100 days of azure

Note to readers: Due to some restrictions of posting on my account PhailedNDA, I don't feel comfortable publishing stories with romance/slight adult themes under that account. I'll be using this account to post stories with things I'm not too keen on sharing with certain people. Posting a story with some suggestive themes would likely get me punished by my teacher, who just so happens to read some of my works on that account, but doesn't actually check Borderlands Fanfiction posted by others.

Note to tumblr readers: I'll do some fanfiction which will be posted exclusively on tumblr if I don't feel like posting on , so look out for that.

Day One

The first time Zero met Maya, the first thing he noticed was her eyes. Those azure eyes of hers seemed to be following his every move, her questioning gaze piercing through his armor. He could tell she was curious and stubborn, and it was highly likely that these traits would get her killed before she could even react.

"The name's Maya. Siren." She introduced herself, extending her right hand towards him, with her left hand on her pistol. He stole a suspicious glance at her outstretched hand before looking up to meet her gaze. However, instead of curiosity, as she had displayed previously, her azure eyes seemed wary and cautious, full of pride.

"Zero." He simply said, grasping her hand firmly and giving it a light shake, pulling away hastily. He wasn't one for friendliness.

Could the siren be trusted?

There was something about her gaze that made him uneasy. She had a way of looking at him which was somewhat discomforting. He could not discern if she was thinking of the best way to murder him, or wondering what was under that mask of his. Whatever the reason, he wasn't going to take any chances.

"Your curiosity will be the end of you, Ma-ya," Zero said smugly, turning to face her. Maya's eyes instantly shut, and she put on her prideful gaze once more.

"Who said I was watching you?" She snapped, folding her arms and walking up to him, staring him down.

"I never mentioned watching," He added arrogantly, a ';)' emoticon appearing on his visor. Maya turns her gaze to the ground, and he swore he could see a blush creeping up her cheeks, turning her face a rather amusing shade of red.

Zero wished they got the chance to finish that conversation, for the next thing they knew, they were being attacked by robots and the man who had hired them.

Day 10

It'd been nine days since they'd met on that train (or as Axton preferred to call it, their Ride to Destiny) and their relationship was an odd one. Zero would often catch Maya watching him, but would deny doing so. He would often tease her about this, much to her discomfort. It was amusing to embarrass her, especially when she blushed. Not that he liked making her blush- Especially not because he found her attractive when she blushed. Perhaps he considered this a challenge? Or perhaps it was a means of entertaining himself?

Thinking about it made him nervous sometimes, so he preferred not to. Thinking too much was harmful, he concluded.

He'd often sleep for four hours a day, as the scientists who'd experimented on him had wanted to ensure he could spend more time training rather than resting. At exactly 2:03 a.m. in the morning, he had woken to the creaking of wooden planks. It was just Axton, who had awoken to piss in the ocean. Claptrap's boat, while sturdy and reliable, lacked proper amenities such as a toilet or a kitchen, so the vault hunters would often resort to doing their business in the sea and Salvador would catch fishes to cook.

Zero yawned beneath his mask, and concluded that he was fully-rested, pushing his sheets aside to walk out to the front of the ship, where he would perhaps find peace by watching the waves as they crashed into the side of their boat. Meditation was a good way for him to exercise his patience, which would surely aid in future contracts. He leans against the side of the ship and shuts his eyes, hoping to drain out Salvador's snoring. The snoring finally stops, but there was a new disturbance. Someone was watching him, and he could only assume it was Maya.

"Still staring?" He asked, grinning under the mask. She doesn't respond, but instead shuts her eyes, hoping he'll think she never was.

"I know you're awake." He added, and she sighs. What in Pandora made her think she could fool an assassin?

She rubs her eyes and sits up, giving him that prideful gaze.

Zero can't quite understand why she'd try to intimidate him that way, but then he realizes- maybe finding out the reason behind that gaze would be the perfect challenge.

Day 50

Over the past few weeks, Zero had made an observation.

Maya would blush and stutter when he was around her. He was an assassin, not a psychologist, so his most reliable assumption was that his presence intimidated her- good.

Once, just to toy with her, he'd pinned her to a wall, with his hands on either side of her face and began to question why she spent such a great amount of her time staring at him. For that, he'd gotten her to blush crimson red, and despite not having gotten an answer out of her, he found her response oddly… nerving. Instead of that prideful gaze of hers, her azure pupils were fleeting about uncertainly, refusing to meet his amused gaze.

"Zero, you stupid flirt." She hissed under her breath as beads of sweat trailed down her forehead. She left hurriedly, rushing off elsewhere before he could retaliate. He was not sure how such an act could be considered flirting. It was merely a test.

From this, he could infer that proximity did in fact affect the intensity of her blush- yet another exciting observation which would surely aid him in this strangely addictive game.

Day 55

In just a few days, Maya seemed to have caught on to his antics and very soon, seemed to have joined the game as well. Her participation made the game an even greater challenge, and Zero welcomed her.

It had become a fight for dominance, a game to see whose actions would impact the other the greatest. Quite soon, Zero was not the only one making observations. While he had observed how his winking emoticon brought her great discomfort, she had noticed how his visor was actually mimicking his real expressions. For instance, when a smiling emoticon popped up, he was too, smiling under that mask. The emoticon (=_=) became something she would look out for.

The previous day, he had sat opposite her at Moxxi's and confronted her yet again about her gaze, and had unknowingly thrown in some rather… nerving comments. He ended off with a wink, which to his delight, had once again made her blush.

Today, it was her turn. Maya watched as Zero cleared out the battlefield with a chain of headshots from his sniping rifle, waiting for her chance to strike. Once the last marauder had his brains blown out, she approached him.

"Nice shot." She commented, arching her body to the side with a hand on her hip and another dangling loosely by her side.

Zero gulped.

"May I try?" She asked, batting her eyelashes and grinning. He nodded, and turned his face away, but for a split second she swore she saw that emoticon flash. Bingo.

She walked up to him, her body just centimeters away from his and pulled the rifle out of his grasp. She bent down, intentionally brushing her hips against his, which made him take a step back. Only then he began to take notice of things he hadn't bothered to notice prior to her participation. He noticed how smooth her skin was, how her tattoos were so complementing on her skin. He noticed how every curve of her hips was perfect. Not to mention that he found her ass quite a lovely sight.

Once she was done, she handed it back to him, wrapping an arm around his neck and with her lips grazing the side of his helmet, whispered, "I win."

Zero wondered what she meant, but with a quick glance down, he understood what she'd meant.

As a siren, she had the upper hand.

Day 80

Zero had let Maya get under his skin. Literally. He had let her remove his mask, and her lips were dangerously close to his. He needed to get a grip and fight the emotions that were threatening to ensure his loss in their game.

He wasn't at all enjoying how she was using her body to her advantage, but being a siren, it was somewhat expected.

"Another win for me," She breathed onto his lips, trailing a finger down his chest and pressing her body into his.

Damnit.

Day 90

He was losing to her, and he needed to act fast. It was his turn today, and he sure as hell wasn't going to give up now.

She had already seen him under the mask, so he guessed it was useless to wear it when they were alone. In fact, it gave him an advantage.

He had her pinned to a wall once more, with one of his hands in her back pocket, and another the left of her face. He lowered his face to her neck and let out a warm breath, causing her breathing to quicken, and he could have sworn he heard her let out a soft moan.

He backed off to watch her smugly, and with his lips to the corners of her mouth, he laughed.

"I win."

Day 100

Maya had decided to end the game. She realized she was addicted. Zero had entirely consumed her thoughts and she found herself staring at him more intensely. In fact, she often looked forward to the days whereby he was in charge.

At night, she found herself on the balcony of the crimson Raider's HQ, remembering how Roland had once, been here with Lilith, and they'd been able to escape reality in each other's embrace.

In the back of her head, she found herself wishing Zero was her Roland.

"Not exactly the most unexpected of hiding places." Zero chuckled with his mask on this time, catching her by surprise.

"You've been avoiding me." He said, moving to stand next to her, leaning against the railings. His voice lacked the confidence and flirty tone which he often used when it was his turn.

"Who says I've been avoiding you?"

"Maya, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

"Just shut up."

"Why should I?"

"Please."

"I'm not leaving."

"It's you, okay, Zero? It's you." She finally responds, turning to face him. He sees it's truly her, and not the Maya who was seductive or would do whatever she could to win the game.

"I'm facing the consequences of our game, and now I can't even think straight. It's all because of you!" She screams, and only realizes what she's said once she presses her lips together.

Maya hears something fall to the ground, and she realizes Zero has removed the helmet, smiling at her- smiling sincerely.

He notices she's begun to cry, and he places a hand on her shoulder. Before she has time to say anything, he's lowered his lips to hers and she shuts her eyes. This is unlike any kiss she's ever had over the past hundred days- it's sincere, and not for the sake of winning the game.

Zero pulls back, and she opens her azure eyes, wiping away the tears with the back of her palm.

"You win." Zero says, and for once, Maya doesn't seem to care about the game.

A/n: Hope you all enjoyed, and leave a review if you're on , or favourite if on tumblr! (You can favourite if you're on come to think of it, but don't bother following, since this is another oneshot.)