Nine.

He irritates me to no end. And ever since he…ugh, I don't even want to think about it. That headstrong, jumping into situations without thinking, stupid idiot. An idiot whose courage can boost everyone's morale. Even though he's a slacker, Class Zero needs someone like him. There is only so much a class president can do.

Idiot, idiot, idiot. Why am I thinking about this?

Still, I can't believe he stole my first kiss.

I shouldn't be thinking about this. I need to be training. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

And true to his thoughts, he never let her live it down. Queen had never forgotten. Neither did he. And true to her word, they had found themselves on the training ground, his Holy Lance versus her Mythril Saber. He had the advantage with the length of his lance, but she had flexibility to work around it.

King had given them the countdown.

On three, both Nine and Queen leapt into the fight. Nine charged with his weapon, his holy lance out and ready to strike. Queen bolted for him, her weapon at her side. When he was within range, Nine thrust his weapon forward with all his weight, aiming at her arm as a warning shot, but he was deflected. She raised the flat side of her blade to block the attack.

He gasped.

And in his moment of hesitation, she shoved him back with all her strength. He staggered backward, clutching his lance. When he glanced back up, she no longer stood before him. Nine glanced around him, his hunter's eyes searching for his target. Her footsteps were light, but with the sand beneath their feet, if he listened, he could-

"You're wide open, idiot!"

He had spun around in time to see her come down at him with her saber. Nine blocked with the pole of his lance. They stared, face-to-face, teeth gritting as they were at a stalemate.

"Guess you're faster than I thought, idiot."

That was her favorite insult to use on him. Idiot. Nothing more, nothing less. He liked being a thorn at her side – something no one else dared to do. It was fun to push her buttons. He had thought about what Rem had said – did he really have feelings for Queen? Damn, he must have.

From the first time they were all placed in Class Zero, he acted like this toward her. Even though he flirted with every other girl, he had treated her differently. Opposite attract, right? There was obvious tension between them. After all, there had to be a reason why she couldn't keep her eyes off his lips.

"Still thinking about it, Queen?"

"About what, Nine?"

"Oh you know, the kiss we shared in the library."

She refused to acknowledge that kiss. Queen refused to be happy about her first kiss. It had been stolen by the class idiot! Nine, of all people! She hardly pictured her first kiss to be from the class idiot and flirt. He irritated her. He knew no bounds. He knew how to push her buttons with a few words.

Nine could see that she was in denial. That was just the kind of person she was. She could see problems with others, but noticing situations involving herself – she was clueless. She treated Nine himself differently as well – the same way he did to her. She would be stricter when it came to academics, enforcing tutoring hours. She would never pair him up with any of the other girls in Class Zero – just with her with the excuse of having to keep an eye on him.

Liar.

"Admit it, Queen. There's something between us. And you know it." He teased.

For half a second, she hesitated. Nine noticed it and smirked to himself, but his victory was short-lived. The pressure against his lance was gone. With a blink of an eye, she had moved.

Etro!

Where did she go?

"I suppose you say that to every girl, don't you? Don't you?" She charged at him from the side, her saber raised. She was fast; he almost didn't see her coming at him from the corner of his eye. She had utilized his blind spot. He didn't have time to raise his lance and defend himself. And he was an idiot. He never needed speed since he always had a long reach. Stupid idea. Nine cried out in agony when the silver blade cut through the fabric of his uniform, through the first layer of skin.

Blood splattered from the open wound, staining Queen's weapon, the front of their uniforms and her face, glasses included.

"No. Just you." Nine muttered as he fell the ground. His holy lance hit the ground before he did. There was an open wound on his chest, blood oozing out. His vision slowly blacked out.

When Queen finally came to, the healers were taking him away.

She looked at her bloodied hands and jumped back, dropping her saber in the process. Red stains obscured her vision. She stepped backward, bumping into King who wrapped his arms around his fellow classmate's shoulders. Only then did she realize what she had done.

"Queen—" As King began to speak, Queen tore away from his embrace and ran off the other direction, leaving her weapon at the training ground. She knew what she had done. Anything King said to comfort her would not excuse her crime. It was becoming harder for her to walk. By the time she got to her dorm room, she was doing the dead man's walk, dragging her feet and her head held down. Anyone who knew her always complimented her good posture; this was different. This was not her.

She managed to enter her room and shut the door with a slam. She dragged herself over to her bed, removed her glasses and gently placed them on her desk beside her bed. Queen then undid her uniform top and hung it on her deskchair before doing the same with her skirt. She was left in her spandex shorts and a plain tank when she slipped into bed.

Her dark eyes stared at her ceiling in silence. Her hands were still bloody. She should have washed up before going to bed, but it was too late now. Under her covers, she curled into a ball and wept. She had failed. Queen had failed and put herself down because of it.

He was struck by a blade. He was cut by a sword. He was wounded by a well-aimed attack from a mythril saber. He was injured by my hands. Nine got hurt because of me. And therefore, I've failed. I'm assigned the name Queen as a reflection of my duties. I am to protect and guide my classmates, not hurt them. And I've hurt him. I'm not supposed to hurt him! I'm supposed to protect him, keep him safe, but I didn't.

I just…lost control. I just let my anger run free. It clouded my judgment. And my saber actually cut through his coat, nicking the skin of his chest. Oh damned fal'Cie, what more would I have done if I hadn't regained control then?

I'm scared.

I'm so scared.

I think I would have killed him.

For the next week, the incident was all they talked about. Queen just wanted it to end. It was bad enough that she was tormenting herself over it. She hadn't dared to touch her weapon after that. King had to return it to her the day after the incident, all polished and unstained by blood. She merely told him to leave it in her closet.

She avoided touching her saber. Another thing she avoided was him – which was easier done than said. Three days, he didn't appear in class. Queen was tense during that time, often snapping orders in training sessions and showing up without her saber. And the moment Nine returned in his disheveled glory on the fourth day, she fell silent until he sat.

Two words were caught in her throat. Her fists clenched. She couldn't bring herself to apologize then and there. For days, guilt ate at her. She would hardly eat. She would hardly speak unless it was to answer any questions or to bark out orders. She would never duel Jack, Rem or Machina when they asked for a few pointers.

She was afraid to pick up her own saber.

"She's not acting like herself." She heard Ace say to Nine. Those two have been speaking a lot more. She's noticed.

Fal'cie, she was even afraid to look at him. She could feel his eyes bear holes into her back. Eidolons would have to giver her strength to overcome this.

"She probably thinks she did nothing wrong." Nine said with a sneer.

Instant guilt-trip.

She had flinched quite badly. Her grip on her pencil slipped, then the said instrument clattered to the floor. Her breathing was uneven. She didn't even want to think about it. She didn't even want to pick up the pencil as the bell rang. Moving chairs and footsteps rang in her ears as she remained sited. It was normal for her to be the last to leave, but with a heavy heart, she held her hands together and stared at her desk.

He was wrong.

Nine assumed incorrectly.

She knew she did something wrong.

This was day seven.

Today was the seventh day she beat herself up over it. It had been a week since the incident. And she couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh, so Her Majesty's finally come down from her throne."

When she summoned enough courage to go talk to him, it was already nightfall, but she hardly cared. If she knew she had to do something, she would get it done. When she had knocked, he opened the door without even asking who it was. It was as if he knew, as if he had been expecting her for some time now. With a neutral face and his flaunting the fact he was only wearing pants, he taunted her. Queen quickly averted her gaze away from him to regain her composure. Even then, after what happened, he still managed to push all the right buttons.

"Nine—"

He cut her off as he found his seat on his bed. "And what does Her Majesty wish to tell me?"

Queen stepped into his room with a heavy sigh, closing the door behind her. Her eyes were downcast, avoiding his gaze. Her fists clenched as she folded her arms over her chest, guarding herself. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

Nine snapped his head up, slightly smirking. "What was that?"

He totally heard her the first time. Queen clenched her fists harder until one of her knuckles cracked. "I said I'm sorry for hurting you. I-I lost control."

"Save the loss of control for actual combat. You're just as strong as they say." He gestured toward his chest. "And just letting you know, it hurt."

A sigh of relief was in order. And Queen was glad to finally get that off her chest. "I know. That's why I'm sorry."

"It's out of character for you to apologize like this."

"Well, when you tear yourself apart over something like this, then you tend to do things you wouldn't normally do." She mumbled before changing the subject. "Let me see the wound."

"It's healing nicely – thanks to the mages."

"Let me see it."

"Wait, Queen." He grunted as red began to seep through the gauze wrapped around his chest. Guess his sudden movement reopened the wound. She rushed to his side and placed her fingertips over the red-stained gauze. A warm light left her healing hands and flowed into his body, closing the wound up again.

Nine had known her magical capabilities were top-notch, but had never seen it for himself. She had casted Curaga with ease. Even Rem and Ace were still having issues with the third-level healing spell. He wondered if she could cast Curaja at this point.

"You know if I was never placed into Class Zero, I would have trained to be a medic." She began to explain. All the while, her fingertips were absentmindedly tracing the outline of his chest. Something in him reacted to her touch. With a groan, Nine raised an eyebrow. Was she aware of what she was doing to him?

Rem was completely right. He was into her – shit, Etro, he needed to change the subject before he got off. He caught her wrist before she could continue to tease him.

"That would have been a waste. Although you're a good healer, your strength lies elsewhere. You're a capable leader." He remarked, his eyes traced the outline of her fingertips. How he wanted to kiss them. No. No. No. He had to return to the conversation.

"A leader who asks too much of her comrades." She retorted.

"Because you know we are capable of the tasks you give us." Nine responded, hoping she would not break his hold.

And she didn't. "Smarter than I originally thought."

"You have to give me some credit." Nine had to thank all the fal'cies for his luck. Only then did he try to push it. He slowly sat up and lessened the distance between their faces.

"Don't you dare." Queen blushed, recalling the last time his face was within the same proximity.

"And dare I do." He chuckled. "You're just afraid to lose all control. And there has to be another reason why you're here at this late hour. Chickening out, Queen?"

Queen felt her eyes widen as his statement. And as of that moment, she did not want to deal with it. It was too late at night. She quickly rose from where she sat at the edge of his bed. "I have to go now."

"Why?" There was a mocking tone in his voice. "About to lose control again?"

"This is serious. This can turn into a point of no return." Queen hissed. She was ready to leave. Her apology was said and done, but she wanted to stay. Her fingertips craved the feeling of his chest. Fal'cie dammit, she was not attracted to this idiot. She did not want his body.

And fal'cie dammit, she was in denial.

She mentally cursed herself out as she readied to twist the door open. Nine's next words surprised her.

"We'll be soldiers soon enough. We could be alive one day and die the next. Take your pleasures while you can and when you can, right? For us, that should be logical."

Queen refused to respond.

Nine smirked at her silence. "I think I had you at logical, didn't I?"

"What makes you say that?" She retorted rather flustered.

"I just assumed."

"And you know what they say about assumptions: they make an ass out of you and me."

"Wait, Queen—"

She had begun to walk to his door only to have him get up and wrap his arms around her shoulders, effectively stopping her. Queen tensed under this physical contact. It was his rock-hard, bandage-covered chest against her clothed back. She could feel his toned abs against the curve of her back.

Etro damn Nine and his assumptions. She would never want him to know that he could possibly be right. And Etro damn hormones. This felt better than touching them. Her back arched into him – to feel more of him. Stupid body betraying her mind, she mentally screamed.

"I-I know you're afraid of losing control. And you're even more afraid now since the accident we were involved in, but I swear if you ever lose control again, I'll be there." He paused to hug her tighter, burying his face in her hair, his breathing tickling the back of her neck. Queen had tensed up even more as she was not used to such a situation. Slowly she had begun to relax when she grew used to his touch. When she fully relaxed, Nine continued to speak. "You don't have to take on the world alone. And it's okay to lose control and make a mistake. I forgive you. It's okay."

All fell quiet.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Queen could hear her heart beating and her blood rushing to her cheeks. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She knew she should probably leave, but she did not want to. Etro damn her hormones a million times over.

"It's okay. Act on a teenage's whim once in a while." He encouraged, tucking some of her hair back behind her ear.

And for a moment, she snapped back into her class president persona. "Peer pressure, Nine?"

"You're a challenge. I like that." He whispered into her right ear. And Queen suddenly gasped as he tenderly nipped at her ear, his tongue tracing its curve. The class representative let out a little gasp, blushing deeply as he continued down her ear, lightly kissing down the side of her neck, down to the base. With uneven puffs of breath, Queen bit her lip hard, holding back another gasp. She could feel him smirking against her bare skin.

Her fal'Cie freaking hormones were going to betray her. And Nine knew it too.

She could have broken away, slapped him across the face and left. She could have. She would have, but she did not. She should have left, but she did not.

His lips trailed back up her neck, leaving kisses and only stopping at the side of her lip. She could catch the scent on his breath now; it smelled of cherry-flavored, anti-biotic elixirs. His hands drifted down to her waist, remaining in generally neutral areas, and his hold on her loosening. He was merely testing her. And she wasn't pushing him away.

Her legs were turning into mush underneath her.

It wasn't like she couldn't push him away.

It was just that she didn't want to push him away anymore.

He left a kiss beside her lips. Queen reached up and around to touch his face. "Take your pleasures while you can, huh?"

"Mhm." Nine replied, halting his assault on her neck. Queen then broke away from his hold, turning around to face him. Her hands caressed his cheeks.

"I suppose one time won't be so bad." She said, tiptoeing to reach him. Her left hand touched his stray bangs, playing with them. A small smile crossed her lips.

Her smile was contagious. He couldn't help but smile too. He leaned in to fill in the gap. "I did have you at logical."

"Shut up." She retorted.

Swiftly, Nine leaned in even more, pressing his lips to hers once more. His hands returned to her waist, pulling her body against him. She trembled under his touch. They pulled away for a breath of air. Queen's face was flushed, her glasses askew as she moved her hands away from his chest, trailing them down his chest and around to his back, resting them on his shoulder blades.

Nine chuckled at her flushed cheeks. Queen rolled her eyes at him before tiptoeing for another kiss. He met her halfway. This time, Nine drew an outline of her lips with his tongue, seeking entrance. Gasping, Queen jumped at this, but Nine's embrace held her in place.

Against their kiss, he laughed at her. In response, a growl left her throat. Was that a challenge? In a moment, tongues clashed. The temperature grew hotter. Nine's hands found themselves on her cape and unclasped it, causing it to fall from her shoulders and onto the floor. Next, he fumbled around the buckles of her uniform top as he tilted his head, changing the angle and deepening the kiss.

Queen's fingers traced the curve of his abs, encouraging him. Nine placed his hands on her shoulders, peeling off the first layer of clothing, revealing a plain tank top. A cold rush of air came at her, causing her to shudder and to cling to Nine's body. Nine's lips left hers, moving down to the base of her neck, kissing, licking and sucking on the sensitive patch of skin.

"You're not as boring to look at as most guys would think." He mumbled against her, referring to the curves she's hidden from everyone else.

"And you're everything all the girls typically want." She replied, running her fingers through his hair. "In all honesty, I didn't think I'd get this kind of attention from someone like you."

"A little cliché, isn't it?" Nine sucked harder, biting, causing Queen to grip him harder. She whined as he left his mark on her. Etro, he was going to get a scolding from her about it, but for right now, Queen closed her eyes and enjoyed it. As he continued his ministrations, Nine took several steps back and sat down on his bed. Queen snapped her eyes open and looked down at him. "Here it is, Your Majesty. The point of no return."

He extended his hand.

Her heart pounded against her chest. Blood rushed through her veins. Queen was Queen. And she always finished what she started. Always. She took that step forward and took his hand into hers. As he closed his hand around hers, Nine pulled her toward him, making him lean back into the bed as she fell on top of him.

He laughed, flustering Queen even more.

"Have you ever done this before?" She snapped.

"No, Your Majesty." He kissed her cheek. "You'd be the first."

"That's hard to believe." She said, struggling to sit up properly, but Nine held her by the waist, preventing her from doing so. She squirmed under his kisses, shifting to find a comfortable position to sit in. In the end, he had heaved her onto his lap, causing her to straddle him. Her face heated up as she squirmed to close her legs, but Nine's grip on her prevented her from doing so. She could feel a growing hardness under her. Her blush deepened as she realized he was getting off by this situation.

"Always so prim and proper." Nine commented, fingering the hem of her skirt. "Of course, you're the queen, but that won't mean anything here." He pressed kisses on her lips, leaving her wanting more as he slowly tugged on her skirt. Her hands drifted down to his belt-buckle. She slowly and painfully undid the buckle while Nine's fingertips tickled her bare skin. It was pure torture on both ends.

When she stood, her skirt fell from her waist. And the rest was a blur. Her glasses had fallen on the other side of the bed. Her top lay forgotten near his pants. Their underwear thrown across the room, near the door. Her favorite hairclip was lost in the mess on the floor; he had promised to buy her a new one of the same color if they couldn't find it. Her hair was sprawled over his pillow, giving him a different view of her. He sort of liked her hair that way. Speaking of hair, his own hair was getting drenched by his sweat, his bangs clinging to the side of his face as he did all the work.

Bare-backed, Nine laid over her, goading her for reactions. His hands roamed her body. His burning touch left her wanting more. Her nails left marks where she gripped onto him, bucking against him. The friction between them grew as their movements became less calculated, less timed and more ragged, more desperate.

Love bites were marked their necks. With every kiss she gave, she would mutter apologies into his mouth. Her fingers ran along the gauze that bound the wound she gave him. His teeth ravaged her breast, teasing the other with a free hand as he filled her completely. He had broken her moments before, eased into it, but she still cried out in pain. He had kissed her tears away and held her tight. She was so strong. And to see her so vulnerable, face contorted with pain, he didn't want to cause her any more pain so he had gone so painfully slow, but now it was a different story.

Now, he didn't want to stop. Neither did she.

"Queen, why so submissive?" He taunted, licking a taut breast, earning a moan from her. "That's not like you. That's not how I pictured this would be." Thrusting in and out of her, he watched her tremble beneath him, her eyes rolling back with pleasure, her lips curving into an 'o' shape.

She was the strongest chess piece. She had the power. He knew she had it in her, but would she do it? Would she overpower him? At this rate, he had the power, but she could turn it all around.

He brought his face to hers, slowing his thrusts. His primary reason was to tick her off, to see how much she wanted it; and his secondary being not wanting to release so quickly. He smirked at her before teasing her ear with his tongue. With a sudden gasp, her eyes then fluttered open, impatience flashing in them.

"Nine." She half-whined, half-scolded. Now there was the Queen he knew.

"Come on, Queen. This isn't like you. Take some control. I like it when you do."

Nine then rolled them over so she was on top. She gasped as he hit a sensitive spot, one he hadn't previously reached before. That was new. Now she had control of everything.

"You are the most confusing idiot I've ever met." She remarked, towering over him. Her lips crushed his, but when he reacted into the kiss, she pulled away. Unsure of what to do, she ground their hips together. Nine sucked in a deep breath, muttering a curse and biting down on his lower lip. His hands gripped her hips once more, thrusting up into her. She lowered her face to his, kissing the scar on his face – the scar she didn't give him, the one he's always had. Her warm breath on his face drove him insane.

"H-h-hey, slow down." He pleaded.

She enjoyed the feel of him. And he loved feeling her around him. The warmth within them was growing until they reached their highest peak. With a great sigh, Queen stopped and slumped over him. He thrust into her a few more times. She responded with a soft moan. They was tired after their climax and highly sensitive too. Rolling over until they were on the sides, he kissed her cheek and fell asleep.

She stirred when morning's first light broke through the window. Her body ached all over, even in places she had never expected. Her vision was foggy, but thankfully, she was near-sighted. She scooted over the edge of the bed, straining her neck to find her clothes. An arm had wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to another source of heat.

"I told you I'd still be here if you lost control." He grumbled. It seemed he was a light sleeper, stirring the moment she had shifted away from him. Being such a sleeper was helpful considering they were to be soldiers quite soon.

"You provoked me to do it." She punched his shoulder with her right fist as she sat up, tugging one of Nine's bed sheets to cover her naked breasts with her free hand.

"Provoking because there was some feelings there!" And Nine was thankful that there was nothing within reach that she could use to hurt him.

She wasn't listening to him. "And then, in the middle of it all, you wanted me to-"

"What? It's hot when a woman takes control in bed." He chuckled. "You have to admit: you had fun."

"Nine." Her voice was dangerously low, her glare active, but he wasn't scared. In fact, he was getting turned on by it.

"And it's even hotter when a woman with glasses takes control. You have that hot librarian look about you." Nine noted, playing strands of her long hair lingering on her shoulder.

Shaking her head, she merely punched his shoulder once more. "No, you just have a glasses fetish."

"No, I'm just attracted to you."

"Ha ha, you're funny." She mumbled, sarcasm dripping from her words. Queen turned her back on him, burying her face in his pillow.

"It's always the people like you."

That caught her attention. Queen rolled back over to face him. "Excuse me?"

"The ones that nobody expects: the class presidents, the smarter ones. You know, no one expects them to be good in bed, but you proved that theory wrong. You're a quick learner."

"It's called improvisation." She tried to playing it off, attempting to brush it off. "You should try it some time."

There was a shuffling of bedsheets. Nine had sat up, placing a hand on her covered lap. "Educate me then, Queen. We have all morning."

He half-expected her to slap him and pull away, but her answer surprised him. "I won't go easy on you this time."

"Challenge accepted." Nine whispered, taking her chin into his hand and pulling her into a very deep, passionate kiss.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy Type-0.

GAH. This was so hard to write, but it would not leave me alone. Found my new OTP: Nine/Queen. Sorry Ace/Queen. I love the opposites attract factor – which leads me to how I portray Queen. The way I portray Queen is so tsundere. For those who know what that means, props for you. If you don't, here's the breakdown: a character who is originally cold/hostile or bears an attitude toward another person before gradually warming up to them, falling in love later on.

And FFFFFF, I couldn't help but squeal as I wrote the very awkwardly-sounding implied sexing part. I'm not terribly good at writing smut so excuse how awkward it sounds, but then again it does work. It is their first time haha. Tell me if you liked it, hated it or if it needs some improvement. I think I'll be writing a lot for this pairing. There's a third companion piece I have planned, so look out for that one soon.

Might write an edited version of this with a very NSFW part, full on sexing that doesn't sound awkward – hopefully. Can't make any promises, but I can try to.