[5] yaseen

The ridiculously tall android made a face, a slight squint, a little purse of his lips, an expression that said ouch. As if he was hurt for me. As if he could imagine the pain I'd felt.

He offered a hand. "That was rough, wasn't it?"

Without permission, he held my wrist and elbow and helped me up with such tender, gentle force—hard enough to pull me up despite my stupor, soft enough not to cause any pain.

I didn't dare move. I didn't dare breathe. I didn't know what the hell this was, why he wasn't cautious around me. Even if he didn't know I was human, Angelo had made it clear androids weren't exactly all friendly with people outside their team.

But then it clicked.

This had to be Angelo's trusted Tank. Yaseen.

Yaseen looked me over, checking for damage. He smiled at me in a way that dropped warmth into my chest, and yet it made my heart stutter. I didn't know why. I didn't know how to react. So I just...stared.

"Jake!"

Scarlett's voice. I heard her darting down the path I'd crossed tumbling, and then she crashed into my side, spreading an arm in front of me and pulling me back, away from Yaseen.

"Who the hell..." Scarlett mumbled, intimidated as well.

"Don't worry. He didn't hurt me. I think it's Ya—"

"Yaseen!" Angelo said, and for the first time since we'd met, joy resonated in his voice. He sprinted past us and stood in front of Yaseen, looking up at him like he hadn't seen him in forever.

And goodness, it was startling—the difference. Seeing Angelo so...relaxed. He wasn't stiff for once. All of his guards down in Yaseen's presence.

Yaseen's hair was long, a black river that stopped right at his shoulders. And the more I looked at him, the less intimidating he became. A golden bracelet circled his arm, just 3.5 inches down his shoulder, and another crossed his forehead with a small silver jewel in the center.

He wasn't scary. He was just...majestic. Regal, in the weirdest way. Like a humble king.

"Angelo," Yaseen said, one hand on Angelo's shoulder. Both turned towards us, and the question hung silently in the air.

Angelo sighed and looked at Yaseen again. "Humans."

"I could tell."

My brows furrowed. What, was this a usual occurrence?

Angelo's frown was as perplexed as mine. "You could?"

"He looked too harmless, too confused. New androids don't arrive this blank."

Nice. We were screwed if every android could sense us out by confusion.

"Let's head to my place." Yaseen's droopy green eyes harbored the type of kindness I'd always wished I could see in my bot mom. Waving his hand, he gestured us in front. "First day, isn't it? Must be hard for them. They should rest."

Scarlett looked like she either wanted to explode or implode, to spew out insults, but something held her back. Maybe Yaseen's aura affected her too.

The second we started following Yaseen, heading to his house, the asshole in Angelo woke up. He squinted at Scarlett, eyes filled with poison. "Oh, you're coming too?" he taunted. "Thought you weren't about to go anywhere with me anymore."

I sensed how much power it took Scarlett to remain quiet. I loved her for that.

By Angelo's expression, I couldn't even tell if the silence fed his ego or pissed him off. Yaseen pressed a palm on his back and gently pushed him forward, calmly steering away from the impending quarrel.

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Yaseen's house was lodged in a corner of the forest, wooden logs drowning among overgrown foliage. Vines and ivy were braided along the railings of the front porch. I couldn't tell if this was an intentional camouflage.

"Shoes off," Angelo said. "'Cause they're all dirty from the mud."

Scarlett glared for a second, but then I bent and untied my shoelaces, and it made her go along. Just as I straightened again, pushing my shoes off to the side, Scarlett brandished a certain dart in my face. My special golden dart.

I frowned. "Where did that..."

"It was in your pocket, genius."

Tentative, I touched my side-pocket. I hadn't even sensed her sneaking a hand in to steal an item I didn't even know was in there. Techno had confiscated it. And Epsilon hadn't punished me for it, but he hadn't returned it either. So how had it ended up in there? Why would they return it after sedating me?

Scarlett snapped her fingers before my face. "Explanation?"

I shrugged, then I snatched it from her and shoved it in my pocket again, shooting her an annoyed look. We turned to the door. Angelo had been watching us like a prison cell guard. He did that a lot, observing us. As if he was trying to extract something out of the way we spoke or moved or carried ourselves.

Yaseen opened the door and the creaking noise broke my trance. Once we stepped inside, he turned on a lantern. Light flooded in and it painted the quaint little place in a soft sheen of yellow. I blinked. Angelo knocked into my shoulder as he passed by me, and I winced, the throb extending to my elbow.

Yaseen's eyes were set on me. He didn't say anything, didn't comment, but he stepped closer and flicked dirt off my hair then brushed the strand in place. A part of me wanted to flinch, and another starved part liked the contact. "Why don't you sit, yeah?" he said, patting my shoulder twice, soft and gentle. I did as told. "It's all good. Must've hurt, but it's nothing serious."

I shook my head. "Not worried."

With a dramatic sigh, Angelo plopped down into the armchair across from me, sinking into the cushions. Scarlett stood to my left with her arms crossed. Unpleased, as always. I looked up at her. When she caught my eye, the slightest smirk lifted the edge of her mouth.

"Leave you unchecked for one second and you trip like an idiot."

I tilted my head a bit. "Did you really expect any better from me?"

We chuckled, and Scarlett finally leant her hip onto my armrest.

"About that entire thing," Angelo said. "He must've stepped on a trap, actually. We spread those around here in case anyone tries snooping or something."

"Well." Scarlett straightened. "Guess who owes Jake an apology?"

"Not my job to guide him into every step, dumbass. His fault."

I wished the planks under me feet could split open and swallow me whole. I didn't want an apology, not at all. I just wanted to pretend the entire ordeal hadn't happened.

Scarlett leant forward a little. "He didn't know about the traps, dipshit."

Before Angelo could lose his mind, Yaseen forced him back into the chair with a hand on his chest. I hadn't realized it but he'd been eyeing me throughout the conversation. Assessing my reaction to it, my embarrassment, my desperate need for it to end.

"This is pointless," Yaseen said. "And I can tell it's not about Jake. Clearly, you two are searching for the slightest thing to fight over. Real waste of energy, don't you think?"

Like magic, Yaseen's leveled voice or words or maybe just the calmness with which he spoke made everyone settle down. Angelo and Scarlett glared at each other, then averted their gazes, ashamed. Kids gently berated after a meaningless fight. Yaseen had that kind of authority, I realized.

Also...he was right. I'd sensed that too about Scarlett and Angelo.

"Wait." Angelo directed his gaze at Yaseen, frowning. I suspected the words he'd heard from that girl he'd met resurfaced now. "Yaseen?" Grabbing the armrests, he heaved himself up until he could curve a knee under him, torso twisted towards Yaseen. "Other androids... they've been bothering you, right? They've been trying to recruit you? Why didn't you tell me?"

Yaseen's calm expression never changed. Like he was always prepared, always armed with an answer, a solution. "I knew it would piss you off, so why would I burden you with that?" he said. "I just declined their offer. Once, twice—as much as they asked. Until they got bored of trying."

Angelo's sigh was heavy with disappointment. "Gosh, Yaseen. Let me help you with one thing for once," he muttered, relaxing into his chair again. I caught a hint of guilt in his voice. When Angelo met Scarlett's impatient eye, the peeved expression returned to his face—eternal enemies, these two.

I didn't think I'd ever witness a day they'd actually become friends.

"Done?" Scarlett pushed. Angelo clenched his jaw but waited for her to continue, "First off, I wanna know what's up with that Xander dude. Why did mentioning him make Irene look even sadder?"

Yaseen's eyes fell to the floor, and pain flashed in Angelo's. Quickly, Angelo averted his gaze, refusing to show the emotion. But I caught it. Irene wasn't the only one saddened by whatever memory Xander induced—they all were. Including this aggressive, constantly pissed boy.

"Xander used to be our Marksman," Angelo said after a heavy sigh. "Irene and him...they were a thing."

Silence. Beside me, I sensed the way Scarlett froze with incredulity.

"A thing," Scarlett repeated. "They were a thing."

"Yeah."

"They liked each other."

Angelo's voice grew irritated. "Yeah."

"And they broke up or something? And now poor little Irene is heartbroken."

The mock in Scarlett's voice was tangible. I squirmed. I mean...all these androids were the fourth class of robots, so they had emotions—including love and affection. So, yeah, apparently Xander and Irene liked each other. Made sense. Why linger on this detail? Clearly it was making Angelo angry if his trademark sharp frown was anything to go by.

Angelo opened his mouth, ready to spill anger, but Yaseen forced him back. Again.

"Yes," Yaseen said. "She's heartbroken. We all miss him." I perked up a bit, questions landing in my brain. I'd ask, but Yaseen gave me a weird look, then he continued faster than I could open my mouth: "And I assume seeing Jake made things worse for her."

Angelo bit his bottom lip. "Yeah...I should've thought about that."

"Why?" Scarlett said. "Why would Jake remind her of Xander?"

"They both have brown hair and blue eyes," Yaseen said, then he glanced at me, chuckling. A soft, blissful little sound. "Well, one blue eye—in Jake's case. But you get it."

In all honesty, I didn't care about the resemblance coincidence. I just wanted to know what'd happened to Xander, why he was always spoken of but never present. I cut my gaze between Yaseen and Angelo for a little while. "So...Where's Xander now? Why's he not on your team anymore?"

"You ask too much, notice that?" Angelo said, frowning, his voice irritated. "Xander used to be our Marksman, now he's not. That's it. Why the hell do you think I'm looking for new members?"

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thoughts so far? next chap will reveal what role jake and scarlett are. Watcha think they'll be? Thanks for reading!