What would your theme song be?
The pair of boys were forced to move a moment later when the police entered the area. Emery concealed them with shadows while Five worked to wedge open a window, eventually giving up and smashing a fist through it when he couldn't open it.
They started walking back to the academy at the fastest pace they could manage which was factually speaking, not very fast. They were both drained of energy and littered in who knows what. Five set to picking out the small glass chunks from his hands while Emery took the liberty of checking down every alley they passed in case they were being followed.
Finally, they reached the academy and pushed the door open tiredly. Emery followed Five as he trudged up the stairs as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders and technically speaking- it was.
"Five?" Allison asked when they reached the top of the stairs. She along with Luther who was beside her looked alarmed but Emery couldn't blame them. They probably looked like walking corpses right now. "What the hell happened to you?" She asked.
"Are you okay? Can we help?" Luther added in, raising a hand to try to help Five but the boy only raised his own and clamped onto Luther's arm, lowering it.
"There's nothing you can do." He said, any optimism drained of his being. "There's nothing any of you can do." He said before truging to his room. Emery followed a moment later when Allison and Luther then turned to him, not saying a word as he nudged open Five's door and took in the boy who had collapsed onto his bed with Dolores clutched to his chest.
Further inspection told Emery that Five was bleeding but when he moved to find the first aid kit Five must have hidden somewhere in the room, Five was groaning out a 'don't' and he sighed, giving up. "Don't be an idiot." Five grumbled through closed eyes, he lamely gestured to the foot of the bed. "Sit down. Sleep." A moment of silence passed in which neither of them moved. "Or don't. See if I care." Five said, going back to his usual demeanor.
Emery just shook his head but moved to sit a moment later, letting himself lean into the wall and sink into the mattress. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions but it was better than anything else he was going to get so he took the opportunity and let himself succumb to the promise of sleep.
Emery Lamont was proud to say he got a full eight hours sleep that night.
It was the most he had ever gotten ever since accidentally traveling through time not once but twice to Texas and then back here so when he awoke the next morning, he found he had the mental capacity to put up with Five's overall presence just that much more.
"Morning princess." Five said when he noticed Emery was awake. Said boy was already up and dressed; perched on the other side of the bed stitching up his wound.
Emery ignored the nickname, saving his sanity a little while longer. "Morning." He replied, voice deep and laced with sleep. He rubbed at his eyes and winced.
"Yeah, it looks pretty bad. Klaus sure did a number on you." Five said as Emery stood up and walked to the mirror in the room, looking at his eye that had bruised and gone a tint of blue. "And on the topic of Klaus, how are you guys so close already? And even better yet, when the hell did you have a run in with Hazel and Cha Cha?"
"That's what those fuckers names are?" Emery groaned as he realized he was chased and nearly killed twice by people with the names Hazel and Cha Cha.
"Yes that is what their names are." Five deadpanned.
Emery kneaded his forehead with his fingers and groaned internally. Be civil. "I ran into them when you ditched me two nights ago. Remember that? I was trying to get a motel and they just so conveniently walked out. I then ran into Klaus who was snooping around some alleyway and he gave me a place to crash for the night."
"Klaus doesn't have a place." Five said.
"I am aware." Emery said, knowing full well that Five thought he was some idiot. "He's staying at a friends house."
"Friend?" Five questioned, not buying it. A muted groan slipped past his lips as he sealed the final stitch and pulled the knot with his teeth.
"Acquaintance." Emery amended. "Happy?"
"Unbelievably so." Five said sarcastically, shrugging on his over shirt and standing up. "Come on." He said, offering no further instruction as he zipped up the bag Dolores was in, slung it over his shoulders and hiked open the window.
"You didn't tell me the Dolores was a mannequin." Emery said as he begrudgingly followed Five who started climbing out the window and down the attached ladder.
"Dolores is my wife. How dare you say that about her." Five said and Emery knew he was serious about it. He didn't laugh. He thought that I'd he did, he would figure out how many ways Five could murder him with an inanimate object.
"Ok, fine." Emery surrendered as he stepped onto the ladder above Five and started descending. He didn't really want to know how or why Five got to a point in his extensive life that he decided to marry a mannequin. And frankly, he didn't care. They looked like a healthy couple. Emery could see how much Five cared about Dolores so he wasn't in the right place to question it.
"I'm trying to find whatever... priceless crap was in that priceless box so that Pogo will get off my ass!" Klaus shouted from beneath. Emery looked down and saw the man was rummaging through the garage bin, talking to who he could only guess was Ben.
"I'd ask what you're up to, Klaus, but then it occurred to me... I don't care." Five said dryly.
"Hey!" Klaus said when he noticed Emery and Five. "You know there are easier ways out of the house, buddy." He teased, sitting on the edge of the bin.
"This one involved the least amount of talking." Five said, jumping down the last foot. "Or so I thought." His smile dropped.
"Hey, hey, hey." Klaus said, leaning over the edge of the dumpster. Emery joined them on the ground then too. "So... you need any more company today?" Klaus asked them. "I could uh, clear my schedule."
"Looks like you've got your hands full." Five dismissed.
"Oh, this? No, no. I can do this whenever. I'm just-" he threw his hands wide but fell in backward. "I just misplaced something. That's all." Came the muffled voice of Klaus now from within the trash. Emery chocked on a laugh, coughing to try to cover it but that didn't stop the glare that Five sent his way. "Found it!" Klaus exclaimed. "Thank God!" He said, popping back up into view with a donut. Taking a bite out of it, Klaus squinted his eyes and chewed. "Delicious." He forced out, Emery cringing right beside him. He didn't want to know where the donut had come from nor how long it had been residing there.
There was a pause in which Five looked at his brother disappointedly. "I'm done funding your drug habit." Five said, moving to leave.
"Come on!" Klaus called out after the boy. "You don't-- Maybe I just wanna hang out with my brother and his boyfriend! Mi hermano! I love you! Even if you can't love yourself! But that's why you have me! And Emerino!" Klaus simultaneously laughed and choked on the surely rotten food before falling back once more into the trash.
"Not my boyfriend, Klaus." Five said, rolling his eyes as he fought turned on his heel and started walking briskly down the alley.
Emery just shook his head before jogging to catch up to Five who had gotten into a van and pulled up to the entrance of the alley, pushing open the door and ushering Emery to hurry up.
"Come on, we haven't got the whole day." Five impatiently tapped the steering wheel, lurching them forward before Emery even had the chance to shut the door let alone fasten his seatbelt (which was highly necessary with Five).
"What are you talking about." Emery said monotonously. "We have the rest out our lives." He finished sarcastically.
"In case you've forgotten, that's not very long now is it. So are you going to keep making jokes or can we actually make some progress?" Five said.
Emery grumbled but didn't say anything else. Way to dispel the mood. Typical Five.
"You know, for someone who knows the world is about to end in six days, you sure are calm about it." Five said when they rolled to a stop on some street.
Emery shrugged. "I think it's one of those things that you know it's coming but it doesn't feel real until a day or two before or the day of. Like Christmas or your Birthday." He said. "It's going to be a bitch when it finally sinks in though. But who knows, maybe by that time, I'll already be dead."
Five hummed but didn't say anything, too intently focusing on something outside of the vehicle. Emery followed the boy's gaze to see Lance walking up the stairs of the Meritech place. The boy must have finally realized that Emery was capable of having valid points and agreed with him that Lance was most definetely not telling them something.
"Oh shit," Five said, turning around and unzipping the bag he had brought. "Hey." Five pulled out a vodka bottle and wordlessly handed it to Emery who took it with knitted eyebrows. "Sorry you were in there for so long, Dolores." He set her down in the middle seat in between them, her top half the only thing that remained. "No, I'm not drunk. I'm working. Yes, it's about the eye thing." Five said, seemingly speaking to the mannequin. "This is the place it was made. Or... will be made. We just have to wait."
"Are you, having a conversation with a mannequin? With- Dolores?" Emery amended when Five shot him the nastiest glare yet. Sore spot, Emery figured.
"Yes. I am. Don't be so rude Emery. Say hello." He paused. "Yes this is the Emery I was talking about." Five said to Dolores. "No we are not friends. No! We are not lovers. My only love is you, Dolores."
Emery nodded as he witnessed... whatever it was he was witnessing. "Okay then." He said, turning to look out the window and wait for Lance to reappear.
✩
That was hours ago. He wasn't sure exactly how many hours, just that he had spaced out some time along the way and the next time he came to, Five was looking into the abyss with a vacant expression, lost to the world.
"Five." Emery said when he noticed the boys breathing rate pick up.
Kids shouted outside of the van, playing with a ball and Dolores sat tilted in the middle seat, something Emery knew wouldn't sit right with Five.
"Five." He said again, gently jostling the boys shoulder when he started mumbling something under his breath. His eyes were wide now but still vacant. "Five." Emery said louder this time, adding some force.
"Five." A new voice said. Emery turned, his own heart rate picking up when he saw it was only Luther. "Five." The man said once more and finally, Five snapped out of it, unlocking the doors so the man could get in the back.
"What are you- oh my god." Luther said, struggling to get into the van and shut the door behind him. "You okay?" He asked once he was finally settled.
"You shouldn't be... how did you find us." Five said.
"Um..." Luther trailed off, grappling for words and eventually settling on looking to the side where Klaus was seated and holding Dolores. Emery hadn't even noticed the man come in.
"Hey, a little privacy, guys. We're really hitting it off back here." Klaus said, hiding behind the mannequin when Five threw the nearest thing at him.
"Get out! You can't be here! I'm in the middle of something."
Klaus ignored Five completely and sidled up to the front seat, leaning his head on Emery's shoulder. "Any luck finding your one-eyed man?"
"No." Five said, trying to dismiss the conversation before it had the chance to start.
"What's he talking about?" Luther pressed.
"Does it matter? It's Klaus." Five sighed. "What do you want Luther."
"Umm..." Luther began, looking at Emery before shrugging. "So, Grace may have had something to do with Dad's death." He said. "So I need you to come back to the academy. Alright? It's important."
"'It's important'." Five mocked. "You have no concept of what's important."
"Hey!" Klaus interjected. "Did I ever tell you guys about the time I waxed my ass with chocolate pudding?"
Emery's eyebrows drew together as he gave Five a questioning gaze as if to ask if Klaus was really sane right now.
"It was so painful." Klaus laughed.
"What are you still doing here?" Luther asked.
"What? I need an excuse to hang out with my family?"
"We're trying to have a serious conversation."
"What, and I'm incapable of being serious? Is that what you're saying?"
"Luther's got a point, you should get out." Five agreed.
"What?" Klaus said, offended. He looked all of them dead in the eye before sighing dramatically, clutching Emery's arm, dragging him out of the van and shouting, "Fine!" As she slammed the door shut behind them.
"What the hell-" Emery began, about to tell Klaus off when he realized the man was already parading down the sidewalk. Emery held his tongue. He knew he would have been asked to leave the van too. Last time he checked, he wasn't a part of this family and never would be. There was no use getting involved now. So, with a single look back, he followed Klaus into a variety store on the corner of the street.
"What are you looking for?" He asked when he saw Klaus browsing the isles, eyeing up all the items.
"I don't know!" Klaus said, plucking a random item and placing it into his arms. "I don't care!" He said plucking another. And another. And another. Klaus didn't really seem to have any clear pattern in what he was taking but the minute his arms were too full, he booked it out the door, laughing maniacally.
Emery cursed but followed after him as the man at the front desk caught sight of them and gave chase, shouting after them to stop and drop the items.
They made it out onto the streets and Klaus caused havoc with the traffic too as he ran out into the middle of the road, causing a car to stop in order to save the mans life. Half the items Klaus was holding had been lost in his initial escapade and the other half was lost when he tried to dodge out of the way of the cashier lunging forward to try to get his items back.
In the end, Klaus successfully got away with what looked like a singular loaf of whole grain bread and the cashier let him go, muttering something about how he never got paid enough for this job.
Emery just looked at the man apologetically as if to say 'sorry about him' before he walked back towards the van and got in, sighing as the door shut behind him and he was finally at peace.
Luther had left and it was just Five and Emery once more.
It seemed the boy was pissed but when Emery moved to retrieve something, Five didn't say anything, just smirked wildly when Emery heaved a great sigh and pulled a Twinkie from his pocket, opening the wrapper and breaking it in half.
"Thanks but I don't do Twinkies. The whole apocalypse kind of ruined them for me."
"Come on." Emery said. "Trust me."
"Last time I did trust, I ended up working as a big man well into my elder years."
"Last time I checked, I'm not a maniac woman with an extremely unnerving smile. Take it or leave it, your choice." Emery said, taking a bite of his own half.
"Where did you even get this?" Five grumbled as he took the Twinkie and took a bite before he could process his actions.
"I stole it. Klaus is quite the distraction."
Five laughed. If you could call it that. It wasn't a scowl though so Emery considered it a win. This meant maybe their journey of the many hours of waiting to come would be a little more bearable.
They lapsed into silence after that where Five talked to Dolores from time to time but spent the majority of the time looking at the institute incase Lance decided to go home early. Emery was contented to do the same minus talk to the mannequin and he even managed to get what felt like a two second nap in before Fives voice pulled him from unconsciousness
"I've always liked sunsets." Five said out of the blue. Emery looked at him, not expecting a single word out of the boy but Five was focused solely on the sky. "It was one of my only comforts during those days of the apocalypse. They're always so... beautiful." Fives voice drained into a whisper.
Emery nodded but didn't say anything, not wanting to dispel of the trance Five was in. He wasn't going to lie, there was something nice about the sincerity in Fives voice. It told Emery that the boy trusted him even if it was only slightly and that he was capable of being more than just rude.
The sun dipped and cast the sky in a deep purple then orange and then it was gone, replaced with a dark blue that slowly turned to black and took over the night sky.
"You know, you don't have to tell me that." Five said and Emery knew the moment had passed and he was talking to Dolores again. "I know there are only six days left. Yeah, you got a better idea?" Five scoffed. "Okay then."
"Don't talk to you're wife that way Five Hargreeves." Emery playfully scolded. Just because he was beginning to think Five was vividly hallucinating didn't mean he wasn't going to take the chance to tease the boy.
"Shut up." Five said, looking out the window.
Emery did the same and soon they saw Lance come out of the building and stand by the curb for a moment before, looking around, approaching a car, tucking something in his inner pocket, and then walking away as the car sped off.
"What the hell is he up to." Five wondered aloud, grabbing Emery's arm and teleporting them out of the van.
Long chapter. How is everyone doing?