—————༻☂︎︎༺—————
༻ Y/N'S POV ༺

I kept my head against Five's, my presence still and unbroken. He didn't stir, his breathing soft and steady despite the chaos around him.

Then, the woman's voice pierced the quiet. "There's another one here. I'm gonna call security." Her words were sharp, disapproving. I glanced up just in time to see her walking away, her eyes lingering on us with barely disguised irritation.

Before I could process more, Diego and Luther appeared, their footsteps steady as they approached us. Both of them looked down at Five, who remained unconscious, the empty whiskey bottle still dangling loosely in his hand.

"Is he, uh...?" Luther asked, his voice hesitant, but his eyes scanning Five's still form.

"Drunk as a skunk," Diego added with a smirk, nodding as though he were almost relieved by the sight. Five didn't respond. He was too far gone, his body limp and relaxed from the alcohol.

I looked at the two of them, my voice cutting through the moment. "Due to Five's lack of energy, I'm sure one of you could carry him."

Luther and Diego exchanged glances, silent for a moment, as if processing the task at hand. I could see the tension between them. Neither spoke for a moment longer.

—————༻☂︎︎༺—————

The alley was cold and dark, the only sound the soft shuffle of our footsteps as we moved quickly through the night. Luther, carrying Five in his arms, was doing his best to keep up while trying to avoid the occasional bump or scrape against the walls. Five, still half-drunk and slurring his words, was a dead weight in his arms, but Luther didn't complain. We all had a job to do.

"Well, we can't go back to the house," Luther muttered, his voice low as he walked beside us. "It's not secure. Those psychopaths could come back at any moment."

Diego nodded in agreement, his hand resting on his knife. "My place is closer. No one will look for them there."

Just then, Five belched loudly, the sound breaking through the heavy silence between us. Luther shot him a look, a bit of annoyance flickering in his eyes. "If you vomit on me..." Luther warned, his voice tight with barely contained frustration.

But Five, in his drunken stupor, just let out a laugh. "You know what's funny?" he slurred, his head lolled back in Luther's arms. "I'm going through puberty. Twice. And I... I drank a whole bottle, didn't I?"

We all exchanged a look, a quiet acknowledgment that Five's ramblings were going to be a part of the journey now. But no one said anything as we continued walking.

"That's what you do when the person you loved and the world you knew goes bye-bye. Poof, it's gone," Five added, his voice low and distant, almost as if he were speaking to himself.

The rest of us kept quiet. What could we say?

"What are you guys talking about?" Five asked, his voice suddenly sharp, a hint of confusion in his drunken tone.

"Two masked intruders attacked the Academy last night," Luther explained, his voice steady as he glanced at Five. "They came looking for you and little Siri here."

Diego chimed in, his tone dry, "That's what we're trying to figure out. What do they want?"

Five blinked, confused. "Who?"

I couldn't help but speak up. "He's talking about me, Five. He's just using his words sarcastically," I said, trying to keep things light.

Five turned to me, his gaze fuzzy, and gave a lopsided grin. "What? They hurt you? Where's my gun?" he muttered, his eyes darting around, searching for something.

I sighed, glancing at Luther and Diego. "Y/n is fine! But now I need you to focus. What do they want?"

"Hazel and Cha-Cha," Five mumbled, his voice slurred as he half-closed his eyes.

"Who?" Diego asked, his eyebrows furrowing, clearly not understanding the significance of the names.

"You know, I hate code names," Luther said, looking at the others with a bit of exasperation.

I leaned in, my voice dry but sharp. "The best of the best, of course."

Diego and Luther both turned to me, exchanging looks. "Except for me, of course," Five added with a lazy grin.

"Best of what?" Luther asked, not catching on.

"You know, Y/n always said she hated when I drank," Five continued, almost cheerfully now. "I never drank—well, at least not around her. She said it made me surly."

I nodded, confirming Five's words. "It's true. Y/n hated the way his attitude shifted when he drank, and how she always had to handle him when they were working."

Five's eyes flickered with something, perhaps awareness or just drunken clarity. "Oh, shit. She's here right now. You think she can't smell my breath?" he said, suddenly leaning toward Luther and exhaling heavily in his face.

Luther recoiled slightly, clearly irritated. "Hey!" Diego snapped, his patience wearing thin.

"Hm? Yeah?" Five responded, turning to face Diego.

"I need you to focus," Diego said, his voice sharp now, the frustration creeping into his tone. "What do Hazel and Cha-Cha want?"

We all paused, the tension hanging thick in the alley. Five's smile was slow, almost playful. "We just want to protect you," Diego added, his voice softer but insistent.

"Protect me?" Five repeated, his tone turning cold, the playful smile faltering. "I don't need your protection, Diego."

Diego's eyes narrowed, but he stayed quiet as Five's words hung in the air.

Five shifted slightly in Luther's arms, his gaze hardening. "Do you know how many people I've killed?" he asked, the words almost casual but loaded with something darker. "I'm the Four frickin' Horseman. And with Y/n always by my side... we're just fucking like Bonnie and Clyde."

The weight of his words hit us all, but Five wasn't done yet. "The apocalypse is coming," he muttered, as though he was sharing a secret only he understood.

Then, as if the moment had reached its breaking point, Five suddenly turned and vomited, his body jerking as the alcohol took its toll. Luther grimaced, clearly annoyed, while Diego looked away, his jaw tightening.

We made it back to Diego's place—his rented room in a boxing gym. The space was dim, filled with the smell of sweat, old leather, and the distant sound of muffled punches. We moved through the narrow hallway to the back of the building, where his room was located. Diego pushed open the door, and Luther gently laid Five, still fast asleep, onto the bed.

We both stood there for a moment, observing Five's stillness.

"Funny," Diego commented, breaking the silence. "If I didn't know he was such a prick, I'd say he looks almost adorable when he sleeps."

Luther gave a dry chuckle. "Well, don't worry. He'll sober up eventually. Be back to his normal, unpleasant self."

Diego rolled his eyes, walking toward the other side of the room. "Yeah, can't wait that long." He paused, his gaze turning serious. "I need to figure out what his connection is with those lunatics before someone else ends up dead."

I stayed silent for a moment, studying Five. "Well, they're after me, too. Should I know?" Luther turned toward me, raising an eyebrow.

I glanced at him and responded calmly, "Hazel and Cha-Cha aren't my story to tell. They must've been here because of my request for Five to join me on this task."

Luther's brow furrowed. "What task?"

Before I could explain, a loud thumping sound echoed from overhead, followed by footsteps moving closer. All three of us froze. Diego instinctively pulled out his knife, while Luther positioned himself in front of me, preparing for whatever was coming.

The door creaked open, and Diego quickly opened it fully, knife raised. "You throw another one of those goddamn knives at me, I'm pressing charges," a voice said from behind the door.

Diego sighed, dropping his weapon and opening the door wider. "What do you want, Al?" he asked, his tone flat.

A man stood there, weathered and gruff, like someone who'd lived through more than his fair share of bad days. "I ain't your secretary," he muttered. "Some lady called for you. Said she needs your help."

Diego tilted his head. "What lady?"

The man scratched his head. "I dunno. Some detective. I think she said her name was... uh, Blotch or somethin'."

Diego's eyes sharpened. "Patch?"

The man nodded. "Yeah, her. She said she found your brother. Needs you at the motel on Calhoun. About half an hour ago."

Diego looked down at the hastily written card the man handed him, his mind clicking into gear. "When?"

The man repeated, "Yeah, half an hour ago. She said she found your brother."

Diego's expression hardened, and he turned toward Five, still unconscious on the bed. "Well, that doesn't make sense," he muttered. Luther's eyes met his, both of them exchanging an unspoken thought. "Klaus," they both said in sync.

Diego grabbed his jacket and headed toward the door, his movements quick. "Go," Luther said, cutting off my instinct to follow. "I'll wait here with... him."

The door slammed behind Diego as he left, and Luther sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging. "Them," he muttered, his eyes turning toward me.

I stood still, processing the sequence of events. I felt the pressure of the situation pushing on me—chaos was closing in. Yet, I remained composed. I turned my attention back to Five. He was still asleep

Luther looked at me, his expression thoughtful, as if searching for the right words. After a long moment, he cleared his throat. "What do you feel like doing?" His voice was hesitant, uncertain, as if he wasn't sure how to even approach a being like me.

I didn't hesitate, my response sharp and direct. "I'm not programmed to choose for myself. It's not part of my design."

Luther blinked, clearly taken aback. "Oh... uh, okay." He scratched the back of his neck, trying to find something else to say. "Well, how long have you and Five been partners?"

"Forty-seven years," I answered, the number almost mechanical in its precision.

Luther's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. That's... a long time. Must've been a lot of work with him."

I met his gaze, my expression unreadable. He smiled, but I didn't return it. Instead, I gave him a blank stare that made him stop mid-laugh. "It was a joke," he muttered, a little uncomfortable.

"I'm well aware," I replied, my lips twitching into a faint smile. "It was quite funny."

Luther chuckled nervously. "Well, laughing would be the word I'd use for that." He shifted uncomfortably, trying to figure me out, but I didn't let him. I didn't need to.

"I've never shown much in the way of emotions," I said, my voice quiet, but firm. "Metal or physical."

Luther's gaze softened, confusion still written across his face. "Never felt anything?"

I looked at him, steady. "Being built with emotions would've been a mistake. If I felt them, I wouldn't be able to focus on what truly matters."

He seemed to process this for a moment, but didn't ask further. "And what matters?" he finally asked, his voice low.

I turned my attention to Five, still unconscious, lying on the bed, the weight of our situation sinking in. I didn't need to explain myself further. "My users," I replied, my voice cold, unwavering.

Luther stood still for a moment, absorbing my words. There was a faint flicker of understanding in his eyes.

As I stood there, a soft hum flickered from within, barely audible but impossible for me to ignore. My internal systems, silent until now, began to register a low power warning.

SYSTEM ALERT
Battery level: 18%
Charging required.
Re-calibration recommended.

The numbers blinked on the interface within my vision, crisp and calculated. The words were cold, functional. No emotion attached—just a simple directive. A necessary action.

I scanned the small, cluttered room and noticed an empty chair in the corner. Without hesitation, I walked toward it, my steps deliberate. Luther, standing nearby, instinctively moved out of my way as I passed. I sat down in the chair, my movements mechanical yet smooth, designed for efficiency.

"You alright?" Luther asked, his voice tinged with concern as he hovered nearby.

"Of course," I replied evenly, meeting his gaze. "It's standard protocol. When my power levels drop too low, recharging is required to prevent a full system shutdown. If not, I could power down and... cease functionality." My tone was calm, devoid of fear or urgency—just a statement of fact.

"Oh," Luther said, shifting uncomfortably. "Okay. Uh, do you need me to—?" He gestured awkwardly toward me, as if offering to help.

"That won't be necessary, Luther. But thank you for offering." I adjusted my posture slightly in the chair, perfectly aligning myself to conserve energy as I prepared for recharge. "Once I'm fully charged, I will power back up. Goodnight, Luther."

He nodded, unsure of what else to say, and stepped back. His expression hovered somewhere between confusion and unease as he glanced at Five, still passed out on the bed, then back at me.

I closed my eyes, letting my system begin the recharge process.

SYSTEM ENGAGING POWER SAVE MODE
Energy restoration in progress.
Functionality: Minimal.
Estimated recharge time: 4 hours, 37 minutes.

For a moment, the world around me dimmed as I entered standby mode. Noise faded into the background, the chatter of humans becoming distant and irrelevant. My systems focused solely on restoration, resetting every circuit and connection.

In the dark recesses of my interface, numbers and code scrolled by in a continuous stream, analyzing, recalibrating, and repairing.

—————༻☂︎︎༺—————

Hello everyone,

Happy holidays, my wonderful readers! I hope you're surrounded by love, joy, and the people who make your heart feel full. As a small gift from me, I'll be sharing the next chapter very soon. Thank you for being such an incredible part of my writing—love you all!

•    WXNDER

WORDS WRITTEN:
2366