KITTEN || five hargreeves

07

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"Is this really the end? After everything we've been through?"

Kit would look at Five mournfully, the crowd greeting the president cheering from behind the gate. Five would look at her, his white hair slightly crazed and his old face turned downwards, hesitant to meet her eyes. She would lift his chin with her finger, blue against brown colliding.

"This isn't the end. It's only the beginning."

Five would lean down and kiss her, just as she had imagined it would be like. Their lips fit like puzzle pieces, her's warmer than his, arms winding around each other. In the four years they had been together Kit had grown closer and closer, and now she would never let him go.

Five would pull apart, smiling at her, and she would join him in 2019 to help him save the world.

That's always how Kit had imagined it would happen if she hadn't been shot and he hadn't left without saying goodbye. She had replayed that scene on repeat in her mind, but at times she couldn't get past how she would say goodbye.

Kit smiled softly as she imagined, watching Five talk to his brother through the glass. "Only one visitor at a time ma'am," the officer had told her, and she complied, sneered at him as he shut the door behind him. Too uninterested to read their lips, and knowing Five would fill her in later, she only looked up when Diego lunged at Five and was slammed into the table. Five whispered something in his ear before departing, nodding at the officer Kit had previously sneered at.

"So much for needing me," Kit complained, following his hasty footsteps.

"There's more that you can help me with than a short chit-chat with my brother," he retorted. They followed the hallway and entered the balmy Dallas air.

"Well, where to next?" Kit skipped ahead, turning around to skip backwards when he was behind her. To anyone else, they looked like two teenagers on a lovely stroll, young and in love. Kit and Five were not at all young. In love... well, Kit was unsure.

When Morty's was in sight Five phased them into Elliot's living room, causing him to knock over a glass in surprise. Kit had once asked Five why he was so comfortable in phasing with the both of them; to which he replied that he felt as if Kit was a part of himself, in a way. Kit didn't ask any more questions after that.

"Jesus," Elliot replied to their sudden appearance, rubbing his hands together and trying to avoid the glass.

"Nope." Five walked towards him, and Elliot backed up skittishly. "Got any more coffee?"

"What he means is," Kit interrupted, stepping off to the side and into Elliot's line of sight, "Do you have anymore ideas about where the other people from the anomalies may have gone?"

Five grumbled and glared at her as Elliot nodded.

"I saw one, the big one, go into the strip club a couple of blocks over a while back. I don't know if he's the one you want-"

"Perfect." Five smiled at him, Elliot blinking at the fake gratitude spilling out of the kid. "We'll be back." He grabbed Kit and blinked out of Morty's, leaving Elliot standing there, wondering yet again what the hell had just happened.

"Y'know, the stairs were just right there."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Noted." Kit continued to follow Five's frantic pace through the city. "Do you even know where you're going?"

"No! Yes? I just-" Five paused, rubbing his eyes irritably. He could feel the tears of frustration well up and he cursed himself, panicked like never before.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kit stood in front of him, trying to get his hands away from his face.

Five felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Hey, look at me. Can you tell me what's happening right now? Do you feel okay?" Kit's voice felt far away, but Five still responded.

"No, not okay. Can't breathe."

"Okay, okay. Can you try to breathe with me? I'm going to count to ten and breathe in-"

Five shook his head, pushing her away from him. "No, I'm okay, we have to keep going-"

Kit grabbed his hand and led him to a bench, putting her hands on his cheeks. "You're having a panic attack, Five, but it's all going to be alright. Just keep looking at me, okay?" She grabbed one of his hands and put it on her chest. "Breathe with me."

The cars shrank around Five as the sunset splayed gorgeous pinks and yellows across Kit's face, and he concentrated, breathing with her until his heartbeat slowed down. The world came back into focus a few seconds later.

"I'm okay."

Kit breathed out. "Are you just saying that? Or are you really okay?"

"I'm okay, Kit." He looked at her pointedly. "Thank you."

Kit was unaware Five's voice could be so genuine, so soft. She nodded back at him.

"You're welcome. Just- listen to me next time, okay?"

Five laughed. Kit marveled at the sound. It was a rare feat to make The Boy laugh like that, and Kit was overjoyed that she was the cause. Kit leaned her head into his shoulder for a moment, gripping his arm, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go find your other brother."

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