#five fluff

Five and Y/n walked further down the hill. He let go of her hand and sat down on the ground. She sat beside him, “You know, I don’t have to be a mind reader to know that you’re scared.”

He grabbed her wrist and placed his fingers on her pulse point, “We don’t know how these trains work. We don’t even know how the subway works.”

“Five, that isn’t what you’re scared of, and I think you know that too.”

She could hear him murmuring numbers beneath his breath. His eyes stayed glued to the dirt, and his hair covered his face like a curtain. She couldn’t make out his face anymore. The long brown strands covered his aristocratic features. His thumb gently rubbed the top of her wrist, “Hargreeves, what is going on with you?”

He lifted his head, and she saw the faint silver trails from his eyes down to his jaw, “I can’t lose you again. I won’t lose you again.”

“Five,” She tilted his chin toward her, “You have to do this. I know that you can do this.”

“Come with us.”

“I wish I could. I have to distract Diego.”

Five stared. He wanted to memorize every inch of her face before he had to leave her again. He wanted to touch every inch of her. His hand gently pushed the right side of her hair back. His thumb caressed her cheekbone down to her jaw. He tilted his head and gently placed his lips on hers. They were soft and sweet. It was a feeling he’d never forget. His beautiful girl, the one he’d sacrifice anything for. He pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.

His gaze on her was unmoving. Her cheeks flushed at his intense stare. His hand reached the right side of her face, and his touch was so gentle as it moved the hair behind her ear. His hand was cold against her cheek, and it slowly slid down her face to her jaw. Her heart stuttered, and his green eyes were beautiful in the gloomy weather. She felt his lips on hers, and they were slightly chapped. His kisses were always gentle and kind, yet passionate. He tasted like coffee. He was her drug, one she’d never give up.

“Five,” Y/n started, “You will make your way back to me. You always do.”

“I know,” His voice was still shaky.

She wiped away the tear stains from his cheeks, “Come on, you have a mission to complete.”

"NUMBER FIVE!"

He could hear his father calling him, but the sound of his heart beating against his ribcage and the blood pumping in his veins with the adrenaline rush was louder. He was going to do it and no man, woman, or child could come in his way. So, he did, he blinked and he blinked and he blinked once more, only this time, instead of the scenery changing into a more modern world, he ended up in a battered one- one that looked as distraught as he was once his eyes landed upon his surroundings.

"Shit." falling to his knees he stared at the crumbles left behind of what was his mansion, his home. That was it, he was done for, with the bodies of his siblings around him, he wondered if it was all worth it? Why oh why did he go so far to prove something so trivial?

Worst of all, he had acorned.

To say he had the hopes to pull through was an overstatement, many times throughout the two years of being alone now, he had decided to end it all. Unfortunately, that would have left Delores all alone, and he had no intentions of leaving her behind in this rotting prison called the apocalypse. The air was filthy, the sun burning whatever remained of the world and the nights were colder than lady luck's sense of humor. He had been walking down the same path for quite some time now, hoping to see any other sign of life, accompanied by Delores all the way, her listening to him rant about how everyone never believed in him, how he should have listened to his father, but here he was, suffering as usual. An impulsive, stubborn genius indeed. Doomed to be alone forever, that is until he met her.

On day 756 of this hell hole, he had found a small underground shelter, the door was battered and he was sure it would be easy to access this dump. It was hotter than any other day, the sun was screaming down at him, and he was almost out of clean water- much like he expected, the underground was empty, but there was just one problem, it wasn't filthy or destroyed. Someone had been living here, cleaning up after themselves, as much as they could. The bunker was illuminated by various candles, some were scented or they used to be. He noticed the stock of water bottles, a handmade filtration system, a worn-out mattress, and a...mannequin. Walking closer to the male mannequin he was about to touch it when he fell to the ground- was tackled to the ground. 

Groaning he shoved away whoever was on him, only to straddle them, forearm pressing against their throat, vision finally fixing on the assailant under him, "Who the...oh my god." Getting off HER he stared down at her frail form, "S-sorry I thought you were...H-here" helping her up he held onto her hand, staring at her, she was cleaner than he was, ironic. Mind buzzing with a million questions, who was she? How did she get here? Where did she learn to survive like that?

Before he could ask her, she gestured something, still a bit skeptical. He had no idea what she had just said, hence he continued his interrogation, "Who are you and...how did you survive?"

Once again she frowned before using her hands to sign out her words, leaving him wondering why their father had made them learn almost five languages, but never sign language. 

Groaning in frustration she pushed him aside, almost shoving him to the ground as she went to her makeshift bed, taking out a crumpled paper and a pen (a stick that was dipped in oil). Furiously writing something, slapping the pen against the paper numerous times, he watched her sitting on the ground, her frail form seemed smaller when he looked at her closely, even if she was cleaner than him, he wondered how a normal human had survived, let alone with such an expert set up.

Twirling around slowly, holding hands behind his back, he leaned forward, staring at the numerous stacks of books that were there, some were about survival skills, the others on various topics and genres, trivial, nothing out of the ordinary, until his eyes stopped at one particular stack- books on sign languages; British, American, Middle Eastern and many more. Fingers running over the rough spine of the books, he wondered if she had spent all this time alone, reading these- or perhaps she had always owned them, but then again, how did they survive the apocalypse, much like her, an endless list of questions that formed a weird, giant ball of twine.

The gentle tap on his shoulder had him turning around, frown still adorning his features as he watched her standing before him, the piece of paper extended towards him. Gently taking it out of her shaky hands he began to read;

My name is Y/N L/N

I woke up here, I don't know how I got here. I can no longer speak- books say it's the shock. I learned sign language in case I saw someone else.

Well then, he was supposed to be that someone else then. Folding the paper he gently stuffed it in his pocket and looked at her, 

"I'm Five Hargreeves, I'd say nice to meet you but under these circumstances that would be too much of a taunt. I time traveled here from the past- tell me, how old are you?"

Raising both hands she held up her dominant hand with the ASL Number '4' sign, facing towards her, holding it together and bending index, middle, ring, and pinkie fingers toward her twice, while your thumb was tucked into your palm the whole time.

"Okay, let me clarify, I know many languages but ASL is not part of it."

Huffing she raised both hands opening and closing her palms to gesture a ten and then showing four fingers.

"15...so we're the same age (well, technically he was older than her since he was 13 in 2002)", he mumbled more to himself than to her, "I'll presume you've been here for two years too?"

To which he earned a simple nod.

"You have no recollection of how you got here or where you're from?"

She just shook her head before going to the stack of books and pulling out a book and turning to look at him. Showing him the title page, she pointed at the last name of the author, "Hargreeves". 

Brows furrowed he slowly inched forward, squinting at the name, no way. He gently took it out of her hands, "Vanya...that's my- or was my sister." Flipping through the pages he noticed how the book had little annotations, perhaps she had made these, either way, he looked up at her and sighed, "I hope you won't mind my company."

Looking around them she shrugged before going over to her mannequin and bringing him to where Five was standing. 

"Who's this?" he asked, staring at the torso of a male mannequin, much like him, the mannequin had forest green eyes, but other than that there was no certain similarity between the two.

Signing the name to him she waited for him to understand, but ended up pouting when all she received was a blank stare and a "Nope, still can't understand ASL"

Rolling her eyes she reached for his hand, which he pulled away, glaring at her, but she grabbed onto it, with a rough grip. It had been two years since someone had touched him, two years since he had felt the warmth of another human. Her hands were soft, he'd admit that he liked it when he felt her skin against his hand but he had no idea what this girl was capable of, she could be a total psychopath for all he knows. Not that there was anything wrong with that, one does tend to lose their mind in solitude. Before he could pull his hand back once more, he felt her tracing something on his palm, confused he looked at her face, a gentle smile plastered on it as she gestured for him to look down at his palm, as if asking him to feel what she was writing. Never in a million years had he thought of communicating with someone this way- for two reasons, firstly, communication was never the family's strong suit, and secondly, he was not one to touch or let anyone touch him. He didn't stop her though, for the way her fingers caressed his palm made him feel something he could not decipher, and he really wanted to know the name of the third person present in the bunker. He waited and stared at her fingers move against his palm, she was drawing alphabets;

J

A

S

O

N

"Jason" he whispered more to himself than her, when she pulled back her hand, leaving him cold and alone once more.

Watching her nod in glee he sighed before smiling at Jason, "Nice to meet you, Jason." With that he walked back to the ladder that was used to enter the bunker and climbed up and out of the bunker, leaving her utterly confused and slightly hurt.

It wasn't like she was alone, more than anything she had Jason to keep her company ever since she had woken up in this bunker. However, as soon as she discovered the absence of her voice, panic attacks became part of the equation of sadness and despair. When she had come back from her usual hunt for food, which often consisted of whatever scrap could be considered edible, she was devastated- no, she was horrified. She had asked Jason to look after the place, but since the two argued earlier in the morning, she was sure he wouldn't have moved an inch out of spite. Before entering she had surveyed her surroundings, nothing out of the ordinary, so whoever had trespassed was either an experienced threat or just an idiot- that is if it was human. When she peeked inside she couldn't believe her eyes, a boy, an actual bloody human being. Part of her wanted to rush inside and scream with joy, but the better half, the more sensible and voiceless part had told her to remain cautious, human or not he was very much a threat. But he wasn't a threat, and she was glad but...where did he go?

Maybe he had found her annoying, well, she couldn't really speak, perhaps that was the problem-

Stumbling down the ladder he jumped down with something- or someone in hand. Coming up to her he held HER straight and smiled at the girl, "This is Delores."

Waving at Delores Y/N signed to the mannequin,

'Hello, I'm Y/N'.

Since that day, the two had been stuck to each other like glue. Initially, he had decided to stay there after she had allowed him to, the bunker was all the two had for a while anyway. It was safe and secure, and kept them warm on cold nights and cool during the hotter days. Delores and Jason got along rather well, something Five thanked the heavens for, because he really did not want to leave Y/N, obviously because he had no survival skills and stuff like that, nothing to do with his issue with the sentence of solitude he had given himself once he time traveled here.

Usually, the two would go out together, scavenger hunting for anything, she had shown him her makeshift water filter system, to say he was impressed was an understatement. She had shown him her books, a collection which he called her library. In return, he had shown her his self-made bike, which she instantly claimed as her own, and he let her have it that very moment. Five was never one for company, never really got along with his siblings either but in a place like this, if he had the option to be stuck with one person, he was glad it was her. 

That was something that haunted him, this unusual attraction, it wasn't even romantic, not initially at least, he just knew he felt more at ease if she were around. When she would be out for the day, he'd be uneasy all the while, even Delores or Jason couldn't calm him down. For a while, he had felt that he could not give her anything in return for this weird, unwanted kind of comfort that had brought an ounce of peace to his soul. That is until Jason gave him a great idea, one that left him in-depth to Jason.

It was a hot day, funny because mid-December is always supposed to be cold- or at least was before everything went straight down to hell. Five had insisted that she should go out today, 

"No, you go today, I'll go tomorrow."

It has been almost 45 days since he had moved into the bunker with him, and in this period she had realized one thing- she was in love with him. Or maybe she was confused about it, perhaps she only enjoyed his company, or it was the aftereffects of being alone for so long. Either way, she knew with him around, those sleepless nights became a bit better, even if she no longer had a voice, at least she was no longer alone.

 Or so she hoped, for when she reached the bunker, he was no longer there. Utterly confused, she looked around the small place, Jason and Delores were still there, though neither had an answer to where he had gone. What if he had left her? But then he did leave Delores behind. Oh no, what if something had happened to him?

As questions began to rush around she felt like she couldn't breathe, suffocating at the thought of losing him. Her legs gave under her as she fell knee first onto the ground, covering her ears with her sweaty palms, trying to block out all the negative and horrid thoughts. 

Making sure to lock up the bunker door, he climbed down the ladder. The same door that was dented out, the first time he had met her- honestly, a security risk. Over the days he had learned that even though she had great survival skills, her overall sense of surroundings was dreadful. Well, it is a given that no normal child goes through such intensive and dangerous training as he had gone through, nonetheless, the lad had spent the first ten days, after his arrival, fixing the door. As he reached the last step he heard something unusual, something he had not heard in a very long time- someone was crying. Shit, had something happened to her? 

Finding her weeping on the ground, he slowly approached her, crouching down to touch her shoulder- no, he had no idea how to comfort anyone, especially someone who was crying. Feelings weren't his strong suit anyway, but the sight of her breaking down made him feel like he had been stabbed in the heart, unable to do anything about it, each sob just twisted it further in his beating flesh. Kneeling beside her, his fingers gripped her shoulder as he gently shook her, whispering, "Hey...what's wrong?"

Mortified, she stared up at the sound of his voice, furiously wiping away the tears with the back of her hands. He reached out to her face, unsure of what to do, the last time she touched his hand he went thinking about it for days. The warmth was dearly missed since then and as he was almost an inch away she slapped it out of her face, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. Frowning he touched the back of his hand that had just been slapped, it stung, but not as much as her reaction, the more impulsive part of his brain told him to blink out of here, but rationality told him to stay.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, hurt evident in his eyes, not that she cared about that right now, if he was going to hurt her, she'd hurt him in return.

Signing at him furiously she argued,

"I thought you left me?"

And he signed back, 

"Why on Earth would I leave you?"

"Then where were you?"

"Practicing!"

"Practicing what?!"

"Sign language, you idiot"

And then it hit her, both of them had been arguing in ASL, and not a word was spoken by him throughout the entire argument. Surprised at this discovery, she looked at Delores and Jason, who seemed to agree with what Five was saying, he had learned it for her.

"I'm not very good at it yet," he spoke softly, "Nor do I know as much as you do, but I'm learning, it's the least I can do for someone who lets me stay in their bunker." That was all it took for her to break down once more, this time in uglier sobs, causing him to fumble with his words as he wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back awkwardly as she cried, cried out of pure joy, for she felt a little less alone, a little less of a liability.

As time passed he had picked up on more kinds of sign languages, in the process, however, the two had decided to move out of the bunker, because according to him, staying in one place for too long could be potentially risky for them. Not that it mattered to her, she would just say okay and follow him. Hence, by the age of nineteen, Five was fluent in almost two hundred kinds of sign languages, and they had moved around ninety-eight times, by her calculations, they had also crossed half the country, but he argued claiming not only was her geography off, but she had no sense of direction anyway, hence she did not know what she was talking about. She would have argued, but the last time he had asked her to lead while he could 'rest his eyes' she had cycled the self-made caravan (a cart they had made with a cycle attached to it) in a giant circle for two hours.

"Didn't we pass that tree before I fell asleep?"

She shook her head, averting her gaze as he sighed,

"New rule, you don't get to drive".

Either way, somewhere down the road Five had come to a horrid conclusion, an epiphany that haunted him at every given moment. Especially when he looked at her. The way she would smile at him, the way her expressions would fall at the slightest of inconvenience, how she would ask him to do the most trivial of things, even if she could do them herself- she was playing him like a fiddle and he was so smitten, he didn't even care. There was one problem though, he was damn sure she didn't like him back, that and the fact that the two were from completely different timelines, and he knew that because he did the math in his head, every night;

If she was 15 years of age, in 2021, when he had met her, that meant she would be 13 when the apocalypse began. Hence, she was born in 2006, while he was born in 1989- as a result, he was 17 bloody years older than her. Even if he could get past all that, he still had to leave her. If he were to travel back in time, she would become an anomaly in his timeline. But could he leave her here? Alone?

Tapping his shoulder to gain his attention, which she did instantly as those forest-colored orbs gazed back at her with the slightest of admiration, she asked

"Are you okay? You seem to be thinking about something...a lot these days"

He looked at her wordlessly, contemplating the issue and its importance, then shook his head, peddling faster on the dirt road. He had spotted what seemed to be a broken building of some sort, he could make out a chalkboard hanging from the wall and had a roof,  which was great because the grey sweater of clouds above them told him they'd need shelter for the night. That was the night they met her, the Handler.

"Tell you what, you work for the Commission and we'll give you whatever you want in return."

"If I go, she comes."

"But-"

"It's this or no deal lady."

"Fine."

That was it, Five took the offer as quickly as he could, even though Y/N tried to argue about how this was all so suspicious, but he didn't listen. If he was going to go back in time, he was going to leave her at the commission, at least it would be better than the apocalypse. 

Working for the commission was not difficult, at least for Five, but Y/N was not very gifted in the art of 'killing' or anything related to fieldwork, hence Five rudely insisted (according to her) that she be sent to a desk job. It's true that she had some aim, but other than that, she wasn't a monster like him and he sure as hell didn't want her hands to get all bloody like his soul.

"Oh? Desk job? Why is that?" The blonde sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, honestly, she didn't even want to bring that liability to the commission, survival skills are great but the commission is far more sophisticated than that, but perhaps she could use this girl as leverage over Five.

"Because it's safer"

"Ah, I see you have a soft spot"

"What I have is the brain to know whom to risk in battle and whom to not, and she is great with finding anomalies in the cases you have given me, most of them are narrowed down by her."

"Well then, didn't think someone so insignificant could be useful."

"What do you mean insignificant?"

"Oh nothing, don't worry I'll sort it out"

"Scratch that," he cut her off, clicking his tongue, "Assign her as my partner."

"But-"

"Or we're both quitting the commission." With that he took a fistful of sweets from the lady's desk and walked out of the door, smiling to himself, knowing he'd succeeded.

It was safe to say that both became partners hereafter, though she was usually just used as backup or a getaway driver. Not that she had any issues with that, she was delighted that she could spend time with him, for these little moments were special to her. When he would bring her coffee in the morning, how he'd communicate with her through sign language even in public, or like the time when they were walking down the street and it had started to rain, he covered her head with his coat. There were nights when she couldn't sleep at night, the nightmares would become a bit too much, he'd somehow know. He'd know she would be crying in the washroom, he'd open the door to find her sitting there on the cold tiles, head buried in her hands- every time. He'd pull her up every time, hugging her close, resting his chin on top of her head as he'd just let her cry, not letting go of her till she had calmed down. She still wasn't sure if this was love, or if he loved her, perhaps it was all platonic, but for her, she knew she was in love with him, she needed him to be a part of her life, and she wanted to tell him, but never knew how to bring it up- until that unfortunate night.

She knew she wasn't supposed to go through his things, not that he had specifically asked her, but over the years she had learned that Five was someone who valued privacy more than anything. That's why when she came to his small office, personally given to him by the handler, to drop a file for their next case she noticed it was empty, and as cunning as curiosity is, it won her over. For she began to skim through her partner's stuff, looking for that little black diary he had on him ever since they had joined the commission, even when they were on missions she'd find him mumbling to himself, scribbling into it. He never let her look at it though, not even a peak. She had tried to once, while he was distracted by something, book in his hand, but before her eyes could land on the page, he slammed it shut, pretending it was not because of her. Now she knew he had secrets, many of them, but perhaps he could let her in? Just a bit- that's what bothered her the most, a factor that would push her buttons, for she knew if he loved her or at least trusted her, he would not keep things from her. Hence she got a bit too lost while looking for that thing.

Five blinked back to the commission, pissed as f***, he had to tell her, she needed to know, he thought as he marched into the building. It was late,  he had told Y/N to sit this one out for a reason, he was supposed to go back to 2007 and last time he checked (per his calculations) she was born in that year, she had no recollection of the date or year but he was not going to take any chances with the Paradox Psychosis. The building was almost empty, something he was thankful for because on his merry little trip to 2007, he had decided to go on a side mission as well, something he had been trying to figure out since his last conversation with the handler-

"Didn't think someone so insignificant could be useful"

Why had she said that? More importantly, why did she speak of Y/N as she knew her? So, after he was done correcting the timeline, he went to look into the city records of anyone with the same name as her- for she had once told him she was from New York City, that was all she could remember.  And as luck would have it, he easily blinked into the office, going through the records to find her, hoping to god his gut feeling was wrong- at least this once. His eyes landed on her name, the file, fingers brushing against the paper, hesitant. Taking a deep breath he pulled out the file and flipped it open, eyes running over each word- this was never about her, it was about him,

'Shit'.

She sat there on the ground, back pressed against his desk, her tear-stained face staring at the clock. It was almost 2 and he wasn't there. She had found the book and like a giddy little reckless child, she yanked it out of the cupboard, flipping through the pages quicker than you could say stop. What did she find? His calculations, all that work to take him back home, which meant he was going to leave her here. She knew he didn't love her but was he really going to leave her?

The door burst open as she flinched, flinging the diary somewhere in the corner as she looked up at him. He stood there confused, brows knitted together as he moved closer, noticing the mess that was around him. Strange, when he left he made sure everything was neat and in place, that is until he saw her sitting on the ground in front of his desk, glaring up at him with bloodshot eyes. Getting up she marched over to him, staring at him dead in the eyes, unable to notice his confused expressions. He wasn't sure what it was, but he prayed to God it wasn't the diary. Clearing his throat he placed a hand on her shoulder, gasping when she slapped it away- much as she did many years ago. 

"What happened?"

"What happened? You're going to leave me aren't you?"

He didn't say anything to her after that, the tension around them growing as he realized she had crossed a boundary he had ever so evidently set- his privacy. Pushing past her he twirled as he slowly took in the office and its mess, eyes landing on the diary in a corner on the floor. Walking over to pick it up, he checked to make sure all the pages were still intact. STuffing it in his pocket he walked over to her, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he gave her a crooked smile,

"Well, actually I was gonna take you darlin', but seeing as how you have no respect for privacy, I don't think I want to anymore."

"Good! I didn't want to anyway!"

With that she ran out of the office, regretting it as soon as she stepped outside the building. This was not how the night was supposed to turn out, she wanted to confess to him, in hopes of having them reciprocated and here she was, making it harder for herself. Sometimes, she really wished she had a voice, so she could scream out in pain and anger. A silent sob shook through her body as she began to walk to her quarters, the night as silent as her soul. She didn't want to think of how to face him tomorrow, but that was not something she wanted to think about anyway. 

He sighed in defeat, closing the office door behind him, he knew where he was going, he was going to her- he knew he'd have to, Delores and Jason would want him to. So when he blinked in front of her door, he realized he had never told her about the file. 

Climbing up the stairs of the two-story building she knew he'd be standing in front of her door, it wasn't even a thing to hope for anymore, that's just how he was- how they were. Stopping as soon as she spotted him, she glanced at him before going to unlock the door, ignoring him, though her shaking hand was making it difficult for her. Gently placing his hand on hers he held it steady, helping her turn the key- that was it, she knew that's all it took for him to gain access, always have, and will. Groaning internally she walked in, knowing he'd follow, locking up behind him like this was his apartment.

"Y/N, I need to talk to you."

Snorting in response she kicked off her shoes and walked into the kitchen, she hated when he would spit out statements, he knew she couldn't respond verbally which is why they were statements and never questions of 'if' or 'can we', it was always the final say. Following her quietly, he picked up her shoes and placed them neatly next to the wall, and walked into the kitchen to find her sitting on the counter, jugging down a gallon of cold milk. Standing at the doorframe cleared his throat,

"I...uh. I'm sorry about what I said."

Slamming the empty container beside her, she wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve, giving him a look as if to continue.

"It is true I am planning to time travel but I am nowhere near the solution and I...Yes, initially, I wanted to leave you, but it was only because of the whole different timeline, and...it's safer here."

Rolling her eyes she hopped off the counter, walking out of the kitchen, only for him to stop her, standing in front of her as she glared up at him, mouthing a;

"Get lost"

"And I will, but please, tell me something" he whispered, looking down at her, a look in his eyes he had never seen before, "What year was it before you woke up in 2019?"

Despite her anger telling her to not answer him, leave him hanging in confusion and in the dark as he did for many years she sighed before signing;

"2002"

"Shit." 

That night he told her about her file, how he went to look for her records and found out that she was born in 1989, just like him, but a different month and date. He was confused about how she ended up in the apocalypse, but he had noticed she had no family after a fatal car crash, which was why the Handler would have considered her a good option to pull out of the timeline, as she called her insignificant. It all made sense now, this insignificance was the reason she never offered the girl a job at the commission, she was an extra to the equation- at least for the handler. She was supposed to be some kind of test for Five and once he had cleared the test, she was disposable- or so those idiots at the commission thought.

"But...I realized you aren't safe here, especially because you don't even belong here." he turned to look at her, only to find her staring at her feet. Placing his hand on her knee he gave it a little squeeze, "I know it's a lot to process but...I swear I won't leave you, especially not now."

Meeting his gaze she sighed, biting her lip as her eyes stung, tears threatening to spill out;

"No, leave me here...she's right, I am insignificant, so it won't make a difference either way."

Pulling his hand away he glared at her, really not in the mood for her to think the Handler had half the brain she claimed to have, whispering to her, "No one is insignificant, especially not you." 

Sniffing she nodded before giving him a small smile, he would do this all the time. These positive affirmations, he'd make them sound like they were true and that he greatly believed in them- perhaps he did, she wouldn't know, but she didn't care either way. Taking a deep breath she looked at him and signed;

"Thank you Five...I'm glad to be in love with you."

Cue Five Hargreeves' face contorting into confusion, his heart racing, faster than his brain could connect the dots- because as soon as it did he came to one conclusion: She loves me platonically. Due to this he smiled at her, pulling her close in a hug, trying his best to hide his tears, he had no intentions of showing any signs of weakness, for he knew deep down inside, even if the timeline issue was fixed, he was too broken to be loved, too horrendous to be kissed by the gentle touch of a goddess like her and before he knew it, the words had slipped past his lips; "thank you."

It was safe to say that night ended on an awkward yet very sweet note. She had figured out that he was resisting, he had insecurities that were sealed shut within his fragile heart, and to get him to open up would be more difficult than time traveling. She didn't expect him to say it back instantly anyway, but she was glad he didn't push her away, instead, he'd make sure to take her on every mission, even if he thought it was dangerous and left her at the motel, he wouldn't leave her at the commission anymore. There were nights when she'd assist him, usually, he'd blink in first and kill, often having to face her wrath later.

"I HAD him Five!"

"I know you did, doll."

On nights when she was left at the motel, she'd go looking for the books he'd list down for her beforehand. Even in their mid-thirties, they were nowhere close to finding the solution. Sometimes she would help him, which would often result in him becoming a bit too competitive;

"We're on the same team, Sir."

"I know." He spat, hiding his work for the equation.

Somewhere along the line they had forgotten about her confession, she never pushed him, even at forty, she was comfortable with knowing he was always there- she would rather have him in her life as a friend, than not at all. Sometimes, she would hint at it, trying to be extra sweet to him, making him coffee before he got up, covering him up at night if he'd fall asleep on the sofa- not like they'd share a bed, at forty-five, she was still a virgin. Clearly, that wasn't changing anytime soon.

Nonetheless, here they stood, both almost sixty, staring at the blue portal, holding hands. They were about to jump before a fire extinguisher blew out of the portal and hit her on the head, causing her to lose her footing and fall into the portal, dragging him along.

Falling face front on the ground he groaned, standing up as he came face to face with his siblings, squinting at the weirdos before realizing Y/N got hit in the head.

"Shit, Y/N-" pausing, he stopped midway staring at her, then looking at his own hands, "Shit."

She sat in the kitchen, facing his siblings, pressing an ice pack on the giant bump on her forehead, watching the awkward interrogation- sheesh these people had a family drama.

"What's the date? The exact date." He asked, slapping toasts on a plate, not even bothering to look up at anyone.

"The 24th." 

"Of what?" He hissed, before turning and placing a plate in front of Y/N, pulling away the ice bag gently to look at the damage.

"March," Vanya replied, looking at Allison who shrugged at the dual personalities their brother was displaying.

"Good." He concluded, before going back to make himself a sandwich.

"So, are we gonna talk about what just happened?" Luther finally stepped in, only to be snubbed by Five, "What just happened was, one of you a**hats threw an extinguisher in the portal and it hit Y/N".

"It's been 17 years." number one, ignored what his brother had said, hoping he wouldn't argue back.

"It's been a lot longer than that."

"Where'd you go?"

"The future. It's shit, by the way." he paused before glancing at Y/N who was quietly eating, while her other hand pressed the ice on her burning skin, "Most of it is."

"How long were you there?"

"Forty-five years. Give or take."

"So what are you saying? That you're 58?"

"No, our consciousness is 58." he sighed, irritated by how long this was taking, "apparently, our bodies are now 13 again.

"Wait, how does that even work?"

"Delores and Jason kept saying the equations were off. Eh." He sighed as he searched for coffee,  choosing to take out a mug first- he'd just get Y/N juice, no need to give her caffeine with that concussion.

"Bet they're laughing now," Y/N finally pitched in, placing the icebag on the table. 

The mug slipped right out of his fingers as he blinked beside her, staring at her wide-eyed as she looked up at him. There was silence in the kitchen, other than the mug crashing into a million pieces and Deigo's "Watch it, boomer!"

"What did you just say?"

"I..." she whispered, pausing as her fingers touched her lips and she cleared her throat, no way, was this possible. Had turning thirteen again given her voice back to her? 

"Oh my god" he chuckled, running a hand over his face, he had wondered how angelic her voice was, but he had no idea the sound of her voice would make him go weak in the knees.

"Uh, by the way," Klaus clapped his hands, "It's adorable how in love you two look but um, mind introducing us to your girlfriend there buddy?"

"She's not my girlfriend" He hissed at him, ready to bite him.

"You sure?" he pestered only for Five to grab her hand and blink them to his room.

She felt like she was nauseous, head spinning from many thoughts- and due to the hit but right now she looked at him, as he pursed his lips, staring at her with those eyes, soft as ever. 

"F-five..." 

"You sound sweeter than I thought."

"I love you."

Instantly pulling away, like he was repelled by her he groaned, turning to open his closet, ignoring what she had said. Only to be pulled back by the back of his collar by her- even if she was shorter than him. 

"Five."

"Look, Y/N, I know, you love me and I'm glad, but right now I don't want our platonic relationship-"

"NO, you idiot! I LOVE LOVE YOU!" she yelled, soon realizing she was loud enough for everyone else to hear, not that she cared.

He stood there in an oversized suit, squinting at her like an old man, palms clammy and heart racing, choking out a "W-what?"

"I have since forever, I even confessed to you the night I thought you'd leave me! You think I'd get up early in the morning and make coffee for anyone?"

"N-no I...I just..."

"Wait" her eyes widening at the sudden realization, "Do you not...love me-"

"OF COURSE I DO!"

"Oh" her face flushed at the confession, eyes glued to the ground.

"I...damn...I just thought you messed up the language when you said that to me"

"Excuse me? I am fluent in all sign languages, you over-grown baby."

Pausing at what she had just called him, his expression morphed into his usual 'and we're done', as he turned back to the closet, mumbling a "sweet voice, sour choice of words."

"They're true though."

"Which ones?" He said tossing his uniform on the bed as he thought of which sister's clothes to steal for her.

"How I feel about you."

"Good" he gave her a reassuring smile, "Because I wasn't lying either, now stay here so I get you something to wear, we have an apocalypse to stop". As he walked out of the room, he mumbled to himself (force of habit), hoping she wouldn't hear him, but she did (as usual),

 "I'd like to spend my second life listening to that angelic voice, forever."

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A/N: So, this request has been pending, much like the others. I am back at writing finally. Apologies, my cat's been sick recently and I've been preoccupied with my poor baby :(. I hope you like it, @achingwoundforaheart, and I hope it meets your expectations- yes, I am a sucker for dense Five.