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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘ. ᴘᴀɴ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚ ▎❛ 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜ ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴅɪᴍᴍɪ ᴄʜᴇ ᴍɪ ᴀᴍɪ ꒱
❝ NOT YET ❞
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Alexa was able to get her boyfriend to dance with her for all of one song. After that, she split her time between the rest of her siblings while he went off to the buffet table. Still, she was happy that she'd even managed to convince Five to even do that; the way he'd held her so closely and how his eyes had widened as his hand rested against her bare back would stay with her for a good, long time.
She was just getting food when Klaus danced up to her. "Heeyyy baby sis," he greeted her in a sing-song tone. "How's it goin'?"
"Pretty well, all things considered. How are you?"
"Oh, me? Pshh, just fine and dandy. Have you gotten a bite to eat yet?"
She gestured to her plate with one hand. "I'm just about to."
"Good, good. Well, how's about after you have a little dinner, you come upstairs with me. Dad's got a great plan that I think would go down wonderfully with some after-dinner tea."
Alexa sighed and turned to her brother with a patient smile. "Klausy, I know that you mean well, but tonight is a night of celebration and dad's not exactly the life of the party. Besides, I just spent the whole day with him— I'm not too fond of being in his presence more."
"I know, I know, I know," he said breathlessly. One of his hands rested gently on her shoulder in a pleading sort of way. "But Lexi, don't you want to have more nights like this? Surrounded by your family and with your loving boyfriend?"
"Well, yeah."
"Then sacrifice a bit of time now to come with me and hear dad's plan out!"
A slender arm looped itself around her waist as she was pulled against Five's side. The boy sent their brother a firm look. "I don't think so, Klaus. I warned you before you left to not let her get hurt. I'm pretty sure that her going upstairs with you would make me follow through with my. . . request, wouldn't it?"
The long-haired man's shoulders slumped. "Fine."
"Klausy, I don't think you're gonna get any of us on your side," Alexa told him kindly. "But I do admire you for trying."
"I don't," Five muttered. He tugged the girl away from their brother to retake his seat at one of the round tables. The blonde set her plate down and made to sit next to him but he grasped her wrist before she was fully seated. "I don't think so, darling."
"What?" He pushed his chair away from the table slightly before he guided her to sit on his lap. She felt her face warm even as she relaxed against him. "You know I have to eat, right?"
"I know."
Before she could protest further, the elevator doors chimed; they opened to reveal Reginald Hargreeves. Silence fell over the assembled siblings as he walked slowly towards them. Alexa wrapped her arms around the boy's waist at the sight of their father and his grip tightened on her in return.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Luther murmured loud enough for them to hear.
Reginald paid them no mind as he passed by their tables. Once he'd gotten a plate of food, complaints rose from his surrounding children as he looked for a table. He finally sat down alone at the far end of the setup. When he didn't make a move to disrupt the party, Five turned his attention away from his father. He cupped the girl's face gently to meet her eyes. "Hey. Forget about him, alright? Now, where were we?"
She smiled fondly at him and assented. The girl leaned forward slowly as she murmured: "I think we were right. . . here."
Alexa pressed her lips softly to his. The boy relaxed as he kissed her in return, both their food and beverages forgotten. They spent several enjoyable minutes exchanging small pecks, one right after the other. They were both reluctant to let the kisses develop because their siblings were still in the room even if they weren't fully paying attention to them. Her hands lifted so that she could bury her fingers in his thick, soft hair as her attention moved from his lips to cover the rest of his face with kisses. Every time her lips met his skin a burst of bright warmth exploded in her stomach like a firework, each one fueling the next until her mind was blank and fuzzy.
Unfortunately, they couldn't enjoy their (admittedly tame) make-out session for long. As usual, Reginald Hargreeves was the one to ruin their fun; after he finished talking with Lila and Diego, he made his way over to the microphone. Alexa reluctantly turned her attention away from her boyfriend as he began to speak: "I know it is customary for the father of the bride to make a speech. I wasn't able to walk Sloane down the aisle this evening but I do hope you'll humor me in this tradition. Sloane, ever since you were a little girl, I've always known that you were exceptionally bright. Deianira, you have showed true dedication throughout your life to the development of your powers and to the woman you now call your wife.
"You both share a love that runs deeper than any bond I've been witness to. You have always looked out for each other and I know that you'll continue to do so. To each of you I say this: it is clear to me that you have found your equal in every way. I acknowledge that, as a father, I was not without my faults. I hope these shortcomings will be seen as only a rough patch on an otherwise verdant lawn. I'm proud to call you my children, even those whom I've raised in a revenant version of myself. I hope that tonight we can create a few special memories in whatever precious little time we have left.
"And now, in closing, I would like to say something Steven Ellison has written: the sun rises over a lily's field. A mother veiled, her lips concealed. The mourners come in droves of black to bury what their hearts unpack. With shallow breath and time eclipsed, I pray you miss death's gentle kiss." He raised his glass to the newlyweds before he took a sip. There was a faint smattering of clapping as he stepped away from the microphone.
"I didn't think that the old man had it in him," Five remarked, having been given enough time to form a halfway decent thought.
Chet took over the microphone. "Alright, alright! Time to turn those frowns upside down! This one is for all the party people in the place."
☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎
Another round of dancing followed Chet's encouraging words and surprisingly, Alexa was able to convince Five to return to the dance floor. Eventually (she chalked it up to his old age), he pulled her off to the side. "Talk a walk with me."
She titled her head at him curiously. "Where?"
"Outside. I could use some air."
The blonde nodded and together, they left their siblings behind as they walked outside hand-in-hand. As their feet trod on the path lined with fairy lights, she looked up at the Kugelblitz that lit the sky with orange light. "I know I'm probably supposed to be afraid of the end but it's so pretty that it's hard to be."
"Mmm," the boy agreed, only half-hearing her words. Instead of looking up like his girlfriend was, he was (in a very cliché fashion) looking at her instead. After a moment of hesitation, he offered: "you know. . . Luther said that he was surprised this was the first marriage for the family." (Apparently he hadn't taken Allison's divorce into account.)
Alexa pulled her gaze away from the stunning atmosphere to meet her boyfriend's eyes. "Oh? Why's that?"
Five's lips quirked up to give her a faint smile. "Well, he was hinting in a not-so-subtle way that it should've been a double wedding."
"With who?"
"With us, dummy," he teased her lightly.
"Oh," she said again, but this time breathlessly. Her cheeks flushed pink at the thought of the boy proposing to her. "Um. . . what did you say to that?" she asked, since she knew him well enough to know that he probably hadn't planned on marriage at all.
His eyes flicked forward to the path ahead of them. "Not yet."
"Not yet?" she repeated hopefully. That hadn't been the answer she'd been expecting at all; at best, she thought that he would've given a flat-out refusal.
Five squeezed her hand encouragingly. "Not yet. There's a few things that I'd like to do first."
"Like what?"
"Well. . . I'd like to live in a world without an apocalypse, for one. It'd be nice if we were a bit older before we consider where our relationship might go next. And. . . I'd like to tell you how I feel about you first."
Alexa smiled shyly as he recited his list. When he finished, she squeezed his hand in return. "I like all of those things."
"Really? So. . . you're not disappointed that it wasn't a double wedding?"
"Not at all," she assured him. "I'm happy with not yet. I've waited this long, what's another two to three decades?"
He laughed quietly at her optimistic reply. "Darling, I can promise you that it's not going to be that long."
The girl grinned at his answer and they fell into a comfortable silence as they took another turn around the gardens. She was content with just the fact that they were together, and Sloane's observation of their relationship sat warmly in her heart. Even with the uncertain times that they were facing, Alexa maintained her firm belief that her family— which, yes, included their new Sparrow relatives— could get through anything. While their future might currently look bleak and close at hand, she believed with her whole being that they'd make it through somehow, some way.
"Fi?"
"Yes?"
She stopped walking and tugged on the boy's arm to get him to face her. Once he had, she saw the twinkle lights reflect in his eyes— which brought back her memory from the night when she'd first fallen in love with him. The orange glow from the Kugelblitz bathed his features in a warm, golden light. With a sincere expression on her face, she looked up to meet his eyes. "I love you."
His own expression softened. "E ti amo, angelo mio."
Her heart skipped a beat at the gentle Italian that came from his lips. Her mouth parted slightly as he spoke the words she'd longed to hear. She'd waited years and years to hear that phrase but. . . she couldn't bring herself to fully enjoy it. With a quiet sigh, Alexa murmured back: "vorrei che me lo dicessi quando sei sobrio."
Five gave her a cocky smirk. He switched back to English as he replied: "darling, I am sober."
Her eyes flicked up to meet his only to find that his gaze was clear as he looked down at her. She still didn't fully believe him so she reached up to tug lightly on his tie. The boy took the hint and as she lifted up on her toes, he bent to close the distance between them. As she kissed him, Alexa tried to see if she could taste alcohol on his lips but her thoughts skittered as he stepped forward to press her against him. Her hand remained on his tie as his hands settled on her waist to keep her from pulling away. Just as Five was about to deepen the kiss, Luther's boisterous voice greeted them: "there you two are! We've been looking for you guys everywhere!"
Diego and Lila were following the larger man as he went over to sit on the garden wall. The boy sighed as they parted. "I swear I'm gonna kill him."
The blonde pulled on his arm in a pleading way. "C'mon, Fi. Just let the Kugelblitz do it. Take the night off."
He eyed their brother. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Let's just go sit with them."
"Fine. But if we do manage to survive this we're gonna have to invest in some locks or something. Maybe an axe."
She giggled as if he'd meant his words in a joking manner but he was being entirely— mostly— serious. As they sat, Five took the upper ledge before he guided his girlfriend to sit between his legs. He rested one hand on top of the golden strands of her hair while she leaned her head against his right leg. Viktor came out to join them as well with a glass of champagne in his hand. Deianira and Sloane followed suit but sat partly away from the group, curled up against each other. Finally, Klaus and Ben made to sit with them only to be met with much protest.
"Oh, no, no, no!"
"Hey, what?"
"Klaus, why are you bringing Ben here?" Five complained.
Their brother tried to speak over the noise: "hear me out—"
"Yeah, hear him out!" a very drunk Ben chimed in.
"The brother that you all knew as Ben is gone. And not— I don't mean our Ben, the nice Ben— I mean this Ben. The asshole. He's gone now."
The Asian man nodded enthusiastically. "Gone!"
"Klaus, what are you talking about?" Luther asked.
"And the man that stands in front of you is new new Ben and he's one of us. He's a member of the team and he's a part of the family!"
"Part of the family!" Ben cheered. The pair broke off into laughter.
Five remained unimpressed. "And as a welcome gift, I suggest that we throw him off the roof."
Alexa hit him lightly on the leg in reproach as Diego eagerly agreed. Deianira looked up from where she'd been petting Sloane's hair as her wife laid her head in her lap. "Ben-er-ino— if I may call you that— you're always welcome to join us. C'mon over here, my brother in the devil!"
"Why?" Diego protested.
"'Cause he's our family even if he isn't yours. Besides, it's my wedding night. Everything I say, goes."
Sloane looked up at the brunette with wide eyes. "What about me? It's my wedding night too."
"Okay," she amended her statement. "Everything we say, goes. Sloany, should Ben-er-ino join us?"
"Of course he can," she agreed.
"Yes!"
Ben took a seat near his sisters as he attempted to send them a grateful smile. "Hey, Deia. This is unusually nice of you."
"I know," the Romani woman said smugly.
They watched the Kugelblitz for some time as they took in the beauty of the end of the world. It was almost an hour later when Five finally stood and pulled the girl up with him. "I think. . . I want something to drink." His stomach rumbled loudly enough for all of them to hear. "Actually, I think I'm hungry. See ya, guys. We're gonna hit the buffet."
☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎
"C'mon, let's go this way," Alexa said as she guided the boy away the banquet hall.
"What? I thought we were gonna get food!"
"We are," she reassured him. "I just have a better idea if you want to get drunk and eat at the same time."
Now appeased, Five gave her a curious look. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
"It's a surprise but it's something that I learned during my college days. I don't drink a lot but when I was in the mood, it was a pretty good way to spend a Friday evening."
Even more intrigued than he was before, he wasted no time in blinking them to the kitchen. When they reappeared, he announced: "there. Now I don't have to wait to find out."
The girl rolled her eyes fondly. "You're so impatient."
"I like instant gratification," he corrected her.
"Fair enough," she allowed. She busied herself with locating the hotel's supply of cereals and extra stash of alcohol.
Five watched her with rapt attention as she successfully located a box of Fruit Loops, a large bowl, two spoons and a bottle of whiskey. "I'm still not sure that I understand."
She looked over her shoulder to grin at him before she opened the box. "Well, normally you could use any cereal but I like Fruit Loops because the colors make it look like it's Bubble Tea."
"I have no idea what that is."
"That's okay. Anyway, it's just like having milk with cereal except instead of milk it's alcohol."
His eyes widened. "That's genius!"
"I know," Alexa replied cheerfully.
She became so invested in preparing their late-night snack that she became oblivious to everything but what she was doing. So, she didn't notice the boy come up behind her until he'd wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed his chest against her back as he hugged her to him and rested his chin on her shoulder. Her face warmed slightly at their closeness. "Um. . . hi?"
"Hi," he greeted her quietly in return. His hands were clasped comfortably against her stomach as his gaze followed her movements. Eventually, he became bored with waiting for her to be finished and found. . . another way to entertain himself.
Five began to press feather-light kisses against the curve of her neck. Unable to fight the instinct, the blonde tilted her head to encourage him to continue. Warmth pooled in her stomach and she resisted the urge to squirm against him. In an effort to distract herself, she tried to break his focus by saying: "I. . . thought you were. . . hungry." (Though her voice came out breathless and airy from the effect he had on her.)
"Mmm," he agreed. "I am. . . for you."
The cereal was quickly forgotten as the rest of the night became a blur of passionate kisses and light, curious hands. As Five attempted to focus for long enough to blink them to a bedroom, they landed short of the mark in a hallway on the upper floor. The couple was only there for a brief of amount of time, but it was long enough to have an imprint of Reginald talking to. . . someone. The severity of the situation was lost on them for the time being as there were more. . . pressing thoughts on their minds for the rest of the night.