Chapter Text
He is exhausted.
He is completely, utterly exhausted.
He feels as if he should be struggling to stay awake right now, as if he should be snoring away, asleep like a rock.
He isn't.
He isn't and it's driving him insane.
How long he's been laying here, he couldn't tell. He had been really optimistic today; a full day of football, chores and errands, anything that would leech away his energy. He was certain that if he pushed himself to exhaustion he would finally fall asleep without any trouble.
Yeah great plan, Juice.
Now he's laying in bed, body aching from exertion, drained, and painfully awake.
His eyes hadn't left the ceiling in a.. probably long amount of time. Like he said, he couldn't tell. He isn't even looking at the ceiling. His eyes are pointed in its direction, yes, but he's far beyond the point of trying to make any of its intricacies out.
…
This is stupid.
He blinks, eyes dry from how long they've been open.
This is stupid.
Juice groans and throws his arms over his head, covering his eyes as he breathes out an upset huff. Why can't he just sleep!? Seriously, this cannot be normal. Maybe he's broken. He'll have to contact those NASA guys in the morning, whenever that is, because his body is fucked. Nearly every night has been spent tossing and turning, listening to background noise, counting sheep well into the hundreds and thousands— he shouldn't even have the patience to count to twenty!
Yet he counts and counts and counts.
And nothing.
Every time, without fail, he's still wide awake by the end of it.
Juice drag his hands through his hair and frowns, not for the first time considering just digging into his body and finding the manual off switch. He knows it's there; he and his friends were given a thorough run down on how their bodies work, he just doesn't know where. What, you were expecting him to pay attention? If only they were given manuals on how to work these bodies.
He shudders.
Yeah, maybe not. The thought alone was horrifically dehumanizing, plus they weren't meant to need manuals. They were meant to adapt to these bodies and adopt human habits and mannerisms so they wouldn't need to work their bodies manually.
Adapt.
Easier said than done.
He pushes himself up and runs a hand down his face, leaning back on the other. This is pointless. He knows how it's going to end because it always ends the same. He's not getting any sleep, no matter how tired he is.
Yet again he wishes he hadn't been given such a powerful battery as a probe. Awake for unbearable lengths of time when all the others rested. Now he couldn't get used to the average human sleep schedule. At first he had mourned the loss of such big portions of his day— imagine what one could do if he never slept!
Now he envies his friends for being able to just- just go to sleep! It takes them only a few minutes, which is bizarre to Juice. Nine especially— if you leave 'em alone for a bit too long there's about a fifty percent chance they'll have dozed off by the time you're back. Guess their previous battery life is reflecting on their android body as well.
Juice kicks his legs out, knocking his blanket to the floor. A few pillows follow it, and he would've angrily chucked the rest of his bed's contents to the ground if he had the energy. Instead, he silently watches them tumble off the bed, shoulders tensing with a deep sigh.
It doesn't even matter, he isn't gonna fall asleep.
He grunts as he reaches over to his nightstand and grasps his remote, flicking the TV on before settling back against the wall.
Some football oughta brighten the mood!
The channels on at the moment aren't particularly thrilling. Nothing he'd stay up for if given the choice, but he has to watch something or he really thinks he'll go insane.
He settles for some channel he doesn't often visit, just your average football commentary. Usually he'd skip over it because if you asked him, the commentator lacks the passion the other's have.
However, something about their droning lack of enthusiasm felt fitting. He felt compelled to share the miserable moment together.
They're in the same boat now, hurrah!
…
Yeah okay he's hardly comprehending what the commentator's saying.
This is stupid.
Whatever, maybe he just needs to clear his mind. A glass of water will probably do that. It always does in the shows anyways.
He hops out of his bed and stumbles on one of the many pillows on the floor, hardly getting a yelp out before landing in a heap on the blanket that he had kicked to the floor. That wasn't the plan, but you know what? Sure.
He flops into the blanket and sprawls his limbs out in every direction. Starfish. Hell yeah.
The water can wait, probably.
The football commentary sounds less and less coherent the longer he lies there.
At some point he covered head with a pillow to block out the faint yellow light that had began to gather in his room.
…
…Wait, yellow light..?
Surely that's not…
Juice lifts his heavy head, not nearly bothered enough to brush his hair from his eyes.
Oh.
…
So, that's the sun.
…
Juice groans and buries his head back into the blanket.
Nine pouts, flicking through all the TV channels for the third time. Is it just them or is there nothing good on today? They turn the TV off miserably, allowing the remote to roll out of their hand and onto the couch.
Their head falls back against the back of the couch and they shoot Ten a dejected glance. Ten, in question, is having a very pleasant time reading a book. She does this most mornings after getting her routine out of the way because it's the quietest the houses gets, prime book reading time if you asked her.
However something about this morning has been giving Nine the slightest, weensiest sense of off-ness.
"Does it feel a bit.. too quiet?" they query. Ten slips a finger between the pages of her book as she looks up at them.
"No, why?" She has a quizzical sort of look on her face.
Nine only shrugs in response, picking up the TV remote once more. Maybe they just need to check all the channels out again, there's probably something cool on and they just missed it—
"No, Nine why do you ask?" Ten's voice makes them pause. She's sitting up and sliding a bookmark into her book now, eyes carefully searching Nine. "Do you need something? I can set up the record player if it's too quiet." She offers sweetly, scooting a little closer to them.
It takes them a few moments to realise what their sister is offering and why. They shake their head quickly and sit up straighter, though they absolutely aren't going to complain about Ten shuffling closer.
"No, no— I mean yeah some music would be nice but I don't need any grounding right now. I'm alright." They lean into Ten, who leans back in turn. They gently take her hand, rubbing a thumb over her knuckles in thought. They can't see her face but after years of similar interactions they can tell she's giving them an "are you sure" look. A smile spreads across their face. God they love their sister.
"I insist, I'm okay," they hum, leaning a little further into Ten's shoulder.
"Mmm, I understand." Ten quirks her head down at her sibling. "You still want music?"
Nine nods with a smile, squeezing their sister's hand. "Obviously."
Ten chuckles and carefully lets go of Nine's hand as she rises from the couch. She flattens her skirt and shimmies around the coffee table, making her way towards their record collection.
"In the mood for anything in particular?" She calls over her shoulder, kneeling down and running a finger across several vinyls. Nine hummed in thought, considering their options.
"Uhh, can we do something calm?"
"Of course, let's see..." Ten plucks a vinyl from the shelf and stands up once more, resting it on top of the shelf so she could switch on the record player. She runs a hand over the thin film of dust on its casing and gently undoes the clasp, revealing the many knobs and buttons on the player. She lifts the tone-arm away from the platter and rests it to the side, reaching once more for the record she had picked out.
"There we go!" She sings as she slides the vinyl out and places it on the platter, shifting the tone-arm back into place so the needle sits at the edge of the vinyl. With the twist of a knob a gentle tune crackles on, earning a satisfied hum from Ten and a little cheer from Nine.
Ten turns to face their sibling with a smile, strolling her way to the couch.
"Are you feeling hungry yet?"
Nine considers her question as they rest a hand on their stomach.
"A little, maybe. Could go for a snack."
"We might need to go shopping, I'm not sure what we've got in the pantry," Ten comments as she skirts the couch and enters the kitchen, beckoning nine to come along. "Or the fridge actually, I think Juice used the last of the chicken yesterday."
Nine hums in acknowledgment as they follow her into the kitchen and pull a chair out from the table. They hop on, crossing their legs on the concave wood. "Yeah I walked in on him making himself a sandwich and asked for one too, that was the last of the chicken."
Ten quirks a brow as she shoots nine a look, before turning to the pantry and swinging the door open.
"Chicken works alot better in a wrap, why'd he make sandwiches?" She queries, rooting through the lackluster contents of the pantry.
"Ah, OK well I lied a bit," Nine taps rhythmically at the table "He was making wraps when I came along but I pointed out that some of them had mold. We threw 'em out and used bread instead."
"Ah. Yeah we really should get some food."
Ten grunts as she pulls a blue box from a nook in the pantry, her form deflating ever so slightly when she acknowledges the picture on the box. "Y'want some mac & cheese?"
"Mac & cheese? Why do we even have that, you hate that stuff."
Ten replies with a shrug.
Nine tilts their head at her. "Well if we have it then sure! Though the store bought one's gonna taste a little wanting compared to Juice's." They drop their gaze to their crossed legs. "Oh, wait--" Nine straightens, unfolding their legs in favour of swinging them under the chair. "Isn't it his turn to make dinner today?"
Ten hums affirmatively from where she's placing the mac & cheese on the counter and reaching for a pot, before pausing with an "Oh" of clarity.
"Yeah, gosh we really should go shopping if he's making dinner. Preferably soon. What time is it?"
Nine punctuates their glance at the clock with a drawn out "Uuuhhhh" and pauses as they squint at the little hands.
"Two thirty-- no, one thirty. Sorry, it's one thirty."
Ten turns the tap on and glances at Nine over her shoulder, pot humming as water fills it.
"One thirty; are you sure? That's.." She turns the tap off and lets the last drops plip into the pot before moving it to the stove. "That's pretty late isn't it? For Juice to still be asleep I mean." The stove beeps as she sets the temperature.
Nine nods. It certainly isn't the latest Juice has ever slept, but usually he'd have come down for food by now. Not only that, he informed them that he was going to sleep early yesterday.
"Yeah, he went to bed around ten didn't he?"
"Well he should have, the real question is whether he actually did or not." Ten lowers the temperature and rips the bag of macaroni open, dumping its contents into the pot. "He was really tired yesterday evening, I can understand sleeping in after a taxing day but surely he hasn't been asleep for..." She stirs the pot of macaroni in thought. "Fifteen hours? Fifteen and a half? That's absurd."
Nine coughs, giving her a look that said "really?"
Ten blinks at her sibling for a beat, before scoffing with a smile. "It's different for you, you're still getting used to being awake consistently." She counters.
Nine grins and rolls their eyes, resting their chin on a hand as their gaze drops to the grain pattern in the table's wood.
The sound of their prattle is replaced with the soft bubbling of water and little tinks of pasta bumping into the walls of the pot.
"Hey"
Nine flinches with a gasp, whirling around to see Juice standing in the doorway, antennas droopy. He looks as if he stopped mid step, glancing between Nine and Ten tentatively.
"Juice! Shit, couldn't walk any quieter could you." Ten huffs, but there's clear amusement in her voice.
"Didn't think I was that quiet." He comments, brows furrowing ever so slightly. He shuffles past Nine in their seat and opens the fridge, searching the door for something.
Nine watches him suspiciously, before peering at Ten, who met their gaze. They point at him while squinting their eyes at Ten, receiving an equally disquieted shrug from their sister. It was unlike Juice not to quip back when teased.
"Did one of you drink the last energy drink?.." Juice pipes up, still scanning for the energy drink in question.
"Uhh," Nine scratches the back of their head "I had it--yesterday, while I was helping Ten in the garden."
"Oh."
Nine watches Juice close the fridge, growing increasingly concerned about his subdued behaviour. He didn't even ask about food-- hell, he hardly acknowledged what Ten's making.
Ten gives the macaroni another stir. "We'll have to go shopping soon, until then I'm making some mac & cheese, do you want--"
Juice perks up. There he is!
"Th-uhh, shopping. I can do that. I'll go now actually--"
What???
Juice is already on his way out of the kitchen, oblivious to Nine and Ten's bewildered faces. "--jus' text me anything ya'll want."
"Juice!" Ten turns off the stove and follows him out, pausing by the kitchen door to watch him throw his shoes on.
"Yea?" He hardly glances up at her, snatching up the car keys.
"Juice, is everything alright?" Ten probes urgently.
"Yeah. I'll uh, be back. Soon." He calls from the end of the hallway, before swinging the front door open and disappearing.
Ten remains where she stands until she hears the car engine rumble to a start, and even then she listens until Juice has reversed out of the driveway and driven off.
Nine leans out from behind the kitchen door, taking in Ten's troubled expression. Ten turns to meet Nine's gaze. They don't say anything. They don't need to.
The soft sound of the record player plays out from the living room.
Eventually, Ten sighs, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Nine watches with a frown, inching closer to their sister so they can take her hand and lead her back to the kitchen.
"We'll talk to him when he's back, Ten." Nine comforts, sitting her down in the chair they previously sat in. Ten cycles her fans and pushes warm air from the imperceivable vents in her neck, nodding.
"I know."
She watches nine return to the counter and drain the water from the pot, using their teeth to open the sauce powder packet. She snorts in amusement.
Nine makes an offended noise as they spit the little torn piece of plasted out. "I heard that! Stop taunting me!"
Ten can't help the chuckle that escapes her. "Not my fault you can't use your hands to open anything."
"It's difficult OK, that is out of my control."
"Mhm whatever you say."
Nine sticks their tongue out at Ten, dumping the sauce powder into the macaroni. They reach for the butter dish, only to find it empty.
"Uhhh. You might wanna tell Juice to buy butter."
They walk over to the fridge and tug it open, pulling out the milk. They return to the pot and pour the remainder of it in.
"...And milk."
Ten looks thoroughly unimpressed. She shakes her head and pats herself down for her phone. "How did we even get to this point-- how does an undying population forget to do something as simple as stock the fridge. Also you text him, I don't have my phone on me."
Nine nods, grabbing a spoon to mix the incomplete sauce mixture into the macaroni. "Well in our defense we were busy yesterday. I thought gardening was meant to be relaxing, didn't realise it could get so arduous."
"Nothing good comes easy." Ten shrugs.
"Yeah."
Nine sets the pot down, reaching into a cupboard to pull out two bowls. They pour even portions of mac & cheese into each, before placing utensils in them.
They place a bowl infront of Ten and take a seat next to her. Ten picks her spoon up and plays with her mac & cheese.
"Do you think I said something wrong?" She asks.
Nine blinks in surprise, chewing their mouthful of admittedly lacking mac & cheese. "What, to Juice? Are you kidding, of course not! Maybe he just really wanted something from the store." They assure their sister.
Ten sighs once more, bringing her spoon to her mouth. "Yeah, you're right."
She takes a bite of the mac & cheese and crinkles her nose.
"Euughh, ew! Why am I even eating this!"
Nine can't help giggling.