AN: Chapter two, finally! Enjoy. Some stuff happens. Exciting stuff? Up to you.

Thanks again to Vox for being the best and editing for me.

Additionally, since there's some hubub about FFnet dying (may be hyperbolic, because that's how things are on the internet), I've uploaded a CC of DAVAOR on Ao3. If you like reading on Ao3's UI more, check it out there. Same name, same username.

CHAPTER TWO

"Somebody, help! I need a medic over here!"

A piercing scream broke through the stillness of the Resistance Base, shocking Commander Ciel from her racing thoughts as she nervously milled about the command center.

Faucon came tearing down the halls, shoving passer-bys to the side and barreling into the busy war room with his unit following close behind, carrying a gravely injured Colbor with an arm slung around his back.

The small, meek soldier was covered head to toe in his own blood, his arms and legs paralysed by vicious blaster strikes that tore his limbs to shreds. Had it not been for the subtle rise and fall of Colbor's chest as he circulated air through his systems, Ciel would've thought he was dead.

"C-Colbor?!" Ciel cried out, dread filling her soul as she rushed over to the two shaken reploids. She anxiously scanned the room, finding Cerveau in the crowd and urgently beckoning him over with a swift wave of the hand. "Oi, Cerveau! Get over here, we have a survivor!" She called out, before turning back to Faucon with a despaired frown. "Faucon, is he… did anyone else make it?"

The combat reploid slowly closed his eyes and dipped his helm, shaking his head. "He was the only one still alive when we got there," Faucon answered, his gruff voice still wavering with shock. "I had no other choice, I-I had to use a cyber elf to stabilise him. But..." He grit his teeth and choked back a sob. "I'm sorry, Commander Ciel. W-we couldn't stop X. He was already gone when we reached the lab."

Even though Ciel had already come to that conclusion when Faucon found the laboratory empty, hearing it in person… Ciel wanted to fall to her knees and cry. Zero was their last hope- she had toiled endlessly to uncover the legendary warrior's resting place, only for the tyrant king X to steal him away from the Resistance. She let out a trembling breath, wiping away the tears that began welling up in the corners of her eyes as the dismal reality set in. She didn't know if she was furious or saddened by the revelation. If anything, she felt hopeless.

Arriving at her side, Cerveau hurriedly collected Colbor from Faucon's arms, though the grizzled soldier let his touch linger on Colbor's frail body before letting him go.

"I-it's no use…" Colbor rasped, his strained voice barely audible and hoarse with exhaustion. His eyes were half-lidded and glazed over, his ghostly stare fixed to the floor, the poor reploid too weak to lift his head and meet Ciel's gaze. "It's all over. X has Zero. I tried… tried to stop him."

Colbor choked on his words, letting out a visceral cough as Faucon hushed him, trying his hardest to soothe the gravely injured soldier despite his own trauma. Though Ciel had come to terms with the horrors of X's regime long ago, sights such as these still weighed on her heavily. Watching good reploids suffer was never going to get any easier for the young leader. She was going to carry that weight for the rest of her days, even if she managed to bring the people of Neo Arcadia to freedom… though, even that was becoming more and more of a pipedream with every passing day.

"Just rest, soldier, I'll get you to the medbay and we'll have you back in working order in no time," Cerveau assured Colbor, gently hoicking him into his arms as he drifted in and out of consciousness. "Faucon, come with me. I'll need your help."

The reploid engineer didn't waste time heading off towards the medbay, rushing through the swathes of resistance reploids who stepped aside to make a path for him, before disappearing into the hallway. Faucon stared blankly at the door Cerveau had departed through before his gaze dropped to the ground, the soldier letting out a broken sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Usually, Ciel had something to raise her soldier's spirits in times of failure, but at that moment, there was nothing she could really say to alleviate the unfortunate reality of what had happened. Not only had the Resistance lost an entire unit bar their captain to X's unstoppable wrath, but they had lost Zero too. She couldn't help but wonder if she could've done anything differently; maybe she should've sent in another team alongside Colbor's unit, or maybe she should've encrypted her operation plans more thoroughly… but the hard truth was certain- nothing was changing the past, and Ciel just had to adjust.

"I don't know what to do..." Faucon lamented, pulling off his green beret and holding it to his chest. "X is going to fill Zero's head with lies. He'll… he'll just become another Neo Arcadian toy."

Ciel didn't have an answer for him. She didn't know quite what to do either. She just shrugged- it was the only thing she could offer, really. "I'll… think of something," Ciel muttered after a moment of heavy silence. What else was there to be said? Failures always hurt, especially when lives were lost, but their potential path to freedom was on the line this time, and it was gone in an instant. She patted Faucon on the shoulder reassuringly. "All we can do is hope Zero will choose to do the right thing."

"Commander Ciel, the only thing we have ever done is hope. I'm tired of hoping! I just… want this to be over," Faucon snapped. He vented out his nerves with a long exhale, swept his gray-black hair back and fitted his beret back onto his head. "I'm sorry. I'm going to see Colbor."

Before Ciel could bid him farewell, Faucon had already left, following Cerveau's path towards the medbay. She supposed he was right- hopes and wishes weren't going to do anything, but realistically, what else could they do? Ciel pulled up a chair and sat at the war room's control panel, setting her chin in her hands.

"For what it's worth, I'm sure Zero will see straight through X's bullshit."

A confident voice cut through the cacophony of the busy war room, and Ciel startled at the sound. She turned in her chair, finding a cloaked reploid leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyes hidden under the shade of his helm's brim.

"You really think so?" Ciel wondered. "Axl, you know better than anyone else how close X and Zero were." She looked aside solemnly. "But… Zero's woken up to a completely new world. He has no choice but to turn to X."

The infamous copybot harrumphed, thrusting his chin up incredulously. "And I know Zero better than anyone else. And I know Zero will do what's right." Axl's expression darkened. "Even if it labels him as a Maverick."

Ciel mulled over Axl's words, pressing the knuckle of a closed fist against her mouth. "...Look, I hope you're right…" Ciel conceded, "but I'm just… just trying to be realistic here. I doubt X is going to let Zero know the truth about Neo Arcadia. Even if he did… who's to say Zero is going to disagree with what he's doing? Maverick Hunters were made to believe a maverick is a maverick, no matter the circumstances."

Axl's brow furrowed. "Zero may have been the greatest maverick hunter there was, but even he knows when enough is enough!" he argued, inching forward with a clenched fist. "Anyone who isn't blinded by nationalism knows what X is doing to us reploids is senseless persecution!"

Though Ciel always tried to be optimistic, she was struggling to believe Axl. The cyborg commander cast her gaze to the war room monitors, watching Resistance data logs update as Cerveau recorded the names of the reploids lost on their latest disastrous operation.

"Zero wouldn't be blinded by nationalism, Axl," came another voice, deep and husky, from afar. Ciel caught the silhouette of a colossal reploid in her periphery as he entered the war room, the dim lights illuminating a towering green frame as he emerged from the dark hallways. "He has no reason to care about Neo Arcadia. If anything, it'll be his love for X that clouds his judgement."

Axl breathed out hard through his nose before letting out a frustrated growl from the bottom of his throat, and he whipped around to face the tall combat reploid. "Don't be ridiculous! If Zero knew the reploid X has become he would be disgusted," he refuted, "he could never love a murderer, even if it was X. The reploid Zero fell in love with is dead, Craft. He's been dead for decades."

"I know," the war reploid- Craft- replied coolly, "but love is blinding, sometimes. You know that. I know you loved X like a father, once."

The painful reminder made Axl seethe, but he knew deep down that his rage was born of his heartbreak over X's deeds. "I can't believe Zero could ever bring himself to love such a monster," Axl contended, "I know Zero won't let him get away with this. I just do. If anyone can equal X in power, it's him."

Only partially listening at that point, Ciel was starting to think that Axl's unwavering resolve in Zero's sense of justice was sounding more and more like denial the longer he went on. He had already been betrayed by X, who by all accounts, regarded Axl as a cherished son- to be betrayed by Zero too… Ciel didn't want to think too hard about it. She was already broken over the entire situation.

"Maybe… he can help X," Ciel suggested, though she didn't sound too convinced of her own words. Axl grit his teeth.

"And what would that do? X has already killed off hundreds of thousands of reploids and trapped another million in fucking filth and squalour. All in the name of peace for humanity. Besides, what's he gonna do? Denounce his army? To what end? What use would it be for me to condemn my right hand!?" Axl went on, his voice beginning to quiver with fury. "There's nothing that can be done to fix X. If we couldn't change him, how could Zero? X- Zero won't fix him, it's X that's going to break Zero. Just… he has to die. I can't let him hurt Zero like I know he will."

Biting back harsher words, Axl wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Craft sighed, letting his shoulders relax. "I'm sorry, Axl. There's not much we can do besides believe in Zero right now," Craft sighed. "I'm going out for a smoke. I should… go tell Neige about this."

Axl had nothing more to say to him, and neither did Ciel. After a tense moment, Craft farewelled the two with a hum and a nod, leaving once more into the residential halls to find the human journalist. Left to their own devices, Axl joined Ciel at her side, leaning on the command console and letting his head slump in despair.

"Sorry for shouting," Axl mumbled, rubbing his brow in exhaustion. "I know you hate it when I yell."

Ciel shrugged, her glassy stare fixed on the monitor. "It's fine. Shout all you want, I don't care anymore," she assured. Axl shook his head.

"I should've gone with Colbor," Axl reminisced, "I could've held X off. Maybe then… Zero wouldn't be with him."

"He would've killed you, Axl," Ciel said, leaning back with a sigh.

"...So?" Axl replied. "I'm gonna die anyway as long as X has it out for me. The fact that I've made it this long is a miracle in and of itself."

Ciel clenched her eyes shut and looked away. "Axl. Don't say that…"

"Ciel, I've been alive for two centuries. My time is coming." Axl heaved himself upright, turning to leave. "I just want my death to mean something."

There wasn't anything else to say, and Axl dismissed himself, stalking off into the halls. Ciel sat alone, absentmindedly swiveling side to side in her chair, unsure of what to do now that Zero had been taken. She didn't know what to believe. Maybe Axl was right, and Zero would do the right thing, or perhaps Zero would side with the love of his life and wipe the Resistance off the face of the Earth.

All she could do was continue fighting Neo Arcadia, whether or not they had Zero on their side.

It shouldn't have surprised Zero that the citadel was big, but now that he was really taking the time to explore it… it was impossibly big.

A few days had passed since Zero had risen from his century long slumber. It was taking a while for him to acclimate to the waking world again- he was still fading in and out of consciousness most of the time, and he was spending the better parts of his days sleeping. At least now he finally had the energy to stay awake for most of the day's waking hours.

Alone, Zero wandered through the citadel, making the most of his solitary afternoon by meandering through the many hallways of the citadel, where endless corridors led to spiralling staircases, and huge doors led into infinitely spacious luxurious ballrooms and spectacular dining halls and comfortable living spaces, the warm rays of the afternoon sun beating down on it all through arched windows and clerestory archways high above the floor. The more Zero explored the couple hundred floors of the skyscraper, the more the vast labyrinth of grand proportions unravelled before him. Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but perfection, from hand woven red rugs lining the dining halls, to the pure white silk tablecloths thrown over ballroom tables, edges embroidered with the most subtle floral patterns, to the frescoes of events from the Maverick Wars adorning a dome ceiling, upheld and framed by gilded pendentives and spandrels richly decorated with carved patera and other relief sculpture.

If Zero had to be honest with himself, it was all so much that he was simply letting the experience flow over him. X's palace was like nothing he had ever seen- the architecture was straight out of a fairy tale, with everything from the smallest carved sculpture to the tallest marble pillar so fantastical and exorbitant. Despite spending nearly a week in the citadel, Zero still couldn't fathom its mere existence. If this was just the citadel, Zero couldn't begin to dream of how grand the rest of Neo Arcadia was.

On the other hand, Zero was so surprised that X was into all of this; the murals, the stained glass windows, the golden throne for the king he had become. X, the same X who purchased about three things every year, and one was usually a secondhand pair of civilian clothes.

X had changed, Zero just had to keep telling himself. Of course he had changed! Not only had it been a century, but he was also the king of the only civilisation left on the planet.

Yes, maybe he had changed, but he was still the same X that Zero was hopelessly in love with.

Zero wandered along a long colonnade, reminiscing on his dear X. He was nowhere to be found, and last time they had spoken- about three hours ago- he had told Zero that he had some government business to attend to in the war room.

In fact, Zero found that X didn't stick around much. Then again, Zero shouldn't complain- he had a city to rule. Of course he would be busy. Besides, X more than made it up to him the previous night… Zero felt his cheeks warm, and he fiddled with his hair bashfully. If that was anything to go by, X still loved him as much as he always did.

He brushed the thought aside. It was neither the time nor the place. Besides, after exploring so much of the citadel, his stomach was beginning to growl.

There were a couple of servant reploids milling about- some carting trolleys chock full of dishes on silver platters, some rushing through the halls with arms full of datapads. Whenever he passed them by, they shrank away and maintained a strict pledge of silence. They addressed him like royalty… and he supposed he was, in a way. He brushed his fingertips over his neck brace.

Regardless, he had no idea where the dining hall was, and the silence was getting to him.

"Hey, you!" Zero called over a small cleaning reploid in the midst of mopping the floor, walking over to confront the service bot. "Hey. How are you doing?"

The reploid stared at him with wide eyes, frozen in place, offering him no response. "…Alright then." Zero cocked a brow, setting his hands on his hips and leaning back. "Well, do you know where I can get something to eat around here? I'm kind of hungry."

The cleaner looked around sheepishly, before he pointed upwards, then signed '172' with raised fingers. Zero tipped his head to the side. "Level 172?"

He got a vigorous nod as a response. He went on to sign 'A23'.

"Ah. Room A23 on level 172?" Zero reiterated. The cleaning reploid nodded before hurriedly returning to his work. Zero huffed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You.. don't talk much, do you? What's your name, kid?"

He looked at him with a nervous stare and shook his head. He set his mop back into a bucket and used both of his hands.

'Look, you can't talk to me,' he signed with quick movements of the hands, 'I'll get in trouble. I don't have a vocalizer. It was taken out.'

It took a moment for Zero to realise what he was saying. "You… they took it out…?"

"Hey! Get back to work over there!" a guard reploid cut Zero off, making the cleaner jolt and snap back to work almost instantaneously, turning away from Zero as if their exchange had never happened. "Master Zero. Good afternoon, my lord," he continued smoothly, giving him a salute.

Zero stared blankly at him before offering a meek wave in response. "Afternoon…"

The guard smiled before wandering off, rifle held firmly in hand. The cleaner refused to look him in the eye.

So much for trying to socialise.

There was no point in lingering, and Zero left the cleaner to his task. He shuddered, feeling a deep, tense discomfort simmering under his skin after the exchange. Why on Earth would any reploid need to be muted? Did X know about this? Did X command it? He wrapped his arms around himself and bit back the sickness in his stomach that was threatening to rise into his throat.

"Zero! There you are!"

Zero startled as Fefnir and Leviathan came stomping down the halls, the heavy footsteps of the two large reploids reverberating through the colonnade. Zero supposed he should thank them for arriving when they did; the two always had something to say, even if it wasn't always the most meaningful of conversations, and maybe it would take his mind off the horror of what he had discovered.

"Oh. Leviathan, Fefnir. What's up?" Zero greeted, crossing his arms in an attempt to compose himself. Fefnir shrugged.

"Oh, not much, just takin' a break from work," Fefnir answered. "Never thought I'd see you awake at this hour, little miss Sleeping Beauty."

Leviathan elbowed him in the side, earning her a grunt from the pit of his throat. "Anyway, how are you holding up? You look better than you did yesterday," Leviathan interjected as Fefnir nursed his stomach. "I mean, you always look good, just even gooder-er. I mean it in a nice way! Seriously."

Zero couldn't help but laugh. The siblings were at least the most agreeable of the Guardians. "I'm fine. And thanks, Leviathan," he answered succinctly. "Was just on the way to get something to eat, actually."

The two reploids looked at each other with a knowing smile, then back at Zero. "Hey, wanna come with us to dinner then? Me and Levi are 'bout to eat too,'' Fefnir suggested. "You don't look like you're all too busy, hm?"

"Huh? Oh. Well, no. I'm just looking around the citadel- eguh?!"

Before he could finish, Fefnir had already grabbed a hold of Zero's hand and yanked him over, marching him towards the elevator. "Cool! Come on, let's not waste time, I'm staaarving."

Leviathan rolled her eyes. "You're always starving," she prodded. Fefnir stuck his chin out at her.

"Uh huh! A big guy like me needs a lot of sustenance!" Fefnir retaliated, though it was obviously all in good humour. "Dude, I could eat an entire month's worth of food right now. What do you think they have on the menu today?"

They reached the elevator doors and Leviathan punched in the up key. "Well, it's Tuesday, so it's either curry or pasta," Leviathan answered. She pressed the up key a few more times impatiently. "I hope it's curry. I've been craving lamb curry all week, you know. Ugh. Now I'm hungry."

The elevator doors slid open with a ding, and the three entered, joining a single reploid soldier within. Fefnir pushed in the elevator button for their destination- floor 172- and waited for the door to close.

The walls of the elevator were built from thick glass, supported by brass scaffolding and tracery. Zero pressed a hand against the glass, watching intently as the city sped by as a blur from the comfort of the high speed elevator. No matter how many times he had seen it, the view of the white and gold city of Neo Arcadia, bathed in the intense light of the late afternoon sun, was still so spectacular to Zero.

And it was all X's doing…

"You know, I think they're doing tiramisu for dessert," Leviathan pondered aloud. Fefnir leaned in, intrigued.

"For real? Don't get my hopes up," Fefnir raised an eyebrow.

"For real real!" Leviathan assured, grinning. "And it's Chef Gallo! The best reploid in the dessert business, mind you."

"Fefnir, Leviathan." Zero snapped the two out of their dinner related fantasies. "Where's X right now?"

There was a rare quiet between them. It didn't last long, of course. "Dad?" Fefnir cocked his head, before shrugging. "Harpuia probably has him hostage in a meeting right now. Why'd you ask?"

They swiftly reached their destination, the elevator opening up to level 172 with a ding, and the three promptly stepped out to make their way to the dining hall. "Oh, I was just… wondering," Zero half-admitted. "He's busy these days, isn't he?"

Fefnir made an uncertain noise. "Hm, I guess. But Harpuia doesn't help," he answered. "That birdbrain is all work all the time. Like, newsflash, Harps, Dad doesn't need to hear about all the minutiae of your friggin' humidity restoration program, let the guy have dinner with us for once!"

Zero looked aside awkwardly. "Right, uh-huh."

"You know, Harpuia's actually the oldest." Leviathan pranced up ahead eagerly, turning and walking backwards to face Zero. "And Fefnir's the youngest."

"Only by four days!" Fefnir added with great zeal.

After some brisk walking fuelled by their collective hunger, the three finally reached the main dining hall. Zero was led by the two Guardians into a massive, dimly lit room, where dark wooden panels and classical red wallpaper and carpentry decorated every inch of the hall. In the middle of it all stood a long dining table, a red and gold tablecloth spanning the impressive length of it. Upon the tabletop was a fine display of silverware and candles, along with a couple vases holding colourful bouquets of flowers. Fefnir pulled up a chair from the dining table and flipped it around, sitting with his front flush against the backrest, and Leviathan joined him on an ottoman that was pushed against a wall. Zero sighed, pulling out a dining chair and taking a seat in front of the siblings, crossing his legs at the ankles.

"So…" Zero began, "when's dinner, exactly?"

Fefnir and Leviathan looked at each other, expecting an answer which neither of them knew. "Uh, usually 20 minutes after whenever we annoy the maître d'. Who is…" Fefnir paused to scan the room, "...not here right now. So I guess we'll have to pass the time." The draconic reploid folded his arms over the backrest and set his chin over them. "Whatcha thinking? Wanna play a game? 20 questions?"

Zero gave Fefnir a discerning glare. At least time with him was never boring. "You and your siblings…" he began, crossing his arms over his chest. "X said he was your sole father. Are you… clones of him?"

The sudden interrogation caught Fefnir off guard, his eyes widening a bit. His usual smirk returned shortly after. "Us? Hm, I mean, semantics. Technically no," Fefnir pondered. "I guess we're imperfect clones. Then again, our creators never sought out to make a perfect copy of X when they made us. They just wanted his DNA to make the perfect reploids in a specific combat discipline, you know? We exist so Neo Arcadia could have an extra layer of protection. I mean, they implemented all the genetic changes on purpose as if we all had different moms passing on that other set of chromosomes. So… no, we're not clones."

Zero wasn't sure if he understood what Fefnir was trying to say, but it was a good enough answer for him. In fact, now that he could interrogate the guardians one-on-one, he reckoned there was a lot he needed to know.

"What happened to the Dark Elf?" Zero continued to prod. Leviathan pursed her lips.

"Okay, this is gonna make us sound… so bad…" She shuffled awkwardly, clearing her throat. "…But we have no idea. The good news is she hasn't been causing any trouble for us, and we haven't recorded her presence in, like… 50 years. So I wouldn't worry too much."

That wasn't all too reassuring. "Oh. I see…" Zero clasped his hands together. "Then… What about mavericks? X told me this was a city of peace."

"Well, there's always gonna be a few bad apples out there," Leviathan said, "but there are no, like, Sigma mavericks. Or Dark Elf mavericks. Or… you mavericks, no offence-"

"None taken."

"But yeah. It's mostly just… you know, petty criminals and political mavericks," Leviathan went on. "There's a couple extremists cropping up here and there looking to disturb the peace, hoping to incite a human-reploid civil war, lately. Nothing we can't handle."

Zero frowned, not feeling all too confident in the assertion. "Then… then let me help! I'm an S-rank Maverick Hunter, remember?!" Zero exclaimed. "Give me my weapons and let me fight for you."

The siblings cast a look towards each other, then burst into chuckles. Fefnir shook his head incredulously, much to Zero's dismay. "Oh, no, no, we have it covered, Blondie," Fefnir assured. "A tiny terrorist militia is no match for our grand army. You just sit back and relax."

It didn't make sense to Zero. Everyone regarded him as a war hero, a saviour… but now he was being held back from battle? "But… what… what can I do?" Zero asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Nothing!" Leviathan answered.

"I can't just… sit here," Zero refuted, "I'm a warmachine. I live for a fight. I can't just… be X's lap warmer for the rest of my life."

Fefnir grimaced. "Eghh, when you say it like that it sounds bad," he grumbled, itching the back of his helm. "But really, Zero. You just… kind of have to get used to peacetime for once. Just relax, live your life with Dad. Have a vacation from all the war stuff."

Zero frowned. His entire life had been consumed by 'war stuff' up until that point. Letting that all go? It was a lot harder than just relaxing. "But… then, what do I do?"

"Aht! It's my turn for a question," he interrupted. Zero glared at him with an open mouth, taken aback by his audacity. "So… you think you're ever gonna get married to Dad?"

That rendered Zero speechless. He struggled to find the words to respond, every answer slipping from his mind as soon as he thought of one. "I, uh… well…" Zero stammered, leaning back and slumping in his chair. "I… don't know? If he proposes I'll probably say yes."

"Probably?"

A fourth voice came as a shock to all three reploids, making them jolt upright in their seats. There in the huge doorway stood X, the azure king leaning against the wall with folded arms. Zero felt his cheeks warm, and he got up from his chair to greet his long time partner.

"Oh, whatever, you know what I mean," Zero huffed, a smile tugging at his lips as he rolled his eyes. X just laughed under his breath, kicking himself off the doorway and walking into Zero's arms, wrapping his arms around his waist. In return, Zero threw his arms around his broad shoulders, meeting his loving vermillion gaze with his own. "Hey, X."

"Sorry that I'm late," X apologised, "Harpuia had me tied up in a meeting."

"Called it," Fefnir added from afar. X gave him a fleeting, chiding glare before returning his attention to Zero.

"It's fine, I keep telling you. I'll live," Zero said, inching his face closer to X's until their noses brushed against one another. "But… you better make it up to me, hey?"

X snickered, shooting him a smirk and a cocked brow. "Mmhm, it'd be my pleasure," he replied, before he leaned in and caught Zero's lips in a deep kiss, pulling him closer into the tight embrace and drawing a pleased, muffled moan from the red reploid. Fefnir and Leviathan looked away awkwardly, and Fefnir coughed loudly and melodramatically.

"Ahem. PDA, dad," Fefnir complained. It made X part lips with Zero to glare at his draconic son.

"Shush, you. You should be glad you have parents who love each other!" he reprimanded. Zero just chuckled, suddenly feeling all giddy and flushed from the kiss, as if he were a young Maverick Hunter again on his first date with X. "Anyway, how are you? Finding the citadel well?"

"Oh, you have no idea. This place is fucking crazy," Zero answered. "And you need to shave, by the way."

At the comment, X felt his chin. "Pshaw, it's just a little fuzz, it's no big deal," he replied. "Besides, you think it makes me look all gruff and handsome and mature, don't you?"

"I do not," Zero argued playfully, coyly pushing him back. "It is not at all your style. Sweet little boy, you are."

"Oh, you so do love it, Zero," X remained adamant, "you like it when it tickles your-"

"Dad!" Fefnir and Leviathan cried out in unison, burying whatever X was going to say in their voices. X frowned.

"What?!" X yelled back. Fefnir shook his head.

"I do not want to hear about that part of my dad's life!" Fefnir shouted. X just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine. Then run along now, kids. The adults are talking," X conceded. Fefnir gasped in mock offence.

"We're like, 60, you know," Leviathan reminded. X narrowed his gaze.

"And we're pushing 300. Go." X gestured his head towards the door. Fefnir sighed, rubbing his stomach solemnly.

"But I was just gonna have dinner…" he lamented, getting up and sliding his chair back into the table.

"It's five, dinner's in an hour," X reminded him. "If you're hungry, go find some snacks in your rooms. I'm sure you have them. Don't you have some reports you could be working on right now, anyway?"

Fefnir and Leviathan begrudgingly passed the two, not at all happy to be kicked out. "Yeah, yeah, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Fefnir waved him off dismissively. X stared at them as they departed, making sure they were truly out of sight and mind before he pulled Zero aside, taking a seat on the ottoman and hauling Zero onto his lap.

"Heh. Kids, am I right?" X laughed. Zero snickered, slipping his arm around X's back and gently pressing their helms together. "If I'm honest with you, being a dad is by far the hardest thing I think I've ever done."

Zero nodded, setting his free hand on X's chest. "Even after saving the world a few dozen times?"

"Oh, definitely, even after saving the world a few dozen times," X reaffirmed, lowering his voice. Zero raised a brow.

"Hey. It suits you," Zero noted, "you were always better with kids than I ever was."

"Mmhm. Shame I didn't have them with you," he whispered, pressing a kiss on Zero's lips. "You know… we could always make a start-"

"-Put a lid on it," Zero shoved him, rolling his eyes. X gave him a sly grin. "Keep that sort of talk to yourself 'til we head to bed."

"Awh, can't I dote on my handsome Zero in my own palace?" X continued to prod. Zero put a palm over X's mouth before he could kiss him again.

"First of all, I'm not anyone's Zero, second of all, the maître d' is right there."

X peeked over Zero's shoulder to find the waiter reploid staring back at him. X cleared his throat, and slipped Zero off his lap and against his side instead.

"Right, right." He settled, leaning back against the wall. "So, you like what I've done with the place? It's nice, isn't it?"

'Nice' seemed like a little bit of an understatement, looking around. "Oh, it's, uh… it's like nothing I've ever seen before," Zero replied. "Really… this place is perfect. I still feel like I'm dreaming... or maybe I'm dead, and this is heaven."

"Just a heaven on Earth, sweetheart," X quipped. He turned to run his fingers across the dark wooden panels lining the walls, the subtle and beautiful grain still visible under a coat of dark lacquer. "This? Authentic Honduran mahogany. It's a hard asset to acquire in this climate. The marble, too- flown in straight from the Apuan Alps."

X's eyes glimmered with pride. Zero laughed awkwardly, slumping his shoulders. "Ah, I… X, I never thought you'd be into this sort of… hm, aesthetic." Really, it felt a bit wasteful to indulge in it in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

"Yeah, well, me neither. But you know, I'm the king, babe, so why not?" X answered. Zero leaned back- that was certainly not like X, not one bit.

Argh, he's changed because it's been a century, get used to it! Zero chided himself. "Huh. I… guess," Zero brushed a lock of hair over his shoulder, shuffling closer to X. "Ugh. Sorry for the attitude. Everything's just so different now, and it's weird for me. I'm trying to get used to it, but… I don't know. I don't know how to feel about this yet."

"I know, darling," X consoled, giving him a kiss on his headgem and pulling him closer. Zero rested his helm on his shoulder and sighed, relaxing into his embrace. "Take your time."

"But with you…" Zero murmured, shutting his eyes. I feel so safe and… normal, somehow, he thought.

X took his hand. "Mmhm," he hummed, his grip tightening, "I've missed this. Being with you. Even when I had everything I could've ever wanted in the world, it's only you that completes me, Zero."

Zero felt a blush rise to his cheeks, his heart warming at the sentiment. "Oh, X…" Zero murmured through breathy chuckles, "You know, feeling your arms around me, it kind of reminds me of the old days, when we were still young and stupid."

X nodded slowly, letting the silence linger in the air for a little while longer.

"X… don't you… miss it?" Zero asked. X straightened his posture at the question.

"Miss what?"

Zero cocked his head to the side in an unsure manner. "The old days. Being a Maverick Hunter," Zero continued.

"Of course not," X laughed, as if the answer should have been obvious to Zero. "Why would I? The world's finally at peace now. Justice has been served to the viral maverick scourge that plagued humanity. You and I, we can be together now! There's nothing standing in our way anymore."

X made it all seem so simple. Zero always knew that life was far more complex than that. "You sure?"

"Why would I lie to you?" X asked. Zero sighed. He could think of a few reasons, but he didn't want to worry himself over the little voice in the back of his head reminding him that even the best of reploids could turn. "Zero, as long as I rule this city, I'll make sure nothing gets in the way of us being together."

The gaze X was casting him was filled with love, yes, but there was… something else edging his words. "Thanks, X," Zero replied, letting himself relax again and chalking his nerves up to paranoia. "I love you."

Zero could feel X's smile against his head. "I love you too," he returned the sentiment, caressing the back of his hand with his thumb. "Now, why don't we head back to my room to get a little more privacy?"

He side-eyed the waiter, who pretended he was not just staring. Zero mustered a soft smile. "Heh, sure." X got to his feet, letting Zero grab onto his arm to help him up. "You lead the way."

X shot him a look over his shoulder, before huffing a laugh and setting off. Zero would've followed, had his gaze not caught that of the waiter. Another service reploid… his mind drifted back to that muted cleaner, his voice stolen from him. Suddenly, the dirty feeling under his skin made itself known again. Maybe X knew.

"X?" Zero called, holding out a hand to make him stop. "Wait, I need to ask you something."

X stopped, turning and cocking his head. "What is it?"

Then the words were stuck in his throat. X looked happy, confident for once in his life… Zero didn't want to ruin it so soon by bringing up that kind of stuff. He didn't distrust X, but he was afraid X would misconstrue his honest concerns as ill-intended suspicion.

"Uh, I was just gonna ask about dinner," Zero lied, making his way over to X's side and walking hand in hand with him to the elevator. "If we were heading to our room so early."

The laugh he got in response eased Zero's nerves. X didn't seem like he suspected a thing. Zero had to wonder to himself… why the hell was he so scared just then? It was just X.

"Oh, Zero," he chuckled, "you really think I can't get room service? What are you feeling tonight, anyway? We can have anything you want."

"Anything, huh?" Zero decided to play along. Maybe it would cleanse his mind and help him forget it had ever happened. Besides, he should be happy to have all that X was giving him. "How about that seafood fettuccine you always used to order at that Italian joint on 56th Street?"

"You read my mind," X replied, "and I'll get us a nice bottle of Sauvignon blanc to go with it."

They reached the elevator, standing together as they waited for it to reach their level. Zero let out a sharp exhale, leaning his head on X's shoulder.

"Hey, X…" Zero started. X looked at him with an inquisitorial hum.

"What is it?"

"Did you… call us the Guardians' parents, just then?"

The ding of the elevator doors opening cut X off before he could respond.

Zero woke up alone in X's bed the next morning.

It wasn't anything new for Zero- X was always far more of a morning person than Zero ever was, always the punctual one who was never late to a meeting, no matter how early it was scheduled, and he wasn't going to wait for Zero to haul his ass out of bed.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to Zero that X's living quarters were about as luxurious as the rest of the citadel. He had his own spacious bedroom, a study, and a small living room, all ivory white and gold like the rest of Neo Arcadia. The only thing that was different was just how sparse it was. He had all the furniture one would expect- a dresser, nightstands, a huge bed, and a couch, television and a small dining table in his living room, but that was about it.

The X he used to know would have dirty clothes strewn all over his floor, ring stains of coffee mugs on his desk, files full of reports shoved in whatever could fit them. Now, his room felt abandoned, besides the tousled sheets where they had slept together that night.

The intense morning sun shone through the windows, making Zero groan and turn away, rubbing his tired eyes. He opened one eye to peek at the alarm clock set on the nightstand. It was already nine- he had to get up whether he liked it or not, lest he ruin his sleep schedule even more.

With a moan, Zero kicked his legs off the side of the bed and stretched, running a hand through the tangles in his hair. The light of the early sun painted the room in hues of yellow, warming Zero with its gentle heat.

Zero got to his feet, slipped on his vest, and tucked his helmet under his arm, trudging over to the bathroom and washing his face in the sink before grabbing a towel and drying himself off. As he snapped his helmet back on his head, he gave the bathroom a brief scan. It was all very spartan, which Zero didn't really mind, but X was never the one to maintain such an… empty room.

He wandered into the living room, giving it a good lookover. Now that Zero was really inspecting the rooms, X's living quarters seemed as though they were barely lived in… Really, when Zero thought about it, X didn't look like he slept all that well, either, with those dark circles under crimson eyes that barely blinked. Must've been the stress of ruling the last utopia on Earth.

In the living room, there was a large shelf filled with books from both past and present. He spotted biographies and war stories from centuries ago, with just a few fiction novels interspersed between them. On that same shelf, X had a few picture frames on display. Zero picked one up, finding a picture of himself and X taken back in their Maverick Hunter days. He remembered that time well- they had gone on a holiday, camping in the mountains, and X had snagged the biggest bass he'd ever seen on a fishing trip. Zero didn't even like fishing; he just liked to see X enjoying himself. Seeing the photograph now, a young X holding up a massive fish next to an equally young Zero, brought a smile to Zero's face.

He placed it back on the shelf. Among the picture frames, there was only one that had been knocked over, lying face down on the shelf. Zero furrowed his brow- X must've knocked it over without realising.

Zero reached over to fix it, slipping it off the shelf and setting it back on its stand. He almost thought nothing of it, turning to leave, but when he caught the photo in the corner of his eye he stopped, slowly turning back around.

The glass of the picture frame was shattered, but underneath, the photograph was still clear as day. He and X, standing proud with one hand on either one of Axl's shoulders. Zero collected the picture frame, cradling it gently in his hands.

He didn't remember X telling him what became of Axl. Maybe he had died during his slumber, or went AWOL never to be seen again… or maybe, considering how the glass was broken, as if someone had slammed the frame facedown in anger, there was something X was keeping from him.

Or maybe X was just being clumsy. He always underestimated his own strength… but just in case, Zero set the photograph face down, just as he found it.

Shying away from the thought, Zero emerged from X's living quarters, supposing he may as well pass the time while X was away. He found the elevators nearby and punched in the down button before stepping back, leaning on a pillar as he waited for it to reach the upper levels of the citadel.

He had only been there for a week or so, but Zero was beginning to feel claustrophobic, despite how massive the citadel was. After a moment of absentminded waiting, the elevator opened with a ding, and he entered the empty cab and pressed the ground floor button. The doors closed, and Zero stood at the window, watching the city pass by through the glass walls.

Zero wanted some fresh air. He wanted to meet the people he supposedly ruled over. He wanted to see the true extent of the paradise X had created. He couldn't remain in the citadel forever.

The elevator reached the ground floor, slowly coming to a stop and opening up into a vast foyer.

There waiting for him, standing in the center of the hallway, was Hidden Phantom, looming tall over Zero with his hands held firmly behind his back.

"Phantom?" Zero asked, cocking his head in a silent request for an explanation.

"Zero," Phantom greeted, approaching him slowly like a panther stalking his prey. Zero heard the elevator doors close behind him and begin ascending to the upper floors, rendering that escape option moot. "Where are you going?"

"...Out?" Zero replied, feeling somewhat offended Phantom would even ask that question. He wasn't a teenager- he didn't have to explain himself. "Why do you care? I'll be back in like, half an hour-"

Zero was passing Phantom by when the stealth reploid grabbed a hold of his hand and pulled him back hard, making the red reploid yelp. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave the citadel, Master Zero," Phantom explained, restraining him with one hand around his wrist. Zero growled, humiliated and frustrated to be held back like a child.

"What?! Why not?!" Zero snarled. Phantom remained emotionless as ever, even when Zero started to throw kicks at his legs. "Don't I rule this city with X?! I can leave when I want to, can't I?"

"You can't," Phantom reiterated calmly, "X's orders."

Zero froze up at the answer, gripped by disbelief. "What?"

"Master X has ordered us to-"

"No, I know that," Zero interrupted, "just… why?"

"That answer lies with X, I'm afraid," Phantom admitted. "I'm just following father's orders."

"Whatever! Just let me go!" Zero snapped, trying his best to pry himself from Phantom's grip, but he found himself unable to muster up the strength to make him budge even an inch. How could he be so weak? His energy reserves were at 96%. He had no reason to struggle against a skinny stealth build, unless stasis had rendered him that weak. Was everyone else just that much stronger after a century of reploid evolution?

If he couldn't escape with physical force, he supposed the next best thing was weaseling out of his grip. Making himself as thin as possible, he managed to slip free of the shinobi's grip, rushing off to the massive entrance to the citadel. Well-dressed reploids and humans alike passed through vast glass doors, casting looks of amazement his way.

And just as Zero reached the door, a massive reploid came speeding down from the sky, landing with a crash that made the doors and windows quake. X.

Adorned in his ultimate armour- or what Zero could only assume was his ultimate armour- he rose from where he landed, standing tall and proud amongst the people, who scattered at his arrival. All white and gold, save for the hints of blue of his helmet, with bladed white wings emerging from his back. The way his armour shimmered in the sunlight made him look almost ethereal, like an angel had fallen from heaven and landed right in front of him.

Zero would have been amazed, had it not been for the reploid blood and viscera that was almost entirely covering his otherwise pristine armour. It was still fresh, wet and viscous, dripping from every inch of him.

When X caught Zero's eye, he shot him a loving smile. Zero never considered himself squeamish, not one bit, but seeing X like that- he could've been sick right then and there. X pushed through the glass doors to greet his beloved, holding out his arms and folding his wings against his back.

"Zero!" he called out. Zero swallowed nervously, inching back as X approached. "Good morning!"

"I- what… X?" Zero stuttered, shrinking back when X stood before him. "X, what happened to you?"

X tipped his head aside, before looking down and realising what Zero was talking about. "Oh, this." He wiped his hand down the smear of blood that splattered his chest. "Don't worry. None of it's mine."

Zero stared. "You didn't answer my question," he countered. "I thought you said this was a paradise. There aren't any viral mavericks anymore, right?"

That was answered with a laugh and a shrug. "This is a paradise, but there are reploids- extremists- who still want more. They want wealth and power. They want what they think they deserve and not what they've been given," X explained, clenching a fist. "There are still mavericks, only these ones are driven by their vices, not a simple virus. That's just how people are, sometimes. Trouble always finds a way, and you have to do things you'd rather not in order to keep the peace. You taught me that, Zero."

He set a filthy hand on Zero's shoulder, making Zero take a sharp breath as he dirtied his ebony skin with blood- still warm. "Don't worry, Zero. My forces are working hard to crush these maverick terrorists, just as we did before as Maverick Hunters."

For the first time in eons, the suppressed memory of Iris came to Zero's mind. Watching her die… it was the first time he had ever questioned what he considered justice. What made a maverick anymore? There wasn't a maverick virus, and if Leviathan was to be trusted, there was no Dark Elf either. It was only X and his government who determined who was and wasn't a maverick. Zero never doubted X's moral compass before, but it was different now. X had power beyond anything Zero could comprehend.

Despite his partner's unease, X leaned in to press a soft, swift kiss onto the bridge of Zero's nose, cupping his cheek and drawing a streak of fuel over his skin. "I should go shower. I'm leaving a trail like this."

Without giving Zero time to think of a response, X had already walked off, skipping the elevators and taking off into flight in the stairwell.

"Master Zero-" Phantom came to Zero's side, "I'm sorry, but you still can't-"

"Fine! Fine, just shut up about it," Zero snapped back, turning away from the exit and finding his way back to the elevator, wrapping his arms around his stomach, faceplates pale as a ghost. Phantom hurried over, pacing besides Zero.

Zero impatiently bashed the up key on the elevator, wanting to get away from everyone as soon as possible. "S-sorry, Zero," Phantom apologised. "I didn't mean to… upset you."

When Phantom spoke like that, he tugged on Zero's heartstrings. Zero sighed, entering the elevator and pressing the key for the floor for his own room. "No, it's fine. I'm just… finding my footing here."

The doors closed on Phantom, and Zero was left to himself in the elevator. He sighed, wiping the blood from his cheek, before looking out towards the city of Neo Arcadia through the windows.

Neo Arcadia was a paradise. He was reunited with X. He was a hero, an inspiration to the people. He had everything he ever could've wanted in life. So why was he so scared?

He felt dirty, both inside and out. It felt like there were bugs crawling underneath his skin, his stomach churning as he looked at the blood that collected on his fingers.

The doors opened to his floor, and Zero escaped into his own room, needing a shower more than anything else.

"X!"

Axl stumbled out through the doors of the Giga City Maverick Hunter headquarters, reaching a hand out towards the blue android, who was in the midst of boarding a transport jet accompanied by Massimo and Signas.

"Axl?" X called back, leaping off the step up to the jet's passenger bay and slowly making his way over to the young copybot. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Zero?"

Still out of breath from rushing to the ground floor so quickly, Axl caught his breath before he explained himself. "Please, let me come with you!"

Shutting his eyes, X bowed his head and sighed in exasperation. "Look, Axl, this is a dangerous mission. I can't risk your safety on this one, alright?" he explained, placing a hand on Axl's shoulder. "I'll be back soon. All in one piece. Promise."

Axl shook his head in denial. "Please, X, haven't I proven myself already?" Axl pleaded. "I mean, after we defeated Sigma and Lumine? Whatever this is, it's nothing to me!"

"Axl." X remained firm. "I know you want to be strong, and I know you want to do what I do and be a hero. But you have responsibilities, okay?" He prodded Axl in the chest with his finger. "You have to stay here and defend this facility while Zero is undergoing the Mother Elf Project, alright? I'm counting on you to be there for Zero while I'm gone. This research could end the Maverick War, you know."

"But… but I could be doing so much more out there, with you!" Axl remained adamant. "Please!"

From the passenger jet, Signas emerged, calling out to X. "Commander! Make it snappy, we're scheduled to take off in five minutes!"

X looked over his shoulder at him, giving him a thumbs up. He stepped away from Axl. "I need you to stay here and take care of Zero, okay?"

He began to run off towards the jet. Axl sped off, chasing after him. "Please! X, let me help!" he cried out. "I just… I want to be with you for this one time! I want to be like you, X!"

"Then stay here with Zero." X made himself clear. "I'll be back in no time."

With that, X jumped onto the jet's hanger, signing to close the fuselage doors. Axl didn't stop his pursuit.

"Wait!" Axl yelled, waving his hands. "Please! Dad!"

The doors shut on him. X let out a gasp, his hands shooting up to rest over his heart.

"...Dad?"

X didn't have much time to dwell on it, immediately caught up in the chaos of the mission debrief, but Axl's words hung heavy in the air long after the jet had taken off, leaving Axl and Zero behind in Giga City.