Chapter Text
Zero and Axl had just returned from a late night mission. Tired, Zero decided to head to his room and recharge. Axl wandered off through the lobby, people assuming he was headed to the public recharge bay. It hadn’t been too long ago that Axl was finally recognized as an official hunter, despite X’s objections. Zero, on the other hand, was the one who pushed for the decision to be made. As far as Zero was concerned Axl had plenty of potential to be a great hunter. He’d already proven himself countless times, what more could X want?
Memories of X from long ago ran through Zero’s mind as he walked towards his room. He remembered when he was his mentor, watching him gain independence and confidence. Memories of fighting mavericks together led to memories of them spending time together. A particular memory of X’s sleeping face stuck in his mind. Smiling and soft, if for a moment not worrying about the escalating maverick situation. A sudden call from his ex-partner pulled him back into reality, reminding him of the current state of their relationship.
“Zero! I need you to confirm Axl’s location. He’s not in the main public recharge bay. Make sure he isn’t running around causing trouble.” Impersonal and to the point, and still untrusting of Axl. No reply was needed from Zero, not that he sought conversation with X these days. Zero hoped when X returned to hunting that he might return to his old self, but instead it felt like he became even more agitated. It took its toll on Zero, who was becoming increasingly withdrawn. All too quickly his old feelings of X were replaced by new ones of frustration. Unspoken feelings of abandonment and confusion bubbled inside him, hidden behind an unreadable expression. He hoped checking on Axl would be enough of a distraction to put his nerves at ease again.
“AXL?” he yelled out into an empty hall. He’d already gone through several lobbies and teleport rooms with no luck. Just where did he wander off to? Simply heading back to his own room became tempting, but the thought of listening to another of X’s naggings left him wondering if it’d be worth it. Unbeknownst to him the reploid he’d been searching for was spying on him from the other end of the hall.
Axl tip-toed slowly towards Zero, careful of the clunking noises his feet made on the polished floor. He made sure all his communications were shut off to not tip Zero off as he got nearer. Zero was too lost in his thoughts to pay attention either way. Finally, less than a foot away from his target, Axl took his chance and leapt forward.
If it hadn’t been for the giggles that ensued Zero very well would have retaliated with force. Two hands covered his eyes, blocking out his vision. Axl was well amused by such a simple prank, his giggles turning into a laugh. It was childish, Zero admitted, but it brought back more old memories. X had pulled the same trick on him before Sigma’s uprising, when times were more peaceful and they were alone. Axl’s laughter quickly died down when he realized how still and silent Zero became. He’d expected a more aggressive reaction and had an escape route planned, but now he wondered if he’d overstepped his boundaries.
“Zero?” There was no immediate response. He was about to ask if something was wrong when Zero finally replied. “Let’s head to my room for the night.”
Axl couldn’t believe his luck. Ordinarily he had to use the public recharge bays. Only official hunters were allowed their own rooms in the base with their own personal chargers. Axl was still waiting for a room to be made available for him, since he was a new hunter. He wished they’d hurry up. Axl didn’t enjoy the lack of privacy in a public recharge bay, especially when he was accustomed to having his own room when he was with Red Alert. Necessity had forced him to use the public chargers ever since he ran away to join the hunters. Being able to use Zero’s without others around sounded refreshing. Sure, Zero was still going to be there, but he was an obvious exception. Spending the night with Zero in the privacy of his room seemed ideal, but he couldn’t help noticing that Zero looked bothered by something. Feeling it was partly his fault, he talked about various gossip, hoping it would cheer Zero up on their way to his room.
Zero was mentally questioning his decision as they neared his room. He’d hardly been thinking when he invited Axl. It just slipped out. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy Axl’s company, though. He’d grown attached to him. Had becoming X’s mentor and companion for so long done this? Zero felt embarrassed at how needy he was being. Then he felt guilt for dragging Axl into a pool of his own personal problems. Axl still wasn’t sure what Zero had planned, and Zero wasn’t sure himself. At least he seemed happy about the situation so far. Once they arrived Zero entered his room, Axl following excitedly behind.
He’d never been in Zero’s room before. Immediately he began examining everything. There were basics such as a television, couches, shelves, and a small hall that lead to a washroom and bedroom. It was less extravagant than what he imagined. Zero sent a quick message to X letting him know that he’d found Axl, then motioned for him to come into the bedroom.
Axl was surprised to see an actual bed with a charger rather than a charging pod. He heard X preferred using a bed, which didn’t come as a surprise to him, but had always imagined Zero preferring a pod. He wasn’t aware that Zero’s preference for a bed was because of X. They slept together in one so often that he’d simply gotten used to it.
Zero began stripping his armor off and hanging parts on a designated stand. Axl threw his parts in a pile on the floor. He was surprised when Zero wanted him to enter the washroom with him. Zero stripped the rest of his undersuit off before walking into a shower and switching the water on. Hoping he wasn’t misreading Zero’s intentions, Axl stripped off his own undersuit and timidly entered the shower with him. Zero began washing his hair before stepping back and allowing Axl access to the shower’s water. Axl mimicked the same procedure as Zero, washing his hair and stepping back so Zero could have access to the water again. Zero rinsed his hair, then finished washing off the dirt and oil from his body. Again he stepped back, and again Axl tried to mimic the same procedure Zero took. However, this time Zero’s hand stopped his own when he began washing himself. “Let me help” was the only reply he gave before he started washing Axl.
Axl was silent, a sharp contrast to his earlier chattering. Zero began wondering if he was taking this too far. He was about to stop and hope they could forget the whole thing until Axl decided to go from standing in the shower to sitting. He looked up and smiled at Zero, inviting him to join him.
Zero slowly sat behind him, confusion across his face, until Axl leaned back into him. He had to admit it was much more comfortable washing him this way than standing. As tired as he was he couldn’t help taking his time washing Axl off. Axl kept leaning back into Zero, leisurely lifting his arms and twisting around to give him better access to different spots.
It had been a long time since Axl was pampered like this. When Red first found him he had no knowledge of who he was or how to even care for himself. Red taught him everything, even how to wash himself. Red Alert was all he ever knew before the maverick incident, and he missed being indulged and spoiled.
As much as they both enjoyed the shower, they were beginning to doze off. Zero had run out of spots to clean and was repeatedly rinsing Axl’s hair. Noticing his struggle to keep his eyes open, Zero decided to stand up and shut the shower off. He grabbed Axl’s hand to help him up and lead him away from the shower. Axl groggily followed him back to the bedroom to dry off and get ready to sleep.
Axl was more than happy to collapse into bed and slip himself under the covers. He hooked himself up to the charger near the end of the bed, immediately feeling a soothing sensation from the recharge. He grabbed a pillow and held it against himself, enjoying the feeling of holding something while he charged. Today had been a very good one for him. He’d done well on their mission, pranked Zero, got pampered in a shower, and was about to enjoy a night charging in a far more comfortable and private than a public charge pod. All of this because of Zero. He shut his eyes and sighed happily.
Zero had been observing Axl with amusement, but was still handling his inner turmoil. Axl, in some ways, reminded him of the X he knew long ago. It didn’t help that he had the same green eyes and a giant X-shaped scar across his face. Axl was obviously more mischievous and happygo-lucky than X ever was, but Zero missed having someone under his care. Axl was childish, sure, but he listened to his advice and was effective in battle. Zero found it refreshing. It reminded him of happier times.
Zero slipped into bed, his back facing Axl, and hooked himself up to another slot in the charger. Axl wiggled his way over to Zero and wrapped a leg around him. Zero didn’t want to take any more advantage of Axl than he already had. Axl wasn’t dumb though, and had already caught on that Zero wanted something from him.
Axl noticed the change in how Zero looked at him after the shower. His face was softer. It reminded him of the way Red would look at him when they spent time together. He was always proud of their secret weapon, and just for him being himself. He enjoyed the excessive attention Red had always given him. If Zero wanted to give him attention then Axl was more than happy to receive all that he could, but he needed to find a way to get that message across to Zero. Just plainly stating it was too boring.
He began nuzzling his nose into Zero’s neck and let out another happy sigh. Zero continued resisting his urges, ready to deny anything if asked, but Axl wasn’t having any of it. He knew Zero wanted this just as much as he did. Axl sat up on the bed and began melodramatically shaking Zero.
“Zerooo, come on.” He whined.
“What?” Zero snapped a bit more defensively than he meant to. By this point he knew Axl had an idea of what he wanted and was trying to tempt him.
Axl puffed out his cheeks and looked at him annoyed. He finally decided to just pull Zero up until he was sitting with him. Zero decided to give up and let him. Seeing that Zero was finally going along with what he wanted, he crawled into his lap, facing him, and began rubbing his head against Zero’s chin. Zero leaned back into the headboard, closed his eyes, and exhaled. He would just let him do as he pleased. Axl pulled one of Zero’s hands around him and placed the other on his head. Zero began stroking his hair, Axl eagerly leaning his head against his hand. Everything about Axl was very content, and Zero jokingly thought to himself that perhaps Axl was just a cleverly disguised cat.
Admittedly, Zero was in a pretty good mood too. The shower had calmed his nerves a lot, but there was still something bothering him.
X… it had been so long since he’d been this way with anyone other than X. He couldn’t decide what he was trying to get from this experience with Axl.
Unfortunately for Zero, he didn’t charge quite as quickly as newer models and was still very tired. Too tired to pay attention to himself accidentally mumbling X’s name while stroking Axl’s hair. It wasn’t until he noticed Axl looking at him with surprise and concern that he realized what he’d just done.