RUN BOY RUN- reader x Five Hargreeves

Part Five

The night air was crisp as we exited the car, the city's ambient noise a stark contrast to the eerie silence that had followed us from Griddy's. Five's hand found mine, familiar and reassuring, as we approached Vanya's building. Without warning, the world shifted, reality bending around us as Five jumped us directly into the apartment. The room materialized around us, modest and dimly lit. A couple of chairs and a worn couch were the only furnishings, a far cry from the opulence of the Academy. As I moved towards one of the chairs, seeking a moment's rest for my aching body, Five's arm snaked around my waist. With a gentle but firm tug, he pulled me onto his lap as he settled into a chair. Confusion flickered across my face as I turned to look at him. His expression was unreadable, a mix of concern and something deeper, more possessive. The words forming on my lips were cut short by the sound of a key in the lock.

Vanya's entrance was abrupt, her petite frame jolting with surprise. "Jesus," she gasped, one hand clutching the doorframe for support. Her eyes, wide with shock, darted between Five and me. Five's voice was nonchalant, as if materializing in someone's apartment was an everyday occurrence. "You should have locks on your windows." Vanya's response was tinged with exasperation as she hung her coat. "I live on the second floor." "Rapists can climb," Five retorted, his tone matter-of-fact. I felt his grip on my waist tighten slightly, a subtle reminder of the dangers lurking in the world we'd returned to. Vanya's gaze settled on us, her brow furrowing. "You are so weird," she muttered, sinking onto the couch across from us. Her eyes widened as they caught the dark stains on Five's sleeve. "Is that blood?" Five glanced down, his response dismissive. "It's nothing." But Vanya's sharp intake of breath told me she'd spotted my injury as well.

"You have one too," she said, rising quickly. As she moved to attend to Five, his arm locked around me, preventing me from shifting off his lap. His lips brushed my ear, his whisper sending a shiver down my spine. "Why didn't you tell me?" I swallowed hard, acutely aware of his proximity. "You were a little busy at the time," I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. Vanya returned with a first aid kit, gently coaxing me onto the couch. As she began cleaning Five's wound, her question hung in the air. "Why are you guys here?" Five's gaze flickered between Vanya and me, his expression softening almost imperceptibly. "I've decided that you two are the only ones I can trust." Vanya's surprise was evident. "Why me?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "I mean, I know why you would choose Y/n. But why me?"

Five's response was blunt. "Because you're ordinary." The words hung in the air, heavy with implication. I cleared my throat, shooting Five a pointed look. He caught my meaning, rephrasing quickly. "Because you'll listen." As Vanya finished with Five, she turned her attention to my leg. The gash was deeper than I'd realized, angry and raw in the apartment's soft light. I could feel Five's intense gaze on me as Vanya cleaned and bandaged the wound. His concern was palpable, a stark reminder of how much had changed – and how much hadn't – in the years we'd been apart. When I tried to stand, Vanya gently pushed me back onto the couch, shaking her head. I sighed, resigned to being fussed over. Five's voice cut through the quiet, laden with a weight that made both Vanya and me turn to him. "When I jumped, you know what I found?" We shook our heads in unison, the tension in the room palpable.

"Nothing," Five continued, his voice hollow. "Absolutely nothing. As far as I could see, I was the last person left alive. I never figured out what killed the human race." His eyes met mine, a flicker of vulnerability passing across his face before he steeled himself to continue. "I did find something. The date it happens. The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it."  The silence that followed was deafening. Vanya and I exchanged glances, the enormity of Five's revelation settling over us like a shroud. "I'll put on a pot of coffee," Vanya said softly, rising from the couch. Her movements were automatic, a search for normalcy in the face of the unthinkable. I turned to Five, taking in the weariness etched into his youthful features. "It's going to be a long night," I said, my voice gentle. "I can tell you have a lot to tell us." Five nodded, his shoulders sagging slightly as if the weight of his knowledge was a physical burden. As Vanya busied herself in the kitchen, the soft clink of mugs and the gurgle of the coffee maker provided a mundane soundtrack to our impending discussion of the apocalypse. I shifted on the couch, wincing slightly as the movement aggravated my injury. Five was at my side in an instant, his hand resting lightly on my knee. The gesture was both comforting and electrifying, a reminder of the complex bond we shared. "Start from the beginning," I urged softly, as Vanya returned with steaming mugs of coffee. "Tell us everything."

Five took a deep breath, his fingers curling around the warm mug. "It all started the day I left," he began, his voice steady despite the pain I could see in his eyes. "I was so sure of myself, so certain that I could master time travel. But I was wrong." As Five recounted his harrowing experiences in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, I found myself reaching for his hand. Our fingers intertwined, a physical anchor in the storm of his memories. Vanya listened intently, her eyes wide with a mix of horror and fascination. The night deepened around us, the city outside oblivious to the tale of its own destruction unfolding in Vanya's small apartment. Five spoke of years of isolation, of desperate searches for answers, of the relentless drive to find a way back – not just to us, but to a time when he could prevent the catastrophe.

As dawn began to break, casting long shadows across the room, Five's story came to an end. The three of us sat in silence, the empty coffee mugs and the weight of Five's revelations heavy between us. "So what do we do now?" Vanya asked, her voice small in the face of such monumental knowledge. Five's gaze met mine, a silent communication passing between us. "We prepare," he said firmly. "We gather information, we strategize, and we do whatever it takes to stop this." I nodded, squeezing his hand. "We're with you, Five. Whatever it takes." As Vanya began to clear away the mugs, I turned to Five. The vulnerability I'd glimpsed earlier was gone, replaced by a steely determination. 

But beneath it all, I could see the boy I'd grown up with, the one who'd always protected me, always pushed me to be stronger. "We should get some rest," I suggested, noting the dark circles under Five's eyes. "We've got a long road ahead of us." Five nodded, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. "Y/n," he said softly, his voice low enough that Vanya couldn't hear from the kitchen. "Thank you for being here. For believing me." I leaned in, resting my forehead against his. "Always," I whispered. "We're in this together, remember? Just like old times." As we settled in for a few hours of much-needed sleep, the weight of Five's revelation hung over us. Eight days to save the world. It seemed impossible, but then again, so did a lot of things about our lives. As I drifted off, Five's warmth beside me, I knew that whatever came next, we'd face it as we always had – together.