Chapter Text
It was a welcome shock for Sung to be face to face with his wife. “Circe!” He cried, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief; finally, they had a Sung they knew again. He picked Circe up and spun around with her, just like he did when they were still married.
As in, married in the past, and no longer.
Because she dumped him. Over the phone. And then moved to Ladyworld, to live out her full lesbian potential.
“Christ,” Meouch sighed. He bumped his elbow against Havve’s. “Did she say when this backup was from?”
Thankfully, he wasn't as quiet as he thought he was, and Circe answered as she disentangled from Sung. "No-- it's from about a week before... well, a week before."
Oh god, Phobos echoed out into their minds.
"What?" Sung asked, finally able to hear them all again. "A week before what?"
"Uh," everyone seemed to cluck out, not wanting to answer. They all shared a nervous glance before Sung shook his head, moving on.
"Well, now that my wife is here, she can help me find that back up before she heads back to business!" He smiled up at her, holding her hands. "Where were you at, anyways?"
"Well, I was--"
"She can't be away that long," Meouch interrupted her. She and Sung looked at him, Circe silently pleading with him to keep going. "She does planetary management now, and we're so far out she can't even work remotely." He sauntered over. clapped Sung over the shoulder, not so gently trying to pull him back. "You know how she is, everything's absolutely going to shit without her."
"But she's already here! In for a penny, right dear?"
Circe gave a half shrug.
"Besides, she knows me better than anyone, so she'd know where I'd keep backups."
"I don't." Finally, finally, she had an inconsistency to dig in. "If I did, I would have told you all before I came all this way, wouldn't I? Like the Commander said, I can't be away from my work for very long."
"Oh," Sung mumbled, still high spirited. "It's gotta be somewhere more secure than you, then." He looked up at the sky as he thought, rocking back onto his heels and falling forward suddenly; back again, jolting forward, back forward. "I bet it's on Havve!"
Phobos snorted, stifling a laugh. A beat, and Meouch waved a hand back at him, shooting him a look. "Shut up," he muttered, pupils widening.
"That's settled!" Circe almost yelled, making them all jolt when she clapped her hands together, having dropped Sung’s. "Glad to help you along Doctor, I'll be heading back!"
"What?" Sung asked. "No," he said, then chanted as he shook his head, "no no no no! No, Circe, love, please stay." He started to grab for her hands again, fingers grasping up her arms, trying to convince her to stay. She let him take hold, but turned her head so she wouldn't have to look at him looking at her.
"I really can't be away much longer," she said softly, just loud enough for Sung to hear. "People need me back home-- back at work, they all rely on me."
Something seemed to finally click for Sung. He let go of Circe and took a step back. "Okay," he said, forcing a smile, "I'm sorry, you're right. I shouldn't try to keep you here, that's selfish, I--" His lip quivered, and he shook his head. "Sorry. Go home, Circe."
She reached out, just past his cheek, to his ear. Pinched the lobe between her fingers. "Sorry to do this to you twice."
Sung didn't answer.
"You can come visit me. When this is all sorted."
Sung shrugged and she let go. "I'll let you know," he said, and she stepped back into the beam of her ship.
They stayed in that field for a while, Sung sitting on the hood of the van, watching the sky. He didn't move until Havve stood next to him, a silent urging to move on.
The first course of action upon them all getting home was, as per Sung's assumption, checking Havve's system for something that might be a backup.
"You sure it's not like, physically in him, like a black box?" Meouch asked. They were all crowded in the basement like how this all started, now with Havve hooked up to the computer rather than Sung.
"Certain," Sung replied. "That note I left is a file location. That's not my shorthand for physical locations. Besides," he muttered, rolling his neck, "I can barely fit the stuff Havve needs in his body, you really think I'd use him for my personal storage?"
Havve tilted his head at Sung, his hand almost twitching up from where it was clenched on his lap.
"Right, sorry," Sung mumbled. "I mean, do you think Havve would let me use him for my personal storage." He looked away from the screen, giving a pointed look to Havve. "Better?"
Havve didn't react, which was a yes.
They all settled into a quiet again, Meouch and Phobos quickly becoming bored watching Sung flick through files, trying to find the right path, the right starting point. Bored enough that they didn't notice him slowly and steadily becoming agitated, him squinting at the screen, and chewing on the inside of his cheek. They didn't notice the mounting tension at all until he stood up and started disconnecting Havve.
"You got it?" Meouch asked, looking up from the game of cards he and Phobos had started.
"It's not on him," Sung said.
"What?" Meouch asked.
"It's not on Havve," Sung repeated. "It's not on him, it's not on this old piece of-- I don't know where I am, Commander."
He was working himself into a frenzy, his body trying to keep up with his mind flitting about.
"Hey, hey hey hey," Meouch said, standing. "What about your other computer?"
"...I have another computer?"
Everyone nodded. "In your room," Meouch said, sending Sung up the basement stairs.
A moment after Sung was up there, he hollered, "Where's my room?!"
"Door by the kitchen," Meouch hollered back. There was stomping, the back door opening, slamming, then Sung's bedroom door, followed by a muffled "oh!"
Havve plodded up the stairs, Sung's forgotten phone in hand, note of the file location still open. He didn't crash into Sung at the top of the stairs like he expected; Sung was in his room, door wide open, curled into a knot in his desk chair in front of his computer. He was rummaging through the drawers, the user login screen staring him down.
As much as it went against every impulse Havve had, he didn't hang in the doorway and watch Sung struggle. Instead, he came up behind him and passed the phone over Sung's shoulder, setting it on the desk. He grabbed Sung's hand, getting a grip on his thumb, and pressing it onto the computer screen, on the 'enter password' form.
"Oh," Sung mumbled, "thank you. I thought it was--"
You wouldn't keep a password in the drawer, anyway , Havve explained before Sung could ask.
Sung set to the same task as before; a methodical search through pathways, trying to find the right entry; the note he left was just the ending of it, the final piece. He was determined, didn't notice nor acknowledge Havve sitting on the edge of his bed, watching him.
Maybe , Havve urged, worming his way into Sung's mind, It's the same as Circe .
"What do you mean," Sung asked, pressing his thumbnail to his lip.
You just had to press your forehead to hers to load it up , Havve explained. Sung glanced at him. You log into this by pressing your thumb to the screen, why couldn't you download a backup like that?
Sung turned his head, licked the indent from his nail. "You think that's it?" he asked.
Havve shrugged.
Sung looked back at his monitor. At his whole set up. Two monitors, a tower, what looked like external hard drives. He stood, leaned over his desk, made sure everything was plugged in. He sat back down and gripped the sides of the main monitor-- it was widescreen, somehow still looked cobbled together. A sure grip on the sides, and Sung leaned across his desk, pressing his forehead to the middle of the screen, eye shut.
A frown, and he sat up. Grabbed the other monitor the same way, and pressed his forehead to the middle again. Then he stood, one hand steadying himself on the desk, the other resting on the tower and he pressed his head to the top of it.
He was trying to wrangle a hard drive closer when he noticed Havve’s shoulders jerking up and down, the lights of his eyes dimmed to lines, not circles.
He was laughing at Sung.
"And what is so funny?" Sung asked, using anger to keep the embarrassment out of his voice.
You're stupid, Doctor.
"What?!" Sung asked, putting down the hard drive and turning to Havve.
Well, not stupid. Havve leaned back on his hands, crossed an ankle up onto his knee. Gullible, that’s what I meant.
"Havve, this isn't funny!" Sung sat down with a thump, trying to reign himself in. "I've lost years of my life, and you're making fun of me."
Havve considered telling him not to pout, but knew it would have the opposite effect. You know what you keep on that? he asked instead. Sung shook his head. All the music we've ever made. Havve stood, breezed past Sung without touching him, heading to the door. You're sentimental. Kept your parents old machine, kept the you that hadn't lost them. You kept note of that married version of yourself, even when you haven't spoken to her since she left. Havve stood in the doorway, watching Sung just like before he came in.
"You knew a backup was on here the whole time, didn't you," Sung stated, fighting the twitch up of his lips, the muscles in his forehead.
No, I just know you. Havve slipped out, shut the door behind him. Sung turned back to his desk, searching again with more purpose, direction.
"Know me," Sung muttered to himself as he got up, looking for the equipment to connect himself. He grinned, shook his head as he unspooled wires, plugged them into the back of the tower. Load of crock, he thought, hoping Havve would hear him. Just say you love teasing me.
Shortly after, the power pulsed in the house. Wavered. It shut off fully for a second, like the breaker went, and then came back; every light in the house burst on at full power, the appliances plugged in on the counter coming on just fast enough to startle everyone.
Phobos stomped down from his room, hair a mess despite having only just gone to bed.
That better mean he got it, he thought out on a current of bitterness. He sat next to Meouch at the dining table, taking the mug of coffee from him and clutching it between his palms, inhaling deeply.
As if it was only to stop the future of an overtired Phobos going on a rampage, Sung stepped out of his room. Meouch and Phobos stared at him. Havve turned, twisted, looked over the back of the couch.
All eyes on him, Sung grinned. He jumped into the air, kicking his leg as high as he could. He landed with a thud, a wobble, and stood back up, straight and proud, arms in the air like he'd just landed a gold medal winning jump at the Olympics.
He was back to normal, and as insufferable as ever.