Y/n was pulled out of her light slumber, her senses coming in and out as she adjusted to her surroundings in a sleepy haze. The girl rubbed her eyes groggily and slipped out of her bed, pulling her blazer back on as she stretched her arms before massaging her sore neck.
As she approached the mirror by her vanity table, a subtle vibration resonated through the floor beneath her, reminiscent of a gentle purr. Reaching for the tie she took off earlier, she began looping the garment under her collar, adjusting the lengths on each side.
She continued until the gentle rumbling gradually intensified into a deafening crash that sounded from below, causing her to waver unsteadily on her feet.
Her eyes widened in alarm, instantly scanning the walls of her room. The lilac paint had suddenly began to gradually crack down, followed by her walls separating, appearing to be slowly splitting down like minuscule lightning bolts striking the earth; a surreal and unsettling sight unfolding before her gaze.
Although stunned, Y/n managed to stagger out of her room upon hearing Diego, outside in the hallway, calling out: "Yo, what the hell is going on?"
The girl emerged into the corridor as the noises of small explosions and glass breaking echoed through her ears.
Luther, Klaus, Diego and Pogo all scurried out, similarly, in both confusion and fright as they questioned the situation in a panic.
"Are those explosions coming f-"
Pogo answered for Klaus with a determined, yet trembling voice. "Vanya. We need to get to safety outside the Academy."
The siblings hesitantly stood in shock as they rendered his words, sharing horrified glances with each other.
When they regained their comprehension, Klaus gave Y/n a small nod, pulling her along with him and Diego while Luther shouted out from behind them to 'not forget Mum'.
Sprinting as fast as their feet could take them out of the hallway and to the stairs, the ceiling above them began collapsing down as they desperately searched for Grace.
"Mum!" Diego yelled in distraught.
"Where is she?!"
The three siblings crossed to the opposite side of the building, running and hollering for their mother, who was nowhere to be seen. Explosions became more frequent and small pieces of concrete began hailing down persistently.
"Watch out!" Y/n's urgent and fearful cry pierced the chaos as she pushed Diego away from imminent danger. With a desperate shove, she managed to divert him just in time from the crumbling fragment hurtling towards him.
Diego hit the ground hard, disoriented by the sudden action. He blinked in a daze, attempting to clear his clouded vision as he clutched his head, momentarily stunned. Meanwhile, Y/n was sprawled on the ground, unresponsive. Beside her, Klaus stirred, groaning and coughing in pain before he stared at the ceiling, shaking the girl in attempt to wake her.
With a surge of determination, Diego swiftly forced himself to his feet, his mind swimming as he struggled to regain his bearings. He glimpsed upward, heart sinking as he saw the cracks spiraling above Y/n and Klaus.
He reached out instinctively, as if he could somehow prevent the impending disaster. With a sickening crash, the debris caved in, sending more shockwaves that echoed through the Academy.
For a moment, Diego's heart froze within him. Then, as the dust began to settle, his gaze swept over Klaus and Y/n, breathing a short sigh of relief as he realised they had narrowly escaped devastation.
Without wasting another precious second, Diego yelled, frantically moving around a pillar to assist them. "Klaus! Shit, close call!"
The man gave a curt nod, accompanied by a strained grunt as he heaved himself up, eyes widening in disbelief when he glanced to an invisible force in front of him in astonishment.
Diego looked around in a panic as the Academy crumbled before them. "Y/n, get up!" He urged hysterically as he smacked the girl's cheeks lightly.
"Come on. Come on, we gotta go!" Klaus insisted when he snapped out of his trance, grabbing Y/n off the floor when she hadn't responded.
"Okay, okay! I got her!" Diego acknowledged in a haste, seizing the unmoving girl into his arms.
They guided themselves to the nearest set of stairs, though they were blocked off by slabs of ceiling. The two stood for a moment, weighing their options before Klaus silently gestured to the right side of the stairs that were less ragged and crumpled.
"I can't carry Y/n down that!" Diego mentioned as he adjusted the girl, bringing her closer into his chest protectively.
"Well, I don't know then!" Klaus retaliated, a sense of dread overwhelming him.
Diego desperately surveyed their surroundings before proposing an idea. "The fire escape!"
Klaus brought his hand to his temple in acknowledgement, trying to recall the closest one. "Follow me."
The man ushered them towards an exit and they scrambled out, feeling the cool night air nip at their feverish skin as the building broke down into fragments behind them. They descended down the metal ladder until they reached an alleyway where they caught their breaths for a short moment.
Diego's panicked expression immediately morphed into one of gratitude as he gave Klaus a grin. "Hey, you just saved Y/n, and yourself, man!"
Klaus blinked before replying, giving Diego a pat on the shoulder as he smiled. "Okay. Great." He gave a slight shrug of disbelief at an invisible figure ahead of them.
"Shit. Mum." Diego turned to Klaus, terror glinting in his eyes as he furrowed his brows before he gazed up at a familiar woman who stared at her children from a window inside the Academy. "Mum!"
The two hysterically screamed at Grace to leave. Though, their mother only gave them a bittersweet wave and kiss, her robotic eyes fluttering sadly as the building shattered around her.
"I have to go after her!" Diego wailed, holding Y/n closer.
"No, no, no! Diego, we can't! There's no time!" Klaus said, tugging at Diego as he pushed them back for safety.
The brothers watched in horror, the Academy crumbling and disintegrating before their eyes.
☂ ☂ ☂
"Fuck.." Y/n moaned in discomfort, coughing when she inhaled dust and dirt. The girl slowly sat up, her whole body aching as she scanned the ruins before her.
"Oh, thank god," Klaus mumbled, kneeling beside her as he brushed off some debris from her hair.
"Klaus.. What.. Where's Diego? Mum?"
The man solemnly pointed behind her and her gaze followed his gesture, turning her head to see Diego with his head in his hands, sat upon some rubble.
Y/n looked back at Klaus, eyes glazing over with tears from both physical and emotion pain. "Mum?.. Pogo?"
Klaus exhaled, swallowing the dry lump in his throat, assisting the girl to her feet. "We couldn't.."
The girl's lips trembled as he brought her into a swift embrace. Though, they pulled away when they heard footsteps emerging from ahead of them, crunching against the wreckage of their once home.
"Pogo didn't make it." Luther sighed, Allison trailing behind him as she stared at their surroundings in horror.
Diego called out from behind Klaus as he advanced toward the group. "What?"
"Vanya killed him." The man answered briefly with creased brows.
Y/n's emotions overwhelmed her, the weight of despair and hopelessness crushing her. She stifled her sobs, strength diminishing as tears freely cascaded down her gritty and bloody cheeks.
Suddenly, their last family member unexpectedly appeared from a blink of blue, racing towards them as he made his way over the rubble with a newspaper in hand.
"This is it. The apocalypse is still on." Five informed, voice etched with grave seriousness. "The world ends today."
"I thought you said it was over," Luther quipped in confusion.
Five pursed his lips in worry as he walked to a disheveled Y/n. The girl instantly wrapped her arms around the boy's torso, not giving a care to anyone else as she silently wept into his chest for comfort.
"I.." The boy trailed off, drawing the girl closer as he held up the newspaper. "I was wrong, okay? This newspaper, I found it in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn't changed."
Diego denied him, shaking his head in incredulity. "No, that doesn't mean anything. The time could've been altered since that newspaper came out this morning."
Five narrowed his eyes in frustration at Diego's dismissive behaviour. "You're not listening to me. When I found it, I assumed this place came down along with everything else. But here we are. The moon's still shining, the earth is in one piece, but not the Academy."
The girl reluctantly loosened her grip on him, pulling away to let him explain while wiping her soaked cheeks with the coarse material of her blazer sleeve.
Klaus snatched the paper from him, searching through the pages. "I'm confused."
"Then listen to me, you idiot!" Five declared, irritation getting the best of him, "Vanya destroys the Academy before the apocalypse." He sighed before continuing. "I thought Harold Jenkins was the cause, but he was the fuse. Vanya is the bomb."
"Vanya causes the apocalypse." Y/n muttered her thoughts aloud, to which the boy nodded at.
Soon, sirens began wailing, drawing closer to the scene of destruction as helicopters hovered overhead of them, illuminating the ground below with brilliant bright lights.
"We gotta go, now." Diego announced, bringing his arm up to shield the blinding light from his squinted eyes.
"Regroup at the Super Star." Luther ordered. "Go!"
The group dispersed in a hurry, and Five rushed to Y/n. He pressed a short kiss of relief to her forehead, grabbing her trembling hand and giving her a gentle squeeze. They shared a glance before teleporting away.
☂ ☂ ☂
Y/n emerged out from the women's bathroom and into the bowling alley with a stoic expression, having cried out all she could. When she desperately washed her bloody hands and face streaked with grime, the noises of excitement, and shouts of happiness from strangers outside each time someone scored a strike, hadn't helped her situation either.
Her heart hurt, pleading silently for a regular life. However, the girl would knew she would never receive her wish, and that this wasn't the best time to mourn -- especially if they could all still die today. She threw a wet paper towel into a bin as Five walked up to her.
The boy dusted off the girl's blazer, removing the last smudge of dirt on her nose with his thumb. "How are you feeling?"
She looked at him with a pout before scrunching up her nose, speaking sarcastically. "Well, you know.. Mum is dead, Pogo is dead, and my home is destroyed. Oh, not to mention, the apocalypse is still today. Yay!"
Five frowned, placing his hand on her cheek as he tilted her head up, observing bruises that seemed to slowly be forming around her neck. "What happened?"
Y/n rolled her eyes, peering past him to see the man in the overcoat watching families bowl. "Luther happened."
The boy's frown deepened into a scowl. "What?"
"He strangled me because I wanted to help Vanya instead of locking her up. Look where that got us." The girl replied with a huff.
Five let his hand fall silently, a dangerous glint swirling in his eyes. "I'll deal with him later," the boy spoke through gritted teeth as he guided them back to the group.
Returning back, the family were already discussing plans, considering their options and suggesting ways to prevent the apocalypse.
"Bullshit," Diego swore in response to Luther, anxiously bouncing his leg. "There's always options."
"Yeah, like what?" Five asked, brows furrowed in annoyance as he took a seat on one of the plastic chairs next to Klaus, who flipped through pages of the newspaper.
The girl followed suit, plopping down dishearteningly as she tied the yellow laces on her bowling shoes. "We could just.. Um.. Talk to her, maybe?" She quietly mentioned with uncertainty when Diego didn't reply.
"I think we're past talking, Y/n." Luther said, criticising her recommendation.
Her demeanor shifted and she sneered at him in detestation. "And who's fault is that?"
The man stood up from his seat, ignoring her bold judgement. "Look, whatever we decide, we need to find Vanya. And fast, okay? She could be anywhere."
"Or.. Here." Klaus interjected, pausing at a specific page from the newspaper.
Everyone gathered around to view the print, observing a small advertisement displaying Vanya and her violin that was set center on the right page.
"That's right," Diego noted in realisation, "Her concert is tonight."
"Hello," said an awkward voice from behind the group, "I hate to intrude, but my manager says that if you're not gonna bowl, you gotta leave."
The employee ambled away and the siblings stared at the manager who angrily shoved shoes onto the front desk, looking straight back at them menacingly.
"Uh.. Klaus, it was your turn, right?" Y/n spoke up, giving the man at the desk a slight wave with a forced smile.
When the guy didn't budge, Luther grabbed a pink ball with ease, tossing it carelessly across the lanes without breaking the stare he held with the manager.
The ball bounced across the room violently before it knocked over all the pins in another family's lane, playing a cartoon-ish strike! video across the strangers' tally screen.
The manger's eyes narrowed, though he looked away and continued working while Allison scribbled down onto her notepad.
Allison held it up to Luther, tapping her marker against the paper where she wrote: SHE'S OUR SISTER.
He sighed when he met the woman's unfaltering gaze of determination. "We're the only ones capable of stopping this. We have a responsibility to Dad."
"To Dad?" Diego angrily argued. "No, I've heard enough about-"
The man in the overcoat interrupted him. "He sacrificed everything to bring us back together."
"As much as I hate him right now, I'm with Luther on this one." Five reluctantly added in agreement. "We can't give her a chance to fight back."
"What?" Y/n glanced incredulously to the boy, then to Luther. "What are you insinuating? That we kill our own sister?"
Five pursed his lips but continued calmly. "There are billions of lives at stake. We're past trying to save just one."
The girl scoffed as Klaus spoke up. "Hey, you know, guys, uh.. Maybe I could help."
"Now is not the time." Luther hinted sternly.
"No, let him finish," Diego intervened, brows creased. "He saved Y/n's life today. I saw it.. Kind of."
"He did?" The girl exclaimed, tilting her head up at Diego as Klaus rose from his seat.
The man dressed in black gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah, but you were unconscious. Piece of the ceiling was coming down and I'm pretty sure Klaus pulled you two away. No one else could've, so it was definitely him."
"Is that true?" Luther questioned Klaus.
He placed his hands on his hips, swaying awkwardly. "Yeah, yeah, I did.. Take credit for it. In fact, there was someone else there. The real hero.. Was Ben."
The family all stared at Klaus silently in puzzlement before he continued, pacing around as he talked. "Today.. Listen. Today, he punched me in the face. And earlier at the house, he was the one who saved Y/n's life, not me."
"You are unbelievable, Klaus." Luther stated in frustration.
"You want proof, is that it?" The man asked, picking up a ball from the rack. "Alright, I- I'll give you proof. It's showtime, baby. Catch!"
Klaus hurled the heavy object up, throwing it to the left of Y/n. Five pulled the girl back protectively, making sure the ball didn't collide with her.
The man's eyes were filled with anticipation before the bowling ball dropped to the floor, loudly bouncing hopelessly. Klaus stared in the direction of where he threw the ball, lowering his hands and head, puffing out his cheeks as he blinked in embarrassment.
"Is there any way to silence that voice in your head that screams out to be the center of attention?" Luther stated irritably.
"You know, I liked you a lot better before you got laid!"
Luther's eyes widened in response to Klaus' daring comment.
"..Which was a complete.. It- It wasn't his fault," the man stuttered out in attempt to lighten his remark as he glanced to Allison, who had a horrified look plastered across her features. "'Cause he was.. Ridiculously high, right? And- And the girl thought he was a furry.."
Y/n let out a snicker upon the awful explanation, observing a flustered Luther trying to stop Klaus from making the situation worse than it already was.
Luther slowly turned his head to Allison, who was already storming off in disgust. "Allison, wait."
The man trailed desperately after her before two unfamiliar people approached Klaus, Diego, Five and Y/n.
A stubby woman held an arm around her scrawny son, tugging him along as she stepped forward. "Excuse me!" She called out, attempting to attract the attention of the group, which seemed to work as they looked at her with strange expressions. "Excuse me, it's my son Kenny's birthday today, and.. Uh.. Wouldn't your children be happier bowling with teenagers their own age?"
Five's gaze narrowed as he observed the woman and her son. Sensing Kenny's gaze drifting towards Y/n, he subtly shifted to block the boy's eager view.
She excitedly continued, bending down in front of the two. "Assuming it's okay with your two dads?"
The brothers turned their attention back to the mother, focusing on her before Klaus glanced to Diego in disbelief.
"I would rather chew off my own foot." Five retorted with a snarl, boldness causing the woman to retract back up, the cheerful smile immediately fading from her face.
She steered her son away, bafflement evident in her movements. "Let's go, Kenny."
Five rolled his eyes before he perked up slightly, looking to the girl beside him as he stood up.
"What's up?" Y/n asked, following after the boy who rushed to another lane.
"Shit.." He muttered, tugging out a golden cylinder from the bowling machine that had his name addressed on it. "How the hell did she find us?"
"Wait, seriously. What's going on?" She questioned him again, taking the object from his hands to inspect it.
"The Handler." Five sighed in annoyance, frantically searching his blazer pockets before he pulled out a few pieces of candy.
The boy unwrapped one of them, revealing a small beeping device that was planted inside. He scoffed, dropping the green tracker to the wooden floor, crushing it with his shoe.
"Well, shit, indeed." Y/n noted, kicking the remains away to underneath the bowling machine as she handed the cylinder back to Five.
"Jesus," he mumbled, untwisting the lid while the girl leaned into him, observing him carelessly open the package-thing. He tipped it upside down and a fortune cookie dropped into his palm.
The two teenagers shared a puzzled glance before he cracked open the wafer which had a small note inside; an ironic fortune printed on it with a vague sentence in blue pen written underneath.
"Time marches on, or does it? Rain Quail, Rm 12," Y/n read the words on the paper aloud. "The Rain Quail.. Isn't that a hotel? Downtown?"
"I think she wants me to meet her there," Five added, his eyebrows furrowing. "Room 12?"
The girl placed a hand on his arm. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Well, I don't think she'd ask me to go if she wanted to kill me," the boy said, crumpling the note up before tossing it to the side.
"What are we waiting for, then?" Y/n grinned, taking a half of the fortune cookie from him to snack on.
Five shook his head, giving the girl the other piece before he placed his hands into his pockets. "As much as I enjoy having you by my side, you can't come this time."
She tilted her head, hand covering her mouth as she chewed while talking. "Why not? We're supposed to do this together."
"They tried kidnapping you last time." He answered, shooting the girl a pointed look. "Stay here with Klaus and Diego, I promise I'll be back soon."
Y/n sighed in defeat, acknowledging the fact that he was probably right. She didn't need to be asked twice to stay -- kidnapping was not something she looked forward to. "Okay, be careful, Five."
The boy's arms enveloped the girl, drawing her into the warmth of his chest. The two clung to each other for a few seconds, relishing in the precious closeness they shared.
Five pressed a delicate kiss to her nose, eliciting a small flustered smile from the girl. He chuckled, a playful smirk curved up his lips as he leaned in closer to her.
The girl gazed into his glimmering eyes, captivated by the mixture of colours and hues reminiscent of the ocean. "Five.."
With a hand cupping her cheek in affection, Five's gaze softened, his own eyes half-lidded as they locked onto her e/c ones, searching for something within their depths that sent shivers down the girl's spine.
A sudden burst of courage coursed through him and he closed the distance between them, his touch gentle yet firm as his lips met hers in a tender kiss. Despite the initial shock, she melted into the embrace with a fervent longing.
They let their lips linger a second more before they reluctantly broke away, eyes fluttering open after a moment that felt like time itself had stopped.
Five bit his bottom lip, searching Y/n's eyes again for any sign of rejection from his unexpected action. However, the girl sent him a giddy grin, eyes creasing as she attempted to maintain her happiness, her cheeks tinted with pink.
A lopsided grin formed on his flustered face before he pressed another short kiss to her lips. "Stay safe, love."
If Y/n could blush any harder, she would've when she heard the affectionate nickname. "I will."
Hesitantly, the boy moved back, giving the girl one last smirk before he sent her a familiar two-finger salute in goodbye. He spatial jumped away, leaving the girl to stand alone.
Y/n tenderly placed her fingers to her lips in momentary shock, stifling a lovesick squeal. She turned around, walking back to Klaus and Diego.
"He kissed me!"
☂
☂
i was originally gonna make it all one chapter but its wayyy too long like even this one is my longest one by far. anyway, i hope the romance was okay or whatever i was debating on whether they should kiss or not but i didnt wanna leave anyone hanging so i just did it cause why not i hope its not too cringeyyyifewhifwe