The high-pitched roar of the klaxosaurs pierced her ears as a sickening crimson light bathed her bright and warm bedroom in a red glow.
Zero Two grimaced. She knew this scene well. She turned her gaze to the floor, and right on queue, a shadowy black hole tore itself into existence.
With bated breath, Zero Two watched as a hand slowly rose out of the darkness, expecting to see the many stamens she had used and thrown aside like trash.
A choked gasp escaped her as a bloody Kokoro pulled herself up from the ground, the wedding dress Zero Two and the girls had worked so hard on torn and stained with blood. Glowing red eyes stared at her. Silently, Kokoro reached out towards Zero Two with wounded arms, visible bruises around her wrists where a ripped leather strap was still tied.
Behind Kokoro, an equally ruined Mitsuru appeared from the darkness, his uniform as shredded and stained with blood as Kokoro. Zero Two could not see his bare arms, but she knew they would look just like his partner's. With a blazing crimson stare, he also reached out towards Zero Two, who was trying to force herself to move and get away. Her body refused to respond.
The stamens she had used and killed joined the two parasites, their ghoulish faces glaring accusingly at Zero Two. Pale grasping hands pulled at her clothing, her arms, her legs, her hair, slowly but surely dragging her back into the shadowy hole they had come out of.
The walls and roof around her blew off with a muted explosion, revealing the ruined wasteland outside and the Grand Crevasse far in the distance. With the signature electronic scream of the klaxosaurs, a gigantic black and blue hand rose out of the Crevasse, blotting out the sky.
Zero Two watched with wide and terrified eyes as it began to descend upon her and the nightmarish parasites dragging her away. She tried to scream, but no sound would come out.
The hand came closer and closer, coming down like a massive hammer. She squeezed her eyes shut and-
"Zero Two!"
And was abruptly awakened by the voice of worried Hiro. She blinked with confusion at the sudden shift in location, now in the parasite camp the Bird's Nest rather than her bedroom in Mistilteinn, before shuddering and throwing herself into Hiro's chest. Zero Two pressed her head against her darling, rapidly taking in his comforting scent with quick breaths. Looking down at her in concern, Hiro wrapped his arms around her in the hope that his embrace would comfort her faster. He gently pressed his lips against the top of her head and stayed there, offering all the warmth and love he could to his darling.
It was late at night, and after the reveal of a memory altered Mitsuru and Kokoro, they had tiredly and hopelessly returned to their designated spot among the other Squads. Too depressed to do anything, they had gone to bed, hoping that their dreams would be happier than their reality. That hope did not seem to work out for Zero Two, whose tossing and turning and quiet whimpers had instantly awoken Hiro who had been sleeping beside her.
Recognizing this as another one of her nightmares, he had been quick to try and snap her out of it. These episodes had begun just a few days after the battle of the Grand Crevasse, and Hiro had only ever failed to wake Zero Two before she got too deep into it once. Her screams had made him sick to the stomach, and the very thought of them made him nauseous.
He tightened his grip on his beloved and began to whisper sweet reassurances into her hair. Zero Two's breathing slowed down, her darling's comforting calming her.
She looked up to meet Hiro's concerned yet caring eyes. Desperately, she lunged forward, taking his lips with her own. Days of hiding their love from the other parasites and the adult guards had taken its toll, Zero Two now hungrily kissing her darling with all of her pent-up passion. The taste of his lips also helped relieve the stress of her nightmares, as well as the frustrations with the injustice of what happened Kokoro and Mitsuru.
Hiro patiently returned Zero Two's almost violent affections, continuing to support her as she slowly relaxed and melted into his arms.
They soon separated, breathless but comforted by the love they had just expressed for each other. Gently brushing against her nose with his own, Hiro softly whispered. "Feeling better now?"
Zero Two nodded gently. "Much. Thank you, darling."
Hiro kissed her again. The passion and desperation from early was gone, now replaced with delicate love, sweet assurances, and a promise of never being separated.
"I'm always here for you," Hiro whispered again. Carefully, he sat up against the wall behind him, Zero Two curling up in his lap and snuggling deeper into his embrace.
He threw a glance around the small area designated as Squad Thirteen's. All the lights of the massive parasite camp had been turned off, only the small lamp Goro had rigged up providing any illumination.
The others were strewn randomly around the small three-walled room. Hiro and Zero Two had claimed one of the far corners as their own, and it was in that corner they were now huddled close together.
Hiro returned his gaze to the girl in his lap, and gently tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear. Zero Two had closed her eyes, but Hiro knew she wasn't asleep. Continuing to whisper to avoid waking anyone up, Hiro asked, "Want to talk about it?"
He was fully prepared for her to change the subject as she had in the past. He knew she didn't like to think about her nightmares, so he really only asked to let her know he would be there for her if she ever changed her mind.
Because of this, he was pleasantly surprised when she looked up and, after a couple seconds of silently holding his gaze, gave a small nod.
Lifting herself out of Hiro's lap, she carefully eased into the spot beside him. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest with a comforting hold, Zero Two happily nuzzling her face into his side.
She stopped and lied her cheek against his shoulder, silently looking down. With his free hand, Hiro gently tilted her chin up and stared into her eyes, trying to convey as much of the love he had for her as he could before pressing a kiss against her lips.
Drawing back, he was relieved to see a small smile on her face. He placed another kiss on her lips, and her smile grew. Over and over, Hiro pecked at Zero Two's mouth, her smile growing and growing until she quietly laughed, gently shoving a grinning Hiro's chest. "Darling!" She admonished.
He pressed their foreheads together, carefully touching his developing horns to Zero Two's own fully grown ones.
"You… you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Hiro said softly.
A sudden wave of affection washed over Zero Two. How was it that she lucky enough to have such a kind and caring darling? One who had forgiven her when she deserved anything but, who had loved her when she should've been hated?
"...no. You of all people should know."
Her eyes became teary. Would he still love her after finding out what she had done to all those stamens, that same thing she had nearly done to him? How could he? How could anyone?
She froze as Hiro gently wiped her tears away with his thumb. He kissed her on the forehead. "All I need to know, and all that you need to know, is that I love you. Nothing will change that," Hiro quietly mumbled against her skin.
More tears came to Zero Two's eyes. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, silently weeping. What on earth did she do to deserve someone so loving, so caring?
Hiro smiled, softly caressing her pink hair. "I know it's painful for you to talk about, and I just want you to know…" He gently lifted her head, allowing him to stare lovingly into her watery eyes. "You don't have to. You don't have to tell me what happens in those nightmares because I'll always love you."
Cupping her face, he slowly brushed his thumb back and forth across her cheek, Zero Two leaning into his comforting touch.
"I love you, Zero Two, with all my heart and soul. Nothing can change that. You understand?"
She nodded, fighting hard to hold back her tears.
"Hey now," Hiro whispered. "You don't have to act tough for me." He softly kissed her. "Let it all out. Until you feel better."
Zero Two began to weep, throwing herself into his open arms. She quietly sobbed into her darling as he held her close in a warm embrace.
"D-don't let go," she softly cried against his chest.
Hiro smiled, gently running a hand through her hair. He pressed his lips against the top of her head. "Never, Zero Two. Never."
XXX-XXX-XXX-XXX
Inspired by a certain review from my other fanfic Sleep. You know who you are, so thanks for the idea.
Ep18 seemed to imply that the nightmare Zero Two had then was the first one Hiro has ever seen, but we're gonna ignore that and pretend she's been having them consistently ever since Ep15.
Ugh oh my god, I finally finished this. I started writing this on Tuesday I think? But then a mix of finals and me being lazy made me literally take the longest time ever to actually finish it. And of course, as usual, I had a hard time figuring out a way to end it. I also did this really bad and edgy rough draft of another story idea, so that definitely took some of my time away. But whatever, I finished it now, and that's all that matters.
Writing this author's note Friday night, so the new episode is coming out in a couple hours. I saw the preview, I don't think we'll be seeing much of the main cast, so I'll probably be able to write some more fluff pieces before the plot starts to pick back up again. But who knows? Maybe the first half is backstory and the second half kicks off the revolution.
Just finished watching the newest episode. Wowie, what an information dump. Klaxohime is indeed amazing. It's awesome they were still nice enough to add a cute Hiro and Zero Two moment, even if it was immediately followed by the ominous Dr. Franxx quote. Also, another two week hiatus? That sucks, but hey, maybe I'll get more fanfics out there for all us starving DitF fans.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review.