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Obsession

Five Hargreeves x Female Reader, 10.8k words, one shot

Summary: After being assigned by the Commission to observe and report back on their best agent, you become consumed with thoughts of him. Even after your job is complete, you can't stop watching his every move. But Five doesn't have a reputation for being the best for no reason, and you find out that the hunter has become the hunted. Obsession, it turns out, can go both ways.

Warnings: Smut, stalking

You hadn’t meant for it to get this far. The actual assignment and the reason that got you into this mess in the first place had ended weeks ago. And, yet, here you were; slumped in a chair in the back corner of a shadowy bar, with a black hoodie pulled over your head. The beer in the glass in front of you had barely been touched. You needed to stay laser focused.

When he walked in, you sunk down in your seat a little more, plastering yourself against the wall next to you, your pulse quickening. Not that he even glanced in your direction. He headed straight for the third stool at the bar, just like always. He nodded familiarly to the bartender, who greeted him and immediately placed a glass of amber-colored liquid in front of him.

Maker’s Mark Kentucky bourbon. Neat, you recited in your head. Although, sometimes it was a single malt scotch. Not tonight, though. Tonight was bourbon.

He wouldn’t talk to anyone, except maybe a few words with the bartender. He’d have two, maybe three drinks, leave cash on the bar before he left, and then slip out into the night again. He’d walk the few blocks to his apartment and disappear inside. Always alone.

A few times some interested women had tried to sidle up to him, flirting shamelessly in an attempt to capture his attention. He would be polite, but obviously uninterested, until they gave up and moved on. Just thinking about those women make your skin prickle.

You don’t even know, you would seethe to them inside your head. You don’t even know how special he is.

You didn’t even know what you would do if he took up one of those offers with a woman. Probably something extremely embarrassing. But luckily, that hadn’t happened under your watch. Yet.

And now, as you studied his mannerisms that you already had memorized and would replay in your sleep later, you thought about how all of this happened. You used to be a normal, fully-functioning, logical and rational person. A professional, above all else.

But then your obsession with Five Hargreeves began, and all of that rationality flew out the window.

*****************

You stared at the file your superior had just slapped on the desk in front of you. When you saw the name, you looked up.

“Is this a joke?” you asked, incredulously.

Your boss shook his head. “Not a joke. Sorry, but the order comes from above.” He pointed at the ceiling.

You scoffed. “This is insane. You realize this is insane, right?”

Your boss nodded and sighed. “I understand your hesitation—”

“Hesitation?” you said, standing up to face him. “You want me to tail Five Fucking Hargreeves for two weeks, write up a report, and turn it in like he’s… like he’s…” you trailed off, unable to come up with the right word. Normal? Ordinary? Sane?

“A field agent,” your boss finished for you. “He’s subject to the same rules as every other Commission agent.”

You barked out a sarcastic laugh. “That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard. Come on, what’s this really about?”

Your boss looked around and then leaned in, lowering his voice. “All right, look. I don’t know what the story is, ok? All I know is that the big boss wants a detailed report on his whereabouts in and out of headquarters. Maybe they think he’s up to something, I don’t know. But it’s not up to me. And you’re the best liaison I’ve got.”

The Interdepartmental Liaison Division, or ILD, was the branch of the Commission that worked to make sure all employees were adhering to the rules and regulations of the company. They made observations and reported back to the administrators. In short, they were snitches. And everyone hated them.

Anytime someone from the ILD would walk down the halls of headquarters, people scattered like bugs. No one wanted to be watched or reported on, regardless of whether they were following the rules or not. The majority of the staff didn’t trust the administration anyway, so having any attention drawn to yourself was usually not a good thing.

Because of this, the liaisons learned to be stealthy. They were lurkers in the shadows. Flies on the walls. They tracked and sniffed out rumors, and sometimes bought their information from less scrupulous employees.

You were the ILD’s best agent, hands down.

It’s not like you loved ratting on your co-workers, but just like everyone else in that building, you weren’t really given a choice. And if you were destined to that department, you might as well excel at the job. The more of an asset you were to the company, the less corporate bullshit you had to deal with.

Some employees, you knew, were favored more than others, and had certain privileges that others did not. There were people that were exempt from the rules everyone else had to follow. You certainly thought that out of anyone, Five Hargreeves, was one of the privileged few.

Having only been at the Commission for a little over a year, you were unsure of how and when Five arrived here. But given your expertise at eavesdropping, you knew he’d worked here a few different times. And, apparently, in a couple different bodies.

This time around, Five was back after reportedly saving the world more than once. But, due to lack of options and overall restlessness, he decided to come back. You heard he’d demanded several perks that would normally never be agreed to. But, for him, they were.

You knew the demands included, but weren’t limited to: no tracking chip, no on-site residence, no partner. That, on top of his natural ability to teleport, made him nearly impossible to keep tabs on.

You’d seen him around headquarters, though. In your daily wanderings and assigned tracking, you crossed his path a few times. He never paid you any notice and you barely had enough time to contemplate any feelings about him one way or another. But what you did notice was how everyone else reacted in his presence.

ILD agents were given a wide berth, but not in the same way that Five was. When he stalked down the halls of headquarters… and that’s what he did; stalked… no one stood in his way. With his head down, eyes focused in front of him, you weren’t even sure he was aware of the reaction he received.

Conversations turned to whispers, groups dispersed, stares were blatantly averted. Then, when he passed and was out of sight again, things returned to normal.

During one of your encounters with Five, you were so enrapt in everyone else’s behavior that you didn’t bother to change yours. While you continued on your path down the hallway, he continued along his, going the opposite way. You didn’t avoid eye contact or slow your stride. Why should you? He was only a person.

As you passed one another, you saw the tiniest flick of his eyes in your direction. Anyone else probably would’ve missed it. It was there and then it wasn’t, and then he was on his way to his destination and you were on your way to yours. You barely thought about him after that.

“Fine,” you snapped back at your boss, swiping the file off your desk. “But if he gets any wind that I’m tailing him and reporting back, it’s going to be both of our heads.”

Your boss nodded, looking a little ashen. “I’m fully aware. Another reason I’m putting you on the job. Less chance that I get caught in the crosshairs.”

You’d stayed up late studying what you could of Five’s file. There wasn’t much, all things considered. You were fairly certain a lot of information had been left out. It was clear, though, that the higher-ups in the Commission were curious about Five’s personal life. They hated that they couldn’t track him off the clock, or know who he spoke to outside of headquarters. They wanted to know anything and everything, no matter how small of a detail. And you were supposed to give all of this to them.

Without him knowing, of course.

During your time in the ILD, you had designed a set of rules for yourself that you always adhered to:

Report all verified facts truthfully

Be respectful of the subject’s physical boundaries (aka – no casing locker rooms, bathrooms, etc)

Never make it personal

The next day, you prepared to start your investigation. You weren’t nervous, even though you knew how dangerous he was. But you were used to dangerous people. The entire building was full of them.

Like all field agents at the Commission, Five didn’t have an office. Agents came and went according to their assignments. When they weren’t in the field, they were at home. For all others except for Five, that meant one of the drab, identical homes provided by the company and situated on headquarters’ campus.

Five was allowed to live wherever and whenever he desired, and according to the file, that was his own apartment in the city in the year 2026. Once he was done with a job, he’d come back to headquarters, fill out whatever paperwork was required, and leave again. He was also the only agent that was allowed to use a briefcase for personal reasons.

Your plan was to catch him when he returned from an assignment and then use a briefcase to follow him to his home and observe his actions there. The Commission was providing the whereabouts of the apartment and the case would already be programmed to take you there. There was no need to track him on a job; the switchboard operators took care of that. And while the Infinite Switchboard could be used for outside tracking as well, there were rules against that. And the Commission loved their rules.

You waited around headquarters, making it look like you were busy doing various tasks, and even tracking some of the other employees to report on later. You kept a close eye out for Five, though, and when you saw him appear out of nowhere and head to the briefcase room, you were on high alert.

Five returned the case he’d used for the mission, signed a few documents, nodded once to the woman that worked the room, and grabbed a new case. Without even looking up, he was gone again. Home, you assumed.

You followed directly behind him, appearing via your own briefcase in 2026. It was nighttime and the city was alive with the sounds of traffic, sirens, and voices from all around. The buildings, store fronts, and streets were lit up with bright white and neon lights. You let your eyes adjust and blinked to clear your head from the time jump.

You saw him, crossing the street, and heading into the tall, multi-story apartment building on the other side. You quickly followed, making sure not to get run over in the process, and let Five slip inside the main door. After a few seconds, you made your way there. The front door was glass and you could see a set of stairs leading to various floors above. There was a list of names next to buzzers to your right. You scanned them, but none of them read “Hargreeves” or “Five”.

You pondered the building thoughtfully and took a look around. Across the street, where you had originally appeared, was another tall apartment building. This one, however, was under construction, with scaffolding all around the outside walls. It didn’t look like it was occupied at the moment.

You scanned the windows above you and then the darkened ones of the empty building across the street. If you got lucky, it was possible that Five’s apartment window would be visible from the roof of the other building. Chances were slim, but it was worth a shot, anyway.

Unlike Five’s ability to blink through space, the briefcases could only blink through time. So, that meant any tracking was going to have to be done on foot. After climbing ten stories, carrying that damned case, and trying to suck air into your burning lungs, you arrived at the door to the roof. The door was already propped open, so you headed outside.

The night was cool but not cold, and the city was much quieter from that height. You were alone up there, and it was dark, but you clutched the briefcase tighter, knowing that if anyone tried to jump you, you could just blip your way back to headquarters.

Approaching the ledge of the roof, you looked out onto Five’s building. You had a small bag with you that contained your notebook for recording and a pair of high-powered binoculars. Taking them out, you did a cursory scan of the apartments that had lights on and blinds open. Then you began to look a little closer. Every so often, another light would pop on, showing you the insides of a person’s home.

Then, you saw it. A corner window on the sixth floor. Someone clicked a floor lamp on and passed by the window, and sure enough, you saw the familiar image of Five Hargreeves in perfect view, backlit by the lamp he had just turned on. There were no blinds or curtains, or at least there weren’t any that he closed.

You watched him, with his face much closer than you’d ever seen it before, thanks to the binoculars. You weren’t sure what you had expected, but he looked decidedly normal. Like he was just a man, returning home from a day at work, and relaxing for the evening. He threw his coat over a clean, if slightly beat up sofa, and loosened his tie. He had a beer in his hand that he must have grabbed from the kitchen on the way in. The Commission briefcase sat next to him on the floor.

You saw him lean back, take a drink of the beer, and pick up the TV remote on the table in front of him. You couldn’t see the screen from your position, but the flickering lights of the television illuminated his face. He flipped channels until he must have found something he was interested in, and set the remote down again. Then, he slumped further down in his seat and closed his eyes.

Lowering the binoculars, you took a look around you. The roof was small, but secluded, and sheltered from any major wind or rain that may occur. There was a folding chair in the corner that looked halfway decent. You nodded to yourself. This would make a good enough place for a stakeout.

For the next week, you developed a routine. In the mornings, you would travel back to your apartment at headquarters; shower, eat, and sleep a little. Then, you would type up the information you collected in preparation for the report you’d have to turn in. Not that there had been much to report.

As it turned out, Five was a pretty simple person. He worked, came home, ate, and slept like most other people. He didn’t seem to have any friends or people he hung around with. Once in a while one of his family members would come by his apartment to visit for a short while. You knew who they were from Five’s file. Usually it was his brother, Klaus. But once it was Diego, although he didn’t stay for very long.

On three occasions, Five left his apartment building and walked two blocks south to a dive bar. When he did that, you had to run down the stairs of your building, and follow him at a reasonable distance while trying not to gasp loudly for air and draw attention to yourself.

The bar was called O’Malleys and the second L of the sign above the door had fallen off some time ago. You couldn’t follow him inside without being discovered, since the place was too small and he might recognize you from the Commission, so you waited around in the shadows until he emerged an hour or so later and made his way back to his apartment again.

When you turned in your report at the end of the first week, your boss looked it over.

“It doesn’t say anything about mental status in here,” he said.

You knew that was something the Commission always wanted to know. They wanted to make sure their agents weren’t cracking up from the pressure. Or getting too soft.

“Not much to report,” you said with a shrug. “I don’t think the guy has any emotions, to be honest. Except maybe perpetual irritation.”

“Hmmm,” your boss said with a snort. “Well, I guess they get what they get, then.”

On the ninth day of tracking Five Hargreeves, you still hadn’t witnessed anything groundbreaking. Although, you had started to become a little enthralled with his general dark and brooding demeanor. And, while you had never paid much attention to him before this assignment, you had started to notice just how good looking he was.

With that chiseled face and sharp, green eyes framed by dark lashes, and a body that was toned and lean from years of training and fighting, it was impossible not to notice. All of those hours you spent staring at his face from behind your binoculars were getting to you. You saw that face even in your dreams.

So, when you watched Five walk into his apartment after an assignment that ninth night, you expected to see the same determined and fierce face. But even from a distance, before you could pick up your binoculars, you could see something was different. He held himself differently and his normal purposeful stride was off. You saw him enter the building and then you waited the minute or so it took for him to climb the stairs and get to his apartment. When the light clicked on, you zoomed in on him as he sat down on his couch. He had skipped grabbing a beer on his way in.

The hardened ferocity and irritability were gone. The stony, impassive gaze was gone. Even the slight amusement that would sometimes flicker over his lips while he watched some show, or when his family came to visit, was gone.

There was a different look now. Pain.

You actually let out a little gasp when you saw it. It was like a completely different person had taken over the only other version of Five you had seen up to that point. His facial features had softened and his eyes were devoid of their usual spark. There was a crease between his brows that wasn’t there from annoyance or anger. Instead of the impenetrable Five Hargreeves that you had been tracking, there was a sad and defeated man in his place.

You saw him flop onto the couch, like his body weighed a thousand pounds, and he rested his elbows on his knees. He dragged both hands through his hair and then down his face. And then he just stayed like that for a few minutes; with his head in his hands. When he finally raised his head again, you had expected to see signs of tears. But there weren’t any. Just that hollow, far-away look of a man beaten down by life.

After several more minutes of Five staring forlornly at nothing in front of him, he suddenly stood up. He grabbed his coat off the back of the couch and headed for the door. When you saw him emerge onto the street below, he looked like his old self again. Strong, persistent, formidable. You knew by the direction he was walking that he was headed to O’Malley’s. He turned a corner and then he was gone.

Instead of dashing down the stairs like you usually did, you sat back in your chair, deep in thought.

You’d never in a million years have guessed that Five could look so broken like that. And what had made him break? You knew he’d seen and done a hundred terrible things in his lifetime, but as far as you knew, he’d always taken everything in stride. Nothing seemed to faze him.

Apparently, you’d been wrong.

You couldn’t stop thinking about him after that. Even when you weren’t tailing him, you were thinking of him. Of the pain on his face and how sad, but also beautiful, he’d looked.

As you wrote out your next report, and you came to the section on mental status, your fingers lingered over the typewriter keys; hovering. This change in demeanor you witnessed is what the admins upstairs wanted to know about. This would have been a juicy detail for them to latch onto.

You assumed that Five would have rather died than to have that side of him revealed to anyone, let alone the sharks at the Commission. But you also had your rules, and number one was to report all facts truthfully. And number three was to never make it personal.

Well, fuck the rules. I made them, I can break them if I want.

You typed “Mental status: unremarkable/unchanged” and finished the report. You smiled to yourself, because now it was official: you knew a secret about Five Hargreeves that no one else in that building did. Just that small little notion was enough to send a tingle down your spine.

As the rest of the second week went on, you became more and more consumed with Five. You still watched him through your binoculars and followed him to the bar and to anywhere else he wandered. But now, you studied him with so much more intensity. You watched his face for any flicker of emotion. You studied his body language and the way he moved and spoke.

The more you watched, the more you started to notice. A tiny upturn of the corner of his mouth when a small child on the street laughed joyfully. The way his jaw clenched with annoyance when having to endure a particularly chatty person. How he rolled his shoulders back, just slightly, in preparation for anything he was gearing up to do. The insanely attractive way he’d rake his hand through his hair while in thought or with frustration.

When his brother Klaus would visit, Five’s tightly wound stature seemed to relax somewhat. And while much of their visits were spent with Klaus talking and gesturing like he was in a heated game of charades, and Five rolling his eyes and shooting back with clipped rebuttals, the interaction looked natural and comfortable. When Klaus would leave and Five would shut the door behind him, he always smiled to himself; just a little.

One night he fell asleep sitting up on the couch and you watched him as he breathed deeply with his eyes closed and his lashes fanning over his cheekbones. You watched him sleep for nearly an hour until he woke with a start, breathing hard and looking around in a panic. Then he rubbed his eyes, turned the light off, and went into his bedroom for the night.

You wanted so badly to follow him into that bedroom, and if you had any way to do it without getting caught, you would have.

You started to imagine scenarios where the two of you were together. In bed in your apartment, you’d lie there and think of all the ways those hands you’d studied for hours on end could touch you. You were dying to see him up close and personal, without the aid of binoculars. You wanted to know what his skin felt like and how his hair would feel if you ran your fingers through it, and how he smelled.

You’d never seen him with a woman but you had a feeling that intensity he carried around with him would transfer over to any relationship he may have. And you were positive he fucked like a God. Of course, that was speculative, but you knew him better than anyone else at this point, so it seemed reasonable.

More than anything, though, you wanted to know him when he was at his worst. You imagined being the only one that could comfort him in his time of need. You wanted to be who he came to when he needed someone.

It was getting dangerous; you knew that. You were most definitely breaking your number three rule of not making it personal. But it was so hard to stop. You just wanted to know more and more about him. You started shortening your time at your own apartment so you could hang around headquarters longer, in the hopes of catching him in the halls between assignments.

When you would see him in the building, your breath would catch in your throat and your entire body would flood with heat. Your initial instinct was to turn away or shrink into the shadows, but you would force yourself to watch as he strode by. You couldn’t risk missing anything.

On one of those occasions, you had been so flustered that you dropped the small purse you’d been holding and the contents spilled out onto the floor. There wasn’t much in there; just some cash and cards, your I.D. and some lip balm. You saw Five glance over in your direction as you cursed and stooped down to scoop up your items. When you stood back up again, he was gone.

When you turned in your report at the end of the second week, your boss looked it over with a frown and then sighed.

“Alright, well, that’s it then,” he said casually.

“What’s what?” you asked.

He gestured to the paper. “Two weeks of being observed by our best liaison and nothing of note. That’ll be good enough for administration. For now, anyway.”

You chewed at your bottom lip, trying to hide your anxiety. “What do you mean? My assignment is finished?”

Your boss nodded. “Yep. Good work, though. You never even got caught, which is pretty impressive.” He took another file off his desk and handed it to you. “Here’s your next one.”

You stared at the file but you didn’t take it from him. Instead, you started internally panicking. “You know, two weeks isn’t really a long time in the scheme of things. Especially when we’re talking about Hargreeves. The man is practically a ghost. If they want more intel, I just need more time.”

“Nah,” your boss said with a shake of his head. “What you got is fine. If they want more, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, take this one.” He shoved the new file toward you again.

As you left the ILD, file folder in hand, you could feel your palms growing clammy with anxiousness.

I won’t be able to see him every day now. What if I don’t see him ever again? I don’t think I can do this.

Your mild panic attack was in full swing when you happened to catch Five leaving the briefcase room. You stopped in your tracks, eyes wide, as he walked directly across your path. As usual, he didn’t look up, but this time you could see why.

He was covered in blood. Red splatters painted his face and hair and the crisp white collar of his dress shirt. His shoes left bloody footprints in his wake. And he was pissed. If you had seen other workers scurry out of his way before, that was nothing. People were practically diving out of the way, ready to throw themselves through windows if necessary. Anything to avoid a run in with Five.

With his hands balled into fists and a permanent snarl on his face, he looked like some sort of feral storybook beast after ransacking a small village.

Fuck.

You were the only one that didn’t turn their back and walk away. Instead, you followed him with your eyes, observing every movement with your heart in your throat. As he passed by, you caught the scent of sweat, copper, and something that reminded you of ocean air. When he turned the corner at the next hallway, you let out a long release of the breath you’d been holding.

While you stood there, trying to pull yourself together, you saw the blood-stained footprints on the tile, marking Five’s path through the building. You wondered why he wasn’t just going back to his apartment, but maybe he had to turn right back around and go out on another job. Or maybe he had to report back to someone first. That could’ve been the reason he was in such a rage, among other things. You had come to learn that Five hated the bureaucratic bullshit of paperwork.

Trying to look as casual as possible, and using your skills as a liaison, you strolled in the same direction as the footprints. When you rounded the same corner that Five had taken, you saw where they were leading. To the locker room.

You hung back, trying to blend into your surroundings and peruse the file you had in your hands, as you decided your next move. A handful of men streamed out of the locker room, a couple still only half-dressed, looking grateful they’d escaped unscathed. After a few minutes, you assumed Five would remain in there by himself, since word would have traveled fast and no one wanted to take the chance on meeting him face to face in such intimate quarters.

There was only one rule left out of three and you were about to break it.

Be respectful of the subject’s physical boundaries.

After scanning the area around you, you moved forward before you lost your nerve. You got to the men’s locker room, paused with your hand on the door, and then slipped inside. The room was pretty basic, as all things at headquarters were, with a few aisles of metal lockers and some benches for changing. Off to the right were the showers.

The locker area was empty and you could hear water running in the other room. On one of the benches nearby by was a pile of clothes. A suit, by the looks of it. As you got closer, making sure to walk extra lightly, you could see the suit, shirt, and shoes were covered in a splatter of blood. The blood was dry now, and it had turned a dark burgundy on the collar and cuffs of the white dress shirt.

You stared at the pile for a minute. Then, looking around you, you picked up the shirt. It was still warm from Five’s body and you caressed the fabric a little between your fingers. Then you raised it to your face and brushed it across your cheek. It was soft and smelled like the same intoxicating combination that you had noticed when he’d walked past you, only stronger. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes.

This is bad. But I don’t care.

You knew you were on limited time, so you reluctantly set the shirt down on the bench, being sure to place it in the exact same spot. You turned to leave, but the sound of running water caught your attention again.

I shouldn’t but…

Your desire to sneak a look was stronger than any scruples you had, and so you made you way stealthily toward the shower room. You held onto the corner of the doorway while you peeked your head around. The showers stalls were small and made of white tile with an opaque shower curtain to close for privacy.

Five was the only one in there, so you knew right away which stall he was in. You could see his feet beneath the curtain. The water running into the drain was tinged a slight pink as the blood washed off his body. Even though the curtain was pulled closed, there was a small opening where it didn’t quite meet the wall. You craned your neck to get just the right angle.

When you saw him, you put a hand over your mouth to cover your gasp. He was facing away from you, toward the shower stream, but you could see his entire body. Or, at least, the back side of it.

He was so beautiful you wanted to cry. Like a marble statue with a perfect ass. There were a few scars that were visible across his back and one on his shoulder. His dark hair was wet and he used a hand to slick it back off his forehead. His shoulders rose and fell with his heavy breathing as he dealt with whatever anger or frustration he was feeling.

You knew you had to go. It was just a matter of time before someone walked in or Five saw you. But you couldn’t look away. It was impossible. Then you saw him lean against the side wall of the shower, his eyes closed, and sink to the floor, his knees drawn to his chest. He put his head in his hands, just like the time you’d seen him in his apartment, and he let the water run over him in sheets.

You took the tiniest step forward, like you were going to go to him, but you caught yourself. As much as it broke your heart to see him like that, there was no way you could intervene. So, you just stood there, helpless, as this hard, strong, and ferocious man tried to come to grips with whatever nightmare he was forced to live with.

I wish I could help you. I wish I could be with you. I wish you were mine.

Five eventually stood back up and turned the water off. At that moment, you made a quick turn to leave as quietly and as quickly as you could. On your way out, you smashed your knee into the corner of one of the benches. It hurt like a motherfucker, but you had to stifle your cry and hobble out of there before Five realized you’d been there.

Once you were back outside, you whimpered and rubbed at your knee. That was definitely going to leave a mark. No one was around, luckily, so you walked back down the hallway, looking as innocent as possible, and blended into the daily crowd of Commission employees.

The next day, when you walked into the ILD, you approached your desk and found a tube of lip balm lying in the middle. It was the same type that you had lost when all of your things had spilled out of your purse in the hallway. But this one was brand new. Vanilla Honey. The flavor you always used.

You looked around but you were the first one in that morning and there was no one else there. You frowned and slipped it into your pocket. You’d ask about it later when your other coworkers came in.

Days passed and then weeks. You did your job as required and reported on anyone you were assigned to. You typed up your reports with professionalism and talked with your boss and coworkers. But it was Five that always occupied every moment of your days and nights. Any down time you had was spent following him or thinking about him. Five Hargreeves was your obsession and you couldn’t seem to stop.

You started stealing briefcases so that you could follow him to his home again. You would plant yourself at O’Malley’s to wait for him to come in, so you could watch him from the corner. He never saw you and he always left without even a glance in your general direction.

At work, he came and went as usual, with folks scattering and parting like the Red Sea whenever he walked by. To everyone else, he was a dangerous weapon just waiting to explode, but to you he was much more than that. You’d seen his pain and his sadness. You knew how lonely his life was. And yet, you had to keep all of that to yourself.

One night, when you got home from work, you noticed that the flower planter on the porch looked brighter and perkier than normal. You’d been neglecting its care lately, since you’d been preoccupied with Five. You checked the soil with your finger and found it was wet. It hadn’t rained in days.

You assumed one of your neighbors had come by to help out your poor, ailing plant. Probably Janet next door; she was always out tending to her own garden. You’d have to thank her the next time you saw her.

Now, tonight, you were back at O’Malley’s, with another stolen briefcase, stalking a man that didn’t know you existed. Knowing full well that getting caught by the Commission, or Five, would put you in serious danger.

Five finished his bourbon, setting the glass on the bar top with a quiet clink. You waited for him to flag the bartender down for another round, like he always did, but instead he threw a few bills on the bar top and slid off his stool. He headed to the door and left without a look back.

You started to scramble for your things. You hadn’t been prepared for him to leave this soon. You rummaged around in your pocket for enough money to pay for your beer and left it on the table. Then you grabbed the briefcase and hurried outside.

Outside, in the crisp night air, you looked to your left, which was the direction Five’s apartment was. You didn’t see him anywhere along the sidewalk and so you turned to your right. There he was, with his unmistakable form and stride, about a block ahead of you. It was odd he would be going somewhere else instead of home, so you were definitely curious. You followed in the same direction.

After two more blocks, you closed the gap somewhat and were now closer. But not too close, of course. You watched with confusion as Five slowed at an alley that intersected two tall buildings and turned the corner, disappearing from view.

You stopped, not knowing what to do. The smart thing would be to just leave and go home. But there was no way you’d be able to leave without knowing what he was up to. Slowly, you approached the entrance between the buildings. You glanced around the corner and saw only shadows. You heard no footsteps or voices, either.

Steeling yourself and taking a deep breath, you crept into the alleyway. There was a large dumpster against one of the walls, and you hid the briefcase behind it for safekeeping. Maybe that was stupid, and left you no way to escape, but it would also make you clumsier by carrying it.

You made your way deeper into the alley. There was still no sign of anyone and you were starting to feel uneasy. Five must have blinked away somewhere after he turned the corner. You were disappointed, but you had to get going. When you made your way back to the dumpster, you reached behind it and felt nothing. Confused, you crouched down and peered closer to the dirty ground. Still nothing. The briefcase was gone.

Holy shit. This is really, really bad.

Then you heard a voice from behind you.

“Lose something, agent?”

You spun around, yelping with surprise, and came face to face with Five Hargreeves. He was standing there, your briefcase in his hand, and his head tilted slightly to the side. His eyes flashed with anger and your pulse pounded in your ears.

“What? No. No, I—” you stuttered.

He cut you off. “Save it.” He smiled ruefully. “I know all about you, Madam Liaison.”

“I’m only doing my job,” you answered, doing your best to stand tall and not let your hands shake. He was staring at you so intently, though, that your entire body was in danger of collapsing to the ground.

Five nodded, thoughtfully. “I know that.” He took a step closer to you. “The thing is… you turned that report in over a month ago. And yet, here you are.” His voice was calm. Smooth. “Why is that?”

You swallowed. The faint moonlight that was breaking through the clouds above illuminated one side of his face. You pulled the hood of your sweatshirt off your head in an attempt to appear less stalkerish.

“They wanted more intel on you,” you lied. “They weren’t satisfied with the initial report.”

One side of Five’s mouth curled up and he stepped closer to you again. He shook his head. “You do realize I’m not an idiot, right? That I’m pretty fucking good at stalking people myself?”

“I wasn’t stalking,” you lied again. “I’m a liaison, it’s my job, I—”

He closed in on you, grabbing your arm, but not roughly. This was the first time you’d been this close to him and the warmth of his hand on your arm had your lips trembling.

“Stop with the lies,” Five said, cutting you off again. He studied your face, intensely as always, and his gaze moved from your eyes to your lips. His voice softened. “I know who you are.”

Your heart rate skyrocketed and you were starting to break out in a sweat as the realization that Five had been onto you this whole time washed over you. You tried desperately to maintain your dignity. You held your head up.

“And who am I?” you asked, as haughtily as you could manage.

Five broke into a grin. He was still holding onto your arm. “I know you’re the best liaison in the ILD. I know you live alone and don’t have many friends. I know you like vanilla honey lip balm and Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer, and that you’re a shit gardener. And I know you’re either really brave or really stupid for stealing cases from headquarters.” He paused, still staring. “How’d I do?”

Your eyes widened and your heart thumped wildly against your ribs. You wanted to cry or scream, maybe. He’d known all along. Then something else hit you.

“Wait,” you croaked out. “That was you that gave me the lip balm and watered my flowers?” Five raised an eyebrow and gave a very tiny nod. “Why?” you asked, truly dumbfounded.

Five’s fingers tightened just slightly around your arm but his facial features softened. “Everyone has a file. Even you.”

You realized what that meant and your eyes filled with tears. He’d read your file and everything about you. He knew your whole backstory and why you’d ended up at the Commission in the first place.

“So, you feel sorry for me, is that it?” you asked pitifully.

Five shook his head. “No. But I know what it’s like to lose your entire family. Maybe not in a car accident, but just the same… I know why you ended up here.” He paused. “Because you wanted to hide from the pain.”

You took that in and wiped the tears from your eyes. You nodded. “Turns out it just follows you wherever you go.”

“Yeah. It sure does,” Five said, matter-of-factly, before switching gears again. “Now, you can either go back to headquarters and we’ll pretend this never happened.” He paused. “Or, we can get to know each other the old-fashioned way. No files. No stakeouts.” He held the briefcase up. “Your call, agent.”

He was so close. Closer than you’d ever been to him before. The moonlight was faint, but you could see all the details of his face that you had previously only viewed through binocular lenses. You were having a hard time concentrating because all you could think about was how he didn’t know the full extent of your feelings for him.

“I… I…” You felt like your throat was closing up. “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do,” Five said with the most infuriating, cocky smirk.

And then suddenly you didn’t care about your nerves or what he did or didn’t know. He was there; right there in front of you, and he was offering you a choice. Without a word, you grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward you, your lips meeting his with unrestrained hunger.

He didn’t pull away or even hesitate. His free hand came to rest on the back of your head and he deepened the kiss, matching your intensity. When you finally parted, you were both breathing heavily. You waited for him to say something else, but instead, you were being dragged through the ether of time and space.

Five’s blink felt nearly the same as using the briefcase, only slightly rougher. Like experiencing turbulence on an airplane. When you came out of the portal, you were standing in his apartment.

You took a look around, bewildered. It was like being transported onto a movie set. You’d been watching him for so long that it was surreal to be standing in the same place you had only observed from afar.

“Is this ok?” he asked you, setting down the briefcase and pulling you close to him.

You nodded. “Yes, it’s ok,” you said quietly.

He was looking at you in that same intense way he’d done in the alley. He brushed the back of his fingers over your cheek, gently.

“Let me ask you something,” he said and waited for your small nod. “Why me?”

“I was assigned to report on you,” you answered.

“No,” Five said. “I mean, after that. Why did you keep watching me?”

You were nervous, but his hand was on the small of your back, the warmth pooling there through your shirt. And he was looking at you with an expression you had never seen on him before. Something like wonder. You relaxed a little.

“Because I saw you, Five,” you said. You tentatively brought your hand up to his face and gently pushed a few stray hairs off his forehead. “I saw the real you.”

Five swallowed loudly and he looked away from you for a second. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

“Yes, it is,” you assured him. “It really, really is.” You debated against saying anything else, but you figured there was no point in holding back now. “Once the assignment ended, I just couldn’t bear to let you go.”

Five leaned down and kissed you. It was softer and gentler than before and he cradled your face in his hand. When he pulled back, he said, “I’ve seen the real you, too. And I think you’re beautiful.”

You smiled and Five kissed you again. He held you tighter and you could feel the strength of his arms around you and the firmness of his body.

“I’m sorry, Five,” you said in between kisses. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he told you. Then he drew back and smiled. “I’ve had my eye on you for a while now. I just didn’t think you’d be interested.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. “You… you knew who I was even before this?”

“Of course, I did. I know everything.”

“How? You’ve never even paid me one bit of attention,” you told him, slightly annoyed.

Five chuckled. “You’re the only one that doesn’t run and hide from me like I’m some medieval lord coming to seize your livestock.”

You giggled. “That is kind of the vibe you give off.”

“So, why don’t you run?” he asked.

“Because I’m too busy trying to breathe to run,” you said quietly.

Five raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

You nodded. “You quite literally take my breath away.”

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. He pulled you closer with a sharp tug, leaning down and dragging his lips across your cheek and jaw. “I’d like to make you breathless right now.”

Your gasp was swallowed up by more of Five’s urgent kisses as his hands roamed over your body. You raked your hands through his hair and trailed your nails down his neck and over his back. He shivered and made a soft groaning noise into your mouth.

The palms of his hands were warm as they slipped under your shirt. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion but somehow also impossibly fast, and it was hard to keep track of what was going on. You knew you wanted whatever was happening, though, that wasn’t a question. And as Five tore your shirt over your head and unclasped your bra, you didn’t hesitate to start unbuttoning his own shirt; feeling the heat rise off his body.

When he dropped to his knees, right there in front of you, and started to unbutton your jeans, you thought for just a moment that you must be dreaming. No way was Number Five Hargreeves, of all people, kneeling before you. He was tearing your pants down your legs and you stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.

Left in just your underwear, your chest heaving and your mind reeling, you followed Five’s movements as he ran his hands up your thighs and back down again, over the backs of your knees and calves. He noticed the small bruise on your knee that you’d gotten when you ran into the bench in the locker room that day.

Five brushed his thumb over the small mark and leaned in to kiss it. He looked up at you; lips still pressed to the inside of your leg. He smiled.

“Should’ve let me take care of this bruise in the shower,” he told you; that half-smirk playing on his face. He kissed you again, further up your thigh. “It would have made for a better day, anyway.”

Your face burned a bright red. He knew. How the fuck did he know?

“Five, I’m—”

“I know what you saw,” he said, quieter. The tips of his fingers grazed just inside the material of your underwear. Despite the shiver it sent up your spine and everything else that was happening, you still couldn’t help but wish you’d worn something a little sexier than your plain, cotton panties.

“I didn’t mean to,” you whispered.

Five gave you another gentle kiss; this time onto the crease between your leg and hip. You bit at your bottom lip.

“But you did see,” he said.

You nodded. “Yes.”

He looked up again, his hands gripping your hips. “And you still didn’t run.”

You frowned, reaching your hand down to sweep his hair out of his eyes. Your eyebrows creased together. “Of course not.”

Five paused, like he was taking that information in. Then, he closed his eyes and pressed his face between your legs, placing open-mouthed kisses over the thin material of your panties; even lightly biting and licking at the already-damp area.

Your hand automatically came to rest in his hair and your head fell back with a tiny whimper. When you exhaled, you breathed out his name in a whisper. “Five.”

Five pulled your underwear down with his teeth and as soon as his warm tongue slipped across your clit, your grip tightened in his hair and you moaned loudly.

“Fuck,” he groaned into you. “I’m obsessed with you.”

Hearing him say those words, and realizing the insanity of the current situation, made you want to laugh, but with Five doing what he was doing, you were panting and whining instead. He continued licking into you, on his knees in his black suit pants and his shirt unbuttoned, and every time you looked down you were on the verge of passing out. He had you right on the edge when he stopped and stood back up.

He regarded you for a moment; studying your face as you fought for air and tried to keep it together.

“I’ve been dying to get my mouth on you,” he told you. He kissed you, slipping his tongue inside your mouth and gripping the back of your neck. He pulled back just an inch, his lips still close to yours. “What about you, agent?”

“What do you mean?”

He trailed his fingers down your neck and over your breasts. His green eyes bore right through you. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about what you’d do with me.”

Your body was trembling and hot under his touch. You could feel how aroused he was as he pressed his groin into you. You tentatively ran your hands down his chest and rested them on either side of his waist. His skin was so warm and his muscles were tense. You kissed him again as your heart hammered in your chest.

“I just wanted to touch you,” you said. “And have you close to me.”

Five smirked. “Is that all?”

Half of you hated that he knew you so well when you’d assumed he didn’t even know you existed. The other half was dying to show him how right he was. One side of your mouth curled up and you smashed your mouth onto his, aggressively devouring him, while pulling his shirt off and hurrying to undo the front of his pants.

“I want to know what it feels like to be fucked by the world’s deadliest assassin,” you told him fiercely.

If Five was surprised by your bluntness, he didn’t show it. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on you, and before you knew it you were being blinked into his bedroom and tossed onto the bed.

Five casually pushed his hair off his face and finished taking his pants and boxers off. He was watching you the entire time, like he was hunting you. Except that you were already caught, so you weren’t sure what his game plan was. This was the first time you’d seen him fully nude, though, and you couldn’t take your eyes off his body. He was so gorgeous and his hard cock was impressive.

He walked slowly to you, and pulled you up so that you were kneeling on the bed while he stood in front of you. His hands slid up and down your sides, over your breasts, and between your legs. He kissed you, softer this time, while he slowly touched you; dragging his fingers through your folds that were already wet from his mouth. When you reached down to take his cock in your hand, he let out a long moan.

“You want me?” Five asked, his voice almost a whisper as he closed his eyes and let you stroke him.

Your other hand rested on the back of his neck and you pressed your forehead to his. You smiled. “Yes.”

Five opened his eyes and as he gently pushed two fingers inside you, he watched your reaction. Your jaw dropped open but no sound came out and you increased the pace of your hand around him. A rough growl rose in his throat and he pushed you backward, following with you, until you were on your back and he was lying over you.

Neither of you could wait anymore, and while Five leaned down to kiss you, he thrust his cock inside you. Your body stiffened from the sensation but when he began to move, you relaxed and circled your legs around his waist. Five held himself over you, breathing hard while driving rhythmically into you.

“Is this what you imagined?” he asked you, looking down. “When you were over on that roof spying on me?”

His words were clipped from the effort of fucking you, but his mouth twitched up in a crooked smile.

You nodded, your breath catching in your throat. “Every time.”

Five clenched his teeth together and slammed his hips forward, making you cry out much louder than you’d meant to. His grin widened.

“That’s what I imagined,” he told you. “Making you scream.” He thrust into you again and your cry was cut off by his kiss. “Making you mine,” he murmured against your lips.

You were back in that dream-like state of not being fully convinced this was really happening. Five’s body was pressed to yours, his hands caressing you, and his cock filling you up, and it was just so unbelievable that your eyes filled up with tears. He moved his face to the crook of your neck, kissing along your shoulder and collarbone, and making quiet, raspy grunting noises that warmed your skin.

“Why did you wait so long?” you asked, your question broken off at the end by a sharp gasp when Five snapped his hips hard against you.

He stopped, momentarily, to gaze down on you. He raised a brow. “The hunt’s half the fun, don’t you think?”

You let out a quiet laugh. “I don’t know. I think I prefer this.”

“You may have a point,” he said, before continuing to fuck you.

Five grabbed at your ass and your thighs, pushing himself harder and deeper inside of you, while you grasped at his body, clutching onto his back and shoulders. Each drag of his cock through your core sent tiny shocks through your body, spreading out like ripples in water.

“Right there… there… please don’t… don’t stop,” you moaned. You were trying to pull him tighter to you, wrapping your body around him like a python to get him closer. “Five…”

You felt him exhale softly against your neck. “I won’t stop, honey, but you have to let me move.”

You released your hold on him, just enough to allow him more room to work, and he raked his teeth down the side of your neck. “Oh, fuck…” he said with a low groan next to your ear.

Your entire body was so tense and begging for release, that when Five lifted his head and locked eyes with you, just the sight of him watching you so intently made you instantly break. You threw your head back, arching your back, and digging your nails into his stiff muscles as you came hard.

A few seconds later, Five was shuddering against you, cursing under his breath as his cum covered your walls in hot pulses. Neither of you moved, still entwined with one another and out of breath, while the aftershocks of your orgasms continued to roll through you both.

Gradually, your body started to soften again and you released your grip on Five. He kissed you once, on your temple, before pulling out and sliding off of you. You suddenly felt very exposed and unsure of what had happened, lying there on your back, with Five next to you. Everything you’d been fantasizing about had just come true, but you weren’t sure what to do now. Maybe Five was going to kick you out.

But when you looked over, he gave a small smile and you knew he wasn’t going to do that. After all, you knew his facial expressions better than anyone. As further confirmation, he turned on his side and pulled you close to him with an arm around your waist.

“Was that the old-fashioned way of getting to know one another that you suggested earlier?” you asked. You traced a finger over his cheek bone and jawline, feeling the slight stubble that was growing there.

Five laughed, a real laugh, and it was so beautiful, like sunshine breaking through the clouds. “Yeah, I may have skipped ahead a little.”

You laughed along with him and for a second it felt like something normal and not the aftermath of an impromptu sexual encounter with a man you’ve been stalking for several months. Well, mutually stalking, you supposed.

“So, now what?” you asked. “Do we go back to the shadows and pretend this never happened?”

Five smoothed your hair back from your face. “Not if you don’t want to.”

“What do you want?”

Five hesitated before he spoke. “There’s a reason I don’t have many people in my life. I’ve designed it that way, for their sakes as well as mine.” He paused, looking thoughtful, before smiling slightly. “But you kind of wrecked that for me. You saw through all of that. And now… I don’t really want to be so alone anymore.”

You swallowed down the lump that formed in your throat. “I think I can help you with that.”

“But what do you want?” Five asked.

You breathed out a short laugh. “I just want you. All of you.”

Five leaned in to kiss you and you could feel your body heating up again. “Ok,” he told you, like some agreement had been decided upon, and you guessed it had been.

“This might not go over so well at headquarters,” you said, realizing you both had actual jobs to get back to eventually.

Five kissed you again, longer this time, and when you parted, he looked at you in the most carnal and devious way. “That’s where the real fun comes in.”

*******************

A month later, back at Commission headquarters, things were going the same at usual. You had a few new agents to tail and report back on and you had stopped spending all of your down time stalking Five. Although, admittedly, you still found yourself going out of your way to potentially “accidentally” bump into him in the hallways.

As you were stealthily observing a conversation between two lower-level field agents a few yards away, you noticed a slight change in the vibes of everyone around you. Like a herd of antelope raising their heads at the same time when they catch the scent of a lion on the wind. You smiled to yourself.

Sure enough, after a few seconds, Five came striding toward you. The seas parted and everyone got out of his way. He wasn’t covered in blood this time, but he was wearing his usual scowl and was walking with determined purpose. His gazed was fixed in front of him, but when he passed you by, you saw that tiny, fleeting glance in your direction. Then he rounded the corner was gone again. The herd exhaled a collective sigh and went back to their conversations.

You, however, turned on your heel and followed Five in the direction he’d headed. It was extremely difficult not to full-out sprint but you kept your cool and did your best to remain nonchalant. Whether it was convincing to others or not, you had no idea. But most people tended to steer clear of you anyway, which was a definite plus in this situation.

As predicted, you witnessed several men scurrying out of the locker room as you approached. You waited a reasonable amount of time before checking that you were alone and slipping inside the door.

The room was empty inside and the hairs on the back of your neck stood up with anticipation. Sometimes you were attacked immediately and sometimes he made you wait. Today, it seemed, he was in no mood to draw things out.

You were grabbed from behind, with two arms around your waist, and pulled directly into a glowing blue portal. It didn’t matter how used to spatial jumping you were, it always caught you off guard. Your scream was immediately cut short with a hand over your mouth, as your back slammed into the tiled wall of the shower stall.

“Careful, Madam Liaison,” Five said, his voice laced with fire and lust. “You don’t want to get caught.”

You smiled beneath his hand, your pulse already pounding in your ears. He lifted his hand away.

“I think I’m already caught,” you said.

Five grinned in that predatorial way you’d come to love, right before grabbing your face in both hands and kissing you fiercely. You knew the drill; this wasn’t your first locker room tryst, and you hurried up and started to unbuckle his belt. Your hand brushed against the hard bulge already forming in his pants and he moaned into your mouth. You loved it when he was so needy and ready to go.

As you worked at unzipping his fly and Five furiously yanked your skirt up to your waist, he moved his mouth to your neck, breathing fast and hard.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he said, his lips pressed hotly against your sensitive skin. “Fuck, I couldn’t wait to get back.”

You tipped your head back against the wall and gasped when he bit down on your collarbone. Your fingers threaded through his hair. “You’re so obsessed with me,” you teased.

He pulled back and raised one eyebrow. “Don’t make me blink you into the middle of headquarters and fuck you for everyone to see.” He tilted his head. “Or maybe you’d like that?”

You shook your head with a soft giggle. “Not really.”

Five nodded. “Good,” he said before lifting you up so you could wrap your legs around his waist. “Because I’d rather keep you all to myself.”