Attacca ─ Five Hargreeves

13. Take A Chance With Me

Five had never been in love. No one lectured him about it, no time to dredge up more with all the time spent edging his abilities and taking down evil. Was it something that could be taught? Or did it just happen? After all, he had only known three females in his life ever. He believed all his siblings were incapable of deciphering it either, they were terrible at it, they alone were attempting to wring affection from someone who was repellent to it, how would they know any better? But, one time, he remembered he heard Klaus taunting Allison about being in love, but with whom? There were no other boys in the Academy aside from his brothers.

Until Vanya told him about their father catching Luther and Allison somewhere secluded in the Academy—the building was so big, he hadn't even had a chance to fully explore it. Though he acted like he did not care, the next day he kept his eyes on them bafflingly during lunch, and God, was he mortified. The way they stole glances at each other and then smiled shyly like a loser. He had to hold back his gag as he stared wide-eyed at Vanya who was swallowing back laughter at his expression. Luther and Allison? Weren't they supposed to be siblings? That was what tiptoed in his mind almost immediately.

But as the days passed and more pressures packed their time, Five paid the two no mind, and the next thing he knew, he was here. One thing he also learned, the adult version of Allison married someone else.

Five didn't know what it was like to be in love. If at that time Luther and Allison beamed at each other the moment their eyes locked, he didn't. Instead of a smile, a frown perched on his features, and the fervid tenacity to bring Genevieve home directly coated his nerves. It still felt the same, every time he looked at the woman, his heart felt like it was shattered to pieces. She didn't belong here, both of them should have lived in their time, not in the future that certainly did not exist anymore. He did realise the subtle shift in his heartbeat at any moment she was an arm's length away, they had indeed cradled each other, but it was only when they were on the verge of dying or when they were buried in deep sorrow or when they truly needed all the comfort to go on.

It wasn't supposed to be like that, was it?

Five didn't think it was. Despite the lack of insight, he wasn't that entirely clueless, sources were squarely everywhere. The sphere outside the Academy had a clear perspective on people falling in love—on each street corner, there were always scenes of a couple or even throuple immersed in their own world. And they seemed happy, at least that was how it appeared to him. So it only made sense that he would speculate love should be like that. It was supposed to be a cherished paroxysm, the kind of sensation that brought euphoria, the one that made the concept of tomorrow seem heavenly. However, it also required mutual feelings, a somewhat sane mind, and a supportive setting.

Clearly, Five didn't have any of that.

Perhaps that was what kept him from letting love define what they already had. It also didn't fit in their situation where survival was a priority. As long as Genevieve still wore the necklace from him, it was enough to depict that he was probably a significant part of her life too. Because she was to him. She was the piece that mended him, clogging that poisonous void inside, she was his sanity. He would literally tear through time and space, giving up everything if something happened to her.

"Don't use your power too much, Eve," warned Five when he noticed her so enthralled in tending her small huddle of plants. Or a series of Lotus flowers, she frequently corrected him.

It had been over two years since they had a sheer layover other than him struggling with the equations. The last place Grace had prepared for Genevieve was a little mansion, at least it used to be. It was pretty much destroyed, only the basement remained, much the same as when Five found her the first time. They brought a few things from there, one of which was a withered plant and some bottles of liquor.