it’s a picture of someone he knows. Like Signas or Douglas. Or maybe it’s… Noooo, no no, don’t get cocky, Zero.
Unable to stop thinking about it, he called X. He could settle this right away.
“Hi Zero!” greeted X. A simple greeting but it made him smile.
“Hey buddy. Listen,” Zero paused. Wait a minute, wouldn’t it be weird to ask, out of context, ‘hey I heard you have a body pillow, what anime character are you sleeping with?’
“I’m listening…” X replied after some silence from Zero.
“...Yeah. Yes. I have a question about the latest report,” Zero lied.
After a few minutes of X explaining what Zero already knew about the report, he thanked him. Before he could hang up, X stopped him.
“Are we still on for movie night tomorrow?” X quipped. Oh yeah.
X had begun to collect movies over the past year, and at his insistence, got Zero to start watching them with him. This was only going to be their second viewing, as work had relentlessly forced them to delay this evening. Thankfully, he could count on X to keep track of their leisure activities.
“That’s right. Thanks for reminding me. My place or yours?”
“Mine, we did yours last time,” X replied, “See you at 9, and don’t you forget again!”
“Heh, don’t worry about it.” Zero responded.
“Have a good night, Zero.”
“Later.”
X hung up, and Zero was glad. Turns out he’d be able to satiate his pillow curiosity the very next night.
—
“Glad you didn’t forget!” X teased as he let a smirking Zero into his room.
X’s room wasn’t the most spacious, but there wasn’t a single inch devoid of his touch. The walls were covered with photos and maps, annotated with dates and comments about things like a cafe he visited with Alia, hikes he went on with Axl, museums and excavation sites he visited with Dr. Cain…there was a section of pictures of just him and Zero hanging out, some very old. Time certainly flies.
The bookshelf farthest from the door was filled with rows of books he had collected (along with a few Zero and his friends had given him), another row half dedicated to movies, and one last row filled with trinkets and figurines. Next to the shelf was a small crate filled with more books, labeled with the word “donate.” They must have been ones he already finished.
Then there was X’s desk, where the movie of the night was loaded up on his computer. Paperwork was neatly stacked and filed away on a small shelf on his desk (reminding Zero to tidy his own later), and more small trinkets decorated the space around his computer monitor. His only chair was set to the side, as X had planned for them sit on his recharger bed adjacent to the desk.
And right there, on that bed, set up against the head board, was X’s body pillow.
And printed on it…
Was…
Nothing. It was a normal pillow. Zero was slightly disappointed.
“Oh yeah, Alia gave me that pillow,” X said as casually as that pillow was freaking normal. Zero hummed, unable to look away from how plain it was, musing on how he sure jumped to conclusions. At X’s request, Zero settled himself onto the bed as he hit play.
—
Halfway through, Zero heard X shuffle behind him. “Don’t mind me,” he heard.
Zero looked behind him to find X lying down and getting comfortable on the body pillow. Their eyes met, and X narrowed his.
“I said don’t mind me!” X hid his face a little bit into the pillow. Zero teased, “Oh, I’m minding.”
X gave him a light bap on his arm. “I’ve had a long day.”
“You’re okay,” Zero gave X a pat on the head and grinned, “The movie’s good, nice pick, buddy.”
“Thanks, Zee.” X looked back at the screen.
X had never given him a nickname before. Z, huh? He felt the corners of his mouth curve up.
—
Zero stretched as the credits began to roll. “Not bad, though that climax was predictable as hel-” He shut himself up when saw X, fast asleep, gently breathing, and cuddling the pillow.
He looked. So. Good.
And all of the sudden, Zero found himself insanely jealous of the pillow.
Zero internally berated himself. Why would he be jealous of a pillow? It’s, a, pillow! So what if its currently snuggled up against his best friend, who looks great right here at this moment? And that’s not a weird thought to have at all, I mean look at him! The way the pillow is tucked between his legs, his arms holding it close, his slightly-parted lips gently pressed against the side…his sweet face looking so serene, without a care in the world...Wait...These are weird thoughts.
Zero surprised himself when he realized he had laid next to X for a closer look, their faces now separated merely by the traitorous body pillow.
Okay, remain calm, Zero thought to himself as he heated up. He needed to be like X, whose metal body was still cool, and also right next to him, looking incredible, hugging something else, an inanimate object, which should be- I said calm down! Zero let out a frustrated groan.
The sounds and shuffling coming from Zero’s side stirred X awake. With a yawn, X rolled onto his back and stretched his arms out, accidentally releasing the pillow onto the floor. That source of warmth now gone, X rolled back to his side toward the nearest source of heat and wrapped his arm around a flustered Zero.
Zero’s mind went blank as he heard his systems whir loudly into overdrive.
This was both the best and worst thing that could happen.
The best, because ideally Zero would happily let X cling to him and examine this rarely seen side of him. An X who was relieved of the burdens he carried, wrapped in the arms of someone who’d do anything to protect him. Yeah…that’s right. Zero finally understood why he’d felt this way for a while.
But it was also the worst because if he didn’t wake X up, he’d probably melt his face off from the sheer overheat steaming out of his chest’s vent (and straight into X’s face), as he was about to explode from joy from having his newfound crush so close to him.
Lifting a hand, weighed down by reluctance, to place on X’s shoulder, he gently shook him awake.
“...Mm?”
It took four seconds for X to blearily open his eyes, three seconds to see a close-up of Zero’s blushing face, two seconds more for X to realize he was cuddling up against Zero, and one millisecond for X to roll and fall off the bed. A few bemused moments later, Zero peered over the side of the bed to see X on the ground, face buried deep into the fallen pillow.
“You okay?” Zero asked.
“…yes.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Embarrassed ?” Zero teased.
X poked his head out of the pillow. “…Take a guess.”
“…Nah you look calm as ever.”
X put his face back in.
—
Zero finally got X and the pillow back on the bed, but X refused to make eye contact.
“You’re not going to let me live this down, are you?” X muttered.
“On the contrary,” Zero rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, best be honest , “I’m glad that happened, because I’ve been jealous of that damn pillow all night.”
A few painful moments of silence later, Zero began regretting being honest. Looking back at X suddenly felt like scariest thing to do, but he forced himself, expecting a disgusted X. But instead...
“Really?” X finally responded, wide-eyed, blushing, and failing to hide his smile.
“Yeah! Really, buddy.” Zero smiled, now feeling confident. He inched forward but X looked away. Zero’s confidence wavered a bit.
“I sorta thought you weren’t interested in me, since you’re always call me ‘buddy.’” X quietly said. Zero leans back, arms crossed. Fair point.
“You’re the only one I’ve ever called that. Or any nickname ever, really.” Zero said. It’s true, nicknames very happened for him as he tended to keep his distance from others.
“You do keep your distance from others.” X replied, shyly looking back up at him. Of course he gets it. Zero leaned forward toward X, whose face responds with a darkening blush.
“But I really do like you, X.”
He leaned a little more. “ Buddy. ”
Forward he went, and backward X fell onto his pillow at the headboard. “So...you?”
The way X had fallen back, arms splayed, eyes wider, and face red, was so damn cute. Zero moved to lean on his side, closer to X, without awkwardly straddling him.
“...On the contrary...I, um...I like you too.” Yes!!
“...Actually,” Wait, actually?
X pulled the pillow out from under him and held it. “I’ve had trouble sleeping for a while, but lately it’s been going better.”
Before Zero could say anything, X covered his face in the pillow and finished his confession. Despite it being a little muffled, Zero heard him clear as day.
“Its because I...pretend this is you...when I sleep.”
Suddenly, Zero wished he had his own pillow to hide behind from that very extra confession. His eyes grew wide before softening, his mouth shifting from a small gape to a big smile. As he forced himself to say something, the best thing he would say, while he lost his mind and his core spun out of control for the umpteenth time that hour alone, was a very long “oooooooh?”
He was finally shaken out of his stupor when he heard X’s muffled laughing. He had curled himself into a gigging fit from Zero’s anticlimactic response. Despite being incredibly embarrassed, Zero was taken by X’s infectious laugh and started laughing himself.
“Hey! What’s so funny, X?! Hey!!”
Zero laughed as he began to wrestle the pillow out of X’s arms, who held it tighter and laughed harder. Finally yanking the pillow and winning their impromptu tug-of-war, he saw X’s radiating smile as he laughed for a moment before he covered his face with his hands. It was the best sight of X he had seen all night.
As their laughing died down, Zero laid next to X, who in turn turned toward him.
“So are we gonna go out or what, buddy?” Zero asked, reaching for his hand.
“Yeah. I guess we gonna, Zee.” X answered, taking Zero’s hand into his. Zero smiled as he tightened his grip, holding his boyfriend’s hand for the first time.
“Zee. I like that name.”
“Thanks," X grinned, "It’s what I call the pillow.”
Zero sighed as X laughed again.