The three Hargreeves slowly ascended up the stairs, Diego far ahead. The building was silent and dark, the only source of light coming from outside.
Y/n halted when he stopped at the top of the stairs, Diego surveilling the area, unaware that the other two were trailing quietly behind him.
"So, what's the big plan, oh-great-leader?" She asked.
"I told you to wait in the car."
"Klaus or I?"
"Both of you!"
"Too bad!"
Klaus butted in, more intoxicated by the minute as he gulped down more alcohol. "Yeah, but you also told me licking a nine-volt battery would give me pubes."
Y/n made a face, placing her a hand to her mouth as she giggled while Diego gazed down at him. "We were eight."
"Noo, she's Eight," Klaus laughed, pointing his index finger at the girl.
"Okay, that's enough," Diego addressed him, irritated. The drunk man shrugged and began walking past him. "Uh-uh, uh-uh," he denied, grabbing onto Klaus' wrist, forcing him back.
Y/n moved back as they brushed past her. The man with knives was descending back down, pulling Klaus alongside him.
"I need you to listen to me, okay?" He stated authoritatively. He looked up at the girl, pointing a finger at her, then to the ground beside where he stood.
"Jeez, I'm not a dog. You could've just asked."
"Yeah, like I didn't before. Good dogs behave, you need more training." He retaliated back sarcastically.
She grumbled, treading down as she rolled her eyes for probably the millionth time that day.
"Now, go back to the car. If I don't come out in two minutes, that means I'm probably dead," Diego informed from behind them as Y/n had skipped further on, strolling beside Klaus.
Soon, they paused at the bottom on the staircase as Diego grabbed Y/n's shoulders, turning her to face him. "That happens, go get help and keep Klaus close," he continued on, speaking assertively.
She sighed heavily. "You're such an idiot. You're sacrificing your life, and for what? I don't understand, why can't I help?"
Diego nodded towards the intoxicated man's direction.
"I love him but I am not a baby-sitter!"
"Heyy, I'm right here," Klaus grumbled. "That's mean."
She glanced at him, shooting him a pitiful look before turning back to the man holding her arms. She pat his forearms before shaking him off. "Whatever, bro," Y/n said dismissively. "Come on, let's do something better, Klaus. I'm hungry, are you?"
"Hell yeahhh! I could go for some Italian. Lasagna, sis?"
"Don't do anything dumb," Diego interrupted, eyeing the two warily before leaving to pursue up the stairs again.
As soon as he was out of sight, Klaus pouted from beside the girl. "We're not actually going to get food, are we?"
"Diego's got the biggest ego ever, of course we're not going," she mumbled, grabbing the man's bottle of alcohol. "Let's just.. Wait for him. We can eat soon."
Y/n took a swig before handing it back to him, bored already. "Never mind, come on, let's go."
She skipped up the stairs, Klaus tailing closely behind her.
The sound of a loud car driving by and deafening gunfire was so sudden, it surprised her. Klaus had beat her up to the top of the stairs and he soon came down as quick as he had left her with Diego by his side, clutching his arm.
"What the fuck happened?"
"Those son's of bitches drove by."
☂☂☂
"An ice-cream van. How inconspicuous." Y/n commented as they rode down a deserted road, the cooling AC soothing the parching heat of midday as she was squeezed in between her two brothers.
She took off her blazer and folded it, placing it on her lap as Diego spoke up. "This is the closest I've gotten to them. I can't give up now."
Klaus interrupted their conversation and pointed ahead, taking a hand off the wheel. "Hey, guys, is that Five and Luther?"
"What?" Y/n questioned, confused. "How high are you?"
As the ice-cream truck passed a car up ahead, Klaus stuck his head out of the window and waved vigorously at two people standing out on the road.
The girl peeked past him and her eyes widened as they locked with.. Five's.
She sent him the most bizarre look, with him returning it. "What on earth?!"
"Go faster!" Diego shouted at Klaus, causing him to pick up speed.
Bullets began raining down on the vehicle as time came to a stop.
Five peered out from behind Luther, who had his arm open, at the frozen scene ahead of him.
"Hello, Five. You look good, all things considered." Said an unfamiliar voice Y/n didn't recognise.
She glanced to the left of her, seeing a man and a women stuck in place. "What the fuck?.." Both Klaus and Diego remained unmoving as she panicked, poking their shoulders and faces.
Y/n scrambled over Klaus hurriedly, jumping out of the van. Everything was so saturated. She spun around a couple times, her eyes flickering over everything around her as she strained to see through the strange time-frozen, over-saturated filtered.. Place?
Two figures ahead of her caught her attention and she gazed over. A woman with white hair and Five. They appeared to be the only people who weren't immobile.
"Ah, girl, we've been expecting you sooner or later," the strange woman extended her arm out to the Y/n, motioning her forward.
"This is between you and I, woman. Leave Y/n out of it." Five spoke through gritted teeth, outstretching his own arm to stop her.
She paused for a moment before walking up, standing beside him closely for comfort. "What is this?" she asked, uncomfortable with her surroundings.
The odd woman gazed down at her and hummed. "Hmm, you are truly an interesting case. I'm glad to have finally found you. He'll be so grateful."
"Excuse me?" Y/n scoffed in both annoyance and confusion and the lady merely shrugged.
"Anyway," she returned her attention to Five, who was now ahead but still beside the girl, positioned protectively in front of her, "You realise what you're asking for is next to impossible, even for me.
What's meant to be is meant to be. That's our raison d'être," the woman continued on vaguely, clasping her hands together as the boy in uniform drew out a gun from his uniform, pointing it at her.
"Yeah? Well how about survival as a raison?" he threatened.
The woman shrugged again. "I'll just be replaced. I'm but a.. Small cog in a machine." With her hands behind her back, she paced slowly toward the two teenagers. "This fantasy you've been nurturing about summoning up your family to stop the apocalypse.. Is just that. A fantasy.."
The girl disassociated from their conversation for a minute to try to understand the situation at hand. Soon, she listened back in when she heard someone addressing her.
"Oh, and what a sweet girl," the woman said, pushing down Five's weapon as she softly shoved him aside.
Y/n glanced to Five in alarm as he regained his stance and raised his firearm at the tall lady.
"You're so hard to locate but they'll be so pleased," she admitted, bringing a hand to the girl's head as she smoothly caressed her hair. Y/n's face twisted in disgust while a gun clicked from the side of her. "Still so youthful. And why is that so?"
"Hands off." Five announced dangerously.
"No need to get your school-boy shorts in a bunch," she replied blandly, giving the uncomfortable girl a final pat on the shoulder. She stepped away and looked to Five as he lowered his weapon. "Anyhow, we can happen.. We can make you.. Yourself again."
The boy paused in contemplation for a few seconds. "And what about my family?"
"What about them?" the woman questioned, exasperated.
"I want them to survive."
She sighed in annoyance as she glanced at his siblings. "All of them?"
"Yes, all of them," Five answered her foolish query.
"And the girl.. Y/n, is your name, sweetie?" the lady peered past him to see the girl fidgeting awkwardly.
"Uh, no-" the boy interrupted, "She's not going. Only I am."
"Then the deal's off, I guess."
Y/n squinted her eyes suspiciously at the odd figure and mumbled quietly. "It'll be okay, Five. There's no way this woman is letting me leave without a fight anyway."
"Yes, Y/n is right. She's coming with us whether you and I like it or not. This has nothing to do with your silly little 'save the world' plans." Five glared at her as she pulled sunglasses out from her pocket. "Well, I'll see what I can do. Do we have a deal?"
Her smile was fake as she extended an arm out to Five for a handshake. He pursed his lips as he turned his head to see the girl beside him. Five's eyes were searching, seemingly lost in thought before he replied.
"One thing."
The boy in uniform walked past them, a few metres ahead, before he stopped to pick a pistol up from the asphalt road and began disassembling it. He then tossed away both the gun and magazine in different directions.
Quickly, he proceeded back but turned around to move a bullet that was heading in Luther's way.
He stood in front of the woman as she reached out for his hand and for the girl beside him.
Five nodded at Y/n.
"Let's do this."
☂
☂