Fanfiction: 9
Temptations
Chapter 2~
They planned to go out the next morning, so they spent the rest of the night preparing for it excitedly. The twins ran around the first floor, playing what they called "tag", and took turns chasing each other around the room.
7 was sharpening her weapon, with a small chunk of metal she had found a few weeks ago upstairs. But just because she was in a great mood did'nt mean she was'nt still secretive. She would glance at 9 every few minutes and look him up in down in a way that made 9 feel good and bad at the same time, though he could't imagine why.
9 pretended not to notice it, but he did, and he went tense every time. But when he did forget and started to pay attention to his project, he was very into it and would correct hismistakes he had made while paying attention to 7 eyeing him, which made him tense all over again. Why was she looking at him like that? Did he do something wrong?
After a while, 7 stopped, and 9 got some peace to continue working on the wagon he was fashioning out of some wood and screws to hold the stitchounks' findings. It was big enough to hold three of the plus some materials, in case they got tired or... or...
9 shook his head, there was nothing out there. He knew it. Why was he being so paranoid?
With a few more twists of the screwdriver that was twice the size of him, he had finished his creation. he checked it's weight capacity by flinging himslef into it from a few stacked books, and saw that it hold well. but in return, he had a sore spot on his side now and a slight rip he had to fix. He rolled his eyes at his stupidity as he realized about twenty different tests he could have done to ensure the safety of the wagon rather than using himself.
He trudged over to the medical room and gathered some thread and an extra thin needle for repairing himself with, and sat down on the medical bed. He strung the thread into the needle and started sewing himself back up. He winced slightly each time he pushed the needle through his burlap skin. When he was done, he grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the excess thread off.
He heard 7 yell his name to come help him, and he dashed out to room, an expression of terror on his face. Were they in danger? Had the machines returned?
He came out of the medical room to a scene that made his once terrified feeling turn into laughter. The twins had found some paint and apparently it had gotten out of control, creating a very colorful scene. Paint was splattered all over the walls and floor, and not to mention the twins. There was not one spot of fabric on the that was'nt a different color than before. Except maybe their faces, having been protected by their hoods. There was red and yellow on 3's hood, making an orange color flow down her back. Her hands and feet were pinkish due to the red and white covering her arms and legs.
4 was a mess as well. She had a dark blue and yellow all over her body, making her green in some places. Her hands where orange, probably due to rubbing the color together on 3's head. Her feet were multiple colors becasue she had run around in the mess around them.
7 was splattered with so many colors, 9 lost count. There was some sort of brown, some dark red, some blue, some of everything. there was even paint covering her optics. She was mad.
9 burst into laughter, he could'nt help it. Her face! It was too much for him, he could'nt hold it in. 7 continued to glare in his general direction. She could'nt see him, but she knew he was there, and he was laughing at her.
"You. Think. It's. FUNNY?!" she yelled, her angry voice echoeing slightly in the huge room, making 9 stop immediately.
"Im sorry, it's just... what happened?" he said, a smile in his voice, but not daring to laugh again.
"3 was up on a shelf, and she found some of this disaster and tired to draw like 6, but 4 started getting mad at how she hogged it and... well..." she trailed off, he got the point.
9 smiled and said, "Hold on a second." before he went back to the medical room to get a spare rag to clean them off with. When he returned, 7 was laying on the floor in such a position that made 9 squirm. He stopped, and looked at her, took her in when she was'nt looking. It made up for all those times she looked at him and took him in like that. Something squrimed inside him, near the lowest part of his zipper...
"9? Are you still there?" came 7's voice. 9 brought the rags to her, forgetting about her position and cleaning off her optics. When her optics were clean, 9 smiled at her. They were so pretty, even with traces of black paint on them.
7 smiled back. The twins saw them and mischeviously snuck away to give them alone time, but 9 saw them and completely misread their gestures, thinking they were trying to get out of being cleaned.
"Oh, no you don't." he said, taking the rag from 7 and moving for the twins. They shook their heads and pointed to 7, but 9 did'nt understand and just tickled them until they gave up and let him wipe them off.
After a cute tickle fight that made 7 all warm inside to look at, 9 got serious again. "The paint wont come off. You guys might have to rinse it off in water."
7 frowned at this and said, "Hold on, i'll check the label." and was gone, running up the shelf in a few long strides, and flipped up each shelf, stabbing her knife in the wall and flinging herself up each level until she was on the shelf with the spilled paint bottle. 9 saw her push it up and look at the small writing on the back before calling down to them. "It says 'machine washable'. What does that mean?"
9 paused. Machine...
"I don't know, but im pretty sure a good rinsing will clean you guys off." he called back. 7 nodded once and plunged her knife-staff into the wall of the shelf and sliding back down gracefully. She left a gaping slash in the shelf where her knife had been in it.
"Alright, wait here. I'll clean us off while you finish packing." she said as she came to grab the twins and lead them up the platform.
9 nodded and made off for the medical room. Now that he had the wagon, he had to pack it with materials they may need. he walked through the cloth door and to the cloth pile. He did'nt think he would need any of it, but he thought it best to be prepared. He grabbed two pairs of sissors, a mini flashlight that was huge for them, a small battery, some electrical wire, some copper wire, some black thread, and some matches and a candle, just in case the flashlight malfunctioned.
When he was done packing all of this into the wagon, he stood at the door of the medical room and scanned it for any other possibly useful things he might need. He did'nt see anything, but he knew better than to check for things only on the outside, and unzipped his zipper. He checked for the talisman, he always kept it inside of him, as a physical reminder of what he had done. And also just in case it was needed as well, though he thought that unlikely.
He made his way out of the medical room and walked over to where the platform should have been.
He saw the platform was on the third level, so he would check there first. He lowered the platform with the string until he could get on it, and then heaved himself up the next two floors to the third. He was exausted by the time he reached it, and had to sit down for a bit while his mechanical workings cooled down.
He heard water splashing and decided not to venture further. "Hey!" he called out "7? Where are you?"
"Hold on 9!" 7 called back from behind a cloth draped from a hole in the next levels floor. "We'll be out in a second."
9 did as he was told, looking at his hands. After a few moments, 7 did as she promised and came out, damp, and without her skullmet and feathers on. The twins were still splashing each other with some water from a small tub, making sure all the paint had gone.
"They beg you not to make them take a bath, but once their in, you cant get them out." said 7, chuckling to herself and shaking her head as 9 restrained the soaking twins, getting himself damp as well.
When the twins had finally calmed down, 9 was damp and cold and the twins were almost dry. 7 rolled her eyes and helped 9 off the ground he had'nt noticed he'd been wrestled to, and gave the twins a motherly scolding look.
"Well, I guess we have to wait a while before going out there unless we want to freeze." said 9 with a smile in his voice. 7 nodded, smiling too. 9 noticed she was even whiter than she was before. You could say it was a pale shine instead of white, like the moon. It made his optics hurt if he looked at her too long. He suspected she would be her greyish white self in no time once she was released into the emptiness again.
By now, the sun was high in the sky, and 9 thought everyone was dry enough.
"Ok, let's go." he said presently, the twins smiling happily before looking at each other and running off to the hole in the wall they used as a secret entrance. The normal door was too heavy for them to open being only 6 inches tall.
7 looked up from inspecting her blade, and walked over to 9, her gaze set on the twins. Her voice was serious, however, as she spoke. "I need to talk to you."
9 looked her in the optics before saying the only thing he knew in response to that, "Why?"
7 released her gaze from where the twins had been, and met his optics. "Im worried for you."
9 did'nt know what to say to that. His mouth opened but nothing came out, so he closed it. He looked at the floor, determined suddenly not to meet her eyes for reasons even he did'nt understand.
"What? Can't the warrior be worried for her family?" 7 said with a playful laugh in her voice. 9 wanted to stay looking at the floor, but his head did'nt listen to his plea, and he it up to look into her optics again. His smile was enough.
7 placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever's bothering you, you can tell me." she said with such a trustworthy voice, 9 had an urge to tell her now, but he held it back.
He put his own hand over hers. "I know."
Suddenly, the twins popped their heads out from behind the hole in the wall, and flashed impatiently. 7 smiled mischieviously and lowered her bird skullmet and spear in a charging position, aiming for the twins. They realized what she was doing immediatly and sprinted away from the hole, scattering as 7 sprinted- she was ten times faster than they were- and out the hole to tickle them.
9 chuckled and thought, there is a lot more to women than meets the eye. He went to the wagon, with the journey officially started, and pulled it along easily. It was light enough now, but later it could be stuffed, and all four might have to help heave it back. This thought made him uncomfortable, he did'nt want the others to strain themselves.
As 9 pulled the wagon out the hole and into the afternoon sky, he smiled blissfully. The machines had been destroyed, life was starting to form in small, subtle ways, and the four surviving stitchounks were happy. All the danger, all the fear, all gone.
Forever, thought 9, ...right?
