definitely maybe i will live to love || Five x Reader/OC ||

you better make up something quick

Barracuda

"Ah, Five Hargreeves, come in, come in!"

Five takes in the familiar surroundings of AJ Carmichael's office, making sure to wear a somewhat smug expression to seem like he's simply come to gloat.

"Never thought I'd be back here," Five remarks, "but life can be a strange creature."

"Indeed." Carmichael gestures for Five to take a seat on the other side of his desk. "I must confess, I found chances of your return to be...slim." He gesticulates exaggeratedly to compensate for his lack of actual limbs and a human face. Carmichael swims around in his bowl in a clipped, precise way as he continues. "But! It is wonderful to see you've made amends with the Commission and decided to contribute to preserving this timeline we hold so dear. Congratulations on your new position, by the way."

Carmichael pulls out a cigarette case and offers one to Five. When Five declines, he takes one for himself and lights it. "And I am very excited to see what Eight Hargreeves will do for this organization. I have high hopes that she will live up to the family name."

Because Five doesn't want to give himself away by bristling at the mention of your name and occupation, he directs all his reactive energy to the smirk he wears. It grows but appears to be more smugness and natural disdain toward Carmichael.

He takes a drawl of the cigarette at the bottom of his stupid fucking fish tank head. Five swears that the act of smoking and actually being affected by it is all pretend, and once he has the chance to smash the glass with his foot, he's going to find out for himself.

Carmichael absently waves the cigarette and relaxes into his high-back velvet armchair. "Of course, since you were under my supervision during your time as a temporal assassin, it is only expected that I begin paperwork to get Eight and Cha-Cha transferred to my division. After all, I have much better experience with the Hargreeves than the Handler, which was made painfully obvious with all the mess prior to your return."

Five's head tilts and his eye twitches, but he maintains his smirk. To think of Carmichael controlling you in any shape or form makes him want to launch right over the desk and shatter that fishbowl of a head right here and now.

But he hangs onto his disgust, his vitriol. Letting it ferment will only increase its potency when the time is right.

Standing, Five says, "I won't take up too much of your time. Just wanted to see an old acquaintance."

Carmichael pleasantly chuckles, but his fishtail swipes in contrast to it. So, he still feels animosity toward Five. Good.

"Well, I'm flattered you thought of me in this big place. It will be exciting to see where everything goes with you in case management and Eight as an assassin."

"I'm excited as well." Five pauses, pretends to contemplate his words before he says them, then ultimately goes with, "I did hear something...strange, though."

"Oh? Do tell."

"You say that the Handler botched the job, but word around the office is that she's up for a promotion because she was the one who got me back and snagged Eight—who, let's face it, is the most indestructible agent ever." Helpfully, Five adds with a quirk of his brows, "It was all over the cafeteria today."

The laugh that comes from Carmichael is a little too tight. He draws in a longer smoke from his cigarette. "Ah, I see. The Handler possesses admirable capabilities. It is not surprising that she would earn a promotion. And she—deserves it."