AN: Wow, okay, it took me a while to write this one. Uh, this is a primarily set up for the next chapter, so nothing crazy happening here. That being said, content warning- if you're okay with robot death but human death crosses a line, skip this one

This chapter isn't beta'd. I don't wanna bother my editor while they're busy. So every poor writing decision is on me. Anyway, enjoy this one.

CHAPTER 4

In the depths of Neo Arcadia's outer circle, king X prowled the streets, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

What was once miles upon miles of decrepit, dirty reploid slums, stricken with poverty and misery, had been reduced to smoldering rubble by X and his forces. Truly, its denizens should've been grateful. In its place, X envisioned grandiose ivory towers that glistened and astonished like the rest of his hallowed city, where humans could enjoy lives of peace and comfort, safe from the harsh realities of the hostile outside world.

A far cry from what used to reside there. Sad, filthy, suffering reploids, living like sardines in crude shacks cobbled together with crumbling concrete walls and rusting corrugated metal roofs. Good land was hard to come by. X couldn't afford to give up such a quickly diminishing resource to their kind- not when the fragile, subservient humans under X's rule needed it more.

Many reploids in the outer circle slums left willingly, relocated elsewhere to the appointed reploid residential sectors. Many had to be forced out at gunpoint, acquiescing under the pressure of Neo Arcadia's overwhelming military might.

Then there were the last few who remained, who stood defiant in the way of X's great vision. The reploids who shot back and stood their ground.

Reploids who fiercely opposed what was for humanity's betterment. Mavericks.

If there was anything X had learned from his cherished days under Zero's mentorship, it was that mavericks must perish without hesitation.

X marched through empty streets that once weaved through the slums with a single goal in mind. Find the last remaining mavericks in the region and exterminate the threat.

The other rebels hardly put up a fight. X's bloodsoaked angelic white armour proved that much. They were but civilian models who couldn't do as they were told. They had no place in X's utopian vision. The last of them managed to escape X's initial attack, but they couldn't run forever. Even if they did, there was nowhere to hide in Neo Arcadia.

X picked up speed and took off, flying overhead and close to the ground, scanning for any remaining rebels. He was closing in on them fast.

Mavericks were so predictable. X knew them well. They were just as he thought they would be- cornered, cowering in the face of justice, desperately trying to escape down a manhole into the labyrinthian underground cisterns.

Their leader, a grizzled, older figure, rushed to stand in front of his pack of mavericks when X landed before them. From the shadows where he stood, all they could see was a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Stop." X commanded them with a resounding voice that struck fear into the hearts of villainous reploids. The mavericks hid behind their leader, who shielded them with outstretched arms. "Submit peacefully."

The mavericks remained silent, shivering and pathetic. They were civilian models- young, hardly adults, barely old enough to properly wield a blaster. How such weak and useless reploids could dare defy him confounded X, but he didn't dwell on it. They were mavericks, regardless of their build. Their leader didn't back down, even when X approached him, his beam axe unsheathed from his buster.

"Hey! You get away from them, you monster!" the leader screamed, stepping forward in defiance to stand between X and his targets.

He lacked the metallic edge to his words…

"...a human," X noted. He retracted his axe back into his buster and replaced his cannon with a hand. "Why do you protect these mavericks? Move and you won't be hurt."

"Over my dead body!" the man yelled. The mavericks behind him shrunk back further, too afraid to even run while X was distracted. "Look at them! They're… they're kids, X! They're not mavericks, they're scared! Surely you can see that!"

"Then they should do as we tell them. They can relocate immediately or be retired," X responded, his underlying fury seeping through his otherwise cold and calculating tone. "Really. I don't want to fight you. Please, step aside."

"This was their home first! They had a right to live here!"

"Neo Arcadia's human settlement program requires this land be seized," X explained. "Look, I gave them plenty of chances, but they didn't listen. Now, they may either surrender peacefully or remain mavericks and face suitable punishment. Go. Choose."

"Go fuck yourself, X!"

The human leader pulled a blaster from a holster in his belt and shot a bolt point blank at X's head, striking him in the side of his face.

X snarled, stumbling back and gripping his face, feeling at the mark it left running down his cheek from his eye. He quickly recovered, with half his vision clouded by his own blood dripping down his face, and growled, shaking with a barely contained rage.

"You…" X growled, stalking towards the man. "You rotten son of a bitch!"

Before the man could run, X threw a powerful punch into the man's face, easily breaking his nose and crushing his eye socket, before he grabbed the sides of his head and held him still, glaring straight through him with a burning gaze. The maverick leader fruitlessly tried to scratch and pry at X's wrists, but his strength was middling compared to his assailant.

"You ungrateful rat! I have given you everything! I've given you nothing but endless prosperity and peace and you are all still wrought with avarice and greed! I'll kill you- I'll kill all you mavericks before you dare lay further waste to my life's work!"

The reploids scrambled away as their leader struggled in X's grip. X was too blinded by anger to realize or even care.

"H-human-" the man struggled to speak as X's grip on his head tightened. "I am n-no maverick! I am… I am a man…!"

"Shut up. What does it matter if you're man or machine!? You're all the same. You all stand in the way of peace- my vision!"

The man was kicking at X's torso to no avail. It felt like X was going to crush his skull with just his hands.

"You- you said you'd protect us!"

X's frown deepened, lips pulled back in a snarl. "I serve Neo Arcadia's mission. Mavericks must perish without hesitation."

With no one watching, X didn't let the maverick leader speak another word. He snapped the man's skull to the side, breaking the human's fragile neck with a gruesome crack. He swiftly went limp in X's grip, the life disappearing from his once fiery stare.

He was dead in an instant. X was heaving through grit teeth, whole body quaking, seeing red with an unfathomable rage coursing through his systems. He felt no disgust or anger at himself for what he had done. The dead man in his hands was a maverick, no different to the treacherous reploids who opposed him.

He wouldn't stop until the world was free from the scourge of mavericks. That was his vision; a world of peace under his rightful rule. He didn't care how many reploids or men he had to kill to achieve his righteous goals. It was X's duty to bring evil to justice, and he'd see through to it.

It was Zero who had taught him ruthlessness. If only he was there to see how far he had come. He'd be smiling.

"D-dad?!"

Through the quiet ambience of tranquil destruction, the soft crackling of embers burning and the sounds of his military marching in the distance, an all too familiar voice tore X away from his thoughts.

Axl had caught up with him. The copybot was shaking, pale in the face, wide emerald eyes darting to and from X's face and the dead man in his hands.

"...Axl."

The realisation was beginning to set in for Axl. He closed his eyes and vehemently shook his head in denial, backing away from his father.

"...Dad…" his voice was but a whisper, and his words quivered as emotions got the better of him. "…Why? I thought…"

He trailed off. X found it best to remain quiet. It was obvious that Axl would never understand his reasoning. He was soft- weak. Like he was, once.

Axl cast his gaze to the ground and let a tear fall down his cheek. He couldn't stand to look X in the eye for another second, too overcome by fear, disgust and betrayal. They didn't exchange another word. After a painful silence, Axl turned and ran off, warping away.

Deep down, X was sure Axl was never going to forgive him.

It wasn't his fault that Axl couldn't see the ends that justified the means. This was what they always did. They exterminated mavericks. X would continue to do so, whether it be man or machine.

This was his vision. Axl was just blind to it.

It was still early in the morning when X woke up. Outside, the rising sun was just barely scraping the edge of the horizon.

He sat up in his bed, blinking his eyes awake. Armourless and helmetless, vulnerable. To his side was Zero, for once, laying similarly bare on his stomach, limbs splayed out, his long, golden hair a mess. X sighed, slouching over to rub his face with his hands.

Even with Zero back, it still felt like he slept alone.

Not wanting to disturb him, X quietly shuffled to sit on the side of his bed, looking out the window to the city he ruled. He was exhausted from a poor night's sleep, but that was nothing new to him. Decades had passed, and he failed to remember the last time he managed to sleep through a night.

At these times, he would usually go find something to occupy himself until the morning broke. There was always little to do, with most of the citadel's denizens asleep besides the nightguards. Had X woken up alone, he might've gone out to wander the empty streets of Neo Arcadia, to enjoy the stillness of the tender hours of the morning before the chaos of rush hour set in.

He wasn't alone, though. He didn't have any particular place to be, either. There wasn't a Resistance emergency at hand. X didn't have an excuse to leave Zero alone in his bed this time.

Through the silence, he picked up on Zero stirring and mumbling. X cast a glance over his shoulder. The red android's back was facing him now, and he was curled into himself. Even in sleep, Zero was restless. It seemed like he would never be at peace, no matter what X did for him.

At times, it was hard to not feel frustrated. X wondered if there was anything he could do for him. He had given him the entire world, and yet, he could tell Zero was still hurting.

Zero was getting louder and more coherent the longer X was awake. Zero tended to sleeptalk, with his sleeping hours tormented by vivid dreams and nightmares of his past.

Disturbed at first, X suddenly felt the ache of pity in his heart. He sounded deathly afraid as he whimpered and cried to no one, pleading for someone or something to let go and to stay away from him. X had the thought to wake him up from his nightmare, his hand hovering over his sleeping body, but at the last second, he decided against it. Perhaps waking Zero in the throes of a nightmare wasn't the wisest idea. He wasn't sure if Zero would be able to tell where the dream ended and reality began if he tried.

The night terrors usually resolved themselves with Zero waking on his own accord. Still, X couldn't stand hearing Zero suffer. He slipped off the side of the bed and stalked off into the bathroom.

He stood at the sink, splashing his face with cold water to wake himself up a bit, drying himself off with a hand towel.

When X caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he paused. It was barely bright enough to make out his reflection staring back at him.

Gripping the sides of the basin, X leaned forward and took a look at himself in the mirror. It was something he rarely did anymore. He didn't like looking in mirrors all that much. Everytime he did, it felt like a stranger was looking back at him. His eyes looked too wild. It looked all too real.

He narrowed his gaze and ran his hands through his dusty blonde hair. X wasn't sure when his hair went this colour. There were rarely moments where he felt comfortable taking off his helmet- moments where he could be something other than the ruler of Neo Arcadia.

Nothing felt right. He scratched his chin, feeling the scruff growing in. Zero hated when he grew out his facial hair. He always said it felt uncanny that Dr. Light would think to give him such a useless, distinctly human trait. It wasn't like he liked it all too much either.

Sighing, X shut his eyes, tilting his head to the floor. Was this how Zero felt? He didn't fit into his own skin.

In the quiet of morning, he took the time to reminisce on the last month of his life. He should've been happy to have Zero at his side again. He should've felt whole. He had everything he ever could've wanted- the world under his watchful eye, loyal children, and his beloved Zero at his side.

Yet, it felt like nothing had truly changed. It felt like he would lose Zero again if his hold on him so much as briefly faltered. His grip on the sink tightened. Zero would never understand how much it hurt to lose him over and over again. He could be so single minded at times.

He couldn't afford to lose Zero ever again. He was his other half, the sun to his moon. The prospect of losing him haunted X every second he had him back.

It had already happened once. He lost Axl. The young reploid X and Zero helped raise like he was their own flesh and blood turned on him so quickly the second he came to realise X's true, virtuous ambitions. X hoped Zero wouldn't be so selfish and naïve as the copybot, but who was to say anymore. It felt like the world had its back turned on him sometimes.

Breathing out hard through his nose, X looked himself straight in the eye, challenging the reploid staring back at him. He couldn't let Zero go this time. He didn't care what it would take, how tight he would have to hold his hand. Maybe until it hurts.

X scowled at his reflection, his breathing quickly growing unsteady with a brewing rage. He wanted to take his revenge on the weak, pathetic android he once was for letting Zero go when they had the whole world at their fingertips. They had a kingdom at their command, and yet Zero wanted nothing to do with it. X couldn't understand it. Zero was a hero, a paragon of unwavering justice. He was everything to X, and he wanted so badly to go back to being a lowly nobody.

He grit his teeth in a snarl. He was too weak to own Zero before. He wasn't so pathetic anymore. He was powerful. Zero had to see that, whether he liked it or not.

Feeling his anger quickly coming to a head, X growled and threw a punch at the wall next to the mirror, shattering the tile upon impact.

He took a deep breath, counted to ten, and let it go. When he pulled his hand away, pieces of cracked wall came off with it and clattered onto the ground.

"...X?"

The sound of Zero's voice, feathery and rasp, brought him back to his senses. X emerged from the darkness of the bathroom to find Zero sitting up in their bed, his arms wrapped around his own chest.

He looked rattled. His icy blue eyes were wide and flickered to and fro, and his breaths, deep and laboured, quivered on the exhale. X rushed over to Zero's side on the bed, collecting Zero in a tight embrace. The blonde was quick to accept the gesture, and slotted himself in X's arms, pressing his cheek against his bare, scar-ridden chest.

Fitting perfectly in each other's embrace, a moment of quiet passed before either of them spoke.

"...Had a bad dream?" X guessed. Zero nodded with a soft hum, the way X rubbed his hand up and down his back offering a gentle solace from his painful memories.

"I had that nightmare again… about when Eurasia fell." He swallowed his nerves. "I'm afraid, X," Zero admitted under his breath. X pulled him closer to his chest, setting his chin over Zero's head. "I'm scared… I'm going to hurt you again."

X pressed his lips against the top of his head and hushed him, rocking him in his arms. "It's okay, Zero… I'm here now. We'll be okay. I promise."

"...I don't know how you can even stand to look at me," Zero murmured, "when I'm destined to kill you."

"... Zero, you're so much more than that," X assured. "That's why I love you. The way you always endure and overcome… no one else does it as effortlessly as you. You once told me we would always have to keep fighting against our destinies." He kissed his head. "You're my hero. You always have been."

Zero shrunk into himself in shame, hiding away in X's arms. "I don't get you. I've done nothing but hurt you… everything terrible that's ever happened to you is my fault. The maverick virus, the Nightmares, the Elf Wars…" his voice broke with a choked sob. "That's why I sealed myself away. As long as I lived the cycle would continue. You'd suffer. I'd hurt you over and over again."

"Please… that's not true, Zero," X denied, "there's nothing you can do that will make me stop loving you. The only thing that can hurt me is being away from you."

A tense silence fell upon the pair, with Zero having nothing to say in response. Maybe it was for the better- Zero had a tendency to self-destruct with his own words. X just continued caressing Zero's back, chasing away the self-loathing and panic that so often afflicted his beloved partner.

"You deserve better than damaged goods…"

"My world is nothing without you, Zero."

Zero closed his eyes. "Why do you even like me?"

"You were meant for me," X answered. "Sleep. I'll hold you. I'll be here. Now and forever."

From then on, Zero didn't speak. His breathing grew steady again, and he eventually went still in X's embrace. X sighed, feeling relieved that Zero had calmed down enough to fall asleep again. He slid down the bed frame onto his back, holding Zero's head close to his chest.

When X closed his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to do the same.

To be truthful, X was afraid of Zero. He was afraid of what would happen if he let him go.

Wide awake, he balled his fists against Zero's hair. He wasn't weak. He wasn't pathetic, not anymore. He was weak when he let Axl leave, and now that he mentioned it, he was weak when Eurasia fell.

Now, he was powerful. More than Zero ever could've anticipated in the past. He deserved to have Zero. It was his predestined right to have him, just like he was predestined to be a saint! Perhaps Zero's fate was of a cruel descent into darkness, but not his. If anything, he had to endure an endless fight to achieve his vision of prosperity.

He was powerful, now that he had Zero all to himself.

That afternoon, Fefnir had demanded Zero hang out with him. With nothing else to do, Zero begrudgingly accepted.

He supposed he could've used the downtime. He needed a distraction from the events of that morning. Ever since he woke up from that nightmare, a bitter dread had latched onto him and never let go.

The distant memory was still so vivid and real, Zero could still feel the warm blood on his hands. The power coursing through his systems, how freeing it felt, like a weight had been lifted from his soul. There he was, facing down a heartbroken young X who had to quickly come to terms with the fact that the love of his life was always meant to destroy him. Experiencing the agony of death… Zero couldn't live with himself.

It was unbearable. Zero couldn't bring himself to even look at X for that entire morning. It was a blessing that X was swiftly called away early in the day to attend to his many duties.

He was afraid of himself. Afraid of what he'd do, because it felt so good to be in control. It felt fulfilling to give into his inherit nature, to reject the person X had made him out to be and reveal his true, most honest self.

Such freedom, as violent as it was, was a rare commodity for Zero in Neo Arcadia. Was X giving him much choice? The only way he could be free was turning on X.

He wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. He loved X, maybe too much, but he knew that one day, he would have to choose between the man he lived for and liberation. As long as he kept living for X, he supposed that he was still following the path his creator carved out for him, one way or another. Was he cursed to forever be shackled to his original purpose?

He was made for X, and as long as he kept following X to the end of the world…

Zero sighed and leaned on the glass elevator walls as it rapidly ascended to the 136th floor. He needed to hear Fefnir and Leviathan rattle on about whatever came to their minds. More importantly, he needed to stop falling victim to his own constant mental self destruction.

It was an unexpectedly tough ask when he had all the time in the world. Self reflection could be such a fickle beast.

The elevator reached his destination floor with a chime. Fefnir had invited him to a private room in the citadel. Had it not been for Leviathan's very specific directions, Zero probably would've gotten lost, even with a map. The two kept it very hush hush, but Zero didn't mind too much. Zero kind of wanted to distance himself from X for the time being, at least until his mind cleansed itself of its chaos, and if it meant walking in on a weird surprise the two had planned for him, so be it. Besides, Fefnir and Leviathan were the most agreeable of the guardians. Harpuia was a sycophantic hardass, and Phantom generally preferred solitude to Zero's company.

He reached Fefnir's proposed hangout spot after a brisk walk through a colonnade on the outside face of the tower, letting himself inside with the passcode Fefnir graciously provided.

It gave way to a beautiful open air lounge that overlooked the city, offering a magnificent view of the setting sun over the city. There was a pool closer to the edge of the room and verandah that led to a conservatory to his left and a closed roof seating area to his right. The patio was decorated with masterfully woven rugs, couches, pillows and beanbags facing a television. String lights ran across its wooden walls of the seating area, casting a dim, intimate glow over the room. Zero could smell burning incense wafting by in the breeze.

It all felt so peaceful and homely. It was cozy in a way that the rest of the citadel could never come close to being. The peace and quiet would be short lived, however, for Fefnir and Leviathan were sitting at the patio and eagerly waving Zero over.

"Blondie!" Fefnir called, cheery as always, "we'd thought you'd never come! Come here, have something to drink!"

He scooted to the side of the couch and patted the cushion to beckon him to take a seat. Zero made his way over and collapsed onto the sofa, sinking into soft, plush pillows. Leviathan sat on a beanbag nearby, and fished through an esky to grab an E-tank for Zero.

"Hey, Zero." Leviathan tossed the red android a cold can. "You're kinda late."

Zero harrumphed as he cracked the can open and took a swig, feeling instantly refreshed. "I know. Got lost coming here."

"Well, glad you made it, man." Fefnir leaned back and casually splayed himself out on the couch, gesturing out to the patio and greater atrium. "So, how are you liking my bachelor pad?"

There was a larger room connected to the patio's seating area that housed table tennis set ups and shelves decorated proudly with impressive stacks of sports memorabilia. Zero couldn't lie, despite the overt jockish style of it all, it was a welcome respite from the obscene lavishness of the citadel. "You've got a nice set up here," Zero answered, much to Fefnir's delight. The draconic reploid beamed with pride.

"Hah! That's what I thought." Fefnir flashed a toothy grin. "At least you guys appreciate good interior design when you see it."

Zero made a half-hearted chuckle, before turning to the television the two were previously so engrossed in. Whatever channel they were watching was currently broadcasting a game of football.

That lost him. He didn't know a lick about sports. He didn't have time for frivolous interests as a Maverick Hunter. "...You called me over to watch… a football game?" Zero uncomfortably scratched the back of his neck.

Fefnir and Leviathan turned to glare at him, acting mock-offended at the bold statement. "Uh?! You mean the legendary pastime that dates back centuries!?" Fefnir gestured to the television. Zero shrugged.

"Ehm. Yes."

"...Well, yeah, we did. But, I mean, we thought you could do with some downtime. You don't have to watch, you can just hang out," Fefnir finally replied. Leviathan crossed her arms and sunk back into the beanbag.

"Haw, please. This is good TV," she grumbled. "It's Rangers and Oilers. They're always a good matchup."

Zero furrowed his brow. "...Huh?"

Leviathan opened her mouth to chide Zero for his cluelessness, but bit her tongue. "Right. You were asleep for a hundred years."

Even if he hadn't been, Zero was sure those names would've still meant nothing to him. Then again, Fefnir was right. He needed some downtime. He so badly needed a distraction from himself. He tipped his head down and breathed out a deep sigh. "Alright. I'll bite," Zero conceded, taking a sip. "How does this all work?"

Fefnir and Leviathan grinned mischievously.

"Well-"

"First off-"

Zero held up his hands and silenced them. "One at a time."

It wasn't like he really cared, but he needed something trivial to occupy his thoughts. Fefnir slouched over and began rattling on. Something about field positions, throwing and catching, a line of scrimmage… why did they even still play organized sports in a hellish, post-apocalyptic world?

Zero was zoning out when Fefnir and Leviathan began arguing.

"Are you kidding? He doesn't need to know about the nuances of what a safety is, doofus."

"Well, what else am I gonna tell him when it happens?"

"It hardly ever happens, Fefnir."

"It so does."

Zero was swapping his gaze between the two. Even with their incessant chatter, his thoughts still found a way to drift back to X. It was inevitable- Fefnir and Leviathan were his kin, afterall. Fefnir had those big, expressive eyes that saw good in everything, and Leviathan had that handsome, squarish nose and jaw and a propensity to be far too open with her emotions.

"You're confusing him!"

"Well punting is confusing!"

"Okay. I still don't get it." Zero shut them up quickly. "But… I should thank you guys for inviting me over."

The two stared blankly at him before their smiles quickly returned. "Hey, it's no problem. It's the least we could do," Leviathan assured. "We think you're cool, Zero."

Fefnir nodded vigorously in agreement. Zero felt a blush coming on, flustered by all the praise. "Jeez. You two…" he scratched his cheek. "I'm happy you thought of me. To tell you the truth, I, uh…" he struggled to find words that didn't make him sound pathetic. "I didn't get much sleep last night. I'm just… ugh."

He rubbed his tired, heavy eyes. Fefnir frowned. "Stressed out?"

"I guess." Zero wiped his face down with his palm. "Nothing you haven't heard before."

Leviathan's shoulders dropped. "...Zero, you know, if there's anything you need to tell us, we'll listen."

She turned to Fefnir for confirmation, and he nodded dutifully.

"You guys… you're too nice." Zero let out a nervous laugh. "It's… heh, you know. I don't get to pour my heart out to a lot of people-"

"-It's about dad, isn't it?"

Leviathan was brutally succinct. Zero winced. "Yeah. It's about him…" Zero confirmed. He looked aside, rubbing his neck. "It's stupid. I feel so pathetic."

Leviathan shook her head. "It's not stupid…"

"That's-," Zero growled and bit his words back. "That's not the point- or- ugh, I don't know anymore. I don't know how I feel. About X. About myself. X is the only one I can turn to now. If it weren't for him, I'd be nothing in this world. I don't… It doesn't sit right with me."

Fefnir looked down at his feet forlornly. "Oh… Dad- X, he's… well, he's a good leader," Fefnir muttered, worrying his fingers. "But I can tell he's tense… I mean, with the Resistance on our tails."

There was more that Fefnir wanted to say, Zero figured, but he kept it to himself. Perhaps in fear of the repercussions, or rather in denial of his father's flaws.

"Zero, I'll be the first to admit… Dad- he… his patience's been wearing out thin with the Resistance," Leviathan disclosed, "he's… how would you say? A lot more forceful now. He used to be much kinder."

Leviathan kept it at that. Zero had to wonder what had changed, exactly? The Guardians were made long after he had sealed himself away all those years ago, yet they remembered a time when X was still himself. What had caused him to snap so suddenly? It couldn't have been the Resistance. From what Zero could gather, they were a recent movement in Neo Arcadia.

The Resistance… Zero's mind drifted back to the thought of Axl.

As much as Zero wanted to remain loyal to X, he was undeniably torn, now that he knew of Axl's position on the matter. Axl must've hated him, watching him stand by X's side. It hurt, knowing that he couldn't do much about it- X wasn't ever going to let him meddle with their conflict anytime soon.

Was there anyone else? Zero looked up to face the two again. "Can I ask you guys something?"

Fefnir and Leviathan perked up at the request. "'Course."

"What happened to the old Maverick Hunters?"

Fefnir and Leviathan glanced at each other. After a harsh lull, Fefnir shrugged. "The Maverick Hunter Force was dissolved into the Neo Arcadian military-"

"No. I mean our friends. You know, Alia, Signas…" Zero trailed off. His words hung heavy over the two reploids, their high spirits visibly faltering.

"I… don't… I'm not sure they're still with us." Leviathan's voice was barely audible. She looked aside. "X said it didn't concern us."

Zero's brows rose above the brim of his helm. He looked to Fefnir for an explanation.

"...When they were active, we were deployed on terraforming operations in the Outside Lands," Fefnir said. He looked out towards the city, presumably towards the border wall of Neo Arcadia. "You'd be better off looking for answers in the archives. Phantom might not want you meddling with his logs though." He swallowed his nerves. "Man, I'm sorry, wish we knew more, but this is literally all we can tell you, Zero..."

Their answers were less than satisfactory, and Zero sunk further into the couch. There was something haunting about X neglecting to let even his children in on the truth of the matter, but at that point, should he even be surprised? X controlled everything in Neo Arcadia, especially the truth.

Something was clear though, X was rejecting the old world he once treasured. Not only defenestrating former friends and trusted colleagues, but erasing them from the minds of his people- not stopping at even his own blood. Despite having X at his side, with no conflict standing in their way in X's utopia, Zero had never felt more alone. All he had was X, and he had difficulty accepting that.

Zero was sure he was never going to stop loving X- even if it would hurt him, and even if he didn't even want to love X, but it left him ill at ease to feel substantiated in his fear. His original question still stood; what exactly was he now? He was no Maverick Hunter, and hardly a ruler despite what X said. He was worthless without him. It hurt. It hurt to be afraid of X, but Zero couldn't describe it as anything else. He was afraid of what he'd do to him if he stepped out of line, and the prospect of knowing he could do nothing about it. Would X take advantage of the fact that Zero had no one else but him?

It felt insane to even consider such a notion, knowing it was X- the android who was notoriously empathetic and oftentimes far too soft on people, but he was no longer himself. He held onto him far too tight for comfort, all in the name of safety.

Though Zero would never admit it, he knew that it was obvious that he was getting increasingly upset over everything. He curled over and held his head in his hands.

"...Are you alright?" Leviathan prodded. Zero gave a sigh as his initial response. "I'm… sorry. F-for what it's worth, they could be alive as civilians… it's just that we're not really the people who keep track of that stuff."

Zero shook his head. "It's not that… I've lost friends before."

"What's wrong?" Fefnir asked with a cocked head. Zero felt his throat tighten.

"Promise you won't tell X."

Fefnir and Leviathan nodded slowly. Zero nearly choked on his next words.

"I hate all this. I'm scared of X, I'm not gonna deny it anymore because I am!" Zero admitted, "I don't know if the X I'm in love with is the same X ruling Neo Arcadia. I'm supposed to be Earth's overseer but no one tells me fucking anything! I feel crazy… I don't know what game X is playing but I don't want any part of it, and you know what? I don't think I have a choice in the matter anyway. Is this weird for any of you? What happened to him?"

There was nothing Fefnir and Leviathan could say that would comfort him. They were far out of their depth in a situation like this.

A deafening silence passed over them. Fefnir eventually gave in to the discomfort. "I just hope things with Dad will go back to normal once the Resistance is dealt with…" he muttered, and Leviathan nodded in agreement. Zero couldn't help but think that they were being overly optimistic, but he supposed he'd cling onto what little valuable hope he could.

'12 seconds 'til the end of the quarter, McArthur falls back, fires, got a man wide open- and it's caught, Eric Bramhall! Bramhall walks it in for the touchdown! McArthur makes it look easy from 60 yards deep to even out the score 20-20 to close out the quarter. We'll be back after these state sponsored messages.'

It was odd, but when he was distanced from X like this, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from his weary shoulders. Deep in the recesses of his heart, he knew he would forever love X- he wouldn't be so affected if he didn't, but he had to admit- they needed time apart for both their sakes.

The days had become monotonous for Zero. He once found comfort in the safe predictability of routine as a Maverick Hunter, but the vicious, futile cycle he had spiralled into was anything but safe.

He would wake up in the morning after a pitiful night's sleep, trying to find ways to occupy himself in a bid to distract himself from his habit of catastrophizing every little thing and failing, trying to escape the omnipresent X while feeling sickeningly guilty for doing so. He'd pass out in the afternoon, wake up feeling worse than he did when he fell asleep, then make an attempt to open up to X with what he was feeling, and every time he would fail, X's very presence threatening him into silence. Rinse, repeat, every day, never ending.

It was impossible to find peace in his life. As long as he was afraid, he was at war- with himself, with X. He didn't know how to fix it- this was an issue that couldn't be solved with brute force, but it was the only thing Zero ever resorted to… it was why he was such a valuable Maverick Hunter.

Now, he no longer even possessed his innate capacity for destruction- the most fundamental instinct his creator had programmed into him. He was weak, X was strong.

That afternoon was different. The citadel, lit with the red glow of the bleeding sun, stirred with hordes of Neo Arcadian soldiers rushing from one end of the building to the next- so busy they no longer stopped to address him.

Sage Harpuia marched dutifully through the corridors, gracefully ordering countless men to and fro like it was second nature. The small reploid was a born leader, like his father before him.

In fact, just the sight of Harpuia commanding his forces reminded Zero of X's days as a Maverick Hunter commander. The memory stung.

"Harpuia, sir! The 604th fleet has just arrived at the brig. They will be escorting the mavericks to their cells when you give the word."

"Good. We've been sorely overdue for a win… give me a second to notify Master X."

The soldier speaking to Harpuia gave him a firm salute before rushing off. Zero hid away behind a pillar, watching the commotion from within the shadows and trying to piece together the situation from what fragments of conversation he could catch. Something was happening between Neo Arcadia and the Resistance. With little information to go by, Zero felt his heart drop in his chest, fearing the worst. He hated being left in the dark.

Despite what X said, the Resistance, whoever or whatever they were, didn't sound like mavericks. Axl didn't side with mavericks. It was why he deserted Red Alert all those years ago. With the way the soldiers so flippantly boasted about wiping them out, they sounded more like a civilian militia, with ranks bolstered by non-combatants who could barely point a blaster straight. Zero had to wonder what they were revolting against. A lust for power and wealth seemed too convenient an explanation.

"Captain T-51! Your unit is needed at the brig, we have a high risk prisoner in our possession!" Harpuia pointed a high ranking reploid soldier in a general direction before turning to another unit crowded around him. "You! I need your team to accompany the medical unit to Airbase 024. Well? Don't stick around, get moving!"

The two units departed with a hearty salute. For as much as X touted Neo Arcadia enjoyed a prosperous peacetime, it sure looked like Harpuia was commanding an army trapped in the throes war.

All too suddenly, the commotion came to a chilling halt at the whirring of engines and a landing that sent shockwaves through the citadel, and Zero swiftly turned and hid behind a wall. At that point, Zero knew that harrowing sound was the harbinger of X's arrival.

He folded his wings back against his shoulders and held his hands behind his back as he entered through from a balcony landing pad, staring down his cowering subordinates. None of them moved so much as an inch as X sauntered his way inside, coming to a stop before the emerald Guardian.

Harpuia was quick to stand to attention. His shrill voice broke the silence. "Master X, sir!"

"At ease, son," X commanded. Harpuia relaxed his stiff posture. "Enlighten me. How's the defence effort going?"

"It's proceeding well, you'll be happy to know," Harpuia answered. "The rebels have dealt serious damage to Airbase 024 but it's nothing that can't be rebuilt. I'd figure it should be back in operation by November. No deaths have been recorded so far. There were only fifteen injuries that have been reported to me…" he squinted down at his datapad. "Only three of which are serious. Fefnir should be arriving at the scene now with rescue team reinforcements."

Zero tried to make himself small against the wall, obscuring himself in the shadows. He could feel the beat of his oil pump racing in his head. He wasn't sure why he was hiding in the first place, but his basal processing unit was insisting he wasn't safe in X's midst.

"Oh, I'll spare you the details for now… I'm sure you want to know how the transwarp scrambler field test went," Harpuia noted. Zero felt a chill quake through his core at X's low snicker.

"Haw, you know me. Always been curious," X quipped snidely.

"Mmhm. The long and short of it all is that it seems promising, but it just needs some refinement before we can rely on it with the utmost confidence in future battle plans. It functioned just long enough to capture a few rebels before they could escape. As is, it's too unstable for long term use on the field."

X rubbed his chin. "Hm… I'll get Phantom to keep chipping away at it." The azure reploid cocked a brow, leaning in to speak in a low, mocking voice. "Now… a little birdie told me that we have an interesting set of Resistance prisoners in our midst. Lay it on me, kid."

Tempted by the pursuit of knowledge, Zero peeked out from behind the wall, sharpening his audials in a bid to scavenge up all the information he could. X couldn't leave him in the dark forever…

"...Indeed. You'll be pleased to know that we have successfully arrested that rebel turncoat Axl and a human journalist suspected of being allied with the resistance. They are awaiting relocation into the brig under strict surveillance, sir. We are waiting for your permission before we carry on operations."

Zero's eyes widened, bitter horror seizing him with a cold grip. They had Axl.

"Axl?" X's attention was piqued. Zero took in a sharp breath, balled fists shaking at his sides. With the way X's eyes roved, Zero could tell he was thinking things over. "How can you be so sure? You know those rebels have newgens in their ranks."

"Phantom made sure. His DNA markers check out. The AFLP results are unique to his genome chip."

X narrowed his gaze, tightening his jaw. There was a pause as he contemplated Harpuia's words. Zero tried to steady himself, taking in deep, long breaths and clenching his eyes shut, but there was nothing he could do to help himself anymore.

"Good... good! Finally!" X was sickeningly elated, breaking into a deep laugh. "Finally… that stupid kid has eluded me for far too long. Here I was, thinking I'd never catch him. How stupid of me to believe that, knowing I have your brains on my side!" He gave Harpuia a firm pat on the shoulder, the small, gangly reploid's knees buckling gently under the force. "You have my word. Take him to the brig, I'll make sure to pay him a visit while he's awaiting trial."

Harpuia nodded slowly before calling out to the silent crowd gathered around the two. "Captain E337! I need your forces on tight surveillance duty until Axl can be trialled. Let the units at the brig know, will you?"

After the reploid captain affirmed himself and marched off, Harpuia turned back to his father, features twisted into a proud sneer. "Anything else, Master X?"

He gave it a thought. "No. You've done well, Harpuia." X looked over to his forces, his unwavering air of authority making even the most sharpened of soldiers look like frightened children. "In fact, you've all done well. You've done this city proud, bringing peace to our world. Now go, see to it."

A chorus of yes sir's was offered as an answer by the homogenous crowd, before they scattered once more, the chokehold X's voice had on the room finally lifting. Zero couldn't handle it anymore. He turned his heel and ran, his mind awash with worse case scenarios.

Was Axl going to live another day like this?

He had to save him, but how? He was useless, he was weak, he was pathetic. He wanted to cry but could only manage pathetic dry heaves. He was a stupid warmachine who couldn't even fight anymore.

Zero wished X had never woken him up. When he turned a corner, a familiar grip had wrapped itself around his wrist and violently yanked him backwards.

"And where are you going in such a rush?"

There was no running from the king of Neo Arcadia. Zero was pulled haphazardly into X's embrace, his wide hand at the small of his back. Zero swallowed, hoping he didn't look as panicked as he felt inside in X's grip.

"-I, I'm-"

The distant sound of military reploids shouting orders drowned out his voice. X grimaced sheepishly.

"Yeesh, sorry for the commotion back there. You know how it is sometimes." X brought him closer to his chest. "Hey, it's nothing serious."

Zero wanted to push him away, but he could barely make him budge in his current state. What was the point? He knew he was lying. Zero witnessed him showing his true colours only in his absence.

"I'm off to bed. What do you say? Wanna come with?" He held Zero's hand at his lips, pressing a featherlight kiss against his knuckles.

He acted like Zero had a choice. Even if he refused, Zero knew X would never hear it. It was better he stayed on his good side for now if he had any chance of getting to Axl before he did. Setting his pride aside, he played his part.

"Hmph. Alright," Zero resigned, loosening his taut frame. "You could start by letting me go, casanova."

"Oh, you hurt me!" he whined in faux offence, but he did as told, letting Zero go. The red warbot breathed out a small sigh of relief. "Still haven't lost your bite after all these years…"

X made his way to his living quarters, beckoning Zero to follow him with a flick of his head. Zero steeled himself, smothering his instincts that were screaming at him to run, and followed in his footsteps. "But you like that about me, don't you?"

"You have no idea."

Together, they passed through the many gated doors that hid X's living quarters away from the rest of the citadel. When they got to X's room, the blue reploid didn't wait another second before he took Zero's hand and guided him to his bedroom, where the dim, intimate lamp light cast them in an orange glow.

"I've always loved your edge, that sting… your ferocity… I love everything about you."

X's voice was low, his red gaze glinting with a voracious hunger as he eyed Zero up and down like a lion sizing up its prey. When Zero backed up, he inched into the bedframe, getting unceremoniously knocked backwards into the mattress. Zero didn't have a chance to get up before X was all over him, pouncing and looming over him with his hands pinning his wrists to the bed. Zero's sharp breath caught in his throat.

How could he act so brazen? He wasn't hurting for Axl like he was. If anything, he was triumphant… he was the victor in their war of ideals.

And now here he was, taking his prize. Zero shut his eyes, trying to dissociate from what X was doing, but escape was a futile effort. X had pulled off his helmet before he was burying his face in the crook of Zero's neck, hungrily pressing kisses against every inch of flesh he could. Zero felt sick- the same hands that were rolling up his vest and caressing his bare chest would have Axl's blood on them if he didn't act soon.

"I've missed you so much… I was lost without you."

Zero set his hand on X's chest, but he didn't notice. He couldn't do this.

"I love you… love you, Zero… only you."

He shook his head with grit teeth as X's lips trailed south. What was once a sweet gesture now felt crushingly oppressive. Zero had to find Axl. He had to do something. He had to save him from whatever punishment X had in mind for him.

"I love you…"

"X-"

"There isn't a man alive who loves you like I do."

"N-no-"

"Do you love me too?"

"-Stop it!"

X jolted upwards. He looked confused, sad, angry. There were so many things he was saying, but he wasn't talking. Zero scrambled off the bed, holding his hands against his chest and backing off, timid and afraid like a cornered animal.

"...Zero?"

From the look in X's eyes, Zero knew that he knew. He opened his mouth to speak, but any excuse he could think of felt inadequate. He looked at his feet. Why must he be here in the first place? To forever be trapped by his ties to X?

"I'm sorry. It's… not your fault," Zero lied. "I can't. Not tonight. I-"

"Fine." X's voice was soft, but his expression was too firm for Zero's liking. He breathed out hard through his nose, staring straight through Zero with an unfamiliar glare. He said nothing more after that, and neither did Zero.

After an eternity of tension, X broke away from Zero's gaze, sitting down on the bed and looking at his hands, clasped between his knees.

Zero steeled his resolve and backed out the room, slowly at first, before he broke out into a full sprint, escaping X's loving subjugation into the citadel hallways. Even then, he still felt his hands wrapped around his throat.

Axl was probably being taken to the brig right now- wherever that was. He had to find out somehow. Someone would tell him- he'd make them if not. He shouldered past a reploid commando, through the crowd of faceless soldiers. He could break Axl out, they could pretend it was an accident, and Axl could hide with his copy ability.

He could dream, he could hope, but there was one thing Zero had come to know- there was nowhere in this world to hide. There was a darkness lingering in Neo Arcadia, and a sinister dusk lived within X.

That night, Zero slept alone. It wasn't enough. No physical distance could compare to the thousands of miles between them.