I thought that one shot of Zero Two on those rocks set against the sky was pretty damn beautiful, and I figured the only way it could've been better was if Hiro was right there besides her. So thus this one-shot came to.

Also, I would've finished this a lot sooner if I didn't also happen to finish watching Kill la Kill on Sunday. I've spent the better part of this week going through all the fanfics on this site and Ao3. Kinda disappointed I didn't get this out before Ep 8, but oh well.

Starfall

Hiro sat in silence, his eyes on the ocean trying to find the figure of Zero Two against the darkness of the night. The moon and stars provided adequate light, and he idly thought of the stories he used to tell of them to the rest of the children at the Garden.

His eyes flickered to the belt of Orion and, recalling the invisible Ichigo star, switched his gaze to the Ichigo he could see.

She, Goro, and Ikuno were busy laying out the sleeping bags they were provided. His eyes roamed the campsite. Miku and Kokoro were huddled close together next to the dying fire, laughing about something or another, while Zorome and Futoshi were scarfing down the remaining food and snacks across from them. He could see Mitsuru over by the nearby forest, collecting more firewood.

His gaze returned to the beach and his missing pink haired partner came back to his mind. Hiro got up, stretching his legs and arms with a small grunt before turning to the rest of the squad.

"Hey guys," he called out, getting their attention. "I'm going to find Zero Two and see if I can't bring her back. It's getting pretty dark." Noises of acknowledgment rang out from the group as he tried to ignore Zorome's suspicious side glance.

"Here, Hiro. Take these." Barely catching the rolled-up sleeping bag Goro threw, Hiro raised an eyebrow in confusement.

"What's this for?"

"Just in case she doesn't want to come back. Might as well get comfortable."

"Ah, thanks Goro. Good thinking," Hiro smiled at his friend. "I'm off."

As Hiro got further and further away, Zorome suddenly jumped up, pointing an accusing finger at Goro. "Hey, wait a second! Why'd you only give him one sleeping bag?!"

"How does he even know where Zero Two went off to?" Kokoro worriedly asked.

"Eh, he'll be fine," drawled Mitsuru as he tossed some more firewood into the pit.

Ichigo rolled her eyes. "Why did you only give him one, Goro?" She huffed at his sheepish shrug.

Recalling seeing Zero Two wander in the direction of the overgrown ruins, Hiro took his time making his way to the cave opening. He briefly wondered what Mitsuru was doing that led him to make such a discovery.

As he made his way over, Hiro thought back to the conversation he had with Zero Two earlier that day. Growing up isolated in the Garden, surrounded by other orphans with no names meant that there was much Hiro did not understand about human emotions, and he was not foolish enough to believe otherwise. Books could only go so far, and nothing he had ever read had ever gotten even close to describing the feelings he had when he was with Zero Two.

"A kiss is only something to be shared with someone special?" Hiro softly asked himself.

Ichigo was someone special to him. But he didn't think she was quite what Zero Two meant, and his kiss with the closest thing he had to a sister was nothing compared to his kisses with his partner.

Goro was his best friend and definitely someone special. But he could only half-chuckle half-grimace at the thought of the taller boy trying to kiss him as Zorome had.

One by one, Hiro went through everybody he knew, aware that he was saving a certain someone for last. After Nana, the squad's supervisor and den mother, Hiro finally landed upon the person he was putting off.

"Zero Two..." he silently thought. Nothing he's ever felt or read could ever describe the feelings he had within him when around the pink haired girl. Hiro knew, without a doubt, that there had never been anyone in his life more special to him than Zero Two. If the very person who gave him a new purpose in life wasn't as special as one could be, then Hiro was flat out of ideas.

Hiro knew there was much to human emotions he did not understand, and he knew the concept of love was one of them. But he knew he wanted Zero Two to be happy, and he knew he would do anything to see that through. He felt warmth when he was around her, and thought of her whenever she wasn't around. He wanted to be her wings, to never let her be alone ever again. Hiro did not know what love was but he'd be damned if what he felt for Zero Two wasn't the closest thing to love he could think of.

He hesitated.

Doctor Franxx's words came to mind. "Don't let her consume your emotions, too. If you want to always be her partner, that is."

Hiro clenched his fist, nails biting into his flesh. Consume his emotions? He had no idea what that meant. But he knew he never wanted to leave Zero Two by herself, as countless others have already. He would be by her side for as long as he possibly could.

A voice called Hiro out of the recesses of his mind.

He looked up, finding the object of his thoughts sitting atop a pile of rocks a couple meters out from the shore. He had apparently almost walked past her entirely, too distracted to notice.

"Darling?" She repeated, with a grin. "What are you doing out here?"

Hiro sheepishly laughed as he tossed the sleeping bag next to a large rock, and walked into the tide, slowly wading through the water to her. "Looking for you, actually."

Zero Two slipped off the strangely cube shaped rocks she was perched upon and made her way over to Hiro, meeting him halfway. Her arms almost instantly found themselves around his neck while he rested his hands on her hips. Hiro vaguely noted how soft and warm she was, and how the starlight did nothing but amplify her beauty. Their foreheads touched.

"I came out this far to let you spend time with the rest of your squad. Don't want you to get too lonely with only little ol' me, would you?"

"With you, I feel everything but lonely. The only one I want to spend time with is you, Zero Two."

She threw her head back with a laugh, filling him with warmth at the beautiful sound.

Slowly leading him back to shore by his hand, Zero Two grinned. "Oh? When did you get so charming? I'm the one who should make you blush, not the other way around!" Hiro only gave a small smile in response.

The two silently made their way further inland until Zero Two stopped and dragged Hiro down, their backs resting against the boulder he had tossed the sleeping bag next to. She snuggled into his side, as Hiro worked up the courage to voice his thoughts from earlier.

"Something bothering you, darling?" She asked, glancing up at the side of his face from her comfortable position.

"I thought about what you said earlier today."

"Oh?" Zero Two sat up, interested. "And what did you figure out-" Hiro pressed his lips against hers. The subtle taste of salt water was there, but her sweetness was undeniable.

They separated after a couple seconds, foreheads together, Hiro breathless and Zero Two grinning from ear to ear. "At this rate, you'll really make me blush, darling…"

Once Hiro caught his breath, he spoke. "I can't claim I know much about love." Zero Two raised an eyebrow as Hiro reached for the sleeping bag, unfurling it from its curl.

"But what I feel around you, what I feel right now?" He unzipped the sleeping bag and tossed the makeshift blanket over the two of them.

"As foreign an idea it is to me, I don't think I can describe that as anything but love." Hiro quietly finished, looking down.

A soft hand gently lifted his chin, tilting his head to look into Zero Two's eyes. She slowly leaned forward, and it was Hiro's turn to meet her half way.

They separated, and Hiro realized he's never seen Zero Two look so vulnerable, so quiet.

"Hey. What do you know about the stars?" He asked quietly.

She snuggled closer into him. "Tell me."

Hiro didn't know how much time had passed but the moon was much higher now, and the night much colder. Nonetheless, Hiro never stopped telling her everything he knew about the stars he was so interested in as a child, the unzipped sleeping bag easily keeping the two warm.

Zero Two seemed to listen to every word, although he had an feeling she spent more time staring lovingly at him then the night sky.

A flash of movement caught his eye. He squeezed her hand. "Look, Zero Two. Those are shooting stars!" Next to him, he felt her slightly shift and look up.

"They say if you make a wish on a shooting star, it'll come true."

"Hm? And what did you wish for, darling?"

"Easy. I wished for us to always be together, and for me to always be by your side."

Zero Two buried her face into the crook of his neck, sending chills down his spine. He felt her smile against his skin as he breathed in her scent, horns softly pushing against his chin.

"Strange. What happens when two people wish for the same wish on the same stars, darling?" He wondered if she felt him blush. A glance down at her smirk answered his question.

"I guess we'll find out, Zero Two." He said, slowly leaning down.

They softly kissed again, stars forgotten.

End

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