-Post Apocalypse: One Year-

It was a scalding day. Five and Rachel were dressed in gear to fight off the suns heat, but that also meant they were drowning in sweat. Rachel glanced back at Dolores in her little red wagon.

"How about we trade places? I'll ride for a little bit."

Five glowered at her.

"You have two legs, use them."

The girl frowned at him. For a year, the girl put up with his rudeness. He'd always been sarcastic and a bit mean, but since getting trapped in the future he'd gotten worse. Rachel was patient and not one to snap, but she could feel her last nerve fraying.

"I was kidding. You're not the only one who can talk to Dolores, you know. She likes having a female to talk to occasionally."

Five was either too tired to protest or agreed with her, either way she was content with that. As they continued on, looking for anything they could salvage or a safe place to rest for a bit, Rachel reached out for the wagon.

"Here, Five, let me pull it for a bit. You should have a break."

He swatted her hand away.

"I'm fine. You'll just tip it over or something and make more trouble than its worth."

Rachel stopped in her tracks. It was just like this day in and day out. Five always did everything. He didn't let her lift a finger and stated that, if she did, she'd probably just mess it up. She'd had enough. In this searing heat, there was no way she was keeping her cool.

"That's it! I've had enough of your bullshit, Five!"

Five turned to her in surprise, the wagon bumping against his leg as he abruptly stopped. He watched in surprise as she marched up to him and began poking him in the chest.

"This holier than thou attitude is getting on my nerves. If we're going to survive being trapped together, we need to work as a team. You can't just take everything on by yourself. I get it, Five. I really do, even though you won't talk to me. And, yes, it's because I sensed your feelings before you told me to cut it out, but I get it! You feel bad and think that means the burden is on you. Well, stop it because I chose to grab your jacket. I could have let you walk away. I could have gone inside and lived out my life until it all ended. I chose to check on you. Sure, I didn't know what that would mean, but I don't regret my choice. So, let me do my own damn part, you overbearing dictator!"

Five grabbed her wrist and stopped her from stabbing him with her finger.

"Was this your first time trying to chew someone out?"

The girl suddenly felt embarrassed. Pulling her hands behind her back she nodded, looking at the ground.

"I-I just…if we're going to be stuck together…I want to be treated as an equal…a partner in figuring out how to get through this. I don't want to just let you do everything and watch you wear yourself out."

Five grinned at the girl.

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to ever have an outburst like that. It was almost cute. Like watching a bunny rabbit try to attack a fox."

Rachel pouted, making the boy snicker at her. He held the wagon handle out to her, causing her to look up in surprise.

"Alright, partner. But I'm still a dictator and I'm not going easy on you. I'm still smarter, so if we survive it's because of my smart decisions. But I'll share the labor with you, hm? Only because Dolores agrees with you, not because of that weak speech you just gave."

The girl blinked at him before taking the handle. With his grin shifting to a full smirk, he turned and began plodding on once again. His companion sped up her pace to catch up with him. The two continued on that way, shoulder to shoulder, figuring out the path to travel together.

-Present Day-

Rachel groaned as sunlight seared the back of her eyelids. She blinked her eyes open to see the roof of a car. Pulling herself up, she found she was in the backseat of Reginald Hargreeves' car. Five sat at attention in the driver seat outside of Meritech. Letting out a yawn, the girl crawled into the front passenger seat.

"Good morning," she told the boy after almost elbowing him in the face during her slight contortion act.

"Morning," he said, eyes still trained on the entrance.

The girl looked at the building.

"Is it open?"

"Yes."

"Going in by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Shall I man the getaway vehicle?"

"No, it'll be fine. You just wait here."

As he moved to open the door, Rachel pulled him back.

"Not to waste time, but there is something I need to talk with you about."

Five turned back and looked at her, slightly perturbed to be delayed.

"About what exactly?"

Rachel leaned the side of her head against the car seat as she looked at Five.

"I heeded your request not to read your emotions for a good forty-five years. That was easy considering we were the only two people in existence. Then I'd be sure to not focus on you when we had a job to do and it was convenient. Now, we are being chased by assassins, which makes me feel uncomfortable about not using my powers. I didn't want to be rude and not let you know, so…I'm letting you know I'm going to use them."

Five sighed heavily.

"I get where you're coming from, but don't you dare focus on me specifically. I get it when you can't help it, but I hate when you purposefully try to psychoanalyze me from my feelings."

"Five, emotions are natural. Just because you walk around acting like you don't have them doesn't mean I don't know the truth."

"Why do you think you drove me crazy as a kid?!" Five hissed at her," 'What's got you down today, Five? What has you scared, Five? You seem really happy today, Five!'"

Rachel pouted at his imitation of her when she was a kid. She hadn't controlled herself as a kid and managed to use her power as a means of starting conversations. It was her own fault Five pranked her so often. That way she only sensed his amusement about terrorizing her.

"I may look like I did back then, but I'm a fifty-eight-year-old woman in here who knows better now, thanks."

Five smirked at her.

"And yet you still ask me for permission to do your own thing after forty-five years."

Rachel lunged for him, but he was suddenly outside the car.

"I do that for your sake, you ungrateful jerk!" her muffled shout sounded from the car.

Five saluted her and began walking off. Rolling down the window, she leaned out of the car.

"Please be careful, Five!"

He gave a small smile as he headed across the street, stamping out the affection he felt for her before she could sense it and tease him later.

It was only about twenty minutes later when Five was opening the car door again. The look of severe irritation was enough for Rachel to know they'd be back at Meritech again.

"So…a thirteen-year-old isn't getting the answers easily, hm?"

"I'll figure it out. For now, let's head back to the Academy."

Rachel just shrugged and wondered how they were going to get the information on the eye without running a stealth mission to extract the information.