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“You know the risks, right?”
“Of course I do. I’m prepared to accept them, should they become reality.”
“...Have you told him yet?”
“...I think he’ll understand. We’ve a way of communicating without words. The second our eyes meet, he’ll know.”
X was many things - in himself, he was “infinite potential” incarnate. He’d been booted that way, always curious, adapting.
This, he supposed, was just another situation to adapt to. The only difference was this time he got to choose how he would adapt to it. The world they were walking to… there was no telling what it would turn out to be like.
It could be more of the same, the more world-weary side of X surmised. Always someone trying to kill or subjugate someone else, a constant stream of enemies, and likely this time there wouldn’t be Alia or Signas with him. Or Douglas, or anyone. It was well and truly starting over. The thought was daunting, admittedly, but it wasn’t so daunting that it wasn’t something he didn’t feel capable of.
There was the possibility that it could be peaceful too, after all. A true elysium like he one day wanted to build - a world where humans and Reploids coexisted with no harm to either side. And maybe, while he was daydreaming, Alia and everyone else could be there too. Somehow. It was his daydream, right? He could wish for as many impossible things as he liked.
Hell, once upon a time, he’d have called his current situation impossible. Zero had always fought so tirelessly by his side - hand in hand, heart by heart, there was no challenge they couldn’t meet as a team. But then Zero had thought the world was better served with him asleep, and X had to face another lifetime without him there.
Not this time. Zero may have made the decision to return to stasis, but X didn’t have to just accept it idly. No. He was going to adapt.
After all, wasn’t that what infinite potential was? To always adapt? And the one situation he could never completely adapt to was not having Zero.
So, it logically followed that if Zero was going into stasis… the most efficient path forward was not to force an adaptation X knew he’d historically failed at. And so, he prepared accordingly. The appropriate arrangements had been made. While it weighed heavy on him knowing how unlikely it was he or Zero would meet their children (four of them, all made from their shared DNA) ultimately this was going to be for the best.
They’d persist into the new world he woke to, and while X could never call himself their father and they would never be able to acknowledge him as more than history, he hoped they knew he loved them. Axl would hopefully share the stories he had, connect them to their fathers, god knew he’d taken on so much responsibility so young but he’d bloomed. Axl accepted the crown he was given without complaint, with a cheeky smile and a “see you later” when X had explained the plan.
Confident as ever. Alia had been considerably more upset, threatening that if she didn’t see him again, she’d haunt him in whatever afterlife Reploids had. He’d laughed at the time and she’d almost been ready to punch him, were it not for Layer gently reminding her that he was armored and she was in her civilian gear. (She was clearly tempted to try anyway.) Still, she’d ultimately sighed and said if he couldn’t be swayed, she’d choose to believe in his judgment.
Signas hadn’t been happy either, firmly believing Zero could be convinced not to go if he saw how miserable it would make X – and then nearly panicked when he realized X’s intentions. He’d always been so calm and reliable, so seeing him panic was… a bit of a surprise. But X’s mind was made up and he was going, hell or high water. All Signas could do was sign off on it, and mumble that he hoped whatever they were looking for, they found it.
Sadly, Cain’s grave wasn’t somewhere he could access now - one of the many, many unfortunate realities of the Eurasia incident. X didn’t think he’d have approved of the decision either, he could easily picture the old man grabbing his shoulders and yelling that he was forbidden to leave that spot. So instead, X sipped his tea and thought of the long-gone doctor, hoping he would watch over the remains of the world in his stead.
The last person to talk to - well, there was always a way of finding him when everything went to hell, and X had mentally registered the last known location of a Light Capsule. It was barely functional now, but if anyone would have any thoughts or advice on the matter: it would indeed be his “father”. The good doctor had simply laughed, calling him “more like his father than he’d ever know” and making him promise that no matter what happened, he would actually let himself rest this time. (Never in his life had the saying I’ll sleep when I’m dead felt like such an ironic joke.)
…That had been a few days ago. Now the last person out of the loop was the one person he knew would try to stop him, no matter how badly he wanted someone to walk into the end with him: Zero himself. Zero was many things - a supernova in Reploid form, the single most deadly man on any given field, the kindest hand when X needed one and the firmest voice when X was locked so deep in the well of his own thoughts he couldn’t escape. Zero was all of that and more, but the one thing X could never make him be was selfish.
(The same thing Zero accused him of - perhaps that was why X was doing this, this was him letting them be selfish together.)
If Zero had known going in what X was about to do, he would have refused to allow it. He would have waited until X left, snuck out and did it another day, it wouldn’t matter how. Zero loved X to the point of thinking himself the worst thing to happen to X, and thus X could not tell him until even Zero could not stop him.
That was the way of their love, he supposed. Zero loved X and would ask him to live on alone without him, let him become a chapter in the novel of X’s life and no more. And even as he asked this with his eyes, his heart would plead the opposite.
Come with me. Don’t let me be alone.
X knew Zero so well. And in turn, Zero knew X well, but had incorrectly assumed yet again X would refuse to be selfish. Not this time. No, he was going to be incredibly selfish now, deny the world its protector and let it watch over itself. Any other situation, X would tiredly accept the mantle (chains) he was given and the duty (curse) he was due to take. Any other day, X’s belief that he was the one who had to sacrifice everything he had (because who else could?) would take precedence.
And truly, he did worry for the fate of the world while he was gone. But he was tired, and he was not going to go through it all without Zero again. The safeguards he’d laid in would be enough. Someone else could be the hero. Someone else would have to be.
He wasn’t going to be there, after all. The lab door opened with a hiss, and now all that remained was Zero.
As expected, the old lab was clean and quiet - only a few scientists were there today, X’s orders, Zero’s request. He was a light sleeper, he’d joked at the time, but X knew better. His steps echoed on the steel floor just enough to draw Zero’s eye, get him to turn towards X with a smile, those same blue eyes taking the weight that settled in X’s core and lifting it out of his hold.
“Came to see me off, buddy?” Zero laughed, like he was just going on a brief trip.
“Something like that,” X laughed as well, like that was actually true.
The scientist leading the group - a blond woman X didn’t recognize at first, she’d been involved in another project - lightly coughed to get their attention back. “Right on time, X. If you’ll both follow me, you’ll see we’ve made some changes to the stasis chamber this time.”
The woman lead them toward the center of the room, gesturing to the machine that had once held Zero prior to the Elf Wars. The wires were the same - red and blue chasing each other into eternity - but the capsule container itself was different this time. Significantly larger.
X had to hide his smile behind his hand as Zero observed it, casually joking that they finally remembered he tries to fight people in his sleep. The scientist rolls her eyes, continuing with the explanation of the procedure – it’s all rote now, Zero’s been through it before, even he’s only barely paying attention as he squeezes X’s hand.
“--and X, you’ll be positioned here. As requested.”
“Excuse me?” Zero’s eyes shot wide, suddenly tuning into the conversation as X smiled softly, nodding assent. “Hang on a sec– X, what did she mean by that?!”
“She means this time I’m going with you, Zero,” X replies with an air of finality. “I’m going into stasis too. Beside you.”
“X, I – no, absolutely not. You can’t! You– there’s so much to do out here still. The Earth needs rebuilt, there’s…” Zero paused, his hand curling into a fist against his chest. “...and you’re really willing to leave that to someone else?”
“For once,” X agrees, reaching over to cup Zero’s cheek. “I’m going to let the world save itself from now on. I’ve gotten everything in order, so all that remains… is to rest. Next to you.”
Before Zero can say anything in response, X continues. “You always begged me to be more selfish. This is us, being selfish together.”
Faced with that argument, Zero lays his hand over X’s, still frowning – but again, X has always been able to read his signals. As he said a few weeks prior…
Zero understood the second their eyes met, and sighed. “Is it wrong I’m… kind of glad? I mean– I know this is the right thing to do. I put the world in danger just by existing. But… I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was damn scared of having to go alone again.”
“I was, too. That’s why I decided to follow you.” X leaned over to kiss Zero, pressing their foreheads together. “That’s why we’re going together. Didn’t we always operate better as a couple, anyway?”
“Mm– keep kissing me like that and we’ll need to delay this even longer,” Zero laughed, letting himself hold onto X. There was no tension left in his body, X observed – Zero was truly relieved to have X coming with him.
The scientist coughed to get their attention and X let Zero go, cheeks reddening, as they were lead to their spots in the chamber - holding onto each other like they were just peacefully laying down for a nap, hands linked, fingers laced.
“Not a bad way to spend an eternity, holding you,” Zero murmured as the countdown started.
“I couldn’t agree more.”
The countdown was almost through and energy was coming at a premium. X sleepily smiled, closing his eyes as he rested his head on Zero’s shoulder. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Perhaps they’d meet in their dreams, X thought, and if not at least they would be together.
The time would pass - memory of X, the Legend, and his equally-legendary lover would fade from human memory. The laboratory that housed them would go equally missing from historical record, as if it were a shared casket for them both. Buried in the depths, the two could rest away from the rest of the world.
Unfortunately for them, the world often had need of heroes, and right now – Axl huffed as he vaulted over a broken door, yelling for backup over comms – it needed heroes more than ever.
“Almost there! Still got the signal?” Axl ripped his buster free from its holster, taking a few potshots as the cheerful voice of his Navigator sputtered in panic.
“Y-Yeah, got it! It’s getting stronger but it’s still really weak. Axl, I kind–” the man on the other line swallowed. “-- I’ll be honest, I don’t know if we’re getting them up if it’s them! This is like, Windows Hibernation levels of asleep.”
Axl mildly rolled his eyes, taking another shot at an approaching Pantheon. “Yeah right. I know you, Nissel, and I know Cerveau. We get them back safe, you’ll get them up. I know you will.”
“I’m glad you know that! Because I really don’t believe it!” The Navigator - Nissel - groaned. “Seriously, it’s really degraded! I don’t–”
Another group of Pantheons had smashed through the Resistance’s back line in the space it took Nissel to start a self-depreciative ramble. Again, Axl rolled his eyes with a huff, eying the buster and wishing not for the first time he had his old-model bullets back.
“One sec.” Axl took a few potshots, watching the cores of the quote unquote “glorified thinking spaghetti noodles” (as his Navigator had once so tactfully called them) melt. A few more approached from his blind spot, only to get equally shot down as he rushed deeper into the ruins of the old lab. The rumbling behind him only had one potential source - a Golem, and frankly he was not up for having his day ruined by one of those.
But the target was in sight - as was Milan, who’d gotten ahead of him earlier and had smartly already laid charges to blow the door open. Axl gave him a quick thumbs up as the signal to blow the door, and the incredibly satisfying explosion that resulted gave them access to the room they were looking for.
And right in the center were two familiar figures in red and blue armor, curled up together - admittedly, their armor had seen better days. But there was no mistaking their joined hands and those colors.
Axl couldn’t help the grin on his face. I should probably think of some smart-ass wisecrack to greet ‘em with when they wake up…
“Sorry for the wait. Nissel?”
“Oh good, you’re back! Looks like you’re where you need to be. Uhh… lemme just poke around a bit…”
Nissel’s keystrikes were louder than his actual voice, which was saying something. “...Got it. I think I can get them up, they’re in bad shape, but if I can force a power surge I should be able to force-boot enough of their systems to get the stasis program off and their autorepair back on…”
The sound of hoverjets in the hall, however, pretty firmly indicated Axl was going to have other priorities. “Golem inbound, gonna engage.”
“Golem–?! Axl, no!! We don’t want a repeat of last time–!”
Nissel’s protests were drowned out by buster fire. “Too late!”
“I’M TELLING CIEL ON YOU!”
In a few moments, the world would have its heroes back. Axl would stand with arms folded behind his head, asking if they were waiting for an invitation, and Zero would gingerly help X up. Neither would completely remember their names, or much about when they were put into stasis, but fortunately combat would still be a familiar instinct.
And an equally familiar instinct - starting from their laced fingers, to something that settled in their cores even without any memory of why - was the urge to stay together, hands eternally linked with red string.