Chapter Text
Y held N’s hand as they walked. There wasn’t much conversation, as Z made sure they kept a good pace as they moved. Staying in front, she peeked around corners and held a warning hand out to the other less-bothered variables. But more importantly, they kept their pace due to the fire that was moving forward with every passing day, every burning second they rested. It was like a predator, hunting the weak prey left behind. But Z wouldn't let it get them. No, she would keep them safe. For her, for them, and for…And for X. Who she hoped was truly out there. Despite her rational thoughts telling her not to, she had hope. Maybe that’s what he would’ve wanted.
“Z, are the front gates open?” Y called from behind, snapping Z out of her thoughts. She whipped around to look at them, but quickly went back to look at the gates, which were…Gone? There was a big hole in the wooden walls surrounding the Plaza, with claw marks also scattered along it. No traces of what had happened were there, but it was pretty obvious what had happened. Z furrowed her brows in disgust and mild fear. She turned around quickly but kept her eyes in front of her to stay alert.
“Well, it uh…Doesn’t really matter,” She shouted back. With a quick nod, they followed further. They walked through the hole in the barrier and continued in the general direction of the footsteps left behind. They walked for a few hours, with not much conversation happening due to their tiredness and alertness. As the forest began to sizzle out into small fields, Z waved Y and N closer. They huddled.
“The sun is at its peak, so we can take a break for a while. I have some water,” She mumbled, sitting down on a steeper part of the land. She brought her backpack in front of herself and pulled out a flask and a couple of sandwiches. She handed one to the two of them, Y deciding to eat it. They nibbled on their food and sipped on their drinks in silence. But after a short time, N exhaled loud enough to get the other green variables' attention. They locked eyes with Z. Y leaned back to let it happen with a surprised look on their face.
“Hey Z, what’s the plan here? Follow the footprints until we find the owner of them? W-What if it’s the integers…?” They whimpered. Z blinked, almost offended by the question, but quickly shook it off as N’s face only showed her worry. She peered back into the others' deep pools of eyes.
“I- ahhm, I mean, what else are we supposed to do? I was hoping, variable or not, they would have an idea of where X is. And this is hard enough, putting trust in others for me, you know that right?” She whined. N frowned but looked like they understood, their stare on the grass below highlighting the bruises under their eyes. Z wrapped her arms around herself.
“And, if we don’t find X,” They began, clutching their arms tighter. She frowned at the thought. But before she could say anything else, Y interrupted.
“We will find him!” Y exclaimed sharply, cutting through the atmosphere like a blade. Both variables shifted to look at them, their eye contact ending with each other. Z nodded sympathetically.
“We wuh-We will,” N responded. Z quickly got up.
“Speaking of, let's get going again. I have a feeling we won’t have to go much farther,” she said. N’s face lit up as they followed suit, offering a hand for Y to take. They yanked them up and held their palm as they walked.
“What makes you say that?” Y asked, a smile beginning to form on their face. Z looked up over the treetops, smoke flowing not even a mile away. She grinned and looked back for a moment, shrugging.
“Just a hunch. I bet X is here.”
“X isn’t here?” Two asked, rubbing their still-tired eyes. Four was on the ground, facing the mouth of the cave, back to the number. He refused to look back, his shoulders shaking as he silently whimpered. He sniffed and wiped his cheeks, though Two couldn’t see their face.
“He left. I begged him not to,” They spat back. Two’s eyes widened as they listened to his tired voice, it being more scratchy than usual. He hiccupped. Two stood there in silence for a moment before shuffling slowly and carefully towards Four, making themselves loud enough to be noticed, and so Four was aware. They didn’t do anything to stop Two. They continued their journey and slowly bent down on one knee, putting a hand on their upper arm. He flinched ever so slightly, but again did not stop them. Three watched from the spot where he had been sleeping, eyes flickering between Two and Four.
“I pleaded for him to stay. I don’t know why, though,” Four murmured. Two hummed with a mildly confused yet somber expression lacing their face.
“Well, because X was your friend. And uhm…” Two trailed off, feeling awkward. They rubbed their neck. Four seemed to wince at the word friend, like it stung or something. Two sighed, their eyebrows knitted together in a pained look. They shuffled closer and hugged Four from behind. He sniffled in the silence as he was embraced, curling forward as he held their hands against his body. Then, when his breath stabilized, he stood up slowly, like he was mustering up the courage to speak again. They wrapped their arms around themself, looking back at Two and Three, determined this time. The sadness was still apparent on their face, but they stood strong.
“X was…X was right. He may have been wrong about me trying, but I can prove him wrong. I’m gonna, uhm…” His confidence sizzled out slowly, but with an inhale, he continued.
“I’m gonna rally people up. And when I do, we’ll stop One. Variables and Integers work together to stop a common enemy. How could anyone see One the same after what they did?” Four said, clenching his hand into a fist. Their gaze went from Two’s light smile to Three’s unhappy frown.
“And when X comes back, I’ll make sure to be ready for him. Even if he doesn’t like me anymore,” They finished, putting their hands on their hips. Two nodded, looking over for Three’s confirmation. But he scoffed instead.
“What are you thinking?” He shot back, to Four’s displeasure. Two raised an eyebrow.
“I’m thinking about trying to help others! What are you thinking about?” Three sighed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
“I’m thinking about our safety! We don’t need to leave," he reasoned. He got up, using the wall behind him to pull his body up. Four shifted their weight, crossing their arms.
“No, you’re thinking of your safety. I have nothing to do with that,” They shot back. Two looked between them worriedly, then took a step back. Their stare sharpened on both ends, causing the air to feel heavy with tension. Two shivered in the silence. Four scowled.
“You have everything to do with that. I’m not only thinking about myself, you know,” Three said. Four took a step closer, but their expression stayed the same, frustrated and uninterested.
“Let me do what I want! You can stay here and wallow, but I want to help people. Is that so much to ask?”
“That is too much! What if they do what they did to the variables, to you? What if I’m not there to protect you?”
“Why does it matter?” Four whined back. Three huffed and stomped forward.
“Because last time I didn't protect you, this happened!” He shouted, pointing at Four’s eyepatch. Four’s eye widened, slapping his hand over the eyepatch like Three’s pointing burnt. Two gasped but refused to intervene. Three blinked in surprise at his own words before stepping back, pulling his hand back and to his chest. The cave was silent, each number processing the words spoken by the other. Three took a deep breath before adding,
“And w-what she…Did to my eye too.” Four sharpened his afraid look into a glare, scoffing at him. They turned to leave. Two scrambled to follow Four but looked back to see Three watching without moving. Their eyes widened at the realization. Their arms fell to the side as they stood, looking into each other's eyes. Two reached a hand out, like a last resort to invite him or encourage him to come. But he didn’t.
“Three…” Two whimpered. Three lowered his eyes.
“I’m a high court member, Two. I shouldn’t have even left the ballroom. I have to…Go back now.” Two looked at him in despair, rubbing their eyes of any wetness before giving a tired smile. They smiled warily back, giving a light wave. Two quickly ran to hug them, holding them tightly. They released quickly and followed Four out of the cave's entrance. When he saw their shadows disappear, he got up and began to walk back to the Plaza. The sun began to be slightly overcast as he walked towards the wooden walls of the town. But after peering in and seeing the flames engulfing the place, he sighed and sat down. And before he even got the chance to fully rest, a cold and unfeeling hand was placed on his shoulder.
“I knew you’d come back.” One sneered with a grin. Three kept his eye contact away from her.
Four pulled out a map and traced his finger along the lines, then pointed at a Ranger base farther away, the most isolated one. Four looked over at Two, and they nodded, so the two of them set off further, walking deeper into the forest. Then, the forest began to dissipate after a few hours. And then, in a field, they saw smoke. Four smiled and took Two’s hand, and they wandered into the area. Four gaped at the sight.
There was a cabin, the ranger base for this unit, on the far side. Tents were camped up, from twenty to thirty-five in the area. A bonfire sits in the middle area, and variables and integers sit together enjoying the warmth. There was a cooler near the bonfire, but far enough away not to cause problems, with drinks and food inside. Fifteen stomped her way through the area with wood on her arms, throwing it into the fire before making her way back to the cabin. Fourteen glanced out at the new people while licking his lips but was dragged inside the cabin as well. Two specific variables caught Four’s eye, though, two green ones. Suddenly, one of them ran over to Four, looking wide-eyed.
“Is X with you?” Y asked desperately. Four looked down at them sadly.
“N-no, well, he was, but he uhm…Left,” Four muttered. Y looked upset by the information, but happy to know he was with them at least. Z walked up behind Y, her face mildly flushed from something Four couldn’t know, and she looked as disappointed as Y was. But she opened her mouth to ask instead,
“Where’d he go?” Four blinked, then looked down at the ground, recalling.
“He said he was going to ask the captain for help back on the ship. I think he went back to his pod?” Four asked, unsure. Z and Y exchanged unreadable glances before looking back at them.
“We can get you settled in if you want?” Y offered. Two smiled tiredly and nodded.
“I’m pretty exhausted. Same with Four,” they said as they were led to a tent that was already set up. Two took off their backpack and set up the lantern in the tent, then got out some food since they hadn’t eaten yet. They both sat down in front of the tent and ate, the sky beginning to darken. They people-watched together, seeing the variables talk together, and some numbers cried. Some laughed, albeit not much. Sometimes, there was silence from everyone, as they hurt from the days before stung the camp all at once. And sometimes algebraliens sang. Four listened as Integers held hands in circles, singing in their native language about wars from hundreds of years ago, to show their comparison from then to now. Sometimes they sang songs about love, or sang about their differences with others. Of betrayals and friendships, they sang. And eventually, without knowing the words, the variables sang along as well. Their harmony, so beautiful despite not being true harmonious words.
Four thought about their music, and then about him and X. How, despite not fully understanding each other either, they still cared for each other, still got along, and still…Still loved each other. Is that what it was? What he didn’t want to admit before X left? That he loved him? Or was it simpler than that? Did he just not want to have trust and comfort in someone he knew could leave? He decided it was a mix of both, even though he didn’t know how he felt about loving X. Could he love X? Or would he be punished, abandoned, and forgotten about if he did? Would he be accepted? Would…
Would X love him back? Does X even know what love is? Or is he just as clueless as Four is?
Maybe he shouldn't dwell on these things. But all he wants, and this he does know for sure, is to see X again. It’s all he thinks he’s ever wanted.