Shadows & Mirrors // f.hargreeves fanfic

:::: Eight ::::

For the first time since she arrived in 2019, Nova didn't wake up alone. This time when she woke up she was laying on her side curled up next to a sleeping Five. The boy's arms were wrapped protectively around the small girl.

Nova couldn't help but notice the content smile on the sleeping boy's face. He looked so at peace. The young girl couldn't help but chuckle at the thin line of drool that had run down the side of his face.

"Why are you laughing?" Five groaned as he held the girl closer to his chest. Nova just smiled up at him and slowly wiped the drool away with her thumb.

"You drool in your sleep." She whispered her thumb still resting at the side of his mouth. Five blushed in embarrassment and he couldn't ignore how rapidly his heart was beating.

"Good, you guys are awake." Luther's voice says when he entered the room. The two teens quickly spring apart; both of them have blushes forming on their faces. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nope!" Five said quickly at the same time Nova asked,

"Is that coffee?" 

Luther awkwardly handed each of them a fresh cup of coffee which they both took grateful to have something to distract them from their racing hearts.

"So, when's it supposed to happen? This... apocalypse?" Luther asked and the two teens glanced at each other.

"Well, we can't give you an exact hour. Neither of us actually lived through it. We kind of skipped it." Nova said as she sipped her coffee.

"From what we gather we have four days left." Five finished and Luther's eyes widened.

"Why didn't either of you say anything?" Luther asked appalled.

"It wouldn't have mattered." Nova shrugged.

"Of course, it would! We could have banded together to help you guys stop this thing." Luther said in an annoyed tone. Nova glances over at Five and sees the distraught look on his face.

"If it's any consolation you already tried," Nova said while still looking at Five.

When they were at the Commission Five had told her about finding his family's bodies. The boy had explained, in his old age, that when he found them he had hope that she and Ben had survived. That was until he found Vanya's book. Five had explained to her that was when he truly lost all hope. Knowing he was doomed to be alone in the apocalypse forever. Well until the wretched Handler showed up.

"What does that mean?" Luther asked.

"I found all of you. Your bodies." Five said quietly. Both Luther and Nova were surprised by the pain in his voice. They both knew that Five hid his emotions very well. Especially from his family.

"We die?" Luther asked and Five nodded.

Nova could see the bob in Five's Adam's apple. She quickly reached out and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. The boy looked down at their entwined hands his hand looked pale in contrast to the dark gloves that Nova was wearing. They were the gloves she always wore because she was always afraid she would lose control. He wished he could take that fear away from her. 

"Horribly, but you were together. You were trying to stop whoever it was who ends the world." Five said quietly as he continues to look at his and Nova's hands.

"Wait how do you know that?" Luther questioned and Five sighed as he reached into his pocket.

"This was clutched in your dead hand when I found you." Five said as he hands the eyeball over to Luther. "Must've ripped it out of their head before you went down."