ik this is probably weird bc u made this a year ago but would u still be up for making a bonus chapter? like emery’s life now with trent and gigi, especially after moving to madrid? i wanna know more about how they met and their relationship lol
heyy, omg it’s been so long since i wrote that but sure. I’ll try to make a mix so to show how they met and how they are settling in to Madrid and all or maybe a mix of a specific thing — I’ll work something out 💗
I received a request quite a while ago for a fluffy, sweet one-shot where Five befriends a single mom. Hope you like a super soft Five, cause that's what this is! ❤️
Five listened to the sound of happy children playing and screaming, along with the quiet hum of distant traffic and the crunch of bike tires as they rolled across the gravel pathways of his favorite city park. He found his usual bench, brushing off a few fallen leaves before easing himself onto it with the groan of someone years older than he looked. As soon as he was situated, he glanced around and waited. It never took long before they found him. Sure enough, less than 30 seconds later, the gang of ne’er-do-wells showed up out of nowhere.
Five’s bird friends consisted mostly of some mangy looking pigeons, a few brown sparrows, and one particularly ornery blue jay. They knew him by sight and would flock at his feet whenever he came to visit. As they gathered around, cooing, chirping and hopping excitedly, Five smiled down at them.
“Hi, guys,” he said quietly. “How’ve you been? Staying out of trouble?”
As usual, he received no real response, but more flitters and flapping of wings. That was ok, though. He didn’t mind the one-sided conversations.
Pulling a small bag of bird seed out of his inside coat pocket, he continued talking.
“Sorry I missed you yesterday.” He sprinkled a handful of the seed on the ground and watched as the excitement of the crew intensified. “Klaus needed a ride to the dentist. He said to say hi.”
Five watched the intricate dance of bird hierarchy unraveling before him. He already knew their order of rank and which bird was going to get the majority of the feast while the others waited their turns.
“Wren Franklin…be nice. Bernice isn’t taking your share, Jack Sparrow, so quit your squawking.”
He threw another handful on the ground. “Trucker Bob, it’s ok buddy…you get on in there, they aren’t going to hurt you.” Five suddenly stomped his foot at the blue jay, causing everyone to scatter for a brief moment before scurrying back again. “Sandra Jay O’Connor, I saw that! If I see you peck at poor Mr. Tippington again, you will be banned for a month!”
As Five cursed the blue jay while cooing soft words of encouragement to a small and plain-looking brown bird, he heard a quiet giggle nearby. Sensing it was aimed in his direction, he looked up. On the next bench over, he saw you. Your eyes sparkled as you tried to stifle your laugh. You looked abruptly away as soon as Five glanced at you.
Five smiled softly to himself. He knew he looked and sounded like a crazy person. But he sensed you weren’t making fun of him, just that you were amused.
“You laugh, but I’ve seen that bird fly right onto a man’s head and fly off with his toupee purely for spite. Granted, she was probably doing him a favor because it was god awful, but still.”
You looked at Five and laughed shyly again before shaking your head. “I had no idea bird crime was so rampant in this city.”
“Oh, yes,” Five nodded solemnly. “In fact, I advise you to stay away from the park at night. You might find yourself in the middle of a fly-by shooting. Lots of bird gang violence around here.”
“Is that so? Well, thank you for the heads up,” you said with a smile. Just then, your 5 year-old daughter ran up, out of breath. You handed her a bottle of water. “Ready to go, sweetie?”
The little girl nodded while taking a sip. “Yep.”
You got up and started to walk away, taking your daughter’s hand in yours. You stopped and looked back at Five, who was still watching you. “Have a nice afternoon with your friends there, and I hope Mr. Tippington is ok.”
Five grinned widely. “Thank you, and he’ll be just fine.”
You nodded with a smile and turned to leave. Five watched you go, ignoring the fact that his feathered friends were now clearly irritated that their benefactor had yet to give them their full ration of seed for the day.
Two days later, and Five was back on his favorite bench. As he was in the middle of another inciteful, one-way conversation with his buddies on the ground, he heard a familiar voice from behind.
“Go along and play, Cassie, I’ll watch you from here.”
When Five turned, he saw you standing there. Your eyes sparkled in the sunlight just like the first time he saw you.
“So, do these birds do anything for you in return for you feeding them? Like bringing you gifts, or doing your taxes?” you teased.
Five chuckled. “No. They just let me talk their ears off while they eat.”
“Huh. Do birds have ears?”
Five shrugged. “You know, I’m not sure. Maybe that’s why they don’t care that I’m talking at them.”
You laughed and gestured to the empty side of Five’s bench. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
As Five moved over to make more room for you, you introduced yourself with a handshake.
“Nice to meet you. Five Hargreeves,” he said.
“Hargreeves? Why does that name sound familiar?” you asked, tilting your head.
Five sighed quietly. He really wondered why he hadn’t just picked another name by now. It would make things so much easier.
“Does The Umbrella Academy ring any bells?”
You were thoughtful for a second and then the lightbulb went on. “You’re kidding! You were…are…one of them?”
Five nodded. “Sure am. Good old Number Five.”
“I see,” you responded with a smile as you looked him up and down. “So, which one were you? I mean, what can you do?”
“Teleportation. Time travel.” He paused. “Pigeon summoning.”
You laughed. “Very cool. I can see your very impressive pigeon power in action now, but you’ll have to show me the others sometime.”
Five smiled. “Sure thing.”
You nodded. “Ok, Number Five. So, I’ve seen you around the park here a lot. Are you here with your kids, too?”
Five felt called out and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. “Uh, no. No kids.” He was really hoping you didn’t think he was some creeper hanging out at the park for less innocent reasons. “Don’t worry, though. I just like to come here and feed these guys,” he explained, gesturing to the birds on the ground. “It’s like therapy but without the judgment and bill at the end.”
You looked dubious for just a moment, glancing over at the play structure where your daughter was swinging happily. But when you turned to face Five again, you relaxed. You glanced down at the birds. “They certainly seem to like you.”
Five shrugged. “I think they just view me as a human vending machine.” He held out the bag of seed towards you. “Want to be the hero?”
You nodded and reached into the bag, scooping up some seed and tossing it on the ground. The birds went crazy, tweeting and flapping their wings, making you laugh. Five grinned.
“See? They have no loyalty.”
“I see that. But you have names for them all?”
“Ah, well…some of them. At least the usual ones that come around. It’s rather interesting to observe their little avian society.” Five stopped, realizing that he sounded like a weirdo. “I’m sorry. I’m not a complete lunatic, I promise.”
You laughed, and once again Five could tell you weren’t making fun of him. You seemed genuinely charmed by him. You also had a very calming presence, he noticed. He didn’t feel awkward or on edge when talking with you, which was a refreshing change of pace these days.
“I don’t think you’re a lunatic. Believe me, I can spot them from a mile away and you’re not one.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.”
You jumped when you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket from an incoming call. You held it up to Five with an exasperated sigh. “Sorry, I have to take this. It’s my ex and he’s supposed to take our daughter this weekend, so I have to figure out the details.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
As you turned to walk away for more privacy, Five took a look over at the playground. He saw the little girl you had called Cassie, climbing up the ladder to the monkey bars. She was small and Five watched as she got to the top rung, hesitantly reaching out for the first bar to cross. As she swung out, Five could see she wasn’t truly comfortable with what she was doing, and the ground was pretty far below. He stood up, looking over at you, but your back was turned as you were trying to focus on the call. When he turned back to the girl, he saw it start to happen like it was in slow motion. On the second bar, one of her hands started to slip, leaving her dangling by a few fingers. She let out a scream that got your attention, but it was too late.
Just as your daughter lost her grip with her remaining hand and began to fall to the ground, Five blinked directly under her, catching her just in time. As he stood there with your daughter in his arms, both of them looking shocked, you ran over in a panic.
“Cassie! Oh my god, are you ok?”
She nodded, still looking up at the mysterious man that had appeared out of the literal blue to save her. “Yeah.”
Five set her down and she ran to you, hugging you tightly around your waist. You held her to you and looked up at Five.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. I can’t believe I wasn’t watching…but you were…oh my god if you weren’t here…”
“No problem. I’m just glad I got there in time.”
You choked back the tears you could feel coming on. “I’m a terrible mother, aren’t I? I just let my kid fall off the monkey bars because I wasn’t paying attention. What kind of person does that?”
Five smiled gently. “A normal one. Of course you’re not a terrible mother.”
“You don’t even know me,” you sniffed with a smile.
“True. But in the very short time we’ve been talking, I can tell that you’re a great parent. Just like you can sniff out the lunatics, I can spot a shitty parent a mile away.”
Cassie let go of you, glancing back at Five with a smile and then back at you. “It’s true, mommy, you’re not shitty at all.”
“Cassie!” you gasped in horror at your daughter’s language.
Five tried to hold it in, but he had to laugh, which made Cassie laugh, which then made you laugh.
“Sorry, I think that’s my fault,” Five said.
“Well, I’d like to blame you, but the truth is I have a bad habit of swearing like a sailor myself. I just usually try to keep it to a minimum around her, but I’m not always successful.”
Five nodded with a smile before crouching down in front of Cassie. “Maybe next time stick with the swings, ok?”
Cassie frowned, her eyebrows scrunched together as she crossed her arms. “Swings are for babies. I can DO the monkey bars, but these were slippery. Someone made them slippery.”
Five looked back up at you with a grin, then back at Cassie, fixing his face so that he was serious again. “I bet they did. That seems like a very logical explanation; I can tell you are very smart.”
Cassie uncrossed her arms with a smile and nodded. “I am! I get in trouble at school for saying I’m smarter than the other kids, but it’s not my fault. I’m only telling the truth.”
“We’re working on being humble, aren’t we Cassie?” you said in a reproving way.
Five chuckled and leaned in to whisper to Cassie, making sure he was still loud enough that you could hear. “I completely understand. I have the same problem.”
The little girl nodded solemnly, recognizing a fellow put-upon genius in her midst. She looked back up at you. “Can I go on the slide now?”
“Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yes, I’m ok.”
“Alright, then. I promise I’ll be watching.”
As she ran off to the slide, you turned to Five. “I should probably go over and stand at the bottom. Just in case.”
“Oh sure, I understand.”
“Really, I can’t thank you enough, Five. You’re amazing.”
Five put his hands in his pockets and smiled shyly. “I think amazing is a bit much, but you’re welcome.”
“So, will you be coming by to feed your buddies tomorrow?”
“Most likely, yes.”
You nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I was thinking that I might bring Cassie back here tomorrow as well. Maybe around 2pm? Do you think you’ll be here then?”
“I think I will definitely be here at 2pm.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
With a smile, you gave him a small wave and turned to go join your daughter at the slide. Five watched you walk away, unable to keep the growing grin off his face. This was the most interaction he’d had with anyone that wasn’t part of his family in a very long time and it felt surprisingly good. Really good.
The next day, Five was already waiting at his usual bench when you and Cassie found your way over to him. When he saw you, he stood up, holding out a cup of coffee for you. His own cup was on the bench next to where he had been sitting.
“I wasn’t sure how you liked it. Or, even if you drank coffee, but here you go. It’s just black.”
As you took the cup, you giggled. “Yes, I do drink coffee, and black is perfect. Thank you so much, that wasn’t necessary.”
Five shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I was getting one for myself anyway, so it was no trouble.”
Cassie watched as you and Five stood there smiling at one another, but not saying anything. Her eyebrows came together and she looked up at Five, tilting her head to one side.
“My mom said your name is Five.”
Snapping out of his trance, he addressed Cassie. “Yes, it is.”
“That’s a number.”
“Yes, it is.”
“That’s how old I am.”
Five nodded. “You seem very mature for your age.”
She paused, eyeing him up thoughtfully. “Five’s a weird name.”
“Cassie!” you cried out, completely embarrassed at your daughter’s lack of a filter.
Biting back a laugh, Five pretended to look confused. “What do you mean it’s weird? I know at least a dozen other people named Five.”
Cassie paused, trying to determine if he was telling the truth or not. Then she shook her head with a small smile. “No, you don’t.”
Five grinned. “See? I knew you were smart.”
You laughed at their interaction, looking around. “So, where are your friends?”
“Oh, I haven’t put out the buffet yet. They’ll be here though.” He turned to Cassie. “Would you like to help feed some very ungrateful birds with me?”
The little girl’s face lit up. “Yes!”
“Ok, then, here you go,” Five took out his usual bag of birdseed and handed it to Cassie. “Just start sprinkling it on the ground. They’ll be here before you know it.”
As she took the seed and started to throw handfuls around and up in the air, laughing to herself, you and Five sat on the bench and watched. Sure enough, after about a minute, the small flock began to swoop in. Five identified all of them that had names, which made Cassie laugh even harder. As she giggled and let out little shrieks of joy while she continued to throw them more food, you turned to Five.
“I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time.”
“Really?”
You nodded. “It’s been really hard on her since the divorce. She has to go back and forth from house to house every week. It’s stressful and I can see it taking a toll on her. Which, naturally, makes me feel like shit.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Five said earnestly. “But even if it’s hard on her now, it will be better for her in the long run. Kids are resilient and she really is very smart, so I have no doubt she’ll be fine. What happened with you and your ex, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Well,” you sighed, “it’s a long story. But the short version is that we got together when we were young and just outgrew one another over time. He’s not a bad guy, but we argued all the time. The love was gone and we just didn’t want to fight anymore.” You looked over at Cassie with a guilty frown. “I just wish I could protect her from all of this.”
Five was silent for a moment as he took that in. “Look, I’m not a parent and I don’t pretend to know anything about marriage, but I can tell you that it sounds like you did her a favor. Growing up in a house with constant bickering can be stressful in its own right. And not seeing any love between parents is even worse. So, she’ll be more than fine. You showed her that everyone deserves to be happy and she’ll carry that with her as she grows older.”
It had been so long since someone had said exactly what you needed to hear, that you immediately started to tear up. Hurriedly wiping your eyes, you laughed at yourself.
“Sorry, I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.” You looked up at Five with a grateful smile and patted his hand that was next to yours. “Thank you for that. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
Five swallowed nervously and looked down at your hand on top of his. “You’re welcome. And who knows, maybe you’ll find the right person down the road.”
“Yeah,” you said quietly, taking in his clear green eyes. “Maybe I will.”
“Mommy look!” Cassie shrieked with a laugh, jarring you and Five out of your moment.
You quickly pulled your hand away, turning your attention back to your daughter. She was standing there, smiling ear to ear, as a small, skinny pigeon sat on her shoulder like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“It likes me!”
Five laughed, shaking his head. “I have been coming here for months and not one of those damn birds has ever sat on me like that.”
You laughed, too. “Unbelievable.”
“What’s this one’s name, Five?” Cassie giggled.
“Oh, uh…yeah, that’s…Fred.”
As Cassie continued on, feeding and talking to Fred, you looked over at Five. “What was that about?”
He ran a hand through his hair and lowered his voice. “I actually call that one Fuck Face.”
When you doubled over with laughter, Five grinned from ear to ear. He’d never made anyone laugh like that before, and it was the best he’d felt in a very long time.
Over the next few weeks, you and Five built up a close friendship. He listened to your stories about single mom life and how it could be lonely and difficult. You listened to his stories of his traumatic past and how he was attempting to live as a normal man for once in his life. The conversation came easily and you never felt awkward around one another. Soon, he had integrated himself into your life, and into Cassie’s, too.
She loved spending time with Five, and on the days when you didn’t see him, she always asked about him. He liked to tease her and she was always ready with her own zingers to sling back at him. When she told him bad knock knock jokes, he would groan and tell her how horrible they were, but he would be smiling the whole time. You would sit back, watching their banter, thinking how cute they were.
There were more play dates at the park, more bird feedings, then lunch at a café, and eventually Sunday dinners at your house. Five had never felt this comfortable in his own skin before, and he actually thought he might have found what he had been looking for this whole time. Happiness.
Even though he had become such a big part of your life in such a short time, you and Five had not moved past the friends stage. You were still a little gun shy after the divorce, and you weren’t even sure Five was interested in you that way. Sure, there had been several times when you had caught him looking at you in that way that made your heart do a little flip in your chest. And maybe your breath hitched a little whenever his hand brushed against yours in passing. But you liked how things were between you. At least for now.
Five wasn’t sure how you felt about him, either. He knew you were coming off a bad relationship and you probably wanted nothing to do with men for the time being. He definitely liked spending time with you, though. He found he looked forward to it more and more. Seeing you smile when you saw him was the best part of his day. But he didn’t want to assume you were interested in anything more. If he made a move and you shot him down, not only would it be embarrassing, it might ruin what you already had. And that was too important to lose.
The three of you were at the park again, and you watched as Cassie dragged Five off toward her favorite twisty slide, taking his hand and pulling him along while he pretended to grumble about it. After he was forced to slide down the plastic slide, you laughed loudly when you saw him reach the bottom.
“What?” he asked, brushing the dust off of his pristinely pressed slacks.
“Your hair!” you laughed. “The static made it stick straight up!”
He patted at his crazy hair with a frown and tried to smash it down, which made you laugh even harder. After Cassie came tumbling out of the slide herself, Five pretended to be annoyed with her.
“Hey, kid, you didn’t tell me that slide would mess up my hair.”
Cassie giggled. “You look funny. Like a porcupine.”
After Five fixed himself as best he could, Cassie took his hand and tugged on it again, this time trying to get him to crouch down to her level. When he did, she rested her hand on his forehead for a second, pulling it back with a frown. Then she looked at Five with a shake of her head. “You don’t feel hot.”
“Should I? I’m not feeling sick.”
She looked over at you. “I heard you talking to Taylor’s mom at the bus stop and you said Five was hot.” She put her hand on his cheek. “He feels normal.”
If the ground suddenly opened up and swallowed you whole, you would not have been more grateful. Instead, you remained frozen, your face on fire and your mouth trying to form words that wouldn’t come.
“Uh…” was all that you stammered out.
In true kid fashion, Cassie was oblivious to the faux pas she created. As Five slowly stood up again, and Cassie skipped off to the swing set, unbothered by it all, his eyes met yours. The self-satisfied smirk on his face spoke a thousand words.
“You said I was hot?”
“I…no…I mean well yeah…kind of…” you tried to stumble your way through a cohesive sentence.
Five adopted his typical cool stance, with his hands in his pockets, as he continued to grin like an absolute asshole. “So, is Taylor’s mom cute? Did you give her my number?”
After a few more seconds of being mortified, you started to see the humor in the situation. You relaxed and laughed quietly, looking at the ground with a shake of your head. “Damn it, you’re an asshole sometimes, you know?”
“But still hot, right?”
“You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?” you said with a groan.
Five shook his head slowly. “Probably not.”
As you ran a hand down your still-flushed face, you sighed. With a raised eyebrow, you jabbed a finger in his direction. “You fucking know you’re hot, too. That’s what makes it worse.” When he laughed, but didn’t deny it, you sighed again.
On your way over to the swings, Five bumped you with his elbow. “You’re pretty hot yourself, you know.”
When you looked over, you saw the corner of his mouth turn up as he swallowed hard. His eyes skirted away from yours as he looked at the ground.
“Thanks, Five,” you said, suddenly feeling very warm again.
“You’re welcome.”
It was a few days later when your little trio was walking to the park from your house. After Five had joined you for dinner, you had decided to take some of the leftover bread to his group of feathered friends. As you got close to Five’s regular bench, Cassie stopped him.
“Wait. Can you do the whooshing thing with me?”
Five chuckled. “You mean blinking? I suppose. If your mom doesn’t mind.”
“You can do my mom, too,” Cassie added.
Trying to hide a laugh, he nodded. “I would love to do your mom.”
Even though that little side comment sent a tingle down your spine, you pretended you hadn’t noticed. “It’s ok, you two go ahead.”
Five shot you a very devious grin before grabbing you both by the arms and blinking you over to the bench. Your shriek of surprise was cut short as you appeared out of his portal. Cassie was falling on the ground in a fit of giggles while you tried to catch your breath with a hand on your chest.
“Sorry,” Five said, unsuccessfully holding back his own glee.
“You are not, liar,” you laughed.
With a shrug and a grin, Five handed Cassie the bread for the birds. “Here you go, kid, they should be pretty happy with this feast.”
When Cassie opened the bag and spread the crumbs on the ground, the birds descended, recognizing their new, smaller food-bringer.
“Mr. Tippington, it’s ok,” Cassie cooed to the little brown bird that had become her favorite. “Trucker Bob, you’ll like today’s dinner, it’s bread!” She swatted the angry blue jay away, just like Five had shown her. “Sandra Jay…you be nice or no one will be your friend.”
Sitting next to Five, on the bench where you had first saw him talking to those ridiculous birds, you turned to him and studied his profile. You knew his face more intimately than anyone else’s, you thought. How many times had you stared at it while he was talking? Taking in the sharp angles of his jaw and the way he swept the hair out of his eyes with an agitated hand. It made you wonder…what was stopping you from doing what you really wanted?
Out of nowhere, you leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. When you pulled back, you couldn’t help but let out a short burst of laughter because the expression on his face was one of complete and utter confusion.
“Sorry,” you said, looking down at your lap. “I couldn’t resist.”
After a few seconds of Five trying to get his wits about him again, he smiled. “I’m so glad you did that first.”
“What do you mea—”
Your question was cut off by Five’s lips meeting yours, his hand coming to rest on the back of your neck. His kiss was soft and pure, and unlike any other kiss you’d had before. When you finally opened your eyes, meeting his gorgeous emerald ones, you felt so good you couldn’t contain your giant grin.
“I’m not sure what took me so long,” you confessed.
“Me either,” Five said with a chuckle before leaning in again, letting himself get lost in the softness of your lips and the sound of your quiet, contented sigh.
It was magical, pure and simple, and he wasn’t even sure how this was even possible. He wasn’t sure he was deserving of it, but he would take it.
“EW!!!”
You and Five jumped, pulling apart abruptly as Cassie looked on, hands on her hips.
“That’s gross,” she complained.
“Sorry, honey, uh…Five and I were just…”
“Mommy, I’m not dumb. I know you were kissing and it’s definitely yucky. You’re going to get germs.” She paused. “Are you married now?”
Five laughed, and covered your hand with his. “No, we’re not married. But we like each other, is that ok?”
Cassie thought for a moment, the birds around her seeming to stop and think with her. “Yeah, it’s ok. Just remember I want a baby sister, not a baby brother.” Then she turned back to her birds, ignoring the two shocked adults.
“Well…sorry about that,” you responded with a cringe.
“No need to apologize. These are all good things to know. Yes to a baby sister, no to a baby brother.”
“Oh my gosh,” you said, covering your eyes in embarrassment.
Five gently moved your hand away. When you looked back at him, his soft smile told you everything you needed to know. And when he leaned in for another kiss, you felt like you were finally where you were supposed to be.
“I want this. Do you?” he asked, his voice heartbreakingly quiet.
You nodded. “Yes. I feel like…like we’re meant to be somehow. Does that make sense?”
“It makes perfect sense,” Five said before kissing you once again, cradling your face in his hand.
Five had found what he had never dared to dream of. Someone he didn’t have to lie to, or pretend with, or put up a wall against. You liked him for who he was, and he wasn’t ashamed of anything when he was with you. You brought out all of the good within him, and he never felt safer than when he was with you and Cassie. You and she were his found family; the key to his happiness.
As for you, you had finally found the right person. Somehow, Five had become your best friend and confidant. And now, he was something more. Someone that understood you and knew the real you, all the way down to your bones. He was all you had been waiting for, and you couldn’t wait to start a new chapter of your life with him.
Summary: Eight years later, you are visited by a very strange and violent lady, who makes a deal with Five to get you out of the post-apocalyptic world. With this comes the bonus of a comfortable life and a few calm years.
Warnings: The Handler. Think I said enough. Domestic life, but starts off with the Handler threatening people. Quite physically. Also in the middle it gets a bit steamy. Talks of pregnancy and birth.
Word count: 10.6k (shit this is long)
A/n: This was also a requested fic, as a part two to Little survivor. I tried to twist the storyline a little bit, hopefully you guys will like it. I like the idea that the Commission is a part of a society where everything is disturbingly perfect. Maybe I overthought this whole thing, but honestly, it birthed a kind of great story, so... Also, I was debating splitting this into two, but then the title wouldn't have made sense. Anyway, enjoy!
As the days passed, life became harder and harder. But that didn’t stop you from enjoying time with your husband and son. Max was the cutest little kid and you really lucked out with his temperament being so good. He was the calmest little toddler, who then grew up to be a quite docile child. Sure there were a few tantrums, but in the end, he was a kind and calm little kid.
“Max!” you yelled for him as he played in front of the camp in the sand. He was now 10 years old and smarter than you thought was possible in the post-apocalyptic world. All thanks to Five, who provided the teaching material needed for him. With him working on the equations almost non-stop, it was up to you to try to get the best out of the material Five gave you.
You suddenly became aware of the deafening silence outside.
“Max?” you dropped the stick that you were using to light the fire for dinner and hurried out with your heart beating heavily in your chest.
As you rounded the corner, you saw a well-dressed woman, holding your son by his waist.
“What are you doing?!” you yelled at her, and, ready to save your son, you advanced toward her.
“Ah-ah-ah!” she held up her free hand toward you. “I wouldn’t come closer if you want this sweet little boy to live.”
“Mommy” Max whimpered in the woman’s hold.
You eyed him with worry in your eyes, then looked up, glaring at the woman.
“What do you want?” you asked.
“Just an answer,” she started, “where is Number Five?”
Your heart beat even more anxiously at that question. Five went out to gather more resources for the week and he was supposed to arrive by dinnertime. You were only expecting him around the time when the sun lowered beneath the horizon and that wasn’t til later.
“I don’t- I-” you stuttered.
“Don’t lie to me. I know you know where he went” the lady said calmly and you watched in horror as a small pistol was raised toward Max. “Now, where is Number Five?”
“Please don’t! I’m begging you, I don’t know where he is!” you pleaded, now on your knees. “Don’t hurt him, he’s just an innocent boy! Please.”
In that moment, the man in question turned up. When he saw the scene in front of him, a wild fire lit inside his heart. Not only was he scared, but angry as well. Who dares to threaten his whole world?! He dropped his gatherings and grabbing his gun, he ran up behind the unfamiliar woman.
“Let. My son. Go!” he gritted his teeth, holding the gun up toward the woman’s head.
“Ah, Number Five!” the woman turned around, smiling widely. “Just the man I wanted to see!” she thankfully put the pistol away.
“Who the hell are you?” he asked, still not putting his gun down, focusing fully on the woman, on every little move just in case she would hurt Max.
“Daddy” Max whimpered this time and Five’s eyes flickered over to him for just a fraction of a second.
“I’m here to help” the woman answered, still holding Max tightly.
“By holding my son hostage?” he asked, angrier than ever. “Tell me why I shouldn’t put a bullet right between your eyes!” he gritted.
“‘Cause…” the woman started, walking forward. Through your tears you could see Max struggling in her arms, trying to twist out of her hold. “If you did that, you wouldn’t hear the offer I’m about to give you” she said simply. “Which would be rather tragic, given your…” she looked back at you, “current circumstances.”
“What do you want? And be careful with what you say! My hands are quicker than you would expect” Five warned, his finger on the trigger, ready to shoot at any given moment. He just had to wait for when Max was safe out of her hands so he could shoot the woman dead.
“I work for an organization called the Commission” she started her explanation. “We are tasked with the preservation of the time-continuum through manipulation and removals.”
“Sometimes people make choices that… alter time” she shrugged. “Free will. Don’t get me started on that… When that happens, we dispatch one of our agents to… “she searched for the right words, “eliminate the threat.”
This caused Five to harden his shoulders, keeping the gun pointed at the woman, ready to shoot.
“No, no, no” she put her free hand up, chuckling. “You misunderstand me. You are not a target.”
“Then why don’t you let the boy go?” he hissed.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that just yet. I need your answer to my proposal” she smiled. “I’ve come to offer you a job, Number Five” she said. “We’ve had our eyes on you for quite some time. And we think you have potential!”
“What the hell are you on about?” he asked.
“Your survival skills made you quite a celebrity in the Headquarters” she explained. “The way you strive hard to protect what little you have and provide for them” she glanced back at you and then down at the boy in her hands. She reached out and caressed his head, which in turn made Five suck in a sharp breath. “That, and your ability to jump through time.”
“Don’t touch him” he hissed. “Tell me what’s in it for me? Why would I go with you?”
“You could get out of this place for one” the woman sighed. “And also go back to your family if you complete five years with us.”
“You… you’re saying we could be free?” he asked, glancing behind the woman, right at your still sobbing form.
“Once you served five years, your contract will be done, giving you a chance to retire to the time and place of your choosing” she smiled tightly.
Five thought hard about all that this woman was talking about. This could be his chance to save you, to finally give you and your family the life you deserved. He could live comfortably with you, have the domestic life you wished for and grow old.
“What about my wife and son?” he asked, which seemed to annoy the woman.
“You can bring them with you” she said and he could hear the distaste in her tone. “So, do we have an agreement?” she offered her free hand.
Five looked at you, lowering his gun slightly. You looked so scared, for him and for your son. He never wanted to see you like that. He didn’t want you to suffer. He wanted to give the both of you a chance at a normal life.
He looked at his son, who was sniffling in the woman’s arm, clearly scared out of his mind. The poor boy didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to be so traumatized by this post-apocalyptic world, by this woman, who threatened his life. He should be better off, in school, with food to fill his belly, clothes that fit him well and a roof over his head.
He will do this. For you. For Max. For his family.
“Fine” he put the gun down and approached the woman to shake her hand. “I’ll do it.”
“Wonderful!” the woman lightened up, letting Max out of her hold and shaking Five’s hand.
The moment your son was out of the woman’s hold, he collapsed, his legs giving out underneath him. But in the next moment, Five reached out for him, pulling him up and lifting him into his arms.
“We shall leave momentarily. We have a lot to do” the woman turned away and walked into the little camp to sit down.
The second she was out of sight, you rushed to Five and Max and collapsed with the two of them on the floor.
“Five” you sobbed, your heart pounding in your chest. “Max, oh my poor boy.”
“Mommy, daddy” he cried, grabbing onto both of you.
“You’re safe now, you’re safe” Five tried to calm the young boy, who didn’t deserve all this. He pulled you in, close, so he could take in your features, making sure you were still there. “You’re both safe.”
The first day at the Commission consisted of Five being dragged away for orientation and basic training while you and Max were herded to a room to wait for someone who would show you to your new house.
You didn’t have to wait long: a woman with black hair and wearing a skirt suit opened the door. She had a kind smile on her face, and though she looked different and kinder than the other woman was, you still grabbed onto Max tightly.
“Oh, don’t be afraid!” she said quickly, her voice light and sweet. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m Dot, I work a desk job here. And I got the honor to show you to your new home!”
Still weary, but slightly comforted, you loosen your hold on your son, who looks at Dot in curiosity.
“I’m Y/n” you decide to introduce yourself. “And this is my son, Max.”
“Oh, what a cutie. How old is he?” her smile widens, a soft glow flashing in her eyes.
“He’s ten” you look down at him, still clutching your arm tightly.
“Aw, he looks a lot like Five. And his eyes! They look just like yours” she gushes.
“Thank you” you let yourself smile a little bit.
“Now, I’m sure you’re tired and in need of a good shower. Let us get going then.”
You nod, taking Max’s hand in yours and follow Dot out the door.
“We’re actually not far from the housing, you guys got a pretty adorable family home” she looked back at you as you walked through the entrance hall and then the doors.
It was a sunny day, colder than it was in the apocalypse, but the air was much fresher here. You didn’t know what year you were in or where you were for a fact. But you were just happy to be away from that hellhole.
“Do you know if…” you started and Dot looked back at you, curiously. “If that woman… will she bother us?”
“The Handler?” she asked and you shrugged. If that was her name… “Oh I don’t think she will. She only cares about agents, so you and Max should be fine.”
“And… and Five?” your heart raced. Was he in danger?
“That, I don’t know. I would assume no. She is a big fan of his, so if anything, she’ll make sure he’s fine” Dot hummed.
“Alright” you sigh.
Dot lead you through a small garden that was the Commission’s and you found yourself in view of a village-like assortment of houses. There were some smaller family homes and then there were a couple of huge buildings, which consisted of apartments.
“Do other agents have families?” you asked as you neared the main street.
“Field agents? No, most of them are either alone or only have a partner, no kids. But many of our people in filing or some of our security actually have families. Some smaller, some bigger” she explained.
You hummed and looked down at Max. Maybe he could make friends with other children. He wouldn’t have to be alone. And you could also meet some other moms…
You rounded a corner and found yourselves in a long street, filled with family homes and a playground.
“This is the street you will be living on” Dot smiled. “If you go down the road where we came, we actually have a clothing store and grocery store, so you can buy your own stuff. A bit further from the housing area, you can find an elementary school and a high school as well. Max will be enrolled by the end of the week. You’ll receive a mail from one of our staff.”
“He can go to school?” you asked, your heart picking up pace.
“Of course!” she smiled. “Only the best teachers there.”
“Oh” you nodded.
“Well, we arrived” she stopped in front of a beautiful blue house with white picket fence and a small garden. “Hope you’ll enjoy your stay with us. Five will be here any time he is free or has his day off. But don’t worry, Mary, the woman who lives in the house beside yours, and her daughters Betty and Lily are excited to get to know you guys.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. It was great to meet you” she stepped back and waved.
“You too” you smiled and waited for Dot to disappear down the street before squatting down in front of Max. “Are you okay?”
“Yes Mama” he nodded and though you could see a little bit of worry in his gaze, he seemed to say the truth.
“Alright darling. Shall we see what’s inside?” you caressed his cheek and he nodded, gripping onto your hand.
You stepped up the few stairs to the front door. There was a key in the door, presumably the one you were meant to use later on. You took the keys out and opened the door.
It really was a small and cute home. Everything aesthetically arranged, the walls and floors in beautiful contrast. It was a wild change from the apocalypse, where everything was very yellow most days.
Across from the front door was a kitchen and dining room with a door to the family bathroom. On your right was the master bedroom, which was painted in a similar light blue as the outside was. To the left, there were two rooms, one the living room and the other a smaller bedroom.
“Look, I think that will be your bedroom” you pointed to the open door. “Do you want to see it?”
“My… my room?” Max looked up at you, confused. “I will sleep alone?”
“Yeah” you nodded.
“But… I don’t want to” the boy’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“Oh darling” you pulled him in your arms. “You won’t be alone. We’ll be right across from your room. We won’t be far.”
“But at night…” he sniffled. “The monsters will come.”
“Your dad will keep you safe from them” you tried to calm him. “We’ll never let them hurt you.”
But Max was crying, inconsolably. You tried to think about what you could do. How could you help him? His sobs were twisting your heart and you felt as helpless as when the Handler arrived in the afternoon. Where you were unable to move, unable to help your little boy, who didn’t deserve all that. You could only imagine what was going through his head in that moment and now, hours after it.
“Tell you what. You can sleep with us for the first few weeks, okay?” you pulled away a little, looking into his eyes. “You can get used to your room during the day. Would that be alright, darling?”
“Y-yeah” he sniffled.
“Alright, now let’s get you cleaned up and some food in your tummy, okay?”
Max nodded, still rubbing at his eyes. You pressed a kiss to his forehead and walked into the dining room, where the door to the bathroom could be found. There was a shower and bath combination in the opposite corner, with some soap and shampoo. It was all neatly arranged and you once again felt that jarring feeling of everything being just… off. But you just took a breath and looked at Max.
“Do you need help or can you wash your body and hair alone?” you asked gently.
“I can do it” Max squared his shoulders, trying to appear strong and you smiled. “But…” he looked up at you. “Can you stay with me?”
“Yeah, of course. How about you take your clothes off and pee while mama goes and sees if there are some clothes in your room?” you suggested.
Max’s hold on your hand tightened for a second and you could see the conflict on his little face. But then he slowly nodded and let you go.
“Alright, I’ll be right back, okay? If you’re done, then stand in the shower.”
Max nodded, looking toward the bathtub. You quickly walked to the smaller room, leaving both doors open, so you could hear your son if he needed help. In the room there was a dresser and a single bed. It was clearly meant to be a kid’s bedroom, what with the wallpaper having dinosaurs and birds on it.
You looked in the dresser to see different sized clothes, both for boys and girls. You sighed in relief and grabbed two different sizes from underwear, pants and a t-shirt, not knowing which one will be good for Max. It’s been a long while since you saw new clothes and not to mention that you never had the luxury for Max to wear the right sized clothing.
“You’re in luck” you stepped back into the bathroom. “We got some clothes here. I brought you two sizes, we’ll see which one will be good” you smiled and watched as Max nodded, stepping into the shower. “I’ll help you adjust the water” you put the clothes down on the sink and reached out to the taps. “See, this has a red dot. It means it’ll give you hot water. And on the other side is a blue dot. It means cold water” you explained to him. “Hold your hand out, underneath the tap” you instruct him, kneeling next to the tub. “I’ll start the water, okay?”
Max nodded and squatted down, holding his hand under the water.
“Tell me if it’s too warm or too cold, okay? We’ll adjust it.”
With your help, Max got the right temperature and he - albeit a bit clumsily - washed as much of the dirt away as he could. You helped with his hair a bit, but otherwise just kneeled next to the tub, so he could do most of it himself.
“Alright. That feel okay?” you asked as you helped him out of the tub and gave him a towel.
“Weird” he said simply.
“I know darling. But now you’ll get used to it. It’s going to be all okay” you promised, drying his hair. “Should we see which clothes will fit you?”
Max nodded and so you picked up the smaller underwear first. To your surprise it slid on easily, even loose around his waist a bit. You knew that Max was a smaller kid then others his age might have been and that’s all thanks to the apocalypse. But you didn’t think he was this small.
“Should I see a smaller size still?” you asked him. “Or is that comfortable.”
“It’s okay mama” he shrugged.
“As you wish,” you sigh. “Are you feeling hungry?” you helped him into his pants and shirt as well.
“A bit” he nodded.
“Alright. I’ll see what I can do” you smiled at him. “Why don’t you grab a book that looks interesting to you and we’ll practice your reading while I cook?”
Max nodded and walked toward the smaller bedroom, looking back at you, to make sure you were still there. When he was reassured, he quickly went in and took a book from the bookshelf. In an instant, he was back in the corridor and taking your hand.
“Well, come on, then” you smiled gently and went up to the counter.
Max sat down at the small circular table, opening the book he grabbed. You watched him flip to the first page and looked at the words. He knew how to read, you and Five taught him. But it took him a little time.
“The story of… Doctor… Do- Dolittle?” he pronounced it slowly, then looked up for confirmation. You smiled at him encouragingly. “The first… chapter. Pudd-puddle-puddleby. O-once upon a time, many… years ago…” Max started reading slowly.
As he read, you started to look through the pantry to see what could be used to make a meal. You didn’t really know how to cook, but thankfully there were some cookbooks that you could use.
You always wanted to get out of the apocalypse, but never imagined what you’d do once you’re out. You never wondered about some of the simple facts of a normal life. Like how to cook. But you were ready to learn. Anything really.
You and Max spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen. He read slowly, page after page and you trying to put a meal together for your little family.
“Y/n, Max?” you heard the door opening and Five calling out to you.
“In the kitchen!” you called back just as Max sprang from his seat, running toward Five, yelling: “Daddy!”
You smiled as you walked toward them, seeing Five embrace the boy.
“Hey, little crumb. How was your afternoon?” he asked. “What did you do? Oh and what is that smell? Is that your hair?”
“Yeah! We showered! And daddy, you know, the soap smells so good!” Max rushed out.
“Does it now?” he smiled. “Well, I’ll have to see it for myself.”
“And I read a book about a magic doctor! He can talk to animals!”
“He can?” he laughed gently. “You’ll have to read it for me too, son.”
“C’mon!” Max stood up and pulled him toward the kitchen.
“Hey” Five smiled as he reached you.
“Hi, how was the orientation and training?” you asked, reaching out to him.
“Boring” he sighed and leaned over to peck your lips. “But I got my first assignment. I’ll be going there tomorrow.”
“For how long?” you asked, worried.
“Shouldn’t be long. It’s supposed to be part of the training, with a more experienced agent by my side, so maybe that day? Or two?” he guessed.
“Alright” you sighed.
“You’ll be alright?” he asked gently.
“I will” you nodded. “Just be careful.”
“I will” he promised.
You sighed and pulled away, turning to the stove, where the food was finishing cooking. As you prepared the plates, Max explained the plot of Dolittle to Five, excited about the story.
“Alright boys, it’s time to eat” you put their plates in front of them, full of warm food. “I hope it’s good.”
“I’m sure it is” Five smiled at you.
Truly, it was not so bad. It was definitely better than what you ate in the apocalypse, which was a relief. And even though you cooked the normal amount, there was so much left after you finished eating, you felt worried. You knew it would take time to get used to eating like normal humans, but you couldn’t help but worry about your son.
After dinner, you heard the clock chime loudly from the living room.
“What was that?” you furrowed your eyebrows.
“Oh, they didn’t explain it to you?” Five looked at you. “In the evening and morning the clocks chime to signal the end and the beginning of the day. We’re supposed to go to bed.”
“Oh” you frowned. “Okay.”
“We’ll get used to it” he comforted and turned to Max. “Well, little crumb, could you show me which soap was so good smelling?”
“Yes!” he perked up and jumped off his chair. “Come on daddy!”
You smiled at the two of them before picking up the plates and washing them. You once again marveled about the way water felt on your skin. You couldn’t wrap your head around the day you had. It was so far-fetched and such an outlandish idea, that your brain couldn’t accept it.
“Mama, could you read a bed-time story for me?” Max came to the kitchen, forcing you out of your thoughts.
“Sure thing, baby. Would you like me to read Dr. Dolittle?” you smiled gently.
“No” he shook his head. “I want to read it myself. Could you read something else?”
“Of course” you smiled. “Let’s go to the room and see what we have.”
You soon found a book called “The Wheel on the School”, which Max liked the sound of, so you gave it to him and turned around to look for some pajamas for him.
“What are you looking for, mama?” he asked curiously.
“Some pajamas” you looked back at him. “You know, when you go to sleep, you are supposed to wear some clean, comfortable clothes to bed” you explained to him.
“Oh.”
“Here you go, son” you gave him the pair you found.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie.”
“Will you wear pajamas?” he asked as you went to the master bedroom.
“Yes, but first I need to shower as well.”
“Okay…” Max nodded. “Will daddy stay with me until then?”
“Of course” you nodded. “Now get into bed, I’ll read to you, until daddy finishes showering.
Max climbed on top of the king-sized bed and lay down beneath the sheets, in the middle.
“Comfortable?” you asked and Max nodded. So you started reading to him.
When Five came out of the bathroom, he found the beautiful scene in front of him. Max, in the bed, lying sleepily beneath the sheets, fighting to keep his eyes open, and you, sitting in the armchair close to the bed, reading to him in a soft voice. Five’s heart jumped, filled with warmth and love. His little family, who survived so much and who deserved the world. The reason he was doing all of this.
You finished reading and put the book down, looking at your fast-asleep son. You smiled gently and walked over to him, pressing a light kiss on his forehead. Then you looked up at the door, where Five was standing. He was clean and shaven. You smiled at him and walked up to him.
“You look good” you said to him sincerely.
“Thank you” he smiled and put his hand on your waist, pulling you in. “I didn’t dare to shave it clean, so I left a little stubble.”
“It looks good” you leaned into him, putting your hand on his jaw. “It feels good.”
Five let out an airy laugh and hugged you properly. The day was crazy and he couldn’t be more thankful for your strong presence.
“I love you so much” he murmured.
“I love you more” you teased, pulling a bit away, so you could put your hand on his cheek again.
“Not possible” he smiled.
“Everything’s possible” you countered and then leaned in to kiss him.
He held you close, gripping your waist tightly. In the unfamiliar setting, he finally found something familiar: you. The way you taste was still the same, your lips reacting to his. He was glad to be kissing you once again.
“I wish…” you sigh against his lips.
“You wish?” he murmurs, not wanting to let you go.
“I wish we were alone now. If just for a moment” you finish your sentence, kissing him again. “But I need to shower and our son is lying in our bed.”
“Hm, maybe later then” he surmised.
“In a few weeks. He will get used to his own bedroom and then…” you smirked at him cheekily.
“Can’t wait” he smiled, warmth and passion glinting in his eyes.
A month later, Five finally got his first paycheck in his hands. And he couldn’t believe his eyes. When they said that the payout for a good performance was great, he thought that they would pay him good. But not this good! For weeks now he thought about what he could buy from the first paycheck. He could get more groceries, he could buy his son some clothes that would fit him and also could be his own choosing, he could buy you a beautiful dress, like the ones you fantasized about in the apocalypse and… Well… the most pressing one in his mind was a ring. So that you could wear the sign of your love.
And so, without much thinking, as his hours were done, he immediately blinked to the street of stores in the city. He found the jewelers and went in.
“Hi! I’m looking for wedding rings?” he smiled lightly.
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You were in the kitchen, making a fruit salad when the door slammed.
“Max, I told you, be careful of the door!” you yelled out.
“Sorry mama,” he rushed in.
“How was school, dear?”
“Good! Bennet played with me in recess!” he beamed.
“Oh really? And what did you play?” you smiled and Max took a deep breath before he started gushing about his day in school.
True to Dot’s words, at the end of your first week in Temps, a letter arrived in your mailbox. In it, they stated that Max would join class 4/B, which is right in his age-group and well within his skillset. They also sent over some paperwork, essential for securing his identity as a citizen.
The first week in school was… trying to say the least. But thanks to Max’s good temperament, it became easier and easier each day.
Now, in the third week of school, Max was starting to make friends. The left side neighbor’s twin daughters Betty and Lily were also in Max’s class, so them, and now apparently Bennet as well, became fast friends.
It turned out that Betty and Lily’s mother, Mary, was working in a café on the street where the school was located, so after a couple hang-outs with the three of them: a deal was made. She would take the kids to school on most days, and when she wasn’t working, you would walk them.
Mary was also very helpful with understanding the town’s rules. The chimes from the clock in the morning and evening were only the beginning. There were also some other things like: lunch was strictly at 12pm, at 3pm you had to have a coffee break (or tea break for the kids) and chat with either your neighbors or your co-workers and also, there was a curfew of 8pm being the latest you could leave the house. You also couldn’t work into the night (the only exception being the night guards at the Commission building) and couldn’t leave your house before 7am. There were some others as well, but they were not essential to your days.
Now, after a month, you were finally starting to get used to Temps’ weird rules and even weirder people. Still, you couldn’t help but sigh in relief whenever 8pm rolled around and you could be alone in the privacy of your home with your husband and son.
“…And can you imagine? Bennet said it was such a cool game!” Max was still gushing about recess and you couldn’t help but smile.
Since he started eating more and healthier, he started growing. Not much in a month, but his clothes now fit perfectly on him and you didn’t have to fold the bottom of his pants up anymore. There was also a healthy glow to him, his hair becoming fuller and shining brighter. You were so glad to see the change.
“Honey, I’m home!” you heard Five call out to you and you smiled as Max’s rambling stopped and his eyes lit up.
“Daddy!” he ran to Five as he reached the kitchen door.
“Hi little crumb” Five smiled and squatted down to embrace him. “Did you have a good day?”
“Yes, the best!” Max beamed. “Bennet played with me in recess!”
“Oh really? Wow!” Five laughed, happy for his son. “That’s amazing, baby!”
“It was! And he invited me over for a sleepover!” he mentioned, which caused you to stop smiling and looked at Five, who also looked at you.
“Really? You haven’t said that yet” you put the spoon down into the bowl and walked to your boys. “Did he ask his mom?”
“He said he would once he got home” Max looked at you. “Mama, can I go?”
“I don’t know son, we haven’t talked to Bennet’s mom yet. We don’t know if she agreed to host the sleepover” you sighed and you could see Max’s face fall.
“Tell you what. If they show up, we’ll talk about it” Five tried to reassure the boy, but it didn't help much. He pulled away from both of you and turned to walk down the hall and into his bedroom.
You sighed again, sad to see your son so sad. Five stood up and you could see that he shared that compliment. But there truly was nothing you could do.
So you went back to mixing the fruit bowl together and Five went back to the door so he could take his shoes off before joining you in the kitchen.
“So, how was work today?” you asked.
“It was… fine” he shrugged. “I got my first pay-check.”
“Oh, yeah?” you looked up at him.
“Yeah and, I was surprised to say the least” Five sighed and got the paper out of his suit pocket. “Look at this” he walked up to you and showed you the paper. You almost dropped the bowl from your hands.
“What?!” you asked. “Is that real?”
“Apparently so” he nodded.
“Oh my God…” you blinked, looking up at him. “What do we even do with all that…”
“I don’t know” he sighed. “Well… this months’ I know, because I-”
But at that moment there was a knock from the door. You and Five looked at each other before walking up to the door. Through the glass, you could see a woman standing there. You looked at Five again before opening the door.
“Good afternoon” she greeted.
“Good afternoon” you greeted back with Five. “What can we help you with?”
“Oh my son, Bennet came home from school saying he wanted to invite Max around for a sleepover” she smiled.
“Oh, you must be Sharon!” you smiled at her. “I’m Y/n, and this is Five, my husband.”
Bennet peeked out from behind her and looked up at you.
“Good afternoon” he said shyly.
“Hi, Bennet” you smiled at him as well, then looked up at Sharon. “Would you like some fruit salad? I just finished making it.”
“Thank you so much” she nodded and followed you inside.
“Five, would you be so kind and tell Max that his friend is here?” you looked at him and he nodded. You reached up to take five small bowls out and turned back to Bennet and Sharon. “Bennet, a fruit salad?”
“Yes, thank you” he said just in time when Max came bounding out of the room.
“Bennet!” he shouted happily. “Good afternoon Mrs Meyer.”
“Hi Max” she smiled and let the boys sit together.
“Sharon, a fruit salad?” you looked at her.
“Thank you, I’ll take one” she agreed and you put some of the fruit salad in her bowl as well before placing it in front of the two guests.
“Max, Five?” you asked.
“Yes, thank you mama!” Max agreed loudly, while Five just nodded.
“Here you go, boys” you gave one to each of them. “So, Sharon. You were saying?”
“Bennet wanted Max over for a sleepover” she started. “I have no objections to Max spending the night if you are okay with it as well.”
“Yes, we…” Five started before rethinking his choice of words. “What I mean is, as you know Max had a difficult time adjusting to being away from us at night. We don’t wish to give you any trouble, should he get scared and decide that being houses away from us is too much.”
“I promise daddy, I won’t!” Max immediately said. “I’ll be good!”
“I have no doubt about that, sweetheart. We just don’t want you to feel scared.”
“But mama…” he looked at you sadly.
“How about we put down some ground rules?” Sharon suggested.
“What do you suggest?” Five asked.
So in over an hour, you talked it all out. You agreed that she could take the boys and there wouldn’t be a word about disobeying the Meyer parents’ words. If that would happen, they couldn’t go over to the other’s house for a week. The boys thought that over and then agreed.
“Max, come with me, we’ll put your clothes together” you told your son.
He eagerly followed you to his room, jumping around as he watched you grab a bag from the top of the dresser. You told him what to grab and he rushed to find it and give it to you. You neatly folded them into his overnight bag and once everything was in, you zipped it in and grabbed his hands.
“Listen son, this is the first time you’ll be away from us at night” you started. “But I want you to enjoy this. If you find yourself afraid, remember: mommy and daddy will always protect you. There’s nothing that can harm you” you told him and he nodded slowly. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, mama” he smiled and let you pull him in for a hug. You pressed a kiss to his head and smiled at him.
“Alright,” you stood up and walked out with him to the kitchen. “We’re ready.”
“Well, thank you so much for the fruit salad, it was really good” Sharon stood up, Bennet coming up beside her.
“Yes, thank you Mrs. Hargreeves!” he beamed.
“You’re very welcome. And Sharon, thank you so much for letting the boys have this sleepover. If this goes well, the next one is on us.”
Sharon nodded and herded the boys outside. You stopped in the doorway and Five came up to hug you from behind. You watched as Bennet and Max excitedly chattered, happy to spend time together. Five pressed a gentle kiss to your shoulder as you sighed, filled with worry.
Though Max looked engrossed in his conversation with Bennet, he thankfully looked back at you two and waved goodbye. You forced a smile and waved back. You stayed out until the Meyers’ car disappeared from view and then Five gently led you back inside.
“It’s going to be okay, my love” he said gently, hand around your waist and his other hand leading you. “He’ll be okay.”
“I know” you sighed, sitting on the couch with him. “I’m just worried.”
“I know, darling” he pulled you in his arms, holding you close. “But look at the bright side.”
“Which is?”
“He felt up to going. Remember the first week? He couldn’t even let you go to the bathroom alone. Now he’s finally healing” he explained.
“You’re right” you nodded. “Still, it doesn’t stop me from worrying.”
“And it doesn’t have to. You’re his mom, of course you worry about him” he reassured you. “How about I take your mind off of it?”
“What do you have in mind?” you looked at him.
“Remember our wedding?” he pulled a bit away from you and turned you to face him.
“How could I forget?” you smiled.
“Well, we’ve been married for… about fifteen years.”
“Yeah?” you blinked. “It’s been that long?”
“Yeah” he chuckled. “And I finally bought the one missing thing from that day.”
“You did?” your heart picked up speed.
“I did” he pulled the box out of his pocket. “It’s not exactly what I imagined… and I wish we could’ve chosen it together, but… I just wanted to surprise you” he opened the box and the sight of the two golden rings in it made tears spring in your eyes.
“Oh Five” you sobbed, reaching a shaky hand out to cover his own.
“Do you like it?” he asked, slight worry in his eyes.
“They’re perfect” you sniffled, smiling through your tears. “God, they’re so perfect.
“I’m glad you think so” he smiled sweetly and reached into the box, picking up the smaller ring. “May I?” he asked, holding his free hand out.
You nodded and offered him your right hand. He pulled it on your finger, then raised it up to kiss it. You sniffled as he reached his hands out to wipe your fingers.
“My beautiful bride, the gorgeous mother of my child” he murmured. “Thank you so much for staying with me.”
You sniffled, trying to keep your sobs and tears in. You reached shakily for the other ring and took Five’s right hand in yours.
“You’re the love of my life” you whispered, not trusting your voice. “I love you so much” you pushed the ring up on his ring finger gently, putting your own right hand next to it. “I can’t believe we finally have these…”
“I couldn’t be happier” Five turned his right hand and took your hand, caressing your knuckles.
“I’m so happy” you agreed, wiping your tears and looking up at him. “Thank you. For everything you do for us.”
“I love you” he replied.
“I love you too” and finally Five leaned in and kissed you.
It was so soft, so full of love, you couldn’t comprehend how there could be so much love. But you just pulled him closer, your hand going up to his soft hair, grabbing a fistful of it. His hands went to your waist and pulled you in his lap oh so gently.
“Five…” you breathed into his mouth, trying to convey the message you couldn’t form with words.
“Y/n…” he sighed, pulling your lips back on his, while guiding his hand holding your waist down to your ass, so in the next moment he could stand up with you in his arms.
You yelped, but then you were back to kissing him, letting his tongue in your mouth as he walked with you toward your bedroom. Your legs wrapped around his waist, pushing your bodies together. You were in the bedroom quicker than you could’ve imagined, the door slamming shut behind you.
The sixth month of your stay at Temps became a huge deal. Not only was it a really long time that you could stay in one place and be perfectly comfortable, but also it became a big milestone in your lives.
Around the fourth month of staying in Temps, you found out something really big. Like huge. It wasn’t something you were expecting or hoping for, but you were still really happy. You still remember talking about this with Five.
“So… uh, Five?” you started the conversation one night after you put Max down to sleep.
“Yeah?” he looked at you, climbing into bed and pulling you in close.
“You know when we were talking about Max, way back when…” you tried to find the right words.
“Back when…” he tried to urge you on with your explanation. “In the apocalypse?”
“Yeah…” you nodded into his shoulder, trying to contain your anxiety mixed with excitement. “Specifically when he was just a little toddler.”
“Hm, still not sure which conversation you refer to” he hummed.
“Well it wasn’t just that one time we talked about this. But that was the first time. Actually we talked a lot about this, all things considered” you explained vaguely.
“Is it about his normal life?” he asked.
“No- well partly” you agreed.
“So… what is it, Y/n?” he caressed your shoulder.
“Okay, okay” you got up suddenly, kneeling beside him. “So… things have been going better for us, right?”
“Yeah” he nodded, turning to his side to look at you properly.
“And we’re no longer in the apocalypse…”
“Thankfully.”
“And, well… I know it’s a bit late and Max is so old now, but…” you stopped for a second, not sure if Five will be happy.
“But…?” he was holding his breath now, you could tell.
“I’m- I’m pregnant” you finally blurted it out.
For a moment there was silence. You could see the wheels turning in Five’s head. Then he was up on his knees as well.
“Are you serious?” he asked, shocked.
“Y-yeah” you nodded, afraid of his reaction.
“You’re really, really serious?” he grabbed onto your hands.
“Yes. Are you-” but you couldn’t even finish your question because Five grabbed you by your sides, pulling you close and squeezing you.
“You’re really pregnant” he whispered, though you couldn’t decide whether it was a question or a statement.
“Yeah” you whispered back, still a little confused about his reaction being happy or not so much.
“Oh my God…” he breathed out and that’s when you became aware of his shaking body and the sudden wetness at your neck, where Five buried his head.
You finally smiled and let yourself get lost in Five’s warm embrace and pure love.
And since then you tried to figure out Max’s stance on siblings. You haven’t popped yet, so you could hide it from him, even if that made you feel bad. You never really had secrets in front of Max, especially not big ones that concerned his future as well.
But you heard enough horror stories about kids reacting badly about a new addition to the family before, so you wanted to be prepared. You didn’t want Max to feel like he’s loved less just because there will be a baby in the house. And though you didn’t ask him right out about siblings, there were a number of ways you deduced whether or not Max was ready for a baby sibling.
Today, you noticed in the morning, while you were getting dressed, that your stomach seemed a lot… bigger. It took only a second to realize what happened: you popped. So it was time.
By some twist of fate, it was Five’s day off. And so, immediately as you noticed, you stalked out into the kitchen, where he prepared morning coffee and breakfast.
“Five” you whispered. It was still early in the morning and you didn’t want to wake Max up.
“Yes, my love?” he asked, looking up from his book.
“I popped!” you smile at him, turning to the side, so he could see the big change in your figure.
“Oh my God!” he put his book down, eyes filled with wonder. “You really did!”
He stood up from his seat and walked to you, so he could caress over the bulge of your stomach. You were looking up at his face, seeing him so focused on your belly, eyes full of wonder and love.
“You’re so amazing” he whispered, his free hand going around your waist and pulling you close.
“No, you are” you smiled, lifting his chin with a hand. “Without your hard work, we wouldn’t be here, safe. But thanks to you, Max could heal, we could build a life and also,” you put your hand on his, that was still caressing your baby bump, “expand our little family.”
Five smiled at you gratefully, then leaned in to kiss your lips sweetly. He pulled your robes in again, when he suddenly heard shifting from Max’s room and smiled at you encouragingly.
“Today’s the day.”
“Yeah” you sighed and sat down at the table, grabbing one toast from the pile.
The next moment, Max’s door opened and your son stumbled out, completely out of it from sleep. You smiled at his sleepy face and the way he sluggishly walked toward you and Five.
“Hey there, little crumb” Five smiled, embracing his son when he reached him. “How did you sleep?”
The only answer was a little grunt, which made both Five and you giggle lightly. Contrary to you and Five, Max was not a morning bird. While both you and Five got out of bed easily in the mornings, on most days you had to practically drag your son out.
“Darling, come, there is breakfast here for you” you said gently and pulled a chair out for your son to sit down on. “How about some milk, would you like some?”
Max nodded slowly and sat down next to you. You got up to grab the milk, pouring some for the young boy.
“Here you go” you smiled at him.
Breakfast went by in silence, Max waking up more and more as he ate. Soon, he was starting to chit-chat about the weekend and how you could go to the playground.
“We can, right?” he looked at the two of you and you shared a look with your husband.
“Not right now, son” Five put a hand on his smaller one. “Actually, mama and I want to talk to you.”
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked, immediately scared about being told off.
“No, no” you said quickly, placing a hand on his other hand. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. There’s just something that’s… Well…”
“There will be some changes in our lives…” Five helped you out. “Soon.”
“What changes?” Max looked between you.
“Well… you know how mama has been feeling unwell for the past few weeks?”
“Is… is mama sick?” Max turned to you, his eyes filling with tears.
“No darling, I’m very healthy” you smiled gently at him. “The sickness has been caused by something else” you thought for a moment on how to approach the subject. “You know Betty and Lily, how they’re sisters?” Max nodded. “They were born on the same day. But you can have siblings a few years in-between.”
“Like Dean and Paul?” he asked, referring to his classmate, who had a younger brother.
“Yes, like Dean and Paul” you nodded.
“What we’re trying to tell you is that mama is now…” Five started. “Well, mama is carrying a baby. In her stomach.”
“What?” Max looked at you, his brain working overtime.
“Yeah, darling” you moved a bit around the table, so he could see your midsection and you opened your robes. “I’m pregnant.”
Max blinked a couple times, reaching out to touch your stomach as if not trusting his eyes. “There’s a baby in there?”
“Yeah” Five nodded.
“And… he is going to be my little brother?” he asked, looking up at you.
“Or sister, we don’t know their gender yet” you smiled. “Are you happy?”
At that question Max’s eyes filled with tears and moved in to hug you. He was gentle, steering clear from your belly. There, he nestled his face into you and nodded a little.
Around your one year mark of staying at Temps, you were about ready to pop. You ached everywhere, your feet were swollen and you were constantly tired. It was no longer fun being pregnant.
But in hindsight, it was a better pregnancy than it was with Max. There were obvious differences and not just because you were in an apocalypse then. Your stomach was bigger and rounder than it was with him and also, your feet had swollen more.
You were ready for the baby, more so than you were when you learned that Five was going on a longer mission in a few days.
“Come on, baby. I don’t want your father missing your arrival” you groaned as you tried to get off of the couch in the afternoon. “He deserves to be there to greet you. Please.”
But the only thing you can do is wait. Wait for the baby to feel ready. Your doctor said that from the 38th week, it can happen any day. And you couldn’t be more happy about that fact. You were ready for them to arrive.
But they didn’t arrive that day. Nor the next one. And Five’s departure for his mission just kept crawling closer.
“Don’t worry” Five tried to placate you every night. “They’ll be here soon. And I’ll be right by your side.”
You talked to Mary about this as well. She was nice enough to offer Max a place to stay, should your labor start during the day. Which was also a big question mark in your head.
“What if my water breaks during the night? After the curfew starts? What then?”
“Well…” Five looked up from where he was massaging your feet. “I helped deliver Max, so I don’t think we’re in any danger.”
“Yeah, but what if you’re gone by the time this little one decides to come to the world?” you huffed.
“That won’t happen” Five got up and leaned over the armchair to press a kiss to your lips. “Don’t worry, everything will be okay.”
“I hate this” you pouted.
“I know” he smiled gently and then went back to massaging your swollen feet.
On the last day, you start feeling worse. In the morning, you found some weird substance in your underwear, which at first weirded you out, then realized that it was probably related to your pregnancy. Your doctor was on a day off, so you couldn’t go in, but you could go to the payphone at the end of the street and call them.
They told you, after explaining what happened, that that was a good sign. Your labor was finally approaching. It still could be days but it could be only hours. They also told you to call them if any more advancements are made.
The whole day, you barely got anything done. You tried to do something as simple as sweeping the floor, but your back started aching almost instantly. You did manage to make some warm food for dinner, when your two boys showed up.
“Hi mama” Max came home first, but only a couple minutes before Five showed up.
“Hi darling” his smooth voice called from the hallway. “What did the doctor say?”
“To call them when my water breaks” you sighed, rubbing at your lower stomach.
Five hummed and came up to press a kiss to your cheek, then to Max’s, who was sitting beside you, caressing your stomach.
“The baby doesn’t move as much” Max voiced his sorrow.
“They’re sleeping more” you explained. “They’re getting ready to see you.”
“Really?” he looked up at you.
“Really” you smiled gently.
Time ticked by, slowly, even as you wished it would rush. You were in so much discomfort, you really wished that time would pass, so you could just FINALLY-
In that moment, a weird sensation ran through you and you felt a warm sensation run down your legs. Looking down, you saw that your previously dry pants were no longer dry.
Breathing hard and slightly panicked, you yelled out: “Five!”
In just a fraction of a second, Five blinked next to you and grabbed your hand, looking frantic.
“What happened?” he asked, clearly just as panicked as you.
“My… my water just broke!” you told him, still in shock. “What- what do we do?”
“Uh…” Five looked up at the clock. It was 7pm. He could try calling your doctor, but it was unlikely that they would be able to come and it was an hour til curfew. “Shit… I’ll go call the doctor, you… just try to breathe and lie down.”
He quickly made your bed, heaping the pillows, so you would be in a half-sitting, half-lying down position. He helped you lie down and then blinked into Max’s room, where he was reading his favorite book. Soon, Max was knocking on your bedroom door and then peeking his head in.
“Mama?” he asked, looking slightly scared.
“Hey darling” you breathed out, wincing at a sudden pain in your lower stomach.
“Is the baby coming?” he walked up to the bed.
“Yeah, I think they want to” you sighed.
“Does it hurt?”
“Yeah” you nodded, not wanting to lie. “It hurts really badly. But don’t worry, they’ll be here soon and it won’t hurt anymore.”
“Can I help?” he asked, ever the caring little boy.
“You could bring me a glass of water while daddy gets back” you smiled at him as gently as you could.
Max nodded and rushed out to fill a glass with fresh water. He was soon back, giving it to you.
“Thank you darling” you sighed as you took a couple sips.
Five was back within a couple minutes, but not with good news.
“I reached the doctor, but they can’t come” he sighed, frustrated. “He said your delivery could be an hour from now or even 24.”
“Oh God…” you sighed, dropping your head back down. “So I’ll just suffer here?”
“I’m here with you. We’ll get through this” Five took your hand gently in his, then looked back at your son, who was waiting by the bedside table, tears in his eyes. “Max, darling, I think you should go to bed. Mama will be alright” he said gently.
“But I don’t want to leave her. She’s hurt” he sniffled.
“Darling…” Five walked to him, but you interrupted him.
“Let him be here” you told him. “But Max, you have to do what daddy tells you, while you’re here, okay? Once the baby starts coming, mama will be in a lot of pain and you can’t stand in daddy’s way.”
“I promise to be a good boy” he nodded eagerly. “Please, daddy.”
“Fine” Five sighed. “I’ll get some towels.”
Your labor advances quite slowly and every half an hour you get up to walk around with Five’s help. You couldn’t be happier that he was there with you. And Max, he seemed to grow up quite a lot in the hours since your labor started. You of course wished you could spare the young boy from seeing you in pain, but you also didn’t want him to have to be scared in his room as he heard you scream through your delivery.
Which he instead got to experience right by your side. Though Five told him that he didn’t have to take your hand as you couldn’t control how tightly you hold onto it, he did anyway. His eyes were filled with tears, but he didn’t let go of your hand as you delivered the baby, his sibling.
It was quite a shorter process than it was with Max, but somehow more painful. But that all washed away, when Five finally handed them to you.
“It’s a little girl” Five said, tears in his eyes, looking at the crying baby. “I’m so proud of you, darling” he leaned down to kiss your sweaty forehead.
You sobbed as you held your little girl close, so small and fragile. Five disappeared into the bathroom to wash all the blood and other fluids away from his hands and arrived back to seeing Max on the side of the bed, looking down at his sister.
“She’s so tiny” he said quietly.
“Yeah. But you were smaller” you smiled at him.
“Really?” he blinked, his eyes big.
“Yes” Five agreed, grabbing a washcloth and cleaning up the area. “Max, how is your hand?”
The little boy seemed to only just notice his hand, too preoccupied by his sister. He lifted it and showed the red marks on it, that resembled your fingers.
“Oh darling, I’m so sorry” you teared up again. “Mama didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s okay mama” he smiled. “It hurts, but you were hurt more.”
“You’re such a strong kid” Five praised him, kissing his head. “But come on, I’ll get some ice on that for you.”
“But mama…” he started, but then just nodded.
Once things calmed down, Max was sitting on one side of you and Five the other. You looked at your husband.
“What do you think her name should be?”
“I was kind of thinking about flowers…” he hummed.
“What about Penny though?” Max chimed in, looking at his baby sister in your arms.
“Penny? Why Penny?” you asked him gently.
“I don’t know” he shrugged.
“Well, I like Penny” Five agreed with his son. “Not my first idea, but I like the name.”
“I do too” you nodded, smiling down at your sleeping daughter. “Welcome to the world, Penny.”
Days, months, years passed in Temps as your little family grew. Max was now 13 and baby Penny 2. They were the bestest friends, even when Max’s temper got the best of him. He was going into puberty, his hormones working more and more. But the one thing he never did was hurt his baby sister, no matter what. He was gentle with her at all times.
Five was working hard. Not just with the Commission jobs, but with the equations to get you back to 2019, back to his family. He was getting closer and closer to the answer every day, but didn’t know how close.
One day though, when he was waiting to finish his work for that day, he looked through his book again. There it was. The answer. His heart beat fast as he stared at the book. He could finally… they could finally go…
But before he could think more about it, he had to finish the job and get back home as soon as he could. He needed to see Y/n, the kids. So for the next few minutes, with his heart beating fast, he waited with bated breath, keeping his gun trained on where the target would be. It was only minutes, but he felt like hours passed. He never thought time could pass by so slow.
And when the job was finally done, he wasted no time in jumping back to the Commission, passing his briefcase down and blinking into your home.
“Y/n, get the kids, we’re going” he yelled immediately, pulling his book out.
“Going? Where?” you asked from the kitchen, where you were feeding baby Penny.
“Back to my family” he said lowly when he reached the kitchen. “Come on, before they realize what I’m planning.”
“Okay” you breathed out, anxiety coursing through your veins. You put the bowl from your hands and picked her up from the highchair. “Max!” you yelled from your son as you followed Five to the living room.
“Yeah?” he called from his room.
“Come on, put your shoes on. We’re going home.”
“Home? We are…” Max stopped as he realized you didn’t mean this home. You meant the home in another time. Without another word, he put his shoes on, also picking up baby Penny’s shoes and your own as well. “Here you go, mom.”
“Thank you” you smiled thankfully at him, taking Penny’s shoes first.
“Stand by the door. This portal will be big” Five instructed, stepping back as well, his hands curling into fists.
Max took Penny from your hands so you could pull your own shoes up. The living room was suddenly lit in a blue light and you could hear Penny coo at it.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Max asked and gave her back, when you finished tying your shoes.
Suddenly there was a… fire extinguisher? flying through the portal and you only just pulled Max out of the way from it.
“Woah…” Max looked at the objects now rolling on the floor.
“Take my hand” Five suddenly yelled, reaching back for Max. “And take your mother’s.”
Max immediately took yours in his right then Five’s in his left hand. “Dad…” he didn’t, couldn’t say more, but Five looked at him.
“It’s gonna be alright” he said as gently as he could.
With that, you all took a step forward, holding each other’s hands. Going through the portal felt like wading through thick mud, the energy around you almost forcing you back. But your strong hold on each other didn’t let it.
Soon you were falling, your hand letting go of Max’s as you curled your arms around Penny, to protect her from the fall. Five did the same thing with Max and you all landed in a heap.
Groaning, you got off of Five, Penny safe in your arms. Five stood up as well, looking at Max who was…
“Mama?” the word made you turn to… little Max.
“What…” you blinked, looking at your husband, who was…
“Does anyone see little Number Five and other kids, or is that just me?” a guy asked from your right, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of Five.
“Five…” you whispered, confused and shocked, bouncing a crying baby Penny in your arms.
“Y/n…” he looked you up and down, then himself as well. “Shit…”
a/n: here's the last part 🫶 I hope you guys truly enjoyed this roller-coaster ride!!! I love you alllllll 💕 see you guys on my next stories, and my requests are always open for your ideas!!
Masterlist
And you were there.
You didn’t cry.
You didn’t run.
You didn’t smile.
You looked at him like the past was something sour on your tongue.
You’d aged. But not in a way that dulled you—no, in a way that sharpened you. Your features were stronger, colder. Your eyes no longer wide with wonder, but worn with caution.
The braid over your shoulder was even longer than before.
You didn’t say his name.
He tried. His lips parted.
But you raised a hand—a soft, gentle, firm command.
“Don’t.”
That single motion struck him harder than any spell.
He froze, the apology dying in his throat.
Because your face is crumpled—not in softness. Not in welcome. But in barely held-together grief. Fury.
And something even worse than hatred.
Disappointment.
You stepped out just enough to shut the door behind you. Just enough to block his view of the hallway inside.
He stared at the closed door behind you like it might crack open and show him a glimpse—a small figure running through the house, messy-haired, clutching a toy Snitch.
But you stood your ground.
You said nothing.
He swallowed. “Please,” he whispered.
You shook your head, eyes wet, but your jaw clenched so tight he saw the muscle twitch.
He stepped forward, helpless.
“Just let me see him.”
Your voice—quiet, hoarse, stronger than any spell—cut through him like glass:
“You don’t get to ask that.”
The silence after was staggering.
He looked at you like a man watching the sun set on the only thing he’d ever loved. He hadn’t let himself imagine this moment going like this—not really. Not fully.
He thought pain would be the worst of it.
He hadn’t realized that you could become someone who didn’t want him to exist in your world at all.
He opened his mouth again, but you turned your face away—just enough that he saw the tears roll down.
“I’m sorry,” he croaked, but it sounded like a lie. Too little. Years too late.
“I begged them,” you whispered, each word a wound. “I begged them to let me tell you. I wrote every week. I dreamed of you coming. I…” Your voice broke. “He cried for a father who never came.”
Harry’s legs nearly gave out.
Your eyes turned back to him, full of fire now.
“But we stopped crying eventually. We stopped waiting.”
You stepped forward, and your words became knives:
“He only knows your name, and that's enough.”
Harry choked on the air. “He’s my son—”
“He’s mine.” you snapped. “He’s mine, Harry. I held him through every fever. I rocked him through every nightmare. I carried him through the snow when he was too tired to walk. I gave up everything just to keep him alive. And you—” you nearly spit it, “—you gave up on me.”
He closed his eyes, tears slipping free.
“I didn’t know—”
“I did,” you said, bitter. “I knew. And I loved you anyway.”
Your shoulders shook. You hadn’t meant to say that last part.
He looked at you like he might fall to his knees again. “Then why—please, let me explain—”
“No,” you whispered, stepping back.
The door behind you opened just slightly.
A voice—soft, small—called out:
“Mum?”
You turned, fast. Blocked the gap.
“Inside,” you said gently.
A shadow moved away.
Harry let out a broken sob at the sound.
You turned back to him, hand trembling as it clutched the doorknob.
“This is not your life anymore,” you said. “You forfeited it the moment you believed I left because I couldn’t handle you.”
You opened the door a crack. Paused.
And then, so quiet it almost wasn’t real:
“Go be a hero somewhere else.”
And the door shut.
He stood there long after the sun set, wind howling around him like the ghosts of what could’ve been.
He didn’t move.
Not even when it began to rain.
Because nothing—not war, not Voldemort, not death—had ever broken him like this.
—
The rain didn’t let up.
It poured for hours, cold and steady, until the hem of his coat was soaked through, until his glasses fogged and blurred with every shaky breath, until his legs could no longer hold him and he sank—knees to mud, hands clenched at his sides—on the path to your door.
He didn’t try to dry himself.
Didn’t conjure shelter.
Didn’t Disapparate away.
Because running had cost him everything.
He wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
---
You watched him from the attic window.
You knew he wouldn’t leave.
Even now—especially now—when he had no right to stay.
And gods, that made it worse.
You hated how your heart clenched. Hated how your hands shook. Hated that you remembered what he looked like the first time he held you like you were something fragile, something cherished, not just a secret lover in the shadows of war.
You remembered the last letter you wrote that was never sent. The one where you said he deserves to know. The one that was returned unopened. Sealed. Branded with the unmistakable wax of the Ministry.
They’d made sure he never got it.
And you hated them.
But you hated him more—for not questioning it. For believing you had walked away. For forgetting how deeply you had loved him.
---
The first time he came, you didn’t let him in.
The second time, you didn’t open the door.
Third, he didn’t even knock. He just sat. On the cold stone path, hands stuffed into the pockets of a weather-worn cloak, knees drawn up, wand untouched beside him, staring out over the low hill and the field beyond it where magic-hardened wildflowers still dared to bloom.
He didn’t bring flowers. He didn’t bring gifts.
Only silence. And a kind of ache you could feel through the walls.
You watched from the window, arms crossed over your chest, a thousand reasons held tight in your bones.
He had no right.
But he came again.
And again.
Sometimes he left food by the gate. Sometimes he just sat there for hours, unmoving.
He never shouted.
Never called your name.
He didn’t try to force his way in.
But he waited.
As if the waiting itself was a prayer. A penance.
And you didn’t let him in—not for weeks. You told yourself it was for your son. That you were shielding him. That seeing Harry would bring more confusion, more pain.
But some nights, your son—your boy who had his eyes and your fire—asked questions.
“Mum… that man with the sad shoulders. He’s always there. Is he lost?”
You swallowed the lump in your throat. “A little.”
“Should we help him?”
You closed your eyes. “I think he’s hoping we will.”
---
The next day, he brought something.
A tiny wooden figure. Roughly carved. Shaped like a Seeker on a broom, leaning forward, arm outstretched toward a tiny golden speck.
He left it on the porch.
Didn’t knock. Didn’t linger.
Just set it down and walked away.
James found it before you did. His eyes lit up like you hadn’t seen in weeks.
“Look, Mum! It’s flying—he charmed it!”
The figure bobbed in the air, chasing the golden speck in a slow, careful arc.
You didn’t take it from him.
But that night, when James was asleep, you held it in your hands for a long time.
And you cried.
---
A week passed.
Then another.
You finally stepped outside again.
That night, long after your son was asleep, you stepped out.
Harry was startled. He hadn’t seen you approach. He sat up, spine rigid, breath fogging in the cold air.
He was there, sitting under the tree near the path. He didn’t startle when you approached. Didn’t speak.
You sat beside him on the bench you once built together with your son.
The silence wasn’t warm.
But it wasn’t cold either.
You spoke first. Low. Measured. Laced with pain.
“Do you remember what you told me that night? at the forest?”
He turned his head slowly. “Which night?”
“The one where you looked me in the eye and said, “I want forever with you”
He blinked.
Then nodded.
Your voice cracked. “I held on to that promise, Harry. Every single night. Through every ache, through every terror. I waited for the life we said we’d have.”
He didn’t speak.
Didn’t dare.
“I wrote. I begged. I thought—I thought you were dead, or trapped, or trying to find me.”
“I was,” he said softly.
“No,” you snapped. “You weren’t. You were convinced I’d run. That I’d abandoned you. You believed them.”
His mouth opened, but the words stuck.
You laughed bitterly. “You could face down Voldemort but not ask one more question about the woman you loved? About why she vanished overnight?”
Harry flinched. “I asked,” he said, anguished. “They told me you left. That you couldn’t bear the pressure. That the everything we had was a lie. I— I was broken too, I didn’t think—”
“You didn’t think enough” you cut in. “You stopped at their version. You never looked for mine.”
He turned away, eyes glassy. “I know.”
Silence again.
Wind in the branches. The hush of grief that had no more fury left.
When you finally spoke, your voice was gentler.
“I hated you.”
Harry bowed his head.
You swiped a hand across your wet cheeks. “James was born in the middle of a thunderstorm. Just like this. I was alone. No Healer, no wand ready. I nearly died bringing him into this world.”
He opened his mouth.
“Don’t,” you warned.
“I would have been there—”
“But you weren’t!” you screamed, voice breaking. “You weren’t there. For me. For him. For anything. I wrote letters and burned them. I stood on the edge of the Burrow’s wards, wanting to scream it at the sky. I waited. I waited, Harry.”
Your voice was trembling now. “And I raised him alone.”
“I’m sorry,” he breathed.
“No. You don’t get to be sorry yet.”
He was crying now. Rain and tears are indistinguishable. “Please. Just let me see him.”
Then he whispered, broken: “I’ve never stopped loving you.”
You froze.
Your breath caught in your throat, and for the first time, he saw the tremble in your shoulders.
“I don’t know if that matters anymore,” you said, voice barely audible. “Love didn’t raise our son. Love didn’t keep him warm at night. I did. Alone.”
You turned, hand trembling on the doorknob. “His name is James. Not after your father. I didn’t name him for you. I named him because I dreamed of you saying it.”
Harry let out a noise that wasn’t human. His knees hit the ground.
“I’ll do anything,” he said. “Anything you want. I’ll beg. I’ll wait. Just let me try. Not for me. For him. For James.”
He looked up at that. Pain streaked across his face like a storm.
“But James,” you said, “he deserves more than this. More than pain. More than secrets.”
And you’ll earn his trust, Harry. Brick by brick. You won’t touch him until he asks you to. You won’t tell him who you were until he’s ready to ask. You’ll be patient. You’ll be kind. And you will never, ever leave again.”
Harry nodded slowly. “I want to know him. However you'll let me. Even if it's just as someone who visits. I won’t confuse him. I won't rush. I just... I want to be there.”
You studied him. Long. Hard.
And then said:
“This chance—it's not for you. It's for him. Because I won’t take love away from a child who could grow up stronger because of it.”
His eyes filled.
“I’ll let you try. But if you hurt him, even once, you will never see either of us again.”
Harry stood too, quietly. “I swear I won’t.”
You didn’t turn around.
But when the door clicked closed that night, you leaned your forehead against it—and for the first time in years—you let yourself hope.
---
The next morning, he came with his sleeves rolled up.
No gifts. No grand speeches.
Just a stack of gardening gloves, a basket of seed packets, and a quiet nod when you opened the door halfway.
“He’s in the back,” you said simply, stepping aside. You didn’t invite him in—but you didn’t shut him out either.
Harry’s footsteps were hesitant as he made his way through the side path. The garden had grown wild—beautiful in its chaos, all honeysuckle and broom and stubborn little strawberries that refused to be tamed.
James was there. Kneeling in the soil, a toy wand tucked behind one ear, a determined little line on his forehead as he tried to coax marigolds into blooming without charmwork.
He looked up when Harry’s shadow fell across the earth.
“Hi,” Harry said, kneeling. Not too close. Not imposing. “Need help?”
James blinked at him.
Then: “You can garden?”
“Not really,” Harry admitted. “But I’m good at making things grow the wrong way.”
That made the boy snort. “Like what?”
Harry pulled out a small, burned-looking piece of parchment. “Tried to charm a pumpkin once in third year. Accidentally grew fangs.”
James laughed. “That’s so cool.”
You watched from the kitchen window.
James handed him a pair of gloves. “If you touch the foxglove wrong, it’ll hex you. Mum made them that way.”
“Smart woman,” Harry said, sliding the gloves on.
James beamed. “The smartest.”
And something in your chest shifted.
---
It didn’t happen overnight.
Harry came by every Sunday.
He never crossed boundaries. Never stepped over your threshold without asking. But week after week, he returned.
He started helping with repairs—silently replacing the squeaky hinge on the shed, re-roofing the chicken coop after a summer storm took half the tiles. You watched him with suspicion at first, waiting for the charm to fade, for the effort to dwindle. It never did.
James adored him. Of course he did. Children know love when it’s honest, even if it comes late.
They planted trees.
Built a kite.
Spent an entire afternoon trying to build a fort that collapsed three times before James declared it the "best fort ever."
And every night after he left, Harry would stand by the gate, glance at your window, and wait.
Sometimes you meet his eyes.
Sometimes you don't.
But he always looked. Always waiting. Always left without a word.
---
Two months in, James asked.
“Mum… is he my dad?”
Your hands stilled over the dish basin.
You looked down at the soap bubbles.
Then turned.
“Yes.”
The boy didn’t speak for a long time.
Then, quietly: “Is that why I have his eyes?”
You nodded.
James sat with that. Processing.
Finally, he looked up. “He’s trying really hard.”
“I know.”
“Did he love you?”
Your chest ached.
“Yes,” you said honestly. “But sometimes, love gets lost. Especially in war.”
James looked down at his hands. “But he found us.”
You nodded again, and this time your voice cracked. “Yes. He did.”
---
The next Sunday, James opened the door before you could.
“Hi, Dad.”
Harry froze on the porch.
His breath hitched.
You saw the tears in his eyes before he blinked them away.
“Hi, James,” he said, voice trembling.
James grinned and held up a drawing. “I made this for you.”
It was messy—bright colors and a stick-figure family. Three people. A small garden. A sun with glasses.
Harry stared at it like it was the most precious thing he’d ever been handed.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I’ll keep it forever.”
You stood in the hallway, heart thudding.
Later that night, after James had gone to bed, Harry lingered by the porch again.
You stepped out into the quiet. The sky was clear.
“I didn’t expect that,” he said, eyes still shining. “I didn’t think he’d call me that.”
“I told him the truth.”
Harry turned to look at you. “Thank you. For that. For letting me… show him who I am.”
You didn’t speak for a moment. Then:
“You haven’t tried to win me back.”
Harry exhaled. “Because that wasn’t my right.”
You tilted your head. “But you wanted to.”
He looked at you now. Properly. The kind of gaze that once stopped your breath. The kind that saw too much.
“I still do,” he said quietly. “But I won’t ask for anything. Not unless you want it too.”
You stepped closer, arms folded. “What would you do if I said I didn’t trust you?”
“I’d keep earning it. Every day. For as long as it takes.”
“And if I never let you in again?”
Harry’s voice didn’t falter. “Then I’ll still be here. Because I’m not leaving my son. And I’ll love you—even from a distance.”
You studied him.
Then asked the one question you’d held in your heart like a wound.
“Why didn’t you look for me harder?”
He broke them.
Stepped back. Hands in his hair.
“I was afraid,” he said hoarsely. “Afraid they were right. That you’d left. That you didn’t love me enough to stay. I had lost so many people, I think I started believing anyone who disappeared just… chose not to come back.”
You swallowed hard.
“I’m sorry I gave up on you,” he whispered.
And in that moment, your anger cracked.
Not crumbled. Not vanished.
But it cracked.
Because you’d never heard him sound that young. That wound. That sorry.
You reached out. Just enough to place your hand on his wrist.
His eyes snapped to yours.
“I don’t forgive you,” you said softly. “Not yet.”
“I know.”
“But I’m not angry tonight.”
He nodded, breath trembling.
And before you could change your mind, you leaned forward—resting your forehead against his.
Just for a moment.
He didn’t move.
Didn’t dare.
And when you pulled back, his eyes were full of hope.
But he didn’t reach for you.
Didn’t ruin it.
He just smiled, heartbroken and awed.
“I’ll see you next Sunday?”
You nodded.
And watched him go, that rough little drawing tucked under his arm like a treasure.
---
It took another year.
Before the first time you let him stay for dinner.
Before the first time you laughed again in his presence. Before you let him touch your hand. Before James started asking when Dad would come next, not if.
Before the nightmares stopped. Before the guilt softened.
Before love crept back in.
But it did.
And when you finally kissed him again—on a quiet morning while James ran ahead through the garden path—Harry didn’t rush. Didn’t gasp. Didn’t fall apart.
He just kissed you like a man who remembered what it was to come home.
There have been over 780 F1 drivers. Only one has been a man who looks like me and he is better than every single other driver. And he does this all while facing the worst shit thrown at him by that organisation as well as those other drivers EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Never fix your mind to ever compare your fuckass drivers to Sir Lewis Hamilton, he doesn’t need any more disrespect from y’all than he already gets.
Why are people acting like everyone is calling racism over the single penalty this week like Lewis hasn’t fought racial bias in the FIA his entire career
no sane person would look at themselves in the mirror after watching this race and say there’s no racial bias in f1 when it comes to applying rules and penalties. this is just one of the many times the absolute disgust this sport carries for lewis shows itself. if you still don’t believe the entire sport was against him getting his 8th title back in 2021 and i mean the ENTIRE sport, you are blind and/or stupid. yes. even his own team back then. literally everyone did their part to make sure he wouldn’t get it and he defied all odds to the point they had to resort to outright cheating just to stop him. because for fuck's sake they would die if they ever let a black man be the undisputable GOAT. I HATE THIS SPORT DOWN TO ITS VERY CORE.
There’s something so special to me about Reid and a reader that been his (non BAU) girlfriend his whole life. Someone who’s been with him from his very early years at the BAU, both very young and newly in love and just seeing their journey as a couple. The ups and downs of a long relationship *sighs* see them grow and get through all the shit Spence had gone through 🥹
Today is an important day. The first step of a deal has been agreed to bring hostages home and to return peace to Palestine. Like many of you, there have been times I have felt totally powerless about the tragedy unfolding in Gaza and this is a day I wasn't sure would come.
Now, for the first time in a long time, Palestinians can allow themselves hope again.
But we can't forget that this deal has come too late for the 67,000 people who have died in Gaza, including 20,000 innocent children. We won't forget them, or the suffering of the survivors. This agreement is an incredible first step to peace, but it will take hard work and the support of everyone around the world to help Palestinians as they rebuild their lives after the suffering of the past few years.
I am so full of hope for the future and grateful to everyone who kept believing that this would be possible, and to the doctors, aid workers and others who have shown us the very best of humanity. But there is still work to do and I know that the charities on the ground will not rest until they can deliver the aid that people so desperately need. Now, more than ever, they need our support.
The eyes of the world must stay on Gaza.
- Lewis Hamilton on instagram
cia (klopp’s version) @cialovesklopp - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
