Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They smoothly teleported to a familiar room after a few minutes of communication. Axl actually startled from it, his body having to adapt in a split second to the overly smooth motion. Once settled, he idly rolled his shoulders, testing the joints out with small motions up and down his frame.

The elder beside him served as a stark contrast. He walked out of the beam like it was his second nature, which it probably was; Rich reploids with all their fancy tech would never know the jolt of a half failing teleporter. Only a few feet short of the towering podiums, Zero stopped dead in the center of the room. Axl trotted up beside him with a bit of pep in his step.

A full, complete mission, zero hitches to be found, with Zero as his kickass sidekick. Stonekong didn't have a fighting chance, and neither did all his troublesome monkey lackeys. He even got a cool gun shield out of it! The benefits were endless.

And hopefully, X wasn't gonna be so mad now. Senile old men were really grumpy, huh?

"Surprisingly good work, you two." Axl's eyes shot to Alia’s position on his left. She was working on her computer, tapping away at some of the surrounding screens. When she caught his eyes trailing her, she offered up a hesitant smile. "We'll want to keep this sort of efficiency up for future missions.”

"Let's spare them any heckling for now." Signas rumbled. Their voice was so deep! Deeper than Red's even! That was so cool. Could they beat him from up there? "You two still look a bit scratched up, so if you'd rather settle down before reporting, I'd be willing to postpone any comments."

"Signas, I think we sh-" X began to speak out. He was quickly cut off by a young, over excited voice.

"Oh, dude, I would kill a man for a break! Do we get free breaks around here?" Axl babbled. He twirled his gun around on his finger as a sort of distraction.

X glared. ". . . I think we should run through their report, at least a little. This is a new team dynamic, and since we're not really sure if we can trust Axl yet, I think we should hear Zero's findings."

"Hey!" He leaned back, looking around Zero to glare right back at X directly. The blue bombass was too high up, so Axl stumbled a few steps back in order to meet his eyes. "I just killed my old teammate by Zero's side, and I'm still not trustworthy!?"

"Axl." Signas boomed. Their voice gave Axl shivers. So weird! "I suggest you play nice. Things will go a lot faster if we all stay on good terms. You're still on thin ice after all."

Axl glared. He glared at everyone in the room who deserved it, which was really just Signas and X. Alia had done no wrong and Zero had yet to irritate him again.

He crossed his arms with a huff. "Fine, fine. Do your report already."

"Thank you." The way X said it didn't sound very thankful. Axl spun his gun again, this time with a petulant look on his face. X simply ignored him, eager to get back on topic. "Zero?"

"The mission didn't have any flaws. We rescued as many hunters as we could reach, but I'd recommend sending out a second recon team in the case we missed anyone."

"Already done." Alia assured. Zero gave her a small, grateful nod of acknowledgement before continuing.

"Collateral damage is no concern, the place was beyond disrepair. I'm unaware of Axl's damage, but I should be fine after a quick checkup. If it's not any trouble, I'd like to drop by Medbay before resting."

Axl caught X sighing in relief as Zero described their health. The smile he gave was super gross, like a chick in those movies Hyenard used to watch. Axl made the decision to look at Signas's normal face instead.

He startled when he realized Signas was staring right back at him. He almost immediately panicked.

"What? What did I do?"

The elder shook their head. "You've done nothing wrong, Axl. We were just asking for your own report."

"Try to pay attention next time." Zero added on.

They were so ganging up on him.

Still, he did his best to straighten up and hastily put together a report. Shit, Red usually let him enter the reports online, how the hell was he supposed to put together a verbal one? What was important to hunters?

"Uhh, around 31 confirmed kills from my side, 12 just injured. Unaware of Zero's kills, estimated in the 40's. Both of us are completely uninfected!"

Silence fell over the hall. Beside him, Zero groaned out loud.

"You . . . You counted the amount of robots you killed!?" X stammered out. His hands shook as they clenched onto the edge of his podium.

Axl was a bit shocked at his reaction. "Yeah? Of course I did, you asked me to report!"

"Just tell them if you're injured or not." Zero snapped out. His look left no room for argument.

Axl looked around to each of them. They all wore similar expressions, ones either of disturb or exasperation. He grunted, crossing his arms over his gem. How the hell was he supposed to know!?

Quickly consulting his scanners, they reported back the usual. His energy was a bit low though, probably tired from self repairing.

"I'm in working order. Could go for some E-tanks though, my energy's running low." Axl paused. "You guys have E-tanks, right?"

"Yes, we do." Signas said. Their tone was filled with relief. Probably from the topic change. "There are also recharge pods if you'd rather use those."

"Uh, I'll pass." Axl waved them off.

Alia looked up from her screen once more. "I've alerted the Lifesavers that you two will be arriving shortly. They're ready and waiting."

"Thanks Alia." Zero turned to face the door. "Follow me, and don't get lost."

"I got it, I got it!"

Axl trailed after Zero dutifully, as he was told. He strained to listen to the other reploids’ voices as they made their exit, trying to get any juicy information. Unfortunately, they waited until the heavy duty door closed before they presumably began talking, meaning Axl got nothing. Either they actually had ideas of respect, or they just knew Axl was a total snitch. Both options sucked.

A hand suddenly pressed against his chest, stopping his meandering.

“Watch where you’re going.” Zero reminded him. The prototype must have not been paying attention, since he almost ran right into the android.

“Heh, sorry Zero!” He bounded back a few steps, slipping on an easy smile. “I’ll be more careful now, promise!”

“ . . . Right.” Zero turned back, continuing on with his tour. Axl went back to trailing, although he actually kept his eyes faced forwards this time. They were too far for him to eavesdrop now anyway.

Sides, there was a lot more for him to see looking ahead! Well, not a lot of interesting stuff, but any information is good information. Though most of the halls were barren, only strips of lights on the walls to keep them company, it did eventually open up.

After one turn, they entered an open area, almost like the lobby of a mall, filled with workers and hunters walking around. Some people pushed carts piled high with materials, while others just chatted up their coworkers. Axl noted the security bots standing near each door. There were alarms to pull one each wall, and some backup flashlights and weapons. Some reploids had drinks in their hands, gotten from a small counter in one corner.

It really was like a mall!

He peeked around some bodies while trying to keep up with Zero. Did that stall have any sodas?

In a small display, with freshly cleaned windows, sat small metal cans with bright labels plastered onto them.

It had sodas!

“Hey, Zero, wait!” Axl scrambled to catch up, tugging on Zero’s ponytail when he did. “There’s a food stand!”

“I’m aware!” He slapped away his hand. “We’re going to the med bay. You don’t need a drink when you’re just going to get an E-tank anyway.”

“I so do! Sodas are amazing! Why wouldn’t I need one?”

“You don’t get to demand whatever you want right now.” He scolded Axl with not a single care for the looks they received. “We’re going to med bay.”

“Uggghhhhh, fine.” Axl groaned. He did end up following the android, but only really because he had to. The guy was a major stick in the dirt, even if he was his hero.

He was once again led through a maze of bland hallways. There was nothing to observe anymore, at least nothing Axl hadn’t already seen. He was left spinning his pistol in boredom.

“Oi.”

Axl yelped.

His gun went up, hit his head, then landed safely in the palm of his hand.

“Don’t mess with those when we reach med bay.”

“What? Why not?”

Zero gave him a look. “It’s a bay for the sick and injured. Take a guess.”

“Ooooh.” Axl sheepishly tucked away his gun, offering Zero an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”

“. . .” Zero just moved on.

After that small pause, they continued on down the hall, Axl now keeping his gun firmly hidden. Distantly, he wondered how the injured would react to Axl himself, if a simple pistol was out of the question.

At the end of one of the countless hallways, a change in lighting began to occur. Instead of the normal light blues, a green overtook them. Zero gave this no notice, but Axl looked around them in awe at the sudden change. He twisted his head to try and keep looking back at the hall.

“Zero and . . . Axl, I presume?” The deep voice gave Axl a shock, making him turn around in a haste. He stumbled, looking up at the new reploid. Big, gentle, and green. “Welcome back, Zero. And it’s always nice to meet a new recruit, Axl.”

“Woah.” He breathed.

They were so . . . nice!

“Good to see you too, Aine.” Zero gave them such a casual greeting that left Axl’s head spinning. “And don’t get too used to Axl yet. X and Signas are still on the fence about him.”

“Ahh, aren’t they always?” Aine gave a chuckle. They gently ushered the two into the med bay.

Axl, for once, remained silent. The place, despite being used for ugly repair jobs and nearly bleeding out, was surprisingly calm. Lifesavers were speaking to patients in soft, gentle tones, only raising their voices when necessary. The chemical stink of medicine was covered up with the smell of fresh sheets and lemon scented cleaning products. It was the exact opposite of how a med bay should be, and it went against everything Axl knew.

It was lovely.

“So, a checkup and an E-tank, right?” Aine asked. Their back was to the two, already grabbing an E-tank out of a mini fridge nearby, as if they were already certain of the information. They probably were, Axl just wasn't sure how.

“Yeah!”

“Yes, please.”

“You got it.” They passed Axl his drink, allowing him the option to sip on it while they spoke directly to Zero.

“Now, what do the old scanners say?”

“I think some of the wires in my leg are loose, I can’t get a clear reading and it feels like there’s not enough energy being circulated there.”

“Hmmm. . . “ Aine gently removed some of the plating from his leg, running their fingers over his cybernetics. Axl gaped at the view of the technology he was getting. “You seem to be right. Can never truly tell, but if you’ll help me through it, I think I can fix them right back up.”

“Sounds reasonable to me.”

Axl hummed to himself, idly looking around the room. Clean, clean, everything was neat and tidy in here. There wasn’t a single loose screw on the floor, only antibiotics and tools for operations. However, any of the scary scalpels were tucked out of sight. Interesting.

“Hey, kid, how’s the E-tank treating you?”

Axl glanced over to Aine. “Haven’t tried it yet!’

“Well, get on it then. You hunters need all the energy you can get.”

“Aine, he’s not-”

“Aye aye captain!” Axl cut Zero’s protests off with a grin.

He popped open the lid to the tank, giving it a little bit of sloshing before he guzzled it down. A fluid, buzzing solution filled his mouth.

He immediately spat it out.

“What the hell!?” The can was launched out of Axl’s hand in seconds, clattering against the far wall. Juice spilled onto the floor and splattered across any nearby surfaces. Any piece of the office that was once spotless and shining was now coated in gross, dripping solution. Axl stood far away from the mess, blowing raspberries as he tried to get the taste of it all off of his tongue.

Aine rushed to stand by his side in a matter of seconds. “What’s wrong? Poisoned? Incompatible?”

“Gross!" Axl yelped. “What was that, cause that sure as hell wasn’t an E-tank!”

“Our base only gets the best products.” Zero informed him. The other two both looked completely puzzled.

Zero then held out his hand. “Give me the tank.”

Aine shot him a look. “If the tank is poisoned-”

“I’ll be fine. Just hand it over.”

They caved, picking up whatever was left inside the can and passing it off Zero. He took a controlled sip, only enough to taste it. He took his time analyzing the flavor in his mouth.

“We’re good. The tank isn’t faulty, it tastes just like normal.” After saying that, he looked right at Axl.

Said reploid immediately held his hands up in surrender. Being under that piercing stare was more than uncomfortable, it was excruciating. “I don’t know, it just tasted weird!”

“Try it.”

“Huh?”

“Try it again.” Zero tossed him the can, making Axl scramble to get it. “It’s not poisoned, so you have no excuse. Either figure out what’s wrong, or suck it up and drink your E-tank.”

“Fine.” Once again, Axl tried the drink, and immediately hated it. It was like a mockery of the tanks he knew. The consistency was smooth and thick instead of the usual watery chunks Axl was used to. There was a buzzing to it that definitely wasn’t there before, and it sent small shockwaves throughout his whole body. Certains spots throbbed in discomfort as if the juice was infecting his limbs. He drank about half of what was left before pausing. “Yuck.”

Aine lifted an eyebrow. “It’s still gross?”

“Yeah.” Axl said. “Like E-tank on steroids, but so many steroids it began to overdose into the next dimension.”

“That’s . . . quite the unique perspective there.” They moved to sit near Zero’s leg again. “Mind dumbing it down for me? I’m an old reploid, I don’t get the metaphors you kids make up.”

Zero sent Aine a weird look, but Axl completely missed it. “Uhh, it’s like when you order a Sprite but get a sparkling lemonade.”

“So . . . healthier?”

“What? No!” Axl paused. “Uh, wait. Maybe? Lemme-”

He checked his scanners.

Shockingly, they were right. Whatever was spiking that tank, it was helping him a lot. He was just below halfway on energy, which hadn’t happened in quite a while. His mechanisms felt revitalized with this overflow of energy, letting pieces of him long abandoned power back up and repair themselves just a little. Processing speeds rose higher and higher, and Axl could almost feel his gems glow just a bit brighter. The effects well made up for the taste.

“Woah, you’re right!” Axl beamed at the Lifesaver. “My whole body’s going into overdrive!”

Aine smirked. “Just as I suspected.”

“Aine, what did you do?” Zero asked. He had his eyes squinted in suspicion, but they waved off his concerns like the glare of an S rank hunter was nothing.

“Nothing. Someone in the medic channel heard of my situation and recommended something to me.” Aine picked up the can to toss it away. “It’s not the E-tank that’s the issue, but the quality.”

“Is that one, like, special edition?”

“Nope.” Aine said. “Axl, can you tell me what a normal E-tank tastes like?”

“Spoiled milk mixed with a flat soda.” Axl said with pure confidence.

Behind the Lifesaver, Zero gagged.

“Yep. That sounds about right for the cheaper E-tanks. A lot of those kinds aren’t even up to federal health code; You’re just not used to these expensive tanks yet.”

“Huh.” Axl blinked.

Aine gave him a small smile. “Need another?”

“If you’re offering!”

“I suppose I am.” They lazily handed him a second E-tank, watching in amusement as he guzzled it down as quickly as possible. He coughed a little once he was done, wiping his mouth and grimacing at the aftertaste, but grinned back up at them in spite of it all.

"Give him as many as he needs." Zero called out. He was still sitting on the bed, testing out his repaired leg. "I won't have my partner be handicapped in battle."

"Aww, he said we're partners! You heard that, right!?" Axl cooed. When Zero began to stand up from the bed with a pissed off growl, Aine stood between them both.

"Calm down you two. No need to fight, especially not in a med bay." Eventually, they did listen, settling down on each of their respective sides. Aine let out a heavy sigh. "Now, Axl, I know the E-tanks are your preference, but if you hopped in the recharge stations, we could get both a scan of your systems and let you reenergize a bit more naturally."

"I'll pass."

"That's alright, but please try to consider it." Aine conceded.

"I will."

Axl did not consider it.

Not even for a second.

“How are you on energy, then?” Zero stood up. His leg seemed to be in working order now since Zero was putting his weight back onto it without much problem.

He took a second to scan his systems again. Unfortunately, what used to be half way was now only about a quarter. He would usually stockpile his energy, but right now all his cybernetics were just eating it up. He couldn’t help but put all the energy he got directly into repairs, cause he never knew when he would get a chance to drink this kind of stuff again.

“Gonna be honest, I’m using it up pretty fast.” He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “How many more am I allowed to have?”

Aine looked at him in silence for a bit. Their mind seemed elsewhere, so Zero answered for them.

“As many as that mini fridge holds, I’m assuming.” He said. “But if you're going to tear your way through ten entire E-tanks, it’d be better to just recharge in the pods.”

“ . . . so nine is the limit?”

“Ugh.” The hunter gave an impressive facepalm. “I can’t stop you. Just, don’t overload yourself.”

“Not a problem!”

He lept from where he stood, skidding on his knees till he stopped right in front of the fridge. Popping open the door, he scooped up as many tanks as his arms could hold, before shutting it. All the cans clattered loudly onto the floor, with some even rolling a few inches away. Axl plucked them one by one off the floor, and with each one that entered his hand, he chugged it down like an animal. Once done with it, the empty can was tossed into the trash in favor of a full one.

“Hey, try to slow down there-” Aine tried to cut in, but they stopped their own protest when Axl dropped the last can. Twelve entire cans, down the hatch. Aine peeked over the rim of the trash can with a look of awe on their face. “Oh. Wow.”

“Ahhh, that’s the shit!” Axl grinned to himself, relishing in the waves of power bursting through his wires. He could almost hear his insides whirr to life. Never before had his entire energy reserves been filled to the brim, and he felt himself subconsciously slouch from all the overwhelming bliss. A slight blue hue graced his face, coming from his now positively beaming gems. The immense light was short lived, calming down a bit as the flow became more regulated, but there was a glow that hadn’t been there before. He felt healthier.

“Damn . . . '' Zero whispered. He joined Aine to stare down at the clutter of empty cans now filling their bin. The Lifesaver was dead still, but their eyes shot around and squinted at nothing.

“Axl, did you need all of that?” Aine’s voice sounded strained, like it was forced from their voice box instead of spoken out of their own free will. Some would say they looked distressed. He would say they looked constipated.

Axl looked up from his spot, sat comfortable on the tile floor, and tilted his head. “I mean, I would have been fine without the last few cans, but I wanted to stock up while I could. You were offering!”

“Right, right, I was . . . “ They looked away after saying that, staring somewhere off into the distance, even though they were simply sitting in their office. A hand went up to their face, rubbing at their temple like a human would to soothe a migraine. Axl began to lean closer, trying to get a better view of their expression, before a hand on his shoulder stopped his movements. He looked up to find Zero shaking his head.

“You’re fine, right?” Zero didn’t wait for Axl’s answer before continuing, although it didn’t matter much as Axl’s answer was an upstanding yes. “Then we have no reason to stick around and cause more trouble for Aine. They’re going to need to restock because of you.”

“Sorry about that!” Axl called out to Aine as he stood up. They didn’t seem to hear him, but the thought was still there. “See you later, Aine!”

He secretly hoped he'd be able to see them again. They were nice to him, and didn't complain when he drank a lot. It was so unusual, but for some reason, it put a warm feeling in his chest.

The two left the med bay, heading from green lit areas back to blue. Axl was finally able to pull his gun back out, and when checking it over, he realized he now was able to supply enough energy for a few more rounds of bullets. Amazing what a few tanks of fancy pants juice would do to a guy.

“Hey Zero, do we get like, personal quarters?”

“It’s an option for higher up hunters,” Zero said. “But for now, you’re staying in a holding cell.”

“Aw, bummer!”

Chapter Text

This time, when he was placed down with an unnatural smoothness to the motion, Axl didn't stumble. The easy transition showed mercy on his creaking joints, and the prototype couldn't have been more grateful. He just stood where the teleporter had dropped him for a moment, letting himself slowly reorient before daring to move his sore body again.

"Axl, Zero." Signas leaned forward, looking down from their podium to get a better view. Their expression twisted at the sight of the two, like they tasted something sour. Or, more accurately, saw something painful.

"Signas! Or do I call you commander?" Axl lazily waved at them all as he shuffled closer. The limb didn't reach above his chest. He kept it low in order to not aggravate anything further; A trick he'd learnt from experience and Crowrang.

He only realized Zero had been lagging behind when the hunter suddenly entered his vision. The unexpected movement in his blind spot made him jump in place, earning a small glance from the android. "You really should address them as Commander, but I get the strange feeling that even if you started to, it wouldn't last long."

"That strange feeling is the best feeling you've gotten all day." He earned a snort from Zero, bringing a cheeky, childish grin to his face. The grin was wiped straight off when X started talking.

"Zero, Axl! Are you alright!?" The way he leaned over the side of his podium looked like he was about to fall out of it. It suddenly seemed less like a position of power and more like a wall to keep X from swarming them and coddling Zero all the time.

"I was going to ask . . ." Signas slowly inspected each of them with their eyes, marking every scratch and coolant smear mentally. They narrowed when they noticed a particularly nasty split in Axl's armor, left from a dirty hit that had his circuits throbbing with discomfort.

Signas made their conclusion with ease. "Medbay, immediately. I can gather a report later."

"Roger that!" Alia called. Her fingers were lightning fast on the keyboard, yet she was able to look up and face Signas while she typed away. "The Lifesavers are being alerted as we speak!"

"Make sure they get an overview!" X's words were strife with worry.

Alia nodded along. "Of course. It's all been taken care of. You two, head down as soon as possible!"

"No need to tell me twice." Zero snarked. He didn't seem to mean it as an insult to Alia, though. They were much too close for that. He was instead focused on his bashed shoulder, holding it cautiously in place.

Axl felt bad. The heavy, overbearing guilt was why he worked as a stand alone assassin in Red Alert. He couldn't stomach this sort of thing.

"And Zero?" Said android turned, looking back at X. The blue bot looked heart broken. Axl felt impossibly worse, looking up at his childhood hero, who wore that face all because of him. "Feel better."

"You know how our Lifesavers are, Blue." Zero gave him a gentle, yet steady grin. "I'll be just fine."

"I'm holding that to you, Z." The android leaned back from his podium. "Now don't keep the whole Medbay waiting."

"The Lifesavers sound like they're about to lose it down there." Alia chirped. Her face scrunched up, and she wisely tapped on her pad to mute their channel.

"Got it!" Axl took the initiative, grasping the arm that Zero wasn't cradling and pulling it with him. "The old man'll be back in no time!"

He rushed towards the door to make a hasty exit. Having all those eyes on him was horrid, and if he had a choice, he wouldn't stay there any longer. Zero might have had other ideas, with all his goo goo eyeing at X, but Axl couldn't give two shits. Medbay was a welcome relief, and the old man couldn't stop him.

As he left, he heard X call, "We're not that old!"

Axl just snickered.

When that heavy door finally closed behind him, Axl dropped the act. He let go of Zero's elbow, and slowed down to a less 'running with fire on his ass' pace and more of a 'speed walking' pace. It made his joints ache, the sudden shift in velocity.

Without those three know it all's breathing down his spine, Axl actually let himself look down to the injuries he sustained. While he inspected the soon to be new scars, he spoke to Zero.

"That was your good arm, right? You didn't pull a wire that I didn't know about in there?"

Zero took his sweet time reorienting, even giving Axl a weird look, which was rude as hell. "No, no, that arm's fine, but-"

"Sh-shit yes, that's good." He peaked up at Zero, eyeing the sparking mess that was his left shoulder. "Wouldn't want to tug on that thing, it'd fall right off! I think I can send the reports for this mission, seems like you'll need a rest in those, uh, pod thingies or whatever."

Something in that sentence made Zero snort. "You underestimate me and X. I'll be just fine with the help of a Lifesaver. You, on the other hand. . ."

"Heh, brag about your cool android genes all you want, old man. I've got guns." Axl smirked.

His partner didn't seem as impressed.

"How are guns supposed to be better than regenerative abilities like no other?"

"They just are."

Zero snorted, turning away with a disapproving shake of his head. The younger reploid was glad he let the topic drop. And didn't notice the topic change either. He was glad Zero was oblivious in general, because the last thing he needed was the injured guy fretted over the far less injured guy.

That would be beyond fucked up.

Zero must have been completely overreacting though, because when he checked his scanners, he was fine.

Now, he wasn't in tip top shape - he never had been in all that his memory banks could provide - but he was certainly functional. Everything moved. Energy passed through his body. He was probably thinking straight - and if he wasn't, how the hell was he supposed to tell?

All in all, things seemed to be fine. A trip to the Medbay, a few more cans of energy, and he'd be better than ever! The repair systems that were somehow still working could handle the rest. Armor couldn't be self repaired, but his circuits sure could.

"Axl. Stay here."

A hand was unexpectedly on him, pushing at his shoulder. The prototype followed the motion without much thought, being guided down to a bench. He sat on it only out of instinct, with his brain struggling to catch up with the sudden movements.

He glanced up to see Zero beginning to walk away into the crowd.

Why was there a crowd?

It was only then Axl realized they were in the lobby section of the hunter base. Somehow, they'd walked all the way into the area with Axl being none the wiser.

And now he was sitting on a bench for some reason.

How the hell had that happened?

Right, Zero had just . . . sat him there. Axl registered that as bizarre, but really, he couldn't be bothered to figure out why at the moment. Better not to, his head already felt terrible, no need to make it worse.

His eye caught on to Zero's bright red armor as he made his way back over to Axl. The crowd split so willingly for Zero, most waving politely or gawking in awe at the hunter. Axl could definitely relate.

The hunter offered a hand to Axl. He stared for a second before he registered it as an offer. It wasn't Zero's injured arm either; Axl had made sure to check that.

He took a risk and gripped it back, letting Zero lift him off the seat.

He didn't know why Zero offered, but secretly, he was grateful. Standing up just would have strained his already pained legs. The lift was about as appreciated as that smooth as hell teleportation.

Asimov, he was being so spoiled at the base. Next mission, he vowed to himself to rescue all the remaining hunters, just to make up for it.

A cool, metallic can was pressed into his free hand, making the glove a little wet from the condensation. Axl blinked, looking down at his hand to see . . . a Sprite?

"Didn't know what you'd like." Zero huffed out. His eyes were looking everywhere but Axl's face. "Drink it while we walk, we need to get to Medbay fast."

"Wo-woah. You . . . you just got me a soda!" Axl admired the can like it was a diamond, or the head of a target. "And it's Sprite! How'd you know I like Sprite?"

"I just said I didn't." He rolled his eyes. Axl began to get dragged along by Zero's- Zero's hand. Axl had never let go of Zero's hand. Damn. "Pay attention."

"Did- did you guess from yesterday? When I mentioned Sprite. And lemonade. And milk stuff."

"Spoiled milk mixed with a flat soda." Zero corrected him, leaving Axl gaping. "Of course I listened. How the hell could I not?"

"I don't know. Ears don't really turn off like that." Axl grinned to himself. He fumbled a bit with the can. Though he really did want to drink it, the tab was super hard to open one handed. "Zero, tab?"

The older glanced over. When Axl presented the can to him, he reached over and popped it open without much issue. Axl beamed to himself, maybe a bit to Zero too, and began drinking the Sprite at an unusually fast pace.

A hand gently lowered down the bottom of his can, stopping the flow. Axl grumbled with his mouth still full of soda and glared down the tin at the gloved hand. The traitorous, dastardly gloved hand.

"Get out of the habit of chugging these sorts of things." He reprimanded. "The last thing any of us wants is you to overload your systems and get sent to Medbay. The Lifesavers have seen us enough already."

"I'll be fine." Axl pushed the hand off his drink. "One time, I drank three E-tanks in two minutes."

"And just yesterday, you drank twelve tanks in five." He seemed to know everything! Axl was left gaping, again, with just how much Zero stored in that brain of his. How the hell could he know so much? Axl could never. "I guess you beat your record."

"Woah, I did! That's so cool, I can't wait to tell-uh-" He couldn't tell Red he couldn't tell Hyenard he couldn't tell- "Aine!"

"They already know about your drinking record, Axl, they were there."

"Uh, yeah, but they don't know it's a new record." Axl said.

"No, they know." Zero sighed at this, looking suddenly downtrodden. Axl frowned along with him. "They were shocked, and so was the entire Lifesaver force. Everyone in Medbay knows at this point."

"Oh." Axl glanced back down at the can. "Does that make it, like, a world record?"

That got Zero to chuckle. "Yeah, kid, you're a record setter."

Whatever sad thing Zero had going on was gone, back to light hearted fun. That, Axl was good at. He felt himself smiling along with the old android and walking with a new bounce in his step.

"Heck yeah I am!" He pumped his fists, almost knocking himself off balance with the spontaneous celebration. Zero, still connected to the rambunctious teen by hand, stumbled with him.

"Scheisse! Axl, stop it-"

"I'm a huge record breaker!" Words fell out of his mouth in a constant stream. Axl wasn't even sure if his mind got a chance to think of a sentence before it came flying out. "One time, I beat Snipe on the shooting ranges! Not even Red has done that, Zero! I'm awesome with guns."

"You may be good, but you need to show more restraint in battle." Zero chided. He was the one being dragged, although he felt more like an anchor than a tag-along; Their linked hands were the only thing stopping Axl from tipping over at some points. "Good job though. Hunters need a sharp aim."

"Damn right! And another time, I drank three whole E-tanks in a row! I think it only took, like, two minutes." Axl giggled to himself. It was a fond memory, back when Red Alert was his friends, instead of his enemies. "Red tried to make me throw up in case I overloaded my systems."

" . . ." Zero slowed down. Their tethered hands made Axl drag with him, physically feeling the dip in mood as well as sensing it. When he looked back, the hunter's face was pinched tight.

It was like he was looking at a puzzle, and not Axl. It was unnerving. He didn't want Zero looking at him like anything other than a teammate, not like how Red would look at Axl.

Axl chose to make eye contact, staring back at Zero directly.

"You worry too much. I didn't overload, he was just being way too cautious. He’s like that." Axl pulled at his hand again. "Come on. I wanna go to Medbay and see Aine."

". . . Aine probably won't be on duty today." The change in topic was accepted, and they began moving again now that Zero wasn't holding the pair back. "But if you ask, another Lifesaver might pass along a message to them."

"Fuck yeah!" Axl cheered, wrenching their hands into the air. Zero stumbled at the sudden movement, hissing when his damaged shoulder was jostled. Axl's own joint made a cracking sound when he lifted it.

It then fell limp.

"Oh." Axl blinked.

"Axl!" Zero let out a shout. It startled Axl so badly with the sheer volume of it that he jumped. The now limp arm just swung uselessly at his side.

"Shit, my bad. I gotta . . ." He reached up, feeling around the joint. He'd heard that sort of crack before, and whenever he needed, he could just fix it back up.

Axl held onto his shoulder, rotating it until it felt just right, like the metal in the shoulder lined up exactly with its socket. Then, he harshly pulled it out, to the point the wires in his arm strained to stick together, and jammed it right back into the socket.

His self repair systems were jolted awake, alerted by the frankly brutal treatment of his arm, and whatever energy was left in his tanks were put solely into fixing that joint.

"Ahhhh, fffuck me!" Axl whined. He had to grit his teeth a bit to keep from vocalizing any further groans or whines. The pain receptors in his arm flared at the repairs and previous brutalization, but they soon began to settle back down into a familiar, pleasant numbness. He still held his arm in place, just in case his scanners were lying again. "That stung like hell! Remind me not to move it for a bit, okay?"

"Axl!" Zero grabbed his good shoulder, thankfully, when he forced the prototype to face him. "What you just did there? Never do that, ever, again. We're going to go to Medbay, and until then, don't you dare do anything else even close to that little stunt. Got it?"

Axl didn't know what to say, other than, ". . . Got it."

"Good." With that final growled out warning, Zero snapped his body around in a turn, facing the rest of the hall so he could storm down it. Axl did his best to keep up, arm in place and worry written all over his expression.

He fucked up. He definitely fucked up, somehow. Those weird glances Zero had sent him earlier, the confusing amount of sympathy he showed; They were all warning signs to some big catastrophic event that Axl had just triggered.

He had yet to figure out how they exactly strung together yet, and his muddled mind was making that really hard to do in the first place, but he knew they had to fit together somehow. Those were the weirdest things that stuck out from that day. They were obviously related.

. . . Was this a falling out?

Axl's head hurt. This was all too much. He really didn't want to lose this partnership. He may have ruined this mission, but he could do better. He would.

He didn't want . . .

Axl blinked.

"Green."

The lights were fading to green now. That meant Medbay. He could remember that from the last mission.

Zero sent him a glance from behind his shoulder. Axl, hunched over and blindly following Zero's path, just offered up a small smile. The smile didn't come out as much of a smile though, just a twitch of his lips really. Every move felt strangely . . . draining, like if he used any extra energy he'd be out in seconds. He’d be more worried about this all if his head wasn’t already stuffed full of static.

Luckily, the android ignored his idiotic comment, just continuing on into the Medbay before them. A nice relief, cause Axl didn't think he could make a proper excuse in the state he was in.

As soon as he stepped foot in the bay, Axl registered a small beep coming from above them in the doorway. Zero didn’t pay this sound any mind; He didn’t even seem to notice it. So, logically, Axl did the same, ignoring the beep that rang out when he too entered.

Heads all popped up from their hunched positions. Wherever there was a free Lifesaver, there was a new pair of eyes on the duo. Even those working on crippled patients glanced up for a few seconds to look at the new arrivals. Zero was obviously incorrect, cause that beeping had just made them the newest target in the base, which did not happen last time.

“Zero! Axl!”

An unfamiliar Lifesaver ran over. It looked to be Aine, but Axl took a second to process the vocal tone differences, and the more obvious fact that Aine never had that shade of green on their armor. They were, unfortunately, a stranger. The new Lifesaver was still sweet though, as they began fawning over them in a matter of seconds.

“Please, follow me!” Zero had begun walking before the Lifesaver had even spoken. The younger opened his mouth to say something, because it was definitely rude to walk away from the person about to save your life; However, when he felt a hand on his back and saw the Lifesaver’s eyes on him alone, he realized that the instruction was only for him.

“My name is Orion.” The Lifesaver informed him. Axl shied away from the touch on his back, but he did allow them a grip on his arm so that they were able to lead him. He was beginning to doubt his own abilities to walk properly. The hands on his arms were the only thing grounding him, and he wasn't about to knock them away.

“Orion . . . That’s a star.” Axl mumbled.

“It’s actually a whole lot of stars.” Orion informed him. The prototype hummed along in acknowledgement, which Orion took as permission to continue. “My favorite of those all has to be Rigel; Rigel is actually one of my coworker’s names.”

“Wow. . . rare.”

“It really is. The chances are lower than I could have ever calculated, but it’s a true story.”

“Mmm. . . “ His hum was even more lackluster than the last. Repositioning their grip, Orion led Axl into a secluded room, where Zero was waiting.

The android was already busy with two visibly older Lifesavers. Laid back in a pod like structure, Zero remained as still as he could while the two inspected his every limb. There were monitors sitting next to the three spitting out repetitive, constant blips. Axl winced at the sound.

Across the room from the pods was an empty bed.

Orion didn’t need to lead Axl any further, because he pushed himself far with a small burst from his rockets, falling face first into a soft plush mattress. The last of his energy was used up, and he was definitely staying right where he landed.

That was good. Axl practically melted as soon as he made contact with the bed. All the joints he was putting pressure on just from standing were finally allowed a break, and he could hear his frame creak in gratitude. He laid there, perfectly limp, just basking in the simple pleasures a cushion brought him.

He needed to make it up to the hunters at some point. This was all too awesome.

A weight compressed the space on the mattress next to him. It was Orion, leaning on their hand as it pushed into the bed. They kept a polite smile on their face as they spoke.

"Axl, we need you to stand up again. The pod, it's as soft as the mattress, and we would be able to scan your vitals with it without any hassle. I can even help you up if you would like."

Despite any delirium, Axl pushed the Lifesaver's hand away, rolling over to face away from them. "No. No scans."

"No scans?"

"Mhm."

Orion fell silent for a second, pondering quietly to themself. The younger took this chance to snuggle himself deeper into the soft sheets below.

"That- I don't think I can do that, Axl." They admitted. They sounded guilty for being unable to find a solution. "The pods need to scan you in order to treat you."

Across the room, an unexpected voice spoke up. "Last time Aine was only able to hand him E-tanks."

"We were informed." Orion turned to face Zero. "But a reploid can't just survive on just E-tanks!"

"Orion." One of the other Lifesavers spoke, then stopped. They stared at each other for a bit. Axl looked on in a bleary gaze of confusion, while Zero simply sighed. The blond turned his head away, uninterested in their silent battle.

" . . . Fine." They eventually said. "Just one or two, then we find a better solution."

"Works for me." The veteran huffed. Their focus returned to repairing their assigned hunter.

That left just Orion and Axl once again.

"Okay. Axl, we're going to give you, tops, two E-tanks. Then, you have to work with us." Orion held up cold, freshly opened E-tanks, inches away from the bed. "Do you understand?"

The kid made sloppy, rushed movements, practically having to haul his upper half into a sitting position so he could grab wildly at the cans in front of him. In the last second, Orion pulled them out of reach, keeping them there when Axl didn't retreat. "You have to confirm you understand before I give you anything."

"I un'er'sand." Axl slurred.

Their movements were beyond hesitant, but, true to their word, Orion slowly handed him the two tanks.

"I want you to be careful, drink these very slowly-"

No warning could stop him.

As soon as the metal touched his hands, both tanks went down the hatch without a second thought. He managed to fit them both at once, meaning that by the time Orion processed his disobedience, it was too late to stop any of the drink from getting poured right into his mouth. He chugged it all, surprisingly little spilling on himself, and then let two empty cans clatter to the tile floor.

"Axl!"

Orion had his shoulders in a deadlock, shaking Axl as he was forced to sit up.

"What did I tell you!?"

"Orion, hands off the patients."

One of the veterans eased their grip off him. The twos' voices mixed together in a slush of sensations, leaving his ears ringing. The slush felt thick, like it clouded his hearing, yet the ringing, that horrid, high pitched ringing, was far too clear.

The tingle from the E-tanks that left his lights aglow last mission suddenly felt all wrong. His very core was attacked by energy, shocking a dead heart back to life. The palpitations it caused shook his body and especially his vision. His limbs felt numb, yet he squirmed as needles traveled along his wires. Sensations were a world away, and somehow also too much.

Something is wrong, he tried to say. Tried desperately to call out to the Lifesavers, to Zero, to anybody.

Nothing came out.

Just smoke. Black, wispy smoked, that filled the air with a horrible stench.

Every piece of scrap in his body was overwhelmed, and suddenly, they all started to shut down. Wires fizzled out. All that energy was useless.

There were warning signals in his vision, but as the darkness encroached, he couldn't read a single one.

Zero was the one to catch Axl as he fell, the energetic boy suddenly limp with barely a detectable pulse in him.

Freezing eyes stared holes into the nearby Lifesavers, the ones who hadn't even noticed when the kid began his descent to the floor.

"I want this fixed," Zero hissed, "Now."

Chapter Text

For a moment in time, everything stood still. The Lifesavers were stuck in a freeze frame, left staring at the hunters in front of them.

"I said NOW!"

His shout was given no time to echo. As soon as the words left his mouth, the Lifesavers were snapped into action. Orion was sent running, skidding against the smooth metal flooring in order to round the corner out of there. Zero hoped, for his sake, he was getting more help.

One of the Lifesavers he was assigned approached, reaching for Axl.

Split second judgments were made. Old, shameful protocols roared to life, screaming senseless nothings in pure unbridled defense. With clouded vision, he jerked back, away from the reploid who dared to fucking grab-

This wasn't the time.

"The pod, right?" Somehow, despite him putting a fair amount of self control into keeping himself calm, Zero still ended up speaking in a low, threatening tone.

The Lifesavers understood immediately. If they were trusted with an S Rank's care, they should have known of Zero's . . . programming issues. The reploid gently backed away, giving space for Zero to move. Less cornered. Safer.

"Preferably, yes." The Lifesaver made a show of keeping their hands where Zero could see them as they reached for more equipment. "We'll need to keep it open though, he needs to be operated on."

"Got it." Zero followed the path that opened for him.

Laying Axl down there felt wrong. He couldn't even trick himself into believing the kid was just asleep, even though he wished he could. He was too still. When Zero began lowering him into the cylinder, his limbs fell without any resistance, following wherever gravity took them. There was no mumbling, no snoring, not even a twitch from Axl's unconscious body. Just silence.

It felt like he was laying a dead man down to rest.

His hands reached out, tenderly removing Axl's helmet. Wild, unruly hair fell loose, spiked bangs covering a bit of his face. Zero moved slowly, like Axl might stop him at any moment despite all odds.

Zero placed his wrist against Axl's forehead. While he was cooling down now due to his sudden shut down, his skin was still boiling. The hot flashes of electricity must have raised his temperature to an almost feverish level.

Zero stayed there for a moment in time, letting that heat ground his mind. After all, dead bodies weren't warm.

"Zero, sir." The Livesaver's voice cutting through his jumbled thoughts made him jolt. "We'll need room to care for him."

"Right." He backpedaled, moving to the far wall and not stopping until his foot tapped the bottom of it. Looking down, his extended hand shook. He clenched it to force the trembling out, and threw it back down by his side for extra measure. "I assume I won't be allowed to stay."

Last time he stayed, X was in that pod, screaming out as a Lifesaver was forced to jumpstart his core. Zero almost took out the whole staff.

The Lifesaver paused their ministrations. “I- You need to be healed as well, Zero, your arm-”

Zero shook his head. "I'll be fine, I’ll handle it myself. I can’t- You know I can’t stay here."

“Zero-”

“Connect to me as soon as he's in the clear.”

". . . Alright. We assure you that he'll be just fine under our care." The senior reploid gave Zero the kindest smile they could. "It was a simple overload. As long as there aren't any complications, it will be smooth sailing from here."

Zero had the wit left in him to scoff. "I have the feeling it will be the former."

Across the room, his comment earned him a salty glare. Of course, no Lifesaver wanted to hear his baseless accusations. Well, not completely baseless. Just . . . anxious.

"Sorry." He was quick to repent. "Just make sure to check his arm."

"Anything wrong will show up on the scanners." They assured him. "I suggest you go now. Orion will return at any minute."

Right, the new guy. The one who let Axl drink another E-tank, even though records showed Axl didn't know how to handle those properly. Even though Zero himself warned Orion of his stubborn nature.

Looking back at the veteran, Zero knew he had said enough already. His complaints could wait until a later date. He put all his pent up energy into speed walking out of that room as fast as his legs would let him.

Around him, the Medbay bustled. Despite the fact his eyes were glued to the floor in front of him, he saw the Lifesavers around him scurry. It was a blur, an unimportant detail that he let flow by. He needed to get back to his quarters. He needed to scream, or hit, or do anything other than stay in that stuffy fucking Medbay with Axl's corpse like body-

"Zero!"

His steps stuttered.

"X? Wha-"

Coming from the right, a blue streak crashed into him, latching onto whatever it could. Zero had his arms trapped at his side, but he didn't panic. Instinct had him hugging back into the android, holding him close, even curling around the other's form. Emotions, more than programming, told him to keep this safe.

X was here.

"Zero!" X moved his face from its smooshed position against his chest to look up into Zero's eyes. His face was red. He was shaking, just a little, in his hold. It was so minute that most would miss it.

Zero didn't.

What the hell happened to him?

"Blue, Scheiße, are you alright?" Gloved hands trailed up from X's sides until they gently cupped his flushed face. The cheeks he held weren't dusted pink after a good laugh, no, they were tinged that way from a panicked core.

"I came as soon as I could!" X blurted out. His eyes darted to the rooms behind Zero every once in a while. "I wasn't informed- they never told me the state he was in! I was under the impression he was being taken care of!"

"Blue-"

"I'm so sorry! I-"

"X!"

The shorter android finally stopped. The two were so close at this point that X's breath made Zero's hair sway.

"I need you to stop and breathe for me, Liebling." As he spoke, X's hands found their way onto his arms, holding them tight. Zero brought their foreheads together. It was a soft and simple motion, one that brought X down enough for his breathing to even.

"We-we can't stay here." X confessed. He gave a small, gentle tug at Zero's arms, and the taller reluctantly let him guide their movements. X put their arms down limply by their sides, yet he still held onto Zero's hands. "We need to talk about this, Zero."

"I hear you loud and clear." Zero stepped back, looking down the hallway X came from. "I think the best option would be our room. Is that alright with you?"

"More than alright."

Led by Zero, the couple made their way to their room.

The red android remained the grounding point. X looked so weary, so drained from the panic that had taken hold earlier - Zero had to be that grounding force for him. And, as he gently flexed his hands within X's grasp, it had admittedly helped him calm down as well. His hands were no longer as tense. Being a source of comfort was better than a force of destruction.

"Z?"

"Yeah?"

"How. . ." X trailed off. Despite being such a strong commander, at this moment, X sounded unsure of himself. "How was he, when you left?"

Zero paused.

"Last I saw him, the kid was out cold and smoking from the mouth."

X stopped responding.

They didn't talk for the rest of the walk. After X's grasp tightened, Zero could tell they shouldn't push the topic just yet. The only time one even thought of speaking was when they reached their door.

X silently opened his mouth, reaching for the keypad himself, before Zero pushed past him. He entered the code, allowing the metal doors to slide open for the two.

Once inside, Zero made a beeline for their bed. It was an unnecessary thing that X insisted on, and slowly, Zero grew to like it as well. It was where they tended to end up each night. They had working pods, but they passed them up in favor of this simple human mattress.

Zero thought that this would be the best place to confront the situation. Something familiar and comforting, nothing medical or cold about it. Hopefully, it would help prevent more tears from being shed.

With X's history, Zero didn't count on it.

"I'm sorry." X was the first to start. "I'm trying my best to help while staying out of the fight. And- and I know I can't save everything, I know that, but- he- "

“X, stop.” Zero interrupted him, sitting down in front of him to make sure X’s attention was solely on the android in front of him. “You’re right; You can’t save everything. This isn’t your fault.”

“But-”

“You’re putting too much on yourself, X!” His voice rose. When X flinched, he backtracked. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-”

“No, Zero.” A delicate hand slipped into his own marred one. X’s eyes gazed into his, watery yet determined. “I want you to tell me everything. We’ve been apart too long, Z. Talk to me.”

“. . . You need a break.” Zero didn’t look back up at X, not letting himself stop before he could get it all off his chest. “You retired so that you could get a break from the battlefield, but I’ve been keeping an eye on you; You’re stressed. You’re trying to carry this whole organization on your back again and it's not healthy. I want you to be happy, Liebling.”

Silence followed his confession. For a moment, Zero feared he had gone too far, that he said too much too fast. But, slowly, X began to run his thumb across his lover’s hand, and Zero let his shoulders slump.

When he looked back up, X was staring down at the bedsheets, just like he was, with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Sorry, Z, I . . . That's a lot.” X huffed out a quiet laugh, an almost self-conscious one.

Zero hummed back.

“I think . . . “ X sighed, “No, I know you’re right. I’ve gotten so caught up in making sure to do the most I can that I forgot myself . . . “

“Why didn’t you talk to me?” Zero couldn't help but ask. “I’m here for you, every night, whenever you need me.”

“But you shouldn’t have to do what I should be able to handle by myself.”

“And you shouldn’t need to do it all by yourself in the first place.”

X huffed. Zero didn’t say anything else; He didn’t need to. They both knew he was right, even if X didn’t want to say it out loud.

“ . . . If not me, then Alia or Signas. They all- we all care about you X.”

“I know.”

“Then next time, you come to one of us, okay?” When he got no response, Zero gently lifted X’s chin till their eyes met. “Okay?”

“ . . . Okay..” X squeezed Zero’s hand. “I understand . . . Thank you, Z.”

"I'll always be here for you, Blue."

"I know, I know." X cracked a small smile, the tenderness of the moment finally getting to him. The smaller android rested his head against Zero's collarbone, and Zero pulled them both backwards and onto the mattress.

"You know what this means?"

"Hmm?"

"It means you're taking a break." Zero ruffled his loose brown hair. "More specifically, you're taking the rest of the day off with me."

"Zerooo, I have reports to finish!"

"So do I," Zero said, "but we need this. Just tonight, okay?"

" . . . " X squirmed a bit, turning around in Zero's hold until he was comfortable. "Jeez, I forgot how stubborn you could be . . . Alright, we'll relax, just for tonight."

"Good. I know that I certainly need it." Zero gently poked at his bad shoulder, the one that he injured hours ago in a fight. X lazily followed his movements with his eyes, jumping once he saw the socket sparking.

"Asimov, Zero, what the heck!?" X elbowed his husband's side in his haste to get off him. He grunted, both from the prodding and in an effort to sit up properly.

"Agh- I didn't get the chance to repair it yet." A small creak came from his body. "I couldn't stomach staying in the Medbay, so I thought I'd fix myself up here."

"Ugh, Zero!" X groaned, standing up from the bed to poke around their shared closet. "We just talked about relying on others!"

"I'm relying on you to help me fix it right now, aren't I?"

That comment earned him some serious side-eye.

"This better not become a habit, Z, I've had enough of you 'hiding yourself while trying to repair yourself'."

Zero started to cackle. "That was a low blow!"

"Yeah well," X huffed, "You deserved it!"

"Does that mean you aren't gonna help me fix it?" Zero raised a single eyebrow. He watched as X froze, almost mentally debating what he should do.

Eventually, he broke, sighing in defeat. "Of course I'm gonna help you out. There's no relaxing together if one of us has a busted joint."

"You got me there."

Once X got close enough, Zero took the repair kit from him and started to examine it the best he could with one hand. Meanwhile, X kneeled down next to the bed to get a better look at his arm.

Feeling fingers prying at his shoulder guard sent shivers up and down his systems, but Zero simply gripped the sheets beneath him and grit his teeth. The air hit his wires, making his cables shift a bit in discomfort. X trailed a hand gently over his exposed parts, finding exactly where his injury laid hidden.

"Ready?" He asked softly.

"Just get it over with."

With quick, forceful, yet skilled movements, X pushed his fingers between the muscle-like wires to feel all the way down to his joint. Zero hissed, his sensors set on fire by this, something his systems assumed to be an attack. It took only two twists for X to realign his arm, and once done he quickly backed away to let Zero's body finish what he started.

The sparks slowed as wires reconnected themselves and cables became wrapped in new metal covers. X watched it all, waiting until the mechanics stopped their more erratic movements before reattaching his shoulder guard.

X smiled. "Better?"

Zero gave him a loose smirk. "I will be."

"Make sure to drink a Mini E Tank- It'll help with the pain." X pried the repair kit gently away from Zero, taking it back over to the closet to be stored once more. He gingerly rolled his shoulder, feeling his scanners double check it for any unseen errors. He did as he was told, downing a tank before tossing the can off to the side.

"Lay back down, Z, I wanna take a nap before Signas remembers to pester you for your report." As soon as X returned to bed, he became a melted mess, an anchor clinging to Zero's side and dragging him deep into their comforter.

Zero didn't respond verbally, preferring to simply follow X's lead and let himself sink into their bed with the other android. He moved a hand up to brush back X's wavy hair, running his fingers through it in a soft, repetitive motion. His partner hummed, nuzzling deeper into their embrace.

"Do you think he'll be alright?"

The question pulled him out of his daze.

"You mean Axl?"

"Mhm."

Zero breathed deeply, letting out a huff that pushed some brown locks away from his face. He pulled X's head a bit closer, letting it rest on his collarbone once again.

"He'd better be."

A sharp ringing invaded their moment. Not just their moment, but their minds as well. Someone- Signas- They were calling their private line. He could feel X stiffen beside him.

Zero and X answered it simultaneously.

A familiar, deep voice crackled onto the line, filled with an unusual amount of rigidity for someone who had grown to be one of their closest allies.

"X, you're needed in Douglas's lab. We've encountered something unique, and I've decided the best course of action is a full team discussion. Zero, I apologize for contacting you when you're off the clock, but a certain Lifesaver told me you requested to be notified of further updates" Signas informed them in a quick, concise manner. "I assumed you would like to travel together to the meeting location?"

"Yes, of course." X answered. At this point, both androids were on their feet and heading for the door. It was with a strange feeling of dread that they left the room and honed in on following their new instructions.

As X slipped his helmet back into its proper place, he asked, "What seems to be the problem, Signas?"

"We're not quite sure yet, but I think Axl is turning out to be a bigger player in this war than we first thought."

X and Zero broke into a sprint.