It was silent in his apartment, as it usually was, whether he was there or not. The only indication that there were people inside were the two breathing masses on top of the bed. Neither of them had bothered to get under the covers to guard against the early morning chill that seeped through the small crack under the door and webbed across the single window. Across the room from the bed, on top of the single table that Zer0 had finally cleared off, was a pile of worn red armor, along with a bloody shirt, scarf, and black tank top. Beside it was, what could be assumed to be, a black and gray chestplate, glass mask, and gloves. Underneath the table was a shield with the Omega symbol across its surface, a red sword still sheathed in its scabbard, and a black belt with a long, black tube hanging from it.
Her arms were tucked underneath his own bandaged and bruised hands, splayed across his chest as she kept him in place, and the leg that was placed over his own were as immobile as the rest of her. Athena was as tired and beat up as he was. However, what he couldn't tell whether or not she had fallen asleep or was in an exhaustion-induced haze like he, not yet fully asleep or awake; an in between state. It wasn't until the feeling of her hands curling into fists, blunt nails scraping across the tan bandages wrapped around his chest, indicated that she was in fact awake.
"What are we?" Athena blurted out.
Surprised by her question, Zer0 opened his eyes. Turning his head slightly so that he could look at her from his peripheral vision, he noticed how her eyes seemed clouded over. It seemed clear to him now that she had been in deep thought moments before.
"We're professionals," He answered, thinking of the first thing that came to mind.
She sighed and shook her head. "No, that isn't what I meant."
"Care to elaborate then?"
"What are we? What are you." She paused to tap his sternum with her knuckle. "And I?"
"Why are you asking?"
He started to turn around, ignoring the ache in his joints and the pain from day-old gunshot wounds and buzz-axe cuts. Stopping once he laid flat on his back, his right arm slipped underneath her and wrapped around her back. Her own right arm was slung across his stomach, her left holding his right hand in place at her hip.
"Well, just look at us," Athena murmured.
Zer0 raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding what she was insinuating. Athena, noticing this, rolled her eyes.
"Okay. How many times have we slept in the same bed, or room, with each other? Holding each other?" She stated.
He ran the fingers through his hair with his left hand, exhaling from his mouth as he pondered on it. "Four? Fives times, I think."
"And how many times have we kissed each other?"
"Technically, we haven't kissed," he pointed out.
She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. It's still the same principle."
"Fine. It's seven times."
"See what I'm getting at?" She concluded.
"Yes, I see your point." Zer0 nodded. "We've known each other for months. Why does it matter?"
"It's just strange to me. Really strange to me," Athena confessed. "I've never had anyone do that stuff with me before." She gripped his right hand tighter. "I guess it's all just surreal to me, thinking about it right now."
Zer0 nodded as she spoke. Thinking of something, he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and leaned down, kissing her forehead. Catching a few whiffs of her peculiar cinnamon scent, he leaned back and buried his nose in her black-blue locks. Not feeling her stiffen at his action, he smiled and began to rub comforting circles against her hip bone with his right thumb.
"That's eight times now," he murmured.
It had been enough to make her snicker, something of which he rarely heard anymore; it was enough to bring a smile on his face.
"Yeah, I suppose it is."
Letting go of his right hand, she wrapped her left arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. Now it was quiet. The same familiar silence that seemed to constantly trail after them whenever they were alone with each other. It wasn't unwanted or undesired. Instead it seemed to be welcomed between the two of them. It allowed time to ponder about future actions and words. And that was exactly how they used it.
"Hey, can I ask you about something?" Athena said.
"And that is?" Zer0 laid his chin on top of her head.
"Smile for me."
Taken aback by the request, he leaned away from her, confused. Her left arm slipped from his shoulders while he did so that her hand was now placed flat against his chest. Noticing his confusion, she cleared her throat, a small pink blush spread across her cheeks and ears.
"Sorry, I mean: I want to see your teeth," she elaborated.
Still confused, he opened his mouth, allowing the inside to be shown. Athena lifted her left hand and cupped his chin. Turning his head from side to side slowly, she observed his peculiarly-shaped teeth.
"Your teeth are strange," she noted. "Why are they so sharp?"
Opening and closing his mouth a few times, he attempted to grind his teeth together only to feel the familiar ridges of each tooth locking against each other, stopping the process from happening.
"I'm carnivorous/ My teeth make ripping easy/ Chewing not so much," he answered.
"But I've seen you eat other food."
"Nutrients," he stated bluntly, shrugging as he did so.
"Do you eat a lot?" She asked. "Since your diet mainly consists of protein and not carbohydrates it seems like you must."
Zer0 shook his head. "Surprisingly, no/ My metabolism's slow/ So, I rarely eat."
Athena nodded, content with his answer. Suddenly, she grasped his chin again and turned his head sharply to the left side, exposing the right side of his head.
"Wanna explain what happened to your right ear?" She requested.
Without a second thought, he spoke. "A sniper bullet/ Grazed the right side of my head/ And clipped my right ear."
It was true. A half circle cut off the tip of his right ear, leaving an amethyst scar in its wake.
"You didn't wear your mask before?" She said, confused.
"No."
"Why not?"
Zer0 shrugged. "I used a hood then/ A mask didn't cross my mind/ Until I got shot."
Suddenly, she let go of his face and propped herself up on her left forearm. "Wait, wait. So, you're saying that you were still an assassin back then?"
"Yes."
"And you never thought to cover up your identity?" She deadpanned.
"Not 'til then," he admitted, rather sheepishly.
Athena sighed, probably at his younger self's ignorance. Then, to his surprise, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his ear. Zer0 could feel her breath tickling his skin as she kissed the tip of his ear for a few moments. Pulling back slightly, she cleared her throat.
"That's nine now," she murmured.
Reaching up to grab her forearm with his left hand, he pulled her down against his chest. Not hearing or receiving any resistance from her, he proceeded to wrap his arms around her waist, nose returning to her hair as he breathed in deeply. Her own arms wrapped around his chest. This didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was her right leg laying itself on top of his hip, pinning him down. Trying to not react in surprise at the act, he pulled her closer.
"You know what we are?" He murmured into her hair.
She shook her head.
"Good, cause I don't know either. And I don't want to."
Not receiving a response, Zer0 closed his eyes and allowed the intoxicating scent of cinnamon to flood his senses. Feeling the previously forgotten exhaustion creep in his limbs, he sighed and let his body go limp. A few minutes went by and he couldn't tell if Athena had fallen asleep. Her slow, steady breathing and immobility suggested it, but it could have been another exhaustion-induced haze, similar to the one he currently found himself in. Maybe he co-
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Both of them jolted in surprise, Zer0 turned his head around to look at the table across the room. The light on his ECHO device was lit up in bright red, the loud beeping noise coming from it.
Receiving a groan from Athena as he got up from the bed, he limped over to the table. Leaning down, he picked up his belt and unclipped his ECHO device. Pushing the green 'Answer' button he was met with a loud banging.
"Hello?" Zer0 greeted groggily.
"Z!" Gaige's voice resonated.
"Yes, Gaige?" He asked.
"Z, oh my god! Du-," she started to say. "HEY!"
The sound of scuffling came out of his device.
"Z, you there?" Axton asked.
"Axton," Zer0 returned the greeting.
"You sound weird," Axton blurted.
"I'm sorry?" Zer0 said, confused.
"Yeah, you're voice isn't so robot-y."
Zer0, remembering that his mask wasn't on, smacked the palm of his left hand against his forehead. Thinking of something quickly, he continued.
"It's the ECHO call/ Causing some interference/ Distorting my voice," he lied.
"Nice save," Athena complimented behind him.
"Before Gaige takes this from me, you have to get over here!"
"AXTON!" Gaige's distant voice screamed.
"Oh sh-." Before Axton could finish his sentence, the sound of scuffling came back. Zer0 could imagine that Gaige had leaped onto Axton's back and was trying to reach the ECHO device in his hands.
"You're friends are very weird," Athena commented.
Turning around, ECHO device still in hand, he saw her sitting on the side of the bed, right hand reaching to rub the back of her neck and in between her shoulder blades.
"What about your friends?" Zer0 asked, ignoring the bickering and sounds of fighting.
"Oh, I know my friends are… oddballs," she admitted. "Aurelia's a snobby aristocrat and Timothy's an ex-doppelganger turned mercenary." She sighed in disgust. "And then there's Claptrap."
"Oh, you don't like Claptrap?" He teased.
"When you work with him for weeks trying to save the moon from an invasion of rogue Dahl soldiers and then go into his mind… you learn to love the littlest things in life." Athena rubbed her eyes.
"Unbelievable." He chuckled at her attitude at the robot who had grown accustomed to calling him "minion".
While he could not complain at the… nuisance that was Claptrap, he found it hard to absorb the information that even the calm, usually well-tempered Gladiatrix had an intense disgust, and possible hatred, for her former partner.
"Zer0?" Maya's voice surprised him enough to cause him to jump slightly.
"Maya."
"Sorry about those two," she apologized."They probably didn't tell you anything, right?"
"No." He began to turn the ECHO device around in his hands, relishing in the comforting weight of the small, black rectangular box.
"Well, we, Axton, Gaige, and I, are planning on showing Aurelia and Timothy the Highlands. The other two wondered if you wanted to tag along?"
Considering his options, Zer0 looked down at his chest. The tan-colored bandages that covered his navy-blue skin were enough to convince him that joining a trip that had a high possibility of encountering enemy resistance wouldn't be the brightest idea. However, just to test something, he looked up to see Athena with a curious, and possibly even a worried, look in her eyes as she stared at him.
"I have injuries/ From my time out yesterday/ I will not join you." Zer0 answered, not taking his eyes off Athena.
She visibly relaxed once he had said that. Muscles loosened, shoulders drooped, and her eyebrows unfurrowed. He could just barely hear her sigh through her nose.
"How bad is it?" Maya asked. "Would you like me to come by with a few medicinal hypos for your wounds when we return?"
"Nothing serious," Zer0 answered her first question. "And I'd appreciate it. If you brung hypos."
"Do you… want me to leave them outside your door?" Maya offered.
"Yes, please."
"Okay, listen. We're about to head out. Try and get better, 'kay, Z?"
"Goodbye Maya." Zer0 ended the call.
Inhaling deeply, he clipped the ECHO device onto his belt and leaned his head back. Giving a drawn-out sigh, he closed his eyes and stretched his arms behind his back, groaning at the feeling of muscles being strained and joints cracking and popping.
"'Z'?" Athena asked, hints of amusement in her tone.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Opening his eyes, he saw that Athena was staring at him, expecting him to get his ECHO device back out. Unclipping his device from his belt, he showed it to her, pointing towards the dim light.
"Not mine."
Instantly, her hands scrambled to her own belt and unclipped her own ECHO device, turning it on as she did so.
"Hello?"
"Darling!" Aurelia greeted.
"What is it you need Aurelia?" Athena questioned, eyebrow raising.
"Hey 'Thena! How are you?" Timothy's scraggled, broken voice came through.
"Hello, Tim. I'm fine," Athena responded. "Why do you ask?"
"Darling, a soldier saw you coming out of the Fast Travel station covered in blood, clutching your sides as if you had been smacked with a diamond-studded golf club," Aurelia piped up.
"Who?"
"Guy named Jessup," Timothy responded.
"Corporal Lanceman Franklin Jessup. Ranking: Staff Sergeant. Regiment 451. Division 343. Squad Lambda," Athena said rather quickly.
For a few moments, there was silence on the other end of the ECHO call.
"Uh?" Timothy finally piped in.
"Nevermind." She shook her head. "Listen, I'm fine now. All patched up."
"Are you sure?" Timothy asked, worriment evident in his voice.
"Yes. I've had worse, you know," Athena reminded them.
"We know. We were there when you "had worse", 'Thena. We know," Timothy said.
"Well, let's get down to business," Aurelia interrupted impatiently. "Seeing as how you didn't join me yesterday, would you like to do so today?"
"You're getting out of Sanctuary again today?" Athena asked.
"Ah, yes. I managed to convince the blonde, the robot-armed young lady, and that Siren to get me out of here. Again," Aurelia responded.
"I don't think freezing someone's face counts as "convincing" them, Aurelia," Athena said, skeptically.
"Pah, personal opinion," Aurelia argued.
"Anyways! Wanna join us, 'Thena?" Timothy asked.
"I sustained heavy injuries from my time outside in the Dust yesterday. So, no, I won't be joining you," Athena responded. "Try not to blow anything up."
"We make no promises," Timothy said, ending the call afterwards.
Clipping the ECHO device back to her belt, she looked up at him. Probably noticing the small smile on his face, she lifted an eyebrow and cleared her throat.
"'Thena'?" Zer0 chuckled.
"Oh, shut up." Athena rolled her eyes.
Author's Note: As usual, fun chapter. I don't really have much to say in this author's note other than that Foryewhoartliterate beta-read this chapter. Oh, and you can always send in chapter suggestions if you'd like. Thank you for reading.