Chapter One: A Day in the life

2300 Hours, APE Coordinated Time

Mistilteinn, Cereuses.

Zorome was lying on his back, in the hands of Argentea, staring far into the night sky. It felt like early fall, or what counted for fall-ish weather in the artificial climate that enclosed them. A breeze just strong enough to chill the bones swept through the empty clearing where the Franxx were kept. Zorome was only wearing pajamas and a thick black overcoat emblazoned with the 13ths logo. His eyes traced the sky, marveling at the vastness of space, wondering if there was anyplace out there as beautiful and perfect as Mistilteinn.

It was quiet, almost unnervingly still, but it gave him time to think and dream. He traced the outline of Argentea in the sky, connecting the stars in ad-hoc constellations, adding the other Franxx as he went along, until he saw a mosaic in the sky. All of them together, it was all he ever wanted, even with Hiro back in the mix and his weirdo partner Zero-Two. Of course, becoming an adult would be even more awesome than hanging out with the other parasites. The adults all seemed to have such perfect lives, being able to come and go as they please, living and working with Papa, and most importantly, they got to be in love.

He wasn't exactly sure what this love thing was all about, but Zero-Two said something about caring really deeply for another person and them belonging to you. Zorome felt someway about that but he couldn't quite place it. He liked messing around with Futoshi, he really liked fighting Klaxosaurs in Argentea, and the girls…man that day at the beach was amazing. He wanted to go back and bask in the sun and splash around in the water again…and see…well, see the beach. Yeah, maybe he didn't understand it as much as it seemed Hiro did. Honestly it made him a little mad at the loser.

Killing Klaxosaurs was something he liked to do. Destroying those monsters always made him feel on top of his game; protecting the adults and humanity from those awful beasts. Becoming an adult like Hachi and Nana meant taking on every single one of them and being the undisputed Klaxosaur killing parasite champion! He was going to train harder than ever tomorrow so he could beat Hiro's kill count on their next mission. He was going to show them all up, even his own partner. He was going to show Miku just how much she needed to catch up to him, and not the other way around.

He felt the sting of Argentina's cold steel on his bare skin. It was beginning to get too cold for comfort. As he made his way down from his position perched in his Franxx hands, he grabbed the blades he'd cut down countless enemies with, "I swear were going to go be champions together". As he let go, he felt a sudden shock in his hands, at first they felt numb but than pleasant warmth came over them. He stuffed them in his coat pockets in order to keep them that way, and then quickly made his way back to the house, well aware he was violating the curfew big time.

0005 Hours, APE Coordinated Time

The boarding house, Cereuses.

Miku awoke in a cold sweat, with a searing pain in her hands that's seemed to vanish just as quickly as it came. It wasn't the first time either, in the last few weeks of fighting, that she had disturbing restless nights of sleep. Thankfully her roommate Kokoro was too much of a steadfastly deep sleeper to notice her nighttime troubles. She never got sick, and always felt better during the waking hours of the day, so it puzzled her as to why she was in the state she was. She decided to get up and take a short walk to the bathroom to freshen up and to the kitchen to get a snack.

She donned a pink striped robe and her bunny slippers and quietly slipped out of her room and headed down the hall to the girls bathroom. Having adjusted to the dark of night, and forgoing a candle, she could see clearly out the otherwise opaque windows to the central court as she walked along the hallway. She didn't give it too much thought until her heart skipped a beat when she saw something moving out of the bushes towards the house. "Holy shit!" she said as she instinctively ducked under the banner. After a second, she peered over the windowsill so she could assess the threat before she alerted the others for help fending off intruding Klaxosaurs. "Oh geez" she exclaimed when she saw what it really was lurking outside, "That fucking idiot nearly gave me a heart attack by violating the curfew" she continued, letting out a loud and rueful sigh. What on earth is Zorome doing outside at this hour? She thought to herself. Just then as she made her way to the central foyer, she heard the door open and then quietly shut. The boy's wing was on the other side of the house, so she wouldn't have to see him if she didn't want to, but her instincts told her to follow him a little longer.

When she peeked out from around the last corner before you entered the girl's wing, she once again confirmed it was Zorome, rather poorly dressed for the weather, slowly making his way up the stairs. As he came to the top of the stairs he stopped and turned to look at the girl's wing. Miku let out a quiet but still quite audible "eep!" as he looked directly at where her head had been peeking out only a second ago. However, she breathed a sigh of relief when after a while she heard his footsteps retreating further away.

Miku quickly made up for lost ground, hesitating only slightly when she crossed the sacred boundary into the boys wing which she and Zorome had fought so bitterly over when he had….She shivered at the thought of that dumb little boy looking at her that way. When she found Zorome again he was taking one last look out of the hall window opposite his bedroom door. He reached out his hand as if he were longing to be closer to someone, he held out an open hand before he closed it tightly into a fist. "Goodnight Argentea" he said before he finally turned in for the night.

Was that where he was in the middle of the night, with his Franxx? It seemed utterly silly to Miku, didn't they spend enough time in those iron beasts during battles and training? She turned around and marched back to the main foyer more confused than she had ever been about her partner. He never made any sense to her, ever since they were paired up. They had known each other since they were children, but she never thought of him as anything other than a brat. He wasn't mature like Goro, or broodingly attractive like Hiro, he was just Zoro. He was hers and for better or worse…often very worse…they killed a lot of Klaxosaurs together. That was it, the mission, she knew he didn't care who was with him as long as he got to ride, and she didn't particularly mind either way. Maybe she didn't need to understand Zorome to be a good parasite. Why waste time on a guy who's always going to confuse you, keep something from you. "Hmpf, well ill see that idiot at breakfast, if he's even alive at 730".

After she had a small snack, she went to the bathroom to clean off the sweat that had turned into a sticky and unpleasant mess. "Thank god Zorome didn't see me like this, I look awful, I hope he never sees me without my makeup on" she said into her mirror before cleaning up with a wet rag. It was almost one in the morning by the time she returned to her room to find Kokoro none the wiser, and pleasantly drooling onto her pillow. Miku smiled at her roommate; at least some people never do strange things at night she thought as she giggled to herself and got back under her covers. Who is that boy?

0730, APE Coordinated Time

The boarding house, Cereuses.

Zorome was the last to awaken and join the 13th at breakfast. As he slowly made his way into the dining room with a loud yawn, he barely registered the other occupants of the room.

"You look especially tired Zorome, bad nights rest?" asked Goro sipping on his coffee.

"You shouldn't neglect your rest, it'll make it hard to pilot if we get called out on a mission" chastised Ichigo.

"Yeah yeah, will you two quit your whining I'm just trying to eat, jeez" replied Zorome, annoyed as he sat down for some bread and jam.

"Some of us need our beauty rest, but I can see by the way you look, you didn't get any last night" teased Miku.

"What was that pinky? As if you're something to look at" Zorome retorted.

Miku stood up and slammed her hands down on the table, "What was that loser?"

Zorome got up and marched over to his auburn haired partner and looked her right in the eyes. "I said you're not very cute, meeekuuu" he said tauntingly.

"God, why was I cursed with as big a childish twerp as you are for a partner" she said, and with that, they both began incomprehensibly arguing with one another, wild errant hairs dueling like two swordsman locked in combat.

Their arguing would have continued all morning if it weren't for Hiro and Zero-Two entering the room, hands embraced, sitting down and beginning to feed each other food. "Say ahhh darling" said Zero-Two as Hiro made the requisite noises and was rewarded with a honey covered roll lovingly stuffed in his mouth by the love of his life.

"Awwww, I wish I had someone to feed me again" sighed Futoshi as he cast furtive glances as Ikuno. For her part, Ikuno couldn't be bothered by her new partners' old hang-ups and continued to read her book as if Futoshi hadn't said anything at all.

Mitsuru and Kokoro both looked at them with muted envy, but neither had figured out exactly why they felt that way.

Goro and Ichigo both politely cleared their throats but Zero-Two and Hiro didn't even register their small attempt at indicating how everyone was gawking at them in their own peculiar way.

Zorome and Miku were also both mesmerized by the gratuitous display being put on before them. As they looked on in wonder, they both slowly let go of each other's bodies that they were attempting to destroy. For a moment, they forgot about their squabbles and engaged in the only thing both of them loved, judging Hiro and his girlfriend.

"Doesn't it just disgust you" said Miku squinting her eyes evilly and grinding her teeth.

"Stop! Stop that you two…you're not supposed to…ugh" Zorome said taking his eyes off of the offending couple. "Partners aren't supposed to do that kind of thing!"

Zero-Two gave him a sly look "Oh is that so" she said as she got up and approached him. "And I suppose you never think about doing these things with Miku?" Zorome froze stock still and Zero-Two laughed and sat back down. As he turned to Miku, he saw nothing but fire burning in her eyes "I'd kill you" she deadpanned, Zorome gulped hard.

"My darling and I are just enjoying our time together, I suggest you all do the same" Said Zero-Two, "Come on darling, let's go for a walk" and with that she dragged Hiro out of the room. The rest of the room, pistils and stamen, spent the rest of breakfast quietly starring into their food for fear that even looking at the opposite sex would get them labeled a pervert.

1400 Hours, APE Coordinated Time

The Boarding House, Cereuses.

"Those two were in rare form today, don't you think?" said Ikuno dryly.

"I know it's nothing, but I can't help but feel their animosity will affect the mission one day" replied Ichigo.

"That's the officer in you Ichigo, always seeing things from 10,000 feet, instead of 10 inches".

Ichigo crossed her arms, "Of course I have to worry about the partnerships, Mitsuru and you got along so well it almost destroyed the team" she said as a sly grin tugged at her lips.

Ikuno looked away, "That was none of my doing; Futoshi is a more than capable Stamen" she said trying to avoid the ribbing she knew she was in store for.

They walked down the hallway towards the library, looking for some quiet place to waste away the days they spent without going on a mission. An occurrence which had become more and more frequent as the specter of a large operation loomed on the horizon.

"Do you feel it, Ikuno?" asked Ichigo pensively.

"What" she replied curiously?

"The bonds that Zero-Two talked about? Like the one she has with Hiro, do you ever feel anything like that?"

Ikuno sat on the question, thinking for a bit. Not noticing the growing anxiety in her friend as she didn't answer for a long while. "No" she replied strongly, startling Ichigo with her sudden break in silence, "nothing like them".

Ichigo breathed out a deep sigh, "That's a relief; at least I can count on you to not develop any strange hang-ups". A smile began to spread on her cheeks.

Ikuno glanced at her feet for a while as they walked, trying to avoid Ichigo's gaze "And who is developing a hang-up?"

"Them of course" she replied tersely. "Zorome and Miku have always fought, and always been reliable teammates, but something is changing with them". She continued furrowing her brow.

Ikuno mulled it over in her head. She often got a glimpse of the action from the back of the stage. Quiet and a little nondescript, she frequently saw the subtle gestures and lingering gazes that most thought went unnoticed as the attention lie elsewhere. Zorome and Miku were no exception. They were always loud and at each other's throat, but they shared a commiseration for the longings and desires of others. Whenever the subject of the future or togetherness came up, Zorome almost invariably looked to Miku first. Miku didn't often show affection for Zorome, but never indicated a desire to be partners with anyone but him, even when she had every opportunity to do so.

"Ikuno, are you alright? Have I lost you?" asked Ichigo after what seemed like countless minutes of silence.

Ikuno felt slightly embarrassed at her aloofness, lost in thought as she was, and tried her best to hide it. "Ah sorry, I was just thinking about your question", she paused "No, they don't seem to feel any different for each other than they always have".

"Ah well that's a relief, now I've just got to whip Hiro and Zero-Two into shape" she said with a hint of enthusiasm in her voice.

Ikuno laughed, she couldn't help herself, it was the only way to conceal her true feelings. She didn't like lying to Ichigo…well; she didn't like keeping all the facts from Ichigo. After all, she hadn't said anything that wasn't true, Zorome and Miku had always had deep hidden feelings for one another, they just did a really bad job at showing it. And in her estimation, that hadn't changed today, or yesterday, and wasn't going to happen tomorrow either. She couldn't bother Ichigo with all that detail if she hadn't noticed herself already; she had too much going on with the team's missions and APE to deal with them right now.

2000 Hours, APE Coordinated Time

Goro's Room, Cereuses.

"This low operations tempo is starting to get a little dull don't you think?" asked Goro openly.

"Hmm, I do miss piloting Strelizia with Zero-Two, but we've gotten to have so many good times together lately, it's hard to want to go back to fighting, even if it is our duty" replied Hiro musingly.

Goro thought along similar lines, "Last time we were in serious combat, I was stuck in that giant exploding jellyfish, if it wasn't for Ichigo I would have been toast" he said as he chuckled at the memory, which had become a fond one for him.

"If it wasn't for you, Ichigo might have been toast"

Goro let out a sigh as he rested his head on his arms behind him like a pillow, "I guess you're right, I was so afraid we might both lose our lives that I just had to save her" he paused, "Looking back she was right to yell at me, I never rely on her like I should".

It was silent for a bit. "We're not like you and Zero-Two; we don't depend on each other like that".

"I think she depends on you more than you know Goro" replied Hiro, "she's always trying to keep the team together, but you're the only one who tries to keep her together".

Goro couldn't say anything; he couldn't think or feel anything at the moment. Hiro didn't know what he'd said to Ichigo that day, how much relief he'd felt to get it out, but how much dread he felt letting it linger day after day. They'd just continued on with their lives, albeit with a few more awkward silences and furtive glances. He couldn't say he hated it entirely though, just seeing her cheeks light up red with a hint of embarrassment when those awkward encounters did happen made him smile.

Eager to change the subject he brought up the latest inMistilteinn gossip. "Zero-Two really gave it to Zorome today didn't she?"

Hiro laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "yeah, she is as straight forward and uninhibited as always. She knows so much more about the world than we do. Even if she says it in her own blunt way, I think she's right, we should all be with who we want to be with before it's too late".

"Yeah, but I think their time spent training in Argentea is more than enough togetherness for the both of them" Said Goro with a laugh.

"And you and Ichigo?" replied Hiro, trying to set his roommate back on his own issues.

"Wah? Of course we enjoy each other's company, I would never want to be without Ichigo, or any of you for that matter" protested Goro.

Hiro shook his head seeing as he was not going to make any more progress than he already had. "I'm going to go draw with Zero-Two in her room for a bit, I'll try not to disturb you when I come back".

Goro gave him an affirmative head nod, and said his good nights to Hiro, thankful for the chance to be alone with his thoughts.

Suddenly he sat upright just as Hiro was leaving the room, "Hey Hiro!" he said urgently. Hiro turned around and poked his head back into their shared room, "yeah?" he replied.

Goro scratched the back of his head and had a sheepish grin on his face, "Drawing doesn't mean anything more than it sounds like right?" he teased.

This time it was Hiro's face that turned red in embarrassment. "Goro!" he yelled and slammed the door shut, "Zero-Two and I aren't like that" he protested.

As he heard Hiro storm down the hall, Goro turned over to go to sleep and pulled the blankets over himself. He had the widest smile you could imagine on his face and his heart felt light as he drifted off into deep slumber.

(a/n) Thanks for Reading, this is my first written fan fiction, although I have read them for many years. I am excited to try my hand at writing in this (so far) small community. Would love all the tips you have to offer. See you next time!