Valentine's Day

An airship sped quickly across the skies of Abel City, tilting and panning gracefully above carefully cultivated mechatrees and angular glass skyscrapers. Dusk was falling over the city, a luscious shade of deep blue sweeping over the sky and the moon just beginning to emerge in a haze of muted yellow. The buildings of the city illuminated as night grew, edging themselves in neon blues, pinks and greens.

At the controls of the airship, in the darkened cockpit, sat a robot in lean blue armor, the Maverick Hunter known as X. He was tired out from the mission, but content. Kind green eyes kept a careful watch on both the surroundings and his control meters, though now and then he lifted a hand to rub at those eyes and clear them.

Behind him, the other five members of his six-man squadron were joking around, lightly scuffling with each other in pent-up anticipation and victory highs. It was Valentine's Day, after all, and everyone wanted to get back to base as quickly as possible.

"Hey, X, floor it, will ya? I got someone waiting up for me!" Braggado, big and brown, was living up to his name, boasting about 'this cute little nurse in Sector Fifteen', and his comrades were teasing him about it. Snippits of their laughter floated back to X: "You spent how much on that? And you've only been out with her once? Boy, what a dope!"

X leaned forward and touched a control, signaling to Hunter Base that he was making his final approach. A hand touched his shoulder, and he glanced up at its owner, finding the curious gaze of a blue and white Hunter with a youthful face that reminded X more than a little of Axl.

"Hey, you've been kinda quiet up here... you have any plans for tonight, sir?"

X inwardly grimaced to be called that, and then shot his comrade a small smile. "No peace for the guilty, I'm afraid. I have to debrief with Signas and then hit the rechargers for that section staff meeting at 0300."

God help him, Braggado overheard. "Whaaaat? Commander X is going STAG today?"

X winced, cheeks flaring. "It's okay. It's not like I'm seeing anyone..."

Though that wasn't true. He very, very much WAS seeing someone, very very quietly, and that someone's image floated into his mind. A flash of blond hair, meltingly hot blue eyes, the sound of soft lips parted to whimper in a dark corner...

It just wasn't the kind of thing anyone else needed to know about- it was none of their business what he did in his recharger, after all!

But I probably won't get to see him at all today...for the third year in a row.

X sighed, inwardly allowing himself a moment of petty pouting, then shrugged his shoulders and shook off the childish mood. Such was the load of a ranking Maverick Hunter. "Okay, guys, settle down... the sooner you quit horsing around back there, the sooner I can land and you go play!"

"We'll do it for you too, X!" Braggado bellowed.

X blushed hard, but joined in the chorus of rude and raucous laughter that swelled the inside of the ship. "Oh, suuuure... You'll be thinking of me the whole time!"

The laughter grew even louder.

Finally, they were on the ground, and X released the door to let his noisy friends loose. He stayed behind, the good soldier, making sure everything was clean and tight for the next use- flaps closed, controls sealed, fuel lines clamped in. He found himself gazing out through the windshield at the Hunters outside- he noticed a lot of couples passing by, some that made his eyebrows rise beneath his blue helmet. I had no idea those two were going together...

He sat down in the pilot's chair again, and sighed, removing his helmet and rubbing his fingers absently over it. He knew he was supposed to get up and get moving, but a small, stubborn part of him resisted. He felt like a wallflower at the prom, envious and sad as he watched them. Why can't I do that too? Why can't I get time to spend with Zero like they do their girlfriends?

An older, wiser part of him answered: What do you think you're doing all this for, X? Look around... that's your dream, Dr. Light's dream, right there in front of you. Reploids who feel, just like human beings... happy and free... what sacrifice isn't worth that? Anyway, it's just a day that humans arbitrarily decided had this meaning. It's not like you don't get to see Zero all the time. And it's not like anyone would understand...

Fortunately, X's internal debate was soon pierced by a familiar voice, ringing out confidently in the empty ship. "There you are. I thought the weight on this thing was reading a little heavy."

Zero!

X turned and smiled up at Zero as he approached. The red Hunter walked into the ship like he owned it, his kingly presence blanketing the interior with warmth. Nature abhors a vacuum, X thought to himself fondly, especially one that big...

"Soooo. A stowaway, huh..." Zero leaned forward, hands on his hips, peering tightly at X. "You know what we do with those."

X snickered, gazing up at Zero. "Interrogation? Hopefully somewhere private."

Zero's eyes flashed with wicked intent, flicking around the dropship from floor to ceiling. "This looks pretty good to me." Reaching past X, he brushed a key with his fingertip, darkening the cockpit windshield and the few remaining onboard lights, as well as sealing the hatchway door.

"You're serious!" X gasped, a frown of regret growing on his expressive face. "Zero, I can't- I have to go meet Signas, I don't have enough timmMMmmmPH!..."

X swatted at Zero's shoulder as Zero kissed him- "mmnph! ...n..." but melted quickly after, raising his hand to stroke the back of Zero's helmet and gasping softly over Zero's tongue. They folded into each other, Zero's heavy gauntlets sliding to rest along X's shoulderblades. A thick scent moved with him, sweet-smelling oil from his joints and the faint tallow of armor wax and the clean-grass smell of the fibers of his long, not-quite-managed blond mane. X inhaled deeply, relaxing. Zero... you smell so good...

The blond grinned, amused and pink-cheeked, licking his lips to savor the lingering flavor of X's tongue. "Anyway, Signas' meeting with the Council's running overtime. That's what I was supposed to come tell you."

"You mean..."

Zero brushed X's lips again. "Happy Valentine's Day, X... finally. Now get your blue ass to the back, 'cause I've got something special to show you."

X threw Zero a skeptical look, rising from the pilot's seat, his fingers trailing along the headrest. He stepped past Zero, making sure to 'accidentally' bump his hip against the other Reploid's.

"Is it bigger than a baby's arm?"

"X! Where'd you pick up that smutty mouth? And name names, so I can go beat them up. You're supposed to get that from me!" He drove a fist into his opposite hand with a snicker.

"Braggado."

A groan. "Knew it. You're not allowed to go on any missions with him any more, X."

"He IS my second in command, Zero."

"I can fix that."

"Will you get over here already?" X moved to the dark back end of the dropship, turning his back to Zero- which he quickly realizd was a terrible, terrible mistake. It was never a good idea to do that anyway, and X realized his error as soon as he heard the first soft clunk of a metal plate slapping to the floor. He spun, eyes wide, but was too late- he'd already missed the chance to see Zero 'disrobe', dropping one piece of thick battle armor after another.

What X saw instead almost froze his processors for a full minute.

X loved to see Zero naked. He was always a magnificent sight when he was: flowing blond hair, loose and layered with ends that nearly kissed the floor, a lean black inner-body crisscrossed with lines of gleaming white light, the slightest suggestion of curves at waist and hips and perfect, powerful arms that were neither too chunky nor too thin.

But Zero wasn't just naked today, he was wearing...

X reached to wipe at his mouth, astonished.

"Z-zero!"

The statuesque blond, so incredibly male, always so commanding, was wearing frilly silk things: a red silk bustier with black lace accents tight around his midsection, skimpy matching panties, forearm-length gloves. He looked uneasy as he stood not-quite-undressed before X, shifting his weight from foot to foot. His uncertainty softened his face, putting his powerful blue eyes into sharp relief - he looked so vulnerable!. X found that the most alluring of all.

He bit down a moan, and was on Zero in instants, kissing his bare black neck, rubbing his fingers over the milky-soft fabric and watching Zero's expression closely, basking in the subtle changes of Zero's lips and eyes. "You... oh god, you were wearing these under your armor? But I thought you didn't like it, after that one time..."

Zero exhaled, X's fingers in his hair, speaking around the blue Hunter's eager kisses. "I didn't hate it. It was just weird being... so exposed like that. Anyway, I didn't let you get me any because I wanted to get my own... I've been waiting a while to spring this on you. So, uhm," Again that slight hesitation, a crinkle at the corners of his blue eyes as Zero sought out X's smile. "It doesn't look too stupid, does it?"

X was quick to reassure him that it did not.

"Good..." Zero said, a portion of his usual self-assurance returning, "Now get this crap off me before my voice raises three octaves and I start filling in my chest armor, X."

A light in his eyes, X dribbled his fingers down Zero's sides, moving his mouth to rest them above the band of the red silk panties and flicking his tongue a few times, to rub the silk into Zero's skin. "I don't know, Zero... I think you'd make a gorgeous girl... maybe add some heels, with some ankle bracelets and a nice sturdy collar... makeup, too... And a skirt, of course. A loose one so you can feel the breeze getting up your thighs... have that fabric pooling around your hips when I push it up to get at you..." His voice grew darker and more coy, until he was just whispering the words.

"Nnn." Zero growled, the teasing making his conduit map burn with amber light. He seized X by the hair, pulling him into his pelvis. "I'll show you female. Here's something hundreds of girls all over the planet are telling their men right now: Quit talking and start licking."

X did just that, giggling.

[Love you, Zero.]

[Happy Valentine's Day, X.]