Chapter Text
Zro sits patiently on the wooden chair, the handmade cushion tied on top of it attempts to add whatever comfort it could. Though, Zro didn’t really care about comfort at that moment. His legs dangled just above the ground, as he picked at his nails nervously.
Just a few minutes ago he was running for his life from Fourteen. He had run around all of Equation playground praying one of them would help him get away from Fourteen, but they all seemed uninterested. Having made a last ditch effort to save his skin, he ran all the way to Fifteen's cabin, where he expected her to chase both of them off, but it was worth a try.
However, to his surprise; she rushed out of her cabin, flamethrower in hand, and protected him. Successfully capturing and locking Fourteen in a cage outside her house, and asking (Forcing) Zro to rest in her cabin.
So there he was, feeling borderline naked without his hat. Fourteen managed to take it from him before being locked up, and neither him or Fifteen could safely retrieve it from the cage without risking the skin on their arm.
“This is the best I could find. I’m not the biggest fan of hats so you can keep it.” She turns back into the main room, tossing a trapper hat in his lap that he struggles to catch.
“Oh! Thank you Fifteen.” He speaks up, his voice shaky. He had asked her if she had any hats he could borrow. But with her taking so long finding one it made him nervous that it was a stupid request she was going to get annoyed over.
He quickly slid the hat on. Feeling the soft, fluffy texture of the hat. It felt as if it hadn’t been worn a day, yet smelled just like her. Presumably from being buried in the rest of her clothes.
He was dreadfully nervous, of course he would be. Fifteen was someone he had grown to admire, even like, a little to his dismay. And what he couldn’t wrap his head around is that she would both protect him, and let him stay at her cabin. HIM? She chases anyone who goes anywhere near her cabin away, yet she lets him stay? A Zero especially.
He knew how easy he could ruin this for him, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that someone like him could be anywhere near her presence. And he wanted to make sure he didn’t ruin it.
Fifteen shuts the door to the other room behind her, and walks over beside Zro and sits down. Holding her hands out as she warms herself up with the fire she had lit.
They sat like this in silence for who knows how long. It probably wasn’t very though. Since she spoke up pretty soon.
“You’re dreadfully quiet. I thought you Zeros were obnoxious.”
The question only slightly caught him off guard. Mainly because he was zoned out, deep in thought over the events that took place just a few minutes before.
“Sorry, I uh… I guess most of the Zeros are pretty obnoxious. I just don’t want to bother you…”
Ugh… That was so awkward… He felt his face heating up after admitting a pretty standard priority. Who would want to act obnoxious around Fifteen of all people…? If anyone knows better its Zro.
“Oh. Well thanks I guess.” She thankfully turns back to the fire blankly, which relieves the stress of sounding weird in front of her. For about a few seconds before she adds more.
“I see you lurking around here, you like to think you’re sneaky but I know this forest better than you.” She admits, not turning back. “Not a reason to get any more stressed out than you already are.”
Zro was pretty much speechless, she read him like a BOOK. Was he really that obvious? Well obviously he was if she dropped all that to face in front of him. He had to come up with something to say before she waits too long, yet all he could come up with was;
“Uhm… Yeah. I do sometimes…” Reaaaal smooth there Zro… You totally swooned her with that one…
“I guess you’re more awkward than obnoxious.” She finally turns back towards him, which only heightens his embarrassment.
“Is that a good thing…?”
“It’s fine.” She admits, staring at him for a moment longer before turning back to the fire. Zro’s stare lasts a little longer than he’d like to admit, before turning back to the fire. Letting out a shaky breath as he relaxes only slightly into his chair. He can’t figure out how red his face is at that moment, but he prayed it wasn’t noticeable.
“I can try to be less awkward…? Some… How…?” What the hell is he talking about? Less awkward? As if that’ll ever happen…
She turns back to look at him for a moment before laughing. “Theres no way you’d be able to pull that off… And I said it's fine.” She turns back to the fire, a small smile still on her face. “You don’t have to be so terrified, I don’t bite.”
It helped relieve some of Zro’s stress when she smiled at him. He felt a bit better that she wasn’t secretly fuming over his company. Though the last part made him slightly disappointed.
“Well, you did condition pretty much everyone to be scared of you… I guess it’s just a force of habit…” He admits, somewhat humiliated. “It… I’m not saying you scare me or anything I… I don’t want to make you hate me day one.” He rants, likely to himself until he remembered that she was right in front of her, and she was looking at him again.
“Uh! Sorry, that was really corny.”
“Don’t apologize for that, I get it.” Fifteen comforts, her voice unusually softer. “Someone as scrawny as you wouldn’t want to piss me off. At least you’re smart enough to recognize that… The others just can’t grasp the idea…”
“They’re why you left… I know…” He comments, turning back to the fire. “I wouldn’t want to act like that if it's awful enough that you ran from it…” He stares at the fire a little longer, before he looks back and see’s Fifteen still staring at him from the comment. Her expression seemed slightly impressed, yet appreciative.
“Maybe you’re better than I thought.” She smiles warmly at him.
Zro’s heart might have well shot through his chest. She actually said something good about him…? HIM? He started to hypothesize that he fell asleep hugging his pillow again… He really should know better now… He was already recorded once…
“Can you pinch me…?”
“What?” She lets out a breath of amusement.
“Well! Because you know… Nevermind forget I said anything.” He murmurs embarrassingly, glancing away accordingly.
Zro suddenly hears movement beside him, and notices Fifteen sitting up from her chair.
“W-Wait, where are you going…?!” He asks with a dreadfully obvious panic.
“Relax, I’m just setting everything up for the night. I’m not letting you out there in a storm like this.”
As if almost on cue, a loud thunder rings outside the cabin, as Zro is suddenly made aware of the currently raging storm just outside the cabin.
“Ah… Yeah I guess so… T-Thank you.” He manages out after being startled from the noise. Zro pulls his hat down a bit more to cover the sounds of the rain.
“Here, you can sleep here.” Zro looks over in her direction to see a makeshift bed composed of several different chairs and coats, it looked like it’d be a pain to lay on.
“Not the best I assume, but I don’t have anything for guests, just myself.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting hotel treatment. But it’s nice, I really appreciate it.” He prayed he didn’t sound snobby to her, he really wouldn’t mind it even if it wasn’t Fifteen. But he couldn’t help but worry anyways.
“My room’s just through that door if you need anything. I can be a heavy sleeper so if you need anything don’t be afraid to shake me awake.”
“Right! Well uhm… Goodnight Fifteen.” He doesn’t really know how to show appreciation so he gives an awkward little bow of his head to her.
When he looks back up he sees an almost soft expression on her face. “Goodnight Zro.” She nods her head back and disappears into her room.
Zro lays on the bed and tries his best to find any sort of comfort on them, yet the only thing that really could was the old clothing that still had her smell. He didn’t want to accept it, but he was holding onto them for dear life.
Another loud thunder rang through the cabin. Sounds of rain and wind barrating the walls only made it harder for him to sleep. After every strike rang out, he would hold onto the jackets covering him.
Usually in storms like this, all the Zero’s would bunch together for safety and comfort, he hated being alone in such weather that it felt scary facing it alone.
After presumably a half an hour, Zro sat up sleepily from his bed, and carefully tip-toed over to Fifteen’s door. He hesitantly tries to open it as silently as possible to not bother her, but after another loud strike roars out he rushes into her room and shuts the door swiftly.
He shuts his eyes as if bracing the fact he must’ve woken her up, he opens slowly revealing she was still asleep. He let out a sigh of relief as he made his way towards her, still trying his best to be as quiet as possible.
He only wanted to ask if he could sleep in the same room since he was so used to being with the other Zero’s. Once he walked up to her, he hesitated.
Was he being weird…? Asking to sleep in the same room? What if she got the wrong idea and thinks he’s a creep? He doesn’t think he is anyways.
He backed away from her a little, he watched how peaceful she seemed asleep. He didn’t want to bother her. He’d seen the eye bags under her eyes whenever he would peep around the area.
A soft, accepting smile crossed over his face as he settled with dealing with the storm alone instead of waking her. Well, this is what he wanted to do.
Another much louder, and much closer thunder ran seemingly just outside the cabin. He yelped in fear and held onto Fifteen almost instinctively. It didn’t take long for him to realize what he did, and look at her face to check if she woke up.
“What are you doing…” She asked.
Uh oh…
“I-I’m so sorry Fifteen I didn’t mean to wake you up! I just couldn’t sleep and the storm was so scary… I always have the other Zero’s to comfort whenever it rains so I was just coming to ask you if I could sleep with… I MEAN in your room! I just got startled by the lightning strike thats why I-“
“Slow down, I couldn’t get any of that…” She rubs her eyes slightly as she adjusts to the darkness.
Zro takes a deep breath, he couldn’t help but rant sometimes. He should know better, not like the other Zero’s listen half the time.
Before he can open his mouth to explain again, another strike rings out and he’s shaken up. This time, right in front of a slightly more awake Fifteen.
“Oh… You’re scared of the lightning.”
“Yeah…” He murmurs pretty embarrassed. He really wanted his first real interactions with Fifteen to be a bit less humiliating…
“You can sleep in here, don’t bother with that crappy bed out there. My bed’s plenty big enough for the both of us.”
Maybe he was actually asleep on the bed out there, because whatever she just said couldn’t be real. “Really…? I mean I don’t have to… I can handle a little rain.”
He tries to seem a bit more mature to her until another strike rang out which completely undid his attempt. “You know what… Nevermind. Thank you Fifteen.”
He nods his head to her again for some stupid reason, before swiftly moving across the room and flopping pathetically on the bed beside her.
It was a stupid idea to think he could sleep any better like this. It only made him more anxious. He’s never even been anxious if his breathing was annoying, but I guess there's a first for everything.
“I can feel you shaking.”
“Oh! Sorry just a little shaken up that’s all… I’ll try to calm down if it’s bothering you.” Great, now he’s nervous that he looks too desperate. He can’t get anything right. But who really could in his situation?
She turns around to face him, and he prays it’s too dark to see his blush. “Here just…” She pats him somewhat roughly on the shoulder, she even seemed a little awkward. “Relax… I don’t mind, really.”
He almost wanted to slap himself out of his delusions, but her touch felt so real. Even if it felt rough, it felt genuine.
“Are you sure? I can get kind of antsy at times… The other Zero’s tell me to stop all the time.”
“Yeah, but I’m not a Zero.” Fifteen replied.
“I know it’s just…” He started again.
“Zro, it’s fine.” Fifteen stopped him.
He’s never heard her voice so genuine, he couldn’t believe how soft she was speaking; to him of all people.
He stares softly at her as he leans ever so slightly into her touch. It’s quiet for a moment before another strike rings out. Several have probably gone off since he laid down. But he couldn’t care less about them.
He jumped in fear once more, and before he could calm himself down, Fifteen had pulled him into a tight hug. And tight was an understatement, he could barely breathe in her grasp.
“Just go to sleep, no need to keep freaking out.”
All Zro was able to get out was an almost satisfied hum as he already felt himself drifting off. Fifteen’s grip slowly got weaker as she probably fell asleep too.
He was a bit hesitant to join her and waste this moment, but he knew it’d be easier to fall asleep. And he also knew it would be one of the best nights of his life.