𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 | 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒

⑰ HAPPINESS IS A BUTTERFLY: ⑰

☂️ ⓪ ☂️

BY THE TIME FIVE AND I arrive at the department store, the sun has gone down. Rain surrounds us as we stroll through the parking lot, eager to get inside to reunite with our beau.

I look up at the bright neon sign reading 'The Gimble Brothers', remembering how we had found Delores with those exact words tattooed on her back.

I could feel my muscles tense, feeling far more nervous than I'd like to admit. We haven't seen each other in what feels like forever. I hope she doesn't hate me...

The sound of thunder rumbling causes me to blink out of my thoughts, noticing that we're approaching the front doors.

Five places a hand on my shoulder before silently blinking us inside the building.

The inside of the department store is dark, dimly lit by some blue neon lighting near the back of the room. Racks upon racks of clothes and general household items crowd the place in isles. It looks like your average thrift store chain.

Five drops his hand from my shoulder before shoving both of them into his pockets and striding towards the nearest shelves, finding some flashlights before handing me one.

We turn them on as Five quietly makes his way to a set of feminine figures within the women's section. I follow close behind, easily able to identify them as a group of mannequins. They are white as paper and shiny, like gloss.

Definitely not our precious Delores.

I turn to head left, only to be stopped by Five, who gently grips my forearm, discouraging me from going in a different direction. I look at him curiously, seeing almost complete satisfaction in his eyes before following his line of sight and at the spot where his flashlight is directed.

There stands Delores, staring off out the window, poised as ever. She stands on an elevated platform between two other women, supposedly her sisters.

She's wearing a long red wig and a yellow beret. Knowing her, the accessory wasn't her choice. She's more of a scarf kinda girl.

Five takes his time as he approaches her, with me not far behind.

Both of us look up at Delores, almost like she's a goddess ready to answer all of our prayers. "Delores," I say breathlessly, completely in awe of the woman before me.

"It's good to see you," Five greets her softly. "I missed you... obviously." He huffs a smile, seemingly nervous, too. "It's been a rough couple of days."

"It's been a rough couple of decades," Zero corrects, taking a few steps closer toward her before sighing. "Fuck, I've missed you, D. You kept Five and I sane for so long I didn't realize just how reliant I had become..."

I can feel Five eyeing me, silently agreeing with my words.

"I'm so sorry, Bab-,"

"No!" Five interrupts my apology with a yell just before the sound of gunshots fire throughout the room, aimed at us from the other side of Delores. "Get down!" he orders, holding me close to his chest while he ducks us down, doing his best to usher us to safety.

He guides me to crouch and run between racks of clothing, dodging the many bullets flying our way. The Commission. It has to be. They sent more people after us. "Fuck. They found us again?" I frown as I think aloud.

Five doesn't reply as he races back in the direction we had just come from, only to blink back with Delores in his arms. "Hold on to her," he says, looking me dead in the eye before placing her in my arms and taking my hand, pulling me to run with him further down the aisle.

He blinks us away again, but the flash of blue light that surrounds us as he does so is enough to gain the attention of our attacker, so they continue to fire their guns at us. He blinks us away again as the two other assassins continue to fire at the spot we just disappeared from. We're now at the other side of the store but I can faintly hear them muttering to one another.

From the sound of their muffled voices from behind their plastic masks, it's easy to assume that it is a man and a woman.

Five looks around anxiously, noticing that we are in the kitchen wear section. He grabs the nearest thing he can use as a weapon, which just so happens to be a large kitchen knife, before blinking himself away to fight one of our opponents.

I mutter some curses under my breath as I squat down, clutching Delores as close to me as possible, doing my best to protect her stiff upper body as much as possible. I rub my arm up and down her arm, trying to reassure her that everything is going to be fine.

I continue to do this for another minute before Five appears by my side again before I hand Delores to him. "Your turn," I tell him distractedly.

Five watches me curiously as I turn away and pick up one of the many bullet shells on the floor before walking into one of the many racks, slipping between the clothes like a child does in a clothing store. Once the larger masculine assassin of the two is in view, I quickly stand and toss the bullet in the air before using my powers to shoot it in his direction, causing him to help in pain as it goes straight through his shoulder.

I quickly duck again before turning back and making my way back to Five and Delores. He has now managed to find a duffle bag, which he has placed Delores in. If we weren't currently running for our lives, I would scold him for forcing her to be confined to such a small space.

He takes my hand again as he prepares to blink us away again. I look at him nervously as he groans in pain, not able to teleport us away. "Come on!"

"It's okay," I assure him, rubbing my thumb along the back of his hand. "I can protect us."

Five nods, clearly frustrated with himself and our current predicament.

I drag him in another direction, using my powers to create an invisible shield behind us as we climb over a shelf and crouch behind it before continuing to run. The sound of Police sirens making their way closer to the department store seems to gain our attacker's attention, giving us the distraction we needed in order to get away.

Five wraps his arm around my waist before leading me around a checkout counter and holding me to his chest as he slumps down to the floor, trying to keep his breathing as silent as possible.

"The bastard jumped again."

"Come on. Let's go."

That's the last we hear from them before their footsteps grow fainter and fainter.

I realise a deep sigh, laying back against Five's chest as we both catch our breath. Both of us are sweating as we hold each other. I feel Five tuck his face into my neck as he realises a distressed sigh of his own. His hand tightly clenches mine as he takes a moment to collect himself.

I carefully take my free hand and raise it to run my fingers through the hair on the back of his head gently as I close my eyes defeatedly.

Fuck, I need to get into cardio. Maybe invest in an inhaler. Jesus.

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