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Nine hadn’t expected to stay up this late.
In most instances, Nine was always the first to go to bed. They had fallen asleep on the couch midway through a movie more times than they could count. Or in the car, or even just while sitting in the kitchen with a good book. But something about the novel they were reading tonight must have been especially captivating, because despite the tiredness that clawed at their eyelids and tugged on their limbs, Nine had managed to stay up until they finished the entire thing.
And now it was three A.M.
Nine blinked at their watch. Okay, maybe they should have expected that. Time passes no matter how good your book is. But had they really been at this for eight hours? It felt like seconds to them, really!
Nine had heard someone say once that books were just a way of getting people to pay to be on “the other side of a one-sided conversation,” but really, that was what they loved about reading books. They loved hearing stories, loved hearing people talk about what they loved, whether it was science or music or superheroes or, of course, football.
Nine found themself headed to the library nearly every week, trying to pick up books whenever they got the chance. There were thousands of them, from nearly every year. Some from the 1800s, some from the 18000s. Some of them were better than others; in eternity nearly everyone had found the time to write a book of some sort. Nine had found ways to pick out the good ones, finding the topics and tropes they loved.
This particular book they had just finished was about a magical harmonica and how it found its way to three children and guided them through music. It was set during the Second World War, and something about the history surrounding it captivated Nine. The ending was perfect, each child finding safety and a place they could belong, and Nine’s heart fluttered as they imagined everything that happened in between. A beautiful journey to come along on the ride for, and they still got to keep the book for another two weeks! They couldn’t wait to read it again in the morning.
They set the book down on the side table, tracing their fingers over the glossy embossed letters on the cover, and glanced out across the room, eyes watering. The windows were pitch black, only reflecting the inside of the room in an orange glow. Nine should really go to bed. They pulled their glasses off and dragged their hand down their face before pushing against the rocking chair beneath them and rising to their feet. Stumbling forward, they managed to reach the lamp and flick it off before collapsing forward onto their mattress.
Nine lay there a moment, sucking the choked air out of their bedsheets, before reaching out and fumbling around for a blanket. Their hands only met cool sheets. Odd. Usually Nine’s bed was a huge tangled mess of every type of blanket possible. Comforters, throw blankets, handmade quilts, the like. They perked their head up and glanced around, letting their eyes adjust to the darkness.
Nope. Aside from a pair of pillows and a plush of the Saturn V, their bed was completely barren. What on earth?
Nine sat up and turned back out to face their room. Nothing on the carpet, nothing in the closet. Their blankets had vanished entirely.
Nine was just about ready to give up on this entirely. They were far too tired to search the house for where they could have gone, and they could just find them the morning.
The only problem was that it was January.
“Ugh…” Nine stomped their foot gently as they noticed the chill running over their skin. They had thought that maybe the engineers would have included a better temperature regulating system in their android body, one where they didn’t have to worry about blankets or sweaters or fans or iced drinks. But it was one of the things about having a body they just had to deal with, they supposed.
That and Nine really would prefer to have a blanket. Sure, they could fall asleep just about anywhere, but they found the sleep was best when they had something to clutch to as they lay there. Hence the stuffed Saturn, or the pillow they kept in the back of the car, or the way they’d often find themself pressing a book to their chest when they woke up. But the rocket toy could only do so much for them tonight, so Nine sighed and summoned what energy they could to go downstairs and look around.
The house was dead silent as Nine stepped into the hallway, darkness claiming every corner and doorframe. Nine could see just fine, of course, but it still left them feeling uneasy. Ever since they had come to Earth, each moment had been filled with color and detail a thousand times more than what they had seen from space, and they hated whenever that dissipated. Carefully, they made their way down the stairs, creaking with each step, until they laid their bare feet on the frigid floor. Sound drifted out of the next room, and Nine’s entire body tensed up.
That was odd. The TV was on. At this hour? Even Juice, who had much more trouble getting to sleep than Nine did, usually cut it off (at Ten’s request) by midnight. But it was still on, set to some documentary program about a band from the nineties. Definitely didn’t seem like something that would interest Juice.
Nine turned the corner into the living room, finding it lit in a dim blue light. Nope, no Juice. The couch was devoid of the easily excitable probe, instead of him leaning forward, sitting on the edge of his seat. He’d probably actually gone to bed on time tonight. Nine wished they could say the same about themself.
No, instead of Juice, Nine found the couch hidden underneath a mountain of blankets. Throw blankets, quilts, even a star-patterned comforter with a photo from Hubble, all in a heap. Even in the flickering glow of the television, Nine could tell that it was everything their bed was missing right now. Thank goodness. Nine didn’t bother to wonder about how they’d gotten down there; they could ask in the morning, because right now their number one priority was getting back to sleep.
They turned sharply on their heel and powered off the TV, the room once again vanishing into pitch black. Nine then made a move for the uppermost blanket in the stack, hoping they could pull it out without causing an avalanche. They found the corner, and were just about to pull it out when—
When the blanket moved.
Nine jerked back, praying the tower wouldn’t collapse and wondering how the hell it was doing that. It settled again, and Nine stood there bewildered for a moment before taking a closer look. It was still moving, however gently, rising and falling in time. Oh. Nine reached down and lifted one of the bottom blankets up, and there they found their answer.
Nine wasn’t sure they’d ever seen Ten fall asleep anywhere but her bed. It was something she was very insistent on: any time she was getting drowsy somewhere else, she’d immediately pick herself up and head upstairs, closing the door behind her. She must have really not wanted to miss that program, because now she was absolutely, one hundred percent, fast asleep. Her breathing was gentle, her eyes shut as her chest rose up and down beneath the blankets.
Well, now what was Nine meant to do? They really didn’t want to wake Ten up, not at this hour. But they couldn’t just go back to bed without any blankets either, and there was no way they could remove one without disturbing their sleeping sister. They shivered, getting quite fed up with everything getting in their way tonight. Why had Ten even taken their blankets in the first place? She had plenty of her own.
Nine stared down at their sister, looking so peaceful as she slept. It was rare to catch a moment where Ten really, truly relaxed, where she let herself loose and stopped worrying about how everybody around her was feeling and just focused on herself. Now that they thought about it, Ten had mentioned the documentary when the pair were at the library earlier. Had she been hoping Nine would watch it with her? They’d ended up being so focused on their book that they’d completely forgotten.
Nine felt a pang of guilt at being shut up in their room the whole night. Now that they were on Earth, they could finally spend any time they wanted with their family, and instead they were taking it for granted.
They brushed their hair back and sighed, lowering themself on the couch next to Ten. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment, but settled again, and Nine carefully lifted up the edge of the blanket mountain, tucking their legs underneath and scooching in next to her. Underneath the blanket was warm, much better than the outside, and Nine made an effort not to let any extra cold air in. They shifted, trying not to elbow or kick Ten as their body settled next to hers.
They could feel her next to them now, the beating of her electronic heart next to theirs, the hum of her cooling fans trying to fight off the heat of the blankets. Nine pressed themself up to her, feeling her warmth as they sank into the couch cushions. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it was worth it to be able to feel her touch.
Nine was incredibly grateful that this was something they could do, that they could fall asleep feeling the presence of their sister, feel her protecting them. All those centuries spent apart in space, trillions of miles apart and only getting further, and now they could sit right next to each other, touch each other, knowing that even if they parted they could reunite again. It was downright magical, that’s what it was.
Something like magic was what had united the two. Not luck, not force, but the will of the universe. It was just like in the book Nine had read. Those children were united by magic. Those children had found each other through magic. Those children each had siblings they would do anything for, siblings that meant the world to them, siblings they fought to protect with the help of the universe on their side. That’s what Nine and Ten were, one and the same.
Nine felt around under the blanket, finding Ten’s hand and taking it in theirs and squeezing it. They looked up at their little sister, or big sister, or whatever it is that she wanted to call herself, and smiled as her unconscious body returned the gesture. She didn’t even know what was happening, and she loved them anyway. All those years not even knowing who she was searching for, and she had found them anyway.
The pair meant the world to each other.
The pair were each other’s worlds.
Nine didn’t even care that Ten had stolen their blankets anymore. They could share. They had more than enough blankets to go around.