October 22nd 2031 New Mexico
The ceiling of 3Pot creaked when the wind hit it just right, and Nikola swore under his breath as another dent rattled the shelf he was trying to organize.
"Hands off the rations, Fred. I swear, if one more can disappears, we're starving by Tuesday."
Fred, sprawled in a chair with his boots kicked up on the table, grinned and waved a dented can of peaches like a trophy. "Relax, Red October. A guy's gotta eat. You want me to drop dead before we even leave the base?" His New York drawl bent into something harsher, Boston edges clipping the words.
"That's the last of the peaches!" Nikola snapped, slamming a box shut.
Archie snickered from the corner, the metallic click-clack of his butterfly knife flipping open and closed filling the silence. "Don't worry, mate. When Fred croaks, we'll have more food for the rest of us."
"Oi, shut it, Crocodile Dundee," Fred shot back. "I've seen you cut yourself with that thing more than once."
The knife spun faster, Archie's grin widening. "At least I don't eat enough for three men."
Felix's voice came low from the other side of the room, almost too soft to hear. He was sitting in the dark by the window, watching the wind push dust across the empty streets outside. "You argue like children. Maybe I should throw you both outside and let the virus find you."
That killed the banter for half a beat. Then Fred laughed nervously, pointing. "See? That's why nobody trusts Psycho Felix over here. You hear that, Nikola? He's threatening us again."
Nikola pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm surrounded by idiots." The noise built back up, voices overlapping—threats, insults, knife clicks, the thunk of a chair leg hitting the floor until the air itself felt tight with it.
And then—
The door creaked open. Hana stepped inside, sunlight catching the red-and-blonde drills that framed her face. She set a small bag down on the counter without a word.
"やれやれ..." she sighed, her tone weary but calm, the room froze.
Fred slowly lowered the can of peaches. Archie flicked his knife closed and shoved it into his pocket. Nikola straightened his back. Even Felix turned his gaze from the window, quiet again. For a long moment, the only sound was Hana unpacking what little she'd brought back—a cracked bottle of water, two stale protein bars, and a handful of bright flowers she'd tucked behind them like it was nothing. "Fighting again...? My, my..."
"You're soo lucky you guys are adorable!" The tension melts. No one can keep arguing after being called adorable — it's too disarming. They either grumble or joke, but the fight's done. "I bought some lavender beer, you want some?" Fred pumps his fist. "Hell yeah, gimme that! Haven't had anything decent in months." Hana hands him the canned drink and smiles, "aren't you three going to drink some?" She asked, her voice a gentle nudge, a question that hung in the air, a silent invitation. The three older men exchanged glances, a wordless conversation passing between them, a shared understanding that spoke volumes. Felix, his eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint, broke the silence. "Ja... why not?" His voice was a mix of amusement and resignation, a surrender to the moment, a decision made in the blink of an eye.
Later that night, Hana sat at her desk in her charmingly decorated room, a space that some might describe as kawaii, with its pastel hues and whimsical touches. She opened her diary, her pen poised,as she wrote down the day's events. Her thoughts drifted to the infected woman she had encountered, she would've talked more if it wasn't for her husband. She remembered the sight of her favorite ice cream, a sweet treat now melted, a small disappointment in a world full of larger ones, as she wrote, her mind wandered to the men she lived with. Fred's bright green eyes, Felix's wonderful German accent, Nikolas's strong body, Archie's skills with his knife, a deadly art,
Hana decided it was time to hit the hay, her body aching, she made her way to her bed, the soft mattress pulling her in. But as she turned to climb under the covers, her gaze fell on the desk, and the USB stick that lay there, she had found it on a dead man, his lab coat a indicates that he worked for a laboratory.
But for now, it could wait, She's tired.