A/N: Before I begin, I would like to just take the time to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me this story idea, as well as giving me great friends online and offline. You deserve to be praised and honored. Amen!

Kinda odd that I would be doing a songfic of all things...but as soon as I heard this song, I had to write it out!

This thing was something I was working on for the last two years. Yeah, two years for a one-shot sounds pretty far fetched even for me, but I couldn't figure out how to end it until recently, when I really started getting into old music. Besides, I still have a lot of stuff to work on from my OTP One-Shot Masterlist, heheh :)

And since I was writing Zula Patrol stuff when I first heard this song, this fic's for my very first OTP, Multo/Zeeter. I'm actually quite proud of this one, despite taking two years to work on it. :)

So, please enjoy this fic!

Title: Heavenly

Series/Show: The Zula Patrol

Genre: Romance/Drama

Summary: Multo convinces a nervous Zeeter that love is worth giving another try—with the help of an Earth song, no less. The Zula Patrol: World of the Untold Story. Multo/Zeeter. Part of my OTP One-Shot Masterlist.

Disclaimer: It should be rather obvious, but I don't own anything from The Zula Patrol, or the song "Heavenly" by the Temptations or the song "Right On The Tip Of My Tongue" by Brenda and the Tabulations. I just own Bonnie, my OC.

EDIT (12/26/17): Removed the lyrics-don't need to get my account revoked!

Heavenly

"It was right on the tip of my tongue~"

"Multo."

"Hmm?"

"The only thing that's on the tip of your tongue is that Zulaberry frosting."

"Oh? I didn't notice," Multo replied, swallowing the remaining on his tongue.

"Seriously? How could you not notice that?" Zeeter replied.

He flashed her a sly grin—such an expression was rare on his face. "It's all part of the joke of course," he said. "Although I did enjoy that song. I should listen to Earth music more often."

"Humans do make some pretty cool music," Zeeter said. "Too bad we didn't get enjoy the really good ones before they started putting on the love songs."

"Well, we were on duty at the time, Zeeter. It's only to be expected," Multo said.

The members of the Zula Patrol had been invited to chaperone the city's annual Zula Winter Gala. While they were there as guests as well as chaperones—the party was known to be a little wild, sometimes—thankfully there weren't any drunken fights or other incidents. And Zeeter did have to give credit where credit was due—someone had made the right call in picking Earth songs for the dance.

"Still, I wish that they'd stick to the normal feel good songs that they played last year," Zeeter said. "And plus, the gala's weeks away from Valentine's Day. Not that I mind a little love and all, but I don't want to hear love songs all night long."

Multo started to say something, but that was when the DJ, a short, blue alien with two tall eyestalks, came on the mic then, although his appearance did bring about a squeal of feedback. After adjusting the microphone, he said, "Alright, everyone. This is going to be our last song for tonight. I hopve you've brushed up on your smooth talk, fellas, 'cause you're gonna need it."

The lights in the room dimmed, leaving only blue and pink lights shining down on the dance floor. As the first five bars started up, Zeeter couldn't help but get a rather odd feeling, like this song was chosen for someone. She tried to play it cool by looking over at the crowd breaking into pairs. "What love song is this?"

"Oh, it's a soul song known as 'Heavenly'," Multo said, going into his 'explanation' mode. "It's sung by a group known as the Temptations."

"And how do you know this? You don't really listen to Earth music," she continued.

"Well, uh...I happen to know about this particular song," Multo said, clearing his throat. "I've actually listened to it, and I like it a lot. Which is why, er, uh...I-I requested it tonight at the dance."

"You requested it?"

"Y-Yes. I was hoping to tell someone I care about dearly how I feel," he explained.

"Well, why are you telling me then? You should be telling that person!" Zeeter said.

Mutlo was thankful that the lights were dark enough to hide his blush—or at least, make it blend in. "Y-You see, Zeeter, I am telling that person right now," he said softly.

Zeeter's eyes went wide as it hit her like a ton of bricks. Mutlo went on hurriedly to explain, "I-I had it all planned out in my head, about how romantic it would be to tell you while this song was playing, and I just-"

"You idiot." The growl stopped Multo in the middle of his explanation. He stared at Zeeter, who looked about ready to murder him. "You mean to tell me that you set this up to make me fall in love with you, is that it?"

"N-No, that's not-"

"That you want to tell me how you feel about me, before making me look like a fool in front of everyone here, right?" She laughed bitterly. "Wow. I never took you for that kind of guy, Multo. But I guess I was wrong. All men are the same."

Multo's eyes went wide with horror. "Z-Zeeter-"

"Just forget it, Multo! I don't care if this is some silly prank where you tell me that you've had feelings for me ever since we first met! I'm done with love, and I'm done with you, too!" Zeeter said harshly, although Multo could hear the tears in her voice.

In the second it took Multo to open his mouth, Zeeter had already left. He watched her retreating back through the groups of couples that were in the middle of the floor, several of whom turned to glare at her as she rushed off.

When he overcame his shock, he chased after her, pushing through various people and tripping over feet. His mind raced with things to soothe her, to calm her down. He cursed his ability to screw up things; he'd gone and messed up his one chance to bring them together.

He stopped running when he lost sight of her, and for the first time in his life, he felt like swearing. At that moment the song ended, and the couples started to make their way to the exits, although a few were slower to break out of the song's spell. One such couple was Bula and Bonnie, who were stepping from side to side, looking into each other's eyes.

Multo cleared his throat, and Bula was the first to break out of his trance. His face went slightly red when he realized what he was doing. "O-Oh, um, hey, Multo..."

"I think we were enjoying the party a little too much," Bonnie said, laughing slightly.

"Well, I didn't get to," Multo said. "I made Zeeter upset when I tried to tell her about my feelings. She ran off before I could even apologize or say anything else."

"She did?" Bonnie gasped.

"That's not good," Bula said, his expression becoming concerned. "Although I can't blame her. She...she's had some issues in regards to love, Multo, and she's still broken by them."

"Goodness, I didn't know," he said. "Oh, what have I done? I never meant to hurt her feelings, Bula, honest."

"I know," Bula said. "But I don't want you to say that to me. I want you to say that to her."

"Are you sure I should chase her down and tell her?" Multo asked.

"Multo, if you don't, you won't get another opportunity again," Bula said. "That I know for sure."

Multo considered this for a moment. Zeeter was notoriously stubborn and could often hold a grudge. Even if it meant she'd hate him forever, he had to give this a shot.

"Alright, Bula, I'll give it a shot. I just hope that she'll listen to me," Multo answered. He then took of running for the stairs that led to the balcony.

"You think it's going to work, Bula?" Bonnie asked. "I don't know," Bula said. "All I know is, it's in Multo's hands now."

Hot tears fell from Zeeter's eyes, splashing onto the railing she had her face buried in. She lifted her head from the steel railing, and groaned when she saw the patches of mascara staining its slick surface. She hastily pulled out a handkerchief and started to dab at her eyes in order to staunch the flow of tears.

Multo, you jerk! That was about the nicest thing she could say about him. I can't believe you played me for a fool! I thought...Heat crawled up her face out of embarrassment. I thought you actually liked me...

For several months now, she'd started to have the strangest feelings for the professor. She'd never seen him as anything other than an odd, eccentric friend, but slowly that had changed when Bula had started to divide the team up into smaller groups. He, Bonnie and Gorga were one team, Wizzy and Wigg were the second team, and Multo and Zeeter formed the third team. Zeeter had been vehement about this, but Multo had been determined to make it work.

Although there had been a lot of clashes in the beginning of their partnership, the two of them slowly found their own groove. Both of them discovered that they could both be rather passionate about things that mattered to them, and that both of them could be the voice of reason when the situation really warranted it. It seemed odd, having the energetic, hotheaded go-getter and the jovial absentminded professor together. And it was odd, but they'd managed to make it work in their own way.

She didn't know when she started to see him in a different light. She started to like that crooked, warm smile of his, his surprised expressions. His accent had been overwhelming in the past, and for a time, she had taken to mocking it, but nowadays, she couldn't help but find it endearing. It really did add to his charm—a forgetful, silly but warmhearted professor who would drop anything to help people in need.

One didn't need to be Multo to tell that she'd fallen in love with the professor, but it still caught her off-guard. Not that it was a bad thing that she loved Multo. He was without a doubt one of the nicest aliens she had ever met, and he could make anyone happy.

But tonight, his confession had brought out some demons, some that she had tried to forget. And she wasn't going to let bad luck strike again.

"Zeeter! There you are!"

Zeeter's eyes widened. The alien she'd been thinking about for the last few minutes was now standing in the doorway, hung over and trying to catch his breath. When he looked up at her, she saw the worry and relief in his eyes.

"M-Multo?" She replied in disbelief.

After regaining his breath, he stood up straighter and carefully approached her, as though she were a skittish animal. "Zeeter," he started, his tone anxious.

Something in her snapped. "If you've got something to say, say it already!" She shouted, loud enough to be head from below. One thing she hated were people who hesitated to say what they truly felt. But when she looked up at Multo, the hurt on his face made her regret snapping at him. Averting her gaze, she said, "S-Sorry, Multo. I guess I'm just...overwhelmed."

"I can't blame you. I might have hurt your feelings with my words," Multo said. "And if I have, I apolo-"

"Oh, Multo...you don't have to apologize," Zeeter answered. "It was my fault. I was the one being rude." She looked up at him at last. He still looked hurt, but not as much as he had been earlier. That made it easier to talk to him. "You must've planned it all out, huh? Telling me how you felt..."

"I did," he replied. "And I 've been meaning to tell you for a long time now."

Ouch. She couldn't blame him for being hurt then. And she couldn't blame him if he was secretly angry at her. "Leave it to me to ruin it," she muttered.

She half expected him to agree with that statement. Instead, he crossed the threshold and kneeled in front of her. Her hands were soon gripped in a gentle embrace. She looked at him, startled by the sincerity and tenderness in his eyes.

"You didn't ruin anything, Zeeter. In fact...I was hoping that I'd be able to talk to you about this whole situation," Multo started, "and possibly...clear the air about our love lives."

Zeeter stared at him in surprise. The last thing she wanted was to talk about her love life, but if she was going to share her feelings for the professor, then they might as well. She nodded.

"Do you want me to start first?" Multo asked. "You seem rather shaken."

"If you don't mind," Zeeter answered.

"You see, Zeeter, there was someone before you that had my heart," Multo began slowly. "Her name was Kai."

"Kai? That's a strange name," Zeeter said.

"Indeed it is," Multo said. "She said that it was an Earth name that her parents gave to her. And she was as strange as she was beautiful and intelligent. She could do equations faster than I ever could."

"Ha, now that's something you don't hear every day," Zeeter chuckled.

Multo smiled, but just barely. "For a while, the two of us were rather happy together," he continued, "until I decided to join the Zula Patrol and leave the teaching field." He knotted his fingers together. "Unlike you, Zeeter, she was rather fickle when it came to my time with her. She gave me a lot of grief over it."

"What did you do?" Zeeter asked.

"I regret it now, but I put my training on hold to please her," Multo admitted. "It still didn't work out as I planned. She started having problems with me outside of my work."

"How did you deal with it?"

"That's the thing, I didn't get to deal with it the way I wanted to," Multo said. "Kai made sure of that." He attempted to smile, but it held little to no warmth in it. "One day, I came to our date an hour late because of my training. She was there...with another man. And well, you could say it all came crashing down."

Zeeter's eyes widened. "Oh, boy...what did you do?"

"Something I'm not proud of," Multo answered. "I caused quite the scene at the restaurant, saying things I wouldn't dare utter to anyone else and I almost got into a fight with that man. After we were forced out, Kai told me she never wanted to see me again. And that was the last I heard from her." His tone was bitter. "I mean, I knew that I would end it eventually, but I wasn't planning on ending it like that. "

"Still, how could she betray you like that?" Zeeter sputtered. "Who goes out with someone when you're already in a committed relationship?"

"I was committed to it, Zeeter, but she wasn't," Multo said quietly. "She made that abundantly clear to me."

Zeeter growled. "I can't believe she dumped you like that," she said. "You're one of the nicest people on Zula! She obviously didn't deserve you."

Multo's mouth formed a brief smile. "Thank you, Zeeter," he answered.

The realization of what she'd said made Zeeter's face turn a light pink. "Y-Yeah, you're welcome," she answered. She cleared her throat and folded her arms. "I guess it's my turn to explain now, right?"

"Like I said earlier, you don't have to-"

"Look, I get you're worried, Multo...but I don't like being coddled, alright?" Zeeter interrupted. There was strain in her voice as though she were struggling not to cry. "I'll explain it as best as I can, though."

The concern in Multo's eyes could've been spotted from miles away. "Zeeter..."

"The reason I blew up at you earlier...it wasn't you, Multo. It was…personal."

"Personal?"

She nodded. "I…I had a bad experience with love," she replied, "several times."

His eyes widened. "You did?"

"Mostly in high school, but the worst was at flight school. Several classmates that I liked…they didn't like me for the same reason. Three of them ignored me, but one of them sweet talked me into bed. It turned out that was all he wanted from me, and from every other girl there."

"Are you sure he did that?" Multo asked.

"He bragged about it the next day, saying he'd added me to his list of conquests," Zeeter said bitterly. Since she had her head down, she missed the look of utter rage that crossed Multo's face. "I never told you or Bula, since I know that you're both fairly protective of me. Bula would've hunted him down."

"I see..." Multo answered. Hearing such news was both horrifying and angering. On one hand, he was upset because the person who did this to her got away with it. On the other hand, he was somewhat relieved that she hadn't told him—he would've done far worse than hunt the guy down. He looked at her, and seeing her distress, he said, "Zeeter, I can understand why you reacted like that. Personally, I would've reacted similarly."

"Yeah, right," Zeeter replied, wiping her eyes. "That's what they all say."

"I'm telling you the truth," Multo said. He turned to face her. "But not all men are like that; there are some who know how to treat a woman."

Like you, Zeeter thought to herself. "I know. But...I can't go through that again. After that incident, I swore to never allow a man's words to sway me again. That's how…that's how I lost my innocence," she replied.

Multo nodded gravely. "I know. And I'm terribly sorry that happened to you," he said. "Still..." He danced his fingers around the bench. "I don't think that you should give up on love just yet."

"You honestly think that?"

"Yes," Multo said. His voice held no sarcasm whatsoever. "You see...I was right where you are now, afraid of falling in love again after my breakup with Kai. I was afraid of being cheated on, of losing my chance to be happy. I thought I'd never fall in love again." He looked up at the sky with a wistful expression. "And then I met you."

Zeeter felt heat rush to her face. "Well...uh..."

"From the moment I met you, Zeeter, you had a very special place in my heart. I used to have quite the admiration for you at first, since you were the bravest woman I've ever known, not to mention the fact that you are also everything I'm not. I admit, at first you did annoy me. But I will not deny that…that my admiration for you turned into something more. Never in all my life would I have thought that I would fall in love with someone like you. My parents and brother were all sure I'd fall for a girl who was more or less like me," he said. "But…it appears as though my heart has chosen otherwise."

The heat became an inferno. "Okay, now you're embarrassing me here, Multo."

"It's the truth," the professor answered simply. "I had no hopes of falling in love with anyone again, until I met you. Love wasn't kind to me the first time, but...I'm glad that I gave it another try." He smiled at Zeeter. "And I think you should do the same."

Zeeter stared at him, conflicting emotions raging in her mind. Seven heartbreaks had been enough to swear off love for good...but it hadn't been enough. She'd fallen in love again, with the most unlikely of candidates. She wasn't as lovestruck as he was, but she wasn't about to close her heart to him either.

She opened her mouth to say something, but what came out was a set of trumpets. She shut her mouth, stunned, and sent a questioning glance at Multo. For his part, he looked as baffled as she did.

"Curious. I thought the DJ left for the night," he said.

"He did," she said.

"HEY!"

Both of them looked up to face the speaker. Waving to them from the third floor balcony was Bonnie, grinning at them with a pleased, mischievous grin. Bula came to the ledge a moment later, giving them a resigned smile.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but Bonnie insisted on bringing some 'help'," Bula called.

The yellow-skinned Zulean gave the two of them a thumbs up. "Good luck, Multo!"

Zeeter turned to Multo, who looked baffled and slightly embarrassed. It was then that the first few lines of the song came drifting in. The first few lyrics opened up with the singer talking to the girl, saying that she was through with love and that it was a waste of time. At this, Zeeter couldn't help but feel as though she were being put on the spot. That was exactly what she told Multo earlier, before she'd run off from the party. Fire burned her cheeks and she averted her gaze from Multo's.

It was then that he stepped forwards, extending his hand with an easy smile on his face. There certainly wasn't any harm in one dance, right? She took his hand, and soon she was pulled towards him, his hand resting on her waist. Uneasily, she followed him as he led them into the dance, as the singer crooned that he could show her another side of love, and how love had its ups and downs.

As much as Zeeter hated to admit it, she was curious as to what Multo was trying to do. He'd been just as embarrassed as she was, right? He certainly didn't look like it, though, as he took the lead, although thankfully Zeeter was focused enough to remember the steps. Although she stepped on his shoes several times and scuffled them in the process, he didn't seem to mind. He offered her an encouraging smile when she did so, as if to say, "It's alright, keep going."

She swallowed as she looked up at him. How could he remain so jovial, so encouraging, even after knowing how terrible she'd screwed up?

The look in his eyes told her, "Trust me." And for a split second, she felt that she could. Scratch that, she knew she could trust him with her life. But that wasn't the issue, and she knew it wasn't...

What can it be? Zeeter thought to herself, even as the song gave her its answer a second later.

"Zeeter?" Multo said softly.

"I-I'm sorry," Zeeter muttered, her eyes welling over with tears. For the seventh time that night, she swiped at her eyes, this time removing the last of the mascara. "I-It's just...I don't know."

He slowed to a stop. "What is it?"

"...do you really think this would work between us?" Zeeter said. "Love hasn't felt heavenly or right for me in years."

"I know. And trust me, I know the feeling well," Multo said. "But there's no denying what the heart wants." He looked down at her, genuine concern and affection in his eyes. "I know what I want. But I want to know what you want."

What I want...

Goodness, it had been a while since anyone had asked her that. Ever since her teenage years, there'd been one thing she'd wanted more than anything.

And that thing was standing in front of her.

The next word she uttered was filled with so much emotion, she might as well have drowned in it. "You..."

Multo's eyes went wide—the whites of his eyes were visible in the indigo sky. "Y-You want me?"

"What the heck am I doing?" Zeeter muttered. "I'm such an idiot...but you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Well, er...what do you mean by this, Zeeter?" He looked down at her, concern unhidden in his eyes.

"What I was looking for was someone who loved me for me. And not the way Bula does; Bula loves me like a sister and a friend," she answered. "I wanted someone who values me for who I am, who doesn't think that I'm good for...well, you know. And for a while, I never thought I'd find that person. So I kept searching, only to find out that that someone was here the whole time."

"Zeeter...you like me?" Multo asked.

She nodded. "I have for a while," she said. "I...I just didn't know how to tell you. I mean, you gave me a big speech about your feelings. And my confession seems kinda...well..."

"The gesture is one thing, but what matters is your honesty," Multo said. "It doesn't matter if you decided to do a musical number or send a small note. You returning my feelings means a lot more to me than grand gestures. And that speech...well, I'd been holding back my feelings for so long that I couldn't help it." He gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry if I overwhelmed you a bit."

"Nah, no problem. Big speeches aren't really my thing, anyway," Zeeter replied.

He smiled. "I know. And I like that about you. You're short and to the point," he said.

Zeeter opened her mouth to wave off said praise, to say that it wasn't anything special, and froze as Multo leaned towards her face, his eyes aimed at her lips. Her mouth closed quickly, and for a moment, she froze. Multo must have sensed her hesitation, for he paused and leaned up to her forehead. His lips, soft and warm, met her skin in a gentle touch.

At that moment, Zeeter realized that she couldn't sit back and be afraid anymore. This was something that she truly wanted, didn't she? Then what was she doing here, trying to deny what she felt? She squeezed his shoulder, and he looked at her in surprise as she leaned forwards, but just as quickly, he recovered and met her halfway, kissing her gently once more. But she didn't want him to simply treat her gently, and she initiated the next kiss, one that was firmer and passionate. It didn't take him long to return it, and the thudding of his heart matched hers as he pulled her closer to him. This kiss flooded her with warmth, warmth she'd nearly forgotten existed. Warmth that she never thought she'd feel again. Warmth that she'd been craving for years.

She was barely aware of Bonnie squealing from the balcony, but that wasn't her focus as she pulled away from Multo and looked up into his eyes.

Perhaps love was worth another try after all.

The End

Yeah, I had to wrap up my friend's birthday with something incredibly cute and fluffy. Not that it was all cute 'n fluffy the whole way through, but at least it didn't have a depressing ending like my new Callie/Peck fic. :)

And yes, I did promise my friend an extra fic, but my computer was acting stupid, so I ended up erasing what I had written, which means another delay. Sorry, VK :( But at least I'll have one other story done, am I right?

Reviews are much appreciated, and constructive criticism is even better. It makes an author's day when you leave enthusiastic reviews. I should know, because I got a great one today that really inspired me :D

Anyway, I hope you like the second half of your birthday surprise, Vulaan Kulaas, and that you had a great birthday! :)

God bless, iheartgod175