You scoffed, studying the the door. You shifted into a Prey Mantis, and Five picked you up, placing you on the ledge.
"What the hell are you doing?" Lila exclaimed as you continued to observe the door. "Stanley is gone! We need to face this!"
"Just check the chimney!" Diego yelled back.
You dug your claws into the ledge and tried to pry it back. Nothing.
"He's not in the bloody chimney! He's been Kugelblitzed!"
"And whose fault is that, huh?! You're the one who brought him here!"
You shifted back into yourself as you watched the two argue. "I can't open it."
Five turned to Lila and Diego. "Congratulations. You're both mildly terrible parents. Can we focus? Come on. Y/N can't find a trigger. How did this thing open before?"
"I don't know. It was already kinda open." Diego replied hurriedly, looking under furniture.
"'Already kinda open.'" Five repeated. "You know, Diego, you should have been an engineer. It's a lost opportunity."
"Why'd you wanna go in there anyway? It's just sushi and death." Lila cried, hurriedly stress eating.
"Stop acting like a pregnant woman." You crossed your arms. "When we met Future Five in the Commission bunker, Five warned himself about Oblivion. Now, Pogo told us--"
"Wait, whoa, whoa!" Diego cut you off. "Pogo's alive?"
"Different Pogo, but yes." Five replied, before picking up where you left off. "They monkey said Dad spent years training the Sparrows for some kind of super-secret mission into..."
"Oblivion?" Lila asked.
"So, we come back here and find that you two sentient STDs have actually been in there." Five motioned to a door. "Everything's leading to Oblivion. So we have to go in there."
"Hell no! Not happening."
"No way! We barely got out alive."
"You look fine to me," you scoffed, turning back to observe the door. "Besides, this is about more than just the two of you."
"Hey, loving sister of mine. You still have all your fingers."
"What-- OH MY GOD!" You almost screamed as Diego held up his hand.
"I didn't get this from giving a mummy a hand job, all right? I went in there, and I lost my fingers to this thing with... with a knife and on a chain."
"Diego, slow down." You pat his shoulder. "You're stuttering."
"Hey, look," Lila stepped forward. "Diego might be 90% moron and 10% pelvic thrusts, but he's right about Oblivion, okay? We're not just gonna waltz back in there because you say so."
"Good. Because you're coming with us."
"Oh, really?" You put your hands on your hips. "Where to?"
"Sparrow Academy." The new Number Five replied next to Luther.
"The world's ending, so I think it's time we put our petty bullshit aside and work together on this Kugelblitz."
"I can respect that." You stepped forward, and Five followed in toe. "That was good." You smiled to Luther as you walked past, and he seemed a little shocked that you of all people were complimenting him, but smiled in return.
••
The Sparrows' Grace's gears whirred as she handed you a cookie. You slowly excepted it.
"You guy's model of Mom sucks." You muttered, taking a bite of the cookie, before spitting it out. "At least ours could cook."
Five, who was sat next to you, scoffed as Lila grabbed a bunch of the cookies. Diego motioned to Grace's missing eye, and Luther whispered 'Stabbed herself in they eye'.
Wow, this Grace did suck.
"Welcome," Fei smiled. "Please make yourselves at home."
"Bitch, this is our home." Allison spat.
"Excuse me?"
"Uh, jellybean?" Luther cut in.
"Where the hell is Viktor and Klaus?" Diego asked.
"With our luck, probably Kugelblitzed by now," Five replied.
"You're a dark little dude sometimes."
"Ooh, what happened to your hand?" Fei asked.
Ben clapped his hands.
"We don't have time for idle chitchat. Everyone, sit down."
"'Please' would be nice," Diego muttered.
"No."
Luther spoke up.
"So uh... this is kinda nice, right? All of us here together. One big happy family," Luther chuckled. "I feel like I'm sweaty," Luther bent down next to Sloane. "Am I sweating?"
"No, you're fine."
"Look," Ben took the lead. "I know there's been bad blood between us. Whatever. Bygones, right?"
Diego raised his hand.
"Question," Ben said.
"Yeah, if I kill you, do we get our Ben back?"
Fei snickered.
"Hypothetically..." Diego added.
"Keep talking, and your hand won't be the only thing that's bleeding."
"Okay," Five spoke up, leaning forward. "If the testosterone twins are done, if like to get back to a plan."
Viktor entered the room.
"Where is he?"
"Who?" You asked, standing to greet your brother.
Viktor turned to Ben.
"What did you do to Harlan?"
Allison scoffed.
"They didn't do anything. I did."
You groaned, flopping back down onto the couch as Diego pat your shoulder with reassurance. In moments like these, you hated being the big sister.
"I killed Harlan."
Ben had an amused smirk on his face.
"What?..." Viktor trailed off in shock. "I... I don't... I don't understand. Why?"
"Because he didn't deserve to live."
Ben grabbed a bucket of cheese puffs as Viktor and Allison continued.
"What? Because they said so?"
Ben squished in between you and Five, making you press against Diego, and Five press against the arm rest of the couch.
"You don't have to listen to them!"
"20 bucks on the little one," Ben muttered.
"They don't get to tell us what to do."
"I'll take that action," Five replied.
"I will too," You agreed, grabbing a cheese puff.
Fuck them. You aren't gonna break up their shit anymore.
"You coulda-- you coulda talked to me. We could've figured out something else," Viktor's voice broke.
"So, what, you could lie to us again and take his side?" Allison hissed.
You chewed your cheese puff slowly as Ben held the bin out to you, in a rather shockingly polite gesture.
"That's not what happened."
"Oh, no, that's exactly what happened," Allison's voice dropped. "I know Harlan killed all of our mothers."
You gasped, grabbing a handful of cheese puffs.
"What?"
"Whoa."
"What?"
"Oh, shit.."
Diego sighed.
"Bloody plot twist," Lila muttered.
"It just keeps getting better," You agreed, grabbing a licorice off the table. "I should binge watch family fights more often."
"Who told you that?" Viktor whispered.
"Harlan," Allison seethed. "After you lied about it to my face."
"Is that true, Viktor?" Diego asked. "Harlan started all of this?"
"Yeah, but he didn't mean to hurt anyone. He--"
"How do you know?" Five asked skeptically.
"Because I knew him," Viktor answered. "And he was sweet and kind until I made him like us."
You choked.
"Excuse me?! 'Like us'? You mean like you?" You questioned, now deeply offended.
"Yeah, I'm the one who screwed him up," Viktor admitted. "And if you need someone to blame, I'm right here--"
"What makes you think I don't?" Allison spoke lowly.
"This wasn't about saving the world," Viktor muttered. "This was about hurting me. Payback for--"
"Go on," Allison stood, and walked towards Viktor. "Say her name."
Luther stood.
"You know what, maybe we should all just take a minute--" Allison held her hand out to Luther. "Okay," He sat back down.
"Did killing Harlan bring Claire back?"
"Dis protecting him bring Sissy back?"
You gasped, mouth full as you focused on Allison.
"Because it was just as personal for you--"
"I didn't kill anyone!" Viktor yelled.
"But you risked everyone!" Allison yelled back.
"She's right," you whispered to Ben. "He did."
"Do you know what that felt like? Watching you fight harder to protect the man who helped destroy my daughter than you ever did to bring her back?"
"Look, I don't know how to bring Claire back," Viktor whispered. "Okay? No one does. But I was there for you. I tried. I was--"
"To what?! Help me grieve? You're no better than Y/N! So fucking quick to tell me to just suck it up and so worried about helping you!"
You gasped again, this time in anger.
"Somebody had to pay because you never seem to," Allison whispered. "Destroy the world, kill Pogo, almost kill me, and for what? So we can all run around and clean up your mess? I'm sick of it."
You laughed inwardly. She's just pinning her pain on the most vulnerable. True, you were pretty pissed at Viktor for what he had just confessed to, but not for the reasons Allison was. She just wanted someone to blame. She had done the same thing to you and Five days ago.
Little bitch.
"Take it easy, Allison," Five warned her.
Ben shushed him, offering you more cheesy puffs. It actually felt nice to not break up the fight for once. Meanwhile, Five was kind of panicking. How the hell did he break these two up without your help? You're the peacemaker of the team, and you're not doing anything!
"Okay, I--"
"Shut your mouth!" Allison screeched as her voice echoed.
You stopped eating and sat up a bit straighter.
"Allison," Luther called.
Viktor began to choke.
"Every time I build a new life for myself, you end the world and TAKE IT FROM ME!"
"How are you doing this without saying 'I heard a rumor'?" Five questioned as you now watched the fight intensely.
"Just a little residual gift from Harlan."
"All right, that's it," Luther stepped forward. "Knock off the power shit, Allison. It's not okay."
"We should have left you in the basement," Allison whispered.
"Whoa! Allison, all right!" Diego called.
"Allison..." you warned. "Don't make me get involved."
Upon no movement from Allison, you stood, grabbing a glass off the table, and chucking it at her head. It shattered on impact, and Viktor choked as he was freed. You slowly walked over to Allison, your heels making intimidating clicks as you bent over her. You grabbed her hair, pulling her close.
"Suck it up." You hissed, before slamming her back down on the floor.
True, your methods were harsh and sometimes dangerous, but you knew how to end a fight.
Viktor turned to his heel and ran off.
You slowly plopped down on the couch. "Let's continue." You muttered as Allison stood and sat back in her chair, like her scalp wasn't bleeding and she didn't have glass shards in her hair.
"Sweet," Ben smiled. "You guys fight just like us." He turned to you. "You're just like Mark."
You shrugged as he stood, making his way back to the center of the room.
Now that hurt.
••
You looked at the Kugelblitz.
Exactly like how it was in your vision. Brilliant bright orange light.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Fei asked.
"Oh, wow," Diego muttered.
Lila scoffed.
"That's what took Stanley."
"Along with a few other billion people."
"Yeah, who I didn't know and don't care about."
"Right. So it's all about you."
"All of us are irrelevant," Five cut in. "This thing's gonna take over the whole damn universe. What is it made of?"
"Micro black holes collapsing at increasingly short intervals." Sloane responded.
"Then why aren't we all getting sucked inside?" You asked genuinely.
"We don't know," Sloane replied. "You shouldn't exist here, and neither should this."
"An impossibility for an impossibility..." Five mused. "The universe is a sucker for balance."
"Grace had been tracking the waves," Fei spoke. "Next one is due in three hours."
"All right, so what do we do?" Diego asked.
"We trap it," Sloane said, before turning to you. "Can you shape shift into other people? Not just animals?"
"Correct."
"Could you be me?"
"Yes."
"Could you have my power?"
"That's an easy no. I don't have a basic understanding of what it is. You're going to have to go it alone," You smiled sadly. "If I did what you want me to, I could risk irritating the Kugelblitz."
"Oh..." Sloane muttered.
Sloane and Five discussed the dynamics of the trap, and Five did agree that they could work... or you could all die horribly. Lila smiled at that.
"I'm in," Five said.
"Oooo! Me too!" You giggled as you raised your hand.
"You're not the ones we need." Ben spat.
"Excuse you?" Allison asked.
"For this to work, we need Sloane, Lila, Christopher, and--"
"Viktor." Allison finished for Fei. "Of course."
She walked off.
••
Upon Viktor's arrival into the basement, you let out a sigh of relief. You didn't have much time before the Kugel wave. During these two hours, Sloane had been begging you to at least take Viktor's place, but you had shut her down every time.
"If I mess up, even a little, we would all die. We need Viktor," You had told her, before patting her head, and walking away from her.
Sloane explained the plan to Viktor and Lila, while you watched from afar. This was the scariest thing you had honestly ever been apart of. For once, it felt like the apocalypse was genuinely in your hands. Energy thrummed all around you, and you thought back to your vision.
"Don't save the world!"
Your head ached, with nothing but the orange light in your mind, consuming everything and everyone. And then, something new. Flashes of a dead ferret. You blinked, rubbing your eyes violently, but the image persisted. The ferret's neck had been slit, and it lay dead amongst seven stars.
You groaned, rubbing your eyes again.
"Hey," Diego called, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Are you all right?"
You had to think about it for a moment.
"I will be when this thing's done fucking with my head." You muttered.
You watched as Sloane began to levitate, and sighed.
"One of those black holes inside is vibrating at a different rate." Fei said.
"I can feel them." Viktor agreed.
"Good." Fei replied. "Whatever happens, don't let them speed up or change, or everything will blow."
Damn. Looks like you made the right call.
"Don't shake the bees. Got it." Viktor activated his power, and Lila soon followed.
"Hey, what's she doing?" Luther asked Ben.
"Using it's own gravity to condense it."
Christopher spoke.
"That's pretty cool, huh?" Luther asked.
Ben looked at Luther. Footsteps caught your ear.
"You didn't tell me you were building a prison for God." She spoke.
You turned to her, and she clutched a flamethrower in her hands.
"Mom?" Diego called.
"Hey, Mom, let's take it easy," you stepped forward.
"You have no right to do that," She spat.
"We're a little busy here, Grace," Luther called.
"The day of vengeance was in my heart..."
"What are you talking about?" Diego asked.
"...and my year of redemption hath come."
Fire roared as Diego yelled. You all hit the deck, and you turned to Sloane, Viktor, and Lila. You turned back to Grace while she was distracted with Diego, and ran towards her. Your first idea was to grab the flamethrower and get her out of there before she could destroy the plan, but she pulled the trigger before you had time you think.
You gasped as you hit the ground. Flames licked the floor above your head as Grace tried to turn you into a flame roast. You gripped the barrel, hands burning as you groaned in pain. The groans soon turned into shrieks as Grace began to overpower your stupidly small body.
Damn you, Five!
Your heels dug into the floor as you yelped again. You couldn't even think of shifting, your body burning up and your mind in a panic. You full on screamed, and suddenly, the sound of a spacial jump caught your ear, and Grace was gone.
Thank God for Five!
You ran back towards the group, and sighed in relief at the fact that they hadn't been Kugeled.
"Christopher, now!" Sloane exclaimed.
Christopher began to expand as the group struggled to hold the Kugel. Finally, Christopher closed around the Kugel, and you held your breath.
"Did it work?" Five asked as he spacial jumped next to you.
"Next Kugelwave in three, two..."
You opened and closed your fists, preparing to be demolished.
"One."
Christopher let out a small toot.
"Aww!" You exclaimed.
Christopher spoke.
"Oh, you're excused, my dear," You smiled.
Sloane gasped in realization.
••
Champagne popped and music roared. Your glasses never fell empty, as there was always a new bottle opened. You all danced and partied. Damn right you had saved the world!
Fuck you, Five! Fuck you, scary ass vision!
You and Lila started to full on stripper dance on top of the bar, and Ben cheered as he popped another bottle. Diego had a sword in his hand for some reason, and Luther was all over Sloane.
You and Christopher danced for a solid eight minutes, which ended with you pecking him on the cheek... or, side, and thanking him, before Five grabbed you by the hand and yanked you away.
Lila even got Five to dance with you while others cheered, while your hands rested on his shoulders and his on your hips, both still holding your glasses as you laughed uncontrollably.
Upon the party slowing down, you found yourself sitting on the couch as everyone began to filter out. Five stepped away, and you waved him goodbye. To your surprise, Ben flopped down next to you.
"Here," In his hand was burn ointment.
Your burns hadn't been bad, second degree at most, and your cold glass had been helping sooth the stinging sensation. Yet, you took the tube and began to rub the oil on your palms.
"Thank you," You smiled, picking your glass back up.
"Don't get used to it," He spat, looking away from you. Yet he didn't move. "What was I like... in your timeline?"
You sighed, leaning back.
"When Five left, you would draw me pictures of him to cheer me up, and Diego would buy my flowers, and Klaus would give me whiskey. But we would read together, and you would help me garden. You were such a gentle soul, and so shy."
"Pfft. Sounds like a pussy."
"Oh, you were anything but!" You laughed. "You were so... selfless... and then you died, and I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye, or thank you, or hug and kiss you one last time..." you trailed off.
You stood, whispering a goodbye, before exiting the room.
You studied the paintings on the walls for a good moment, before your hand began to shake. You dropped the glass, and it shattered in the floor.
The dead ferret, the brilliant orange light, your ruined wedding dress. You threw your hands in your hair, fighting every urge you had to scream in pain. You slammed yourself against a wall, wrenching your eyes shut.
Everything hurt. Your scars. Your burns. But what hurt the most was your tattoo. Your forced your eyes open and you glanced at your wrist.
"Careful, time bastard. You may not want to get wrapped up in all my shit."
"Don't worry, Little Number Eight. This mark on my wrist means I already am."
You gave into the pain, opening your mouth to scream, but before you could, a brilliant bright orange light consumed everything.