His Only Hope

After the World Falls Apart

You walked back over to the car, and Five leaned against it, hands in his pockets. You grabbed his hat again, placing it on your head like it had been before.

"Still looks better on you," Five said, and you snorted, pressing your lips to his. His hands fit around your waist perfectly, and you let your fingers wind into his hair. You pulled away with a quiet gasp, and he let out a shaky breath, his eyes locked on yours.

"Five," you said quietly. "You never told me your name."

There was a long silence in which he didn't say anything, and when you tried to meet his eyes finally, he was staring at the sky.

"That's because I never had one," he admitted, and you frowned.

"But-"

"I wanted to be like you," he said before you could contradict him. "I wanted to have something special to myself, just like you did. Something that was mine and mine alone. So I lied."

He didn't seem to think it required any more explanation than that, and so you leaned against the car next to him, biting your lip.

"Oh," you said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing to be sorry about," he said, still looking at the sky pensively. "Five is a fine name."

"I think so, too," you said. "It sounds better than Eight, at least."

Five scoffed, shaking his head.

"Not better than (Y/N), though."

You looked at the ground. The name left a bad taste on your tongue now that you knew your parents had sold you. They hadn't just abandoned you, they'd done it for... money. Something replaceable, gainable. So unlike a daughter.

"Hey," Five said gently, turning so that he was in front of you and cupping your face in your hands. "It doesn't matter if your parents were assholes, all right? It's a beautiful name, and you're a beautiful girl."

You laughed nervously, feeling your face grow warm.

"You're not so bad yourself, Five. Why are you being so sweet?"

He scoffed, looking away.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." You smiled up at him through your lashes. "Aww, am I your soft spot?"

You were only teasing, but his face grew red, and he shook his head.

"I don't have a soft spot, (Y/N). I've murdered too many people to count."

"Thanks for reminding me," you commented starkly, and he bit the inside of his lip.

"What I'm trying to say is that I may have changed, but there will always be that part about me." He looked down at you, his expression almost betraying nerves. "I've killed people, and I know that upsets you."

"Hey, stop," you said quickly, reaching forward and taking his hand. "I don't care if you've killed a million people. I'll love you no matter what, Five Hargreeves."

When he didn't say anything, you looked up at him, confused. He had a bewildered expression on his face, his mouth tilted up slightly in a smug smile.

"Oh, shit," you whispered before backing away, but Five held on tighter to your hand and pulled you closer so that your noses and foreheads were pressed together. You breathed faster, heart hammering. "I - I didn't, I... it was an-"

"I love you too, (Y/N)," he said, and you closed your eyes in relief. "I'll love you even after the world falls apart."

"Odd choice of words," you said with a breathless laugh, and he smiled too, pressing a kiss to your lips.