By your window

29.

WARNING: some mild violence toward the ending...written in a non-dramatic, non-graphic way. Don't read if you think it might upset you!

Chapter Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPRonG87eKw. The one from the jukebox ;)

"I'm here!" Five announced himself one evening, blinking directly inside Marben's dorm; she greeted him with a dazzling, knowing smile and no wonderment whatsoever.
"Oh, it's you!".
"Why, were you waiting for someone else?" mumbled the boy, a bit disappointed.
"Don't be daft. Now, put this on" the girl tittered, and then shoved something under his nose: looking down, Five noticed it was a bundle of clothes.
"Why?".
"I'm taking you out". Not receiving further clarification, Five began to fidget, his restless feet changing position on the floor several times.
"...like with a gun?" he asked eventually, in the cautious tone he usually directed to those he deemed unstable.
"Like on a date!" stressed Marben, stopping to collect the scores scattered on the floor and turning to look at him, halfway between incredulous and amused. "Why should I ever make you change clothes, if I wanted to kill you?".
"...to dump my body somewhere and make it difficult to identify it?".
"Again, don't be daft babe. It'll just be a date".
"Another one?" the boy snickered.
"Yes, and it will be awesome, you'll see. So, dress like a normal guy and let's go!". Under his girlfriend's watchful gaze, Five examined the clothes she had handed him.
"Do normal guys wear their in-laws' flannel shirts?".
"Listen, it's that or you come out naked. How am I supposed to find normal clothes for you to wear, if I'm trapped here all day?" Marben said dryly.
"Point taken" the boy rushed to reply, to then show her a pair of trousers. "And these jeans?".
"My brother's".
"What the hell are you doing, a million miles from home with your relatives' clothes in the closet?" asked Five, disbelieving; Marben's expression got perplexed, at that point, as if hearing the question out loud had made her realize the situation really was uncommon.
"Dunno, they probably ended up in the mail by mistake...or maybe Oliver sent them as a joke". Catching a glimpse of Five's formal dress shirt, however, she dismissed the thought. "Take off that shirt too, nobody our age wears them".
"And what do I wear?". Again, Marben handed him something: Five automatically took it, and when he understood what it was he gave her a skeptical look. "Your father's worn-out tee? Seriously?".
"What's up, are you too precious for anything other than tailored suits?".
"Tell me, rather, do your relatives agree about you lending their clothes to strangers?". All of Marben's playfulness and sarcasm dissipated, leaving room for an open and kind expression full of tenderness that transfigured her features.
"You're no stranger. I belong with you as much as I belong with them" she said looking Five straight in the eyes. "Now dress, quickly! I'll be waiting on the fire escape".
Five felt his cheeks burn, while giving up and getting rid of his uniform. He had believed that after some time together he would eventually stop blushing, in Marben's presence, that sweetness and intimacy would just become a matter of habit; but hearing her put him on the same level as her family had made him understand that, probably, a time when Marben would have had nothing significative to tell him would never come. And that was because it was him, in the first place, with his overwhelming feelings, who gave to the girl's voice, words and gestures the most absolute importance.

When he was done putting on what Marben had given him, Five stepped over the windowsill and joined her on the fire escape's landing. He realized he hadn't jumped only when he found himself outdoors, and it was a powerful sensation, exhilarating and frightening at the same time, as if with his usual clothing Five had left behind his powers too.
His girlfriend was waiting for him, looking at the smoky sky of the city night, perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of stars. She was so beautiful, as always, in her simple low rise jeans and long sleeved shirt, that suddenly Five felt stupidly inadequate. Evidently so, judging by the inquisitive look Marben gave him when she felt his presence and turned.
"I feel and look ridiculous!" the boy blurted, a bit accusatory.
"You do, that has to be said" Marben indulgently replied with a smile, but immediately cursed herself for saying so, and had to run to stop Five from going back inside and recovering his Umbrella Academy uniform. "Come on, babe, relax!".
"Why do I have to parade through the city looking like this?". Five was being irrational, and it was so unusual from him that Marben understood immediately what was wrong, so she tried to be conciliatory.
"Because nobody will recognize you, dressed as a boy of your age. Forget about the clothes, those are supposed to make only the Umbrella Kid invisible, not the real you...the you that matters!". The boy appeared to have been persuaded for a few moments, but then he stopped staring at his feet and raised his eyes to give her a stare full of insecurity. "What is it, Dimple? You can tell me".
"It's just that...you're so beautiful. I'd like for people who'll see us together to think I deserve to be with you".
"Screw 'em, they know nothing about you! And I say I'd want you with me even if you were dressed in rags and smelling of sewage" said Marben, in a voice firm enough not to let transpire her heart had cracked a little, hearing Five doubt himself in comparison to her. As an answer, the boy cupped her face and kissed her like she was the air he needed to live.
"I love you so much" Five panted on her lips when he broke the kiss, and Marben smiled.
"I...more".