Chapter 4
Shane's POV
As always, Sam and I were cleaning the house again. He was mumbling complaints under his breath, dragging the rag half-heartedly over the coffee table, like it had personally wronged him. I just giggled quietly at his antics. He always acted like chores were the end of the world.
"Ugh, Shane, why do we have to do this every day? It's already clean!" Sam muttered, poking at the dust like it offended him.
Before I could tease him back, we heard the sound of stiff, metallic footsteps approaching. Our heads snapped toward the hallway just as he appeared—the tall robot man, broad-shouldered and silent as always. He walked with calculated precision toward us, face emotionless, eyes glowing faintly blue.
Without thinking, I stepped in front of Sam, shielding him. My body moved before my thoughts did. Even though this robot hadn't hurt us before, you could never be too sure. But instead of doing anything threatening, he stopped a few feet away from us, extended a long, mechanical arm... and handed us a chocolate bar. One for each of us.
Then, without a word, he turned and walked away, his metal feet clicking softly on the floor as he exited the living room.
Behind him, the woman robot approached. Her voice was smooth, glitchy in places, like a song skipping on a scratched CD. Her head tilted just slightly to the right as she looked at us.
"He... appreciates your... dili-diligently," she said with a soft, robotic smile.
I blinked, still confused. That feeling inside me... what was that? It wasn't anger. It wasn't fear. It wasn't hatred either. It was... something warm. Strange.
Sam was already busy unwrapping both chocolate bars.
"I could eat this both, Shane," he said, grinning like a thief.
I laughed, the sound escaping without resistance. He always had a way of pulling the tension right out of the room.
"The other one is mine though," I said, reaching out.
Sam hesitated but then handed one over with a sigh, his pout adorably dramatic.
The woman robot looked at us again.
"You... both... have a... nice relationship," she said, her tone robotic but the smile lingering a second longer. "Do not leave the house. Me and Him... going to work."
And just like that, she turned and followed the other robot out of the house.
It was always like this. They were always busy. Always working. But still... I could tell they took care of me and Sam the best they knew how. They fed us, sheltered us, and even now, they gave us candy.
Sam tugged at my sleeve.
"Let's play, Shane!"
I gave him a look and crossed my arms.
"We can do that after cleaning. So go clean now."
He groaned but nodded with a determined face. I smiled again.
Minutes Later
"I'm tired!" Sam whined, throwing himself dramatically onto the floor. He'd only been cleaning the window for, what? A minute?
I looked down at him and shook my head.
"Lazy Sam," I said, still shaking my head like a disappointed teacher.
"I'm not!" he yelled, scrambling up.
"Yes, you are," I said calmly, still teasing.
"I-I-I'm Samuel Sanchez! I never lazy in my whole life!" he shouted proudly, puffing out his little chest.
"And I'm Shane Sanchez. Lazy a lot," I said with a fake serious tone, gaslighting him playfully.
Sam paused, furrowing his brows.
"Shane never lazy in his life though," he whispered to himself, genuinely confused.
"I thought we switching traits," I added mockingly.
That did it. He grabbed a rag and hurled it at me. It hit me right in the face.
"Hey!" I laughed.
Sam's POV
We were bantering and arguing, like always. Shane always had a way of getting on my nerves in the most fun way possible. But this time, I had enough and chucked a cleaning rag at his face.
I thought he'd catch it. Or at least dodge. But it hit him.
Hard.
Shane slowly turned his head toward me. He had a smile on his face.
But it wasn't his usual smile. It wasn't warm. It was scary. That creepy kind of smile you see villains wear in cartoons.
"Sam..." he said in a low voice.
I felt my heart jump.
He stepped forward.
"You... ugly... come here!"
And I ran.
We ran through the living room, knocking over a vase. Through the hallway, sending a stack of books flying. Into the kitchen, where I slipped on a sponge and skidded across the floor, barely avoiding a chair.
Shane chased me, laughing like a madman.
"Come back here, Samuel Sanchez! You can't hide forever!"
"You're not allowed to use my full name unless you're a parent!" I shouted back.
We crashed through the dining room. Shane grabbed a pillow from the couch and chucked it at me. I dodged it with ninja skills and retaliated with a slipper.
It missed.
We circled the table three times before Shane dove at me. I shrieked and sprinted the other direction. The house was a tornado of chaos now—blankets thrown, chairs knocked over, cleaning supplies everywhere.
Eventually, we both collapsed onto the living room floor, panting and laughing.
I looked over at Shane. He looked over at me. We grinned.
"You're a menace," I said.
"You started it," he replied, still laughing.
I didn't realize how sleepy I was until my eyes started to flutter.
"Hey, Sam..." Shane mumbled.
"Hm?"
"Even if I tease you... you know I'll always protect you, right?"
I turned my head toward him. He was staring at the ceiling.
"Yeah... I know."
My voice was small. Honest.
I felt myself drifting, surrounded by the mess we made. Surrounded by laughter, by warmth, home that somehow felt more human than anything else.
And I fell asleep, right there on the floor, with my brother by my side.
End