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Hours later, Cherry was asleep on the couch, her body curled up underneath a blanket that didn't quite cover her feet. The faint orange glow of a streetlight spilled in through the blinds, casting long shadows over the mismatched furniture. The apartment was steeped in the quiet hum of the city outside, the kind of silence perfect to lull Cherry to sleep. Elliott hadn't emerged from his bedroom since Cherry untied him and there'd been no noise behind his closed door, either. Lila had been in the kitchen for what felt like hours, nursing a cup of coffee ever since they crawled out of the makeshift darkroom.
Cherry hadn't meant to fall asleep here - she knew the smart thing to do would've been to return home, pull her covers over her head, and go on with her life pretending none of this had ever happened - but between her conversation with Lila and the overall chaos of the day, exhaustion had crept in, thick and inescapable. She told herself it wasn't because she wanted to see Five again - because she didn't. She could go the rest of her life without seeing his stupid, smug smirk and be perfectly fine.
The sound of Five's spatial jumping jarred her awake. It was a sound she'd, unfortunately, begun to familiarize herself with - sharp, crackling, like the sound of space pulling itself apart. Cherry blinked, disoriented, and pulled the blanket up to her chin, half-hoping that she was still dreaming.
Five and Diego crashed into the living room, knocking books and stacks of papers off Elliott's desk as they materialized, both looking worse for wear. Lila appeared in the doorway, both hands wrapped around her coffee mug and her eyes narrowing at the scene in front of her.
"Jesus," Cherry muttered, scrambling to her feet as she noticed the way Diego was leaning on Five, blood oozing between his fingers where he clutched his abdomen. It was like they were incapable of showing up anywhere without causing a few bruises. (Her mind wandered to the alleyway, a day that felt like it had been years ago). "What the hell happened?"
"A Hargreeves family reunion, that's what," Five said through gritted teeth, unceremoniously dropping Diego onto the couch with a grunt. Diego's eyes were half-lidded, clearly struggling to stay conscious as the red soaked through his shirt, staining the fabric like an ever-growing blot.
"Just a disagreement with. . . dear old. . . Dad," Diego managed, his voice strained. He tried for a smirk, but his strength failed him.
Lila dropped to her knees beside him. "He's been stabbed."
"Astute observation," Five muttered, brushing past Cherry. But as he did, Cherry's eyes fell on him - really fell on him. His blazer and vest were soaked through with blood as well, dark and glistening. Cherry wished she could've just passed it off as Diego's blood, but her breath caught in her throat when she saw the three deep, jagged gashes running from his jaw down to his throat. Instinctively, as if trying to hide the severity of his injury from her, Five's hand shot up to his neck.
"You're hurt," Cherry said, her voice betraying her concern. She hated that she cared so much, hated that she was so worried about him. A knot of anxiety tightened in her stomach and whether it was due to Five or the realization of her out-of-character behavior, Cherry didn't know.
