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"I'm sorry."
Hiro feels numb. It feels like freezing cold water has been splashed all over him. The FranXX drops to its knees with a loud crash. Ichigo is saying something to him but all that is on Hiro's mind is the repeated echos of "Zero One Six, You Fail." "Why did you have to be my partner?!" "You're not fit to be a parasite, give up." "Papa would be disappointed."
"Hiro!"
Ichigo's desperate voice finally takes his attention. He looks up at her, she has unlatched from the spot of the pistil and is sitting across from him, "Hiro, stay with me. You're okay. You can do it." Her hands twitch, like she's trying to hold them back.
Hiro wordlessly keeps his head low, shame overcoming him, "Hey! Hey... Don't think. Do you remember anything, anything from when you had piloted with Zero Two?" She asks, holding his hands and rubbing circles onto his palm.
He's about to say no but right before his mind went blank, he remembers, "...the kiss." Ichigo makes a confused noise, "The kiss? What's that? Did it help?" Hiro tries to find words to describe it; that Zero Two had pulled him in, pressed their lips together and devoured him, his soul.
Face flushing, "It's... she... our mouths were touching.." Ichigo's cheeks pinked with embarrassment, "Did it work?" She leaned in, till she was almost in Hiro's lap, caging him in. It oddly made him feel vulnerable and safe at the same time. "Mhm. I think so."
"Then let's do it." Without further delay, she grabbed his face, unfazed by Hiro's squirming. The 3 minutes were already up. And kissed him.
At that moment their FranXX toppled to the ground, "Bwahahaha I said it right?? I'm always the best." Norome's unnerving voice sounded through the transmitter. It was their FranXX that had kicked Ichigo's. They didn't have time left anymore.
The kiss hadn't worked.
Ichigo parted their lips, still holding his face tenderly, "Are you.. feeling different now?" she interrogated, but all she needed was the devastated look in Hiro's eyes to confirm their fear. "I'm sorry." He said yet again, a single tear sliding down his cheek.
Ichigo let go, she bit her lip to keep herself from crying and readjusted herself into the Pistil cockpit. Before Norome and Miku's FranXX could attack again, Ichigo had single-handedly maneuvered her FranXX, body slamming them to the ground.
The speakers bombarded with everyone warning her "It's dangerous! Stop!" As if on cue, both the battle machines fell down, the match was deemed over.
Ichigo heaved, exhausted, but still she looked behind her to check up on Hiro. The pilot in question was rooted in his spot, quiet. At that point, she couldn't keep it in anymore, big droplets of tears ran down her face.
The entrance to the FranXX opened, Ichigo quickly wiped her face, sure that it was ruddy. She stood up, stumbling slightly from exertion but Hiro caught her. "I'm sorry Ichigo." He didn't meet her eyes.
"I told you so." Zero Two's words cut the melancholy. The pair looked up, she was standing in the entrance, a hand extended. "I told you. You're my darling, it won't work with someone else. You're mine, you're made for me. Darling."
Ichigo heard Hiro gulp, sniffle, "Zero Two..." Ichigo could not bear to witness this any longer. She gently pushed Hiro away, limping on her feet, she turned her gaze away from the couple, emotions overwhelming her. She tripped onto nothing but this time Zero Two was there to catch her. "Oops, careful there."
She tried to pull away from her but Zero Two clicked her tongue and lifted her, "You know, not everyone is like me, not everyone can move a FranXX single handedly, your body is weak right now." Ichigo drooped, staying silent and letting herself be carried by the woman.
Hiro followed them, lost in his definitely self-loathing thoughts. Zero Two turned towards him, "Stop that darling." She pecked him on his forehead, "Next time we'll be together and you will know your worth."
Hiro sat on his bed, his countless requests to be allowed to ride Strelizia had been rejected. He didn't understand why they didn't want him riding Zero Two. The other stamen may have been unable to be her partners but he was still okay. No grave injuries, the only thing that effected him was the memory loss. Yet they were adamant on not letting him partner up with Zero Two.
"Hiro." Goro called out, sitting next to him, "It's okay. You did your best." he put a hand on his shoulder, massaging it comfortably. Hiro sighed, relaxing just a bit, "I just.. I don't understand. What was so different about Zero Two? Why aren't the adults letting me ride with her?!" unintentionally his voice grows in volume stunning them both.
Goro sighs, his hand going lower to stroke Hiro's back warmly, "The adults.. they only want the best for you. You know what happened to her past partners. They're worried about you, Hiro." He holds his face with his free palm, Hiro leaning into it.
Goro was stupid, unaware. Hiro later realizes as he stares at Zero Two saying things that didn't even make any sense.
"What?!"
Zero Two looks down at him, sitting in the pilot's- in the stamen's seat. "What I just said." She looks completely unfazed whereas Hiro feels that his whole life had been a big fat lie.
He sputters, shaking his head, sitting on the place the pistils are supposed to position themselves. "No no no.. you- you just said that I'm a pistil?!" He shifts uncomfortably, the seat? isn't made for sitting. "How can that be??"
She hums, exaggeratedly making it look like she was thinking hard, "Hmm, have you ever successfully piloted a FranXX while you were in a stamen's place?" She waits for him but Hiro has no answer, he looks away, ashamed. She shrugs, "Why does it bother you if you're a stamen or a pistil? You're piloting a FranXX either way, darling." she pets his head lovingly.
Hiro blushes, pursing his lips, "Yeah.. I just.. so all these years of isolation over nothing huh.. the fights, the escapes, the pitiful eyes every adult showed me..." Tears blur his eyes and he roughly rubs at them, the waterproof suit doing nothing but spreading them all over his red face. Zero Two observes him for a few seconds, resting her chin on a hand, "Come here, love." She coaxes him, patting her thigh.
He's done this before, each time with Zero Two, a new intimate experience. Sniffling, he lifts off the position of the pistil, climbing feebly into her lap. Arms around her shoulders, "Now what." He petulantly asks, scrunching his face when she pulls him closer to press kisses all over his face. "You're cute."
Heat creeps onto his face, eyes widening and he slumps from embarrassment, gasping softly when her hands reach down to grab his ass, "Zero Two!!" he screeches as quietly as he can but doesn't do anything to stop her.
"No one's gonna find us, won't you indulge me darling?" she drawls, tapping the nearly invisible buttons on the back of his suit which immediately open the slit that goes from the back all the way to the front of his crotch.
Hiro shifts, self-conscious, "You're gorgeous." she whispers against his chest, licking his nipple through the suit with her strangely long tongue. Hiro jolts, thighs involuntarily trying to shut close only to be stopped by her own. His grip around her tightens, a hand fisting lightly in her pink hair.
"Z-Zero Two..." he mumbles, breaking into whimpers when her fingers swipe across his hole, he's already dripping and her impressed noise makes him flush even more. "Ah..aahn.." his eyes shut, a stray tear slipping down his cheek when she smoothly slides in a finger all the way up to the knuckle.
They haven't even started but it feels so ridiculously good, he can't stop moaning. Suddenly there are fingers tangling in his hair and pulling him down to meet soft lips that are immediately devouring him.
Hiro chokes as another finger slides in and he's so so wet, he's sure that it will be visible through the suit. And before he knows it he's rutting back into every thrust, trying to get them deeper, squeaking when they hit his sweet spot. "Yeah beautiful... Does it feel good?" Zero Two hoarsely asks, speeding up.
The sudden change has Hiro whining high in his throat, instinctively trying to escape the overwhelming pleasure, she pushes him back down, her fingers stuffing inside almost painfully and it makes him scream into her mouth, "Mmm!!" he's delicately shushed.
"Baby.. my love.." Zero Two kisses wherever she can reach, leaning down to suck a tiny nipple in her mouth, the resulting mewl it pulls out of Hiro is like a blessing to her ears, horns tickling his neck. "Are you close darling?"
Her boy nods, whimpering desperately, "C-close.. sso clo.. Zero Two-!" his back bows, hips in sync with her hand. She keeps fucking him even as he starts begging loudly in her ear, crying pathetically.
"Cum for me?" She murmurs.
Like an old thread, Hiro snaps, sobbing, he clenches so tightly around her, clutching her shoulders painfully, "Nnah!!" he's absolutely gushing, her fingers barely staying in, fucking him through his orgasm.
"N..no no not ahh anymore.. puh please?" Hiro begs, slumping when she takes pity on him.
"You were so good, Hiro." she kisses him softly, stroking his back with her clean hand.
A short silence passes, only his laboured breaths audible.
"Does being my pistil still sounds bad?"
"It never sounded bad, Zero Two."