BONNIE & CLYDE ⌊ five hargreeves ⌉

ONE

⌊ . from then to now ⌉

HE HIT THE ground with a thud, pain resonated through Five's body in waves. But that wasn't why he gripped the grass beneath him with white knuckles, or why his teeth were clenched together so hard his teeth threatened to shatter. No, the physical pain wasn't what bothered him, but the emotional . He couldn't stop his heart that slammed against his chest or his mind that screamed at him and he couldn't make the invisible weight that rested on his lips go away. But he had to shove it down deep within himself because if there was one thing he didn't have anymore, it was time. He didn't have time to think on his feelings, or on the girl who made his head hurt when trying to understand her. He had to focus on the fact that his siblings stood frozen in shock before him, that he was definitely not supposed to be this short compared to them, and that he had an apocalypse to stop.

Releasing his deadly grip on the grass, he slowly forced himself up. And as he rose, he pushed the thoughts of her down. That's how he'd refer to her from now on: her. Even the thought of her name sent his mind in spirals. Five couldn't understand why. Why would she push him in? Why would she leave him to do this alone?

Why did she kiss him like that? That kiss that had shattered his very existence and resolve. He had come undone in her hands, melted like a popsicle under the sun on a hot summer day-and her lips had tasted just as sweet. Her scent had encased him in a warm, inviting hug. The light scent of jasmines and sweat and wet dirt, an odd combination but the perfect smell for her. It had been the first time Five had felt safe. The first time he felt that he could just let go and everything would be ok.

Then she had let him go. And all the scents and taste and smells and feelings were replaced with the cold and emptiness. And Five was falling. Falling away from her and into this other place he once called home.

Looking at his all siblings-now much older, but together-Five had to admit he felt a small spark of warmth hit his chest. But it couldn't match the flurry of heat he had felt when his lips had been pushed against her's.

"Five?"

The universe had finally decided to give Five a break, albeit a small one. While his calculations were never wrong, he hadn't been sure just when he would arrive in time. But he had landed on a point where they were all together. As he dusted himself off and brushed past his stunned siblings, Five was glad.

At first.

With them all together, Five had hoped that they could stop the coming apocalypse as a family of sorts. But as he made himself a quick meal-a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich (trust him it was delicious)-he realized the fault in that train of thought. He answered some of their useless questions thrown his way such as:

Where did you go? The future.

Just how old are you? His consciousness was 58, but his body was 14 again. So his calculations were a little off.

How did you get back? He had projected his consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of himself that existed across every possible instance of time.

What does that even mean? He told them their puny sized brains wouldn't understand any way he put it, which angered Diego enough to start a fight. One that he would quickly lose and Five would easily win had it not been for Luther, who stopped Diego in his steps.

They asked him more questions, all of them useless to his cause. And as he observed their confused faces as he explained the same things over and over and over, Five realized that they weren't going to be of any help.

They were only going to hold him back, and so he'd only use them when it was absolutely required for success.

He quickly shook off the disappointment. He should've seen this outcome from miles away. They were never truly a real family or even a real team before. They hadn't helped him in the past. So why did he think they'd be helpful now either?

How could people be so extraordinary and superhuman, yet so pathetic?

The question ran through his mind as he and his siblings grouped together outside in some sort of tragic memoriam for Reginald Hargreeves, their father-although he didn't deserve the title. He thought it as he watched his father's ashes thump on the wet grass and as he watched Diego and Luther fight and as the rest of his siblings tried to break it up.

How pathetic were they?

Luther had godlike strength; Diego, superhuman knife throwing accuracy; Allison, mind control abilities; and Klaus could communicate with the dead. Yet they all yelled and whined like any other regular, beyond average person on the earth. If any of them were to be considered pitiful it should've been Vanya. After all, she was the powerless one in a house full of superhumans.

Five pursed his lips. His mind reeled and the need for silence suddenly overcame him.

"I'm taking the car."

Allison faced him, eyebrows raised. "What? Where are you going?"

Five grasped the keys off the counter. "To get a decant cup of coffee."

"Do you even know how to drive?"

"I know how to do everything."

( . b o n n i e & c l y d e )