|Doppelgänger| Five Hargreeves

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟓

 First person pov

Five and I were waiting for The Handler to show up at the back alley we all landed, coincidentally. We didn't really talk since we left 1982, mostly because Five was too caught up with his own thoughts. He didn't even look at me directly either, like he was ashamed of something.

I glanced at him while leaning my back on a wall, seeing him picking on his bloody nails, the other hand holding a plastic bag filled with water, the fish who once was a man swimming around the small space he had.

Sighing, I approached the boy and held his hand that he kept picking nervously. My action made him stop, but he still didn't look at me.

_"You're gonna hurt yourself if you scratch too hard."-I said softly, then grabbing a handkerchief from my dress pocket and wiping the dried blood of his fingers.

_"...Why are you acting so normal?"-He finally said, almost as a whisper. I looked at him, raising a brow in confusion.

_"What do you mean? Should I be acting differently?"

_"Yes. You should. Y/n, I'm standing in front of you, covered in blood because I just killed a whole board of people, and you don't seem shaken by that at all."-He finally looked up at me. I saw frustration in his eyes, but also fear. Fear that I would actually react the way he was telling me to.

_"Because I'm not. You did what you did because you had to, and I know that. I know you didn't want to, but you didn't have a choice. I know you long enough to tell that you're not just a psycho who hurts for pleasure, nor a bad person at all."

_"...You know me for, like, two weeks, technically."-I chuckled at what he said, and sighed.

_"That's long enough. And it's actually a few months for me. But, leaving that aside...Please don't say I should be scared of you or something like that. I have no reason to feel fear towards you. I've met psychos before, you're nothing like them."-Our eyes finally met after what I said, and I smiled, being blessed with the sight of those gorgeous green eyes.

I slowly lifted my handkerchief to his face, and wiped some of the blood there as well as he kept staring at me with shiny eyes. It made me feel a bit flustered, his gaze being so intense.

Our "peaceful" moment was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming from behind Five. Me being in front of him made it easy to see who that was. As expected, it was The Handler. Five looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded my head slightly, both of us sighing at the same time.

_"Well?"-The woman said. Her voice almost made my blood boil. Five shoved the plastic bag with the fish in her direction, making her gasp in surprise.

_"AJ!"-She grabbed the bag and crackled a laugh, making me feel sorry for the fish. I reached to grab Five's blazer sleeve, making him realize my anger towards the woman that only grew. He grabbed my hand, and rubbed his thumb on it softly, calming me down.

_"You know, you're really starting to fill out those tight little shorts of yours."-That comment made me extremely uncomfortable, making me pull Five towards me a bit more. Through the corner of my eye, I saw him glancing at me while I glared at the woman. He interlocked our fingers, and leaned towards me to whisper something in my ear.

_"Try not to burn a hole in her with your eyes."-I glanced up at him for a second, taking a deep breath as I saw the woman giggling at the fish again.

_"Why so quiet? Thought you'd be buzzing after this morning's slaughter."-She said, eyeing Five.

_"All this killing... I'm done with it."-I smiled weakly at Five's statement, and it was my turn to rub his hand. He squeezed mine for reassurance, and I squeezed back, giving it to him.