Ruins (Five Hargreeves)

Thirty-One - Old Habits

JAY DID NOT KNOW HOW SHE FELT. She was glad Five was alive, which was somehow both obvious and strange. She was also pissed off in the way only Five could make her.

Oh yeah, and the world was ending. Again. That wasn't great.

Five and Diego were frantic. Five paced back and forth in front of the screen, scratching the back of his neck till the skin was red with claw marks. Diego sat solemnly on the kitchen countertop.

"Of course Dad would be involved in the assassination. I should've known." He said.

"What's it to you?" Jay asked.

"He wants to stop the assassination of JFK." Five told her, still pacing.

"Of course you do." Jay pinched the bridge of her nose. "And by the way, you're an idiot. How and why would your dad kill the president?"

He shot to his feet, stalking closer to her while pointing at the screen. "Well what the hell else is he doing standing on the grassy knoll, holding an open umbrella on a sunny day in Dallas the exact same moment the president gets shot?!"

"Get the fuck away from me."

Five pulled his brother away, gripping him by the shoulders. "It doesn't look good, I admit."

"No he's the signalman for the whole goddamn thing." Diego said, mostly to himself.

"You're delusional." Jay said from behind him.

"No it makes sense,"

"It really doesn't."

"This is what Hazel was obviously trying to tell you." Diego said to Five. "We have to stop Dad from killing the president."

"You know -" Jay spoke up.

"Don't." Five said.

"You don't even -"

"I do know what you were gonna say and I know he'd kill you for it."

"He'd try." Jay laughed, arms folded. "You think I can't take your idiot brother?"

"I think it's not worth the time, effort or headache."

"I forgot how much I hate you."

"Well that's on you for being an idiot."

Diego cut in, looking between the two of them with evident confusion. "Wait what did you do?"

"Nothing." Five said with a pointed look at Jay. "Now calm down Diego, alright? Dad was no boy scout, but presidential assassination? It's never been his thing."

"How would you know?" Diego said. "You skipped out on his golden years."

"Let's not compare daddy issues, okay? This isn't a competition and if it was, I'd win." Jay said with a shrug.

"We don't have the time for this right now." Five seethed at his brother, hand sliding towards Jay. She unfolded her arms and let him take her wrist. Christ that sent her reeling after so long. Five was either oblivious or unbothered. He started walking, dragging Jay behind him. That she hadn't missed. "Dad's clearly in Dallas, right? Let's just go talk to him. Maybe he can help us fix the timeline."

"Dallas is a big place." Diego said. "We need to find him first."

"Don't suppose you've ever heard of phonebook, ay kid?" From the look on his face, Diego hadn't. Jay rolled her eyes. "Fucking millennials."

"Yeah okay boomer." Diego called as Jay walked away, rummaging through Elliott's drawers and cabinets.

"Oh I'm much older than that." She grinned, producing a thick, heavy blue book. "They call my kind the Greatest Generation."