Whoo second 9 fic! This will be AU because I don't feel like anyone being dead…it's also 5x9 because it's my OTP and apparently people agree with it (holy $%#$ on a $%$ sandwich! Thank you so much for the reviews on my other story! I was flabbergasted!) Also it's a songfic of sorts. And the rating may go up depending on whether or not people want it to. xD

Disclaimer: I do not own "9"…if I did 5 would be alive damn it! Seriously, they nixed the guy with one eye…doesn't he have it bad enough? Shane Acker's idea…not mine. xD The song is Angels Would Fall by Melissa Etheridge.

Angels never came down
There's no one here they want to hang around
But if they knew
If they knew you at all
Then one by one the angels
Angels would fall

It began with a love story. A romance novel, actually. The twins were immediately drawn to it, like moths to a flame. Everything about it piqued their curiosity. The cover itself featured a man and a woman embracing. Now this was not so strange, oh no. This sort of thing was very common, but there was a way about it. The man looked strong, he was very muscular like 8 but he looked smarted than 8, and he was half-naked. The woman had long, golden hair that flowed in curls down her back. In her slight dress she may as well have been half-naked too. The way they held each other was not any way the twins had seen thus far. His arm was around her waist, as though he were the only support keeping her from falling to the ground, and she completely trusted him to hold her steady. Her hand was on his chest, as though he were an object she wanted very much to own. A single word was wisped above the loving pair: Passion.

Four optics flickered frantically, cataloging the word and the image associated with it. They knew, somewhere deep inside they knew, this was important. This had to be learned. This thing called passion was as much a part of the human race as breathing, and eating, and anything they knew so far to be true.

They opened the soft, worn cover and began to read. Fascinating! Inspiring! A story of forbidden love, which they had encountered before once or twice but the atmosphere was heavy with a thing called lust, which was like love but different in a way they couldn't quiet grasp. The words were pretty and charming. As two who had spent the majority of their lives reading historical documents, the change in the tone of language was thrilling. New words, new concepts, a new aspect of language that they had not known existed before…these things were what the Teacher and the Definer lived for. What they were created for. They clasped their hands in excitement as they read on.

And they learned something very important indeed. Humans had a way of connecting their bodies. How strange! How funny! How…convenient? The idea was foreign, though interesting and in need of further research for sure. The novel only touched on it vaguely. But not now because now here was something they did understand. A kiss! Kisses that were passionate, but of course. The twins exchanged information between each other. This is what they learned: the man and the woman were behaving that way on the cover because they wanted to have passionate kisses then connect their bodies in order to gain something from each other. Oh, brilliant!

In fact…now that they thought about it, this was information that should be shared. The others would want to know, right? They always seemed to enjoy the little video projections the twins provided them with, especially when the information involved the daily life of the now-extinct human race. 1 would sometimes scoff and tell them that it was a waste of time to catalog such frivolous things. But they knew that secretly he wanted to know too. Now…how to deliver this information? Through projections? No…they wouldn't be able to sit still long enough for the others to read multiple pages through their slideshows. Why not deliver the entire book? It wasn't hard or heavy like most of the others. Between the two of them they could manage it for sure. Now who to deliver the information to? That was a puzzle indeed. The twins wanted to share this knowledge with their entire family. So who would be willing to spread the knowledge? The twins flickered to each other. It took only a half-second.

2.

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"I am really, really sorry."

"Um…don't worry about it. I can fix it…probably…definitely! I just need to um…ah…you know 2 can definitely fix this!"

Two young stitchpunks stared at the telescope in dismay. 5 had been up in the watchtower scanning the horizon for any possible signs of danger. He thought it would be a good idea to teach 9 how to keep watch with his handheld telescope. He was wrong. The guy barely had it for five minutes before it slipped out of his hands. Over the edge. From the top of the watchtower. The telescope was now flat.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?" 9 mumbled into his hands. "What was I thinking?"

"Aw, c'mon. It's not so bad. We all drop things every once in a while."

"Yeah, well…it seems to happen to me a bit more than once in a while."

5 couldn't help but snicker. 9 shot him a look.

"Hey, you said it not me." 5 grinned as 9 playfully punched him in the arm.

"So, you're really not mad at me?" 9 asked, a little surprised to say the least. "I know that it was important to you." That telescope was something 5 took a lot of pride in. He and 2 had built it together and 5 took the time to polish it every day.

5 shook his head and offered 9 a wide, honest grin. "Like I said, if 2 could build it, he can fix it. Besides, I can't be upset over an accident. What's the point of that? You didn't want to drop it. I'm just glad it wasn't you that went toppling over the ledge." Because you are so much more important than any 'thing' could ever be. I could build a million telescopes. I could never build myself another you. 5 shook his head clear of those thoughts. There was no way he would ever say something like that. Something so…weird.

9 half-smiled. "Me too. After all," he picked up the mutilated telescope, "I wouldn't want to look like this."

The two stitchpunks laughed and raced each other to 2's workshop. When they arrived, they found something they had not expected to see. The twins were there and they looked excited, ecstatic even. They watched closely as 2 inspected the pages of a small, soft cover book. Judging by 2's face it was an interesting read.

"Hey!" 9 announced their presence to the distracted inventor. "Did the twins find something good?"

The old inventor looked up from the book and chuckled. "Well, I'll certainly have to inspect it closer, but it shows promise! Amazing creatures humans were. Always something new to learn about them. What have you boys been up to?"

"Um…" 9 mumbled. "About that…"

5 held up the squashed and damaged telescope. "We need a new one of these. Preferably one bolted to the floor."

"Ah. Lucky 9 strikes again I see?"

"Obvious isn't it?"

"Geez guys!" a flustered 9 interrupted "Hang a man why don't you?"

The twins who had been giggling in the background bolted forward to cheer 9 up with their total invasion of personal space which they called "affection." The inventor and his apprentice laughed in unison. 9, being the newcomer, was naturally more prone to accidents or semi-dangerous bouts of innocent curiosity. In their treacherous world it was imperative to wise up, and do so fast, lest one become a machine's next victim. 2 had gently been trying to teach 9 this, 1 shoved it in his face whenever possible, and 5 almost felt too guilty to scold 9 for his childish acts. There was something charming about his lack of fear, his blunt boldness when speaking with 1, and his carefree laugh, unaffected by war and the horror it brought to the others during the time when humans still walked the earth. 5 subconsciously grazed his hand across his leather patch. To be untouched by pain…

The door to 2's workshop flew open with a sudden bang. They turned in unison to find 6 standing in the doorway, uncomfortable to have all eyes on him.

"A-a-aah…1 needs to s-s-speak with…with 9. "

The Stitch furrowed his eyebrows. "What does he want?"

6 fidgeted awkwardly with the key around his neck. "I d-d-don't know. He said...I should get you. Bring you to him. H-h-he took m-my paper away…I'm sorry. He gets mad and p-p-punishes me when I d-draw on the walls. S-so…"

9 put 6 out of the misery of public speaking by walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "All right. He probably just wants to inflate his ego some more anyway. It's not your fault. I'll go talk with him and you can have your papers back. Okay?"

The striped Stitchpunk smiled gratefully and pulled 9 quickly out the door. The twins flickered to each other momentarily before following. This looked like it could be interesting.

5 glanced at 2. 2 shook his head. "That poor thing. I sometimes wonder if his drawings are the only real connection he has between his world and ours. Conversation certainly doesn't do it for him."

5 smiled sullenly. "Do you still think that he's brilliant?"

"Oh, yes" 2 chuckled. "Probably more so than we'll ever manage to figure out. That is the trouble with genius sometimes…speaking of which I have a brilliant idea for a new telescope design! A sturdier one of course."

5 laughed. "Is that so?"

2 nodded. "Yes my boy! But I'll need to scout for new parts." The inventor donned his candle-topped hat for the occasion.

"Are you sure? I could do it for you. You shouldn't over-exert yourself, 2."

"Now, now! I'm old, not an invalid. You can occupy yourself here until I get back. Shift through that book if you'd like. The twins had a lot of interest in it. It seems to focus on human relationships."

"Relationships?" 5 quirked his head to the side.

The inventor laughed to himself. "You'll see my boy, you'll see."

The two bid each other farewell, 2 on a quest for parts and 5 on a quest for knowledge. Although, he thought to himself, I'm not entirely sure what he meant by human relationships. Are they different somehow from stitchpunk relationships? Well…I guess they'd almost have to be. We aren't even made of the same materials. The thought intrigued the young mechanic. He hurried over to the book and was immediately stunned by the cover. Well that's a bit strange. He flipped to the first page. He only skimmed it really. It's not like he had anything against reading but it wasn't as interesting as building things either. He skimmed the second page. And the third. The next few as well. But by the end of the chapter his gaze had slowed enough the take in every detail.

This…

The way the main character described her feelings for her childhood friend…it seemed awfully familiar somehow. Not the words exactly, 5 had never seen half of the words he was stumbling over, but the feeling behind them is what he read clear as day. This nervous, happy, unsure feeling. One word kept popping up over and over again. Love. What was this? Where had he heard of this? When had he felt this? It wasn't until the love interest clumsily, but endearingly, knocked over a glass of water that the realization smacked him across the face.

"I'm in love with 9!"

The stitchpunk gazed at the book with a new sense of respect. "This is it! This is the key to…to…figuring out what the heck is wrong with me and…and how to fix it." He meticulously studied the storyline as he read on, confident that these pages held the cure for his predicament. In a way he was right. The stitchpunk's eyes widened as he witnessed the two characters share their first kiss.

"I'm supposed to do that! With my mouth?"

To be continued…

Yes 5…with your mouth. –ahem- I hope no one minds that I made 9 a total klutz in my story but….I just see him that way. xD I don't mind suggestions since I'm not entirely sure where I want to take this. Also, what other pairings should I add to this? If you feel like it, head to YouTube and check out Angels Would Fall 'cuz that's what most of 5's POV will play off of. As for what 9 thinks about all of this….we shall see. ;p R&R!