So this is my first ever Borderlands 2 fan fiction! It's been a while since I've hit the computer and written any fan fiction but I am a huge Borderlands 2 fan and a HUGE Zer0XMaya fan. And i feel this pairing needs more fan fiction, this is my contribution to the fandom. Hope ya'll enjoy! please feel free to leave reviews :D
Company
Maya awoke with a start, her eyes widened and her breath came to her in a gasp. She attempted to sit up, again forgetting her condition, and was sent sprawling to the bed in pain once more.
"Dammit!" She yelped her hands flying down to her abdomen, now only covered by a rugged old blanket.
She accessed her situation slowly.
When did she acquire a blanket? Did her cover her with it?
She lifted the blanket and looked underneath, she was wrapped in bandages, snug around her stomach a small patch of blood staining the white bandages. She touched the wound gingerly, it wasn't searing nearly as much as it had been but lord did it still throb. She looked around the room.
No sign of Zero.
Everything seemed eerily quiet, the only sound her ears detected was the small crackling of the fire at the center of the room. She guessed she hadn't been out for long, for the storm had not yet hit. Which questioned why Zero would be chancing going for a stroll at a time like this...and leaving her alone.
She was almost a little annoyed he had left, what if she had been attacked?
Maybe he had left for good...
A sudden rush of fear flooded over her. If he was gone how in the world would she survive this. She couldn't rise to her feet, couldn't fend off enemies, she couldn't even get up to feed the fire. The dreadful realization that she was depending upon that mysterious creep sunk in deep in her gut. She searched the room panicked and strained to lean up enough to see through the dirty windows, but she came up with nothing. If he was gone...she was done for. She knew she could not survive without his aid. It pained her more than her injury to admit to being needy of someone else. She was not used to this heavy feeling that pulled at her brain. She almost felt sick to her stomach. She could hear the wind outside the ship begin to pick up, and the old vessel creaked and groaned with the winds sway.
Panic still clutched her throat as she devised ways she could possibly get through this. No matter which way it turned she would have to ride the storm out here.
Suddenly her stomach gave a loud unruly growl that startled her out of her thoughts. She clutched her empty stomach and it groaned with lack of food. She had not eaten in days...not a good condition to be in with a wound such as hers. She needed nourishment desperately. She winced and furrowed her eyebrows.
This cannot be happening...
She thought pitifully.
He went through all that trouble to save her...why the hell up and leave now?
Maybe she had been to harsh and distrusting of him...and had run him away.
It wouldn't be the first time she had run someone out of her life...she preferred it that way mostly, to be alone to her problems...she didn't need anybody there. They never understood anyway, she was a rare artifact, something not easily related to...
She was frightening to some, dazzling to others, but mostly just a mysterious thing. A creature is mostly what she felt like. Something to be ogled at and poked with a stick.
But now she desperately needed someone more than ever. She could not sweep the feeling of actually being pleased to have someones company underneath the rug. It was there, hanging in the open like a rag in the summers breeze. It had been so long since she had actually conversed with anybody...even if it was more her barking at him...still it was interaction. Now she cursed herself for being daft enough to let it slip away...when really she much desired its presence again. She felt her heart sink in her chest and she simply wallowed in her displeasure with herself.
He wasn't all that bad...I should have been less standoffish...
She thought miserably.
Then suddenly the heavy iron door flew open and cracked into the wall behind it. The impact was so hard it shook snow from the roof of the ship. Maya yelped in surprise and snapped her gaze to the doorway, fearing a marauder, or psycho, or worse...another hungry bullymong.
But instead, there stood a sleek black figure. A figure she was all too relieved to lay eyes upon.
She let out a heavy sigh of relief and plunked back on the bed.
"I'm so glad to see you again." She said smiling.
The words hadn't been meant to pass her lips, but without thinking she passed them on to her counterparts ears. Maya instinctively bit her lip and choked.
"Glad? To see me? Earlier you seemed to not be able to stand the sight of me." Zero said hauling a large burlap sack inside the door, then slamming it behind him and locking it with the heavy iron bolt.
"I-I i mean i'm just glad you are back. Thought you had turned tail and left my ass to rot." She stuttered quickly trying to regain her tough aura.
"No. I would not. Needed time with my thoughts." He said coldly.
Maya hated that he did not offer more in his conversation. But alas it was conversation...
Maya's stomach growled like a rabid dog and Zero immediately looked over to her. Maya half smiled sheepishly.
"I uh...i haven't eaten in a while..." She murmured quietly.
Zero hauled the sack to the stove and pulled out a hunk of what Maya took to be raw meat.
"Whats that?" She questioned peering up over the bed.
"Monglet. It is tender. Easy to digest." He said his words cut short and bleak.
Maya's stomach begged for the taste of the succulent nourishment in her mouth. The sweet gamey taste filling her gullet. Maya's mouth began to water with simply the idea.
After a short while Zero put the cooked meat on a piece of tin and brought it calmly to the siren's side. With it he offered a cup of melted snow to wash it down.
Maya took the meat from the tin and tore a hunk of it from the bone. She swallowed it quickly and ravenously went for another satisfying bite. It felt warm and glorious in her stomach.
She polished off every scrap of meat and greedily let her tongue explore the bone.
Zero simply watched her with divine intent. It was like watching a skag devour a carcass.
Her tongue ran up the length of the now meatless bone, sucking every last bit of flavor from its surface.
Zero watched her as she did so, somehow the licking of the bone was much less animalistic than the devouring of flesh. The way her tongue moved, her lips pursed...the sheer enjoyment slathered across her face. Eyes closed in ecstasy at the lingering taste and the feeling of a finally full belly.
Zero felt his flesh burn hot.
God Dammit! Stop you pig!
He cursed himself mentally and tore his eyes away from the intriguing scene.
Maya did not even notice the warmth of his gaze upon her, the introduction of food consumed her every thought, motion, and nerve. She tossed the bones onto the tin and laid back emitting a deep and satisfied sigh. She felt warm and comfortable, as fat and happy as a pig in the rays of the sunlight.
She brushed her hair out of her face and licked her lips, searching for any traces of leftover flavor. She clutched the blanket around her chest tighter and somewhat lost herself in its embrace. She didn't mind its musty smell, or the slight bit of dust clinging to it. It had been so long since she had had the luxury of a blanket she did not care.
Her lulled eyes then looked up at Zero who was standing awkwardly beside the bed.
"Are you not going to eat?" She said raising an eyebrow at him.
Zero looked down at her sharply.
"I will eat later." He said.
Maya shot him a look of concern. She was trying very hard to not be so quick to pounce on him...trying to be trusting. But damn it was hard when the guy hardly talked!
"Are you sure...i mean it will get cold?" She tried again.
"I do not hunger." He said dryly.
Maya bit her lip. She was trying to be nice here...
"Your attempt at worrying about my well being is appreciated, but not needed." He said in his rough tone.
Maya rolled her eyes.
Fine then be like that.
His words lingered in the air like unsettled dust. He just stood there helmet face away from her, silent as stone, unmoving and distant. He was standing there before her but he felt miles away. As if she reached out to touch him he wouldn't be there. Like he was merely a ghost, a whisper of a man that was not completely tangent.
The wind outside had began to howl wildly. It scratched at the door like a hungry dog begging to be let inside. The little stove did a splendid job at fighting off the icy dragons beyond their door, it kept the temperature inside the safe haven cozy and warm. Maya could hear the ocean biting at the shore, slapping up over the ice, big chunks of the frozen water crashing into each other. She was very glad to be in here...and not trapped out there. She would have frozen to death.
She brought the blanket up to her flushed cheeks and sighed out heavy, curling in her legs as much as possible...now if only she could figure out a way to relieve herself of her heavy pants and boots...her shield was still uncomfortably at her side and her belt was beginning to hurt her side.
She reached down to see how far she could get but only got to about her belt before pain shot through her collapsing all movement. She squeezed her eyes shut and brought her arm back to a more comfortable position.
Well crap...i can't sleep like this...if i have to be bed ridden, i want to at least be comfortable...
"Zero..." She said suddenly.
She found his name on her tongue foreign and sharp. She somewhat liked the way it rolled off the tongue. It was dangerous, just as he was.
Zero turned in her direction attentively.
"Can...i ask a favor..?" Maya said shyly.
Zero shrugged as if not really caring one way or the other.
"Can you...um take my belt off...and my boots...and my pants...i can't sleep like this..." Maya said her words getting quieter and quieter.
Zero froze, his heart jumped at the words coming from her mouth.
Zero...undress me...please.
Zero shook the thoughts away as fast as they came and hesitantly lowered himself onto the bed.
Maya felt the mattress dip and conform to his weight. He leaned over her slowly and Maya found herself holding her breath as he hovered above her. Him being so close made her breathing quicken. It had been so long since she had had any form of man this close to her...other than a dying enemy that had wandered too close. But Zero was not an enemy, or so she had finally decided upon. He was a vault hunter, just like her.
Just trust him maya.
Her inner thoughts whispered to her.
Zero lifted the blanket and Maya kept it clutched to her chest...not that it mattered...she was fairly positive he has been it all anyway.
Maya's cheeks burned red at the thought...
Zero skillfully unhooked her belt and slid it off her gently, adding it to the growing pile of her garments. He detached her shield and set it carefully down.
He moved down to her boots, untying each one, removing one at a time, then following up with removing her socks.
He breathed in deep as he looked up at her pants button.
Of all the things he had done why in the world was this so difficult!?
He just had never seen a woman like her...a siren like her.
Her tattoo's glowed in the firelight suddenly, he looked up to her face only to catch her intently watching him with flushed cheeks.
Maya's eyes quickly avoided his when he caught her looking at him.
Zero was unsure of which emotion to feel.
Why were her cheeks so red?
With much unsureness Zero reached over and undid the top button of her heavy military style pants. He pulled the zipper down and pealed open the top flaps of her clothing.
He dipped his fingers into her pants pockets and stopped.
Maya was fixated on how delicate his fingers were to the skin, long and slender like the rest of his body, but the way her caressed skin, so much less heavy than any other man she had seen.
Zero felt his heart skip.
He suddenly became aware of how delectable she smelled. Of earth and blood and sweat...and somehow it was pleasant. The smell of her blood hung heavy in his nose, and he was instantly under its spell. He was drawn into the sent like a moth to a flame. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to lay his face on her wounded abdomen and feel her full stomach, feel her stitched crevice.
He slid her pants down to her knees, tugging them as gently as possible.
That smell it was so strong.
The siren's tattoo's were glowing even brighter.
Zero was bathed in the light of her blue markings.
He could not help but to look as he freed her of her pants.
Where her strong thighs met, small lines on her abdomen leading downward. Soft red panties her only coverage.
Zero felt his mouth go dry and his hands tremble, his heart was racing like a lose animal.
W-what is this?
He had never felt like this before, this racing uncontrolled feeling. He wasn't so sure of it, it frightened him to not be in control of his body, but he no longer was.
His fitted black pants began to feel uncomfortably tight.
He couldn't help it.
He was at the brink of near panic!
He was always in control of everything, his body, his mind, everything...he normally had complete control of when he let himself...indulge in pleasure. But not now, now he was in a most uncomfortable position and was unsure of what to do.
Outside he tried his best to remain collected.
He dropped her pants on the floor, but did not rise from the bed.
Maya let her eyes wander down the bed to the masked man at her feet. He seemed flustered over something, that sense of serene quality was no longer about him.
Whats his issue?
Maya thought as she kicked the blanket to cover herself and snuggle further into the bed.
Zero gripped his knee trying to grasp any other thought than the delightful woman on the bed before him but his efforts were in vane.
Without his control a bright red emoticon of a heart appeared on his helmet front.
Maya looked up at the new symbol on his forehead, one she had not yet seen before.
Being her blunt self...she assumed she would just ask.
"What's with the heart?" She said curiously.
Zero's breath caught in his throat and he coughed slightly.
Fantastic...
"It is nothing." He said his voice shaky.
Maya lifted one eyebrow and gave a smirk in his direction.
"When you were surprised it was an exclamation mark, now its a heart, so what do you just really love blizzards? Or is it the smell of cooked Monglet?" Maya teased brushing the side of his leg with her bare foot.
It could be her imagination but she was beginning to think asking the mysterious Zero to undress her had him all up in arms!
So he isn't completely immune to feelings! Ha!
Zero flinched at the touch of her foot and shied away from it, her touch only made his predicament worse. It was beginning to hurt his pants were so tight. He groaned quietly.
"So...?" Maya prodded reaching her foot out farther to touch him again.
Zero scooted away quickly.
"I said it is nothing." Zero tried again voice still wavering.
He just wanted to bury his face in her hair...and bury the rest of himself inside of her.
Zero all but crumbled at the thought and clutched his knee tighter.
What the hell was wrong with him!?
"Doesn't seem like nothing." Maya said leaning tenderly up on her elbow.
Zero leaned forward quickly, trying to hide himself from her.
Doesn't she ever just give up!?
Zero thought frantically.
Suddenly Zero stood up back to Maya.
"I-I need a moment to myself. Forgive me." Zero stuttered.
The words didn't even seem like his own.
Crap.
Maya stared at him in shock of his odd declaration, she almost wondered if she should be uttering an apology for flustering him so.
Zero turned sharply and headed for the door before Maya could find words.
Maya was so shocked and baffled by it she wasn't sure how to react! What in the world just happened!?
Zero angrily attempted to undo the heavy lock and Maya realized he was clearly upset by this.
What was his problem!?
"Zero! Zero wait! Don't go out there you will freeze!" Maya yelled at him sternly.
Zero froze his fingers on the door handle.
"I need to be alone." He said clearly frustrated.
"Seriously!? C'mon close the door. I don't know what i did to upset you, but i'm sorry just stop throwing such a hissy and stop overreacting." Maya said rolling her eyes.
My goodness this guy flips his lid easily.
Zero looked over his shoulder back still to her.
He took his fingers from the door and reluctantly redid the lock.
"Thats better, just come sit down, did i say something or what?" Maya said pleadingly.
"No. You did nothing." Zero snapped.
Jeez he was sure getting his panties in a wad about this.
"Well just come sit anyway." Maya snapped right back.
Zero gazed at her clearly heated and reluctantly crossed the room and plunked down on the bed. Showing Maya only his back.
"I do not wish to sit." He growled.
Maya sighed and chuckled.
"Too bad." She said smugly.
"Jeez you are some kind of drama queen aren't you?" Maya said sighing.
Zero gritted his teeth.
When he looked over his shoulder at Maya she could definitely feel his glare upon her through the thick black of his helmet.
"I'm sorry, i didn't mean to set you off really, i apologize...for whatever i did." Maya tried trying to lighten the mood.
She knew what she had done, but she just chose to play as if she didn't. She had made the tough guy "feel" oh shame on her.
Zero turned a little more toward her.
"You did not do anything. It is myself, i am upset with." He asked blankly.
Maya furrowed her eyebrows.
This guy was some kind of riddle and she was sure having trouble decoding him.
"Why? You didn't do anything?" Maya said shifting in the bed.
Zero let his shoulders fall slowly, as if they were vastly heavy all of the sudden. Her reassurance was nice, but it was not making his frustration dissipate.
Maya sensed something was still troubling the over dramatic male.
She pondered for a moment.
"Is there anything i can do to help?" Maya pressed tenderly.
Zero jumped at the words and just stared at her.
Huh? Was that an offer of genuine help...or does she feel obligated to repay me.
A large question mark replaced the heart emoticon.
Maya smiled at him like a little school girl.
"You know...since you've done so much to help me...anything i can do?" She said leaning on her elbow smugly.
Like a cat teasing a mouse, she liked having this sudden control over him. He wasn't so cocky now was he? she thought overly pleased with herself.
An emoticon of three lines appeared, Maya was guessing that was his own way of blushing.
"No-no. No. I do not need your assistance." He said shortly.
Maya smiled wider, aw he was so uncomfortable he was stuttering. Maya was overjoyed with her new game. He wasn't so tough when was actually dealing with...emotions. She laughed smally.
"Are you sure about that?" Maya said teasingly raising an eyebrow at the slender man beside her.
Zero scoffed and scowled under his helmet. He did not dare give into temptation no matter how desperately he wanted it. It had only been two days of each other's company and already he felt drawn to this girl like he had never been before. He had never WANTED anything...other than bloodlust, he did not like the idea of wanting a female so intensely. This was merely a bodily function, he could overlook it. He had already made a fool of himself though in his frustration...and now the girl...sitting there smugly...seemed to think she had some sort of power over him in a sense. Zero did not like the idea of that either. Suddenly he flooded with anger instead of desperate need. How dare he let himself crumple solely to the fact that he had not been anywhere near such a delicate woman in such a long time. Ever, in fact. He had never felt the burn of wanting another human so badly. Even though he knew simply keeping her as company was dangerous in itself. She was a Siren, wanted by the law...as was he...but she had powers beyond his own. She could wind up killing him if she pleased, or he could get himself killed trying to protect her well being.
But...he was already this far into it...she needed him. Without him she would perish, now he had that on his shoulders. And something about letting such a gorgeous creature fall to the elements just did not sit well with him.
"Get some sleep. You need to heal. Sleep heals all." Zero said bluntly.
"I will have a shower now." He finished as he lazily rose and crossed the room to the little closet looking bathroom.
Maya looked at the floor...a bit disappointed in all reality. He was a stubborn beast, she could tell he was very well disciplined so much that he wouldn't even so much as let himself feel her touch. She frowned. He was a closed book and she couldn't draw much information from him...that was very frustrating.
Maybe she had wanted to touch him. See what he felt like more so than what she knew. She had felt certain parts of his armor, its hard texture, the soft leather, the cracks from battle. But she found herself wondering...what was under the armor? Human flesh? Alien flesh...? She had noticed his lack of two digits when he was removing her pants...maybe he was an alien? She honestly didn't care either way, she just wanted to know. He had her full curiosity.
Zero felt her gaze on his back as he shut the lavatory door. As soon as it closed he leaned back against its frame and slide down until his backside made contact with the floor.
Why in the world am i acting this way!? She's just a girl. And you have got yourself into this, so you need to get yourself together! You made yourself look like a lusting animal, not the well oiled machine that you should be!
Zero's inner voice screamed at him.
He put his hands on his helmet and groaned.
She couldn't have just been an ugly girl? Or maybe the size of Ellie...then i wouldn't be so flustered around her.
Zero sighed heavily and forced himself to rise. The bathroom was old too...and a little dirty...but the dirt under his armor was clinging to him making him uncomfortable. He had not had a shower in too long. Zero turned the water knob for hot water. The pipes rattled and shook...but amazingly hot water began to spray from the nozzle. It was a miracle!
Hot water, oh how Zero had missed a hot shower. Now it had been months since he had come across hot water, who would have thought he would find it in this situation.
He reached down and detached his boots from his slim pants, he set them in the corner gently. He slowly relieved himself of clothing, and stood in the now steaming room, unclothed all but for his helmet. It felt alien to take it off, but a showered served for nothing with it on. Zero reached behind his neck and unlocked the back clip, it gave a little hiss of compressed air and he felt the material of the helmet get heavier. He slipped the cover up over his head slowly, he despised being without it. He was without the comfort of its shield. His eye sight took a second to adjust to the new lighting without his visor. He blinked a couple of times and rubbed his inhumanly black eyes, he looked up into the mirror and the reflection staring back was foreign. He was not even used to seeing himself unshielded by his mask. His short golden hair was a mess, it was jutting out in all directions, it looked unpleasant to the touch. His eyes glowed like coals in his skull. He scowled. He dismissed the reflection in the mirror and stepped into the hot water. He felt his body melt around him as soon as it came in contact with his pale body.
He sighed out long and heavy and simply let the water caress him in ways he didn't think it was possible. He felt all the aches, and all the pains of weeks of travel wash off of him along with the dirt and grime. His skin was almost grey with the caked on dirt. He had not had a shower since traveling through the Dust in days previous, so it was only expected that mounds of sand washed down the drain with the water. He lifted his arms up and ran them through his hair, fingers caressing it for a moment, lost in the feeling of utter relaxation. The Assassin had not felt this relaxed in a very long time. There was no sense of danger, locked in with a howling blizzard on the outside, and an injured siren on the inside. Nothing was of any kind of concern, there would be no enemies moving around in this blizzard. And theres not much to be frightened of if the Siren couldn't even rise from the bed.
His muscles relaxed and he rolled his shoulders back letting the water run down his neck. It was pure untainted heaven.
Maya laid silent in the room, watching the fire in the stove heave and dance. She sighed heavily. She looked over to the bathroom door, she could hear the water still running, he had been in there for quite some time. She frowned to herself. What was his problem anyway...
It's not like she would bite or anything...
He obviously thought she was desirable...or maybe it was just he hadn't seen anything else in so long she was as good as it got...
Maya scowled at the thought.
What was she not good enough for mr. great and powerful?
Too rough around the edges...
She pouted into the covers.
Suddenly she heard the creak of faucets and the water ceased its continuous noise. After a short time Zero emerged from the shower room, steam poured from its stomach and flowed out around Zero's feet.
Immediately Maya could sense he was much more relaxed and had reverted back to the blank slate he was before their little incident. The tall man crossed the room, threw a log into the stove then turned to look at Maya.
"How bad is your pain?" He asked mechanically.
Maya raised her eyes to him and shrugged slightly.
"It's still pretty bad...its started to throb again." Maya admitted slowly.
She wasn't one to actually tell another person she was in pain...but her wound was burning and twisting again. The stitches had helped, but the pain was still all to pungent.
Zero breathed out heavy and three dots appeared across his helmet as if pondering what to say next.
"You need more medical attention than i can provide, i fear infection, if we do not deliver you to a better medic." He huffed folding his arms.
Maya sighed.
"That may be so...but we aren't going anywhere now that this storm has set in. Who knows we could be stuck here for a while..." Maya said slowly.
Zero nodded sharply.
"I have enough supplies for two weeks. That is all, then we must seek other means." He said deep in thought.
The warm shower water had made his muscles extremely tired, his body was groaning for sleep. He had been deprived of it for days, sleep was just not convenient. But he was at his energies end. His armor felt heavy, and he sagged at the strain of it.
He took one of the old blankets from the edge of the bed and dragged it to the front of the stove. Maya watched him intently as he laid down on the wood and threw the blanket over himself, not removing his helmet, nor his armor.
She suddenly wondered if he ever took that mask off...
What was underneath it? What did he look like without the helmet? Was he handsome? Disfigured...horrid?
Maya pondered silently.
The blanket was much too small for such a tall man, his feet poked out from under the material and she couldn't imagine that laying his head on the floor could be comfortable.
She frowned.
"Are you going to sleep?" She asked meekly.
The question sounded stupid as soon as it passed her lips, she mentally kicked herself.
"I am in need of energy, replenishing. I must sleep." He said from the floor.
"That doesn't look very comfortable." Maya added playing with the hem of the blanket she gripped.
"It will suffice." Zero replied coldly.
"You won't get much sleep that way..." Maya pressed.
Zero sat up obviously annoyed.
"I am fine. The floor is fine. Now may i sleep?" He questioned staring her down.
Maya drew a sharp breath, she had angered him.
"I-I just was offering to share the bed...so you could sleep better...i know you most likely sleep as much as i do...and that isn't much...I just wanted to offer. To...show my gratitude." Maya's attempt at kindness felt awkward.
Zero did not move. He just sat there blankly.
It had been months since he'd slept on a bed...and years since he was accompanied by another...
No. No that would not do, no matter how comfortable that seemed.
"I would prefer not to. I will sleep fine. Here is where i will sleep." Zero said suddenly, breaking the hanging silence. Maya downcast her eyes.
She had almost wished he'd taken up her offer. It would be nice to have company beside her. No matter how independent she was...she did miss the feeling of another's touch every once and a while...the feeling of being surrounded by another's warmth.
She wouldn't touch him or anything...just wanted to feel him there.
She suddenly felt foolish for thinking such an idea would work.
Maya shifted uncomfortably.
She looked over at the motionless vault hunter across the room.
"Do I make you uncomfortable? Is that why you refuse to be near me?" Maya blurted out before she could stop the words from coming forth. She immediately covered her mouth.
Great...just great..me and my big mouth...
She thought frantically.
Zero shifted to his back arms crossed over his front, three dots shining on his helmet.
"I am not used, to others. I am unaccustomed to contact. I am...unsure of it." He said finally.
Maya sighed.
"Are you afraid of me or what?" She said bluntly.
That wouldn't be a first. Those that did not understand the powers of a siren often feared it.
"I do not fear anything." Zero responded.
"Then what is it. I don't bite or anything." Maya argued.
"Is it that important to you that i take you on your offer to share the bed. If so i will do as commanded." Zero said bluntly.
Maya was starting to get annoyed with him. She'd made a nice offer, one that she normally did not make and he was being quite the brat about it.
"No. Fine sleep on the hard floor. See if i care asshole." Maya barked pulling he blanket up to her chin and closing her eyes irritably.
What a jerk, it was more logical to share the bed, warmer, more comfortable. Maya huffed loudly and squeezed her eyes shut tighter.
And suddenly she felt the bed plunge as a knee pressed down upon it.
Maya opened her eyes and looked at Zero as he knelt on the edge of the bed. He
slowly descended onto the mattress. Maya simply felt the motion as he laid down, her body froze as he settled down beside her, back to her of course. He curled his knees slightly so his feet wouldn't hang off and no longer stirred. Maya felt tense beside him. Her eyes darted back and forth, and slowly ever so slowly she looked over her shoulder at the man beside her. She had asked for it, and there he was...and now she almost wished he'd go back to the floor. Him being so close was much more intense than she had considered. His armor was very warm, she assumed due to his body heat. He was like a heater himself. Maya shifted a little, and gripped the blanket tighter.
After some time Maya relaxed her body a little and just let the temptation of sleep take her. She could feel the rise and fall of Zero's chest as his breath slowed and became deeper with sleep. Maya could sense that dream had already taken him. That was awfully fast he had to have been exhausted...she pondered sleepily.
Before long sleep took a hold of her and she drifted off quietly, the wind outside still howling its spooky songs to the night.
Zero's eyes opened slowly, sleepily. They opened to an unfamiliar place...his eyes widened and he looked at his surroundings...it took him a second to get a hold on where he was and why. He was in the old ship...yes thats where he had fallen asleep. He let his head drop back on the mattress and sighed. He looked up at the ceiling and groaned trying to shake the warm arms of sleep away.
How long had he slept anyway?
His eyes darted to the window, icy wind whipped the landscape and though the day was gloomy, he could tell just by the slim light bathing the land it was about midday. He hadn't slept this long in ages, his mind told him the day was all but wasted, but his body thanked him for the much needed period of rest.
Zero drew in a deep breath and then suddenly realized his chest felt much heavier than it normally as. He looked down and nearly jumped out of his skin.
Maya's sleeping form was sprawled across his chest plate. She simply stirred in her sleep a little and nuzzled into the crook of Zero's arm when he startled.
Her blue locks were spread over him, falling in gentle wisps like soft grass tendrils. Everything about her was rough, and yet she seemed so soft in sleep.
Zero looked at her nervously and then looked around the room. He desperately wanted to shy away, get up and run...but it would wake her...and he just felt incredibly guilty if she were to wake...
His whole body tensed, and Maya seemed to sense that in her slumber, she nestled closer to Zero's form searching for his warmth and giving a small mumble when she was satisfied with her position.
Zero felt his heart nearly stop, he was unsure of what to do...let her sleep? He supposed so.
He tried to relax his body but it was easier said than done. He breathed out slowly and tried to focus on something else.
The attempt was futile...his eyes wandered back to the complexing woman that lay sleeping on him. Her body was warm against his armor, he tattoos surged with glowing blue as she slept, the light wavering brighter and darker with her breath.
They were so gorgeous, their color reflected off Zero's helmet and captured him in a trance like no other.
He just had to touch them.
Zero reached out with his hand and softly traced the shining blue tattoos with his long index finger. They glowed brighter at his touch and he looked on perplexed by the colors. He let his finger fun down her are ever so slowly, just letting himself indulge in the act. The colors danced at his touch, he took his digit away and they darkened, he brought it back and they glowed once more. He was like a small child that had found a sparkler and could not be any more in aw by its colorations. Oh but this sparkler was far more dangerous, the blunt fact that if she wanted to she could have most likely killed him with ease excited him.
She was a vicious killing machine, he could smell it on her. Not so unlike him...but she glowed with emotion...where Zero very much lacked in such a thing. But oh the amount of power under her skin, he could feel it radiating off of her as he made contact with her skin. He allowed himself to place his whole hand on her slender arm, fingers spreading out over the tattoos, they were glorious. Absolutely mystifying.
Zero's lips tugged upward in a devious smile, he could soak the colors in forever. He wanted more than anything to run his tongue over those tattoos, wanting to taste her skin. He imagined it to be electric somehow, as if it might shock his taste buds.
Zero groaned at the thought and allowed himself to squeeze her slight arm a little more than he intended as he lost himself in his fantasies. He felt the heart emoticon glowing on his visor, but seeing as her eyes were shut he didn't much care.
Zero groaned and pushed himself closer to her, wanting those tattoos even more.
"Zero what are you doing?" Came Maya's apparently conscious voice.
Zero sprung from the bed in panic, kicked off the wall, flipped over the bed and landed with his glowing sword drawn in one blindingly quick movement.
Maya jumped backward as she was presented with the sharp end of a sword in her face. She gasped loudly and looked down the sword to Zero who was crouched in a defensive manner.
"Zero what the hell!?" Maya yelled angrily.
Zero realized his menacing looking reflex and hesitantly dropped his sword to his side again.
"You surprised me. I acted in defense. Apologies." He murmured embarrassed.
His sword fizzled and disappeared as he returned it to its sheath sulkily.
Maya caught her breath and sighed.
"You scared the crap out of me. Jeez!" Maya barked, angry because she had been woken...and even more angry that she had been woken with a sword to the throat.
Zero stood awkwardly looking at the floor, again he let his wants crumple him.
A big sad emoticon appeared above him as he scuffed the floor with his foot.
Maya saw his and let her shoulders fall.
"It's ok...but if you don't mind how about next time you wake me up...in a little less dramatic way." Maya said breathing out.
"I did not mean to wake you." He said shiftily.
Maya ran her hand down her marked arm, Zero's touch still lingered upon her. She looked up at him softly and he turned away.
"You were intrigued by my markings?" She asked forcing Zero to own up to the real cause of him waking her.
Zero gulped and fiddled with the hem of his glove.
"They are...fascinating. I-I lost myself in admiration. Apologies." Zero stuttered.
Maya offered him a warm smile.
"Well here." She said outstretching her arm toward the wary vault hunter before her.
Zero's eyes darted left and right, unsure of this offering, he stayed firmly planted to the floor.
Maya scowled at him.
"I know you are curious, so here, you can touch them if you want." She said putting out her arm again, gesturing for him to do so.
Zero slowly crossed the room, wary of her, like a dog that had been kicked.
He lowered onto the bed and reached for her gorgeous arm, his heart began to race again as he did so.
His touch roused the glow once more and he added his other hand, tracing the outlines of the slim tattoos, dots in some areas by her shoulder, twisting lines in other, growing fat and growing thin.
Maya only watched as he curiously soaked in the information.
"I have not seen a Siren up close before. They glow like stars. Gorgeous" He muttered softly leaning closer to her being.
Maya tilted her head.
"You are something else." She said smiling.
Zero displayed a question mark.
"You aren't afraid of me. You embrace the dangerous nature." She whispered.
"As an assassin, danger intrigues me. Dangerous you are, heartless you are not." Zero said his mind wandering away with the exploration of the sacred markings.
"Stories are told of Siren's power. Not of Siren's beauty. That I have found for myself." Zero said absent minded.
He immediately realized he had said too much. He ripped his hands away from Maya's arm and stood putting feet between them.
Maya felt her cheeks burn with flush and she rubbed her arm slowly.
She looked up at the taller being in wonder.
"I apologize. I speak out of turn. Not my place." He said shaking his head.
Maya had heard many things said about her, but never beautiful. No never that.
The words set in slow. She wasn't sure how to feel about them
An awkward silence grew between the two of them. The air was thick and heavy with quiet, it weighed heavy on the both of them.
"We need more food. I must brave the storm. My absence will be short." Zero said finally and he briskly went to the door, and before another word could be said it closed behind him and he was gone into the storm.
Maya was left to her thoughts, alone.