The Space Between Us (S2) || Five Hargreeves x Reader

☕️ Chapter Eleven ☕️

~ Five's POV ~

"You seem to be the most sensible one of the group." Dad remarks, sitting us at a bar.

I shrug. "Y/n's really sensible too, but yes. I'm probably the most sensible, since I'm the oldest." He gives me a strange look. "You know...technically, I'm older than you right now."

The bartender sets a bottle in front of him. "Cognac?"

"Just a smidge." I reply.

"The other night you quoted Homer at me. Why?" He asks.

"You forced us all to learn it as kids." I answer. "In the original Greek, no less." He hands me my glass and I take a sip. "Listen...this world ends in five days, if we don't get out of this timeline."

"Worlds end. Paleozoic, Jurassic, and so on." He replies.

I set my glass down. "Sure, but we can do something about this one."

"Mans greatest fear." He starts. "The illusion of control."

I glance at him. "I need your help. We all do. Alright? You're my last sane option. Otherwise, Y/n and I have to make a deal that we really don't want to make."

"You seem extremely close to her." He notes. "She's the one with telekinesis, yes?"

I nod. "Yes, but that's not the point. What do you know about time travel?"

"In theory?" He asks.

"In practice." I correct.

He sighs. "I know it's akin to descending blindly into the depths of freezing water and reappearing-"

"As an acorn, yeah." I complete.

"What transpired when you tried traveling before?" He asks.

"I botched it." I answer.

"How?" He questions.

"I jumped too far forward, got stuck in the future for forty-five years in an apocalypse. Then, I jumped too far backwards, except this time...I brought my entire family with me." I reply.

"Maybe your appetite is disproportionate to the size of your abilities." He suggests. "Start small. Seconds, not decades."

I look at him in disbelief. "Seconds?" He hums positively, making me scoff lightly. "Look. I mean no offense, but I need a bit more time for what I'm trying to accomplish."

"So much can change in a matter of seconds." He replies. "One could overthrow a kingdom. One could fall in love." An image of Y/n flashed into my head. "An acorn doesn't become an oak overnight."

"I was really hoping you had more than that." I reply.

"I'm sorry that I can't be of more help." He apologizes.

"I'm sorry too." I apologize. "I gave you such a hard time as a kid. I...I didn't know better."

He hums. "No skin off my teeth, old man."

I sigh and drink the rest of my drink and climb off my chair. "I'll be leaving now. Y/n's waiting for me downstairs and..." I inhale deeply. "We've got something to do."

He nods in my direction. "Good talk, old chap."

I leave the room and go to the elevators and press the button to go down and it almost instantly opens up. So, I get on, press the ground level button, and frustratedly run a hand through my hair.

Since the talk with Dad basically got me no where, we're going to have to take up on The Handler's offer: Assassinating the Board of Directors. It's unfortunately the only option we've got left. I've run into a dead end on ideas.