TUA fanfic WIP: Sibling Beach Trip
I've recently devoured @assaily 's WIP posts and you know what, why hoard all of my WIPs when I may never finish them and people might enjoy them?
Having said that this isn't a snippet so much as it's a 2 thirds done fic that I've lost inspiration for the ending for so grab yourself a drink and enjoy!
Working Title: Beach No Beach. Love a working title
Length: 6k. Self control? Who is she?
Premise: Post apocalypse a family beach trip is proposed. Five has his reservations and is finding real life hard to adjust to, but he'll go if that's the Sibling Movement of the week. This is basically a slice of life fic that I'm pretty sure was going to build to Diego needing to save Five from drowning at the beach, because of course it was, but I think the rest of this has enough low-level angst and family moments to be entertaining on it's own.
Warnings: This fic discusses body dysmorphia in small detail and has underage drinking from Five.
It was embarrassing. More than embarrassing, really.
Shameful.
But Five couldnât swim.
Theyâd had what constituted as âlessonsâ when they were kids, apparently. Five had very limited memories of life before the Apocalypse, and often they seemed more surreal than anything.
âWe did?â He asked blankly, barely looking over his morning cup of coffee to Viktor and Klaus.
âAll the time bro!â Klaus replied breathily, laughing, eyes just a little wide in the thrill of memory, or possibly at Five not remembering something. âYou donât remember the pool? Iâm pretty sure Dad blocked off the door after we started sneaking down there to play.â
âI remember.â Viktor nodded along, smile curling his lips so that his face lit up. âThatâs how we found about Diego-â
âAnd his creepy fish power!â Klaus looked ready to implode with hysteria and even Viktor bent to the table with a snort before looking between them.
âYou really donât remember that?â
âDiego isnât a fishâŚâ He spoke slowly. He was talking to children after all. Or maybe he was hallucinating again. It happened. Hiding his grimace, Five took a sip.
âYeah! Yeah he can really hold his breath, come on you have to remember that, we teased him for weeks!â
âYeah that was kinda mean of us.â Viktor grimaced a little into his own coffee. Probably for no reason, Viktor at that age wouldnât have said Boo to a goose.
Hold his breath? It almost was a memory. Someone laughing, Diego pouting, then throwing a fit.
âI think Iâd remember us finding out about that.â
âMaybe you blocked it out, it was pretty horrible at the time.â The tone shifted after Viktorâs words.
âWhy doesnât that surprise me.â
âWhat doesnât surprise you?â Diego.
âSpeak of the devil!â Klaus chorused, Five flinched a little at Diegoâs hand falling briefly onto his shoulder as he passed. But it was barely noticeable now, heâd almost got a hang on it. âWe were reminiscing about the time Dear old Dad decided to test out our underwater endurance.â
âYou mean when he held us all under the water until you all near passed out and I beat all your asses.â
âDefinitely would have remembered that one.â Five murmured, covering up the chill skipping over his flesh.
âTechnically you didnât beat my ass, since I wasnât included in How to Drown Your Kids 101.â Viktor replied with a darkly amused smirk and the sort of steel satisfaction that only true trauma inspired.
âWell Iâd have beaten you too.â Diego retorted, confident as he went about fetching some ungodly looking juice concoction from the fridge.
How many different fruits went into just that, how many vegetables? The math wasnât worth it, wasnât worth the pang of mixed dread and desire it inspired in him.
âAnd then we all called you, ah, well, never mind eh?â Diegoâs glare had silenced Klaus.
âFor the record, weâre sorry.â Viktor offered, voice so gentle and meaning.
âIâve got nothing to be sorry for.â Five retorted. He wasnât there after all, and he was above childish name calling. He had found more creative insults.
âWell you got off the hook easily anyway, you werenât even there.â Diego chimed in, but did take the time to nod to Viktor in a passing sense of camaraderie. He sat heavily at the table and looked at them all as he took a drink. âWhat brought this on anyway?â
âWeâre trying to convince little Fivey-â
âOlder than you!â His insistence was soundly ignored.
âTo come to the beach with us all at the weekend.â Diego hastily swallowed the mouthful of his juice. What could all those ingredients even taste like together? Five shook his head at the sight.
âHell yeah you should come! You donât get out enough.â
âI get out plenty.â
âTo the library maybe.â Klaus mumbled, twiddling with the buttons undone on his shirt.
âCome on Five, it would be fun!â
âWould it really?â He sighed, wished heâd just blinked back up to his room with the coffee.
âIts the beach bro.â Diegoâs voice was so deadpan that Five managed to feel insulted.
âThere isnât even anything there! Itâs all dead anyway!â One of his hands gestured with the coffee cup for effect as he complained but the others were staring at him and, oh, right. Nervously he cleared his throat. âI mean-â
âNo, no what is it?â Klaus was too gentle. Theyâd started doing this recently, paying attention to him rather than responding with their own drama and pushing what he said aside. Five didnât know what to do with it. And it only took a few rapid equations to work out the cheapest way out of this situation.
âFine Iâll go. But donât expect me to enjoy it.â He blinked away. But not far.
Paranoid.
âAlright alright.â Five muttered quietly at Doloresâ imagined critique from where he sat in the pantry, listening.
âWell, that was surprisingly easy, only took ten minutes.â Klaus sounded both pleased and a little disappointed. Had he not wanted Five to come after all, or had he just wanted to do more wheedling?
âWhat do you think he meant by it being dead?â Viktor asked, voice contemplative and too damn observant.
âI swear to God Klaus, if you making him go to the beach causes another apocalypse-â
Diego and Klaus devolved into childish squabbles and Five blinked out of the pantry.
The beach huh. He hadnât seen it in decades. Heâd only been the once. If theyâd ever done any missions by the sea as children Five certainly didnât remember it.
It could be nice this time.
âWe canât swim Dolores.â In the emptiness of his room, the reminder drifted lifeless. Heâd learned that one the hard way. âAnd only you can float.â
-
A weekend beach trip sounded like hell to Five but apparently he was one of the few. Yet it was interesting that the closer they got to the date the more cracks appeared in the othersâ armour.
Diego would boast about his abilities, but when Luther had guffawed âoh my god! Fish-Boy!â Their knife-wielding vigilante had begun to stammer on and off when they talked about the ocean. Allison had bitched at Luther down the phone for it, as had Klaus in person. Five had been listening in on parts of the phone call.
Because he liked to hear their voices, not because he was paranoid, Dolores!
But it wasnât just Diego.
Allison had sounded hesitant, and wanted to bring Claire, but remained nervous about mixing Claire with their family. Five usually made himself scarce on the rare occasions that Allison brought Claire around. It had only been twice, but no matter how much he wanted to meet her, Five didnât have anything to fall back on when interacting with people outside his siblings. Unless they were a threat, or it was for less than two minutes.
Three minutes fifteen had been his record, at the library where he went to practice. And after that heâd had to go hide in the bathroom stall and have a minor panic attack.
With people that mattered it was harder. Because there was only so long Five could talk to someone who mattered before he fucked it up. Heâd only been able to say âHi, nice to meet youâ to Claire before becoming overwhelmed by her childlike open-stare and making an excuse to run away. But he wasnât the only reason for Allisonâs hesitance.
Five thought she was worried about the crazy rubbing off.
During last monthâs visit Klaus had told Claire the story of Dead Uncle Ben after sheâd caught Klaus talking to what looked like thin air. Five had overheard on the phone call the week after how Claire had begun âtalking to Dead Uncle Benâ at school. For a custody battle situation, it was understandably a nightmare.
Diego always had knives on him, and children had sticky fingers. Claire kept trying to pull them out from Diegoâs pockets and holsters and fingers. It wasnât as if Diego encouraged or approved of it, but he had offered to teach her before heâd caught Allisonâs look. And even at the beach Diego would probably be packing at least three knives. Probably more.
Luther had been fine at first, and was Claireâs favourite uncle. But then the Holy Trinity of Stupid; hitherto named Klaus, Luther and Diego, had loudly reminisced about the all the times Luther had accidentally injured them during training when they were kids. Even Five had joined in; Luther smacking him hard enough into the wall after a mis-timed jump and cracking his arm during combat training were ironically some of his clearer memories. Allison trusted Luther with Claireâs life, but she had looked a little green around the gills as they all laughed about it.
Viktor hadnât done anything to directly inspire worry, but Allison had told Luther she was worried about Claire finding out what sheâd done to her sibling when they were children. Five had stopped listening to the phone call once Allison started crying, feeling more than a little guilty about his eavesdropping.
So, Allison was apprehensive about Family Fun-Time at the Beach because it involved Family Fun-Time. Otherwise known as ill-facilitated chaos.
Klaus worried about taking Ben to the ocean and Ben being sad about only being able to be so-corporeal in the ocean. A guilt Five felt Klaus didnât need to put on himself, given that without him there would be no beach for Ben. But heâd been told he had a rather unsympathetic view on things and asked to leave. It didnât help that Ben was apparently desperate to go to the ocean and also sad about it, apparently.
Or so Five could tell from what heâd heard when he stood nearby Klausâ room at night, or followed him at night down the street, or when he was hiding in the pantry eating fluffed-nutter sandwiches and just listening to his siblings being alive.
-
Friday lunchtime and Five thought that most of the pre-beach drama had probably run its course, that said nothing for what would blow up when they were actually there in typical Hargreeves-style. And he counted the journey to and from as a separate nightmarish entity altogether, but at least this time he was one of the cats to be herded, not the one doing the herding. Small mercies.
They were just lucky that Lila had decided not to come. Apparently their powers âgave her a headacheâ whilst she was pregnant. Five had gone to visit her out of boredom and sibling duty, and swore to report back on the idiocy for her, and had somehow gotten roped into shopping.
âJust zap us all there, I want to feel alive again.â
âYou could do it yourself.â He pointed out, and she groaned and grabbed his hand. They did that a lot, held hands. Five had actually come to enjoy the brusque contact with his most violent sister. There remained a certain comfort in the knowledge he was holding the hand of another killer.
âDonât be a prick.â She groaned. He waited, brow raised. âLook youâre more practiced than me alright! I donât want to jump there and find out little Lila Junior is all over the floor somewhere else!â
âOkay thatâs disgusting.â Heâd blinked them just to stop the conversation, but not so quick that he hadnât seen her wicked grin at his pain.
And, of course, after jumping that far, he didnât have the juice to escape.
âDo you even own anything that isnât some god-awful dark academia bullshit?â
âRich coming from a punk.â
âYouâre going to the beach not a banquet-â Theyâd snapped and bitten at each other whilst grinning through their shark teeth and Lila had forced him to buy a pair of truly heinous swimming trunks about the length of the Academy shorts heâd used to wear. At least until Allison had dragged him out shopping again.
âYou wore that nice suit in the Sparrow timeline, you do not need to go back to looking like a prep-school kid.â
At least Allison had taste.
And secretly, Five had been glad that someone had made him do it. Old routines were the hardest to break for him when they seemed so ultimately unimportant.
âSunglasses!â Lila belted out, breaking his musings and dragged him roughly over to a stand. Sheâd fussed over trying on shades and insisting on him doing the same and Five had allowed himself to pick out a pair he actually quite liked.
They suit you better than those goggles. Five huffed a smile at that. Dolores always had deplored his apocalyptic wardrobe.
âI just, I want to be out there, but Iâm not sure Iâm ready to be out there.â Fiveâs head popped up over the sunglasses stand.
âViktor? Luthor?â
âFive!â
âLila?â
âThereâs the boys! No Klaus?â
âHe was, um, what are you doing here?â Luther stumbled the words, other than Klaus and Five, the siblings were still somewhat awkward around Diegoâs partner. Lila didnât let it show, but Five thought the distance there bothered her. Five certainly wasnât the one to know what to do about it. Klaus had told him he âimprintedâ, like a duckling, and that had been enough âfriendshipâ talk to last another lifetime.
And he got embarrassed enough by Diegoâs obvious happiness at him taking the time to include Lila.
Five held up the shorts he was being frog-marched into buying.
Not that there was a point, because he wouldnât be stepping foot in the ocean ever again.
âApparently this is required dress code.â
âOh, same.â Luther grinned a bit, before his face fell. Viktor, whoâd been the one talking earlier, looked a little sullen.
âNo offence, but me and my spawn are going to walk away from all this.â Lila gestured and excited stage left back towards the child section where, embarrassingly, Five had just come from to get the shorts in his hand. She had meant that their powers were bothering her, a weird pregnancy side-effect, but the pair of them looked a little slapped in the face.
âWhatâs up with you two?â Five asked, coming around the sunglasses stand to eye them up and down better. âWas it Diego? Itâs usually Diego.â
âWhat? No.â Luther insisted. Viktor cleared his throat.
âItâs just,â Viktor paused for a breath and looked to Luther, who nodded encouragingly. âItâs hard to, cross some hurdles, with the dysmorphia.â
âItâll get easier, or I hope it will.â Lutherâs half-encouragement was half-hearted but well meaning, and Viktor offered him a small sad smile. Five just frowned at them.
âDysmorphia?â He rolled the word around, squinting. âThe medical condition?â He frowned harder. In a sense, Lutherâs ape-like physicality could be called that. But Sloane had gone a long way to helping with that. But she wasnât fully welcomed into the loving disaster that was his family yet, so she wouldnât be at the beach. Maybe that was the problem.
Heâd said the wrong thing, Luther was flushed in embarrassment and Viktor put a hand on his arm before cutting in.
âNo, well-â
âSort of, in my case. Both I guess.â Luther spoke over Viktor, seeming to pull in his confidence with a truly remarkable strength. Strength of character that their father had always failed to measure. Much like Viktorâs patience.
âBody dysmorphia. Itâs when you might feel like the way your body looks isnât how you think it should be. Itâs how I felt, before. And somedays thereâs another new hurdle to cross.â
âItâs not comfortable, the idea of being on show like that.â They managed their words with aplomb, but Five was somewhere between them and himself.
Maybe that was selfish, but he found himself looking at his own hands as they spoke, jaw a little slack.
Dysmorphia.
âOh.â He didnât have many more words for them, but the silence suggested he should, so he pulled away from himself and looked to them again. âWhat are you going to do about it?â
Taken aback a little by the blunt question, they looked at each other. Viktor found his voice first.
âWe were debating between making a ât-shirts are okâ pact or a-â
ââSkin or nothingâ oath.â Luther finished. Five didnât think he had the skill set to say the right thing.
You do. Dolores insisted softly. Youâre kinder than you think.
âWell, let me know what you decide.â He offered, hoping he was somewhere on the track to wiping the misery off their faces. Three apocalypses and itâs still the human condition bringing us all down. âIâll join you.â Decidedly he nodded, and turned to make sure Lila wasnât getting caught shoplifting. Honestly her skills needed some improvement. Although she would probably say the same about him.
Viktor and Lutherâs seaside-problems Five could understand maybe a bit better on a personal level than those afflicting the rest of his family, because there was a certain degree of dysmorphia to all their bodily situations that didnât bother dwelling on but couldnât not be dwelt on at the beach. It wasnât like he enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror, so on some level he got it.
Heâd bring a t-shirt in case.
-
Despite their united worry, and Fiveâs pessimism, the Hargreeves family all descended on the mansion Friday evening for their trip to the beach the following day.
Five nearly blinked to the roof when Claire ran up and hugged him, standing with his fists clenched throughout and then vanishing behind the bar. As in hidden behind the bar. He had long ago sworn to Allison that he wouldnât drink in front of Claire. They could at least both agree that she was a child.
Luther and surprisingly Viktor got drunk on the other side of the bar and Klaus merrily joined in.
Lila dropped Diego off to stay overnight since they had an early start come the morning, and Five contemplated blinking into their car to escape whilst Diego shouted at her to not do anything criminal while he was gone.
Allison escaped to smoke twice in between fretting about which sibling to entrust Claire to in the meantime, and quickly decided to just put Claire to bed instead.
Five listened to it all hidden behind the bar. Klaus knew he was there, he kept passing his glass down for Five to refill. Five left a shot out for Ben as well, because it felt polite, Even if apparently Ben disapproved of alcohol.
All too soon, they were turning in for the night in dribs and drabs.
Five hung on until the end. Surprisingly with Luther and Viktor.
âAhem.â Luther cleared his throat and knocked a little sloppily on the bar top as they were turning to go. Five had been humming âDream a little Dream of meâ for Dolores for the last few minutes and hiccupped himself to a stop. âFor tomorrow, no shirts.â
âNo shirts!â Viktor chorused loudly and very, very drunk, toppling a little from the sounds of it.
âNo shirts!â Luther joined in and the pair stumbled up for the night.
âNo shirts.â He toasted to the air, took his last swig and went to pick up Dolores-
But she wasnât there. The shop had thrown her away.
In a flash the martini glass heâd been drinking from smashed against the bar where heâd thrown it.
Youâre gonna have to clean that up now.
âI know, I know.â
He ignored the catch in his voice as he moved to do just that, craving to hold her and getting glass shards instead.
â
âGet up Five! Christ, thereâs always one.â
âAnd itâs usually him, or you. Actually it's usually you.â
âShut up and help me! Oh wait you canât.â
âWow, low blow.â
âOh I can go lower-â
âShut up.â Five smacked his pillow at Klaus like a true teenager and glowered. His hair was ruffled and he smelt like a bar.
âYou look like some nasty little cat I found on the sidewalk and just want to put in a blanket,â Klaus half-crooned, half sneered, grabbing his grumbling gremlin of a brother. âNow come on, get up and showered or Allison will have our asses.â
âHave our asses!â All three of them turned with slightly horrified gazes to see Claire standing in the door giggling, fingers pressed over her mouth and looking like she knew exactly what she was doing. The little tyrant. With a final giggle she turned and ran. âMooooooom!â
âNo no no no no!â Klaus abandoned Five to his fate and sprinted off after his favourite little terror of a niece. If she made it to Allison, they were all doomed.
She made it Allison.
Five managed to get himself somewhat presentable, down the stairs and into clothes. In fact they all did, more or les on time, it was a Hargreeves miracle.
âLoving the shorts buddy. You needed more colour in your wardrobe.â
âKeep talking and Iâll sk-â Five stopped himself, Ben snorted uncharitably behind Klausâ shoulder as Claire looked eerily around at them, eyes wide and guileless. Klaus cleared his throat whilst Fiveâs brain seemed to re-wire itself, clutching his coffee for dear life and eyes shielded by shades. âSkkkunk you.â
âSkunk you.â Claire mouthed, hand benignly in Allisonâs, eyes bright with hell-fire.
âSkunk me?â Klaus turned to Five again, disbelief and laughter battling for dominance in his chest. âThatâs the best you could do?â
âKeep talking, and youâll find out.â Fiveâs coffee got grumbled into and Ben guffawed behind them.
âYouâre both idiots.â
âShut up Ben!â
âDead Uncle Benâs here?!â Klaus shrivelled under the weight of Allisonâs incredulous raised brows turning to him with the sweet promise of death as Ben âawwedâ behind him.
-
Allison had already had to put up with Claire having a tantrum about not being able to talk to Uncle Ben, and had thrown her hands in the air when Klaus had said Ben also wanted to talk to Claire.
âSure, why not! Letâs just wheel her right into therapy rather than window-shopping it!â She had stormed to the back of the bus and sat next to Five, because he was currently the quietest and she saw the least of him.
Benâs blue conjured form absolutely enchanted Claire, and her eyes swelled so large and happy and un-affected by rumour as she looked gleefully between Dead Uncle Ben and her Mom that it made Allisonâs heart lighter.
Watching Ben form into what existence Klaus could give him was always a delight, if a bittersweet one, and Allison found herself relaxing a bit at watching the joint joy on her child and brotherâs faces.
They had taken the bus to the beach, changed three times and by the time the ocean breeze was coming salty and refreshing through the window Allisonâs hungover siblings had drunk enough coffee, water and juice to grace the land of the living. Viktor and Luther had woken from their nap enough to tease Diego about his upcoming life of parenthood. Sheâd berate them, or join them, but honestly they were just the warm up act for the terror Allison herself could inspire if she told Diego the truth of parenting. But she didnât quite want to do that.
Something in her knew the horrors too well to joke about them right now, the emotions always too present. And some dark voice inside her said that she didnât get to lord it over anyone. Not with the mess sheâd made the first time round.
And probably was making, letting her kid talk to her ghost Uncle.
âItâll be fine.â Allison jolted a bit, and glanced down at Five, slumped still somewhat bonelessly, dressed in a plain top and tropical beach shorts that were almost the same shade of yellow as Allisonâs own bikini under her wrap dress. Five was alert enough to be verbal, which was good, but not quite enough to move further down the bus and put up with their familyâs particular brand of unending bullshit.
âWhat will?â She asked, bewildered. âThis family trip? Iâm pretty sure itsâ already gone way better than it should, which means weâre due for a tsunami at least.â He snickered at that and she smiled at the rarely heard sound.
âWell I wonât disagree, but I meant Claire with Ben. If anyone can talk sense to her, itâs the one who usually holds the brain cell.â
And Five was somewhat right. Despite the way he very awkwardly coughed and looked through his fringe out the window when Claire came to sit between them.
âMom, Iâm sorry about pretending to see Dead Uncle, I mean, Uncle Ben at school. I know itâs a Serious Topic now.â She nodded solemnly, and Allison felt her face crease up in adoration at the attemptive-adult look on her daughterâs angelic face. And the apology that she wasnât sure she deserved, but couldnât help melting over. âBut that doesnât mean Iâll stop talking about him because Uncle Ben and Death are important.â And just like that, adoration turned to the sort of disbelief that only children could inspire. Five snorted.
âSmart kid.â He muttered, and Allison found her smile reforming.
âThank you Claire, and youâre right, those are important topics. Weâll have a talk about bluntness at, a much, much later date.â Because there were only so many Serious Parenting Moments she could handle before 10 in the morning. She thought she had an easy out, but then Five was turning to Claire with a devilish look at Allison over his glasses and a truly awful smile. Her stomach dropped.
âWhatever she says donât listen to her, your Mom mastered bluntness at age Six.â
âSix?!â
âSix.â Five nodded.
âI think you should go talk to Uncle Ben while heâs here sweetie, Uncle Klaus can only keep him visible so long-â
âBut I wanna talk to Uncle Five too!â
âNo you donât-â Allison and Five flashed each other an awkward look at their matching words.
âHey Claire! Claire! Wanna see the octopus in Uncle Benâs belly-â
âNO SHOWING HER THE HORROR!â Allison shouted as Claire squealed and ran for a glaring Ben and shit-eating Klaus.
She didnât have one child, she had a whole bus of them.
-
The beach spray in the air wasnât like heâd thought it would be.
Five watched the unreal blue hue of the ocean, heard the waves crash rather than slosh thickly, felt sand rather than trash and rubble under his feet.
It was beautiful.
âSo, we doing this?â
âWeâre doing this.â He glanced to Luther and Viktor. Theyâd set up their familyâs base-camp on the beach, and Allison was over at the nearby changing huts getting Claire sorted. Diego had set them up under one of the available umbrellas and was lecturing Klaus on sunscreen. Because of course he was.
Red rays from the too-hot sunlight burnt through the distorted atmosphere, piercing dust-and-storm clouds, lighting the grey sloshing water in an eerie light.
âDonât you want to swim? I always wanted to swim.â
âHey Five!â Sand hit him in the face. Five spluttered and spun around. No crap littering the golden sands. Just his family and the blue tide. Disguising his shaky breath, Five glared at Diego. âYou too, sun cream, come on line up.â
âSun cream Nazi.â
âWant me to spray it in your face Klaus?â Klaus just groaned, turning around obediently as Diego sprayed an endless can of aerosol âfactor 30â onto his pale skin.
âMight as well get it over with Five. Heâll have his way.â Klaus pouted.
âThat I will, alright, youâre done, come back in three hours.â
âAlright Mom.â Klaus mocked with a grin and escaped away, donning his brimmed hat and heading to the ocean.
âYouâre up.â Diego beckoned him over and Five shook his head snorting.
âThe sunâs not even radioactive at this point.â Diego stared and then grabbed him.
âYouâre the most in danger, young skin is important to protect.â
âGet off me!â Five snatched the can and roughly sprayed over himself before throwing it back. âHappy?â
âThatâs not how you apply sunscreen bro.â
âIts literally what you just did.â
âNo sunscreen, no sun.â Diego stated with an impressive amount of finality and pointed at the towels under the parasol where Viktor and Luther were lurking. Beyond them, Allison was running after Claire to the water.
âFine by me.â He wasnât swimming anyway, and heâd had enough of the sunâs harsh rays. Diego seemed appeased, and headed to the ocean himself.
Five settled down and, seeing his remaining brothers had already removed their shirts, did the same. Solidarity and all.
Job done, he settled back, and watched the ocean.
It was even more mesmeric now than it had been back then, thick with ash and ruined life, but the largest amount of water heâd seen in months.
He hadnât washed in months.
Is it even real? Dolores laughed at him
âOf course itâs real.â Walking there had been a dream, heart thudding, shedding clothes along the way haphazardly, stumbling over ruble and Dolores in his arms, in a dream till the water sloshed over his ankles.
The sensation had sent shivers up his spine.
âHey, you swimming?â Viktor nudged him back into focus and Five looked around him, glad of the sunglasses hiding his eyes.
âNo.â
âReally? But weâre at the beach, and itâs pretty empty, even Lutherâs in.â It took Five a moment to notice that yes, he was. Tossing Claire up in the air and into the water as she squealed in delight. Diego looked like he was doing some pretty serious swimming while Klaus and Allison lounged in the shallows.
âYou go, have fun. Iâll guard the camp. Wouldnât want us loosing our clothes.â He got a frown at that, but Five had lost his Academy uniform that day on the beach and with it the only reminder of home he had left, the only identity he had. Not to mention the only clothes heâd had.
Just because heâd wanted to feel water and hadnât weighed them down.
âWell, come over when youâre ready. Youâll like it.â He grinned in lieu of answering and Viktor shrugged and went off, both him and Luther bare-skinned from the waist up and wearing it with growing confidence.
Smiling a little, Five folded his arms behind his head and stretched his toes into the sand. It burned a bit, but the feeling was unlike anything heâd felt before. He kept doing it over and over, finally sitting up and admitting that he wanted to touch it.
Five settled off the towel and felt the sand all over, shivering, digging his fingers into it.
Dry and hot on top, cool and heavier underneath if he dug down far enough.
Golden, soft.
His fingers found a shell and Five took a while staring at the delicate pattern, mesmerised. He looked for more.
âWhat are you doing?â Five had to get a better handle on being snuck up on. He looked around to see Claire staring at him, rocking on her feet.
âFinding shells.â He replied.
âIâll help!â She lay down next to the hole heâd dug and reached her arms in to tease through the sand. âTheyâre pretty.â
âUh, sure.â Seeing how deep Claire had to reach into the hole, Five looked around and winced. Half of their belongings were covered in sand and to match the hole was a large mountain heâd moved aside, digging straight down mindlessly.
âIs this one good?â Claire pulled out a long, thin shell, poking Fiveâs knee with it.
âIts great.â He took it and tried not to feel her eyes on him as he looked it over. âItâs a razor clam shell.â He offered, turning it over in his fingers and admiring the barred pattern. He put it in the âclamâ pile.
âReally? Whatâs this one.â
âA snail.â
âAnd this one?â Five glanced over from where heâd reached for another speck of porcelain white buried in the sand.
âA crab claw.â
âWhereâs the rest of the crab?â
âGiven that thatâs itâs arm, Iâm assuming that itâs dead.â
âLike Uncle Ben.â
âLike Uncle Ben. Although, I donât know if crabs have ghosts that stick around, thatâs really an ethical and philosophical debate on the presence of a soul and frankly itâs exhausting.â
âOh.â
âClaire! There you are, donât run off like that!â Allison looked vaguely harassed as she hurried to them. âOh, Five, thanks for looking after her.â
âDonât mention it.â He replied, somewhat guilty where he had moved to sit in the hole heâd dug, and hadnât even noticed Claire being âmissingâ in the first place. Heâd been too focused by the texture of sand and delicate shells.
âWhat are you two doing?â The frown and amused quirk to her mouth suggested that this wasnât normal.
âUncle Fiveâs collecting shells.â Incredulous eyes turned his way, Five scowled.
âI can stop.â He snapped out.
âNo, no Five, itâs okay. People collect shells at the beach.â Her assurance was swift but gentle, genuine. Claire was looking at him wide-eyed.
âOh. Okay.â He replied, somewhat derailed from defending himself.
Prickly. Five ignored Doloresâ fond chuckle.
âImpressive hole Five.â Luther came up behind Allison and Five hopped out enough to sit on the rim of his sand pit. Claire squealed on seeing him and reached up to be lifted, she kept hold of the crab claw.
âWhat is that?â
âItâs Uncle Fiveâs dead crab!â
âDonât touch things like that!â Allison wrestled it from Claire who pouted.
âUncle Five touched it!â
âWell, heâs a heathen, not a lady.â Five snorted, but didnât deny it. âLetâs go wash your hands.â Claire was led away with a plea of âbut mooooooomâ and Luther took her place.
âYouâre not swimming?â
âApparently Iâm collecting shells.â Five gestured over to the neatly sorted collection heâd accumulated.
Dolores liked them.
âI just thought you were digging a hole. Maybe we should make a sand castle.â
âA what?â Luther was already gathering the sand Five had piled up and grinned.
âIâll show you! I used to try and make miniature ones on the moon with the moon dust I collected, but we could make a really big one!â The childlike enthusiasm was enough to stir Fiveâs eternal curiosity, he followed Luther out of his hole and felt the sun lap his skin as they began forming a âfoundationâ.
It was surprisingly enjoyable. Therapeutically technical.
It looks good.
It did, Five thought.
Give it a tower for me, like a princess would have.
âIt needs a tower.â
âGood idea. And a flag.â
They built for a while before Diego came to join them and added himself in with a comment of âsickâ. They stuck one of Diegoâs knives in the top in place of a flag and Viktor and Klaus came by with a heaping assortment of lunch foods.
âFeeding time at the zoo!â
Allison and Claire followed having been in the sea again, and Five got up and stretched from where heâd been hunched over. The water glittered in the sun.
Five thought he might like the beach.
âFive, your back!â
âWhat about it?â Five looked at Diego askance but got pushed under the shade.
âItâs coming up red already, I told you to stay in the shade.â
âSuch a parent in the making.â Klaus teased. âWhat? I think itâs sweet, really!â Ben, apparently, was getting involved.
âIâm fine.â Five protested, but was wrangled onto one of their sandy towels and he watched bemused as Diego wetted a t-shirt and draped it over Fiveâs shoulders. The coolness did feel good, he hadnât realised how hot his skin had gotten. Sometimes it was hard to feel things.
âAfter lunch, youâre putting sunscreen on.â Diego warned with a raised finger and firm stare. âNow drink your water.â
âYouâre not the boss of me.â But he wasnât about to waste water, so he drunk what he was given and ate the hotdog passed his way and listened to their chatter. With the distraction of the sand gone, his thoughts ticked lazily back to the last ocean trip heâd had.
Heâd been so hungry that time that heâd contemplated eating one of the rotting fish carcasses before deciding better.
-
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Diego. David has such an emotive face, it was really fun to draw
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Stainer from the Sheâs out of my league movie. Portrait practice
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Feeding the fandom some more. :)
Working Title: Hide the Morning from the Stars
Colloquial title: Mute Five
Themes: I don't even know anymore
This is a Very rough draft. Like so rough I don't even think my tensing is consistent throughout. This is Five's loneliest first year of retirement ever. And also him hanging out with Grace.
Major warning for the beginning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
~Post Mute~
Five takes the gun out of his mouth, his tongue flexing against the heavy iron tang of metal. The weight of it is familiar and cold in his hand as he sets it down on the edge of the sink, his shaking fingers pressing the safety back into place.
Heâs just being dramatic. Itâs all those teenage hormones mixing badly with all the trauma Five honestly didnât think heâd live long enough to have to deal with. Oh, and one hell of a hangover. Thatâs all it is, dramatics. If he thinks for a minute, plans this out, he realizes how horrible of an idea it is.
He canât make Mom clean his brain matter off the walls. That would be cruel, even for him. Dramatics. Besides, his siblings would hear the gunshot. He doesnât really want them to find him. Klaus would summon him before he had a chance to cross over and theyâd give him a ream of shit for making such a mess. The idea of being yelled at again is exhausting.
âCanât you have done this at a hotel or something?â He can imagine them saying to his corpse, scoffing and shaking their heads in disappointment. Theyâre right, of course, he shouldnât do this at home.Â
He sighs, closing his eyes against the judgment staring back at him through the mirror. He tries to settle the shaking in his body but can only seem to draw it in, not vanquish it. Heâs never really calm anymore. He wasnât much before, but at least he could pretend.
These days it feels like every defense heâs ever built for himself has been stripped away, leaving him raw and naked and fragile in ways he canât compute. It makes him nasty and hateful, covering himself in glass so that the moment someone reaches out, they bleed. He wants to be normal, he wants to be able to have a conversation with his siblings without thinking theyâre judging him, and without picking a fight. He wants to scream and cry and beg them.
But heâs not sure what he would beg for, only that he wants something desperately, but something else inside of him, something old and stalwart and terrified refuses to let him ask. So he picks fights, heâs nasty without knowing why, and his siblings hate him for it.
He opens a drawer below the sink and tucks the little ruger beneath a pile of clean washcloths. This used to be his and Benâs bathroom, but heâs the only one that uses it now. The others donât really come up here, even less now that the honeymoon period has passed and they have no desire to keep him company anymore.Â
Allison mostly lives in California now, Viktor lives out there too, but they both come to visit every couple of months, staying for a week at a time. Diego lives outside the house with Klaus, and recently Luther found a job that would pay him enough to afford his own apartment. He hasnât moved out yet, but heâs actively looking.
This is what Five wanted, them living their lives and moving on, but he has to remind himself like he forgot. He wanted to give them the opportunities he never had, and he succeeded. Heâs not sure why it feels so terrible now, but he suspects itâs only a symptom of the sickness sitting like a rot in his bones.
He makes a point of not looking at himself, wetting his hairbrush under the faucet in an attempt to tame his bedhead. The scratch of the bristles against his skin hurts, so he pressed harder.
Allison and Viktor are at the end of their visit, and everyone is in the house. Theyâd be gone by tonight, and the house would go back to the coffin it was without the others, but in the meantime, Five wanted to look at least a little put together for them. He doesnât want them to worry, but with the constant arguing he figures he can get away with less and less grooming.
His hair is getting long and he hasnât really had the energy to cut it yet. Itâs getting a little annoying, the way it falls into his eyes and curls at the nape of his neck. Heâd go to a barber if he thought he could get through the encounter without snatching the scissors away and ending the life of the poor girl unlucky enough to draw the short straw.
When he finishes, he finally looks back at himself. He still looks like garbage, his skin an unhealthy pallor, accentuating the dark circles weighing down his eyes. The water managed to tame some of the mess of his hair, but itâs obviously greasy, flakes of dandruff like ash on his scalp. His reflection glares back at him, anger and disappointment like a stone in his stomach.
He really is a dramatic bastard. Today of all days, he figured heâd leave it in the drawer. Playing the wishing game with all his siblings home. He canât even deny that of the cry for attention it is. Disgusting, really. His siblings could probably smell him rotting from here.
He considers a shower. It would make him feel better, a little more human at least, before he goes downstairs and has to pretend at it. The idea of getting wet, and having to put his clothes back on with wet skin makes him grimace. He doesnât want to be cold either, because he can never seem to get warm. No use making it worse.
He flicks the light off and cracks the door behind him as he leaves. He shuffles back to his room to find something cleaner to wear. He should have washed his face, but now that heâs away from the mirror, he doesnât have the energy to go back to it.
Mom keeps an ever revolving source of clean clothes for him, so that part of his routine is easy at least. He doesnât have to think too hard about it, itâs the middle of winter so that means layers, and Five likes layers. They donât really keep him warm, but thatâs normal. No, he likes them because itâs a little like putting on a suit of armor. Itâs just fabric, but it still manages to trick some animal part of his brain into thinking he might be a little safer. No more warm, but far less likely to freeze.
Which is an odd quirk, considering his insistence to play the wishing game every fucking morning.
In his defense, he doesnât usually pull the gun out. He usually he just stares at the whelp in the mirror, wondering why the fuck heâs still here when he feels this horrible all the time. Then he bucks up, cleans up, and moves on with his day.
The ruger is just⌠He put it there in case of emergencies. Doesnât hurt to have a few weapons hidden around the house in case the commission decides to come knocking again. Heâs not sure when he started pointing it at himself. Itâs a bad habit. There are better ways, less violent ways. Ways that donât make a mess for his family to clean up after him.
Heâs just being dramatic. Thatâs all it is. Nothing more. Being a teenager sucks. He remembers how much better things got when his hormones werenât through the roof, making his emotions sharp and fragile all the time, making the loneliness so much harder to ignore.
This too shall pass, he would always say to himself. Over and over, like a prayer to an unloving universe. Please, just let it pass. Five is pretty sure he doesnât really want to be alive anymore, but he also hates wanting to die. It puts a grayish filter on everything, on every thought and interaction. Heâs alive, and hates living. Worse than surviving and already feeling dead. Thereâs a certain numbness to the in-between space of not wanting to be alive, but not wanting to kill himself either, and he yearns for it now in the throes of a worse agony. Â
But again, heâs just being dramatic. Pesky hormones. This too shall pass and all that.Â
He dresses quickly, changing from yesterdayâs sleep rumpled long sleeves and sweaters into cleaner ones. He reuses a layer, the fabric of a knitted shirt warm in his nearly numb hands and itâs not something he wants to waste. The bottom hem on the back is dirty, and thereâs a food stain on the front of it. It still smells vaguely like the alcohol he drank last night, but he puts it on as a middle layer. His hands are easily swallowed in the outer layers, and he has the idea some of it might belong to Diego. He stole a number of garments from them all last fall, and plans to give them back at the end of spring, if he makes it that long.
Spring still feels so far away, itâs hard to think that far ahead.
Five looks like shit, and he feels like shit, but he still dares Diego to say anything about it when he arrives downstairs. He walked the first part, then warped the last floor into the kitchen once he got close enough. The air was warmer down here, the heaters worked better on the ground floors, and no one had lived in the upper floors until recently. It was his first winter home, and he almost wonders if itâs worth trying to fix. Might be easier to just move, but he likes his bedroom high above the street. He spent a lot of last summer drinking on his fire escape; itâs familiar in a wildly unfamiliar world.
âHey,â Diego greets, giving him an appraising look but not saying anything about the fact that Fiveâs wearing one of his sweaters.
Five nods a greeting before he busies himself pulling a mug from the cupboard and getting a cup of coffee. The potâs still on and half-full, likely courtesy of Mom, so itâs a short lived distraction. He almost wishes he put something in his coffee so he has an excuse to linger without making it awkward.
âI heard you and Allison got into a fight last night,â Diego says, a hint of sardonics in his voice. âWell, pretty sure the whole block heard.â
Five grimaces behind the rim of his mug, throat too tight to take a sip. It seems heâs always fighting with someone.
âNothing to say, huh?â
Fiveâs pretty sure he said enough last night, regardless of how little he even remembers. Might be time to lay off drinking, even as he already wishes for something to put in his coffee. He shrugs his shoulders, throat still tight and getting tighter. Itâs almost hard to breathe and his head is pounding.
Diego sighs, sounding exhausted. âLook, Iâve been talking the otheââ
Five doesnât hear the rest, pulling himself through a tear in space. He stumbles out the other side, managing to set the coffee on his desk before his knees buckle and he topples to the floor. He lays there for a while, wheezing softly and trying to catch his breath. There isnât much going through his head, besides how grateful he is that he saved his coffee. There was no way in hell he was going down for another.
-
He helps Mom with chores in the evenings, usually after Lutherâs gone to bed and the house is painfully silent. She hums while she works, washing the dishes and cleaning up after dinner. Five sits in with her, finishing up any leftover in the pots or pans. He follows her like a ghost back upstairs, and helps her fold laundry. The laundry room is usually pleasantly warm, and Five sometimes dozes off listening to Mom hum, sprawled out on a table.
When sheâs finishes with all that, she heads into the library and settles down on a couch someone had moved there in the months following their return. This is a newer part of her routine, one that Five created with his presence and canât make himself feel bad about. The blanket draped over the back is a deep verdant green and pleasantly soft texture.
Mom settles on one end, picking up a book from the table besides the couch. Heâs not sure when she started reading, or if she always did that and he just didnât remember. For some reason it makes her seem more human. Sometimes she reads heavy tomes of obscure information, sometimes it's childrenâs fantasy.
Five collapses onto the couch beside her, leaning his weight against her side and sighing in the deepest relief as she wraps her arm around his shoulders. He beyond caring at this point, and Momâs not one to judge. He rests his body against herâs for a while, breathing with her simulated breath, forcing himself to relax and finding it hard.
He still canât get himself to stop shaking, and now with an arm around him, his vulnerabilities and hurts come bubbling up like blood from a wound. He canât pull it in, his hands shake horribly in his lap, and clasping them together just seems to make it look worse.
She never opened her book, and she senses his distress instantly, something he hates and canât help but be grateful for. She doesnât ask him whatâs wrong, merely pushes the book away and turns toward him to give him her full attention.
Itâs too much and he nearly begins to sob.Â
She shushes him gently when he swallows it down, one of her hands tracing his cheek before pulling him to rest his face against her. He wraps his arms around her back, clinging to her like a child, like he never had before and feels so stupid to do now. He canât stop himself, it all hurts so much and he just wants it all to end. This doesnât make him feel better, but it makes him feel something else beside the horrifying nothing eating at his bones.
She runs a hand through his hair and down the nape of his neck. He feels her hand pause and come back to his kneck, searching for his pulse. He pulls away, both out of confusion, and to allow her more access. Her face is neutral, but she frowns minutely at him before tucking his head against her.
âYouâre experiencing heart palpitations,â she says, not at all asking.
He was ignoring up until now, the way his chest was tight and his heart was doing uneven little leaps and lurches. It was hard to get a full breath in, constricting in his throat, too. He nodded against her, swallowing hard when the words refused to come.
âYouâre temperature is a little elevated. How are you feeling darling?â
Horrible, he tried to say, but while his mouth worked around the word, his throat spasmed silently.
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I see him. Love the style.
Coffee date with Five
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This story just keeps getting better and better đĽľđ
Updated 4/23/24 Chapter Eight Added!
Smutty smut chapter coming up! đ˝ââď¸
I had to make a new post for the remaining chapters because it was getting too long to add them to the original. If you'd like to read chapters 1-6, here is the link.
âLove In The Time Of Cholera And Coffee â
Five x Female Reader, Klaus x Female Reader
You and Klaus are in a casual relationship. No ties, just sex. When you start spending a lot of time at his apartment, you somehow manage to break through his brother's prickly outer shell. He seems to like you, or at least tolerate you the best that Five can. When you start to realize that maybe there is more than just mutual friendship between the two of you, it opens up a lot of feelings and unanswered questions. And a lot of problems.
This story contains sexually explicit material! (But also lots of humor and fluff)
Chapter Seven: Be My Baby
The morning rush is typical for a Saturday. Lots of parents on their way to soccer tournaments, and elderly couples that wake up early, starting their day when the sun rises. You donât need to be there, necessarily. Your team can handle it. But you like it. You like the early morning sunrise and the smell of the first pot of coffee brewing. The smiles of the hopeful people as they start their days. The morning is perfect. It gives everyone the chance to start fresh.
As youâre surveying the pastries and taking note of inventory, the bell over the door rings. You donât even look up as you focus on the spreadsheet on your tablet. The customer, however, is not the usual. You recognize the silhouette of the person walking towards you. How could you not? Itâs been 6 months, but youâll never forget it.
âHey there,â he says, as he nears the counter.
Heâs just as you remember him and he addresses you as if no time has passed.
âHi, Klaus,â you respond with a timid smile, looking up from your tablet.
Klaus removes his sunglasses that had been perched on his nose, and he looks around, taking it all in. He smiles that smile that usually means heâs up to something.
âWow, so this place is hopping!â he says as he leans against the counter.
Heâs wearing a pair of way too-tight white jeans, and a tank top that says âSlutâ across the chest. His signature dog tags hang down over the lettering and jingle when he moves.Â
âYeah, weâre doing alright. Our profits are actually up since I bought it,â you respond with pride.
You havenât seen Klaus since that day he and Five had their blow-out fight over you. Well, technically you havenât seen him since the night before the blow-out. You had figured youâd never see either one of them again. Yet, here he was.
âIs that right? Well, mazel tov,â he answers with a genuine smile.
âCan I get you something?â you ask.
âIâll take a green tea if you donât mind,â Klaus says.
He doesnât sound angry like you assumed he would be. Like he should be, honestly.
You nod at the barista who is working today and he busies himself with making Klausâs drink. In the meantime, there is no one else in line, so you and he are stuck staring at each other. Klaus speaks first.
âSo, itâs been a while. How are you?â he asks, a suspicious-looking smile on his face.
âIâm fine, thank you. And you?â
Klaus shrugs his shoulders and looks around again. âOh, you know. Iâm always here and there, doing something.â
You smile. âSame old Klaus. Like a feral tom cat just prowling the town.â
He winks back at you with a grin. âMeow.â
The barista hands him his tea and he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet to pay, but you hold out a hand.
âDonât be silly. Itâs on the house.â
Klaus raises his eyebrows, then lifts his cup up in a toasting gesture. âThank you!â
You shrug. âItâs the least I can do. The very least.â
He nods thoughtfully and takes a sip, looking around the shop again. âDo you have a minute? You know, to talk?â
You swallow nervously and chew at your bottom lip. He doesnât seem upset, but what does he want to talk to you about? It canât be anything good. But you nod and come around the counter. You gesture to an empty table near the back, away from listening employees, and you both make your way over. Once you and Klaus are situated, sitting across from one another, you wait with hands folded in front of you.
âSoâŚyouâre probably wondering why I came here, arenât you?â he asks, still with that same Klaus smile on his face.
You nod. âA little, yeah. I know we have good tea here but given the circumstancesâŚâ You look down at your hands and start picking at a cuticle. âI really never thought Iâd be seeing you again.â
Klaus leans back and drapes an arm lazily over the back of the chair. âYeah, wellâŚIâve been doing a lot of thinking. And maybe a little bit of therapy.â He rolls his eyes. âAnyway, Iâve been trying to be a better person and see the error of my ways, and all that shit. And I have come to the conclusion that I owe you an apology.â
The surprise on your face must be evident because Klaus gives a little laugh and shakes his head. âI know thatâs not what you were expecting. But, itâs true. I owe you an apology and Iâm sorry.â
âForâŚfor what? Iâm the oneââ
He cuts you off with an airy wave of his hand. âListen. I was selfish and I should have appreciated you more. I know we werenât going to end up getting married or anything, but I could have made more of an effort. Like when you were sickâŚthat was shitty of me and Iâm sorry. If I had treated you just a little better, then maybeâŚâ
You groan and drop your forehead onto your hands as they rest on the table. âKlaus, I appreciate the apology, but you had nothing to do with that. That was me and Iâm the one that needs to apologize, not you. Iâm the one that fucked everything up between you two.â
Klaus is quiet and you glance up at him. He has a tiny smile on his face again. âOk, so we both had a hand in it. And I accept your apology. But you didnât fuck everything up. I mean, youâre not that amazing,â he says with a smirk before taking another sip of his tea.
You lift your head. âWhat do you mean? You guys arenâtâŚâ
Klaus shakes his head and gives another dismissive wave. âNah, weâre good. He did move out, though. But that might have been more about me leaving wet towels on the bathroom floor than anything else.â
You chuckle a little and lean back in your chair, starting to relax somewhat. âHuh. Well, good. Iâm glad to hear that.â
Klaus is looking at you with one eyebrow raised, his mouth turned up at the corner.
âWhat? Why are you looking at me like that?â you ask.
Klaus shrugs his shoulders, trying to look innocent. Then he reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls out a small, folded piece of paper. He slides it across the table to you. You pick it up with a look of confusion. When you unfold it, you see there is an address scrawled on it in Klausâs messy handwriting.
âWhat is this?â
He gives another shrug. âI think maybe you two need to talk.â
Your eyes widen and you glance back down at the paper. âWaitâŚthis is his address?â
Klaus nods, but then heâs starting to stand up, apparently ready to leave. âIf you donât want it, throw it out. But I figured I owed you that much.â He puts his sunglasses back on and looks down at you. âYou do know heâs in love with you, right?â
Your shocked expression makes him laugh and he leans down to give you a quick peck on the cheek.
âThanks for the tea. Maybe Iâll see you around. You know, at family gatherings or something?â
Then Klaus is walking out the door, leaving you stunned and staring down at the piece of paper in your hands, your brain whirring.
A week goes by and you try not to think about it. But itâs kind of hard when you carry that paper around with you in your pocket every day. The address isnât far from your store. Just a few blocks, actually. Which makes you realize that he has probably been avoiding you and the shop like the plague. Or has he been quickly walking by, taking a glance through the windows to see if youâre there? Maybe blinking away before you can raise your head and see him. Doubtful. Despite what Klaus told you, you have every reason to believe he has no desire to see you again.
Every time you think that maybe you should walk over there, to that address you have memorized now, you change your mind. Maybe it would be different if you still didnât have a clear image of him in your head from the last time you saw him. That blank, uncaring look on his face. Those cold words he said to you. Thatâs what stops you each time.
But then at night, when youâre home alone and in bed trying in vain to sleep, different images come to mind. Memories of his face and his smile, and the way he would begrudgingly laugh at something funny you said. And of his body on yours, the heat of his skin, and his urgent kisses. You remember every word he said to you in the dark that night. And you just canât believe he didnât mean them. Not when he was pleading with you to be his.
The crazy thing was that you had already given yourself over to him. You wanted to be his. And you had thought that night was going to be just one of many you would spend together. Maybe it would have been awkward at first, with Klaus; but you were willing to try and work past that. Because thatâs how much you wanted to be with him.
What an idiot you had been. On your way out of work one night, you throw the paper with the address into the trash can and walk away.
It has been two weeks since Klaus came by and even though you still canât stop thinking about what he told you, you arenât taking the bait. Youâre better off without him or any of that mess. Heâs better off without you, too.
The cafĂŠ is quiet, with only a few lights left on. Itâs been closed for an hour now, all cleaned and the food stored away for the night. Your staff has gone home and itâs just you there. Youâre finishing up some financial documents on your laptop at a table, a mix of some soft rock tunes playing on the speakers overhead. Youâre humming along to a Whitney Houston song when you hear a knock on the glass door. When you look up, you take a sharp breath in and accidentally knock over the glass of water you had sitting next to you.
It's Five. Heâs standing there, right outside the door, and heâs already spotted you, so you canât exactly hide. Plus, now youâre jumping up and trying to mop up the spilled water with a few flimsy napkins and swearing to yourself out loud.
âShit shit shit,â you mumble.
When you look up again, you can see Five watching the whole thing go down and heâs got that smirk on his face. The one you hate but also canât stop thinking about. You huff, rolling your eyes, and motion for him to come in. The door is locked for the night, of course, but that doesnât matter. He blinks in right away, reappearing a few feet away from you, hands in his pants pockets.
âHi,â he says with a smile.
You pause, taking him in for a moment. Damn it, why is he so good-looking? With his stupid dark hair falling onto his forehead and his annoyingly perfect body and ridiculously chiseled jawline. And that goddamn sexy, smart-ass expression on his face. Fuck.
âWhat are you doing here?â you say, trying to appear like you couldnât possibly care less that heâs standing right in front of you.
He shrugs. âJust walking by. I was in the neighborhood and thought Iâd see if you were still here.â
After throwing the soggy napkins into the trash behind the counter, you come around again and lean against it, your arms crossed.
âJust walking by, huh?â
Five at least has the decency to look a little embarrassed as he glances at the floor and clears his throat.
âYeah, wellâŚsomething like that,â he mumbles.
âWhy are you here, Five?â
Youâre determined not to let him see the uncertainty in you and you raise your chin and square your shoulders to try and appear more confident. Inside, a million butterflies have taken residence in your stomach.
He rubs the back of his neck. âYeah, soâŚKlaus told me he came by the other day.â
You raise an eyebrow. âYes, he did. And?â
âHe told me he talked to you and gave you my address.â
You make a circular motion with your hand to get him to hurry this little story along.
âAnyway, he said he gave it to you and I thought maybeâŚâ he trails off and looks down at the floor again.
âOhhhâŚyou thought maybe Iâd come crawling back to you? Run right on over and jump into your arms? Tell you all is forgiven. Is that what you thought?â
âNo!â he snaps, and then his voice softens again. âNo. I just thoughtâŚâ He throws his hands in the air in frustration. âFuck! I donât know what I thought! This is stupid, I donât know why I came here.â
He turns around to leave, but you call out so that he stops in his tracks. âI almost did!â He turns to you and you blush a little. âI came really close to going over there. I had a whole speech prepared and everything. It was good, too. I was really going to let you have it.â You give a short laugh.
âWhy didnât you?â he asks.
âBecause I was afraid that what Klaus told me wasnât true,â you admit.
âWhat did Klaus tell you?â
Youâre not really sure you want to get into all of that quite yet, so you change the subject back to him.
âReally, why are you here, Five? Itâs been six months, so why now?â
âI justâŚâ he takes a deep breath. âI just wanted to see you again. And to say Iâm sorry.â
Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Then they crease together again. âAnd which thing or things are you sorry for?â
Five sighs and takes a few steps toward you, but stops short of coming too close. He seems to gain a little more confidence and he looks you in the eyes.
âIâm sorry for everything. For putting you in that situation. And for saying what I did. I know I was a jerk and you didnât deserve that.â
You look up and blink a few times to try and keep your emotions in check. Then you look back at him.
âJerk doesnât even begin to cover it. You hurt me, Five. Really hurt me. Do you realize that?â
He swallows hard and nods. âI know.â
âWhy? Why did you do that? I donât understand. I was ready toâŚâ Your voice cracks and you donât finish your sentence.
âAfter the fight with Klaus, I just felt so awful and ashamed, so I panicked and took it out on you. Which was a really shitty thing to do, and Iâm so sorry. I also understand if you never want to see or talk to me again, but I thought Iâd take a chance by coming here. I at least wanted to let you know.â
You nod slowly. âYeah, ok, so youâre sorry. Is there anything else youâd like to confess?â
âWhat do you mean?â
You shift your weight to your other foot and cross and uncross your arms. âDid you even mean those things you said that night?â
He pauses for a minute and you see him swallow hard. âYeah,â he says quietly. âI meant them.â
âKlaus said youâre in love with me,â you blurt out, and you watch as his eyes get wide and his face flushes.
He clenches his teeth together. âFucking Klaus,â he mutters under his breath.
âSo?â you challenge. âIs he right?â
He is visibly uncomfortable and his hands are in his pockets again as he looks at the floor. Then he gathers some courage and he looks up.
âHeâs right,â he says. âI am in love with you. I have been for a long time.â
You sigh and put your hands on your hips and look up at the ceiling, then back at him again. âDamn it, Five!â
âWhat?â
âYou know, just because you say that does not mean all is forgiven, or that Iâm automatically in love with you too, even though I am, although why I have no fucking idea. I really cannot believe the nerve of you showing up here after all this time. You are still the biggest asshole I have ever met and Iâm not even sure I want anything to do with you anymoreâ"
Your rant is cut short when Five closes the few feet between you in a short spatial jump, making you yelp sharply when he suddenly grabs you around the waist and pulls you into him.
âLet go of me!â you say in protest.
âWhat did you say?â he asks, that arrogant look on his face as his mouth turns up on one side.
You squirm, trying to get out of his grasp but itâs not very convincing, and itâs also making your body rub up against his, which is not helping matters. His hold on you is strong, though, and he doesnât let up. Heâs looking you right in the eyes and you canât seem to look away.
âI said youâre a giant asshole,â you say, your voice much weaker all of a sudden.
âYou said youâre in love with me.â
âNo, I didnât.â
âYes, you did,â he says with a smirk, right before he jerks your body closer to him, his arm wrapped around your middle and his hand resting on the small of your back.
His eyes travel over your face and you look at his lips and suddenly you canât think straight anymore. You nod your head slowly.
âYeah, maybe I did,â you confess in a whisper, right before he kisses you.
His kiss is soft and slow, and he brings his hand up to the side of your face. All of those feelings that you had pushed down come rushing back to you with that touch. You kiss him back, savoring the feel of his soft lips and the way his body feels next to yours.
He smiles against your mouth, even as he continues kissing you, and you drape your arms over his shoulders. When you pull away, he keeps his hand on your cheek.
âIâm sorry it took me this long to get my shit together,â he tells you with a breathy laugh. âI love you.â
âI love you, too,â you tell him with a smile, but when he goes in for another kiss, you pull back and place a hand on his chest. âWhoa there, buddy, not so fast.â
He scrunches his eyebrows together and it takes a lot of resolve for you not to kiss him right now because his pouty man face is so cute.
âWhatâs the matter?â he asks.
âOk, so you said youâre sorry, but Iâm going to need a little more than that.â
âMore?â
âYes. You canât possibly think waltzing in here and simply saying youâre sorry and you love me is enough, can you?â
âSo, what do you want? You want me to fall on my knees and grovel?â
You place a finger on your lips in thought. âHmmâŚthat does sound nice, but something tells me youâd actually like that. No, let me thinkâŚâ When you hear the music that has been playing on the store speakers, your face lights up. âI got it!â
âIâm afraid to ask, but ok, what is it?â
âSing.â
âExcuse me?â
You step out of his arms and lean back against the counter again. âI want you to sing the next song that comes on. No matter what it is. And I want it done with feeling. To me.â
Fiveâs face is hilarious because he looks like you just kicked him in the nuts. âAre you fucking serious? You want me to sing to you?â
You nod. âYep.â
He stares in stunned silence for a minute before he crosses his arms and tilts his head. âYou know I took a punch in the face for you.â
You shrug. âSorry to hear that, but thatâs not really relevant at the moment. Plus, I wasnât there to witness or enjoy it, so it doesnât count. No, I want you to sing, and if you half-ass it you will have to start over. I want to see some professional, Frank Sinatra-level, Elvis in Las Vegas-style crooning. And I want it right now.â
Five glances up and notices the security camera mounted in the corner behind you and runs a hand down his face. âShit. And this is the only way youâre going to forgive me and stop torturing me by standing there looking cute but not letting me touch you?â
âPretty much, yes.â
âAnd thereâs no way I can talk my way out of this and get you to kiss me again? Because I really want to kiss you again.â
âNope. You say you love me. Prove it.â
He sighs heavily. âAlright then.â
âAlright, what?â
âI guess Iâm fucking singing.â
You smile widely and at just that precise moment, the song that had been playing fades out and another one starts up. You start laughing when you hear âBe My Babyâ by the Ronettes. Itâs such a cheesy, girly pop song, and itâs perfect.
âDonât forgetâŚwith feeling,â you remind him as you perch yourself on the countertop and wait expectedly for him to start.
With another sigh and a sarcastic smile in your direction, Five reluctantly starts singing.
The night we met I knew I needed you so
And if I had the chance Iâd never let you go
Itâs bad and off-key and heâs stumbling over some of the words. He canât decide if he wants to sing it in the high, womenâs register or lower his voice, so his voice keeps cracking. But heâs putting the effort in, like you requested.
So won't you say you love me?
Iâll make you so proud of me
Weâll make âem turn their heads, every place we go
Heâs starting to get into it a little, adding awkward dancing and elaborate hand choreography.
So wonât you please
Be my little baby
Say youâll be my darling
Itâs maybe the cutest thing youâve ever seen and when you start giggling, thatâs when he really kicks it into gear. He grabs a plastic knife from the counter and uses it as a microphone to up his performance.
Be my baby nowâŚwhoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
He is singing his heart out directly to you, as dramatically as he can. He is also trying not to laugh while you are barely holding it together as you watch his horribly wonderful performance that he is putting on just because you asked him to. The dramatic emoting and facial expressions are too much, so you cover your eyes with your hands and peek through two fingers to watch him.
Iâll make you happy, baby,
Just wait and see
For every kiss you give me
Iâll give you three
For this, he grabs your hand and kisses it dramatically as you toss your head back and laugh at him. You have never seen him act this stupid and silly, and itâs making you love him that much more because you know heâd never do this for anyone else. When the interlude comes on, Five tosses his knife microphone over his shoulder without taking his eyes off you and takes your hand again, pulling you into him. He holds you to him as he dances slowly with you and when the lyrics start up again, he finishes out the song by belting it out as loudly and as off-key as possible while you alternate between laughing and visibly cringing.
So wonât you please
Be my little baby
Say youâll be my darlinâ
Be my baby now
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
As the song winds down and fades away, he stops dancing, but heâs still holding you close to him. He stands there with a wicked grin, waiting for you to say something.
âThatâs all on video, you know. So I can blackmail you whenever you act up,â you say with a smile.
âDo you believe that I am willing to do anything for you, including humiliating myself? Did I sufficiently prove my love to you?â
âWell, I reserve the right to demand further proof at future times, but for right now, yes. That was sufficient.â
He doesnât wait any longer before heâs back to kissing you, and this time you donât try to stop him. When he holds you tight to his chest, his arms wrapped around you and his hand winding into your hair, you feel happier than you have in months. You probably shouldnât have taken him back so willingly, despite his apologies and musical performance. But you canât help yourself. You want him like youâve never wanted anyone in your life, and the fact that he came back here for you has immediately melted any stoniness you had in your heart for him.
Itâs quickly obvious that a few kisses are not going to be enough and you are both breathing hard as you try to pull each other even closer. Five pushes you up against the counter, boosting you up so youâre sitting on top and he is standing between your legs, his hands gripping into your thighs and pulling them forward to wrap around his waist. After a few seconds, you place a hand on his chest again.
âHang on, we canât do this,â you say, your chest heaving.
Five frowns. âIâm sorry, am I moving too fast?â
âNo, I mean we canât do this here . This is a major health code violation and if someone sees Iâll be in deep shit.â
Five laughs. âWell, I wasnât planning on jizzing into the espresso machine, but I guess I see your point. We can stop.â
âNo, I donât want to stop ! Canât we go to your place? Itâs just a few blocks over.â
Five raises his eyebrows in surprise and chuckles. âI thought you didnât care where I lived.â
You blush. âWellâŚI may have thrown your address out but that doesnât mean I didnât memorize it or map out how to get there from here.â
âStalker!â
âShut up,â you tell him, even as youâre smiling. âI know youâre loving this, you bastard.â
He shakes his head. âYou think Iâm loving the fact that the girl Iâm head over heels in love with has secretly been obsessed with me and stalking me like a total creep?â
âI wasnât stalking you! Jesus Christ, FiveâŚare we going back to your place or not?â
He laughs again and you find yourself laughing right along with him. âCome on, psycho, letâs go.â He holds out a hand for you and you hop down off the counter. âItâs a nine-minute walk. Three if you let me blink you part of the way there.â
âYou know exactly down to the minute? Whoâs the stalker now?â
âAlright, I confess. I may have walked past here a couple of times.â
âOnly a couple?â you ask with a smile.
He rolls his eyes. âI think I already regret coming here.â
You give him a quick kiss and then pull him by his hand towards the door. âNo, you donât. Because, in a few minutes, Iâm going to rock your world, baby.â
He gives a frustrated groan. âYouâre definitely letting me blink you there, now. I canât wait a full nine minutes.â
Chapter Eight: Slow Hand
When we arrive at my apartment (5 minutes later, after one blink and a quick make-out session on the street), we step inside and she takes a look around. Itâs not much different than the one I shared with Klaus, just a little smaller. The furniture is nice but simple, and everything is clean. Thereâs nothing fancy about it, but itâs comfortable and cozy. She notices a folded-up newspaper on one of the tables, turned to a half-completed crossword puzzle.
She smiles and points at it. âSuch an old man thing to have.â She glances around. âWhereâs the bowl of butterscotch candies? Or the plastic furniture covers?â
I am watching her as she starts walking around the living room, but then I suddenly blink over and grab her from behind. My arms are around her middle, holding her close to me while my mouth makes its way to her neck. After her initial shock wears off, she melts into me and tips her head back onto my shoulder.
âI might be an old man, darling, but my body and my hormones are 21 and you are driving them fucking crazy right now.â
She inhales sharply and exhales a soft laugh as I caress her stomach and hips with my hands, letting my mouth trail over her neck.
âGood thing for you, I happen to have a thing for older men in hot, young bodies,â she says. She turns around to face me, my arms still around her, and she gives me a smile before kissing me.
âLucky me,â I reply.
Before I can say anything else, she pushes me backward until my legs hit the back of the couch. She gives me a shove with a hand on my chest, making me sit down, and she immediately climbs onto my lap, straddling me. Just that move right there has me hard already and I grab her face with both hands, kissing her deeply while she pushes herself over my crotch.
âCan I ask you something?â she breathes out while my mouth returns to her neck.
âHmmm,â I respond in between kisses.
âHave you been with anyone else since me?â
I stop and I just canât help but tease her a little with an inside joke about the book we read together. I flash her a devious smile. â622. Give or take.â
She laughs and whacks me on the chest. âYeah, right. You wish.â
I shake my head. âNo, sweetheart. Thereâs been only you on my mind.â Then I trace my thumb across her bottom lip and look her in the eyes. âBut itâs ok if you have.â
She kisses me again, running a hand through my hair. âI went on one date, thatâs it.â
Despite what I just told her about it being ok, my body immediately tenses up when she says that and I know she can tell. I start to relax a little when she places her own kisses onto the side of my neck. I let out a long breath before I ask more questions, even though I donât really want to hear about it.
âJust one?â
She nods, continuing her kisses. âYes. Just one.â
âAnd how did this date end?â I ask, trying to play it cool, although I doubt itâs very convincing.
She runs her tongue under the curve of my jaw before giving it a small bite. I grab her hips in return.
âIt ended with a very steamy good night hug.â
I let out a hum of approval, leaning my head back while she draws her lips over my Adamâs apple.
âWhy nothing more?â
She pauses and waits until Iâm looking at her again. âBecause he wasnât you,â she tells me. I think maybe she is teasing me, but the look on her face is completely serious.
âI like that answer.â
I put my hand on the back of her neck as I try to pull her in for another kiss, but she resists and pulls backward. Iâm momentarily confused until I see her very devilish face as she slowly slides off my lap and onto the floor, kneeling in front of me with her hands on my thighs. She looks up at me, biting her lower lip and itâs a goddamn miracle I havenât come in my pants yet. I let out a little whimper just from the sight of her.
âYou know, you kicked me out before I had a chance to repay you for that amazing tongue action you gave me that night,â she tells me.
âThat was pretty fucking stupid of me,â I joke, although Iâm clearly breathing harder and I have to shift in my seat.
She smiles and leans forward, letting her mouth graze over the crotch of my pants where the hard swelling of my erection is impossible to miss. When I feel her warm breath seeping through the fabric, I suck in a loud breath and push my hips up.
âFuck,â I whisper.
As she starts unbuckling my belt and opening my pants, she looks back up. âYou donât have to,â I tell her quietly.
She gives me a small smile but starts to pull at my pants until I help her out by lifting my hips up slightly. When she takes my straining cock in her hand, I make another groaning noise and swear under my breath.
âLet me give this to you,â she says softly.
She is licking and sucking up and down my shaft and circling her tongue over the head, and Iâve never experienced anything like this before. I may have had a few sexual experiences before her, but none of them involved anything sensual like this.
âYou taste so good,â she moans before her lips pass over my entire length again and I have to close my eyes.
I move a hand to her head and she makes a little whining noise that I take to mean sheâs ok with me doing that. Which is very good, because I am having one hell of a time controlling myself right now. I flex my fingers and pull her hair at the same time I just slightly push her head down. I want to fuck her face so badly right now, but I know if that happens, Iâm going to be done in about three seconds and Iâd really like to wait just a little longer before I embarrass myself again this evening.
âOh fuck, honey, that feels so good and I really donât want you to stop, butâŚshitâŚIâm not going to be able to hold out much longer if you keep doing that.â
She doesnât laugh, or argue, and she looks pretty proud of herself as she removes her mouth from me and looks up. My chest is heaving and I lick my lips.
âGet up here,â I say with enough authority that she knows Iâm not messing around.
It must have worked because sheâs standing up in a second and stripping off her clothes until she is fully naked in front of me.
âGod fucking damn it, youâre gorgeous,â I groan, reaching out a hand for her.
Rather than climb directly onto my lap again, she shakes her head and leans down to unbutton my shirt and drag it down my arms. I love the way her warm hands feel on me as she quickly undresses me. She yanks my pants the rest of the way down my legs and off until Iâm completely naked, too. She stops for a minute and looks me over. My mind drifts back to the time she caught me in the shower, jerking off while thinking of her. Luckily now, I get to do a lot more than just imagine things.
This time when I pull her by the hand, she immediately relents, straddling my lap once more. I dive onto her mouth to kiss her hard while I grab her hips tightly. She whines quietly as she automatically starts rubbing her soaking wet slit over my cock. It feels amazing, but I need to be inside of her again; I canât wait any longer. With one lift of her hips and some maneuvering with my hand, she sinks down onto my shaft, letting me fill her up entirely.
âOhâŚoh my god!â she cries out.
We stay like that for a minute, neither one of us moving yet, and I bring my hand up to the back of her neck, pulling her closer to me.
âIâve missed you so muchâŚâ I murmur into her shoulder and I hear her sigh happily.
When she starts to move, slowly, over my dick, my grip on her tightens and I thrust up to match her rhythm. I canât stop looking her deep in the eyes, so when she tries to look away, I gently guide her face towards me again. My hands travel down her sides and back up again, around to her ass, and then over her thighs. I want to touch every part of her and I canât believe how long Iâve gone without feeling her. I love how it feels with her slowly fucking me, but I canât stop the urge to have her pounding away on top of me.
âRide me harder, sweetheart,â I tell her with a groan as I jerk her body forward.
She does exactly what I say and starts moving hard and fast on top of me, her hands holding onto my shoulders and her forehead pressed to mine.
âI love you, Five. I need you and I love you,â she tells me, and she sounds so desperate.
Iâve never been so happy to hear something in my whole life and itâs almost painful to feel the amount of love that is flowing through me right now. âI know, baby. Iâm so sorry for everything. I love you so much.â
Itâs hard to focus on everything all at once. I want to keep kissing her and tell her so many things. I want to feel her body pressed against mine, her hands all over me, and her harsh breathing on my skin. The desperate noises we are making are getting louder and higher pitched, and underneath all of that, I can hear the wet slapping noises between the two of us as her cunt passes over my dick. She is fucking me as hard as she can, but itâs not enough; I want more.
I donât say anything or ask if itâs ok before I lift her off by her hips, pulling out and throwing her next to me so that sheâs lying on her back. Sheâs sprawled out, whining at the loss of my body against hers. That doesnât last long though, because Iâm back on top of her in a second, thrusting inside of her again while I hold myself over her.
âI do love you, but fuck , I want to destroy this body of yours right now,â I warn between clenched teeth.
âIâm all yours,â she moans, throwing her head back as I slam into her.
I am rough and relentless, and even though Iâm fucking her to the point Iâm sure itâs almost painful, she is screaming for more. She is gasping for air and whimpering with each forceful drive of my cock inside of her. Iâm starting to sweat and my hair is hanging in my face, but I keep my eyes trained on her. Iâm hoping to god sheâs getting close because I know I am and this is one race I do not want to win.
âFiveâŚFive, oh my god yes!â
Hearing that is too much, though, and suddenly Iâm violently coming inside of her. âAh, fff-fuck!â
She is falling apart, clutching at my shoulders and writhing beneath me, her body spasming with pleasure as she lets out a sobbing cry that is filled with emotions. My manic thrusting stops as I stiffen against her, my hips twitching as I fill her up with a surge of cum. My moans are loud and long as I hold myself over her, finally lowering myself down enough to kiss her through panting breaths.
As my body relaxes, she pulls me onto her so I can press my face into the crook of her neck, my chest flush with hers. We trade soft kisses back and forth as we both try to catch our breath. She smiles at me and pushes my hair off my damp forehead, trailing her fingers down the side of my neck and over my shoulder. I could stay like this forever.
âShit, that was amazing. I want you like that every day,â she tells me. âAlthough, maybe you have lots of important things to do this evening? Should I leave?â
I let out a long sigh. âIs this going to be a thing? Youâre just going to make me pay for my stupid behavior again and again?â
She shrugs and gives me that impossibly cute smart-ass look of hers. âProbably.â
I return it by giving her a small bite to the side of her neck and I chuckle when she yelps. I hold myself over her so I can look down on her, one eyebrow raised. âI suppose thatâs fair. But you are the only important thing I have to do this evening and you are never leaving again.â
âOh, so now youâre holding me captive?â
âIâm afraid so,â I tell her sadly.
She laughs and pulls me down to kiss me again. âYouâre so cute when youâre all soft and sweet like this.â
âI think weâve been over this,â I say with a frown. âI am not cute. I am an angry, smoldering, sex god.â
Running a hand over my back and down, she grabs my ass and gives it a squeeze. âYes, you are. And you are my smoldering sex god.â
I donât know about the sex god part of it, but I know I am undeniably hers from now on. I smile. âYes, I am.â
After another quick kiss, I help her up off the couch and she heads to the bathroom to get cleaned up. I still canât believe this is real and I just stand there like a big, naked dope smiling to myself because Iâm so happy right now.
When she comes back out, Iâm still there waiting for her and I watch as she bends down to pick up her underwear that was discarded on the floor. I startle her when I grab them from out of her hands and tilt her face up with a hand on her chin.
âWhat do you think youâre doing?â I ask with a smirk.
She blinks up at me and sticks her bottom lip out. âI thought I was getting dressed.â
Without taking my eyes off her, I hurl the balled-up panties over her shoulder so that they land halfway across the room. âLike hell you are.â
Then, just to be a giant prick, I grab her around the waist and in half a second we are falling out of one of my portals and onto my bed. She lets out a shriek as her back hits the mattress and I laugh evilly when I land next to her. This might be my favorite party trick and it never gets old.
After she gets her wits about her, she sits up with a scowl and punches me in the arm. âDonât ever do that without giving me a heads-up again! Fuck, that was weird.â
âSorry, darling. But when you have the ability to teleport a beautiful, naked woman into your bed, itâs nearly impossible not to take advantage of the opportunity.â
Sheâs probably still trying to get that foggy feeling to leave her brain, but I donât wait before I kiss her again, deep and hard while I push her back onto the bed. I know she can already feel me getting harder as I lay myself over her.
With a giggle, she pulls back. âAlready? Pretty impressive for someone your age.â
I flip a piece of hair out of my eyes and gaze down at her with an expression Iâve been told makes me look like an arrogant asshole. âSweetheart, if you think for one minute you are getting any kind of break tonight, think again. We have a lot of time to make up for and with that amazing fucking body of yours, I get hard as a rock just looking at you.â
She lets out a little whimper that has me proving my previous statement as I start pressing myself against her thigh. She lays her head back and lets me kiss down her neck and over her chest. Her hands are warm and firm as they travel over my body in response. Everything is perfect and Iâm in heaven.
"Five?â
âYes, love?â I ask, not stopping as I move my mouth to her cleavage, sucking at the skin there while I massage her perfect tits and lightly graze her nipples with my fingertips.
âI want this to be real. And I want it to last.â I stop what I am doing and look up at her. âIf you think thereâs a chance that tomorrow or next week or even a month from now you are going to change your mind; if thereâs any doubt at allâŚthen I canât do this. So, tell me now if this is just another impulse you are acting on but are going to regret in the morning. Tell me if youâre going to wake up tomorrow and say none of this was real. Because that shit hurt and I donât want to feel that bad ever again.â
Itâs like someone just ripped my heart out of my chest. I look at her face and itâs filled with so much uncertainty and hurt, and it was all caused by me. I want to reassure her that I will never do anything like that again, but I hardly know where to start. My mouth opens partially before closing again. I reposition myself so that I am lying next to her, placing my hand gently on the side of her face, urging her to look at me. I want to look her in the eyes so that she knows I mean it.
âI know I hurt you. I was horrible to you and I understand why you donât want to trust me right now. I wish you could see inside my head and know how fucking sorry I am. How I wish I could take back everything I said to you that morning. All I can do is beg for your forgiveness and let me try and make it up to you. I meant everything I said. Iâll take care of you. I want to make you happy. And I want you with me not just for tonight, but always. I love you.â
âOk,â she whispers with a small nod. âI believe you.â
âIâm serious. I canât promise I will never do anything stupid again or that I will magically stop being an asshole sometimes, but I can promise that I will never deny my feelings for you again.â
She nods again, and then her mouth turns up in a cute little smile. âNever? Even when Iâm incredibly annoying and wiping my snotty nose all over your shirtsleeve?â
I make a disgusted face that has her giggling. âYou wiped your nose on me?â
âJust once or twice when you werenât looking.â
I shake my head. âNo wonder I ended up with your disease ten days later.â
She smiles and traces my lips with her fingertips. âA deadly disease and a punch in the face? Just for little old me?â
I kiss the tips of her fingers and nod. âAnd I would do it all over again a million times if it meant youâd end up here. Specifically, right here, underneath me and naked.â
When I start to kiss her again, I feel her body react as she sighs into me, and her hips start slowly rolling upwards. She tries to drag my body on top of hers, but I donât let her. Instead, I pull away from her mouth to look at her again, my fingers following the curve of her jaw. I have been thinking of something she said while she was talking in her feverish dreams that night, and Iâm going to need to try it out.
âI told you Iâd take care of you and I meant it.â I give her another kiss. âSo, let Daddy take care of you, my love.â
Her reaction is just what I was hoping for as she sucks in a loud breath and bites at her lip, her hips pressing up again. I laugh, kissing her gently while running the back of my hand down her cheek.
âI take it you like that, sweetheart?â I murmur as I move under her chin.
She whines out some sort of response that might resemble a yes, and I smile with approval while my mouth travels back down her neck and onto her collarbone.
âI want to make you feel good.â I go about sucking a dark bruise onto the hollow between her shoulder and neck, making her hiss through clenched teeth. âTell Daddy what you want, darling.â
âShit,â she breathes out, at the same time trying desperately to push herself against me, but Iâm being mean and not letting her. âI really fucking like it when you say things like that,â she moans.
Iâm trailing my lips over the soft skin of her neck. Sheâs so beautiful and I nuzzle my face into her shoulder, sighing happily. âDo you? Now, how did I know that I wonder?â My hands start roaming all over her body. I continue to speak close to her ear and bite her earlobe. âWhat else, my love? Tell me. Tell me everything you want.â
With a whine, she closes her eyes and tips her head back. âI want to feel your hands all over me. I dream about your hands.â
Well, thatâs new information. But itâs definitely going to work in my favor because if she likes my hands, I love exploring every square inch of her body with them.
I place another deep, sucking kiss that brands a mark onto her neck and she tries to stifle a whimper, but it comes out anyway. One of my hands is already making its way down her side and onto her hip while my other gently pets her hair as I hold myself partially over her with my forearm.
My fingers trace along the curves of her thighs and onto her stomach. I continue watching her face as I map out her body, bit by bit until she is so starved for more, she tries to push my hand between her legs. Iâm quicker and stronger, though, and I pull my hand away with a sly grin and a shake of my head. I really am being a bastard right now.
âIf you want something, sweetheart, you need to tell me.â
She gives a small groan of frustration, but she meets my eyes as her hips jerk upwards.
âFuck me with your hand, Daddy.â
Damn, if that isnât the hottest thing Iâve ever heard and I think about forgetting her request altogether and just slamming my cock into her instead. I resist, though, and I lower my head to bury my face into her shoulder again. âOh, shit I love hearing that,â I tell her.
I want to give her everything she wants though, so I get back to work, my hand slowly moving across her lower abdomen and then lower still. I tease by stroking the crease between her thighs and hips and then pull away again. She is getting more and more worked up by my fingers traveling over her body. I decide to crank up the dirtiness level just a little by bringing my hand up to her mouth and pushing my two fingers inside. She immediately grabs my hand by the wrist and starts sucking on them, wetting them all over and slipping her tongue in between. Her eyes fall shut and she moans. I push them in and out a few times, and I like the way she looks when I do that.
âYou look so pretty like this, baby,â I tell her before I remove them and she licks at her lips.
I give her another kiss before Iâm back to tracing lines over her breasts, leaving a trail of her own saliva over each one. I keep moving down, over her stomach again and around to her hip. Itâs slow, but the anticipation makes it all the more erotic when my fingers finally make contact with the satiny area between her legs. The noise she lets out is loud and long and when I slip two digits inside of her tight hole, she cries out; pressing her hips up to try and fuck my fingers.
âFive! Ohhh...god...â
âDonât close your eyes. Look at me,â I order her, and she obeys.
I want to see her reaction to every little movement and calculated maneuver I perform on her. I also want to hear her. I want her to cry out my name and scream so loud the neighbors will think something is wrong. The crease between her eyes deepens and her mouth falls open as she keeps her eyes on me like I want; all while I am fucking her slowly and deliberately with my hand.
âThatâs my sweet girl. Just like that.â
When I curl my fingers inside of her and press my thumb into her clit, she grips the bed covers on either side with her fists and arches her back off the bed.
âOh, fuck yes!â she screams out.
Watching her like this is turning me on like crazy, and I have to tell myself to keep going. I want to pound my cock inside of her again, to feel her tight cunt around me as I slam mercilessly against it. I keep fingering her, but the thought of everything else I want to do is getting to me and I canât help rubbing my dick against her leg.
She is so wet that my hand is covered in the slick of her arousal, and itâs dripping down my wrist. I push in deeper and work her clit harder while she writhes around, thrusting her hips up. Iâm practically humping her leg now, shoving my cock between her thigh and the bed, and I canât fucking stop. Any contact with her body against my raging hard-on feels amazing and I want more.
Right before she comes, she grabs my hand and shoves it harder against herself, grinding and bucking against it while the noises sheâs making get louder and louder. I feel like my dick is going to explode Iâm so worked up right now and just watching her fall apart like this is making it worse.
When she starts to squeeze her eyes shut, I donât let her. âLook at me,â I demand, and she does.
âFf-iive!â she moans as she pulses against me, her grip on my wrist tightening.
When she calms down and her hand slackens on mine, I pull my soaking-wet fingers out. She smiles dreamily up at me and lets out a breathy laugh.
âSorry, I got a littleââ
I donât let her finish what she was going to say, because all I can think about are my own needs at the moment. I want to fuck her so badly, but I know that Iâm going to come instantaneously if I shove my dick into her right now. Instead, I take her hips and flip her over while I sit up on my knees behind her, pulling her towards me so that her ass is in the air directly in front of me. I hear her make a little squeal of surprise, but I barely register it.
When I haul back and smack her voluptuous ass cheek with the flat of my hand, leaving a beautiful pink mark on her skin, she cries out louder.
âBe a good girl and stay right there for Daddy,â I growl.
All I can think about is how she is finally mine and no one else can have her. I violently pump my hand over my dick as I stare at the perfectly round ass that belongs to only me. I rub one cheek while Iâm still jerking my cock; she is moaning while sprawled out on the bed in front of me, ass in the air. Itâs such a depraved scene and what Iâm about to do will probably not be appreciated, but I canât be bothered to care at the moment. After a few more strokes I am unloading all over her, covering her with ropes of my cum. I watch as it pools in the small of her back and drips down in between her crack. More of it lands directly on her ass and is sliding down the backs of her thighs.
I want this image to be burned into my brain, as sick as that sounds. I feel like I just marked her as my own like some sort of territorial animal. Some psychiatrist out there would probably have a field day with me right now, but fuck them. She is mine and hereâs the sticky, milky proof all over her.
âFuck!â I yell as the last few drops spurt out.
Iâm breathing loud and hard and it takes me a minute to fully grasp what I just did, which was jerking off all over her ass and back without any warning or permission to do so. I canât see her face either, because she has it turned to the side and her hair is partially covering it.
âShit, Iâm sorry,â I start to say, but then she pushes her hair away and glances back at me as she lowers her body so sheâs flat on the bed again. I start to feel a little better when I see sheâs smiling.
âDamn, Daddy, you are one horny, perverted old man!â
âYeah, that was not my finest moment, was it? I am so sorry,â I say sheepishly.
She laughs. âDonât be sorry. Anytime you want to take charge like that, you can do whatever you want to me.â
I break into a wide grin. âThatâs a good thing, then, because I have many more dirty things in mind that Iâd like to do to you.â
âCanât wait,â she says in that sexy way I love.
Sheâs still lying there covered in my semen that is rapidly cooling and sticking to her skin. Even if she says sheâs ok with me jerking off all over her, it is probably not the greatest feeling in the world, so I tell her to wait there as I blink into the bathroom to get a warm washcloth to clean her off with.
After all that is taken care of, we settle into bed. She feels so good snuggled up next to me, her body warm next to mine, and I breathe in the scent of her strawberry-infused hair that I have been missing so much. I love how soft her skin is and I canât stop running my hands up and down her arm and hip as I pull her in closer, her back flush with my chest.
We are quiet for a while, just comfortable in the silence until I speak up. Thereâs so much I want to tell her, and Iâm not even sure where to start.
âYou know, for years I would dream about this. About having someone to fall asleep with and wake up with.â
âWhat about Dolores?â
âI loved Dolores with all my heart, and I will always love her. But there were many nights, after she fell asleep, that I would allow myself to think about what it would be like to have someone that could kiss or hug me back. To touch me at all, really. That���s probably why I liked reading all of those romance novels. There wasnât a lot of physical love in my house growing up, and then there was only Dolores. My two sources for any affection in my life came from my robot mother and my mannequin wife.â
I let out a small laugh at that, but she doesnât return it. Instead, she just squeezes my hand and pulls my arms tighter around her. She waits for me to keep going.
âSo, those books were the only reference I had for real love. And I wanted that for so long. After a while, though, I just stopped thinking about it. Because I knew it was never going to happen. It was all just a made-up fantasy.â
âIâm so sorry, Five,â she says quietly.
âDonât be. All of that made me into the fully functioning and mentally stable man you know and love today.â
At that, she does laugh. âYou are one of a kind, Five, thatâs for sure.â
âThatâs another thing,â I start as I rub my cheek against her hair. âAre you sure youâre ok withâŚyou knowâŚmy situation?â
âWhat does that mean?â
âWell, by my rusty mental math, I am technically more than double your age.â
Sheâs silent for a minute and I think maybe she really is re-thinking this whole thing. âI know that. I donât care.â
âAre you sure? Because itâs not going to get any better, you know. Iâm just going to keep getting older and crankier. Pretty soon, Iâm going to want to eat dinner at 4 pm and bitch about my expired grocery coupons.â
She giggles. âI donât think you can get any crankier than you already are, so I donât have to worry about that. And the rest I can deal with.â She flips over so sheâs looking at me. She threads her fingers into my hair at the back of my neck and I close my eyes at her touch. âI love you because of, not in spite of, all of that. I love you for all that you are, Five. Even the cranky, old man parts.â
When she kisses me, itâs the softest, most loving kiss I have ever felt and I want to melt into her. âWith you, I get the best of both worlds. Hot young guy with the mature mind and life experiences of an older man. Whatâs not to love?â
I lean in for another kiss, and when she breaks away from it, she gives me a little smile. âBesides, as long as you keep fucking me like youâve been, I donât care if youâre sixty or six hundred years old.â
She throws her leg over my hip and I shake my head with a smile. âHoney, I really donât think thatâs going to be a problem.â
âI can tell,â she says before pushing harder against me and kissing me again.
The next morning, after one of the best sleeps of my life, I wake up to the smell of freshly roasted coffee and a soft kiss on my cheek. When I open my eyes, thereâs my girl, standing over me and setting a tray down on the table next to the bed. I barely notice the coffee cups with their fragrant steam drifting out of the tops, because I canât take my eyes off of her. I must be having one hell of a dream right now because sheâs wearing one of my t-shirts with nothing else on except a pair of cotton panties adorned with little pink cats. When I smile blearily up at her, still in the process of fully waking, she laughs at me.
âWhat?â I ask, as I try and haul myself up to a sitting position.
âYour hair. Itâs sticking up everywhere. You look like you stuck your finger in a light socket.â
I frown and pat my hand on top of my head, feeling the ratâs nest thatâs there. âGive me a break, ok? I just had a pretty wild night. Some crazy woman kept trying to maul me all night long.â
She presses her lips together in an effort not to laugh. âWell, I can hardly blame her. Have you seen yourself with no clothes on? Kind of ridiculous to expect to be left alone.â
âCome here, crazy,â I say as I reach out and yank her towards me by her hand.
She lands sideways on my lap and I kiss her while she attempts to smooth my hair into place. âI brought you some coffee,â she tells me after I let her up for air.
âThank you, love. Although that hardly seems fair that youâre serving me coffee. Donât you have to work today?â
She shakes her head. âI was supposed to, but I asked my boss and she said I should stay here today, instead.â
I reach for one of the mugs of coffee and hand it to her before taking my own. âYour boss sounds very smart.â When she giggles at that, I run a hand over her bare thigh and give it a squeeze. âEspecially since youâre wearing these little cat panties I love so much. I was hoping Iâd get to see these again.
She makes a little face over her coffee mug. âWhat do you mean, again?â
I take a drink from my own mug and give her a crooked smile. âYou already gave me a nice little show in them before. Although I definitely prefer you wearing my shirt over them instead of my brotherâs.â
âWhatâŚwaitâŚyou remember that? You were wasted drunk!â
I roll my eyes at her. âNo amount of alcohol would let me forget you standing half-naked in my doorway trying to look mad but not really succeeding.â
She scoffs at me. âI was mad! You were being obnoxious!â
âRight. And you werenât being obnoxious when you decided to put on that little vocally-driven performance right afterward?â
That makes her break and laugh, and she leans in to give me a kiss. âYou know why I did that, right?â
âTo torture me until I considered stabbing a pencil into my ears?â I deadpan.
âNoâŚâ she smirks. âFor one, I wanted to piss you off and make you jealous. Show you what you were missing out on.â
âUh-huhâŚwell mission accomplished.â
âAnd two, well, there was a reason I was acting much more spirited than usual.â
âSpirited? It sounded like you were possessed.â
She runs a hand down my chest. âMaybe I was thinking of someone else at the time.â
I like where this is going and I raise my eyebrows before taking a sip of my coffee. âGo on. I like the turn this story is taking.â
âWell, I wonât go into detail, but just know that all of those noises you heard, were caused by you.â
I set my mug down and then grab hers to do the same. With my hands free, I pull her closer to me while I slip a finger into the waistband of her underwear and snap it against her skin.
âNaughty girl,â I murmur before kissing her hard on the mouth.
âMaybe so,â she says when she pulls away, âBut, Iâm willing to bet that gave you some nice material to use for a few lonely nights?â
When I pull her by her hips over my lap, there is no way she is missing the growing hard-on Iâve got going on under the sheets. âBaby, you have no idea how much material that gave me.â
Before I can get too involved with my roaming hands and mouth, she stops me by pulling back. My eyebrows crease together and my lips form a tight line with annoyance. I donât like not being able to indulge in an early morning bone session at the moment. Especially when sheâs sitting here, grinding her tight little ass against said bone.
âBefore you get too carried away, and before you start pouting any more than you already are, I have to show you something.â
âIs it under your panties?â
She sighs and rolls her eyes at me. âNo.â Then she reaches over and takes something off the tray. She hands me a book and when I look at it, I see itâs the book we read together. Love In The Time Of Cholera. And itâs not just any copy, itâs my exact one.
I look up at her in surprise. âThis is mine! Iâve been looking everywhere for it. I thought I lost it when I moved.â
She shrugs and smiles shyly. âI may have stolen it from your room before.â
âYou stole it from me?â
âKind of. After we were done reading it, I put it in my bag because I wanted to take it home to reread it again. And I meant to tell you and bring it back when I was done. But then you decided to be the worldâs biggest assholeâŚâ
âYeah, I know that part, we donât need to rehash that again.â
âWell, anyway, I forgot it was in there and I left with it. So, there it has stayed, in my bag for the past six months. Which is how it ended up here again because I brought my bag with me when I left work last night.â
I turn the book over in my hands and smile. âI love this book. For obvious reasons.â
âSoâŚwill you read to me?â she asks, just like she did before, with the big eyes and the pouty lip.
âYou want me to read this again? Are you sure? Because there are a lot of other things I can think of that we could be doing right here, right now, in this bed.â
She shakes her head, and then climbs off my lap, taking her coffee cup, and then snuggling up next to me under the covers. âI want to lie right here next to you, all warm and cozy, while you read our book to me with that super sexy voice of yours.â
I smile and kiss her forehead. âWell, when you flatter me like that, how can I resist?â I start to settle in and open the book. âAnd thenâŚâ
She sighs. âYes, and then you may use me to take care of that giant bed snake I felt stabbing me in the leg just now.â
âIâm going to remember you said âgiantâ, by the way.â
âJust read the damn book, Five.â
âYes, my darling. Anything for you.â
I've got one more chapter coming to tie this all up, so stay tuned!
@baileebear, @myinnermonologueisepic
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I wish I had something this good hidden in the files on my computer.
I've been digging through my scrap files tonight, finding fun things. This one has zero context, and i have no idea where it's from or what fic it's supposed to be to. :)
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âFive?â Klaus said cautiously, picking his way through the bodies on the floor. âFive?â His voice was high with barely contained panic, but he still stopped dead in his tracks when Five finally looked over at them.
He didnât look like himself. More than just how covered in blood he was, his eyes were wide and glittered in the low light, the dark splashes across his pale skin looked like gaping tears. His expression when he looked at them was wild and frightened, but in a way that felt more like a threat, a snake poised to strike.
It was more than that. He was staring at them like they were prey, just as much as the bodies around them had been. âKlausâŚâ Diego said in careful warning, but Klaus had gotten over the spine chilling warning in Fiveâs expression and started toward him again.
Klaus couldnât die, thankfully, but Diego didnât really want to put that on Five either. âCareful, donât spook him.â
Fiveâs eyes flicked to him, lips curling up on one side in a mild snarl. His body was tense as a wire, shifting slightly as Klaus got closer. His expression smoothed out a little when Klaus finally stepped in front of him, back to the feral blankness.
âYou see him too,â Klaus whispered, but his hands were moving up to Fiveâs face. Heâd gotten so much better with touch, so much more accepting of it, so he didnât flinch away when Klausâs hands cupped his face.
He gasped a shallow little breath, eyes fluttering closed, and like a flood through his feet, all the tension bled out of him.
âOh, thank fuck, youâre alive,â Klaus said, almost too softly to be heard.
âYour hands are cold,â Five said in response, muffled by the hands squeezing his cheeks.
âAnd you are feverishly hot right now.â
Five hummed then, the gravel in his throat turning it into a low, satisfied growl. Diego knew Five had had a little too much fun tonight, and he hoped he wouldnât regret it later. Five was defending himself, it wasnât his fault these idiots had poked a bear.
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Imagine Five trying to do normal stuff...
Link to all my Tumblr art/story posts
Link to my story/art Master List
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Updated 4/19/24 Chapter Seven Added!
I had to make a new post for the remaining chapters because it was getting too long to add them to the original. If you'd like to read chapters 1-6, here is the link.
âLove In The Time Of Cholera And Coffee â
Five x Female Reader, Klaus x Female Reader
You and Klaus are in a casual relationship. No ties, just sex. When you start spending a lot of time at his apartment, you somehow manage to break through his brother's prickly outer shell. He seems to like you, or at least tolerate you the best that Five can. When you start to realize that maybe there is more than just mutual friendship between the two of you, it opens up a lot of feelings and unanswered questions. And a lot of problems.
This story contains sexually explicit material! (But also lots of humor and fluff)
Chapter Seven: Be My Baby
The morning rush is typical for a Saturday. Lots of parents on their way to soccer tournaments, and elderly couples that wake up early, starting their day when the sun rises. You donât need to be there, necessarily. Your team can handle it. But you like it. You like the early morning sunrise and the smell of the first pot of coffee brewing. The smiles of the hopeful people as they start their days. The morning is perfect. It gives everyone the chance to start fresh.
As youâre surveying the pastries and taking note of inventory, the bell over the door rings. You donât even look up as you focus on the spreadsheet on your tablet. The customer, however, is not the usual. You recognize the silhouette of the person walking towards you. How could you not? Itâs been 6 months, but youâll never forget it.
âHey there,â he says, as he nears the counter.
Heâs just as you remember him and he addresses you as if no time has passed.
âHi, Klaus,â you respond with a timid smile, looking up from your tablet.
Klaus removes his sunglasses that had been perched on his nose, and he looks around, taking it all in. He smiles that smile that usually means heâs up to something.
âWow, so this place is hopping!â he says as he leans against the counter.
Heâs wearing a pair of way too-tight white jeans, and a tank top that says âSlutâ across the chest. His signature dog tags hang down over the lettering and jingle when he moves.Â
âYeah, weâre doing alright. Our profits are actually up since I bought it,â you respond with pride.
You havenât seen Klaus since that day he and Five had their blow-out fight over you. Well, technically you havenât seen him since the night before the blow-out. You had figured youâd never see either one of them again. Yet, here he was.
âIs that right? Well, mazel tov,â he answers with a genuine smile.
âCan I get you something?â you ask.
âIâll take a green tea if you donât mind,â Klaus says.
He doesnât sound angry like you assumed he would be. Like he should be, honestly.
You nod at the barista who is working today and he busies himself with making Klausâs drink. In the meantime, there is no one else in line, so you and he are stuck staring at each other. Klaus speaks first.
âSo, itâs been a while. How are you?â he asks, a suspicious-looking smile on his face.
âIâm fine, thank you. And you?â
Klaus shrugs his shoulders and looks around again. âOh, you know. Iâm always here and there, doing something.â
You smile. âSame old Klaus. Like a feral tom cat just prowling the town.â
He winks back at you with a grin. âMeow.â
The barista hands him his tea and he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet to pay, but you hold out a hand.
âDonât be silly. Itâs on the house.â
Klaus raises his eyebrows, then lifts his cup up in a toasting gesture. âThank you!â
You shrug. âItâs the least I can do. The very least.â
He nods thoughtfully and takes a sip, looking around the shop again. âDo you have a minute? You know, to talk?â
You swallow nervously and chew at your bottom lip. He doesnât seem upset, but what does he want to talk to you about? It canât be anything good. But you nod and come around the counter. You gesture to an empty table near the back, away from listening employees, and you both make your way over. Once you and Klaus are situated, sitting across from one another, you wait with hands folded in front of you.
âSoâŚyouâre probably wondering why I came here, arenât you?â he asks, still with that same Klaus smile on his face.
You nod. âA little, yeah. I know we have good tea here but given the circumstancesâŚâ You look down at your hands and start picking at a cuticle. âI really never thought Iâd be seeing you again.â
Klaus leans back and drapes an arm lazily over the back of the chair. âYeah, wellâŚIâve been doing a lot of thinking. And maybe a little bit of therapy.â He rolls his eyes. âAnyway, Iâve been trying to be a better person and see the error of my ways, and all that shit. And I have come to the conclusion that I owe you an apology.â
The surprise on your face must be evident because Klaus gives a little laugh and shakes his head. âI know thatâs not what you were expecting. But, itâs true. I owe you an apology and Iâm sorry.â
âForâŚfor what? Iâm the oneââ
He cuts you off with an airy wave of his hand. âListen. I was selfish and I should have appreciated you more. I know we werenât going to end up getting married or anything, but I could have made more of an effort. Like when you were sickâŚthat was shitty of me and Iâm sorry. If I had treated you just a little better, then maybeâŚâ
You groan and drop your forehead onto your hands as they rest on the table. âKlaus, I appreciate the apology, but you had nothing to do with that. That was me and Iâm the one that needs to apologize, not you. Iâm the one that fucked everything up between you two.â
Klaus is quiet and you glance up at him. He has a tiny smile on his face again. âOk, so we both had a hand in it. And I accept your apology. But you didnât fuck everything up. I mean, youâre not that amazing,â he says with a smirk before taking another sip of his tea.
You lift your head. âWhat do you mean? You guys arenâtâŚâ
Klaus shakes his head and gives another dismissive wave. âNah, weâre good. He did move out, though. But that might have been more about me leaving wet towels on the bathroom floor than anything else.â
You chuckle a little and lean back in your chair, starting to relax somewhat. âHuh. Well, good. Iâm glad to hear that.â
Klaus is looking at you with one eyebrow raised, his mouth turned up at the corner.
âWhat? Why are you looking at me like that?â you ask.
Klaus shrugs his shoulders, trying to look innocent. Then he reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls out a small, folded piece of paper. He slides it across the table to you. You pick it up with a look of confusion. When you unfold it, you see there is an address scrawled on it in Klausâs messy handwriting.
âWhat is this?â
He gives another shrug. âI think maybe you two need to talk.â
Your eyes widen and you glance back down at the paper. âWaitâŚthis is his address?â
Klaus nods, but then heâs starting to stand up, apparently ready to leave. âIf you donât want it, throw it out. But I figured I owed you that much.â He puts his sunglasses back on and looks down at you. âYou do know heâs in love with you, right?â
Your shocked expression makes him laugh and he leans down to give you a quick peck on the cheek.
âThanks for the tea. Maybe Iâll see you around. You know, at family gatherings or something?â
Then Klaus is walking out the door, leaving you stunned and staring down at the piece of paper in your hands, your brain whirring.
A week goes by and you try not to think about it. But itâs kind of hard when you carry that paper around with you in your pocket every day. The address isnât far from your store. Just a few blocks, actually. Which makes you realize that he has probably been avoiding you and the shop like the plague. Or has he been quickly walking by, taking a glance through the windows to see if youâre there? Maybe blinking away before you can raise your head and see him. Doubtful. Despite what Klaus told you, you have every reason to believe he has no desire to see you again.
Every time you think that maybe you should walk over there, to that address you have memorized now, you change your mind. Maybe it would be different if you still didnât have a clear image of him in your head from the last time you saw him. That blank, uncaring look on his face. Those cold words he said to you. Thatâs what stops you each time.
But then at night, when youâre home alone and in bed trying in vain to sleep, different images come to mind. Memories of his face and his smile, and the way he would begrudgingly laugh at something funny you said. And of his body on yours, the heat of his skin, and his urgent kisses. You remember every word he said to you in the dark that night. And you just canât believe he didnât mean them. Not when he was pleading with you to be his.
The crazy thing was that you had already given yourself over to him. You wanted to be his. And you had thought that night was going to be just one of many you would spend together. Maybe it would have been awkward at first, with Klaus; but you were willing to try and work past that. Because thatâs how much you wanted to be with him.
What an idiot you had been. On your way out of work one night, you throw the paper with the address into the trash can and walk away.
It has been two weeks since Klaus came by and even though you still canât stop thinking about what he told you, you arenât taking the bait. Youâre better off without him or any of that mess. Heâs better off without you, too.
The cafĂŠ is quiet, with only a few lights left on. Itâs been closed for an hour now, all cleaned and the food stored away for the night. Your staff has gone home and itâs just you there. Youâre finishing up some financial documents on your laptop at a table, a mix of some soft rock tunes playing on the speakers overhead. Youâre humming along to a Whitney Houston song when you hear a knock on the glass door. When you look up, you take a sharp breath in and accidentally knock over the glass of water you had sitting next to you.
It's Five. Heâs standing there, right outside the door, and heâs already spotted you, so you canât exactly hide. Plus, now youâre jumping up and trying to mop up the spilled water with a few flimsy napkins and swearing to yourself out loud.
âShit shit shit,â you mumble.
When you look up again, you can see Five watching the whole thing go down and heâs got that smirk on his face. The one you hate but also canât stop thinking about. You huff, rolling your eyes, and motion for him to come in. The door is locked for the night, of course, but that doesnât matter. He blinks in right away, reappearing a few feet away from you, hands in his pants pockets.
âHi,â he says with a smile.
You pause, taking him in for a moment. Damn it, why is he so good-looking? With his stupid dark hair falling onto his forehead and his annoyingly perfect body and ridiculously chiseled jawline. And that goddamn sexy, smart-ass expression on his face. Fuck.
âWhat are you doing here?â you say, trying to appear like you couldnât possibly care less that heâs standing right in front of you.
He shrugs. âJust walking by. I was in the neighborhood and thought Iâd see if you were still here.â
After throwing the soggy napkins into the trash behind the counter, you come around again and lean against it, your arms crossed.
âJust walking by, huh?â
Five at least has the decency to look a little embarrassed as he glances at the floor and clears his throat.
âYeah, wellâŚsomething like that,â he mumbles.
âWhy are you here, Five?â
Youâre determined not to let him see the uncertainty in you and you raise your chin and square your shoulders to try and appear more confident. Inside, a million butterflies have taken residence in your stomach.
He rubs the back of his neck. âYeah, soâŚKlaus told me he came by the other day.â
You raise an eyebrow. âYes, he did. And?â
âHe told me he talked to you and gave you my address.â
You make a circular motion with your hand to get him to hurry this little story along.
âAnyway, he said he gave it to you and I thought maybeâŚâ he trails off and looks down at the floor again.
âOhhhâŚyou thought maybe Iâd come crawling back to you? Run right on over and jump into your arms? Tell you all is forgiven. Is that what you thought?â
âNo!â he snaps, and then his voice softens again. âNo. I just thoughtâŚâ He throws his hands in the air in frustration. âFuck! I donât know what I thought! This is stupid, I donât know why I came here.â
He turns around to leave, but you call out so that he stops in his tracks. âI almost did!â He turns to you and you blush a little. âI came really close to going over there. I had a whole speech prepared and everything. It was good, too. I was really going to let you have it.â You give a short laugh.
âWhy didnât you?â he asks.
âBecause I was afraid that what Klaus told me wasnât true,â you admit.
âWhat did Klaus tell you?â
Youâre not really sure you want to get into all of that quite yet, so you change the subject back to him.
âReally, why are you here, Five? Itâs been six months, so why now?â
âI justâŚâ he takes a deep breath. âI just wanted to see you again. And to say Iâm sorry.â
Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Then they crease together again. âAnd which thing or things are you sorry for?â
Five sighs and takes a few steps toward you, but stops short of coming too close. He seems to gain a little more confidence and he looks you in the eyes.
âIâm sorry for everything. For putting you in that situation. And for saying what I did. I know I was a jerk and you didnât deserve that.â
You look up and blink a few times to try and keep your emotions in check. Then you look back at him.
âJerk doesnât even begin to cover it. You hurt me, Five. Really hurt me. Do you realize that?â
He swallows hard and nods. âI know.â
âWhy? Why did you do that? I donât understand. I was ready toâŚâ Your voice cracks and you donât finish your sentence.
âAfter the fight with Klaus, I just felt so awful and ashamed, so I panicked and took it out on you. Which was a really shitty thing to do, and Iâm so sorry. I also understand if you never want to see or talk to me again, but I thought Iâd take a chance by coming here. I at least wanted to let you know.â
You nod slowly. âYeah, ok, so youâre sorry. Is there anything else youâd like to confess?â
âWhat do you mean?â
You shift your weight to your other foot and cross and uncross your arms. âDid you even mean those things you said that night?â
He pauses for a minute and you see him swallow hard. âYeah,â he says quietly. âI meant them.â
âKlaus said youâre in love with me,â you blurt out, and you watch as his eyes get wide and his face flushes.
He clenches his teeth together. âFucking Klaus,â he mutters under his breath.
âSo?â you challenge. âIs he right?â
He is visibly uncomfortable and his hands are in his pockets again as he looks at the floor. Then he gathers some courage and he looks up.
âHeâs right,â he says. âI am in love with you. I have been for a long time.â
You sigh and put your hands on your hips and look up at the ceiling, then back at him again. âDamn it, Five!â
âWhat?â
âYou know, just because you say that does not mean all is forgiven, or that Iâm automatically in love with you too, even though I am, although why I have no fucking idea. I really cannot believe the nerve of you showing up here after all this time. You are still the biggest asshole I have ever met and Iâm not even sure I want anything to do with you anymoreâ"
Your rant is cut short when Five closes the few feet between you in a short spatial jump, making you yelp sharply when he suddenly grabs you around the waist and pulls you into him.
âLet go of me!â you say in protest.
âWhat did you say?â he asks, that arrogant look on his face as his mouth turns up on one side.
You squirm, trying to get out of his grasp but itâs not very convincing, and itâs also making your body rub up against his, which is not helping matters. His hold on you is strong, though, and he doesnât let up. Heâs looking you right in the eyes and you canât seem to look away.
âI said youâre a giant asshole,â you say, your voice much weaker all of a sudden.
âYou said youâre in love with me.â
âNo, I didnât.â
âYes, you did,â he says with a smirk, right before he jerks your body closer to him, his arm wrapped around your middle and his hand resting on the small of your back.
His eyes travel over your face and you look at his lips and suddenly you canât think straight anymore. You nod your head slowly.
âYeah, maybe I did,â you confess in a whisper, right before he kisses you.
His kiss is soft and slow, and he brings his hand up to the side of your face. All of those feelings that you had pushed down come rushing back to you with that touch. You kiss him back, savoring the feel of his soft lips and the way his body feels next to yours.
He smiles against your mouth, even as he continues kissing you, and you drape your arms over his shoulders. When you pull away, he keeps his hand on your cheek.
âIâm sorry it took me this long to get my shit together,â he tells you with a breathy laugh. âI love you.â
âI love you, too,â you tell him with a smile, but when he goes in for another kiss, you pull back and place a hand on his chest. âWhoa there, buddy, not so fast.â
He scrunches his eyebrows together and it takes a lot of resolve for you not to kiss him right now because his pouty man face is so cute.
âWhatâs the matter?â he asks.
âOk, so you said youâre sorry, but Iâm going to need a little more than that.â
âMore?â
âYes. You canât possibly think waltzing in here and simply saying youâre sorry and you love me is enough, can you?â
âSo, what do you want? You want me to fall on my knees and grovel?â
You place a finger on your lips in thought. âHmmâŚthat does sound nice, but something tells me youâd actually like that. No, let me thinkâŚâ When you hear the music that has been playing on the store speakers, your face lights up. âI got it!â
âIâm afraid to ask, but ok, what is it?â
âSing.â
âExcuse me?â
You step out of his arms and lean back against the counter again. âI want you to sing the next song that comes on. No matter what it is. And I want it done with feeling. To me.â
Fiveâs face is hilarious because he looks like you just kicked him in the nuts. âAre you fucking serious? You want me to sing to you?â
You nod. âYep.â
He stares in stunned silence for a minute before he crosses his arms and tilts his head. âYou know I took a punch in the face for you.â
You shrug. âSorry to hear that, but thatâs not really relevant at the moment. Plus, I wasnât there to witness or enjoy it, so it doesnât count. No, I want you to sing, and if you half-ass it you will have to start over. I want to see some professional, Frank Sinatra-level, Elvis in Las Vegas-style crooning. And I want it right now.â
Five glances up and notices the security camera mounted in the corner behind you and runs a hand down his face. âShit. And this is the only way youâre going to forgive me and stop torturing me by standing there looking cute but not letting me touch you?â
âPretty much, yes.â
âAnd thereâs no way I can talk my way out of this and get you to kiss me again? Because I really want to kiss you again.â
âNope. You say you love me. Prove it.â
He sighs heavily. âAlright then.â
âAlright, what?â
âI guess Iâm fucking singing.â
You smile widely and at just that precise moment, the song that had been playing fades out and another one starts up. You start laughing when you hear âBe My Babyâ by the Ronettes. Itâs such a cheesy, girly pop song, and itâs perfect.
âDonât forgetâŚwith feeling,â you remind him as you perch yourself on the countertop and wait expectedly for him to start.
With another sigh and a sarcastic smile in your direction, Five reluctantly starts singing.
The night we met I knew I needed you so
And if I had the chance Iâd never let you go
Itâs bad and off-key and heâs stumbling over some of the words. He canât decide if he wants to sing it in the high, womenâs register or lower his voice, so his voice keeps cracking. But heâs putting the effort in, like you requested.
So won't you say you love me?
Iâll make you so proud of me
Weâll make âem turn their heads, every place we go
Heâs starting to get into it a little, adding awkward dancing and elaborate hand choreography.
So wonât you please
Be my little baby
Say youâll be my darling
Itâs maybe the cutest thing youâve ever seen and when you start giggling, thatâs when he really kicks it into gear. He grabs a plastic knife from the counter and uses it as a microphone to up his performance.
Be my baby nowâŚwhoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
He is singing his heart out directly to you, as dramatically as he can. He is also trying not to laugh while you are barely holding it together as you watch his horribly wonderful performance that he is putting on just because you asked him to. The dramatic emoting and facial expressions are too much, so you cover your eyes with your hands and peek through two fingers to watch him.
Iâll make you happy, baby,
Just wait and see
For every kiss you give me
Iâll give you three
For this, he grabs your hand and kisses it dramatically as you toss your head back and laugh at him. You have never seen him act this stupid and silly, and itâs making you love him that much more because you know heâd never do this for anyone else. When the interlude comes on, Five tosses his knife microphone over his shoulder without taking his eyes off you and takes your hand again, pulling you into him. He holds you to him as he dances slowly with you and when the lyrics start up again, he finishes out the song by belting it out as loudly and as off-key as possible while you alternate between laughing and visibly cringing.
So wonât you please
Be my little baby
Say youâll be my darlinâ
Be my baby now
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
As the song winds down and fades away, he stops dancing, but heâs still holding you close to him. He stands there with a wicked grin, waiting for you to say something.
âThatâs all on video, you know. So I can blackmail you whenever you act up,â you say with a smile.
âDo you believe that I am willing to do anything for you, including humiliating myself? Did I sufficiently prove my love to you?â
âWell, I reserve the right to demand further proof at future times, but for right now, yes. That was sufficient.â
He doesnât wait any longer before heâs back to kissing you, and this time you donât try to stop him. When he holds you tight to his chest, his arms wrapped around you and his hand winding into your hair, you feel happier than you have in months. You probably shouldnât have taken him back so willingly, despite his apologies and musical performance. But you canât help yourself. You want him like youâve never wanted anyone in your life, and the fact that he came back here for you has immediately melted any stoniness you had in your heart for him.
Itâs quickly obvious that a few kisses are not going to be enough and you are both breathing hard as you try to pull each other even closer. Five pushes you up against the counter, boosting you up so youâre sitting on top and he is standing between your legs, his hands gripping into your thighs and pulling them forward to wrap around his waist. After a few seconds, you place a hand on his chest again.
âHang on, we canât do this,â you say, your chest heaving.
Five frowns. âIâm sorry, am I moving too fast?â
âNo, I mean we canât do this here . This is a major health code violation and if someone sees Iâll be in deep shit.â
Five laughs. âWell, I wasnât planning on jizzing into the espresso machine, but I guess I see your point. We can stop.â
âNo, I donât want to stop ! Canât we go to your place? Itâs just a few blocks over.â
Five raises his eyebrows in surprise and chuckles. âI thought you didnât care where I lived.â
You blush. âWellâŚI may have thrown your address out but that doesnât mean I didnât memorize it or map out how to get there from here.â
âStalker!â
âShut up,â you tell him, even as youâre smiling. âI know youâre loving this, you bastard.â
He shakes his head. âYou think Iâm loving the fact that the girl Iâm head over heels in love with has secretly been obsessed with me and stalking me like a total creep?â
âI wasnât stalking you! Jesus Christ, FiveâŚare we going back to your place or not?â
He laughs again and you find yourself laughing right along with him. âCome on, psycho, letâs go.â He holds out a hand for you and you hop down off the counter. âItâs a nine-minute walk. Three if you let me blink you part of the way there.â
âYou know exactly down to the minute? Whoâs the stalker now?â
âAlright, I confess. I may have walked past here a couple of times.â
âOnly a couple?â you ask with a smile.
He rolls his eyes. âI think I already regret coming here.â
You give him a quick kiss and then pull him by his hand towards the door. âNo, you donât. Because, in a few minutes, Iâm going to rock your world, baby.â
He gives a frustrated groan. âYouâre definitely letting me blink you there, now. I canât wait a full nine minutes.â
@baileebear, @myinnermonologueisepic
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Never seen this style face for Five and I am loving how it captures his inner old man. đđ
rewatching to prepare for the new season
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Yup
Lila Pitts/Hargreeves
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Anyways this pic of Aidans longer hair in Fives uniform is giving major Gerard in I'm Not Okay vibes and honestly I'm into it.
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Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Rating: MatureÂ
Warnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyÂ
Relationships: Dolores/Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Dolores & Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy)Â
Characters: Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Dolores (Umbrella Academy)Â
Additional Tags: ooooh this one is a doozy, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Apocalypse, Number Five | The Boy-centric, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, not really violence but y'know, bodiesÂ
Series: Part 11 of Whump-ril 2024
Summary:
Things go wrong in the apocalypse.
Five jumps.
Dolores is left behind.
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wow đ
Aidan Gallagher
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This is what it's all about, and those sandwiches... So freaking good
Just your average Tuesday ďżź
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