Partners in Crime ~ Five Hargreeves x Reader

Prologue

I tapped my fingernails onto The Handler's desk, awaiting further instruction. I had been a contract killer for the Temps Commission for over four years and was very annoyed that they had ruined my carefully calculated case routine to pull me back to headquarters.

Apparently, they were doing some restructuring at the Commission. Restructuring? Such bullshit. Things were going well as they were. There was no need for restructuring.

I snatched a piece of candy out of The Handler's candy bowl. The 1920s were always my favorite, so I popped one in my mouth and kicked my feet up on her desk, impatiently awaiting her arrival.

I heard the familiar clicking of The Handler's bright red heels coming down the hallway as her door opened. I sighed and finished the piece of candy, not pulling my gaze away from where she was supposed to be sitting.

"Took you long enough," I remarked, spinning around in my chair. A puzzled expression spread across my face as I saw an unfamiliar man standing beside The Handler. The man's gray hair was cut short, and his mustache appeared well taken care of. He wore a black suit and a bowler hat; he looked like he should be smoking a cigar with his fellow retirees.

"Meet Y/n Y/l/n," The Handler told the man after I spun around.

"Who's this?" I asked.

"Five Hargreeves," He introduced himself, extending a hand. I eagerly got up from my seat and accepted.

"Apocalypse boy?" I questioned, "Wow, I expected something much different."

"I see my reputation precedes me," Five remarked.

"Everyone around here knows your story." The Handler gestured for us to sit down as she sat in her seat.

"I know we're not here for a meet and greet. So, what's going on here?" I asked. The Handler cleared her throat and examined her nails for a moment.

"You've been informed that we're restructuring the Commission, correct?" The Handler inquired.

"Yeah, yeah, restructuring. Of course," I huffed.

"Well, the board has decided that they no longer want agents flying solo."

"That's bullshit!" I slammed my fist on her desk, and she rolled her eyes.

"Having a backup agent prevents fewer people from going rogue and allows for a failsafe in the event of an error."

"You mean there's someone to drag our body back to headquarters if we croak."

"In more elegant words, yes."

"Let me guess. Five is my new partner?"

"What a psychic you are." I scoffed at her comment and glanced over at Five; he didn't seem particularly pleased either.

"So you're telling me that not only do I have to kill people who are disrupting the timeline, but I have to do it with her?" Five questioned. I rolled my eyes at him. Who did he think he was? I understand not wanting to kill people, hell I only did it because I had to; but what did he have against me?

"If that's an issue, we can always throw you back into the apocalypse," The Handler responded. She sighed and examined the expressions on our faces. She obviously didn't like what she saw because she began to do some damage control.

"Look, I understand you're both upset. But, I think you two will work splendidly together. Your abilities complement each other like wasabi and raw tuna."

"Our abilities? Please. What can she do that's so spectacular?" Five scoffed. I smirked, knowing it was my time to shine. I made eye contact with him for a moment, staring into the very essence of his soul.

Five jumped up from his chair as dozens of tarantulas poured out from his sleeves and worked their way up to his head. He desperately tried to pry them off of his skin, but it was no use. The second he scraped one off, another would arrive. He gave The Handler and I panicked looks as more and more spiders poured out from his clothing.

"Alright, Y/n. That's enough," The Handler ordered. I sighed and snapped my fingers. Suddenly, all of the spiders disappeared into thin air. It was like they were never there. Which, of course, they weren't.

"What the hell," Five muttered.

"Felt good to play tricks on the mind of someone I didn't have to kill," I chuckled. He gave me a puzzled look as he cleared his throat.

"So, are you two going to work together? Or do I need to kick you both to the curb?" The Handler asked.

"What do ya say, Apocalypse Boy?" I questioned, "Wanna be partners in crime?" Five sighed, clearly going over the options in his head.

"Sure. Why not?"

-⭐-

Five and I worked together for three glorious years. On each case, Five would wear his signature suit, and I would find a new glamorous outfit to wear. We would take out our assignments with expertise, the likes of which the Commission had never seen.

Five would blink us into the area we needed to be and I would find a way to destroy the mind of our target. Nine times out of ten, neither of us needed to touch a weapon to get the job done. Thus, earning us the name "The Dashing Duo of Death". It was cheesy, but it stuck.

Berlin 1945, Virginia 1865, Athens 1993, Yinchuan 1227; four of many flawless jobs done by Five and me. Yet, throughout all the praise and acclaim that came with our success, something felt wrong. The gnawing feeling that had been brewing for years began to break through. A sense of distrust towards the Commission and their goals grew inside my soul like moss in a forest. It spread throughout my brain until it was all I could think.

We were assigned to assassinate J.F.K. on the grassy knoll. Before that case, we seized the opportunity to have a drink at an Irish bar. It was a relatively simple case, so one drink wouldn't hurt us. That day, the sickening feeling of lost dreams and distrust flowed through my veins more potent than it ever had before in my seven years with the Commission.

I quickly drank my beer, anxious to rid myself of the awful thoughts plaguing my mind. I impatiently toyed with the hem of my elegant sundress as I waited for the effects of the alcohol to kick in. Five noticed my odd behavior and looked at me quizzically.

"Everything okay?" He asked. In the time that we worked together, Five and I had grown close. We told each other our family history, the stories behind our scars, and some of our darkest secrets. However, there were still some things that remained unsaid, some things that we both desperately wanted to share.

"Do you ever wonder why we do this? I mean, why do we even need an apocalypse? Ya know? I've been on this Earth for 45 years and I've seen some amazing things. Why does it all need to go to shit?" I explained, "Just a thought."

"Maybe it doesn't have to." Five sipped his beer and sighed.

"What?"

"We could stop the apocalypse."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. We could do it, and I know five others who could help us out if we can't do it alone."

"We don't even know what causes it, Five."

"We're two of the most highly respected hitmen in the Temps Commission. I'm sure we could figure it out."

"You're one crazy bastard, Five Hargreeves." I thought for a moment, before shrugging.

"Screw it, why not. What's the worst that could happen?"