𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ━ five hargreeves³

17│AIN'T NO WOMAN LIKE THE ONE I'VE GOT

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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘ. ᴘᴀɴ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴀɪɴ'ᴛ ɴᴏ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ
ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ꒱


❝ A LOVE LIKE THAT IS STRONGER
THAN ANY APOCALYPSE COULD
EVER BE ❞

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After Five helped Alexa, Deianira sought out her brother to help her for a different reason. She found him sulking against the balcony railing as he stared out into space. Music from Viktor's coming out party drifted up to the landing which was the only sound that could be heard until the brunette spoke. She paused next to him to lean against the railing as well. "Hey."

"What do you want?" he asked bitterly without turning to look at her.

"That's a nice way to greet your favorite sister."

Ben scoffed. "I'm not even your— or anyone's— favorite Hargreeves. Why would you think I'd feel that way about you?"

Deianira pursed her lips as her eyes narrowed. "See, this attitude is what makes you unpleasant to be around. Are you really going to be a sourpuss all evening?"

"Your wedding is a stupid idea and Viktor's coming out party is just as lame."

She sighed. "I'll take that as a yes. Look, you can stand out here by yourself and brood over your feelings or. . . you could do a favor for me."

The Asian man eyed her warily. "And what would that entail?"

"Walk Sloane down the aisle."

"Shouldn't that be dad's job?"

She crossed her arms and gave him a disbelieving look. "Did we have the same father? You know dear old dad disapproves of this whole thing anyway. If you don't want to do it for me, do it for Sloane. It'd make her really happy, Ben-er-ino."

"Don't call me that," he responded easily. "Are you sure you even want me at your dumb wedding? No one else seems to want me around."

Deianira let out a deep breath as she prayed for patience. "Your self-deprecating attitude isn't cute, Ben-er-ino, so I'd advise you to get over yourself. Just tell me: are you gonna do it or not?"

Ben rolled his eyes in an exaggerated sort of way. "I think the answer should be obvious, sister-dearest."

"And that is. . .?"

He turned to face her fully as his expression became contemptuous. "I'd rather cut off all of my tentacles than do what you're suggesting."

The brunette let out a final sigh, this time in a disappointed, condescending fashion. "Very well; I can't say I was expecting a different answer. I guess that means that I'll just have to pick one of the other Hargreeves men to be my Best Man. Maybe I'll chose that teenager guy. He'd make a pretty adorable ring bearer, don't you think?"

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

"Ben! Hi!" Alexa stared up at her ex-brother's once-familiar face as he left Sloane's room. Her voice was breathless as she greeted him and her smile was so wide it almost hurt.

He stopped to study her with a disturbed look at her eagerness. "What do you want?"

"Noth-nothing. Um, how are you?"

There was a moment of silence before he shrugged. "I've had better days." Then, he passed by her without another word.

The blonde watched him go with a starry-eyed expression, hardly hearing his response. He'd acknowledged her existence! It was just like talking to her Ben except in a grumpier, asshole-ier form. She took a second to compose herself before she knocked on the door in front of her. Sloane's lighthearted voice greeted her request and Alexa tentatively opened the door. She gave the Sparrow a friendly smile. "Hello."