Addressing a couple of things… For one thing, my brother was asking me about a timeline before he figured out it was slash and ran. I have one thing to say to that!

…What timeline? O.o And I know that Dynamo isn't exactly mentioned in the games after 6, but… I liiiike Dynamo, he's such a smartass. And I took his silence in 7 as he joined the Hunters to annoy the hell out of them.

Chapter 4, part 1, just because I'm so bad about updating.

Chapter 4 part 1: When you should never take drugs from strangers. Or Dynamo.

Strangely enough, he hadn't the faintest idea where to start anymore.

Yes, and that admission hurt, damnit!

He had to rely solely on the process of elimination and gauging reactions at the moment… not that it wasn't fun, but he didn't have a lot of patience and he was really starting wonder now.

And as everyone knows, a bored or curious Dynamo is a danger to society. And Axl at the moment. He smiled pleasantly, or what he thought was pleasantly, because the overall show made Axl shudder and consider running. You did not trust Dynamo when he made an effort to seem harmless. It was like a pack of flesh eating dinosaurs; one goes out and acts all cute and innocent so you coo and say 'how cute', and then when you let your guard down, you get pounced!

Just because he was paranoid didn't mean it wasn't true!

"Okay Axl. I want you to go and declare your undying devotion towards our favorite boy in blue." Said hunter stared blankly at him, one hand still holding the straw above his orange-soda float.

"…Any particular reason you want to get me killed today?" He demanded before taking a calming sip. "Because that's what's going to happen. Did you see what he did to poor Jerome?" Ah yes. The poor, chita-like reploid who liked to hop around and attach himself to people like a leech. He'd crossed the line, however, and his days of pouncing were on hold until he got over his fear of flying towards the ceiling fan at warp speeds.

"As I was the one who told him to glomp X, of course. But I'm wondering what will happen when you just announce it!" He smiled in what he hoped was an encouraging way, getting up and shooing Axl in X's general direction.

"…There's something you're not telling me."

"Of course! And you won't know unless you go do as I say!"

There's this evil little nagging voice in the back of Axl's head called Curiosity. It tends to yell louder than common sense and get him in trouble. "…You suck." He grumbled, before putting on as cheerful a face as one can when they're meeting impending doom.

"Ne, X" He chirped happily, peering over his commander's shoulder. The rest of that conversation was lost to Dynamo as he spotted Zero frowning at the site from a nearby table and, as he had a short attention span, decided he'd get info on that later or he'd just hear whenever X started tearing into Axl. If he did.

"Something wrong?" He prodded, taking in the pale complexion, the blood shot eyes, the flaring nostrils- okay, maybe that was just his reaction to Dynamo appearing out of the blue, but the furrowed eyebrows were definitely not normal.

"What do you think?!" He demanded, letting his forehead hit the table with a thud as a cry of 'Waiii X I love you' rang out nearby, followed by a moment of dead silence before a resounding smack and a death threat echoed, followed by the clicking of boots announced an exit. He didn't have to look up to see Axl stumble into the seat across from him, but he would have had to of looked up to see the glare he was sending in Dynamo's direction.

"I guess he really does like you," Dynamo muttered, ignoring the incredulous look that was sent his way as he mentally added a question mark to Axl's name on his steadily shrinking list.

It's been about four days since the trippyness started. This included the hallway episode, and Zero has been trying to give X some room.

So needless to say, things hadn't really improved all that much. If anything, X was getting scarily more out of character by the moment, leading gossipy hunters to harsh conclusions. Some believed that he had a virus of some sort. Others said that Zero had done something stupid again and he was just in a pissy mood, while others yet were claiming that it wasn't even X at all, but someone who was taking his place while he was on vacation somewhere.

…Where the hell had that last one come from?

But the point is, Zero was getting desperate.

And so here he was, voicing those three little words he always choked over, to the last person he would ever want to go to. "I… need help."

Dynamo just grinned. "We all know you need help, Zero, but that's what the nice men in the white coats are for."

"Not mental help you bastard!" He hissed, fingers stiffening as he made a jerking motion, almost as if he wanted to wrap his hands around someone's neck.

Must not kill, need his help, I can string him up by his hair later on…

"I didn't say anything, you filled in the blanks. Is someone worrying about their sanity?"

"Only in your presence."

"And X's." Axl muttered, idly checking the sore spot on the back of his head, but the effect of his choice of words caused a twitch to develop in Zero's cheek. It also earned muttered grumbling that Dynamo tsked at a couple of times, before patting his shoulder while sighing in mock sympathy.

"He has been a little… ah," Axl hunted for innocent words to describe his commanding officer to date, "'Off' lately."

"A little off? A little OFF? He's been a freaking lunatic! He almost cut my hair off with a beam saber at practice yesterday, and the bloody bastard just smirked at me and left afterwards! He threatened his unit with a robotic Richard Simmons! The thing went out of control and started attacking people until you took it down!" He ignored the visible shuddering coming from Axl for even mentioning the incident and plowed on, "He… he…" He broke off, too horrified to go on.

"He what?" Dynamo urged in a surprisingly gentle tone, shocked that it was coming out of his mouth but hey, he'd never seen him so serious.

"…He was wearing eyeliner!" Zero whined, earning a stare from the Pikachu man, who had to restrain himself from laughing.

Of course he recovered quickly, but couldn't help but quip, "…Awww, our little baby is growing up-ack!" He raised his hands to block the incoming spoon. "Okay okay… so what do you want me to do about it?"

"Okay… I think there's something wrong."

"Aaaaand?"

"I want Lifesaver to check him out."

"Buuuut?"

"He won't!" Zero scratched at his hair in frustration, earning a surprised stare from those around them. "He says that a mood swing is perfectly normal during extended peace times… though figure that out, you'd think X of all whiny pacifists would be in retirement stage with a novel in the works- anyway! IF there was something physically wrong with him, they would have to run a diagnostic. And I could get him to check for other problems…"

"Zero…" Dynamo started, slowly. "Are you asking me to slip him something?"

"Er… kiiiind of? I mean, I know it's not exactly legal, but-" He trailed off, startled, when he waved his hands back and forth.

"No no! I just meant, I'm shocked that thought you'd have to ask! Of course I will!"

In the meantime, Axl calmly sipped his soda. "I know nothing. Therefore I won't have to testify in a court of law."

"Actually, you know everything. As you're the one he's less likely to kill at the moment, we need your help."

"Qua?"

"It's not going to hurt him. Really." Dynamo assured him, quickly, waving his hands back and forth as he was glared at. "And you DO want to know if there's something wrong, right?"

"Weeeell…"

-------------

"Secret, agent maa-owwww." The grin proceeded to stay on his face, regardless of the new ache in the back of his head. "My singing isn't that bad, is it?"

"Will you shut up for a sec?" Zero hissed, trying to look-but-not-obviously-look in X's general direction. The blue commander was currently in red shorts and a black tank top, curled up in an arm chair in the rec room, a hot cup of cocoa sitting at the desk nearby as he peacefully read from an old, worn library book.

"He isn't even acknowledging our existence Zero. You could do a strip tease and he wouldn't know." Dynamo shrugged, giving him the peace sign before Zero, almost as if in a trance, brought his hand up and smacked him upside the head. Again.

"I thought I told you to stop being perverted?" He demanded, rubbing his temples as he tried to think of other things. Was his reputation really so bad that people thought it was normal to say that in casual conversation?!

"But it's hard!" He whined, a little too loudly, earning X's glare-of-total-submission. He shuddered and waved weakly, letting out a relieved sigh when he went back to reading his book.

"Okay." Zero took a slow, calming breath, questioned his sanity and lack there of again, and gestured in Dynamo's general direction.

"Your mission, if you choose to accept it, and even if you don't you're doing it anyway-" A wide grin spread across Dynamo's face as he lived up the suspense of the moment. He lived for moments of mischief, screw work. "Is to slip one of these –and I do mean one, you don't want to know what'll happen if he OD's- into his cocoa while we distract him." He handed a small pouch to Axl, who poked the leathery thing.

"Isn't this a medicine bag?"

"Wear it around your neck, proudly, like so many other drug dealers of the past." He wiped a fake tear away as Axl pulled the strings and poured out a few tiny, black pills into his hand.

"Why do I have this funny felling that you two haven't planned this through completely?"

"Because you can usually trust your gut, and it's right in this case. Just go with what life throws your way!"

Well, this could get him five to ten easily. Eh, he'd done worse. With this pleasant thought in mind Axl grabbed a random magazine off a nearby wrack and hopped cheerfully down in the armchair across from X's. He smiled and waved as his commanding officer looked up, but stopped when he frowned and went back to his reading.

…Psh, rude much?

He was tempted to start whistling, but had the sudden image of a flying book pop up in the back of his mind and decided against. And how long exactly was he supposed to wait until he saw a sign? That wasn't exactly discussed at length. Then again, neither was what the distraction would be. Good god, were they just going to wing the whole thing? And what he was expected to do if X didn't care and just kept on reading?

Which was starting to look like a possibility. Unless they did something drastic…

Which knowing them, they would do anyway, so he shrugged and pretended to read.

"What the hell do you mean, it's my fault?!" Zero.

"Just that, you blond bimbo!" Dynamo.

Ah, the everyday fights between the two peacocks. Give them a mirror and they'd fight to the death for it. Or at least, that's what it looked like. Axl dropped the magazine, the play fight more interesting, and saw with a frown that X hadn't even looked up from the book.

"Bimbo? This coming from the man whore?"

"EX man whore, I'm only after ONE person at the moment, thank youuu…" Dynamo said with a snap.

Needless to say, he had noticed that X wasn't giving them the time of day. Of course this was a bad thing for two reasons; that being that it went against the plan, and you did not ignore Dynamo. It was like a call for him to drop his other projects and hop around you night and day until you said something.

So in a moment of insanity that even he had to build himself up for, and a quick prayer to whoever was listening, he did something he knew he was going to regret later.

That is, he grabbed X from his chair and spun him around. "And it's X of course!" He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, starting a mental countdown for the explosion.

Oh, he did not look happy. The deer-in-headlights gape, where he could practically read X's mind and it was quickly repeating, 'he did not just do that. He did NOT just do that.' Passed in two and a half seconds flat, shifting into a look that would have sent Signas running and the personality of an irate leopard.

Ooh, kitty got claws.

It was healthier to not look.

Axl tried to ignore the brawl that had started and pulled out the medicine pouch that smelled suspiciously of another 'herb'. Okay, one… one… He fumbled with the little baggie, pouring a few of the pills into his open palm before dropping one into X's cup, staring with interest as it fizzled and returned to its natural light-brown state.

Until someone, this someone being the one who had told him to be oh-so-careful when adding the right amount, seemed to forget this warning and backed into his chair. The few pills in his hand flew out- onto the table, the ground, and, of course, a few more in the cocoa.

Oh. God.

He ignored the fact that Zero had just grabbed X from behind, trying to calm him down -something no one thought Zero was capable of, so he was just buying Axl a little time- watching helplessly as the pills of doom dissolved and the rich chocolate color darkened to a deep brown, bordering on black.

Oh. Hell. Which is probably where he was going for this.

Panicking, he jumped forward and started gathering the few random pills, wincing as a loud thud announced the fact that someone had been dumped.

The groan made him think Zero.

"What the hell are you doing?" He froze, slowly looking up into X's frowning face. His hair was mussed and there was a tear in his shirt, but other than that, he was guessing that the other two got the brunt of the damage.

"Oh! I just dropped some sunflower seeds. Want some?" He stretched out his still closed hand, and saw X shudder slightly while he eyed it. Of course the health nut wouldn't believe in the ten second rule. Oh no, if it touched the ground or some other surface that might have germs, it was no longer edible.

"That's… okay Axl, thank you anyway." He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, sitting back down with a long suffering sigh before grabbing his mug with one hand and his book with the other.

Axl lifted his magazine to block X from his eyesight and turned his head to mouth 'overdose' in Zero and Dynamo's general direction.

Well, this got one of the desired results. Zero's mouth opened in a cute lil 'o' of surprise, but Dynamo looked torn between laughter and horror. He chose the latter when they both glared at him and Zero started hissing death threats.

They made a cutting-the-throat gesture while pointing in X's direction, which he took as Abort Abort!

God, if they thought that he was going to go through this again later… He chucked the magazine over his shoulder and opened his mouth to cry out a warning before he noticed the cup that had formerly housed the drugged up drink of Doom was innocently sitting on the table.

He blinked, winced and slowly looked up to see X reading again, shoulders tense as if he was waiting for something else to go wrong. He didn't even have to turn in his seat to see Zero dragging Dynamo out of the room by his hair, probably to regroup and find out what was going to happen to X on those pills.

And so he waited.

And waited.

And just for a change of pace, he waited a little more. Was there a set time it took before it kicked in, or had Dynamo given him something harmless?

…What the hell was he thinking; of course there was just a time limit.

"Hey X…" He trailed off, searching for a safe subject… of which there were none. At least none of which he could think of, as X had chosen that moment to pay attention to his surroundings. He was looking up from his book, an expression that practically screamed, life-does-not-want-me-to-read-this-book-so-I'm-going-to-kill-something.

"Well?" he demanded, flinging the paperback onto the table carelessly, resting his chin in his hand as he gave Axl his undivided attention.

Eep. Why would he have felt more comfortable if he had put a spotlight on him and asked where he had been on the evening of March 3rd?

"Um… Are we still going to the festival tomorrow?" He asked in a rush, and whatever X had expected, that hadn't been it because he just kind of stared blankly at him.

Oh, he didn't mention? He'd asked if he'd go to the Cherry Blossom Festival with him when Dynamo had ever-so-gently shoved him in X's direction earlier.

What? He hadn't been able to think straight and that had been the first thing to come to mind. You try holding a normal conversation when your commanding officer is looking down at you with the glare-of-complete-submission.

Yeah, that's what he thought!

"Oh, that." He shrugged, looking bored. "I don't remember saying otherwise. Is that all?"

"…Kind of?" Again, with the blank stare. He must have been throwing X for a loop.

That or the spiked cocoa was kicking in. He thought the latter must be true, because X chose that moment to turn a little green and put his hand to his forehead.

"Um… do you need some help?" He was met by the glare-of-complete-submission peeking out between fingers for his effort and raised his hands in defense. "I just mean, you don't look so good-" He trailed off, weighing his options.

...Of which, there was only one at the moment: Get X to the med lab. With a quick prayer that Dynamo had been right and X wouldn't kill him, something he didn't have much faith in, he ignored the continual glare in favor of slinging X's arm over his shoulder and heaving him up.

"What the hell-?"

"You're not exactly in any shape to kill me at the moment, so I guess you'll have to wait until after you get out of the med lab." He said cheerfully, pulling/pushing him out. "Besides, I wouldn't want you to get sick." Which was the truth, even though they had wanted him to get checked out anyway. As everyone knew not to take drugs from strangers, and especially not Dynamo, he had been a little worried. The fact that he'd upped the dosage on accident had him wanting to tear his hair out, and his conscious was kicking him in the ass with steel-lined boots.

The fact that he was halfway carrying X through the hallway and getting a lot of stares made him fight back a blush.

Ye gods, what a day.

"…Thanks." Someone muttered, grudgingly, and he smiled brightly again.

…Well, maybe it wasn't all bad?

A/N: Axl is so cute. I guess I'll upload the second part when I finish a couple of the scenes.

Let's see… I'll go with previews of later chapters again!

I'm not sure if the Festival scene is going to be next chapter or 6, but… here we go.

1)

Okay, there was a limit to his patience.

And his drugged up friend singing on a table like some tipsy stripper, with other people as incapacitated or more clapping and staring was it. He might have imagined it, but it was the cry of 'take it off!' that sent him climbing up with a flourish and a glare at anyone who stared in his general direction.

"Okay X, let go of the mic…" He gestured to the karaoke mic that X was clutching loosely in his hand as he stared blankly back at Zero. His expression clearly said: data received but not registered. Wth did you just say? "Don't you think it's time to head to bed?"

"…No?"

"…Mic. Now."

Well, he got a giggle for his efforts. "Oh, Zero, sing with me!" He swung his arms about and leaned forward slightly, the mic chord flying about to smack a Hunter on the nose.

"I'm going to pick you up and drag you to your room."

"I… don't have a perfect smi-LE." X squeaked at the interruption, choosing to stare out idly from his position over Zero's shoulder than pursue his singing career.

The oppression!

2)

"Um… shethoughtyouweremybrother."

X raised an eyebrow and leaned his chin in his hand. "I caught half of that. Want to slow down a bit kid?"

"She thought... you were my brother." He blushed, just a little. Okay, maybe a lot. Was he supposed to be happy or embarrassed that someone thought that him and X, one of the greatest Hunters alive, were related?

"Oh. Want me to change her mind when she comes back?" He asked innocently, but the smile playing about his face would have made the devil paranoid.

He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, but asked anyway, "How?"

"Oh, you'll see…" He trailed off, sitting upright when the noticed the girl from before heading their way. "I love you bro!" He squee-d, clapping his hands together before they were rested against his cheek, the whole show making him look a lot younger than he really was.

"AwwwW?" Her' coo at the brotherly show of affection turned into a squeak, eyes growing to the size of dinner plates when he reached over, took his brothers face in his hands, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Well, she wasn't the only one who squeaked. X was shaking with barely repressed laughter, keeping his thumb between their mouths with one hand as he slipped the other arm around to the back of his neck to pull him closer.

Needless to say, she ran. Obviously not a slash fan. Or at least not an incest one.

"You." Axl started, pointing in X's direction with narrowed eyes. "Are evil."

"Thanks." He smiled, leaning back on the bench with all the grace of a servant of hell. Which Axl was starting to think he was.

Review pleaaase?