Work Text:
Rust lay back on the couch, head propped up on one hand while the other held his phone. He was watching some clips of their last concert, trying to figure out what they should do differently, or if there had been any issues during the performance. And well, checking for undercover government agents in the crowd never hurt, either.
However, as had been happening so often recently, Rust's mind found itself focusing less on technical critique and more on the single orange figure dancing onstage.
Rust was no wistful pining teen, but damn if he didn't sigh a bit, watching that video. Zero was just so…vibrant, so full of life and energy and passion. Everything it did, on and off the stage, seemed to radiate this warmth and joy, like a humanoid sun, and it made Rust's heart squeeze just to look at it.
He would tell it, eventually, just had to figure out how. He knew that no matter how Zero felt, it wouldn't ruin things between them; they would always be inseparable, always have each other's back, always been linked together in a way only two tombsonas could be.
He wasn't afraid to tell it how he felt, he just…
He wanted it to be good. Special. Maybe not perfect, but good enough to be at least half the moment that someone like Zero deserved-
"HEY RUUUUU-"
There was a barrage of thumping from the second floor, then the rapid bounce-bounce-bounce of Zero coming down the stairs. Halfway down it abruptly shifted to a more disorganized clatter along with a yelp.
"-UUUSSZZZT-?! Oof! Ack-!"
Zero appeared, somersaulting down the stairs, bounced off the wall, and ended up sliding across the floor, face down, before coming to a stop when its head hit the coffee table. Rust stared down at it.
"Hey Z."
Zero popped back up onto his feet, evidently unperturbed.
"Hey Rust can you help me out tonight??" It joined his hands together in front of its chest, eyes wide. "Pleeeeeease?"
"I would do anything for you," Rust thought. "I would die for that smile. I would move the sun in the sky with my bare hands so you could sleep in for an hour more."
"Sure, what's up?"
Rust found a flyer suddenly an inch from their face. He could make out some brightly colored words and shapes before Zero yanked it back again, then proceeded to flap it around in a way that gave no hope of further comprehension.
"The arcade is putting on an event! You just gotta beat a score for a bunch of their games, and you'll get a prize!!"
It swung its hand out, and the flyer was finally still enough for Rust to make out a pair of plush dolls resembling FNAF characters. Freddy and Chica, looked like, but appropriately chibi-fied and less terrifying.
"Cool," Rust said, before the flyer was whipped away into Zero's elaborate gestures.
"You have to enter with one other person," Zero went on. "Can we go together pleeeeeease??"
Made sense. Zero was a master of all things video game, from farming sims to first person shooters, but Rust was better at the more physical activities, shooting hoops or whacking moles.
"'Course." Rust got up from the sofa. "When-"
And then Zero was dragging him by the arm and out the door. Alrighty then.
The walk to the arcade was a short and familiar one. Rust idly wondered how much help he was going to be. Zero could probably still beat all the games there with one hand behind its back. Even if the rules (ugh) stated there had to be two people, a lot of the games there were single-player. What kind of arcade event required two people?
Then, he caught sight of the poster hanging up on the arcade's wall.
Power of Love! Couple's Challenge
…Ah.
"Heeeeey!" Zero skipped on over to the front desk. "Me and mah booooyfriend are here for the challenge!"
Rust stood frozen for just half a second, then cool as ice he dipped his hands into his pockets and sauntered over to join them.
"That's me."
As soon as he got close Zero latched onto his arm, nuzzling his head against his shoulder. This was not an unusual gesture from Zero by any means, but right now it seemed to have another motive. So Rust easily bumped his helmet against Zero's head as he faced the clerk.
The clerk, to her credit, seemed unphased by the two strangely-costumed(?) people requesting to join the event. She beamed wide in a perfect service smile.
"Hey nice! How long have you two been together?"
"Three months officially!" Zero answered cheerfully. Rust nodded along, happy to let him do the talking. Would've been nice to plan the story out beforehand but Rust would not have expected that kind of foresight from Zero.
Still, getting hit so suddenly with "boyfriend" was making him just a bit weak in the knees. Luckily, Rust never showed weakness.
But Goddamn.
He distracted himself by studying the poster, which listed the scores they'd need to get to win the prizes. They didn't seem all that challenging; Rust imagined most normal humans could handle it. This event was probably more for kids, maybe? Except that made the couples thing kinda weird-
"Here's your bracelets!" The clerk set down two bracelets. "Good luck! Remember, no taking them off until the challenge is over!"
Before Rust could reach out Zero snatched them both up, then turned to face him, face scrunched into an excited grin.
"Right hand or left?"
Rust quirked a brow at it.
"…Left?" He offered the chosen arm out as well, and quick as a flash Zero was clasping a brightly colored bracelet that…had…a chain attached?
And now Zero was putting its own bracelet on, and Rust found his own wrist tugged forward because the chain was fairly short, and connected the bracelets together. Rust gave it a blank stare for several seconds.
…Ohhhh so that's how it was gonna be.
"C'mon!!" Zero wasted no time heading for the door, pointing excitedly with one hand while the other dragged Rust forward by the cuff. "Let's go! Let's do the space invader one first!!"
Zero lead the way to the game. The goal was simple: Reach level 10 on multiplayer mood. Easy enough. Zero snagged player one ("It's in my naaaame!") and Rust grabbed the spot for player two. The handcuffs were just short enough to hinder them a little, but nothing that would be a problem. Rust set his hands over the controls and envisioned the invaders as cops that were coming to break up a protest.
One small issue: Zero was a very, animated gamer, and Rust lost track of how many times it swerved and jerked to bump up against Rust's shoulder, which in turn made an electric feeling shoot through Rust's entire body with every brush of contact. Needless to say, Rust didn't play his best game, but they made it, and Zero was happy, so that was what mattered.
"Next one next one!" Zero sang out as he dragged Rust once more across the arcade. Rust did not typically indulge being yanked around like a dog on a leash, but as with many things, Zero proved the exception. Rust had been handcuffed to far worse company, and this one probably wouldn't even mind being used as a flail in a pinch.
This game didn't have multiplayer, so Rust was happy to stand back (as much as the bracelet would allow) and let Zero work his magic. However, Zero just rested one hand around one side of the controls, then looked at him. Rust stared back.
"…What?"
Zero pouted, the pointed with its joined hand at the other part of the controls.
"You gotta join!"
Rust quirked an eyebrow at it. He was pretty sure he hadn't seen that rule on the poster, but who was he to say no to that face? He nodded and gripped the other joystick.
This was…a fair bit trickier. Zero ended up shouting commands for Rust to follow which…really didn't jive well with Rust's whole "no following orders" thing. But again, Zero, so Rust shoved down his instincts and told himself it was teamwork, comradeship, etc.
"LEFT!! FUCK!" Zero shouted. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? GO LEFT!!!"
Ayep, teamwork.
It did take a couple of tries, but eventually they did hit the goal, and once Zero had calmed down, it rather bashfully apologized for "getting a bit too into it."
"Hey, no problem." Rust ruffled his hair. "You know we don't have to play those together, right? It wasn't in the poster."
"Well yeah but…" Zero poked his fingers together, staring down at them. "Isn't it more fun this way?"
Rust just shrugged.
"If you say so." Rust used his free hand to jerk a thumb over towards the more physical games. "How about we try some of those, next?" Zero immediately perked up.
"Yeah!"
The basketball game was open, so they headed there first. Rust easily scooped the ball up in his free hand, spinning it on his finger before catching it again and eying the basket. He then glanced at Zero.
"Do you wanna do this one together, too?"
"Mmm…" Zero eyed the basket. "…Nah! I don't think I can do that one-handed."
"Fair enough." Rust tested the weight of the ball. "Pop the coins in for me?"
Zero flashed him a salute.
"Yessir!"
"Do not call me sir."
"Okie dokie buddy!"
"Better."
The game started up. Rust began to shoot baskets with startling accuracy and speed. All those Molotovs were really paying off. Zero cheered him on from the side, careful not to jostle him too much through the cuffs. Still, Rust got the vibe it was feeling a bit left out, from the way it shifted from foot to foot and watched Rust making the baskets.
Rust paused in his shots, having already hit the goal, and turned to Zero, who blinked in confusion.
"Here." Rust tugged their joined hands over to one of the balls. Ignoring any possible double-meaning, he guided it into both of their hands. Zero mirrored his movements as they lifted it up together.
"Ready? Rust asked. Zero nodded. "On three. One, two-"
They tossed the ball, which more or less flew in a clean arc, bounced against the back, and managed to dance around the rim before falling through. Zero cheered and shot its fists in the air, then stopped and gave Rust an apologetic look for wrenching his arm. Rust just shrugged and patted him on the back.
"Nice shot," Rust commented. Zero beamed.
"Awww thanks babe~" It gave him a light punch on the shoulder. Rust chuckled along, even as internally his heart was doing backflips.
Fuck, he needed to tell it.
Later, though. Because having a serious feelings talk rarely went smoothly when you're handcuffed together. Rust had realized that from experience.
Skeeball, then.
The two of them took turns racking up points. Zero missed a few shots, one of which bounced back and nearly hit Rust in the face.
"It's fine, it's fine," Rust chuckled and knocked his knuckles against his helmet. "I've got a 'hard head,' remember?"
"I knoooow," Zero whined. "But I'd feel bad if I like, hit your jaw."
"This jaw has had worse than a skeeball," Rust reminded it. Zero pouted.
"Stiiiill don't wanna bruise that pretty face of yours."
That caught Rust off-guard, but he just laughed and turned back to the skeeball track. He tossed the ball down the track and spectacularly missed. Zero giggled.
"We still hit the goal," Rust pointed out, hoping his face didn't show how hot it felt. "What's next?"
They continued their circuit through the arcade. Zero breezed its way through several more games, with Rust offering some support here and there.
Rust then absolutely destroyed the punching bag game. Like literally. They had to call a mechanic. But! They got the goal confirmed first so no problem. Sorry to anyone after them, though.
That just left…
The two of them stood before the dual platforms for the dance game. They had to get at least an A rank in any hard-ranked song.
There wasn't really a decision to be made. Zero scrolled down until he found The Song. The two of them took their positions, arms stretched between them. For the first time on the outing, Zero looked just a smidge doubtful. It's dancing style tended to involve all the limbs, and several times today it had forgotten it was currently attached to Rust and yanked its arm this way or that in a fit of excitement.
Rust shot Zero a smile. "Hey," he said softly. He reached over closer so he could clasp Zero's wrist. "We got this." Zero hesitated, then mirrored the action, gripped Rust's own wrist to they were securely interlocked. It nodded, the lights of its circuits flashing once.
"We so got this."
The music started.
IIIII want
IIIII want to be a machine
"And IIII want tooooo be shining chrome and clean." Zero sang along, bouncing to the steps of the music. Rust followed along on his own pad. He knew the note-map pretty well, but best to keep his eyes on the screen, still.
…Easier said than done with Zero dancing directly to the left of him.
Damn it, if he missed a note because he was too busy staring at Zero…!
Oop, chorus was done. In that case…
Rust grinned.
Feel another attack, a reaction impacting
Every time I start a brand new track, a brand new plaque,
A brand new stack if I can hack it without getting distracted
and breaking a new contract
The words came out rapid-fire from both the machine and his own voice as he hit the squares in time to the beat. Ok now he was in the zone. Not so much so that he didn't notice Zero briefly squeeze his wrist, though.
The last chorus kicked in, and without a signal the two of them fell into the rhythm of jumping in time, arms still clasped together. Zero was using its free hand to punch at the air, whooping.
For a moment, it felt just like they were on stage, singing and dancing along in sync, hands joined and the music beating around them.
If only three and a half minutes could last forever.
They hit double-S-rank. Zero shot its fists in the air, dragging Rust right up against it.
"Whoops," it hastily lowered them back down. "Sorry, sorry."
"It's cool, it's cool," Rust answered, as if he weren't internally screaming, "Never apologize for pulling me close. Do it again and again and again."
"Looks like we still got it," Rust raised his free hand for a high five. Instead, Zero crashed into him, arms flung around his torso in a tight hug. Rust froze up still as a statue. Zero was warm and firm and buzzing with energy against Rust's skin.
"That was awesome!!" Zero gasped. "I know we dance together on stage like all the time but this was really fun!! I mean, the other times are also really fun but like, y'know??"
Rust couldn't get his mouth to respond. He forced a swallow. Damnit, this wasn't the first time Zero had hugged him. React!
He managed to wrap one arm over Zero's back (his other one was presently pinned behind him with Zero's arm) and gave it a light squeeze.
"We can play it during the next tour," Rust offered. Hopefully the shakiness of his tone could be chalked up as exertion. "Aaaaanyway, that was the last one, right?"
Fast as a spring Zero jerked back, eyes wide in realization.
"Oh YEAH!! Lessgo!!!"
It raced for the counter to cash in their scores, Rust stumbling along behind it. His body felt simultaneously like it was on fire, but also far too cold, especially the areas where Zero's skin had touched his own.
The scores were verified, congratulations given— Rust wasn't really paying attention— then two large plushies were placed on the counter in front of them. Zero squealed and immediately scooped them up.
"WE GOT'EM!!!" It hoisted them up high and twirled around in an impromptu victory dance. Rust finally realized the cuffs had been removed at some point. He looked down at his hands, contemplating the return to freedom.
He was usually more gung-ho about the concept.
"Rust!!" Zero spun around to face him and shoved one of the dolls at him. "Here, hold Chica!!"
Rust blinked, then accepted the doll, or rather found it pushed into his hands. Zero meanwhile held up the Freddy doll.
"Look look look LOOK!"
Giggling manically, Zero lifted the bear up towards Rust's doll. As the two hands got close, they clicked together and Zero squealed.
"They have MAGNETS!!" He announced. "They hold HANDS!!"
"Cute," Rust said, though his eyes were fixed solely on Zero, hopping up and down and making little happy chirps in excitement. His heart flipped and squeezed painfully tight. He wanted to rip it out and offer it up to Zero right then and there.
It probably would prefer something more chill, though.
The two of them walked out on the sidewalk, empty aside from them. The air had turned a bit cooler, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Zero hugged the bear doll to its chest, looking down at it fondly.
"Thanks for coming out with me," he said, "I know there's like, rebel stuff you could be doing, so I really appreciate it."
"Anytime," Rust answered, the other doll tucked under one arm. "Helping out people in need is punk, after all. And what kind of 'boyfriend' would I be if I left ya hanging?"
Zero laughed, and it was a beautiful sound. Vibrant and uninhibited and full of life. And well…it didn't sound like rejection…
Rust took a deep breath.
"So…" Rust started, putting all the effort he could manage into keeping his tone light and casual. "Does this count as our first date?"
Zero stopped, then turned and gave him an odd look. Rust felt a bolt of panic and started to backpedal. "I mean, I was just-"
"Wasn't this like, our twelfth?"
"…Huh?"
"Well, there was that time at the police station-" Zero started to count off its fingers, "that time at the park, that time at McClover's, that time in the secret laboratory-oh that's when we first held hands!…"
It was not easy to turn Rust speechless, but right now they had nothing to say, and just waited as Zero continued to list off events. By the time it finished, it had six fingers on each hand and an even more confused Rust.
"So yeah," Zero twirled one finger around his temple. "Math is like, the one thing I'm suuuper good at so I think I'm right." It shot Rust a quizzical expression. "…Why are you looking at me like that?"
"…Zero," Rust clasped its hands in his own, the dolls smushed between them. "Are we, actually romantically together?" Zero cocked his head to the side.
"Uh, yeah?? For like, three months now?"
Rust opened his mouth, let it hang there for a second, then closed it. He opened it again, then closed it again.
"…Cool," he finally said. Zero just laughed.
"Hey, you wanna choose our next date? We can go do something rebel-y!"
"Sure," Rust stepped back; he couldn't stop smiling, but he hardly minded. "I'll think about it."
"Yippee!"
Zero did a little hop. Then, it held up its doll with a hopeful expression. Rust didn't need to ask; he held his own up in response so the hands joined up again.
They started walking down the street, holding the two plushies up to keep them linked together, all the way home.