Character Notes: X goes by "Xander Light" and Zero goes by "Zachary Weidlich".
Xander was chewing idly on the end of his tablet pen, gaze fixed on the screen as he paced in his kitchen, the coffeemaker behind him keeping an odd rhythm with him, almost every step answered with a drip.
For once, though, this wasn't because of nerves, even if his pace seemed a bit anxious, but because the continued motion helped him think.
Leto knew Xander was awake before she even got out of bed. He was one of the more organized, routine-oriented people she'd known (and that was saying a lot, considering who she was married to), so breaks in that routine tended to stand out to her. She liked to sleep in a little later on weekends, and while Xander wasn't being loud, if she dialed up her audial receptors, she could hear the pacing.
She was sorely tempted to just turn over in bed and ignore him for another half hour or so. If it was something urgent, she knew he'd have come into her room to wake her.
But now she was curious. With a sigh and a stretch, she relented and got out of bed, tying her robe as she moved toward the kitchen. She frowned at what she saw. It was 8:12 in the morning, Xander was up and pacing, and he wasn't cooking.
"You know it's Sunday morning, right?"
He'd noticed, somewhere in his periphery, that his proximity scans were telling him she was heading toward the kitchen, but his head still snapped up at her question, and he blinked a few times before asking, "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"'Wake' is a strong word," she allowed, glancing at the coffee pot and verifying that it was still brewing. And despite having just gotten out of bed and still dressed for that occasion, she still looked sharp and alert. "What's so important that you're working Sunday morning, hmm, Fearless Leader?"
He waved his tablet toward her, though it was less for her to see it and more just to help him put what he was doing to words. "Trying to figure out which three companies I'm dropping for consideration as far as…" and he stopped, realizing he'd skipped a detail. "Remember how I mentioned wanting to get new single-unit build contracts in the works for the Council?"
It'd been something mentioned in passing, to be fair, but he had discussed wanting more than just her and Zach helping manage the City. This was the first he was really doing anything more than casually discussing the idea, though.
Leto blinked, now wondering if she was awake enough for this. "You have bids?"
"No," and Xander shook his head, setting the tablet down as he moved to grab their coffee mugs. "I've already removed Prata from the running since they're handling practically the entire Zan'ei," and that was the first he'd talked about the covert operations division by name, "but with me, you, and Zach set to serve as the senior Council members, I realized I'd need an even number of units to fill out the ranks, since an odd number of total members would generally mean we avoid ties during case decisions."
Taking a moment to pour both their cups, adding a splash of milk and sugar to his and leaving hers black, he motioned toward the island so they'd be able to sit and talk. After settling into his seat and taking a slow sip of his coffee, he continued. "Eight units sounded like a good number. Enough to get a variety of experiential sets, but not so many as to bog down deliberations. With eleven remaining companies to choose from, I needed to figure out which three were getting cut before I approached the rest."
"Why not let all eleven present bids and choose from there?" She asked, shifting as she settled into her own seat, the coffee mug not really leaving her mouth except to speak.
Something about that idea actually surprised the android, and he sputtered a bit into his coffee. He'd avoided spilling any, thankfully, but he still took a minute to make sure he wasn't going to choke on his drink again. "I should have woken you. That is brilliant." It took so much work off his plate and would allow the companies to really put their best foot forward.
And if the three bids that weren't accepted were still viable, it'd be a good way to fill out the ranks of the other three divisions of the City military.
Leto grinned, her face still partially hidden behind her mug. "You didn't send your request out yet, did you?" There was so much work to be done in Beacon City, and so quickly, that it didn't surprise her that Xander hadn't thought of it. His attention (and hers) were split in fifty different directions daily, only to repeat it again the next day, and the day after. It'd be easier once things calmed down some. Once there were more people here to spread the work around to.
"No," and he got to his feet to go retrieve his tablet, returning and setting the device down. "Like I said, I was trying to figure out which three to skip over, but this angle… Leto, I swear, I could kiss you. This takes so much off me for the time being," and the words had only a moment to hang in the air between them before he turned a very healthy shade of red. "I mean, you know, like on the cheek."
The way her grin widened only cemented the idea that Xander had just fallen into some sort of game, and she set her coffee mug down on the counter. "You know, if you did, the apology gift might just pay for that new console array I've been eyeing…" She trailed off, purposely heavy-lidded. "You sure you want to rethink that?"
"I can buy you the array for that," Xander said, a note of unease in his voice. "The last thing I want is Zach waking up, finding out I kissed you once, and rearranging my face for the trouble."
Then, as if to make it clear he didn't mean anything untoward in what he'd said, he leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
She laughed then, loudly, even as he kissed her cheek. "I suppose," she began, struggling to keep her voice even, "You're not that much in need of a face rearrangement." She was not successful at keeping her voice even. She didn't even trust taking a sip of the coffee.
It took her a few minutes to trust speaking again. "I'll take you up on that array, though."