Odds and Ends Chapter Three
Author's Notes: And now we get into the more disturbing stuff. Or at least the angsty stuff. ......or something. Anyway, the sex starts in this chapter. We censored it out, obviously, but you know it's there.
Gimp: Shibby likes it. We have uncensored version of sex in here. Drop us a review with your email addy and we'll send you the uncensored stuff.
Read and review. I'm taking a nap.
----------------
Zero sat near a pile of paperwork he had no intention of filling out, clicking his pen slowly and lost in thought. One hundred and ten. There were one hundred and ten tiles on his ceiling. Not that this meant much of anything. They were the only thing worth staring at while he thought over the X situation.
There was no denying it now. Zero had some very strong feelings for X, and they definitely weren't friendship. He'd masturbated to X's image so much in the past twenty four hours he doubted that he'd even be able to get it up if X came barreling in the room demanding sex right then
This blank staring was getting him nowhere. Obviously thinking about it was getting him nowhere; he was going to have to take more drastic measures. But what could he do? He certainly couldn't talk to X about it like friends. Jerking off to little fantasies of the man wasn't getting very much accomplished either.
He'd never been much of one for formalities, but in this situation he was willing to take desperate measures. He was willing... To ask X on a date. An official, flowers at the door, night out on the town - and if he was lucky - night in the same bed date.
He'd never gone on a lot of dates... It was more or less women fawning all over him, followed by a good romp or two in the sack. Something told him things weren't going to be quite as easy with X. Hopefully, with a few dates he could sway the man to try a few new things... Namely sex with him.
Even if he didn't get sex, it would be nice to spend time with X like that.... but Zero happily shoved that into the denial portion of his brain. Wanting to fuck X? Sure, that was fine by him. He knew his libido was out of control most of the time anyway. Being in love with or having a crush on X? Okay, that was getting into uncomfortable territory. He had a definite feeling, though, that X would want that sort of admission from him before getting sex.... so eventually he'd have to sit down and really think about whether or not his 'brotherly' love for X he'd had was really a different sort. The little voice in the back of his head kept bothering him about it. Zero ignored it.
Sighing, he got up and headed out of the office. First stop: His room. Zero mulled over his clothes, grumbling to himself and feeling embarrassed when he realized he was worrying like a woman, and changed into something decent, but not so nice as to attract attention. Now, to go to X's....hopefully X would be in, and hopefully Zero would be able to convince him to go out on a date. It wouldn't be hard, he guessed. There weren't any meetings, and X loved being pulled away from doing paperwork, even if he'd never admit it.
X was lying on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling and bored out of his mind. He'd just chased Dynamo out of his room, after the mercenary had been groping him and trying to get him to have sex. X groaned and rolled over, blushing. Dynamo was such a pervert, and he kept teasing him about having to lose his cherry. X didn't know what cherries had to do with sex, but Dynamo had seemed infinitely amused.
He blinked, sitting up after hearing a knock on the door. Damn it, if that was Dynamo again.... he sighed and got up, opening it....and blinking, seeing Zero grinning at him. "Oh. Hi, Zero." X smiled, cocking his head and mildly confused. Zero was dressed.....nicely, for once. That was odd. "Something you wanted?"
"Just a little thing....I bet you're bored, X." Zero smiled, grinning when X nodded vehemently. "So, how about coming with me out on the town tonight? Grab some dinner.... take a walk... spend time together." He looked at X hopefully.
X blinked. Spending time with Zero would be nice, especially going out on the town, getting dinner.....holding hands..... He smiled, mentally sighing. This was Zero. Zero, the incredibly straight and not-interested-in- him, however much that irritated X in secret. So it wasn't a date. X was okay with that, it was his best friend after all, and they hadn't been around each other much lately. "All right. Sounds good to me." He smiled, ducking into his room to change shirts, then going back out and standing next to Zero. "So, where are we going?"
Damn. Zero thought quickly. He hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "Uh... Why don't we go see that new movie?" Him and X, alone in a dark theatre room... Oh yeah... he was getting some ass tonight. After all, it was the prospect of sex with X he was interested in, right? It wasn't like he was looking forward to easing an arm around his shoulders as X rested his head against his chest.
"Sure, Zero!" X exclaimed happily, relieved Zero wasn't dragging him to another strange bar in the middle of nowhere. This was great, getting to see a movie with Zero, something he never got to do. They never spent enough time together anymore. "Can we get something to eat first? I'm starving. I've had to listen to Signas' drab talk all day long.."
"Sure, I guess I could use a bite too." This would make things more interesting. Maybe he could play a game of footsie with X. He imagined X's foot traveling up his leg slowly, then nudging his crotch gently, toes wiggling and rubbing his thick... Shit, speaking of hard, he decided to cut his little daydream short, starting to grow hard. "Uhh... We'd better get going."
X smiled as Zero dragged him down the hall toward the entrance. Zero sure was acting strange as of late. "Hey, Zero... Is everything alright? You really haven't been yourself lately." Zero reddened slightly and X found himself pulled along even faster.
"Yeah, everything's great." Zero muttered quickly, then changed the subject quickly. "Where do you want to go to eat?"
"Oh, just anywhere is fine." X smiled up at Zero, and the blonde hunter squirmed, feeling something turn over in his gut. Why was he suddenly so nervous? Zero never got nervous. "I just want to spend some time with you.... we never talk any more or anything...." Zero wanted to squirm, pulling X down the hallway and out of headquarters. Damn, the little guy sure knew how to guilt trip, if unintentionally.
"Well, we'll have to hang out more often, then." Zero smiled at his friend, thinking about where to take him.... and decided on a low-key little restaurant. Not somewhere he'd eat normally, but somewhere X would like and nothing too obviously romantic. Because he certainly didn't want romance. Just into X's pants. No thoughts of just cuddling and tender kissing here. Damn it! Zero sat down at their table, staring at X across from him, and squirmed like he'd been wanting to. Now he was really nervous. Fuck. This wasn't like him. Fantasizing and beating off under the table would be better than....this!
He sighed, trying to relax, and ordered food with X, chatting contently with him while they waited, even during the dinner itself, and when it was over and they were walking out of the restaurant, Zero noted with a blink that he hadn't tried to play footsie with X. Though he had wanted really badly to lean over the table and kiss him whenever he talked. Damn. Fuck. Zero cursed mentally as he walked with X. He had to do something flirty....
X was rather content. So far, everything was turning out to be a really nice evening. He was getting to spend quality time with Zero, they'd had decent food rather than the disgusting stuff in the cafeteria at HQ.... X blinked, feeling Zero slip his hand into his own, holding it gently as he talked and pulled X along. X blushed. And Zero was just helping him with his little crush. But of course it didn't mean anything. Zero didn't like him like that.
Zero smirked. He was smooth. Holding hands....then hugs... then kisses, then... sex. He nodded to himself, looking around for something else... ah! X was a romantic at heart; this had to help win him over....
"So that's why-" X was cut off, mid-sentence, as Zero darted off. What the...? Had he said something wrong? He blinked and stood where he was for a second, then stared as Zero suddenly reappeared in front of him. "Where did you go?" He blinked some more as suddenly a bright red rose was pushed into his hands. X stared at it for a second, turning red, and blinked up at Zero, vaguely hearing him saying something about something. X clutched the flower close and smiled at his friend. It was those little sweet things that got him...and the blonde knew it. God, he loved Zero so much....
And suddenly he stopped smiling. .....what was that he had just thought? Something wrenched in X's chest, and with a growing sense of both happiness and fear he realized it was extremely true.
How could he not see this coming? The evidence had been right there on hand. He loved Zero. He broke his gaze, and stared hard at the flower instead. Too long... He'd been staring far too long. Had Zero noticed his little revelation? He chewed his lip and contemplated what to do next.
Alright! Zero had this one in the bag. He couldn't resist a light laugh, noting how ridiculously tense X looked, and he hooked an arm around his shoulder, drawing him close and planting a kiss on X's moist, soft lips.
X stared, wide eyed, as the innocent, closed mouthed kiss was stolen from him, feeling as though all the air was rushing out of his chest. Oh god oh god oh god, he wasn't going to freak out. He knew better than to believe this was for real. Zero had seen his reaction and was teasing him. He could be a real asshole when he wanted to be. He tore his lips free from Zero's and blushed brightly. "That's not funny, you jerk!" He yelled at him, turning entirely new shades of red.
Zero, in the meantime, was at a complete loss as to what he should do. He hadn't expected a reaction quite this terrible. He had been so busy contemplating how to get X in the sack, he hadn't stopped to think if X actually loved him back. And this very public rejection... Well, it really didn't help things.
People were starting to gather, attention grabbed by the scene the two were making, and X found himself horribly flustered. It wouldn't be long before somebody realized who they were, and the real trouble would start. He opened his mouth to say goodnight, something... anything to Zero, but there was an uncomfortable silence as X worked his jaw, at a loss for words.
........ Fuck. Zero watched with a horrible, intense guilt as X turned and ran wordlessly. The only thing that kept him from losing his temper as all that work was undone was the fact that X had kept the flower. He'd noticed that much. He stared around at the stragglers from the crowd and glared. "The hell are you staring at?" He muttered miserably, then set off toward headquarters. He'd just.... Apologize to X, and try a different angle on this.
-----------
This proved to be more difficult than Zero had first anticipated. He had forgotten how good X was at avoiding someone when he wanted to, and Zero wasn't about to enter the jaws of the lion and go to X's place to talk things out with him.
He'd caught X in the hallway once, and tried to bring the other night up to him then, but he'd hardly gotten three words in before X blurted out something about having a meeting to go to, then shot off down the hall quicker than Jack the bear. This, unfortunately, had left Zero looking like a total idiot, complete with people staring and muttering lowly, and the rookies suffered horribly for Zero's embarrassment.
Zero sighed deeply, and did the only thing he could think of. He took a long nap, and wallowed in his misery.
---------
X stared at the rose on his table wordlessly. It really was beautiful. He'd borrowed a vase off Alia for it, ignoring her demands to know who had given him a flower, and why. The situation was humiliating enough without Alia's squeals of joy about yaoi. That wasn't what this was, anyway. Zero had given him the rose in friendship, and seeing X's reaction, had made a huge joke out of things. It.... Hurt. A lot.
"X? Guess what! Hey, X?" A chipper voice broke apart his train of thought, and he sighed. Great, Rock was here. The last thing he wanted right now was company, especially Rock. The boy required a great deal of attention, and he just didn't have any to spare at the moment.
"Go away, Rock." X stared at the table some more, refusing to make eye contact.
There was a long pause while Rock digested that. "But I wanted to see you." He blinked slowly and sat next to X. "Oh! That's a really pretty flower! Who gave it to you?" X felt something wrench in his chest.
"I said go AWAY, Rock!" He didn't want to think about what Zero had done. There was no chance that Zero liked him in that way and Rock was just rubbing his nose in it, if unintentionally. X blinked and felt horrible, though, when Rock sniffled and cowered and got up, mumbling something and leaving the room quickly. He had wanted Rock to leave, but not to make him upset.... fuck. X stared at his hands, wondering what to do now.
-----------
Dynamo grunted softly, on his knees. God, it had been forever. Here he was, a well paid, (relatively) well feared man, and where was he? At a private club? No. Spending his millions? No. He was on his fucking hands and knees, scrubbing the floor of a room he spent maybe 20 hours a month, tops, staying in. And as if that weren't enough, his slave driver was cute, bright eyed, and half his size. He hated to admit it, but he just couldn't refuse any requests from Rock. If he wanted candy at three in the morning- He got it. If he wanted a book, or a movie, he got it. Hell, if he wanted them to dress up in pink tu-tu's and have a merry little tea party with the stuffed animals Dynamo had bought him- He got it.
And Dynamo loved every minute of it. Nothing beat that glow in Rock's eyes when he was pleased, and the way he threw his entire bodyweight into his hugs afterward. It was perfect. Rock was easy to please, and even when he didn't get his way, he never threw fits or sulked. If anything, he looked just as happy as before he asked.
And so it turned out that he was, almost, Rock's bitch. The only really bad thing about it was that Zero was having a hell of a time taunting him about it, and even that was easily ignored considering all the shit he had on the blonde. Dynamo grinned, leaning back so that he was on his knees. It was almost creepy. He'd been passing up money because of Rock. Christ, that was creepy. What had gotten into him?
"Dynamo!" Rock said, cheerfully, scampering over and giving him a full- force hug. "How have you been today?" Ah, yes. That was what was wrong with him. Rock was just too damn adorable to make upset in any way.
"Fine, fine," Dynamo said airily, waving a hand dismissively. "Fairly busy, as you can see." He indicated with a sweep of his arm the still-wet floor, gleaming slightly in the morning light from the window. "And where have you been?" Rock's face fell slightly, and in an instant Dynamo was sitting next to him on the bed. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" There was no response, though the ever-present smile had disappeared from the boy's face.
"...I'm worried." He said quietly, looking up pleadingly at Dynamo. "It's X. He's been so....distant, lately, and he's not telling me anything." He tugged on Dynamo's shirt, eyes filled with trust. "Could you talk to him?" And, when Dynamo hesitated, "You always make everything better!"
Dynamo had no clue what exactly he was supposed to do, but he really had no choice in whether or not he was going to do it. To betray the unshakable belief that he made everything alright would have amounted to passing up riches for no work. "Sure, Rock. No problem." Yep. Completely his bitch.
Rock slid his arms around his waist, giving him one of his specialty body hugs, smiling happily. "Really?? Promise?" He leaned up to kiss Dynamo on the cheek, and Rock found his lips pressed up against his own, since Dynamo had turned his head to see what he was doing. Rock pulled away quickly, pink in the cheeks, and began to giggle, having to cover his mouth with both hands to stifle them.
"Y-yeah, I promise." Dynamo stumbled over, feeling his face colour slightly. What the fuck was he getting so flustered for? It was just an innocent kiss from a cute little kid. As Dynamo stared at him, however, Rock suddenly seemed like less of a sweet innocent child, and for a fleeting moment he almost considered him attractive. He stood up quickly, the whole idea completely ridiculous, and made his way toward X quickly. "I'll go find out now. Behave." He grinned at Rock, who giggled more, then smiled and nodded
As he ran down the hall, Dynamo's head began to clear, and he sighed, reminding himself to teach Rock how to really kiss later, or something. For a first kiss, it had been rather crappy, really. He laughed suddenly, at the thought of Rock's first kiss being with him of all people, and by accident, to boot. Then he realized he was standing outside X's door, making one hell of a racket. Clearing his throat, he swung the door to his room open.
"Who's my favourite hunter??" He cried, letting himself in, and looking around. X wasn't in here, but he could hear him telling Dynamo to 'get lost' faintly from the next room over. Great! Now he wouldn't have to search! Ignoring X's demand to be left alone, he swung open that door as well and padded into the room.
X was sitting alone, sunk into his favorite spot on the couch, giving him a rather sour look. "Dynamo! I thought I told you to take a hike!" X snapped at him, looking angry. Oh ho, now THIS was a rare sight! He was used to mild to severe irritation from X, it was rare indeed for him to be so angry at Dynamo. "Go away!" Dynamo was already helping himself to a spot on the couch next to X and making himself comfortable. This he had to hear.
X turned his head away, resigning himself to Dynamo's presence. Just because someone else was there didn't mean he had to talk to them. "......" Why was Dynamo here, though? "Why are you here?"
"Rock asked me to come here." Dynamo ignored the small chuckle from X. "Oh, fuck you, I like being nice to him. And he's worried about you. Asked me to come here and talk to you a bit." There was silence. "Someone's a bit irritated." No response. Dynamo poked X on the arm, ruffled his hair. Nothing. "....Okay then. Fine. If you won't talk to me you can wallow in your misery and make Rock upset by being so distant from everything. What are you, PMSing or something? Pregnant? Zero can't get it up anymore?"
"Fuck. You." X shuddered a little, extremely upset and wanting to either hurt Dynamo or cry. Why wouldn't that bastard just leave already?
Blinking, Dynamo backed away just a little bit. Angry X was an odd thing, but sort of amusing. Angry, cursing X was not only something he hadn't seen before, but probably mildly dangerous. "....okay then... that's a bit disturbing. What's gotten into you? Where's the happy, cheerful, gullible X we know?" And how could he get out of this without losing a limb or disappointing Rock?
The situation was bleak. X was pissy and unwilling to talk, Rock was back in his room, waiting patiently for Dynamo to return to him. The worst part of all, however, was the fact that he wasn't getting paid for this. "So, did Alia videotape your sexual exploits with Zero?" He laughed, and clapped his hand on X's back jovially.
X didn't resist Dynamo's hand, and suddenly he was bent over, face in his hands. He began to sob softly. "Stop it..." He choked, face sinking into his hands further. "Have you ever, for even a moment, considered the fact that I may actually be gay?" He continued to cry, chest heaving shakily. Dynamo had, if unintentionally, just jabbed him in the one place he was hurting. Zero would never be interested in him, and he was being teased horribly about it by both the blonde and Dynamo. It just hurt so damn much.... he wanted it to go away. X sniffled and tried to stop crying.
Dynamo blinked, not surprised. Of course he had considered X might be gay. In fact, being told he was straight was what would throw him off. In Dynamo's eyes, X was as fruity as they come. But that wouldn't make a very good answer. Damn, Rock had made him soft and sensitive, more in tune with nature... all that crap. "Are you?" He asked, finally.
God, had it really been that obvious? Dynamo seemed less than surprised. He must be horrible at hiding his feelings, which could only mean one thing. Zero probably knew, and had been teasing him that night with the flower.
"I don't knoooow!" X wailed, surprised by the sound of his own voice. Suddenly he was buried in Dynamo's chest, not entirely sure how he got there, sobbing bitterly. When had things gotten so fucked up? Why couldn't anything be normal anymore?
He told himself to shut up, mentally. He was acting childish; he was far too mature for this. X didn't cry. X was strong, X fought Sigma and killed mavericks without a second thought. X was.... A complete mess. Screw it. He needed comfort, and Dynamo was the closest thing to it. He let himself run on, using Dynamo as an outlet for weeks of frustration. "I ... I ... I think... I think I -I'm in love w-w-with Zero! I don't know what to do!"
God, how could he have put that so plainly? He'd just blurted out his darkest secret, and to Dynamo of all people. Fuck. Now everyone in the MHHQ was going to know by the end of the day. X sobbed harder, clutching at Dynamo's shirt.
Dynamo stared at X in disbelief momentarily, then began to laugh, slapping a hand over his forehead. This was the big problem? THIS? Christ, it seemed every hunter in the entire headquarters knew X was madly in love with Zero, except for X and Zero. "I've been saying it for years." He chuckled, pushing X forward, onto his feet. "Now, if you were smart, you'd go tell him that right now, and I can guarantee you'll have the best sex of your life within the hour." He grabbed a tissue from the coffee table, and began to mop X's eyes with it. "There, now go. Go, go, go. Unless you want me to come too. I wouldn't mind, it's been awhile since I've had a threesome." He teased the bewildered X, who still hadn't said a word.
X stared at Dynamo blankly and said the first thing that came to mind. "Huh?" There. Now that was intelligent. "Stop fooling around, Dynamo." He took the Kleenex from Dynamo and wiped at his eyes lightly. Dynamo had to be playing around with him, toying with his emotions. He liked to tease, and he'd taken it too far.
....Okay, he wasn't getting paid for this and he didn't want to deal with denial. Stupid Hunters; they could kick your ass but they didn't have a fucking clue about their relationships with each other. Denser than lead, all of them, especially those two idiots. "You don't believe me? Fine." He sighed, grabbing X's arm and dragging him out the door. Only one real way to settle this. Zero was probably sitting in his room moping right now; if Rock had noticed X's odd behavior, Zero sure as hell would have noticed and gotten upset. Christ. What the hell was wrong with these people?
Still tugging the bewildered X with him, Dynamo stormed down the hallways, turned to go to Zero's room, and knocked on the door. There was a gasp from X, who immediately tried to pull out of his grasp and run away. "Dynamo...you can't do this! It's....." X protested, face flaming and eyes tearing up again. "Please don't!"
-------------
Zero sighed, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling. God, this sucked. X was angry with him, Dynamo was three times as annoying as usual, and he was beginning to have the sinking feeling that he'd ruined something by going on that fucking date. He pulled a pillow over his face and groaned. What the hell was he going to do? Things like this didn't solve themselves.
There was a loud knock on the door. Damn, he really didn't want to talk to anyone.... but he got up, sighing, and opened it. Dynamo was grinning at him. Damn him.... "What do you want, Dy....?" Zero blinked, noticing X. X, who was crying quietly, trying to pull himself away from Dynamo's tight grasp, looking disheveled and horribly unhappy. Zero's eyes widened. Had Dynamo....? His eyes narrowed and he grabbed Dynamo by the shirt collar. "What did you do to him, you-"
"Shut up, Zero." Dynamo sighed, pulling X around in front of him and shoving the upset hunter into Zero's arms. "Here. Take him. He's very unhappy and in love with you and could probably use a good hard fuck."
Zero stared first at X, then at Dynamo, then back down at the squirming, upset man in his arms. X blinked back up at him, expression a combination of both nervousness and terror, and tried desperately to pull away. Zero grinned. Well, well.... maybe these things did solve themselves. "See? He likes you, X. Get yourself some cock and don't show your face until you're happy again." Dynamo grinned. "Let me know if you ever want a threesome!" Zero watched the mercenary dash off down the hallway. Damn.... guess that idiot was good for something....
X was still wriggling desperately, trying to get away. Zero ignored it, pulling him into the room and shutting the door, locking it behind him. Judging by X's reactions and Dynamo's words.... maybe the smaller hunter was in love with him. In which case he would be very, very willing to give X some cock. .....as soon as he got him calmed down, of course. Zero sighed, feeling guilty and hugging X close as he shuddered and cried softly. A little talk first – he pulled X into the bedroom, sitting him down on the bed and flopping down next to him, still holding onto him tightly - and then he was going to try and get some sex.
"Come on, X... " Zero murmured, trying to get X to look up at him. No response there, X was trying to ignore him, turning his head away slightly. Damn. "X... Look at me.." He continued to talk to the man, then tilted X's head back when he still refused to respond. "X." And then... Nothing. Fuck, he'd forgotten what he was going to say. X looked so hurt, so vulnerable, so... fuckable. Oh hell, they could talk later.
An afterthought, really. Zero was already wrestling with X's lips, kissing him hungrily, refusing to back down when X squirmed and tried to pull free. Zero was just starting to doubt whether Dynamo had been telling the truth or not when X finally began returning his kisses timidly. Zero moaned eagerly, pushing his friend back on the bed, grinding against him slowly and listening to X gasp. God, he'd wanted this. X seemed a little bewildered, and even nervous, but everything would work out just fine..... he was sure of it.
Besides....they'd have plenty of time to talk in the morning.
--------------
Ending author's notes: There! Take your sex and be happy! ......because next chapter we give you more angst and sex. And disturbingness.
And review and tell us what you think. We worked quite a while on this fic. Tell us if it's crap.
Author's Notes: And now we get into the more disturbing stuff. Or at least the angsty stuff. ......or something. Anyway, the sex starts in this chapter. We censored it out, obviously, but you know it's there.
Gimp: Shibby likes it. We have uncensored version of sex in here. Drop us a review with your email addy and we'll send you the uncensored stuff.
Read and review. I'm taking a nap.
----------------
Zero sat near a pile of paperwork he had no intention of filling out, clicking his pen slowly and lost in thought. One hundred and ten. There were one hundred and ten tiles on his ceiling. Not that this meant much of anything. They were the only thing worth staring at while he thought over the X situation.
There was no denying it now. Zero had some very strong feelings for X, and they definitely weren't friendship. He'd masturbated to X's image so much in the past twenty four hours he doubted that he'd even be able to get it up if X came barreling in the room demanding sex right then
This blank staring was getting him nowhere. Obviously thinking about it was getting him nowhere; he was going to have to take more drastic measures. But what could he do? He certainly couldn't talk to X about it like friends. Jerking off to little fantasies of the man wasn't getting very much accomplished either.
He'd never been much of one for formalities, but in this situation he was willing to take desperate measures. He was willing... To ask X on a date. An official, flowers at the door, night out on the town - and if he was lucky - night in the same bed date.
He'd never gone on a lot of dates... It was more or less women fawning all over him, followed by a good romp or two in the sack. Something told him things weren't going to be quite as easy with X. Hopefully, with a few dates he could sway the man to try a few new things... Namely sex with him.
Even if he didn't get sex, it would be nice to spend time with X like that.... but Zero happily shoved that into the denial portion of his brain. Wanting to fuck X? Sure, that was fine by him. He knew his libido was out of control most of the time anyway. Being in love with or having a crush on X? Okay, that was getting into uncomfortable territory. He had a definite feeling, though, that X would want that sort of admission from him before getting sex.... so eventually he'd have to sit down and really think about whether or not his 'brotherly' love for X he'd had was really a different sort. The little voice in the back of his head kept bothering him about it. Zero ignored it.
Sighing, he got up and headed out of the office. First stop: His room. Zero mulled over his clothes, grumbling to himself and feeling embarrassed when he realized he was worrying like a woman, and changed into something decent, but not so nice as to attract attention. Now, to go to X's....hopefully X would be in, and hopefully Zero would be able to convince him to go out on a date. It wouldn't be hard, he guessed. There weren't any meetings, and X loved being pulled away from doing paperwork, even if he'd never admit it.
X was lying on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling and bored out of his mind. He'd just chased Dynamo out of his room, after the mercenary had been groping him and trying to get him to have sex. X groaned and rolled over, blushing. Dynamo was such a pervert, and he kept teasing him about having to lose his cherry. X didn't know what cherries had to do with sex, but Dynamo had seemed infinitely amused.
He blinked, sitting up after hearing a knock on the door. Damn it, if that was Dynamo again.... he sighed and got up, opening it....and blinking, seeing Zero grinning at him. "Oh. Hi, Zero." X smiled, cocking his head and mildly confused. Zero was dressed.....nicely, for once. That was odd. "Something you wanted?"
"Just a little thing....I bet you're bored, X." Zero smiled, grinning when X nodded vehemently. "So, how about coming with me out on the town tonight? Grab some dinner.... take a walk... spend time together." He looked at X hopefully.
X blinked. Spending time with Zero would be nice, especially going out on the town, getting dinner.....holding hands..... He smiled, mentally sighing. This was Zero. Zero, the incredibly straight and not-interested-in- him, however much that irritated X in secret. So it wasn't a date. X was okay with that, it was his best friend after all, and they hadn't been around each other much lately. "All right. Sounds good to me." He smiled, ducking into his room to change shirts, then going back out and standing next to Zero. "So, where are we going?"
Damn. Zero thought quickly. He hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "Uh... Why don't we go see that new movie?" Him and X, alone in a dark theatre room... Oh yeah... he was getting some ass tonight. After all, it was the prospect of sex with X he was interested in, right? It wasn't like he was looking forward to easing an arm around his shoulders as X rested his head against his chest.
"Sure, Zero!" X exclaimed happily, relieved Zero wasn't dragging him to another strange bar in the middle of nowhere. This was great, getting to see a movie with Zero, something he never got to do. They never spent enough time together anymore. "Can we get something to eat first? I'm starving. I've had to listen to Signas' drab talk all day long.."
"Sure, I guess I could use a bite too." This would make things more interesting. Maybe he could play a game of footsie with X. He imagined X's foot traveling up his leg slowly, then nudging his crotch gently, toes wiggling and rubbing his thick... Shit, speaking of hard, he decided to cut his little daydream short, starting to grow hard. "Uhh... We'd better get going."
X smiled as Zero dragged him down the hall toward the entrance. Zero sure was acting strange as of late. "Hey, Zero... Is everything alright? You really haven't been yourself lately." Zero reddened slightly and X found himself pulled along even faster.
"Yeah, everything's great." Zero muttered quickly, then changed the subject quickly. "Where do you want to go to eat?"
"Oh, just anywhere is fine." X smiled up at Zero, and the blonde hunter squirmed, feeling something turn over in his gut. Why was he suddenly so nervous? Zero never got nervous. "I just want to spend some time with you.... we never talk any more or anything...." Zero wanted to squirm, pulling X down the hallway and out of headquarters. Damn, the little guy sure knew how to guilt trip, if unintentionally.
"Well, we'll have to hang out more often, then." Zero smiled at his friend, thinking about where to take him.... and decided on a low-key little restaurant. Not somewhere he'd eat normally, but somewhere X would like and nothing too obviously romantic. Because he certainly didn't want romance. Just into X's pants. No thoughts of just cuddling and tender kissing here. Damn it! Zero sat down at their table, staring at X across from him, and squirmed like he'd been wanting to. Now he was really nervous. Fuck. This wasn't like him. Fantasizing and beating off under the table would be better than....this!
He sighed, trying to relax, and ordered food with X, chatting contently with him while they waited, even during the dinner itself, and when it was over and they were walking out of the restaurant, Zero noted with a blink that he hadn't tried to play footsie with X. Though he had wanted really badly to lean over the table and kiss him whenever he talked. Damn. Fuck. Zero cursed mentally as he walked with X. He had to do something flirty....
X was rather content. So far, everything was turning out to be a really nice evening. He was getting to spend quality time with Zero, they'd had decent food rather than the disgusting stuff in the cafeteria at HQ.... X blinked, feeling Zero slip his hand into his own, holding it gently as he talked and pulled X along. X blushed. And Zero was just helping him with his little crush. But of course it didn't mean anything. Zero didn't like him like that.
Zero smirked. He was smooth. Holding hands....then hugs... then kisses, then... sex. He nodded to himself, looking around for something else... ah! X was a romantic at heart; this had to help win him over....
"So that's why-" X was cut off, mid-sentence, as Zero darted off. What the...? Had he said something wrong? He blinked and stood where he was for a second, then stared as Zero suddenly reappeared in front of him. "Where did you go?" He blinked some more as suddenly a bright red rose was pushed into his hands. X stared at it for a second, turning red, and blinked up at Zero, vaguely hearing him saying something about something. X clutched the flower close and smiled at his friend. It was those little sweet things that got him...and the blonde knew it. God, he loved Zero so much....
And suddenly he stopped smiling. .....what was that he had just thought? Something wrenched in X's chest, and with a growing sense of both happiness and fear he realized it was extremely true.
How could he not see this coming? The evidence had been right there on hand. He loved Zero. He broke his gaze, and stared hard at the flower instead. Too long... He'd been staring far too long. Had Zero noticed his little revelation? He chewed his lip and contemplated what to do next.
Alright! Zero had this one in the bag. He couldn't resist a light laugh, noting how ridiculously tense X looked, and he hooked an arm around his shoulder, drawing him close and planting a kiss on X's moist, soft lips.
X stared, wide eyed, as the innocent, closed mouthed kiss was stolen from him, feeling as though all the air was rushing out of his chest. Oh god oh god oh god, he wasn't going to freak out. He knew better than to believe this was for real. Zero had seen his reaction and was teasing him. He could be a real asshole when he wanted to be. He tore his lips free from Zero's and blushed brightly. "That's not funny, you jerk!" He yelled at him, turning entirely new shades of red.
Zero, in the meantime, was at a complete loss as to what he should do. He hadn't expected a reaction quite this terrible. He had been so busy contemplating how to get X in the sack, he hadn't stopped to think if X actually loved him back. And this very public rejection... Well, it really didn't help things.
People were starting to gather, attention grabbed by the scene the two were making, and X found himself horribly flustered. It wouldn't be long before somebody realized who they were, and the real trouble would start. He opened his mouth to say goodnight, something... anything to Zero, but there was an uncomfortable silence as X worked his jaw, at a loss for words.
........ Fuck. Zero watched with a horrible, intense guilt as X turned and ran wordlessly. The only thing that kept him from losing his temper as all that work was undone was the fact that X had kept the flower. He'd noticed that much. He stared around at the stragglers from the crowd and glared. "The hell are you staring at?" He muttered miserably, then set off toward headquarters. He'd just.... Apologize to X, and try a different angle on this.
-----------
This proved to be more difficult than Zero had first anticipated. He had forgotten how good X was at avoiding someone when he wanted to, and Zero wasn't about to enter the jaws of the lion and go to X's place to talk things out with him.
He'd caught X in the hallway once, and tried to bring the other night up to him then, but he'd hardly gotten three words in before X blurted out something about having a meeting to go to, then shot off down the hall quicker than Jack the bear. This, unfortunately, had left Zero looking like a total idiot, complete with people staring and muttering lowly, and the rookies suffered horribly for Zero's embarrassment.
Zero sighed deeply, and did the only thing he could think of. He took a long nap, and wallowed in his misery.
---------
X stared at the rose on his table wordlessly. It really was beautiful. He'd borrowed a vase off Alia for it, ignoring her demands to know who had given him a flower, and why. The situation was humiliating enough without Alia's squeals of joy about yaoi. That wasn't what this was, anyway. Zero had given him the rose in friendship, and seeing X's reaction, had made a huge joke out of things. It.... Hurt. A lot.
"X? Guess what! Hey, X?" A chipper voice broke apart his train of thought, and he sighed. Great, Rock was here. The last thing he wanted right now was company, especially Rock. The boy required a great deal of attention, and he just didn't have any to spare at the moment.
"Go away, Rock." X stared at the table some more, refusing to make eye contact.
There was a long pause while Rock digested that. "But I wanted to see you." He blinked slowly and sat next to X. "Oh! That's a really pretty flower! Who gave it to you?" X felt something wrench in his chest.
"I said go AWAY, Rock!" He didn't want to think about what Zero had done. There was no chance that Zero liked him in that way and Rock was just rubbing his nose in it, if unintentionally. X blinked and felt horrible, though, when Rock sniffled and cowered and got up, mumbling something and leaving the room quickly. He had wanted Rock to leave, but not to make him upset.... fuck. X stared at his hands, wondering what to do now.
-----------
Dynamo grunted softly, on his knees. God, it had been forever. Here he was, a well paid, (relatively) well feared man, and where was he? At a private club? No. Spending his millions? No. He was on his fucking hands and knees, scrubbing the floor of a room he spent maybe 20 hours a month, tops, staying in. And as if that weren't enough, his slave driver was cute, bright eyed, and half his size. He hated to admit it, but he just couldn't refuse any requests from Rock. If he wanted candy at three in the morning- He got it. If he wanted a book, or a movie, he got it. Hell, if he wanted them to dress up in pink tu-tu's and have a merry little tea party with the stuffed animals Dynamo had bought him- He got it.
And Dynamo loved every minute of it. Nothing beat that glow in Rock's eyes when he was pleased, and the way he threw his entire bodyweight into his hugs afterward. It was perfect. Rock was easy to please, and even when he didn't get his way, he never threw fits or sulked. If anything, he looked just as happy as before he asked.
And so it turned out that he was, almost, Rock's bitch. The only really bad thing about it was that Zero was having a hell of a time taunting him about it, and even that was easily ignored considering all the shit he had on the blonde. Dynamo grinned, leaning back so that he was on his knees. It was almost creepy. He'd been passing up money because of Rock. Christ, that was creepy. What had gotten into him?
"Dynamo!" Rock said, cheerfully, scampering over and giving him a full- force hug. "How have you been today?" Ah, yes. That was what was wrong with him. Rock was just too damn adorable to make upset in any way.
"Fine, fine," Dynamo said airily, waving a hand dismissively. "Fairly busy, as you can see." He indicated with a sweep of his arm the still-wet floor, gleaming slightly in the morning light from the window. "And where have you been?" Rock's face fell slightly, and in an instant Dynamo was sitting next to him on the bed. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" There was no response, though the ever-present smile had disappeared from the boy's face.
"...I'm worried." He said quietly, looking up pleadingly at Dynamo. "It's X. He's been so....distant, lately, and he's not telling me anything." He tugged on Dynamo's shirt, eyes filled with trust. "Could you talk to him?" And, when Dynamo hesitated, "You always make everything better!"
Dynamo had no clue what exactly he was supposed to do, but he really had no choice in whether or not he was going to do it. To betray the unshakable belief that he made everything alright would have amounted to passing up riches for no work. "Sure, Rock. No problem." Yep. Completely his bitch.
Rock slid his arms around his waist, giving him one of his specialty body hugs, smiling happily. "Really?? Promise?" He leaned up to kiss Dynamo on the cheek, and Rock found his lips pressed up against his own, since Dynamo had turned his head to see what he was doing. Rock pulled away quickly, pink in the cheeks, and began to giggle, having to cover his mouth with both hands to stifle them.
"Y-yeah, I promise." Dynamo stumbled over, feeling his face colour slightly. What the fuck was he getting so flustered for? It was just an innocent kiss from a cute little kid. As Dynamo stared at him, however, Rock suddenly seemed like less of a sweet innocent child, and for a fleeting moment he almost considered him attractive. He stood up quickly, the whole idea completely ridiculous, and made his way toward X quickly. "I'll go find out now. Behave." He grinned at Rock, who giggled more, then smiled and nodded
As he ran down the hall, Dynamo's head began to clear, and he sighed, reminding himself to teach Rock how to really kiss later, or something. For a first kiss, it had been rather crappy, really. He laughed suddenly, at the thought of Rock's first kiss being with him of all people, and by accident, to boot. Then he realized he was standing outside X's door, making one hell of a racket. Clearing his throat, he swung the door to his room open.
"Who's my favourite hunter??" He cried, letting himself in, and looking around. X wasn't in here, but he could hear him telling Dynamo to 'get lost' faintly from the next room over. Great! Now he wouldn't have to search! Ignoring X's demand to be left alone, he swung open that door as well and padded into the room.
X was sitting alone, sunk into his favorite spot on the couch, giving him a rather sour look. "Dynamo! I thought I told you to take a hike!" X snapped at him, looking angry. Oh ho, now THIS was a rare sight! He was used to mild to severe irritation from X, it was rare indeed for him to be so angry at Dynamo. "Go away!" Dynamo was already helping himself to a spot on the couch next to X and making himself comfortable. This he had to hear.
X turned his head away, resigning himself to Dynamo's presence. Just because someone else was there didn't mean he had to talk to them. "......" Why was Dynamo here, though? "Why are you here?"
"Rock asked me to come here." Dynamo ignored the small chuckle from X. "Oh, fuck you, I like being nice to him. And he's worried about you. Asked me to come here and talk to you a bit." There was silence. "Someone's a bit irritated." No response. Dynamo poked X on the arm, ruffled his hair. Nothing. "....Okay then. Fine. If you won't talk to me you can wallow in your misery and make Rock upset by being so distant from everything. What are you, PMSing or something? Pregnant? Zero can't get it up anymore?"
"Fuck. You." X shuddered a little, extremely upset and wanting to either hurt Dynamo or cry. Why wouldn't that bastard just leave already?
Blinking, Dynamo backed away just a little bit. Angry X was an odd thing, but sort of amusing. Angry, cursing X was not only something he hadn't seen before, but probably mildly dangerous. "....okay then... that's a bit disturbing. What's gotten into you? Where's the happy, cheerful, gullible X we know?" And how could he get out of this without losing a limb or disappointing Rock?
The situation was bleak. X was pissy and unwilling to talk, Rock was back in his room, waiting patiently for Dynamo to return to him. The worst part of all, however, was the fact that he wasn't getting paid for this. "So, did Alia videotape your sexual exploits with Zero?" He laughed, and clapped his hand on X's back jovially.
X didn't resist Dynamo's hand, and suddenly he was bent over, face in his hands. He began to sob softly. "Stop it..." He choked, face sinking into his hands further. "Have you ever, for even a moment, considered the fact that I may actually be gay?" He continued to cry, chest heaving shakily. Dynamo had, if unintentionally, just jabbed him in the one place he was hurting. Zero would never be interested in him, and he was being teased horribly about it by both the blonde and Dynamo. It just hurt so damn much.... he wanted it to go away. X sniffled and tried to stop crying.
Dynamo blinked, not surprised. Of course he had considered X might be gay. In fact, being told he was straight was what would throw him off. In Dynamo's eyes, X was as fruity as they come. But that wouldn't make a very good answer. Damn, Rock had made him soft and sensitive, more in tune with nature... all that crap. "Are you?" He asked, finally.
God, had it really been that obvious? Dynamo seemed less than surprised. He must be horrible at hiding his feelings, which could only mean one thing. Zero probably knew, and had been teasing him that night with the flower.
"I don't knoooow!" X wailed, surprised by the sound of his own voice. Suddenly he was buried in Dynamo's chest, not entirely sure how he got there, sobbing bitterly. When had things gotten so fucked up? Why couldn't anything be normal anymore?
He told himself to shut up, mentally. He was acting childish; he was far too mature for this. X didn't cry. X was strong, X fought Sigma and killed mavericks without a second thought. X was.... A complete mess. Screw it. He needed comfort, and Dynamo was the closest thing to it. He let himself run on, using Dynamo as an outlet for weeks of frustration. "I ... I ... I think... I think I -I'm in love w-w-with Zero! I don't know what to do!"
God, how could he have put that so plainly? He'd just blurted out his darkest secret, and to Dynamo of all people. Fuck. Now everyone in the MHHQ was going to know by the end of the day. X sobbed harder, clutching at Dynamo's shirt.
Dynamo stared at X in disbelief momentarily, then began to laugh, slapping a hand over his forehead. This was the big problem? THIS? Christ, it seemed every hunter in the entire headquarters knew X was madly in love with Zero, except for X and Zero. "I've been saying it for years." He chuckled, pushing X forward, onto his feet. "Now, if you were smart, you'd go tell him that right now, and I can guarantee you'll have the best sex of your life within the hour." He grabbed a tissue from the coffee table, and began to mop X's eyes with it. "There, now go. Go, go, go. Unless you want me to come too. I wouldn't mind, it's been awhile since I've had a threesome." He teased the bewildered X, who still hadn't said a word.
X stared at Dynamo blankly and said the first thing that came to mind. "Huh?" There. Now that was intelligent. "Stop fooling around, Dynamo." He took the Kleenex from Dynamo and wiped at his eyes lightly. Dynamo had to be playing around with him, toying with his emotions. He liked to tease, and he'd taken it too far.
....Okay, he wasn't getting paid for this and he didn't want to deal with denial. Stupid Hunters; they could kick your ass but they didn't have a fucking clue about their relationships with each other. Denser than lead, all of them, especially those two idiots. "You don't believe me? Fine." He sighed, grabbing X's arm and dragging him out the door. Only one real way to settle this. Zero was probably sitting in his room moping right now; if Rock had noticed X's odd behavior, Zero sure as hell would have noticed and gotten upset. Christ. What the hell was wrong with these people?
Still tugging the bewildered X with him, Dynamo stormed down the hallways, turned to go to Zero's room, and knocked on the door. There was a gasp from X, who immediately tried to pull out of his grasp and run away. "Dynamo...you can't do this! It's....." X protested, face flaming and eyes tearing up again. "Please don't!"
-------------
Zero sighed, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling. God, this sucked. X was angry with him, Dynamo was three times as annoying as usual, and he was beginning to have the sinking feeling that he'd ruined something by going on that fucking date. He pulled a pillow over his face and groaned. What the hell was he going to do? Things like this didn't solve themselves.
There was a loud knock on the door. Damn, he really didn't want to talk to anyone.... but he got up, sighing, and opened it. Dynamo was grinning at him. Damn him.... "What do you want, Dy....?" Zero blinked, noticing X. X, who was crying quietly, trying to pull himself away from Dynamo's tight grasp, looking disheveled and horribly unhappy. Zero's eyes widened. Had Dynamo....? His eyes narrowed and he grabbed Dynamo by the shirt collar. "What did you do to him, you-"
"Shut up, Zero." Dynamo sighed, pulling X around in front of him and shoving the upset hunter into Zero's arms. "Here. Take him. He's very unhappy and in love with you and could probably use a good hard fuck."
Zero stared first at X, then at Dynamo, then back down at the squirming, upset man in his arms. X blinked back up at him, expression a combination of both nervousness and terror, and tried desperately to pull away. Zero grinned. Well, well.... maybe these things did solve themselves. "See? He likes you, X. Get yourself some cock and don't show your face until you're happy again." Dynamo grinned. "Let me know if you ever want a threesome!" Zero watched the mercenary dash off down the hallway. Damn.... guess that idiot was good for something....
X was still wriggling desperately, trying to get away. Zero ignored it, pulling him into the room and shutting the door, locking it behind him. Judging by X's reactions and Dynamo's words.... maybe the smaller hunter was in love with him. In which case he would be very, very willing to give X some cock. .....as soon as he got him calmed down, of course. Zero sighed, feeling guilty and hugging X close as he shuddered and cried softly. A little talk first – he pulled X into the bedroom, sitting him down on the bed and flopping down next to him, still holding onto him tightly - and then he was going to try and get some sex.
"Come on, X... " Zero murmured, trying to get X to look up at him. No response there, X was trying to ignore him, turning his head away slightly. Damn. "X... Look at me.." He continued to talk to the man, then tilted X's head back when he still refused to respond. "X." And then... Nothing. Fuck, he'd forgotten what he was going to say. X looked so hurt, so vulnerable, so... fuckable. Oh hell, they could talk later.
An afterthought, really. Zero was already wrestling with X's lips, kissing him hungrily, refusing to back down when X squirmed and tried to pull free. Zero was just starting to doubt whether Dynamo had been telling the truth or not when X finally began returning his kisses timidly. Zero moaned eagerly, pushing his friend back on the bed, grinding against him slowly and listening to X gasp. God, he'd wanted this. X seemed a little bewildered, and even nervous, but everything would work out just fine..... he was sure of it.
Besides....they'd have plenty of time to talk in the morning.
--------------
Ending author's notes: There! Take your sex and be happy! ......because next chapter we give you more angst and sex. And disturbingness.
And review and tell us what you think. We worked quite a while on this fic. Tell us if it's crap.