Burning Up ~*~ [ THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY 2 ] [ FIVE x OC ]

S E V E N T E E N

~*~

     Luther opened the door to the Irish Pub, the three of them walking inside the music playing. Ivy glanced around while one of her hands had a grip on one of Five's. He was fidgeting with it every so often, but he wouldn't let go. They all stood at the corner, Five suddenly pulling Ivy back into him. 

     "Well, there I am," he said. They all looked to the man sitting at the bar with the briefcase sitting under him. 

     "Sweetheart, I say this in the nicest way possible, you do not age well at all," Ivy said, looking at Five. 

     "Thank you for the reassurance," he said. 

     "Why don't we just grab the briefcase and run?" Luther asked. 

     "Luther, I would never let that happen," Five snapped, looking up at him. "We're trained to guard these briefcases with our lives." 

     "But what if I grabbed it," Ivy suggested. 

     "This version of me would think you're a distraction being sent in the form of an impostor, so yes maybe I would kill you," Five said, looking at Ivy. 

     "Harsh," she said. 

     "Plus, it's the inherent paradox where this gets tricky. I'm endangering my existence just being in the room with myself," Five continued on. 

     "Huh... What do you mean?" Luther asked. 

     "Luther, try to keep up. If old me doesn't travel back to 2019 like he's supposed to, the whole thing unravels itself. I cease to exist. You got me?" Five asked. Luther was silent for a moment while Ivy just kept staring the other Five up and down. 

     "I get you," Luther said.  

     "So our best chance is to talk with him, to reason with him," Five explained. "He'll understand. Trust me. I know myself better than, uh... better than I know myself." Five scratched his neck, Ivy glancing him up and down. 

     "You just itched your neck," Luther said quickly. "That's stage two of paradox psychosis." 

     "No, I didn't," Five said. "I didn't itch my neck." 

     "Denial is stage one," Ivy said. 

     "I am fine, okay?" Five snapped. "Let's stay on task, shall we?" Five was about to walk forward when Ivy suddenly stuck her arm in front of him. 

     "Wait!" she said. 

     "What?" Five asked. 

     "Maybe I should go first," Ivy suggested. 

     "Why?" Five asked. 

      "Well, you'll freak him out," Ivy said. "Bumping into your own tiny doppelganger? He will lose his shit." 

     "You're not any better. He's in love with you," Five said, motioning to himself. 

     "Just let me break the ice," Luther suggested, the two of them shrugging. 

     "Okay," Five said. 

     "Okay," Luther nodded. He turned and walked that way, Ivy turning to Five. 

     "Just take a deep breath," she said, making him nod slightly. "Everything's going to be fine. You know why? Because you're super smart girlfriend isn't going to let the older version of you do anything, got it?" Five nodded again, Ivy kissing his check. Luther motioned for the two to walk out from behind the post, Five popping out first. He and his old self made eye contact for a few seconds before Five forced a smirk.