look at his jawline I STG-
YES IM FINALLY BACKKKK I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THIS CHAPTER UWU
dedicated to:
Aimee015678 s0fthargreeves SKATEKITCH3N unhoelyrogers Klaus_Hargreeves -FELIXUWUU asami_miko
AND ALSO MY READERS WHO COMMENTED ON THE LAST CHAPTER AND MADE ME SO MF HAPPY
Kenzlucash CynthiaRosewood Carroit Idk_vide the_un_named_stoner -Luna_Hargreeves- erinfelize @Is_nolife Ruby_Valdez1279 DarkNighty36 madi_marth magtherat -simplymoonrxses simonetua JeonNora2007 goldielocks464 Neverlander654 is_itrllyme_ AkariPark xXKatelynFireXx etherrxall Ihavetooomanyships Trash_Mash_Potato asami_miko dying_from_air Gacha_Ava_Studios ElyMalicious
especially
sofiefffu
your comment genuinely made my entire day and i nearly cried when i read it ilysm and ty ty ty tyyy i can't say it enough
and also
iCoffee_Creme
for leaving an adorable message on my profile it was so so sweet and tysm !!! i'm glad you enjoy my book and i hope this chapter doesn't disappoint :)
and
yourfellowslytherin1
for being the only one to reply to the message i posted asking whether yall wanted an update ty bby for ur interaction LOL 💓
and ofc
Aimee015678
do i really need to explain 🙄🙄 i missed u omg skfjsjjf and tysm for helping me sort out the problem with that one commenter i rlly appreciate it and i hope ur staying amazing, here's to way more chaotic comments in the future 🥳😼
i'm extremely grateful to all of you for commenting and i put this before beginning the chapter to mention that after considering you guys' opinion and my schedule + current situation, i am going with option b (i will not edit this book until it is complete) it took me a long time to decide, and if you have any questions feel free to drop a comment ! i'll answer as soon as i can :)
i've missed you all, so much. i hope you're doing well bbys <3
also, this is for the person who asked for more content of five being a dick ❤ but i love him so it's like angsty fluff idk
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When my eyes open slowly and the memories of last night flood through my mind, all I can think of is: who the fuck were those people, and how am I even still alive? The next thing that I do is try to turn my body to see what's going on around me, but I instantly regret it as I'm bombarded with awful pain all over. Gently lifting the hem of my shirt, I realise my entire torso is littered with black and blue bruises with a few stinging cuts in between here and there. For a moment all I can do is gape at my injuries, for it's been forever since I was last hurt this bad. Tears begin to fill my eyes, but I wipe them away hurriedly, not wanting to seem like a crybaby. After all, it was my fault for following Five and getting into this mess.
I crane my neck to see the bed beside me, only to see Five sitting up already and attempting to pull out the IV from his arm. "Five, what the hell? Aren't you injured?!" He spares me a glance before frowning "I had hoped you wouldn't wake up." "That's all you're going to tell me? After both of us nearly fucking died?" I ask, anger filling my voice. He slips on his blazer, and a curse escapes his lips when the fabric brushes against his wound.
I have no clue what on earth is running through his head now, or what he's planning to do now that our last lead failed, but I can least try to reason with him. "Five, c'mon, you're injured far worse than I am, and I'm already in so much pain. Just rest and recover fully, then we can continue," I suggest, hoping my tone doesn't give away how worried I am. The raven-haired boy looks at me with irritation and scoffs "Wow, Y/N, what an amazingly naïve plan. I don't have that kind of time. The world is ending in six days, get that into your head!" "Why are you being so rude? I don't recall either of the assassins putting a stick up your ass!" I retort, losing my temper at his pointless nastiness. My head aches terribly, almost as though a hammer is knocking around inside it and dealing with Five isn't helping either.
A small smile quirks at his lips, but he squashes it at once before saying "I'm leaving. I have stuff to do to prevent the apocalypse, seeing as none of my idiotic siblings are smart enough to help me." "Hey!" "You're not a sibling," he states coolly before beginning to walk out of the sick bay. With a sudden burst of boldness, I query "Then what am I, Five? At least to you." He freezes in place, probably reeling from being asked a question like that on the spot. I smirk triumphantly and place my hands on my hips, ignoring the warning signals my body is sending me from the movement. With his back still facing me, he answers curtly "You're someone I don't want getting hurt."
Now it's my turn to go rigid. Five... wants me to stay safe? I can barely believe what I just heard. "If you don't have anything else to say, I'll be on my way," he says. "Wait, Five! Please let me come with you. You won't be safe alone." I plead. "I can take care of myself." "And you think I can't?" "No. But this is far too dangerous." "I'll be fine!" "You don't understand at all!" "So help me understand then!" Black spots are dancing around my vision, and the shouting match is only making my head spin more. Sick of our bickering, he turns around to face me and yells "Because I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you!"
I'm taken aback and stunned into silence. I can see the faintest hint of frustrated tears glistening in his green eyes, and I'm sure they're mirrored in my own e/c ones. "Are you happy now?" his voice cracks slightly before he stabilises it and continues "Goodbye, Y/N." I reach out my hand in futility as if to grasp at his receding figure while murmuring "Five, wait, please..." A sharp wave of pain overcomes me from my emotional overexertion and I faint without warning, body falling back onto the hospital bed from my sitting position. As I black out, I'm only sorry that I didn't tell Five I loved him too.
• ♤ • ♤ • ♤ • ♤ • ♤ •
The sound of pages turning is what wakes me from my slumber. I open my e/c eyes and try to ignore the knotted state of my h/cd h/c hair, focusing instead on the sight of Vanya next to me, nose deep into a book of music sheets. Upon realising I'm awake, she smiles "Good afternoon, N/N. Did I wake you up? If I did, I'm really sorry, I know you need your rest." "No, no, it's fine," I reply while propping myself into a sitting position. My body hurts less now, but it still stings slightly when I move.
"Oh, phew," she says. Her cheeks are tinted red, and a smile keeps curving her lips even though she tries to hide it. My mind instantly darts to the first possibility and my jaw drops with pleasant surprise, "So, who's the lucky guy or girl?" Vanya flushes even redder and asks, "How did you know?! Is it that obvious?!" I giggle, "No, don't worry. I suppose I can just read you that well." She exhales a sigh of relief before saying, "Hmm... well, there is a guy." Upon noticing me raise my eyebrows with a smirk, she shakes her head quickly, "But we're just friends, I swear!"
I roll my eyes playfully, "Yeah right. Anyways, spill! I wanna hear everything about him." Vanya smiles at my excitement, "His name is Leonard, and we met because he came for a violin lesson." I'm slightly suspicious, but out loud I tease, "Ah, an illicit teacher-student relationship? That sounds like something straight out of fiction." "Y/N!" my sister scolds with a mock upset expression. Laughter bubbles up in me and I urge her to continue. At least her chatter is helping distract me from the mild pain I'm still feeling, and I like listening to what Vanya has to say. She's one of the sweetest people I know, and it's a stark contrast from Five's harsh sarcasm and only occasional bursts of kindness.
She continues narrating her tale, and of how she was supposed to go for dinner with him tonight, but Allison called her back to the Academy for a family meeting. My confusion is evident on my face, "What meeting?" "Oh yeah, you've been passed out for ages. Apparently something happened to Mom, and they also want to know what on earth you and Five were up to." "Mom?! What do you mean?! What happened?!" I panic, my voice getting louder and more high-pitched with each question. I notice worry glimmering in Vanya's brown eyes just as she says, "Y/N, please calm down. I'm sure it's nothing too bad, there's probably just a glitch with her programming. You know, like how she seems to forget everything nowadays. Pogo will have her fixed up in no time."
Fear and anxiety merge to form a tight knot in my stomach. I don't want anything to happen to Mom. Even though she was only a robot, she showed me what a real mother was supposed to behave like and showered me in as much love and affection her coding permitted her to. Thanks to her advanced technology, Mom was almost like a real person, and her smile always made me feel better when I was down. I desperately hope nothing awful has occurred, I doubt I can deal with another earth-shaking experience after Five's dramatic return.
Just then, the two of us hear a knock on the door and look up simultaneously. We are met with Allison, her brows creased in worry. "It's time for the meeting," she announces, "The rest of us are in the living room." With that, she turns on her heel and walks off, leaving Vanya and I to attempt to hurry after her.
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Five
Swirling dust and the scuttling of rats are the only movements aside from me trudging through wreckage while towing a broken-down wheelbarrow. Smoke hangs in the air, heavy against my skin, and making me glad that I was able to salvage some goggles and a scarf. Fear thrums against my sternum like a drum, and I don't know why I'm here. I made it back, didn't I? I was with Y/N, and the others - I came back to stop the apocalypse. So why am I standing here right now amongst the ruins? My heartbeat quickens and a shaky "No!" echoes out of my mouth. I can't go through the loneliness again, that feeling of being the only person left alive and not having anybody to talk to. I can't. I spin around anxiously, eyes widening with horror as I'm only met with the all too familiar scenery of the end of the world.
"Five!"
A voice calling my name jolts me out of my thoughts, and I snap back into reality. I'm safe now, well, safer in any case. Looking up, I'm shocked to be met with Luther's face. He's somehow managed to squeeze his way into the car, and his head brushes against the ceiling with how tall he is. For a moment, I'm just grateful there's another living human here, to keep me grounded and so I'm not alone. Luther sees the leftover flickers of terror on my face and asks concernedly "You okay?" I nearly answer, but then I remember my mission and reprimand him "You shouldn't be- How did you find me?" I thought I had covered my tracks incredibly well, not telling even Y/N where I was going.
A sound from the rear end of the van prompts me to turn around, where Klaus is holding hands with Delores. "Hi baby," he murmurs to her in a flirtatious tone, before noticing both Luther and I looking at him and frowning "Hey, a little privacy, guys. We're really hitting it off back here." Infuriation turns to anger and I toss an empty can at him, causing him to scream and block Delores with his torso. "Get out! You can't be here! I'm in the middle of something," I yell, scowling at him even though I know Klaus probably won't be perturbed in the slightest. I'm proven right the next second as he leans forward and asks "Any luck finding your one-eyed man?" Dropping my voice to a whisper, I answer "No." "What's he talking about?" Luther asks, his curiosity piqued. "Does it matter? It's Klaus," I quickly say, hoping he doesn't probe the matter further. I would prefer not getting any of my other siblings involved in this, they'll definitely ask too many questions and they also don't have enough braincells to be of any use. I'm not being mean, it's just a fact. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with me not wanting any of their lives to be endangered.
Massaging my temples, I sigh "What do you want, Luther?" "Um... So, Grace may have had something to do with Dad's death. So, I need you to come back to the academy, all right? It's important." His tone insinuates that he's talking to a child, and although he is visually, I don't appreciate it at all. "'It's important'," I mock, "You have no concept of what's important." Luther may believe that I'm being nasty, but it's the truth. They have no clue that the apocalypse is going to occur, and the time I'm spending talking to Luther and Klaus is just a waste of precious seconds that could be used to find a stop for the end of the world. "Hey! Did I ever tell you guys about the time I waxed my ass with chocolate pudding?" Klaus suddenly chirps. Laughing, he continues "It was so painful." My mouth crinkles with disgust at the mere thought, and Luther asks him "What are you still doing here?" Feigning offence, Klaus clutches his chest "What? I need an excuse to hang out with my family?" "We're trying to have a serious conversation," Luther states. "What? And I'm incapable of being serious? Is that what you're saying?" Klaus pretends to be hurt yet again. I sigh - sometimes I myself don't know why I desperately want to save my family - hopefully I'm not developing a hero complex like Diego.
Sick of their bickering, I say sternly "Luther's got a point, you should get out." Annoyed but aware that both of us are right, Klaus groans before climbing out of the van. At least Delores is safe now. "What the hell are you up to?" Luther queries. "You wouldn't understand," I answer curtly. I really would prefer not getting into the details, he'd probably freak out or something along those lines. Trying to assert his dominance, he says "Try me. Last I checked, I'm still the leader of this family." Irritated with his constant need for superiority, I deadpan with a confident smirk "Well, last I checked, I'm 28 years older than you." The former astronaut falls silent, before saying "You know what your problem is?" "Really hoping you'll tell me." "You think you're better than us. You always have. Even when we were kids. You just used to play favourites with Y/N because you shared a room with her. Who knows why she couldn't have just stayed in one of the 43 other bedrooms in the house? But, the truth is, you're just as messed up as the rest of us. We're all you have," Luther rambles. He's right about one point. Y/N is my favourite, there aren't any falsehoods there. She's actually intellectual and able to hold a reasonable conversation, not to mention she's funny and sarcastic. Her beauty is only an additional bonus. But perhaps there is some truth in the rest of what he said. The other Hargreeves are the only thing I have, not including Delores. Maybe that's why I'm trying to rescue them from their inevitable doom. However, there is no way I can show Luther my innate revelation - it'd only inflate his ego even more.
"I don't think I'm better than you, Number One. I know I am," I spit out with venom lacing every word. He chuckles sarcastically and shakes his head. "I've done unimaginable things, things you couldn't even comprehend," I continue, hoping to drill it into his brain. "Right." "Just to get back here and save you all," I mutter under my breath, unable to decide whether I want him to hear it or not. At that moment, Klaus runs out of the nearby convenience store, arms piled to the brim with all manner of goods and a cop in pursuit of him. He runs across the road carelessly, items dropping from his grasp and leaving a trail of food behind him "Hey bitches!" Resisting the urge to thump my head against the steering wheel repeatedly with exasperation, I say "Now I'm starting to wonder if that was the wisest decision."
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Y/N
"I mean, do you really think Mom would hurt Dad?" Vanya ask plaintively. I'm being forced to sit in a wheelchair, much to the amusement of Diego. "Aw, look at little Y/N being pushed around! Maybe you need someone to fight for you too, and next time you won't get injured!" he had said in a sickly sweet tone. That led me to slap his face and threaten to stab him with one of his own knives, after which he backed away, and was now sending me death stares when he wasn't glowering at Luther. "You haven't been home in a long time, Vanya," Luther draws his eyes away from the screen, "Maybe you don't know Grace anymore." I wonder where his respect has gone - she isn't just Grace, she's Mom. "If he was poisoned, it would have shown in the coroner's report," Diego states, impressing me with the fact that he actually thought of that. "Well, I don't need a report to tell me what I can see with my own eyes," Luther tries to defend himself. "Maybe all that low gravity in space messed with your vision," Diego says sardonically. Stifling a giggle, I ask "And what exactly do you see, Luther?" "I see Grace harming our father and potentially causing his death!" "Look closer," I sigh. Diego continues for me, "Dad has his monocle. Mom stands up. Monocle's gone." "Oh yeah!" Klaus beams while shoving potato chips into his mouth.
"She wasn't poisoning him, she was taking it," I say calmly, folding my hands in my lap. "To clean it," Number Two says. It is rather astonishing how smart he's acting, but then again, it involves Mom, so I suppose it should be unsurprising. Not for the first time, I wonder what I've done to make Diego dislike me so intensely. As kids we weren't exactly close, but we were friends, with no sign of the hostility he so openly displays now. "Then where is it? I've searched the house, including all her things. She doesn't have it," Luther argues. Inhaling slowly, Diego flips his knife and says "That's because... I took it from her. After the funeral." What an interesting turn of events, I think to myself. Diego was trying to get rid of any evidence that would paint Mom in a bad light. "You had the monocle this whole time? What the hell, Diego?!" Allison asks angrily. She has every right to be upset, after all, it is something that we've all been looking for.
"Give it to me," Luther instructs, only for Diego to answer "I threw it away." "What?!" "Look, I knew that if you found it on Mom, you'd lose your shit, just like you're doing right now," Diego points his blade at Luther. I let out a low whistle and say "He was just trying to protect Mom." "Shut up, Y/N. Diego, you son of a bitch." I'm still too injured to use my powers, and I don't want to exhaust myself further, so I content myself with just glaring at Luther with enough malice to burn a hole in the back of his head while hoping Diego has enough snide remarks for the both of us. "Hey, no, calm down," Vanya speaks up, "Look, I know Dad wasn't exactly an open book-" "That's one way to put it," I snicker. "-but I do remember one thing he said: Mom was, well, designed to be a caretaker, but... also as a protector." "What does that mean?" Allison asks, confusion in her tone. "She was programmed to intervene if someone's life was in jeopardy," Vanya states. "Well, if her hardware was degrading, then... We need to turn her off."
"What the fuck?! No way!" I yell. Ignorant of the pain spreading through my body at my sudden reaction, I stand up shakily. I don't think I can do much right now, but I can't let them turn off Mom. She... means so much to me. "Woah, woah, woah, woah, wait. She is not just a vacuum cleaner you can throw in a closet," Diego shouts. "Exactly!" "She feels things, I've seen it!" "She just stood there, Diego, and watched our father die." "I'm with Luther," Allison examines her nails. "Surprise surprise," Diego rolls his eyes. I don't want to say anything mean to Allison, she's been nice to me so far, but it's really difficult for me to keep quiet now. I feel a little dizzy, and I zone out for a couple of seconds. Vanya agrees with Diego, thankfully, and I shoot her a small smile.
"What about you, stoner boy? What do you got?" Diego asks Klaus. "Oh, so, what? Now you need my help? Oh, 'get out the van, Klaus'-" "Klaus, what's it going to be?" I ask, annoyed with him wasting time. "I'm with Diego and Y/N, because screw you, Luther! And if Ben were here, he'd agree with me," Klaus yells. "So that's four to two," Diego says confidently. "No. Vote's not final. Five's not here. The whole family has to vote, we owe each other that much," Allison says quickly. Luther glances at her gratefully and nods at the rest of us "Exactly." "But either way, we'll still win-" Diego starts, but is cut off by the rest of them leaving the hall. In the end, it's him and I left.
Turning to me, he says gruffly "Y/N." "Yeah, Diego?" "Thanks," he continues. "For what?" I tilt my head quizzically. "For just now. You know, helping me defend Mom and whatever." "Oh, no problem. I really don't want them to turn her off either," I grin. I am still slightly pissed at him about his seemingly bipolar mood swings towards me, but I suppose we've got to stick together. For Mom's sake, at least. Thinking that was the end of our conversation, I begin to wheel myself out, but he stops me. Looking away, he offers me one hand to shake "Truce?" My eyes widen, but I grab onto it and shake it vigorously "Truce." Diego forces a smile, evidently still shaken up by the thought of Mom being deactivated, and I tighten my grip for a second "Diego, it'll be fine. Mom will be safe." He stares at me, gaze lingering to tell whether I'm being genuine or not. Upon making a decision, he nods once with the slightest hint of gratitude and walks out.
And I'm left alone in the living room. Staring at the portrait of Five above the fireplace, I ponder to myself about what he said earlier. He must have truly meant it, for him to accidentally say it during our heated argument. It's so stupid how attached I am to him, and how happy it made me to hear him say that. I hope he comes back to the Academy soon. I'll prove that I can stay safe, and no matter what he says, I won't let him go off on his own again, I swear to myself.
With that, I wheel myself out, trying to ignore the tendrils of tension curling around every nook and cranny of the mansion.
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A/N
HEY HEY HEYYYY i have FINALLY finished this chapter and i have literally sm to say omg kajsdkasd please do stick around and read the whole thing !
first of all, THE UNKNOWN NUMBER REACHED 173K READS AND 4.42K VOTES WHAT THE HECK ASKJDKAJSDKJASD IM LITERALLY SCREAMING (no i totally didn't cry when i first saw that it had reached such a huge milestone idk what youre talking abt) IM SO FREAKING THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU ITS UNREAL I CAN BARELY BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING TO ME AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA in last chapter's a/n, i asked 'could we maybe get to 70k by next chapter?' and here we are over 100k reads more BYE AKDJAKSD so maybe thats a testament to my slow ass updates BUT N E WAYS ITS STILL A HUGE MILESTONE AND I TRULY CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO ME BC HITTING 100K READS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM OF MINE AND 4K+ VOTES IS SUCH A GIANT NUMBER I CANNOT- but seriously, thank you all so so so so much, i love u <3
second of all, give me a chance to explain my absence and lack of updates before scolding me WDJKDKJWSKD PLS IM SORRY ok so, i do have a life outside of wattpad, and i am taking some really important exams this year. not to mention i am quite weak in this specific subject so i had to work extra hard for it. luckily it'll be over by the 28th, and then i'll just focus on my regular school exams in december :)) this is a bit more personal so i won't go into much detail, but i was struggling with my mental health a lot and had no motivation to write nor any confidence in my writing. i'm much better now and haven't relapsed in a while, so let's hope it stays that way mmkay? LOL but tbh also i was kinda lazy and was finishing s2 of tua hahaha
thirdly, abt the last chapter, (not story-wise, but the a/n thingy). upon rereading it, i realise that i may have come off as whiny or ungrateful, and i am super sorry if you read it in that tone - i didn't mean it like that at all. every day i wake up and check my wattpad notifs in the morning, and seeing all your adorable and hilarious comments are one of the highlights of my day. i thank my lucky stars daily that so many people have read my book and given their opinion on it. however, the age issue is something that i have mentioned in multiple of my regular a/n's, but people don't seem to understand that i will be changing it in the future. like i mentioned earlier, i was dealing with my mental health and was extremely vulnerable at the time, so i did exactly what i shouldn't have done and took those comments personally. i began feeling as though i had made a terrible mistake and my book sucked - now i'm realising how overdramatic and sensitive i was, and yeah it's kinda dumb but that's how i felt and it's valid. i typed out the last chapter when i was super upset abt it, hoping people would read it and finally stop commenting about the age thing but it hasn't actually worked LMAO. now i've just stopped caring WKDJKD - i'm writing this book for myself and the people who enjoy it, and if you dislike something, just don't read it lol. once again, i'm sorry if i sounded whiny or rude.
finally, i just wanna interact with yall. i miss when i used to be able to reply to every single comment, but now there are so many it's kinda overwhelming. (also i don't have enough braincells to formulate that many replies KDSDKS) so, right here in this paragraph, drop a comment and tell me how you're feeling, or rant abt anything that you want, or just start a random convo. i swear i'll actually reply this time XD and also don't be shy to slide into my dms and start talking, they're always open if you wanna talk and also like i'm lonely pls be my friend thanks xx PLSSS yes and if nobody comments here just pretend i never said anything ok LOL
n e ways, i think that's long enough, this chapter is already almost 5k words as is. go read cutiepie on my profile its finally complete. yes thats shameless self promo what abt it. PLS i'll stop talking now byebye !!!
xoxo,
quill
☆*♤Over and Out♤*♡