#ft. zero

The alcohol may have helped emboldened him a bit, but it was more to do with the fact that Xavien had once again lost Yuri (damn him) and Xavien had had enough of this stupid ball. But the problem was that there was no way in hell he was gonna get anywhere by himself, no, not when it was his first time ever really drinking “Zero,” he drew out the name with an unintended tone of anger as he wrapped his arms around Zero’s waist from behind, resting his chin on Zero’s shoulder. Yep, definitely drunk. “Take me- take me back up to the third floor,” he grumbled the demand, pulling away with a stumbling sway to lean back into the bar. “Or you could walk away and ignore me — you’ve always been good at that, haven’t you??”

Oh no. That asshole did not just show up, it’s not him.

Somehow, he managed to avoid Zero completely in the first twenty-four hours back in the tower. He wasn't even sure how he'd been able to do it, the fact that they were on the same district team considered. Part of him was beginning to wonder if Zero had even come back for this cycle at all when, as if on cue, he spotted him there on the other side of their district floor. 

It had been five years since Xavien had danced. He never tried — something always got in the way. The battle of emotions during the first year after his victory left him in a haze. The next year, his mother died. That made it hard to do anything. But by the time he was feeling okay, feeling human, dancing would have felt like digging up an old grave. See, he figured that it was probably for the best. Dancing, in his mind, would always be tied to Zero.

“dude, you look like a ghost,” he commented, crossing his legs in his seat at the bar. “did you eat some old fish during dinner or something? you look like my bedsheets, i thought i was coming over to get into bed, that’s how pale you are.”

when the call came in, xavien had been in bed. briefly, he’d considered ignoring it when he saw his phone light up, shake the bedside table, and any other time, he probably would have. except it was an hour to midnight, and when did anyone ever call him this late unless something was wrong? unless yuri was calling to pick him up from a bar or— it was zero. no, it was actually zero, the screen lighting up zero’s name in his hand. xav could feel his heartbeat in his ears. 

Zero