"Nice rifle."

Zer0 didn't have to turn around to see who was approaching him. He kept his gaze on the Vladof sniper rifle lying across his lap, peering at it with a calculating eye to find any scratches or dents along its surface. Aside from the muzzle having a bit of wear, the gun was spotless. It made for a nice change from the grimy, dirty, or bloodied gear he usually came across.

A wobbly hand grasped his shoulder as Athena eased herself to the ground. The sight of dirt and dust caking her clothing elicited a snort from him, which received an icy glare."Something you'd like to say?"

A ':)' flashed on his helmet. "You still look gorgeous."

The glare melted into warmth and she grinned. She looked away, cleared her throat, and lifted and offered her hand to him. Without hesitation, he entwined their fingers and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Athena inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, and leaned over to rest her head against his upper arm.

Zer0 tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Are you tired, Athena?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She opened an eye and looked up at him. "We just killed a Vault Monster." She grinned at him. "And got some nice loot."

Zer0 cracked a smile and caressed her cheek with his thumb, listening to her hum in content. Carefully, he set the sniper rifle to his side and pulled Athena into his lap. She raised an eyebrow at him, but nonetheless reached up and cupped the sides of his faceplate, brushing her thumb over where his lips would be. The fingers of her other hand drifted down and fiddled with the clasps of his mask, popping one open before closing it and continuing on with the next one. She looked up at him, her eyes asking for permission. With a short nod, each clasp was popped open, allowing her to pull the mask off his head.

The first breath of air both refreshed and stung Zer0's lungs, but the next was easier. He felt Athena's eyes on him as he inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times, chest expanding greatly. She shifted in his lap until she effectively straddled him, and ran her suddenly ungloved hands up the side of his face and into his hair. Athena leaned forward and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Someone's being sweet," he pointed out.

Athena smiled and kissed the other corner. "We did just kill a Vault Monster." She leaned away to touch foreheads with him. "I like reminding myself that we survived."

The response didn't take him by surprise, and he grinned at him. "By all means, 'Thena. Remind us both we're alive."

As soon as the words escaped his mouth, her lips slotted over his. The hands in his hair curled into fists and pulled him closer. Humming against the soft feel of her lips, he pulled her close and kissed her jawline, trailing kiss after kiss until he reached her ear.

"Is this proof enough?" Zer0 murmured, kneading the small of her back with his fingers.

He felt her shiver against him, and her eyes squeezed shut. He seized the opportunity, recapturing her lips in a passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. The whine that escaped her throat as he pulled away made him chuckle before he leaned back in and kissed her neck. The moan that escaped her throat was music to his ears. He trailed up and down the column of her throat, nipping and brushing the tip of his tongue over the warm flesh. It wasn't until her hands dragged him back up to her mouth he finally stopped. She kissed him languidly and leaned away, eyes half closed.

"Zer0-"

"Athena! Zer0!"

In an instant, they tore away from each other. Zer0 pulled his mask over his head and pushed the clasps in place, sniper rifle appearing back in his hands seconds later. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Athena had digi-structed a shotgun in her hands and was giving it an thorough, but undeniably distracted and irritated, onceover.

Vaughn trudged up the dirt path leading to them. He placed his hands on his hips, tilted his head back, and inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times.

"That... was quite... a walk," he gasped out.

"This is a cliff," Athena pointed out without lifting her gaze from her weapon.

"Yeah, but really? The highest point, you two?" Vaughn complained.

"What's the phrase you use?" Zer0 asked with slight tease in his voice. "'Go big or go home', correct?"

Vaughn rolled his eyes. "Oh, haha. Hilarious."

Zer0 smiled cheekily under his mask. From his peripheral vision, he could see an amused, but still annoyed grin from Athena, hidden partially by her hooded scarf. Vaughn cleared his throat and walked closer to the cliff's edge, peering into the canyon below.

"Wow," he whispered. "They really do look like ants down there."

There was something strange in his voice; a reluctance or unwillingness to speak about something. Even without needing to see his face, Zer0 could hear it loud and clear, and he was certain that Athena could as well. Without turning his head, he looked at her and noticed the suspicion morphing on her face; her eyes narrowed and brow wrinkled.

"Why are you here?"

Vaughn looked down at her, surprised look on his face as if he didn't expect the question- or to be figured out. He watched her for a few seconds, almost as if he expected her to explain, before looking down at his feet and backing away from the cliff's edge. He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat.

"Observant as always, Athena," he complimented, a guttural laugh resounding from him. "I was hoping you two would join the celebration party later."

Zer0 looked up from his rifle and a '?' flashed on his mask. Athena herself had a confused look on her face as she did the same.

"A what?"

"The celebration party!" Any hints of hesitation or reluctance evaporated as Vaughn stood confidently beside them. "I'm throwing one to celebrate you guys killing the Traveler." He leaned forward, smiling widely. "What do you say? Join us?"

Athena turned her back towards him, an anticipatory look that practically begged for support or an answer.

Zer0 shrugged.

She sighed and turned back to Vaughn. "We aren't really ones for parties. Sorry, Vaughn."

The smile on his face fell. He looked sad at her response and nodded. Turning away, he began making his way back down the cliff, before stopping abruptly at the entrance to the path.

"Cassius and I got the latte machine working, by the way."

Athena immediately sat straight up and stared at him, eyes wide in shock and interest. For some reason, Zer0 felt like he could hear the short man smirking in his next statement.

"And all of the Children of Helios are on a no-caffeine diet."

Vaughn briskly walked away, leaving an echo of his words in the air. Athena turned towards him, eyebrows raising and smile gradually growing larger on her face. Zer0 knew it was no use in arguing about it, so he sighed and nodded.

"All right, Athena."

As with any social gathering, Zer0 stayed on the outskirts of the group, observing the party goers with a somewhat curious gaze. Most surrounded the Traveler's corpse, taking pictures or scavenging for any leftover gear amongst its picked body. The rest were loitering about in cliques or pairs, continuing to avidly discuss what had happened earlier that day.

Perhaps the most odd circle was that of Claptrap, Loader Bot, and Gortys. First seeing such a peculiar group made him look a second time to confirm that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The three robots were there, and they were talking about something. Even from his distance away from them, he could hear Claptrap blabbering on something that he paid no attention or thought to. For a moment, he considered ignoring them, but the way Gortys's face lit up as she finally saw him changed his mind.

"Oh, Zer0!" Gortys called. "Have you seen Rhys or Fiona?"

A '?' flashed on his helmet as he heard this. He walked over and asked, "Why? Are they missing?"

"We have not seen them since the Traveler was killed," Loader Bot explained.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Who-da-who?" Claptrap interrupted.

If robots could glare, then Gortys would be now. "Rhys and Fiona!" She started to wring her hands if you could even call them hands worriedly. "They've been gone for hours."

"Perhaps they got lost?" Loader Bot suggested.

"Knowing Rhys, I wouldn't be surprised if he did get lost."

Zer0 turned around to see Sasha standing there, arm in a pink sling and hand on her hip. She had a playful, but anticipatory smirk.

"Fi will look after him."

The confidence in her voice was enough to make Gortys perk up, which in turn made Loader Bot content. The only one who did not seem pleased with the information was Claptrap, who still looked befuddled over the short exchange.

There was a pull on his elbow, and he turned to see that Sasha was still there, looking up at him with a slight anxious look on her face, expressing her own worriment about her sister's apparent disappearance. Then it vanished, replaced with the mask of confidence she always seemed to carry.

"Your girlfriend managed to con the latte machine outta Vaughn."

Zer0 smiled and chuckled at this information. "Do you know where she might be? I haven't seen her."

"Oh, yeah. I know." She smirked and looked behind him.

He smiled knowingly and preserved a facade of confusion, not letting on that he'd caught Sasha's hint. He attuned his hearing to listen at what was going on behind his back. The sound of voices was difficult to block out, but the light, almost inaudible sound of footsteps crunching gravel let him turn around and pull Athena in for a hug. He heard her yelp, clearly catching her off guard. Her arms went around him a moment later, squeezing him so tightly that his chest ached.

"Damn," she muttered, "so close." She loosened her grip on him and leaned away to look up at his mask. "Ready to go home?"

"Whenever you are," he answered.

"Hey, lovebirds?" Sasha said, getting their attention. "Vaughn's got a bike ready for you in the garage."

Athena raised an eyebrow. "And where is th-"

"Take a left, go past three corridors, and take the next right. It'll be at the end of the hall."

Vaughn approached them, arms crossed and smiling. The only thing that caught Zer0's attention was the brand new, shiny Pangolin shield clipped onto his belt, not there when he originally came to them atop the cliff before the party began.

"It's got enough fuel to get you to the Fast Travel station and back."

Zer0 nodded, already forgotten most of the information told. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Sasha replied.

Athena grumbled something under her breath- something he couldn't quite hear- and said, "Call if you need me."

She untangled from his arms and walked away, looking behind her shoulder to see if he was following. Quickly, Zer0 chased after her, eager and anticipating returning home.

(A/N): Requested by Rook435. Beta'd by CGAdam. Basically, this is a collection of short stories I've written over the past year and any ones I write in the future. Because I enjoy reading and writing stories filled with ooey-gooey "fluff", many of the ones on here will mostly contain it. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy.