Phil knew something had gone wrong when Techno still wasn’t home as the clock neared five in the morning. No matter what they argued about before, he was always back before five.

The reason why he wouldn’t be is that something happened to him.

Sipping at his coffee, he stared at the driveway. His car was there, as it should be—some idiots had tried to steal it years ago, but the cameras noticed the movement and woke him up, along with his head of security, Sam. By the time his friend arrived to scare them off, they were already down the street, one pissing himself, muttering about how much trouble he’d be in once his parents heard about this.

Empty pavement glared up at him like it was flaunting how much space there was before the two-door garage. It made him remember the time when he used to glance out at that spot, thinking about how nice it would be to have another car to complete the set. The lone car made the house feel hollow. Incomplete.

Which was fixed a year ago. With Techno being hired, then the apartment building burning down, them offering one of the guest bedrooms to their favorite bodyguard. Techno, with just a few personal belongings and his car. The car that fit perfectly next to his, sparkling in the sun with the same colour, same model. Already a few days into having a fourth person in the house, he could feel a lightness in his steps whenever he glanced out at the pair. What once was empty became full, and even if the arguments made that pair break up for a bit, they were always reunited come dawn; both the cars and the owners.

And now it was empty again, the sky beginning to pale as the sun got ready to start a new day. The driveway waited as he did. Waited and waited and waited.

He’d wait forever if he could. But he can’t. Phil glanced at the clock again. Five o clock. Still no Techno. Techno would be home soon, willingly or not.

Stealing one more glance at the car, he walked back to his spot by the window. He waited, repeating his mantra of everything is okay.