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It wasn’t boasting for Sam to say he knew his runners pretty well. He watched through very high tense situations. He knew he could trust Jody to get the job done despite her nerves, he knew despite Kyton’s… chill personality he took his job seriously and would risk the whole mission just for a cool karate move. All and all he knew how his runners worked. It was natural for him to know things about them that the rest of Able didn’t. So, despite what Jack and Eugene kept implying, both in real life and on the radio, there was nothing going on between him and Runner Five.
Well, nothing was a little strong, they worked together and they were friends. They played Demons and Darkness together, eat meals with one and another when their schedules lined up, they kept him company in the Comms Station when they weren’t on runs. So wasn’t it natural that he knew a little more about them than the average runner?
Besides, it’s not like he knew that much about them anyways. He knew they were dependable in the field to the point of putting themselves in dangers for the mission. He knew their preferred weapon for fighting zombies. He knew what they’re footsteps sounded like. He knew what they’re favourite movies and music was; and what were their favourites of the ones they had managed to find since the start of the apocalypse.
Obviously, Jack and Gene were off their rocker for thinking there was anything between them. Was it that strange to know how Runner Five tied their shoes? Double knotted, a little sloppily done from the rush to make it to the gates and someone what crooked. That was a normal thing to know about your friends, right? So what if he didn’t know how any of is other friends tied his shoes. Come to think of it he didn’t know how he tied his own shoes off the top of his head.
But he supposed, none of that really mattered right now, none of that info mattered, it didn’t matter who thought he was in a relationship with Five, it didn’t even matter if he wanted a relationship with Five. What mattered most now was that he trusted them, more than anyone. So with that in mind, while everyone else was scrambling around to either get somewhere safe or deal with the zombies that had gotten in or tried to close the gate, Sam made his way to Children’s bunks to put himself between Five and the ZRD.
These past few weeks without Five had been hard, Sam had lost track of how many fights he had gotten into with Janine about sending a team out to search for Five. Janine kept telling him it was too dangerous and they couldn’t risk anyone else since they were already down their best runner. And while all that a true Five was still out there in the hands of the enemy and they couldn’t just do nothing could they?
Well as it turned out doing nothing worked. It worked in the worst possible way but it worked. Five had come back. Granted it was while under the control of what Sam was starting to think was the worst person he’d ever met post-apocalypse, but Sam would take what he could get. His brain going a mile a minute finial slowed as he heard the door opened and someone stepped in.
He didn’t know it was Five until they came into view and his heart both swelled and cracked. It was a relief to see Five breathing and all things considered looking physically okay. He’d seen them look worse. But at the same time, this wasn’t… Five. Their eyes were glazed over and their stance unnatural. Their steps almost automated, the way a walking toy would step. It was just… wrong.
As he continued to stare at Five he began rambling, he wasn’t totally sure what he was saying but when he was nervous he talked. The jury was still out if that was a hindrance or a help in his job but he could hardly stop himself now. He had almost never felt worse then he did right now.
He could hear the tones bleeding though Five’s headphone as they started to raise their axe. For the first time today Sam was starting to doubt himself for thinking this was a good idea. He felt horrible for thinking that Five could even hurt him but panic did that sort of thing. His eyes fell to the floor, if Five was going to kill him he didn’t want to watch.
As his eyes settled on the ground near Five and Sam’s breath hitched as he caught sight of Five’s shoes. A familiar sight to say the least as Five was quite fond of them, often turning down newer pairs in favour of these ones. The right one was done up single knotted with military precision and expertly in the middle of the tongue.
But the left was double knotted and falling to the left...
And Sam smiled.