Across Space and Time (Five Hargreeves)

Chapter 5

Five and Greta walked to Vanya, mainly due to Five being unsure if Greta could handle a spacial jump such a great distance. 

"You looked like you could handle yourself" Five stated, breaking the silence the pair had formed. Greta gave him a look, confused by his statement. "Did you have a lot of training in using your powers?" He asked.

Greta's mind flashed back to all of the torture she had endured and shuddered. "Erm, I suppose" she shrugged, not yet trusting enough of Five to tell him the whole truth. The two continued their walk in silence until Greta could no longer hold back a question that she had been burning to ask.

"Five," She said meekly. Five hummed in acknowledgment. "This may seem strange to ask so late into knowing each other but I do sort of need to know... um, where am I and who are you?"

Five blinked. He had sort of forgotten to tell Greta who he or his family was or even tell her where in the world she was. Frankly, he was surprised and somewhat concerned that she had gone this long without asking such a crucial question.

"Right," Five began "well I'm Five and my siblings and I all have ability's like yours. We were all adopted by a man named Reginald Hargreeves who treated us like shit. I made a stupid mistake and got trapped in the future after the oncoming apocalypse that occurs in eight days-"

"What?" Greta asked concerned.

"It doesn't matter because I've travelled back and I'm going to stop it," Five said, trying to ease the girl's concerns "and as for your second question: you're in New York."

"Where?" She asked, having not had even heard of such a place.

Now, this really confused Five. He was certain that everyone in the world had heard of New York. "Where did you say you were from again?" He pried. Greta looked down at her hands not too sure how to answer the question.

"I don't know" she whispered.

"How can you not know?" He asked.

Greta's breathing became shallow and she began to hyperventilate. All of her memories of that awful place were flooding back into her mind. Her hands bunched into fists and began to glow a deep red colour. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Because I just don't okay!" She shouted. Five was taken aback he had barely even her the girl talk at a normal volume let alone scream. Honestly, he was surprised she was capable of reaching such a volume. But he also recognised the hurt in her voice and noticed her hands glowing red.

Five reached out to touch her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Greta whipped round to face him. It was then that Five noticed her tear-stained face. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said reverting back to her quiet tone once again. Five, not really knowing what to do in this situation, decided to just let the questioning go. The pair walked the rest of the way in silence.

They finally reached Vanya's apartment building and Five looked up at what he assumed to be Vanya's window on the second floor. Sighing he walked up to Greta and muttered a "sorry about this" before wrapping his arm around her waist.

Greta's body tensed upon Five touching her. She also realised how close they were now. 'Why do I suddenly feel like throwing up but in a good way?' She thought. Five spacial jumped them both into Vanya's apartment. Greta hadn't gotten used to that and got a sudden dizzy feeling after they landed.

Greta sat down on the couch trying to steady herself as Five snooped around Vanya's apartment. 'It's definitely...homely' he thought. It was in a way exactly how he'd imagined it to look. He took a seat in the armchair across from Greta and waited patiently for Vanya to return home.

When Vanya entered through the doorway Five flicked on the light. "Jesus!" Vanya jumped.

"You should have locks on your windows" he stated bluntly.

"I live on the second floor" Vanya noted.

"Rapists can climb" Five shrugged.

"You are so weird," Vanya said shaking her head and shutting her front door. She sat down on the couch next to Greta who she was kind of surprised that Five had taken along with him. She had made the assumption that he stilled worked as a lone wolf type. But perhaps she was wrong. Or Greta was just special.

Vanya's eyes widened as she noticed the blood that stained Five's collar. "Is that blood?" She asked already knowing the answer.

Five glanced down at his collar unfazed. "It's nothing" he dismissed. Vanya looked at Greta who was guiltily looking down at her hands.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

Five sighed. "I've decided that you're the only one I can trust," Five said sitting up straighter.

"What about..." Vanya gestured to Greta.

Five looked at Greta. "An exception" he stated.

'What does that mean?' Greta thought.

"Why me?" Vanya asked confused.

"Because you're ordinary," Five said, noticing how Vanya's face fell slightly "because you'll listen."

"Okay" Vanya breathed before rushing to her bathroom cabinet to grab whatever medical supplies she had. Upon her return, Five rolled up his sleeve revealing his bleeding arm. Vanya began to gently apply the anesthetic. 

Greta watched as Vanya did this. She was almost jealous of Five. No one had ever cared for her, no one had ever treated her wounds, no one had ever loved her and she'd never loved anyone.

"When I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, do you know what I found?" Five asked Vanya.

"No," she said plainly.

"Nothing" Five shrugged "absolutely nothing. As far as I could tell, I was the last person left alive. I never figured out what killed the human race, but... I did find something else. The date it happens. The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it."

Vanya sat there, stunned into silence. Finally, she spoke.

"I'll put on a pot of coffee."