Mable: I am having a bad time with other fics, so I decided to post a 9 fic again. I actually wrote part of this a very long time ago and didn't finish it until now. The title is... Sort of a last minute idea, so I might come in and change it later if I get a better one... Anyway, I don't own 9 or the Stitchpunks, enjoy!

The Pain of Remembering

It was a quiet night and a very common night for One. The normal ritual of passing by everyone's room to make sure they were all present and resting before retiring to his own room had passed and then he had retired to his own room. As per usual, unknown to most, Two soon slipped into One's room and the leader only began to finally relax as he felt the extra weight on the bed beside him. He felt a small warm mouth press to his cheek before moving to his mouth to briefly meet their lips.

"Good night." Two quietly spoke and could hear One mutter something and assumed it was a response, but decided to not pester to ask what kind. He then turned over and ducked under the warm blankets, drifting off to sleep. It was supposed to be a normal night; One was sure that it would be when he fell asleep.

However, it wasn't, because he was eventually awoken by the sound of a gasp. At first One couldn't pinpoint what the gasp came from and waited for another noise to suggest an answer. There was another shaky gasping noise followed by something soft enough that he couldn't identify at first. It took a few seconds to realize that the sound was the sound of soft sobbing and it sounded like it was clearly coming from Two on the other side of the bed. There was no chance it could be anyone else.

It was too dark to see so One felt around his side of the bed for a match. He would've easily gone back to sleep, but couldn't once he heard that awful weeping, and lit the match on the floor before lighting the small candle beside his bed. It was a small flame, a dim flicker of light, and he waved the match out before turning to look back at the other male. It was obvious that One's suspicions were correct by the way Two was shivering.

It could have only been a few hours after they headed to bed so the leader was confused how Two went from pleasant, to sleeping, to crying. Perhaps Two didn't notice the dim light as he didn't even seem to change his pattern of shakes. One's slanted optics traced over Two's back, over the '2', before he reached over and rested his hand upon the fabric. Two abruptly went quiet and stiffened a bit against the other's hand.

It was as though Two believed the action was done in the leader's sleep and was trying to keep quiet to not awaken him. Eventually, though, One managed to stop the other's charade by stroking his back and revealing he was obviously conscious. "Two?" His usually rough and rash voice was groggy and softer from exhaustion added the sheer shock of having Two crying. Two didn't ever cry; he wasn't depressed or such, the exact opposite. The Inventor paused before he spoke, "O-One… What are- What are you still doing awake?"

The choking was obvious even though he attempted to hide it and the leader exhaled patiently, "Why are you crying?" The other didn't speak at first, trying to straighten himself, and then he answered, "Crying? I'm not crying, One. You must have been mistaken, but I was shivering a bit." He then pulled his blanket up tighter to his neck to prove it. However, this didn't convince One who exhaled again, more of a huff this time, as he managed to keep himself relatively patient with his mate.

"Two, don't lie to me, I clearly heard you." At this, Two also exhaled, and managed to pull himself together more, "Maybe a bit, but it really was nothing." The leader refused to let it drop and now sat up in bed, "It certainly was not nothing. You are keeping something from me." But Two refused to speak, wouldn't even deny the accusations, so One leaned over and tugged the covers down a bit. It was obvious that Two was still trembling, but now One recognized this as fear instead of as crying.

He had been crying previously though and One wondered if Two was afraid of his spouse finding out about such. "Two… Tell me what is going on. You are not acting normal; I am not as oblivious as you might believe." Two curled into himself and finally spoke. "It was… Just a nightmare." Two admitted, pretending he could just ignore it. That's when the picture became clearer. "A nightmare? About what?" He pressed and now held onto Two's arm, planning to turn him over.

When another second of silence happened, One pulled Two to turn onto his back. "Well…" The Inventor caved as he was now underneath One and his gaze, "It was about…" He choked and struggled for words, "The machine… When I woke up after the in- the incident." One nodded, "I see. Would you like to talk about it?" He was relieved to see Two willing to sit up and now leaning against the pillows of the bed, "There's nothing to talk about. It was the Machine that caught me and removed my legs. I couldn't find you and-."

"You are lying." One abruptly accused, taking his mate off-guard. "Excuse me?" The leader's gaze sharpened, "That was not what your nightmare- if there even was a nightmare- was about." To this Two seemed somewhat stumped. Once again he caved, "Alright, One, I wasn't being exactly honest. The nightmare was not about the Machine." One had a quick flash of a smirking look that denounced him as being right before being curious again, "Perhaps now you can be honest."

"Unfortunately, One," Two began, "I do not actually remember the dream. I didn't want to tell you because I was embarrassed. I thought that you would taunt me on my age." One retorted, "I have never 'taunted' you on your age. If anything, I consider you to act much too young for your age." Two had his own answer, "What of the time you said my vision was going poor?" The leader narrowed his optics, "That had nothing- You're changing the subject."

"And I already told you that I cannot remember." It was obviously untrue and One actually gave in, "Fine, you don't wish to speak then you can attempt to overcome your nightmares alone." One then laid back down, facing the opposite direction, in an almost pouting motion. Two stared at his back a little while before also laying down, on his side so that his back was to One's. Silence overtook the dim room, the candle continued to grow and die, and the only sound was the soft breathing between the two.

"I dreamt about him again." Two finally admitted as he tried to suppress what sounded like another growing sob. One immediately began to turn back to the smaller Stitchpunk, finally understanding why the other was hesitating so much earlier. "Oh Two…" Two released another soft choke and clutched the bed beneath him as he began to weep pitifully. In seconds, One encircled Two's waist with his arms and let his head rest against the top of his lover's. "It's alright, Two."

"He looked just like he did when we last saw him, but he was sad. I-I looked up and tried to ask what was wrong, but I noticed he himself was crying, and he was upset about something. Then he started to vanish and I… I know it's childish and foolish, but I…" He turned over and pushed into One's chest, "Creator, I miss him…. I miss him so much…" One didn't say a thing, he simply held Two close and tried to stay strong for the younger.

He finally did speak, "I miss him as well, Two, but he is in a better place, wherever he is." One wouldn't outright admit the Scientist's death, but they both knew that the truth was undeniable. "I wonder if he cried for us." Two choked out, "Did he cry because we were not there?" One immediately declined this, "Of course not. Father knew we were safe and would have only cried if it was us who were hurting. He wouldn't want you to cry for him. He wouldn't want us to cry at all."

"I suppose so…" Two began to calm once again. The silence of the room felt a little less tensioned and easier. They continued to just lie like that for a bit longer before One spoke up, "It is late. You should get some rest." He quickly leaned over and put out the candle before returning beside Two, once again holding him close as he had before. He could feel the other finally smile against his fabric and his own body relaxed with it.

"You know, One," Two began, "If, per say, he was alive somewhere, there is always a chance he could return to us." Usually One would shoot these thoughts down, but instead found his own mind wandering. "Yes… There is always a chance, even if slim." He pressed closer and let his lips meet with Two's, "I love you." The Inventor smiled wider, "I love you too, One. Thank you for this." The leader answered quietly, finally managing to begin to drift off again, "It is fine, it is nothing."

The Inventor chuckled a bit, "I am sure it would be a sight if the others caught us like this." One shook his head, "It does not matter. I can't trust you on your own anymore." Two pressed closer, "Now which of us is being childish?"

"It is still you."

END

Mable: I know it is short, but I was just trying to push a sweet story with lots of 1x2. Why do they still hide their relationship? Because One just won't admit that everyone already knows. :) One's in denial. I've been getting a lot of hateful PMs recently. Please do not excessively flame me. If you do not like my other fics, please don't take it out on this one, and only review if you really want to. If anyone has a couple they want to see Stitchpunk-wise then I'm up for anything. Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!