A/N: I have recently rediscovered the love I had for this series as a teen, and felt inspired enough to write some fic for them. I'm starting with one of these "50 sentences" style stories, simply because they're a way to let me play with characterization without worrying about a cohesive plot yet. These sentences follow both the X and Zero continuities, and aside from a few (those that end with ... and the one after) they don't necessarily follow each other, aside from being in the same timeline of events. Hope you all enjoy them!
#01 - Ring
Metal glides over metal, robotic hands grasping as though waiting for the ring to disappear.
#02 - Hero
X takes the title with some reluctance, despite never seeking it; Zero refuses it, pushes it away every chance he gets.
#03 - Memory
During his longest nights, X lets his stored memories play at random, smiling through his tears as he remembers an embrace, over far too soon, from a red figure he'll never see again.
#04 - Box
Every time they defeat Sigma, X packs his armor away, vowing to never wear it again; every time, Zero stops himself from telling X it wont be the last time he opens that box.
#05 - Run
Never has Zero moved faster than when he saw X in Vile's clutches.
#06 - Hurricane
Wind crashes around Zero like a robot-made hurricane, and Zero's pride in X is matched only by his fear that it won't be enough.
#07 - Wings
"My new armor lets me fly… want to join me?" X asks shyly, holding one hand out to Zero.
#08 - Cold
"Least you have all that hair to keep you warm," X teases, shaking a fistful of Zero's hair gently.
#09 - Red
Red is the color of fire, of warmth, of life, of Zero, and X always tries to keep as much of it in his room as he can, so he'll always have a reminder of the other Reploid.
#10 - Drink
"X, please, just try," Zero all but begs, holding an E-tank to X's semiconscious form.
#11 - Midnight
One arm around X's waist, one on X's cheek as they stare into the sky; it's the perfect way to start a new year.
#12 - Temptation
"You could stay with me," Zero murmurs, nuzzling X's neck as X wakes up.
#13 - View
Stars adorn the night sky, painting a positively idyllic picture, but Zero's favorite thing to see lies directly in front of him, clad in blue armor and holding on to the windowsill.
#14 - Music
"I just… really like this band," Zero says, shrugging as he hangs up a new poster, and X immediately makes a note to listen to their album as soon as he can so he can share this with Zero.
#15 - Silk
"Smooth as silk," X hums, fingers running through Zero's blond locks.
#16 - Cover
Zero doesn't hesitate when he pushes X to safety first, even when it's against the other Reploid's objections…
#17 - Promise
Not even when X reminds him of their promise to never let anything separate them again…
#18 - Dream
Because if only one of them can live, Zero wants X to have the chance to see the peaceful world he fought for for so long.
#19 - Candle
After facing Sigma for the fifth time, with grief fresh in X's heart, X takes to bringing a candle to Dr. Light's hologram every week, and the pair sit in contemplative silence.
#20 - Talent
"I used to think I was only good for destroying things… but you've taught me otherwise," Zero whispers to a sleeping X.
#21 - Silence
Every time X goes to Zero's room, the silence taunts him.
#22 - Journey
From Cyberspace, X watches Zero's journey come to an end, heart filled with a strange mixture of sorrow at the other's demise, and selfish joy at the realization that Zero is finally returning to him.
#23 - Fire
Fire can destroy, but it also brings warmth and hope, just like Zero.
#24 - Strength
X's small form is no match against the crushing strength of Vile's ride armor, and Zero feels his rage explode as Vile dares to lay a hand on a Reploid he isn't even worthy of sharing air with.
#25 - Mask
Zero knows when an "I'm okay" from X is the truth, and he knows when it's just a cover for X's deeper emotions.
#26 - Ice
"You'll never hurt Zero again, Sigma," X whispers, voice so frosty that he almost expects to be able to see the breath that carries the sound.
#27 - Fall
Zero has a bit too much fun catching X, enjoying the rare chance to make a show of his affection for the smaller Reploid.
#28 - Forgotten
"Here lies Zero: gone, but never forgotten," the tombstone reads, but it's incomplete, X thinks, without, "especially by X" or something similar underneath- something, anything to remind the world of the sacrifice Zero made for him.
#29 - Dance
Bodies press together, hands clasped, foreheads touching, deep contentment on their faces and soft whispers barely entering the air; so obvious is the couple's utter joy that Axl hates himself for the news he's about to deliver.
#30 - Body
"I don't care how many I have to destroy, Sigma- you were doomed the second you touched X!"
#31 - Sacred
Watching X's body explode from Elpizo's attack feels as devastating as watching the destruction of a holy temple…
#32 - Farewells
But feeling X's spirit fade away into Cyberspace is even worse…
#33 - World
And facing a world without Mega Man X is agony; a constant stream of salt flying into Zero's wounds.
#34 - Formal
"How the hell are you supposed to find a tux for a damned Reploid?" Zero groans, smacking his head against a wall.
#35 - Fever
"I didn't want to scare you," X says weakly, sinking into his bed.
#36 - Laugh
Zero doesn't do it easily or often, at least not since Iris, so every time X manages to coax that sound from him, it's a proud accomplishment.
#37 - Lies
"I'll never leave you again, X."
#38 - Forever
Every second one is without the other, it feels like a terrifying lifetime of bitter loneliness.
#39 - Overwhelmed
Zero never thought he'd hear someone say they loved him- just hearing those words for the first time makes him torn between laughing and crying.
#40 - Whisper
"Just relax, X… go back to sleep… no one will hurt you now…"
#41 - Wait
Even watching a purple cloud of Sigma Virus form over the Earth, X can't, won't, bring himself to seek shelter until he sees Zero safe and sound again.
#42 - Talk
"Captain X, Sir?" a young gofer says uncertainly, his report forgotten by X the instant Zero walked into the briefing room.
#43 - Search
Zero knows X well enough to know when to pull him off their search for survivors after the latest Maverick attacks.
#44 - Hope
"As long as I have this saber…" X whispers, reverently placing the blade in a new sheathe he made.
#45 - Eclipse
Grief hangs over X like a shadow that never goes away; like a black hole that won't let even a single photon escape…
#46 - Gravity
And the weight of it crushes X's soul until he doesn't think he has one anymore.
#47 - Highway
"How many more times, Zero?" X whispers, staring at the destruction in front of him.
#48 - Unknown
Zero isn't afraid of dying; he's only afraid of an uncertain future.
#49 - Lock
The better X gets at locking away his emotions, the more Zero starts to worry he's been a bad influence on X.
#50 - Breathe
Sometimes, X stops his respiration systems and stares at the sky, wondering if this is what Zero feels like all those years ago.