thesilvertheorist

[thesilvertheorist]

✦ finally able to reblog this!! i have a desperate need to share this work - it's just that good. my little ballerina heart leapt for bodygurard!boyfriend!Five and i am yet to fully recover ✦

The Bodyguard

Chapter 7

<-Chapters 1 and 2

<-Chapter 3

<-Chapters 4 and 5

<-Chapter 6

Five Hargreeves x female reader, multi-chapter COMPLETE, request

Summary: Five is hired to protect you, a professional ballet dancer, from an obsessive stalker. As the threat from the stalker escalates, Five must navigate his growing feelings for you while keeping you safe

Warnings: Smut, rough sex, choking, bathtub sex, after care

A/N: Thank you to everyone that read this story! I really enjoyed writing it. A special shout-out to @thesilvertheorist for helping me out with the ballet facts, I hope I got it mostly right 🥰

Chapter 7: The Boyfriend

You were awoken the next morning by a loud bang from somewhere within the Academy. The sun was already up, shining through the small window of Five’s bedroom. Today you didn’t have to be at the theater until later in the day, so you and Five had been able to sleep in. Which was a good thing, considering you hadn’t gotten that much sleep during the night. As it turned out, Five’s libido had been turned up to eleven and you were woken up more than once by persistent kisses and his rock hard erection pressing up against you.

Not that you were complaining.

But you were tired now, and you sunk deeper into the bed, burrowing your face into Five’s chest.

“What’s going on?” you asked, your voice muffled.

“Hmmm?” Five answered, still half asleep.

Then you heard another loud noise, this time accompanied by a voice.

“Fivey! Hey, you here?”

Five’s eyes flew open and he sat straight up in bed, making your head drop onto the mattress. “Shit.”

“What’s going on?” you asked again, this time a little more annoyed. You rubbed at your eyes. “Who’s here?”

Five groaned and ran a hand down his face. “Klaus.”

“Your brother?”

Five nodded. “Shit,” he said again, untangling himself from your body and stumbling out of bed, almost falling on his face as he grabbed his boxers off the floor.

Just as Five had them pulled half-way up his legs, the bedroom door flung open.

“Oh, there you are! Jesus, I’ve been looking all over for–” Klaus stopped mid-sentence when he saw Five hastily tugging his underwear on while you pulled the covers up over your chest. “Oh shit…” Klaus gasped. Then he broke out in a huge grin. “Wait… Fivey! Is this her? The ballerina?” 

Klaus stepped around Five to address you. “Hi, I’m Klaus, I’m sure Five has told you all about me. I think I can speak for our entire family when I say that it’s about damn time someone took the old man here to Pound Town. He really needed to do the ol’ lust-and-thrust, if you know what I mean.” He made a lewd gesture with his hand. “Poor guy… the pressure has just been building and building, and I was telling him just the other day that he could stand to play a game of hide the cannoli before it falls off and –”

Five grabbed Klaus’s arm with a yank and they both disappeared in a flash of blue, leaving you blinking bewilderedly into the space they had just been occupying.

From the other room you heard the aftermath.

“What’s the matter with you, Cinco? OW!”

“What's the matter with me?! What’s the matter with you?!”

“OW! Stop hitting me!”

“NO! You’re lucky I’m not armed right now!”

“OW! God damn it, Five! You’re acting like a lunatic!”

While the two brothers were arguing, you hopped out of bed and pulled your clothes on. Then you snuck out of the bedroom and into the living room. Five’s entire body was coiled tight and he breathed like a bull through flared nostrils. The fact that he was standing there in just his underwear, with his hair sticking up in every direction, and clearly wanting to kill his brother, made you laugh. You covered your mouth when Five whipped his head in your direction.

“See? She thinks it’s funny,” Klaus said, pointing at you. “Thank goodness she has a sense of humor, you crabby old bastard.”

“Shut. Up. Klaus.” Five spat out through gritted teeth.

“Five, it’s ok,” you assured him, although you weren’t entirely sure it was ok. Five really looked ready to explode. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal,” Klaus added helpfully. “So I caught you in a pants-off-dance-off; so what? I’m happy for you! You finally found someone to touch your wiener and personally I think that’s beautiful.”

Five covered his face with both hands and groaned. “Fuck my life.”

Trying your very best to keep from laughing at the entire situation, you walked up to Klaus and officially introduced yourself.

“It’s nice to finally meet one of Five’s brothers,” you said. “I hear enough about you.”

“I bet he says I’m his favorite, right?” Klaus joked.

“Actually… yeah,” you said with a smile.

Klaus gasped so dramatically with a hand on his chest, you thought he might fall backwards onto the floor. “Fivey! I knew it!” He reached out to hug Five, but was met with a look that meant he would surely meet his demise if he even attempted any physical contact.

Klaus backed off, but he grinned at Five. “I told you, didn’t I? I told you she would jump your rickety old bones.”

“He jumped my bones, actually,” you corrected.

“Oooh… such a horny old man… I love that for you!”

“Klaus?” Five said.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“For the love of god… GET THE FUCK OUT!” Five yelled, his neck muscles straining with the effort.

Hardly fazed by his brother’s outburst, Klaus turned to you. “Well, I better go because I can see that twitchy look in his eye and I don’t really feel like making a trip to the Void today. But it was very nice meeting you, you seem lovely.”

You laughed. “Thank you, so do you.”

“Bye, Fivey… don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Klaus called over his shoulder as he walked into the foyer and you heard the door close behind him.

You looked at Five, staying silent lest you piss him off anymore.

“Sorry,” he said, clearly still fuming.

“Five, it’s fine. I don’t really care. And I’m not really sure why you’re so angry.” You paused and thought of something. “Are you ashamed to be with me?”

Five’s eyes widened. “What? Of course not!”

“Then why are you so angry?”

Five sighed. “I was just… I don’t know… I just wanted to keep you for myself for a little bit longer. Now Klaus is going to blab his mouth to my entire family and pretty soon all of my idiot siblings are going to be down here, putting in their two cents. For some reason they feel the need to always comment on my life choices.”

You breathed a little sigh of relief, then went to him, circling your arms around his waist. “I think they just want you to be happy.”

Five rolled his eyes. “Them leaving me alone would make me happy.”

You squeezed him tighter and kissed his cheek. “I think you’re a big liar.”

Five raised his eyebrows, settling his hands on your hips. “You’re calling me a liar?”

You nodded. “Yep.”

With a sad shake of his head, he hoisted you over his shoulder while you shrieked out loud. “Help!” you cried with a laugh “I’m being taken against my will!”

“Sorry, sweetheart… no one is coming to save you,” Five said solemnly before blinking you into the bedroom and tossing you onto the bed.

******************************

An hour later, after Five had finished his thorough torture of you, and you were allowed to shower and dress again, it was time to get going to the theater.

“I need to stop back at my place,” you told him. “I forgot my lucky hairpin.”

“You have a lucky hairpin?” Five asked skeptically as he buttoned up his shirt and tucked it into his pants.

“Yes. And don’t make fun of me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said sarcastically.

“So, are you taking me there or not?”

“Who’s asking? The boss or the girlfriend?”

You shrugged. “Let’s say the boss.”

Five gave a lazy salute in your direction. “Then you got it.”

When you kissed him hard on the mouth, then pinched his butt, you pulled back with a smile. “That was the girlfriend.”

Five grinned. “Careful. I don’t want my boss to find out. She’s cute but she’s kind of crazy. She has a lucky hairpin.”

“So I’ve heard,” you said with a giggle.

****************************

Five drove the SUV up your long driveway and parked it at the top, in front of the house. You turned to him with a hand on the door handle.

“I’ll just be a minute. I know right where it is.”

“Hurry up, you don’t want to be late again.”

“Last time was not my fault!” 

With a smile, Five turned off the engine. “True. I’ll take the blame for that one.”

“Wait here, I’ll be right back,” you told him as you hopped out.

You fished your house key out of the pocket of your sweatpants and opened the big oak door of your house, shutting it behind you. As you ran up the winding staircase, your footsteps echoed in the big mansion. You jogged into your bedroom, checking the top of your dresser where you sometimes throw your pins and barrettes when you get home from the studio. It wasn’t there, so you knew the only other place it could be was the bathroom.

Flipping the light on, you walked to the counter where you kept a small little dish with some jewelry and more hair stuff. Spotting the pin you needed, you lifted it out of the dish and smiled, tucking it into your bun. When you glanced up at the mirror, something odd caught your eye. One of the candles that lined your bathtub had been knocked over and was lying on its side. It was weird because you knew Five had cleaned everything up after your little sex romp the other night. You remembered because you had specifically made a comment to him about his OCD since he had lined up all of the candles in a perfect row.

Frowning, you reached over and set it upright again. You were going to ask Five about it when you got back in the car. Maybe he hadn’t been as thorough as you had thought. You flipped the lightswitch off and walked back into your bedroom. 

As you crossed to the middle of your room, the hairs on the backs of your arms stood up for just a second and you paused. That’s when you felt something loop around your neck from behind.

Your initial reaction was to scream, but your voice was cut off before it could leave your throat. Whatever was around your neck was getting tighter by the second and you gasped and choked, trying to suck air in, or to make any kind of noise. In your frantic flailing, you backed up against a body. It was clearly someone bigger and taller than you and even in your panic you could hear their heavy breathing close to your ear.

It was your stalker. He must have broken into your house while you were at Five’s and had been waiting for you. The thought made you panic even more.

You brought your hands up, trying to claw at the rope or whatever it was he was strangling you with. When you felt it, though, you knew exactly what it was. One of the satin ribbons from your pointe shoes. That was the reason you couldn’t find one of them yesterday. He had somehow stolen it from the theater. 

The ribbon was flat and slippery against your throat, and you couldn’t get your fingers underneath it to try and pull it away. You were strong, probably stronger than your attacker, so you started to fight back with all of your might. 

Rearing up and throwing your head back, you slammed the back of your skull into his chin, making him cry out in pain. He held on, though, so you moved in the other direction, bending over and trying to flip him over your shoulders.

But he was too tall and you couldn’t get enough leverage. You realized you were going to run out of oxygen very soon. 

“This could have ended differently,” he told you, so close to you that you could feel his hot breath on your neck. “But I wasn’t good enough for you.” He yanked the ribbon tighter. “Where’s your asshole boyfriend, now, huh?”

At that precise moment, Five was in the car, checking his watch. You had been gone several minutes now, which wasn’t cause for alarm, necessarily, but you had said you would be right back. He rapped his fingers on the console, trying to tell himself it was fine and to just give you a couple more minutes. After about thirty seconds, he let out a heavy sigh.

“She really is a tortoise, I swear,” he said to himself before blinking inside the foyer.

Five called your name up the stairs. When he didn’t get an answer, he thought that was weird, but maybe you were in the bathroom and couldn’t hear him. 

There was a loud “thump” sound and then what sounded like shuffling of feet. Then he heard a man’s voice.

With his heart pounding in his chest, Five reached into the back of his waistband for his pistol, but there was nothing there. He realized, horribly, that he had left it in the car.

It didn’t matter, though. In one blink, he was standing at the top of your staircase. He heard another loud thud from your bedroom and sprinted towards it. When he burst through the door, he was met with the worst sight he could have imagined.

You were fighting for your life, kicking and struggling with everything you had, all while your face was turning blue and your eyes were bugging out of your head. Your stalker, the same man that Five had assumed he’d scared off, was trying to choke the life out of you. From the looks of it, he had almost accomplished his goal. 

Five’s entrance distracted the stalker for a moment and in that fraction of a second, you flung your body backwards, slamming him against the wall. The impact made him loosen his grip just enough to where you could get your hands up under his arms, slipping under them and out of his hold. You stumbled forward, reaching for Five, but you had been deprived of oxygen for too long and the spots you had been seeing before your eyes turned to solid black. You fell to the floor in a heap, passed out cold.

Five stared in horror at your limp body. Then he saw red.

He blinked behind your stalker, catching him by surprise. With one arm flung around the front of the man’s neck, Five used his free hand to grab around his other wrist and pull backwards, choking the man just like he had choked you. Five then brought his knee up, slamming it into the small of the other man’s back, directly over his vertebrae. The stalker groaned with pain, the sound coming out strained and gurgling from his throat.

“I told you I’d kill you if I ever saw you again,” Five warned. “Did you think I was fucking kidding?”

As an answer, the man broke free of Five’s grasp, lurching forward to get away from him. He spun around, facing Five head on.

“This is your fault!” he screamed, his scruffy face contorted with anger and pain. “You ruined everything!”

Five blinked directly in front of the man, hauling his fist back and punching him across the cheek bone, where he heard a sharp crack. The man yelled out, but he fought back; swinging his own fist out and making contact with Five’s chin before he could blink out of the way. He didn’t let it slow him down, though, and Five jumped again, landing behind the man and kicking the back of his knees, buckling his legs. When he fell to the ground, Five stood over him, giving him a hard kick in the gut and making the man curl in on himself. 

“You stupid fuck,” Five snarled, balling his fists up and staring the other man down. “Get up!” Five kicked him again, this time directly in the face, splitting his lip wide open and fracturing his nose. “YOU WANNA FIGHT ME? I SAID GET UP!”

Your attacker was broken and bleeding, moaning and clutching at his stomach, but he still wasn’t done. Taking Five’s direction, he slowly and painfully hauled himself up from the floor. He still held the pink ribbon from your shoe, now stained with blood.

He started to cry, tears slipping down his face and mixing with the blood running out of his nose and mouth.

“Why you and not me?” he asked pitifully. “Why are you so fucking special?”

Five smiled dangerously, letting out a low laugh. “See, that’s what you’re not getting, asshole. Neither one of us are special.” He looked at you lying on the floor. “She is.”

“I’M GOING TO KILL BOTH OF YOU!” the man screamed, right before he charged at Five.

Five was able to dodge another hit to the face, but the stalker’s next swing landed on Five’s back, right at the level of his kidney. He clenched his jaw and groaned in pain. He blinked again, this time just a few feet away, but it gave him enough of an advantage to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick to the man’s chest. It knocked him off balance and he staggered backwards.

Five took the opportunity to blink one more time, grabbing the front of the man’s shirt in both hands and shoving him as hard as possible away from him and towards the old, drafty window of your bedroom. As the other man was staggering backwards, Five lifted his foot and kicked him with all of his strength, directly in his stomach. That provided enough momentum to send the man flying backwards, right through the glass of the second story window.

There was a loud, high-pitched scream as he disappeared out of sight, and then a sickening “crack”. Then there was silence.

Five ran to the window and looked down. Directly below him was the lifeless body of your stalker, his back snapped in half at an unnatural angle, and draped over one of the cement lion statues that guarded your grandmother’s mansion. A trickle of blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth as his lifeless eyes stared back up at Five; the pink ribbon still clutched in his hand and fluttering in the breeze.

Five was glad the fucker was dead, but he didn’t have time to think about that right now. His main objective was you and he blinked to your side, dropping down on the floor and quietly saying your name. He gingerly moved your head so that he could rest it in his lap. He stroked your hair off your face.

You were breathing, he could see that at least. He leaned down, kissing you gently, before picking you up and laying you in your bed. He sat on the edge, next to you, and held your hand. He squeezed it and said your name again.

“Please wake up. Please.” He noted the dark purple line slashed across your throat from the ribbon, and he traced his fingers lightly over it. “Come on, sweetheart… I need you to wake up, now.”

Maybe you were inclined to follow his instructions even when you were unconscious, or maybe it was a coincidence, but at that moment your eyes fluttered open.

“Five,” you croaked out, your throat raw, and you coughed.

“Oh my god,” Five breathed out in relief. He pressed his forehead to your chest and squeezed your hand tighter. “Shit, I thought I lost you for a second.”

“What happened? Are you ok?”

Five chuckled and wiped at his eyes. He kissed your lips. “Of course you would ask that. Yeah, I’m ok. You’re safe now.”

“Where is he?”

“Gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

You coughed again, sucking in a wheezy breath. “Is he dead?”

Five nodded. “Yeah.”

“Did you kill him?”

He swallowed. “Yeah I killed him.”

You nodded thoughtfully for a moment. Then you managed a shaky smile. “I think you might be due for a raise.”

Five let out a loud and short laugh, and shook his head. “No. That was the boyfriend, not the bodyguard.”

********************************

You looked in the mirror as you stabbed your lucky hairpin into your bun and adjusted the strap on your costume. The dressing room was a flurry of activity as the other dancers put on their makeup and talked over one another with excitement. It was finally the opening night of Romeo and Juliet, and you were nervous but also confident. No matter how many times you performed in front of a theater full of people, you always got a few butterflies in your stomach. Right now, you had a few that weren’t caused by just the ballet.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Five standing off to the side, waiting near the doorway for you to come out. You smiled to yourself. He could have come in, no one else would have minded, but he wanted to give you some space. You took one last look in the mirror, making sure everything looked in place, and then went to find him.

“Hi,” you said cheerfully, resting your hands on his arms and squeezing his biceps.

“Hello, my love,” he said with a smile before kissing your cheek gently, so as not to smudge your makeup. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you.” You ran your hands down his chest, over his tailored suit, and adjusted his tie. “So do you.”

After a few seconds, Five’s smile faded and his eyebrows drew together. “Are you sure you’re ok enough to be doing this? You have an understudy, you know.”

“I have never missed an opening night, and I’m not going to start now.”

“Yeah, well, you probably never almost died before, either.”

“I promise I’m ok, Five.”

He reached out, gently tracing his fingers over your neck. The purple stripe that ran across it was covered with foundation, making it look like a shadow. “You can’t really see it anymore,” he mused.

“Stage makeup is amazing. It hides everything.”

“I’m still not sure about this,” Five said with a frown.

“I swear.. I’m ok. And I really need this. For myself.”

He nodded. “Ok, I get that.”

“And now you don’t have to wait in the wings. You can sit in the audience and watch it for real,” you told him with a big smile. “And then you can meet me right back here afterwards and I will be all yours again.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Again?”

“I meant still,” you said with a smirk.

“That’s what I thought.” Five leaned in to speak quietly, his cheek brushing against yours. “Remember what I told you.”

You traced your fingers over the lapels of his suit coat. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll be thinking of you the whole time. Specifically what you will be doing to me later tonight.”

Five’s breath caught in his throat. “Did you just call me baby?”

“Yeah,” you said. “Do you like it?”

He thought for a second and nodded. “Yeah, I think I do. I like it a lot, actually.”

You smiled at the obvious turn-on you just discovered. “Good. Now go take your seat. You’ll be sitting with Stephan’s husband. He’s nice, you’ll like him.” You reached up to give him a small kiss on the lips. “I’ll see you later, ok?”

When you went to walk away, Five grabbed your arm, and you turned back. “Merde,” he said with a smile.

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, then you laughed. “Oui. How did you know to say that instead of good luck?”

Five shrugged. “I asked Stephan.”

“You’re amazing. You know it means–”

“Yeah, I know it means shit in French. I’m fluent in seven different languages.”

You rolled your eyes. “Of course you are.” You gave him another kiss, this time with a little more force behind it, even if that meant smudging your lipstick a little. “Thank you, Five. Thank you for caring and for knowing what’s important to me.”

“If it’s important to you, it’s important to me,” he said sincerely, and that was probably the first time anyone had said that to you.

**********************************

While Five went to take his seat and you waited backstage, warming up, you thought about all that had transpired in the last week. Five had killed for you. He had done it to save your life. And maybe you should have been a little more traumatized than you were, but deep down you felt safer than you had in a long time. Your stalker was no longer out there, watching you and waiting. You no longer had to look over your shoulder or jump at every shadow you saw. It was over, for good this time. And you had Five to thank for that.

The cops had been called, there was no getting around that. But with all of the evidence stacked up over the preceding weeks, with the letters and the photo and the restraining order, it was quickly deemed self-defense. They questioned you and Five separately and your stories lined up, so they moved on. The deceased wasn’t missed by anyone. He really was a nobody.

Your throat and neck were already starting to heal, even though you still bore the purple bruise from your ribbon. But that would fade. And you had been happy to get back to dancing. It was true what you had told Five. You really needed this performance to go well in order to heal something inside of you.

While you had been able to move on fairly well, you still had not been able to stay in your house. Instead, you had been staying with Five at the Academy. It was temporary, just until you could figure out how to sell your house and Five could find another place to live. But so far it was working out ok. 

The nights weren’t scary anymore. Not when you were in Five’s bed, with his arms wrapped around you, and his body pressed to yours. It was the best feeling in the world, and sometimes you would pretend to be sleeping even after you woke up, just so that you didn’t have to move from your little piece of heaven.

As you made your entrance onto the stage, with the spotlight illuminating only you, you paused to scan the crowd. When you saw him, his sparkling green eyes looking back at you with nothing but adoration, he smiled the most loving smile. You really felt like Juliet, with Romeo comparing you to the sun.

The future for each of you was still uncertain, but for right now life felt pretty wonderful.

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[thesilvertheorist]

✦ Me, a ballerina of 14 years, reading this as if it were meant for me…ho is you inside my walls??✦

The Bodyguard

Chapters 1 and 2

Five Hargreeves x female reader, multi-chapter, request

Summary: Five is hired to protect you, a professional ballet dancer, from an obsessive stalker. As the threat from the stalker escalates, Five must navigate his growing feelings for you while keeping you safe

Warnings: Smut, rough sex, choking, bathtub sex, after care

A/N: This was sent as a request for Five romantically linked to a ballerina. It quickly evolved into a crazy story involving a stalker, and turned into a multi-chapter saga. In true Bad Kitty form, it will entail smut and romance and all the good stuff. And yes, it is very loosely based on the great 90's movie of the same name

I will probably post new chapters every couple of days or so, but I don't have a set schedule. Let me know if you want to be added or dropped from my tag list

Thank you to everyone that continues to be interested in my fics. You all are amazing! ❤️😽

Chapter 1: The Ballerina

Five sat in the dingy private investigator’s office, across from the sad and bloated looking man who was interviewing him. As the man droned on in a monotonous tone about sick days (there weren’t any) and health benefits (there weren’t any), Five flexed and unflexed his hand against his thigh in an effort not to walk out of there.

He needed a job. And not just some shitty job cleaning floors or bussing tables. He needed some actual money so he could get an actual apartment and not live in the actual hell he was currently living in. 

After he saved the world, and his family was safe, they had been left to fend for themselves. They had their powers, but that didn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Turns out when you aren’t being manipulated and corralled into superhero fame by your overly ambitious father, no one seems to give a shit if you can teleport or throw knives or commune with the dead. At least not in any way that’s lucrative. It’s an entertaining party trick at best.

So, against his better judgment, Five found himself once again living in an abandoned hellscape. Only instead of an empty world caused by an apocalypse, it was the empty shell of the Umbrella Academy. It was sad and depressing, and not very comfortable, but he would be damned if he was going to shack up with one of his siblings. As far as Five was concerned, that wasn’t even an option.

When Five had figured out a way back to their correct and rightful timeline, he managed to jump them all there safely, including Lila and Sloane. He even figured out a way to age himself up a few years so that he could pass as a young adult and not an adolescent. The only thing he managed to botch this time was arriving one year after their father killed himself, instead of the one day he was aiming for. During that time, the Academy had fallen into disrepair. There had been no signs of Pogo or Grace.

His siblings dispersed to try and fit back into their old lives, or find new ones for themselves. Each one of them asked Five to come with them, but he declined. He wasn’t some kid that needed charity. He could take care of himself. He’d done it for years.

It was now six months later, and Five had not made much progress. He lived inside the dilapidated mansion, roaming around like a ghost that couldn’t move on. He sold some things that were of value that hadn’t been looted, or were hidden away, so that he had enough money to buy food (and booze) and the bespoke suits he had a penchant for. But getting an actual job when you had no credentials to your name, not even a driver’s license, was more difficult than he had thought. Combine that with his baby face and no one took him seriously. No one with any real clout, anyway.

Which is what brought him to this rundown office building he was sitting in today. Klaus was the one that got him the interview, so Five shouldn’t be surprised it wasn’t exactly a high-end joint.

“Anyway, that’s about it,” the tired man said to Five before taking a sip of what had to have been some very stale coffee in a paper cup. “It’s a private security detail. One client. Just have to make sure she gets to and from work ok, and check around her house for creeps. Pretty straight forward.”

“So, I’m a bodyguard?” Five asked suspiciously.

The man shrugged. “I guess if you want to think of it that way. And we’ll give you a car, so add chauffeur in there, too.” He paused. “You got a license, right?”

“I do,” Five answered, which wasn’t a lie. He had a license. It just wasn’t legit. But he could drive, so he figured that was all that mattered.

The guy eyed Five up and smirked. “Luckily we don’t guarantee complete safety, which is why we’re dirt cheap compared to some other places.”

“Why luckily?” Five asked, his eyes narrowing.

The man’s large shoulders moved up and down again with apathy. “You know. You’re not exactly built like Arnold Schwartzenegger, you know what I mean?”

Five nodded slowly. “Sure. But I got the job?”

“Yeah, you got the job. But I will need to make sure you can handle a gun before I send you out there. Legality thing, you know?”

The man reached into a drawer of his beat up desk and pulled out a revolver. Five watched silently as he loaded a few rounds into the chambers and checked it over a few times. He held it up to Five.

“You know what this is?”

“A gun?” Five ventured, just to be a prick.

The man rolled his eyes. “I mean do you know what type it is?”

Five sighed. ��A .357 Magnum revolver,” he answered in a bored tone.

The man’s eyebrows raised. “Yeah, that’s right. Have you used one before?”

“A time or two.”

“Now, I’m gonna need to make sure you know how to use it properly.” He handed it over the desk for Five to take it from him. “See how it feels in your hand.”

Five looked the gun over, making a show of feeling the weight of it.

“Feel comfortable?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Five nodded with a smile, right before he turned in his seat and aimed the revolver at the door to the office that he knew led to the back alley.

Before the other man could say anything, Five shot one precise bullet directly into the doorknob, blasting a hole right through it, but leaving the door intact. The noise inside the tiny office was deafening but Five didn’t flinch. Instead, he thoughtfully looked the gun over again, nodded a few times, and set it back on the desk.

“So, I got the job, right?” he asked again, this time standing up and peering down at the man who was still gaping at him while sitting at his desk. Five stuck his hands in his pants pockets and waited for an answer.

“Y-yes, yeah, you got the job,” the man stuttered before clearing his throat and passing a hand over his bald head. He stared at the neatly massacred doorknob. Then he reached over and handed Five a large envelope containing all the specifics of the job. “Here you go. You start tomorrow.”

“And when do I get paid?” Five asked while taking the envelope from him.

“Uh… every Friday.”

Five nodded, already on his way to the door.  “Great.” He stopped and turned again. “I’ll need the keys to the car.”

“Oh right!” The man dug around in the desk drawer again before pulling out a set of keys. He tossed them to Five. “Here you go. Black SUV. Parked out back.” As Five caught the keys and turned to leave, his new boss spoke again. “Let me know if you have any questions.”

“I won’t,” Five answered over his shoulder as he walked out, letting the door slam shut behind him.

**************************************

Later that day, Five was poring over the documents inside the envelope. Sitting at the precariously balanced table where he once ate his mom’s smiley face pancake breakfasts, he grimaced and tipped back his third beer of the night.

“What a crock of shit,” he said to himself, his voice echoing off the bare, cement walls.

The envelope held a few documents and legally binding contracts from the security company. From what Five could gather, his new “asset” was a young ballet dancer that was requesting a private security guard for herself. From the sounds of it, she had a stalker, and despite a restraining order, she was afraid for her safety.

Enter Five.

He tossed the papers to the side and sighed, taking a look around him. God, he hated it there. He needed to get out. Even if it was some equally shitty apartment, anything was better than the Academy. 

So, if he had to put up with some stuck up ballerina princess in a frilly tutu, then he could do that. He figured if he hung in there for a couple months, played by the rules and collected his weekly pay, he’d have enough to get out of this shit hole. He just had to play his cards right, make nice, and not piss anybody off. He could do that. Piece of cake.

***************************

“Where the hell is this lady?” Five grumbled to himself as he stood outside of the black SUV the security company had assigned him. 

He was waiting outside of the address he had been given, where this supposed prestigious dancer lived. It was a giant mansion, set back off the road, with a long, winding driveway that led to the house. Five had turned into the circle drive near the front entrance, cutting off the engine and staring up at the ivy-covered stone and brick exterior. The grand, heavy oak double doors at the top of a set of wide steps were flanked by two large, snarling lion statues.

Five had sighed heavily before getting out of the car and standing next to it. He had been told not to bother knocking; that she would come out on her own at 7:00am.

He checked his watch. It was 7:06. He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the car. “Figures,” he muttered.

At 7:09, one of the doors to the house flew open, banging loudly, as you rushed out, carrying two large gym bags in one hand and a travel mug with your breakfast smoothie in the other. A set of keys dangled from your hand holding the drink, and a pair of sunglasses were perched crookedly on top of your head.

As you tried to close and lock the door behind you, you wrestled with your bags and almost spilled your drink, all while swearing and kicking at the door.

“Stupid… fucking… dumb door never wants to close… piece of shit key… who designed this…“

When you finally got the door closed and locked, you turned to face Five who had been watching all of this go down with a stunned expression. You blushed and then smiled.

“Uh… sorry,” you said nervously. You hoisted your bags up again and made your way down the steps. “The stupid door never wants to lock properly.”

Five realized, a minute too late, that he probably should have helped you with your bags. Instead, he just watched you bumbling around like some sort of cartoon character until you reached the car. You plopped the bags on the ground near Five’s feet.

With a loud exhale, you extended your hand and introduced yourself. “Hi. You must be the guy the security company sent?”

Five took your hand in his, shaking it once before dropping it again. “Five Hargreeves. Nice to meet you.” 

Five ran through a kind of inventory of you in his mind. It was a habit he held onto from his assassin days. An immediate assessment of his target.

Slim but toned. Cute face. The tight bun on top of her head is kind of cliche, but whatever. Gray sweatpants, black leotard. Nice enough rack. Scuffed up tennis shoes. A voice that isn’t too annoying. Clearly a disorganized mess though. But all in all, could be worse. 

“I’m sorry I’m late,” you gushed. “I couldn’t find my shoes and the blender top flew off while I was making my smoothie, so then I had to clean that up, which was super fun, and then –”

Five cut you off with a hand gesture. “It’s fine,” he said, although he didn’t look like he thought it was fine. He looked irritated.

“Ok,” you said, silently telling yourself to shut the hell up. You looked at the SUV he was standing next to. When he noticed, he seemed to remember why he was there in the first place and opened the back passenger door for you. “Thank you,” you said as you climbed in.

Five flung your bags into the trunk, making note of their weight and how you must be a lot stronger than you look to be hauling those things around. As he came around to the driver’s side, he slid in and started the engine. Before putting the car in drive, he turned in his seat to face you.

“You know, you shouldn’t be just hopping into strange men’s cars like this.”

Your eyebrows raised in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“You have no idea who I am. You didn’t ask for any form of ID or other proof that I’m who I say I am. Anybody can wear a suit and drive a black SUV.”

“Oh… “ you stammered. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Well, do you have any ID?”

Five sighed. “Well, it’s kind of late for that now, isn’t it? You already got in the car. I could be driving you off somewhere to murder you, chop you up into little pieces, and dump your body parts in a field.”

You looked nervously out the window and your hand came to rest on the door handle. The doors automatically locked with a loud click and you jumped.

“See?” Five said, with his finger on the lock button. “Don’t you have a stalker that I’m supposed to be protecting you from?”

You nodded slowly.

“Well, based on this first impression, I’d say he’s pretty fucking dumb, because you are extremely easy to catch.”

Your mouth hung open and you slow-blinked as you tried to say something in your defense, but everything he was saying made sense. That, and he was kind of scaring the crap out of you.

Five reached over into the glove compartment, and pulled out a piece of paper and a plastic-covered badge attached to a lanyard. He handed them over to you.

“There. Here’s proof I am who I say I am, even though you apparently don’t care.”

You took the items from him, skimming the paper first. It was a signed document from the security agency with their official seal at the top, assigning a Number Five Hargreeves to be your personal security detail. It looked legit. Next, you studied the ID. It was a picture of Five, looking like he would rather be doing just about anything than getting his picture taken, along with his name, title, and some sort of employee number underneath it. It also bore the seal of the agency.

You handed them back to him. “Thank you, I appreciate you showing those to me. You’re right, I shouldn’t have trusted you so easily.”

Five shoved them back in the glove compartment and closed it. “No, you shouldn’t have.”

As he put the car in gear and headed down your driveway, you leaned forward in your seat. “If you’re so intent on making sure I know who you are, why aren’t you wearing your badge around your neck so that I can see it?”

There was a pause. “Because I try not to look like an asshole and wearing that badge around my neck won’t be doing me any favors.”

You sat back in your seat, grabbing your smoothie and rolling your eyes before taking a sip. Well this guy’s a real charmer, you thought to yourself. At least he’s kind of nice to look at.

Your dance studio was about thirty minutes away, and the car was awkwardly quiet as Five drove. You cleared your throat a couple times, but he seemed to ignore you.

“Do you want to turn the radio on?” you suggested.

“Not really.”

You sat there for a minute, pondering. “You know, I did do some research on you beforehand, so I’m not a complete moron. The agency had given me your name. I know you were one of the Umbrella Academy kids and that you can teleport. That must be pretty cool.”

There was no answer from the front, so you tried again. “So what was it like growing up with–”

“Reginald? Not great, actually,” Five interrupted, clearly annoyed with your question.

You bristled at his continued rudeness. “I was going to say Allison Hargreeves, the actress, actually.”

“Oh,” he said, and you saw his eyebrows furrow together in the rearview mirror. 

“I love all her movies, especially that last one she did, that rom-com?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Is she nice?” you asked, still trying to break the ice.

“Is Allison nice?” Five asked in return.

“Yeah. You know, she’s so famous and high-class. I always wonder what celebrities are like in real life.”

There was a long pause before he answered. “She’s an idiot. All of my siblings are idiots.”

“Oh,” you said, sinking back in your seat. After thinking for a minute, you sat forward again. “You know, you’re not very nice.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “No, I’m really not.”

For the next ten minutes, you gave up trying to converse with Five. But then out of the blue, he spoke up.

“So, I read about this stalker guy of yours.”

You weren’t sure if he was going to say something snarky again, so you hesitated. “Oh… ok.”

“They sent me a file on him. Sounds like a real creep. I understand why you would want to hire someone.”

“Oh,” you breathed out, relieved. “Yeah, it’s not been a fun few months, that’s for sure.”

“So what happened? He fall in love with you at a ballet recital or something?”

You let out a little snort of laughter. “Well, first of all, we don’t call them recitals… I’m not six. They are called performances or simply ballet. And yes, that’s kind of what happened. Although I wouldn’t call becoming unhealthily obsessed with someone falling in love.”

“Good point,” Five mused. “But he’s been following you to work?”

“Yes. The studio has stopped letting him in and will call the cops if he tries to, but he still sits in the parking lot in his car waiting for me to walk inside.” You shivered a little. “He just watches me.”

“You have a restraining order, though?”

“Yeah, he’s technically not allowed within a certain radius, but that radius is not very big. And if he stays on public property, there’s not much I can do about it.”

Five nodded. “Does he know where you live?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen him near my house, but I wouldn’t put it past him.”

“Does he go to your performances?”

“Yes. He’s there every single time, rain or shine, sitting in the very last row to comply with the restraining order. He’ll even come to the matinees and return for the evening performances. And he always dresses in a tuxedo and carries a bouquet of flowers that he tosses on stage afterwards.”

“That’s intense. I would imagine that might throw you off your game, knowing that he’s out there.”

“Yeah, sometimes it does,” you admitted. “Which, truthfully, is one of the reasons I wanted to hire you. If I know someone is there keeping an eye on this guy, then I might be able to concentrate on my dancing instead of worrying about what he might do.”

Five’s eyes flitted to the rearview mirror again to look at you. He had nice eyes, you noticed.

“There must be something more. Some reason this guy is freaking you out so badly.”

Your voice got quieter as you answered him. “Well, for the last few weeks he has started sending me letters to the studio.”

“He doesn’t mail them directly to your home?”

You shook your head. “No, thankfully. Now the secretary just throws them directly in the trash when they come through. But I’ve read enough to know what they say.”

“And what do they say?” Five asked.

“They… uh… they say how much he loves me and how much I have changed his life. He says he thinks about me all day and night and knows we would be happy together if I just give him a chance. That he’s not a bad guy, he just loves me so much and I’m not giving him a shot. Sometimes he gets angry because I don’t respond. Sometimes it’s just more rambling.”

“Is that all?”

He must have sensed you were holding something back, which meant he was actually listening to you and was observant.

“No, that’s not all. Sometimes they get very… graphic.”

“Graphic? Like violent?”

“No, more like… explicit.” You blushed a little. “Sexual. All the things he wants to do to me or says he is going to do to me once we are together. It’s all very detailed.” You shuddered at the thought. “It makes me sick.”

“I would imagine,” Five said with a small nod.

He didn’t say anything else on the subject and you didn’t volunteer any more information. Soon, you were arriving at your dance studio. While your first impression of Five wasn’t exactly blowing you away, you did note that he seemed to take his job seriously. When he got out and walked around to your side, he surveyed the parking lot before opening the door for you. 

You got out and looked around. When you noticed the familiar dark blue pickup truck parked in the back, occupied by a tall, thin man wearing a baseball cap, you pointed him out to Five.

“There, that’s him.”

Five nodded. “I saw him when I got out. I’ve got my eye on him.”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. This is what I was hired for,” Five responded, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Right. Well, can I get my bags then?”

Five hauled your bags out and handed them over to you. “I would carry them for you, but I need my hands free. Just in case.”

You understood what he was saying, and it made sense. If he needed to use a weapon, he couldn’t be carrying two bags stuffed with dance attire and water bottles. As you walked towards the door, Five accompanied you, staying close. You were always observant of how other people carried themselves, probably because you used your body as a way of artistic expression, so you were honed in on others’ body movements as well. 

Five held himself confidently, walking swiftly and with purpose. You liked how he matched your stride so that he didn’t stray too far ahead or behind. And you liked how his suit coat brushed against your arm a few times. You stole a couple of quick glances at his face while you were walking, but looked away before he could notice. There was no denying he was handsome.

When you led him inside, this observation was confirmed by the number of sideways glances and outright gawks that he received from the other dancers. Male and female. You kept your head down, embarrassed to be seen with an actual bodyguard in tow, and headed for the locker room to change. As you got to the door, you turned to Five.

“I’m not sure how this works, exactly,” you admitted. “Do you wait here? In the car?”

Five looked around curiously, taking in his surroundings. “I’ll be here, in the building. Don’t worry, I won’t get in the way. I might take a few looks outside periodically, but I won’t stray far.”

“Thank you.” You paused, remembering that you weren’t supposed to thank him. “I rehearse for six hours, though,” you added guiltily.

Five shrugged. “That’s fine. When you’re done, I’ll take you home again.”

“Alright, then,” you said with a nod and a smile. Then you walked into the locker rooms, leaving Five in the hallway.

****************************

Five waited, as he told you he would. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to hang around in a dance studio all day, but he was used to having to endure long, boring stretches of time by himself. At least in this case, there were some nice views to be had. Five tried not to be obvious, but the beautifully sculpted bodies that walked past him all day long were not going unnoticed. About halfway through the day, after Five had taken a quick survey of the parking lot, he decided to park himself in front of the window that looked into the large rehearsal room. He didn’t know much about ballet, so he was a little curious about it. 

As he stood there, arms folded across his chest, he watched as you and your fellow dancers practiced the same few steps over and over again. The director was demanding perfection each time, and from Five’s point of view, it was perfect. He couldn’t stop staring.

The fluid movements of your body had him transfixed and he kept his eyes on you, ignoring the other dancers twirling around you. You gracefully lept and flew through the air like some sort of beautiful gazelle or mythical fairy creature. You had removed your sweatpants and were wearing a black leotard with gray leg warmers, and of course your pointe shoes that allowed you to dance on your toes.

Your legs were nothing but muscle and sinew, toned and tightened by years of discipline. The way your arms bent and swayed with each movement looked easy and second nature, even though Five knew it must have been incredibly difficult. You made it all appear effortless, and Five found he was staring a little too long, because at one point you turned toward him and caught him. You gave him a small smile before returning to your work, and Five moved to a different area where he wouldn’t be tempted to watch.

On one of his wanderings, he came across photos of the dance company members lining a wall. He paused, glancing over the names and faces, casually looking for yours. It wasn’t hard to find though, because there you were, front and center. A professional headshot of you, larger than the others, was framed in the middle of the wall. Underneath was a small plaque with your name and the number of years you had been with the company. It also read “principal dancer”.

When the day was over, and you had showered in the locker rooms there and changed into clean clothes again, Five led you back to the SUV. Your stalker was still there, waiting in his blue truck, until you were inside the car and then he drove away. It was what he always did. Waited until you were finished with your day and then left. You wondered where he went or where he lived. But you also didn’t really want to know.

As Five drove you back home, it was silent for a while before he spoke up.

“What is a principal dancer?”

You were surprised at first by his question. You didn’t really think he would take an interest in anything personal having to do with you. But he must have seen your photo inside the studio.

“A principal dancer has the highest rank within the dance company,” you explained, feeling your face flush a little. “Sometimes they’re called prima ballerinas.”

Five took that in for a second. “So, you’re the best dancer?”

You laughed. “I wouldn’t say I’m the best, necessarily, but I’ve definitely paid my dues. There are many talented dancers in our company.”

“But not as good as you,” Five said. You saw his eyes glance in the mirror again. “I saw you.”

You nodded. “I saw you watching. Do you like ballet?”

“Not particularly, no,” he answered honestly. 

“Oh. Well, that’s a shame.”

“I enjoyed watching you, though,” he said, and you thought you heard his voice crack just a tiny bit as he said it. Then he cleared his throat. “Not in a stalker way. I just mean the dancing was interesting.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

There was more silence as the car sped along en route to your house. You couldn’t help the tiny smile that formed on your face as you looked out the window. This guy was starting to grow on you.

When you arrived home, he got out and opened the car door for you again, this time taking your bags for you as you both headed up the stairs to your front door.

You laughed nervously. “I feel like this is a date and you’re walking me home.”

Five shook his head with a slight smile. “Not a date. I’ll just make sure you get in safely and there are no signs of forced entry, and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Got it.” You turned to unlock the door and then stopped, turning to face Five again. “So, there’s something you should know.”

“What’s that?”

You looked at your feet. “Well, it’s just that this house… I know it looks fancy and you probably think I’m some rich bitch snob, but… “ Five couldn’t deny that, so just waited for you to finish. “Let’s just say don’t judge a book by its cover, ok?”

Five didn’t say anything at first, until he realized you were actually waiting for a sign of acknowledgement. Then he nodded. “Ok.”

You unlocked the door and let Five step inside first. You held your breath as you watched him walk into the grand foyer and take everything in. You knew what he was probably thinking. That he couldn’t believe you lived in such a shit hole.

Five spun slowly around, looking at the open first story of your house. Once upon a time it had been a beautiful mansion. Now it resembled more of a construction zone than anything else. The walls of the massive living room that were lined with faded, gold-striped wallpaper, were half-torn down or riddled with holes. Only half of the lights worked in the house, leaving just a few old sconces on the wall flickering dimly. A sitting area on the other side of the foyer was filled with old, dusty furniture that had collected over the years that were in various states of disrepair. A grand piano sat off to the side, covered in a large sheet to keep the dust and dirt off. It was one of the only things in the house that you cherished.

You sighed and laughed quietly. “Home sweet home.”

Five looked at you curiously, his head tilted slightly to the side. He slid his hands into his pants pockets and rocked back on his heels.

“You’re right, this is not what I expected from the outside.” He looked around again. “What happened?”

When he asked you that, you got a sense that he didn’t mean what happened to the house, but rather, what happened to you for you to end up living this way.

“This was my grandmother’s house. She grew up here and lived here her entire life. When I was little, I used to come here all the time. Even then it was starting to become a little disheveled. Nana wasn’t much of a housekeeper.” You laughed at the memory. “But she was fun and a little crazy, and she took me to my first ballet when I was five. After that, I used to dance right here in this foyer, pretending I was the star of the show, while she played the piano.”

“She paid for my first dance lessons and came to every recital. But then her mind started to go and her housekeeping skills got even worse. The house fell into disrepair over the years and she kind of just shut herself inside while it deteriorated around her. I tried to help, but after a while she didn’t remember who I was.” Your eyes filled with tears. “That was the worst part.”

“What about your parents?” Five asked.

“They’re still around, but they don’t really see my dancing as a real career. I think they still view me as a little kid playing dress up.” You shrugged. “They wanted me to be a doctor or something they could be proud of.”

Five’s eyebrows creased together. “They should be proud of you now. You’re the captain of the dance team.”

You laughed loudly, which made him crack a smile. “Principal dancer, but yeah… close enough.” You shook your head. “It’s not enough for them.”

“So, what made you end up here?”

“Well, when my grandmother died, she left all her possessions to me. She didn’t have much in the end, just a couple thousand dollars and this house. So, I decided I’d live here until I could afford to either move somewhere better or fix it up. No one wants to buy it in the state it’s in. Unfortunately, on my salary, that will take a while.”

“Dance captains don’t make good money?” Five asked with a smirk.

“Not really, no. For the amount of work we put in, our dedication, and the discipline we have for our bodies… it’s really not much. But I figure the house is free, so I might as well stay here and save up. I don’t need any place fancy, anyway.”

Five nodded, his green eyes searching your face before pushing his hair off his forehead. “I should take a look around, just to be safe. Then I’ll leave you alone for the night.”

“Ok, yeah,” you started walking further into the house. “Follow me, I’ll show you around.”

You gave Five a tour, leading him through each aging area of the house and taking him through the outdated kitchen that still, embarrassingly, contained some of the remains of your spilled smoothie from that morning. The two of you walked up the grandiose, winding staircase so you could show him each bedroom and bathroom. When you came to the master bedroom, which was the one you had taken over, you paused with a smile.

“This one might surprise you.”

You opened the double doors to the bedroom with a flourish, presenting the room to Five like it was some sort of splendid wonderment. He stepped inside with you and you gestured around.

“I decided to splurge and make this my little home within a home,” you explained.

The room was big, and you had kept your grandmother’s antique four poster bed, but spruced it up with a luxurious, light pink comforter, fluffy pillows, and a couple strings of fairy lights overhead. The dressers and vanity mirror were also original, but you had refinished them and added new, updated hardware. A small reading nook with a big, comfy armchair and bookshelves took up one corner of the room.

Five hadn’t said anything as he looked around, which made you a little self-conscious.

“So, yeah… this is where the magic happens,” you joked, laughing stupidly at yourself and then blushing.

Five just gave you a semi-amused look, but didn’t comment further.

You cleared your throat. “Here, let me show you the bathroom. This will really blow your mind.”

The en suite bathroom was the crown jewel of the house and just as large as the bedroom itself. It was the one room your grandmother had kept up and it was still beautiful.

“She loved baths,” you said as you motioned to the gigantic soaking tub that was big enough for four people.

It was surrounded by gorgeous, expensive marble tile, with a stand alone shower that was also impressive. You had lined the ledge around the tub with candles and scented soaps that you loved to use after a long day of dancing. The sink and cabinets were adorned with gold accents, but without being too gaudy. You had added plush, pink towels and other accents to give it your own flair.

“Pretty cool, huh?”

Five nodded. “It’s definitely impressive. Your grandmother seemed to have good taste.”

“Yes, she did.”

After another few seconds, Five turned to you. “Is there anywhere else I need to look before I leave?”

“Oh,” you said, suddenly feeling a little stupid that you had been showing off your bathroom, when really all he wanted to know was that everything was locked up safely. “No, this is it. In terms of outside access points, anyway.”

“Just make sure you keep all doors and windows locked. Even on the second floor.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a card, handing it over to you. “Here’s my number. Call me if you need anything or you suspect anything.”

“Yeah, ok. Thank you.”

With another nod, Five turned to head back out of the room. You followed him down the stairs until you were at the front door. He opened it and then turned to you again.

“You know, you really shouldn’t lead a strange man through your house like that. There were several spots where you would have been trapped with no way out if I had ill intentions.”

You rolled your eyes. “Seriously?”

Five smiled crookedly. “I’m just saying… you shouldn’t be so trusting.”

You eyed him up for a minute, trying to determine if he was making fun of you or not. You decided to see if you could rattle him a little. “And what kind of ill intentions would you be thinking of… you know… if you had any?” You put your hand on your hip and cocked it to the side. 

Five wasn’t so easily thrown off his game, though, and he didn’t even flinch at your flirty invitation. With that same half-smile he shook his head. “See you tomorrow morning.” He paused, looking back on his way down the steps as you stood in the doorway. “Same time? Or should I factor smoothie accidents into the equation?”

You laughed, despite your annoyance. “I promise I’ll be on time.”

“Good night,then,” he said, before heading to the car.

“Good night, Five.”

******************************

Chapter 2: The Letter

When Five arrived back at the Academy, he went immediately to the bar, just like he always did, and poured himself a generous glass of whatever he was in the mood for at the moment. Tonight it was bourbon. And not a bad one, either. He took a sip and sighed, letting the smokiness of the liquor burn deliciously down his throat.

Five shrugged off his jacket and vest, loosening his tie and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as he sat heavily on one of the old bar stools. The house was quiet except for the occasional whistle of wind through an exposed crack, or an ominous creaking noise from somewhere within the old foundation. It all added to the overall ambiance of a haunted house that Five was starting to grow accustomed to.

As he sat there, ruminating on the happenings of the day, he spun the chipped crystal glass idly on the bartop in front of him.

He wasn’t sure what to think of you. He had been expecting a rich, stuck-up princess type, but that’s not what you were at all. Instead, you were surprisingly pleasant; and Five didn’t find most people pleasant. So, this was fairly new territory for him. During the few short interactions he had with you throughout the day, he found himself enjoying your company. Again, this was all new for Five.

He thought about how you and he weren’t that different in some ways. You were both living alone in these big, crumbling mansions that appeared impressive from the outside but were a mess on the inside. If Five really wanted to go down that road, he could make the case that your houses were metaphors for yourselves. But the last thing he wanted to do was to start analysing his psyche, so he moved on.

He found himself lost in a daydream of you dancing effortlessly and gracefully around the dilapidated halls of the Academy, just like he had seen you dance in the studio that day. In his fantasy, you were surrounded by a golden halo of light that brightened every room you passed through. What a contrast your elegance and beauty was when compared to the darkness of the mansion. He smiled at the thought.

He thought of how you had made the best of your situation and had actually carved out a space for yourself in that old house; making the master bedroom and bathroom into your home within a home. Five looked around him. He had done nothing like that. The thought had never even occurred to him. He had made the space livable, at least for his meager needs, but it was in no way a “home”. He had not decorated it with things he liked or found interesting. He hadn’t brought in any new furniture or tried to fix what was there. He had essentially made it like his camp he had with Dolores during the apocalypse. A relatively safe place to come back to every day. A place to survive.

Five then thought of your stalker. He had no sympathies for this unknown and possibly dangerous man that was obsessed with you. But he could almost see his side of things. Especially if this man had seen you dance, Five could see how that could spark some sort of unhealthy, imaginary romance. Not that he would hesitate to take that fucker out if he needed to, or that he would ever stoop to such a pathetic level himself, but still. He kind of got it.

He started taking a mental inventory of all of the access points in your house that he had noticed while you had led him around. You had told him that you didn’t think your stalker knew where you lived, but Five had his doubts. Why would this guy stop at just the studio and theater? If he was that hung up on you, then there was no reason to believe he wouldn’t have followed you home at some point. 

Again, Five’s mind wandered back to your dancing, only this time instead of the Academy, he pictured you twirling around in your beautifully marbled bathroom. The candles that surrounded the edge of the tub were lit, illuminating your face and body with flickering light. And then somehow… for some reason… Five started to imagine you in less and less clothing until you were fully nude. Your strong body and defined muscles flexed and moved with each sensual pose you demonstrated for him, all while growing closer and closer until you were right there in front of him. Your warm skin pressing against him… your soft mouth a mere inches away… 

“Five,” you whispered and god damn it if he didn’t want to drop to his knees at just the sound of his name on your lips.

“Five!”

Five jumped, startled out of his fantasy by a very real and familiar voice.

“Fivey! Hello? Where are you?”

Five groaned before tipping his head back and yelling in response. “Klaus, where the fuck do you think I am?”

Klaus sauntered into the parlor, looking around him as if he hadn’t just been there a few days ago. He spied Five sitting at the bar and he broke out in a smile.

“Oh, hey there, Fivey.”

With a roll of his eyes, Five took another drink before addressing his brother. “Klaus, I only occupy one room of this crap hole, and it’s the same room every time, so I’m not sure where your confusion is coming from.”

Klaus shrugged, joining Five at the bar and leaning over to grab one of the bottles from underneath. He unstoppered the half-full bottle of vodka and took a swig. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I like pretending we’re in an old sitcom together. You know, like ‘Honey, I’m home!’ and then you run out with an apron and heels on, carrying my favorite drink for me while I sit in an armchair and smoke a pipe.”

Five turned so that he could lean his back against the bartop. “Klaus, in what universe do you think I would be the housewife in that situation?”

Klaus shrugged again, reaching over to ruffle Five’s hair, which earned him a swat on the hand. “I’m not sure, but you’d look awfully cute in an apron.”

“God, you are disturbed.”

“Thank you!” Klaus responded happily before taking another drink. When he lowered the bottle he sighed. “So, what’s been happening around here?”

“Not much. I started that new security job you turned me on to, so thank you for that.”

“Did you? Oh, well that would make sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“My buddy, the one who is friends with your new boss and told me about the job opening, said some psychopath came in there yesterday and shot up the place. Right before demanding he be given the job.”

Five nearly choked on his drink. “What? I didn’t shoot up the place!” Klaus raised a skeptical eyebrow. Five sighed. “It was one, very tiny and very discrete shot into the doorknob of the door. I wouldn’t call that shooting up the place.”

Klaus smiled. “I see.”

“And I certainly didn’t demand the job. It was offered to me before I shot up the place.” He closed his eyes in frustration. “I mean, before I fired the single, harmless shot.”

Klaus chuckled. He loved getting under his brother’s skin. Even if that did put him at risk for bodily harm.

“So, what is this job anyway? You like a security guard at a mall or something?”

“More like a bodyguard.”

That piqued Klaus’s interest and he put his elbow on the bar, propping his head up with his hand as he smiled slyly. “Ohhh…. Tell me more about that!”

“There’s nothing to tell. She’s a dancer and she has a stalker.”

Klaus gasped dramatically. “Dancer? Like a stripper?”

Five scoffed. “No. She’s a ballet dancer.”

There was another loud gasp that prompted an irritated scowl from Five. “A ballerina! Oh, Fivey… this is like some serious romance shit! I can just picture it… the stalker tries to get to the beautiful, helpless ballerina, threatening to kidnap her or worse… but then you swoop in to save the day, knock the guy on his ass, and then guess who gets the girl?”

Klaus waited as if he expected an actual response from Five. When all he received was a blank stare, he poked Five in the shoulder. “You do, silly! No woman can resist a real life hero saving them from the clutches of the evil villain. She’ll probably reward you by immediately jumping those skinny little bones of yours. Do a little tongue pirouette on your downstairs bits, if you know what I mean.”

“Klaus, what the fuck?” Five responded, running a hand down his face in frustration.

“What? I bet she’s rich, too, huh?”

“Not really, no.”

“Oh,” Klaus answered with a disappointed sigh. Then he perked up again. “But mark my words, Fivey. When she sees what a badass killer you are, she’s going to be on you like flies on shit.”

“What a charming visual, thank you for that,” Five sighed.

“You know what I mean. She won’t be able to hold herself back.”

“First of all, stop being a pervert. Second of all, you don’t even know anything about her. I haven’t even told you what she looks like or her age or anything!”

Klaus nodded. “You’re right.” Then he grinned. “She’s hot though, isn’t she?”

Five took another drink, speaking over the top of his glass. “She is moderately attractive.”

“Ha!” Klaus exclaimed, slapping Five on the back and making him slosh his bourbon onto his good suit pants. “I knew it! Well, good for you, Broseph Stalin. It’s about time.”

“About time for what?” Five muttered while he angrily wiped at his pants with a napkin.

“About time for you to get that new and improved dick of yours wet. You’ve been keeping it sealed up for too long. Time to let that bad boy out for some air!”

“Jesus Christ, Klaus!” Five cried, throwing his hands up. “What is your fucking problem? Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“What? I’m trying to help you out!”

“Klaus, the only thing you are doing is reaffirming my decision to live alone.” Klaus put on his best pout and tried to look hurt. Five rolled his eyes before trying to change the subject. “The job pays pretty well at least, so I should be able to get out of here soon.”

Klaus looked around at the sad remains of their childhood home and nodded. Then he turned to Five with an almost nervous smile. “So, if you move out, does that mean no more drop-ins?“

Five sighed and shook his head. He reached over and patted Klaus on the shoulder, although he didn’t make eye contact. “You’re always welcome, no matter where I end up, Klaus.”

Klaus clapped his hands and tried to lean in for a hug, but was met with nothing but empty air as Five blinked away at the last second. Klaus toppled off his barstool in the process, while Five laughed at him from the other side of the bar.

“You’re an asshole,” Klaus grumbled as he hauled himself back up.

Five smirked. “Yeah, I know.”

*************************

Over the next few weeks, you and Five developed a kind of routine. He would arrive at your house and wait outside by the car every morning at 7:00am on the dot. You would stumble your way out somewhere between 7:08 and 7:15. There was the predictable exchange of Five’s irritated grumblings while you blabbered on about whatever it was that made you late that day. It would end with Five taking your bags and opening the car door, all while smiling and shaking his head at your constant state of turmoil.

You liked your little talks in the car to and from the studio. It was awkward in the beginning, but over time it became comfortable. You would chat about your work and rehearsals, and gossip about the other dancers. There was always a love tryst going on somewhere, but you stayed away from all of that. You didn’t need that drama in your life. 

“So, what about you? You never talk about a boyfriend,” Five had asked one day on the way home. You noticed the slight shift in tone when he asked you. Like he was going for an air of casualness but not really pulling it off.

“Oh, no,” you said, waving your hand in the air. “No boyfriend for me.”

“Why not?”

You paused, not really sure how you were supposed to answer that and why he wanted to know. “Well, lots of reasons I suppose. The main one is probably that I’m so busy that I don’t have time to even see my family or friends, let alone a boyfriend.”

“What about the male dancers at your studio?” Five asked, clearly not wanting to drop the subject.

You sighed. “No thank you. Most of them aren’t into women anyway, and the ones that are I have no interest in. Plus I don’t need to be dating anyone from work. I’ve got enough going on.”

Five nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. “Good point.”

You leaned back against the backseat and looked out the window. Then you chuckled quietly to yourself.

“What?” Five asked.

“Oh nothing. I was just thinking that you are the closest thing I have to a boyfriend right now.”

There was a moment of silence before you saw Five swallow. “How is that?”

“Well, other than the dancers in my company, you are the person I see the most lately. You’re there when I get up in the morning, you’re there when I come home. You’re one of the only people that has seen inside my mess of a house, including my bedroom. We talk every day and know each other’s personal lives.” You laughed again. “Honestly, the only thing different is that we aren’t fucking.”

Your giggle came to an abrupt halt as you clamped your mouth shut. You don’t even know why you had said that, it just kind of came out. You worried at your bottom lip with your teeth as you tried to decide whether to say anything else to cover it up or just shut your trap and pretend it never happened.

There was a long, silent pause as the car drew to a stop at a red light. Five’s eyes met yours in the mirror and he didn’t look away.

“Well, that figures,” Five said and you saw him smirk. “I get all of the boyfriend duties and none of the perks.”

Your jaw dropped open for a second and then you let go with a loud peal of laughter. You punched him lightly on the shoulder.

“Five Hargreeves! I never knew you made jokes!”

He shrugged, his eyes returning to the road as the light turned green again. “Well, now you know. I’m a fucking comedian.”

That made you laugh even harder and you tried to suppress the smile that kept creeping up the entire ride home. And even though he tried to hide it, Five was wearing one, too.

************************

Your little naughty joke seemed to have broken the last barrier between the two of you, and after that it was like you were an old married couple. When you weren’t having deep conversations and learning about one another’s lives, you were either cracking stupid jokes at the others’ expense or bickering over the smallest things. Within the span of another two weeks, Five had somehow become your friend. And not just a casual one; he had become your number one confidant. You felt comfortable with him. You felt safe. And you were pretty sure he felt the same way about you.

Your stalker continued to show up every day to your studio, just like always. Sometimes he would get out of his truck and stand there, just watching, as you and Five made your way inside. On those occasions when you felt a little more on edge, Five would blink you directly into the building, to avoid the man being able to see you. 

You liked when he blinked you places. He didn’t do it often, but when he did it was like a little adrenaline rush and it always left you laughing. Plus, you couldn’t deny that you liked having him that close to you. He would usually just hold on to your upper arm, but sometimes he would take your hand in his. Once, for no discernible reason, he had wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you in close. There had been a split second when you thought he might kiss you, but before you could even entertain that thought, you were being ripped through a portal and landing on the other side where he let go of you immediately.

Five also started spending more time outside of your rehearsal room. You would catch him through the window, trying to look like he wasn’t interested but failing. You found yourself flaunting your body just a little more when you knew he was looking. Not so much while you were dancing; that you took very seriously and were focused in. But during breaks, when you took a drink from your water bottle, and just happened to let a small river of water slip down your exposed neck and between your breasts. And when you needed to adjust your shoes and would coincidentally bend over directly in front of his sightline. It was silly, but hey, you didn’t have anything else going on in your non-existent love life, so you had to create some excitement.

While you did enjoy each other's company, your relationship never extended past Five’s security duties. Every night he made sure the house was locked up and safe, and every night he left to go back to his decrepit mansion while you stayed in yours. He had given you his number, but you had never had to use it. 

Until you got the fright of your life.

Five had left hours earlier, yet you were still awake and roaming around the spacious house. You settled into a kitchen chair, listening to the sound of the tea kettle on the stove start to come to life with bubbling water. It wasn’t loud enough yet to cover the noise you heard coming from outside, though. A noise that made you freeze like a horror-stricken statue in your seat.

It was the unmistakable sound of car tires rolling slowly up the gravel driveway to your house. The noise became louder until it stopped altogether. And then you heard a car door open and slam shut again.

“Oh my god,” you whispered to yourself.

You hopped up, racing over to the light switch on the wall and clicking it off. Then you crawled into the living room, staying low to avoid the windows, and switched off the lamp you had been reading beside earlier. The house was now in total darkness as you listened to a pair of heavy footsteps make their way to the front door.

You held your breath as you crouched next to one of the old sofas. Maybe it was Five, you thought to yourself. Maybe he forgot something or was just coming to check on you. You rolled your eyes at your stupidness. The footsteps came to a halt near the door. There was a moment of pure terror while you waited for whatever was going to come next.

Would they break a window to get inside? Kick in the door? Would they find you huddled on the ground and put a bullet in your head? Or worse things you didn’t even want to entertain?

After a few seconds, the same footsteps began to retreat and fade further away. You heard the car door open and shut again and the tires crunch on the gravel, presumably as the car backed down the driveway. And then everything was silent again.

When the tea kettle in the kitchen came to a full boil and shrieked its alert to you, you screamed out loud, your voice echoing off the walls. You clapped a hand over your mouth, but started making your way towards the kitchen again, still on your hands and knees. Once you stood and were able to move the kettle off of the burner and silence it again, you leaned against the counter and took in a big, shaking breath.

“Holy fuck,” you cursed.

After at least another ten minutes of keeping still, there were no other worrying sounds from outside or inside, and you switched on the light in the kitchen again. After slowly making your way to the front door, you peered into the peephole. When all you saw was the dark outside and an empty porch, you breathed a sigh of relief. But, like an idiot, that wasn’t enough. Unlocking the door as quietly as possible, you opened it just a crack so that you could quickly peek outside.

There was no one there and you were about to close the door and lock it again, when something caught your eye. In the open maw of one of the lion statues on the porch was a white envelope, giving the illusion that the lion was delivering you some mail. Taking another hurried look from side to side, you leaned over to snatch it up and slammed the door shut, locking it and pressing your back against it while you caught your breath.

With trembling hands, you looked down at the letter-sized envelope in your hand. Your name was typed neatly on the front with a hand-drawn heart next to it. You made a little groaning noise and tried to blink back the tears you felt forming in your eyes.

Five. It was the first thought you had. I need to get to Five.

Tag List: @vera-arora, @loganskittycatears, @raggabashie, @coolspider-man101, @cincohargreeveslove, @moon6star, @hopefuldesignofkawaii, @dorkyfangirl24, @chifuyu-monam0ur, @tuanputri-magui, @little-forest-goblin, @i-liketoast, @groovydazephantom, @d4rkpasseng3r, @ur-moms-fav-whore, @dremnia, @iselinde, @whatsawagonwheel, @wawawafdtuhdjh, @marydbl, @rubixgsworld, @yangzpotter, @yourlocalbrellie, @1-is-loneliest-number, @ifellinto-fantasy, @mimi4morr, @em1989ts, @fndmsrndmyfckinglfe, @moonkitty59, @wonwon1e, @smt-obsessed, @strawberrymilk4k, @voteforevilthoughts, @xfanficluvrx, @losingmymindforsoobin, @sofiebikovi, @jana0509, @thesilvertheorist

[thesilvertheorist]

I just realized that all the problems Five encountered was solved by Five himself.

Five cannot return to the present? Five tells him it's a typo error on the equation.

Five not knowing what to do when the brief cases stopped working and they can't stop the kugelblitz? Five tells him about the Oblivion and to not save the world (which he tried to do but Reginald got ahead of them)

Five gets lost in the subway? Solved by a cipher he made himself.

Five getting tired of saving the world over and over again? Fives help him see the big picture and made him realize what needs to be done.

I love this character to bits.

[thesilvertheorist]

✦ MY GUYS BE SO FR RN- .............................aight den ;) ✦

✦ twd!tumblr wake tf up i have a question! ✦

✦ i am currently working on a carl oneshot entitled 'hold on' HOWEVER there's a few different ways i could take the plot so, lmk what you'd like to see...✦

✦ love u all ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

the canon crushes one was me and thankkk youuuuuu for taking it i thought you hated it lmao

✦ omg absolutely not!! around the time you sent that ask in i had to take some time away and turns out i'm a blind bat and didn't see the notif until i came back!! i still maintain that it's such a cool concept - i've started my rewatch and i've got my notes app at the ready <3 ✦

✦ ty anon, i could never hate anything sent in with such love, i'm, honoured that you trust me with this x ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

Five's canon crushes hcs (as in the kind of people he might have crushed on in canon settings - people he met, heard of, read about, etc)

✦ hey - i am so sorry that i have only just seen this now anon!! this is such an interesting concept and gives me another excuse to rewatch so, yes. i will do this, probs as a hc's. i've got some stuff to complete but then i am all over this ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

hiiiiiii idk if this is too specific but could you write hcs for five with a mind reader gf? i absolutely adore your writing style and how well you characterize him, and ive just had that idea bouncing around in my head for a while. thanks!! xx

✦ hey omg, i would love to play around with this idea if you think i could be trusted to do it justice. i've already got so many ideas for this. i might spend a little time getting it just right as i've also got other works that i am currently dedicating time to but this is soooo on my list xx <3 ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

Oh im glad the sub!five committee is staying strong 💪 there’s already so much dom five going around

✦ personally, i think the dom!five writers are out here slaying the game, their writing is on point and super compelling. i'm sure we're all of that same opinion because wowie are they hitting all the right marks...but in the same vein there's definitely a 'gap in the market' for sub!five content so - here i am besties. ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

✦ twd!tumblr wake tf up i have a question! ✦

✦ i am currently working on a carl oneshot entitled 'hold on' HOWEVER there's a few different ways i could take the plot so, lmk what you'd like to see...✦

✦ love u all ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

F.H ⭑.ᐟ – HEAVY 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

⟢ ˚.🫖��ᵎ . now serving — RETIRED! Five Hargreeves x fem reader. ⟢ ˚.🫖ᵎᵎ .WARNING(S) soft smut | emotional intimacy | PIV | needy five | strong language | body worship | inaccurate depictions of sex | velcro boyfriend five supremacy | MDNI !!

⟢ sweet’s notes .ᐟ. first official smut lesgoo!!! i didn’t proofread this because i have this condition where when i start writing, i can’t seem to stop so… my bad.

⟢ part 1 can be found here! and morning shenanigans can be found here

The movie had long since blurred into background noise, the plot forgotten in favor of something far more interesting like the way you were settled in Five’s lap, your legs bracketing his hips, arms draped loosely over his shoulders.

It had started innocent enough just shifting around to get comfortable. But then Five’s hands had found their place, one splayed palm against your ass, the other idly tracing patterns along your thigh. His fingers toyed with the hem of your shorts absentmindedly, his touch slow and lazy, like he wasn’t even aware he was doing it.

It made it very hard to focus on the movie. In which he has already suggesting you move things to the bedroom hastily.

You shift slightly, trying to actually watch, but the movement draws a quiet hum from him, his grip on your waist tightening for just a second.

“You’re not paying attention” he murmurs, amused.

“Neither are you.” You blink, as if just remembering the film playing behind you.

“I have more important things in front of me.” His lips twitch in an amused scoff.

You roll your eyes but don’t fight him when he leans up, capturing your lips in a kiss. It’s soft at first, slow and teasing, but the moment you respond, fingers threading into his hair, tilting your head to deepen it as something shifts.

Five makes a quiet sound of approval, his hand slipping beneath your shirt, pressing warm against your spine as he pulls you in closer. You sigh into the kiss, your hips rocking against his slightly, and that’s all it takes for his grip to tighten, his nails faintly digging into your skin.

“This is not getting us to bed” you murmur against his lips, breathless.

“It’s a detour” Five chuckles, pressing another lingering kiss to your mouth.

“Mmm… We should really move though.” You shift again, trying to get up, but Five refuses to let go, merely pulling you right back into his lap.

“Five!” you laugh, swatting his shoulder. Earning a smug grin from him.

“Alright alright” With a sigh that is way too dramatic, he lets you slide off his lap. But the moment you stand, he catches your wrist, tugging you back down for one last kiss. One that’s slower, sweeter, like he’s reluctant to let the moment go.

Somehow, between kisses and laughter, you both stumble off the couch, hands blindly reaching for each other as you shuffle toward the bedroom.

Then, a rug.

An unfortunate rug enters the equation. A red shah abbas rug from Istanbul to be precise.

You don’t even know who tripped first but then in that one moment you’re giggling against Five’s lips, and the next, you both go tumbling, colliding against the bedroom door with a thud.

“That’s the second time you’ve fallen for me tonight.” Five huffs a quiet laugh against your lips.

“You are so lucky I like you.” You snort.

“Debatable.” he murmurs, and before you can reply, he catches your lips again, swallowing your giggle as he finally gets the door open, pulling you both inside.

The second you both stumble through the bedroom door, Five barely gives you a chance to regain your footing before he’s pulling you in again, catching your lips in another kiss. This time more slower and deeper as his fingers already slipping beneath the hem of your shirt.

You hum against his lips, your hands finding his shoulders as he walks you back towards the bed, his movements deliberate despite the lingering clumsiness from before. The back of your knees hit the mattress, and just as you’re about to lower yourself onto it, Five has other plans.

Instead, he grips your waist and pulls you with him as he falls backward onto the bed, making you land right back in his lap with a soft gasp.

“Was that necessary?” You blink down at him, slightly breathless.

“Absolutely.” His hands slide up your back, guiding you down as he leans up, capturing your lips once more as you straddled him.

This kiss is different now. It was less playful and more wanting. There’s no rush, no urgency, just the slow, intoxicating pull of his lips against yours, like he has no intention of stopping anytime soon.

You melt into it, your hands slipping into his hair, fingers threading through the dark strands as you tilt your head, deepening the kiss. Five makes a quiet groan of approval, his grip tightening on your waist as he presses you flush against him.

The weight of him beneath you, the warmth of his hands, the way he sighs into the kiss…. it makes your head spin.

His lips part slightly, allowing you to steal another kiss and another then another. He’s so warm, so solid beneath you, his fingers moving in slow, teasing circles against your skin.

When you finally pull away, both of you are breathless, your foreheads resting together.

“You’re a terrible distraction.” Five exhales a quiet chuckle, his fingers still tracing patterns against your back.

“You’re the one who keeps tempting me.”You grin.

His lips twitch, but instead of answering, he shifts beneath you, flipping your positions so that you’re the one lying back now, the mattress soft beneath you as he hovers above, his weight pressing into you deliciously.

He leans down, pressing a lingering kiss to your jaw, then another to the corner of your mouth before finally catching your lips again, softer this time.

Five starts to trail kisses down the column of your neck, slowly undoing the buttons of your shirt while his slightly chapped lips scratch against your skin making you shudder. His hand slides up your thigh as his fingers dancing along your inner thigh until they reach the hem of your shorts. Your boyfriend teases the skin along the waistband tugging at it lightly before slipping his hand beneath, Five’s palm cupping your bare thigh.

You gasp softly as his lips find your collarbone, pressing a kiss there before he starts to work his way down to your cleavage. With the other hand sliding up your stomach, Five’s fingers splaying across your ribcage as he pushes your shirt up. His touch leaves a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

Leaning down, he presses a kiss to the swell of your breasts, his tongue darting out to taste your skin. Your boyfriend’s hand inches higher, his fingers brushing against the material of your panties. He rubs slow circles against the fabric, feeling the growing dampness.

You arch into him, a breathy moan escaping your lips as his fingers apply more pressure. He smirks against your skin, his teeth grazing your nipple through the thin material of your bra.

"Five" you breathed out, tangling your fingers in his hair as your gaze slowly falls onto him, swallowing your words like a lump in your throat.

“Mmm… yeah?” Your boyfriend murmured against your skin, not thinking much while he tugs your panties aside and slips a finger inside your slick folds, stroking your most sensitive spots.

You cry out, your back arching off the bed as pleasure shoots through you. "Shit" you gasp, your hips rocking against his hand. He adds a second finger, pumping them in and out of you with his thumb circling your clit gently. Slowly Five would work you until you were close.

Sensing this, he pulls back, his fingers slipping out of you.

“Why?” Your eyebrows scrunched in dissatisfaction as you watched your boyfriend chuckle softly.

“Be patient I’m getting there.” Five said in between sadistic chuckles while tugging his shirt over his head and tossing it to the side, letting it pile onto the floor.

Immediately he works on your shorts and panties, stripping them off completely, tossing them onto the floor to join his discarded shirt. He shuffles down the bed, settling between your thighs while a pout was evident on your lips.

"Let me taste you." he says, his breath hot against your core. Then his mouth is on you, his tongue licking a broad stripe up your slit before focusing on your clit, sucking and flicking the sensitive bud.

"Oh god, Five!" you mewled, fisting the sheets beneath you. He doesn't let up, continuing his relentless pursuit, driving you closer and closer to the edge with every lap of his tongue and flick of his fingers. Your thighs tremble, your breath coming in short, sharp gasps as you feel your orgasm building rapidly.

"Baby, please" you moaned out, tangling your fingers in his hair and pushing his face harder against you. He groans in response, the vibrations sending shockwaves of pleasure through your core.

Without warning, your orgasm crashes over you like a wave. His name coming out as soft moans falling from your lips like a never ending chant as your back arches. Your inner walls clench and flutter around his fingers, coating his hand and chin in your essences.

He doesn't stop, continuing to lap at you through your high, prolonging your pleasure until you collapse back onto the bed, utterly spent. Only then does he pull away, his face glistening with your juices.

Crawling up to you, he captures your mouth in a needy kiss, letting you taste yourself on his lips and tongue. You can feel his hard length pressing insistently against your thigh, knowing damn well how needy he is.

Breaking the kiss he kneels in between your thighs as you watch him unbuckle his pants. The soft echo of the metal clicking hits your ears as he hastily kicks the restrictive piece of clothing to the floor.

“Fighting with your pants now?” You teased watching as he reaches over to the nightstand drawer and retrieves a condom, tearing it with his teeth.

Five adjusts the tinted rubber onto his pretty cock, making your mouth water just by looking at it, growing more impatient for him as you watch his veins and angry tip pulse against the snug condom.

“Yeah, because it’s stopping me from being with you” He rolls his eyes playfully.

Settling back between your thighs, he lines himself up with your entrance, the head of his cock nudging against your slick folds.

With a swift thrust of his hips, he buries himself inside you to the hilt, a guttural moan escaping his lips at the feel of your tight heat enveloping him.

"Fuck" he hisses, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment before opening to gaze down at you intently. "You feel incredible."

You wrap your legs around his waist, urging him even deeper as you both begin to move together, lost in the rhythm of your passion. The room fills with the sounds of skin slapping against skin and your mutual moans and cries of pleasure.

He leans down to capture your mouth again, kissing you deeply as he drives into you again and again and again. One hand slides down to grip your breast, squeezing the flesh as he changes the angle of his thrusts slightly, hitting that perfect spot inside you that makes you see stars. He circles his thumb around your hardened nipples, pushing against the bud for that delicious friction.

Your nails rake down his back, leaving red lines in their wake while you mark his back, holding onto his skin like life depends on it.

He continues his relentless pace, the bed creaking beneath you with the force of his thrusts. You can feel another orgasm building quickly.

“Five, I'm s-so close…." you manage to gasp out, your voice high and breathy.

He doubles his efforts, pounding into you harder and faster, the room echoing with the crude slap of skin on skin and your escalating moans. "That's it, baby. Let go" Your boyfriend growls, his voice strained with his own growing orgasm.

Your nails dig into his shoulders as you hang on for dear life, your hips bucking to meet his thrusts. With a final cry of his name, you come undone, your inner walls clenching vice-like around his throbbing cock as a mind-blowing orgasm crashes through you.

Five buries his face in your neck, muffling his own shout of ecstasy against your skin as he finds his release, his hot seed spurting deep inside the condom. His hips jerk erratically, riding out the waves of his climax as he fills you with his essence.Your bodies remain entwined, both of you struggling to catch your breath in the aftermath of your intense lovemaking. He collapses onto you, his weight a delicious pressure against your sweat-slicked skin.

"Well…" he murmurs, pressing a tender kiss to your shoulder blade as he slowly softens inside you. "So much for finishing that movie."

You let out a breathless laugh, running your fingers through his damp hair.

"Our movie was better anyway." you reply, still basking in the afterglow.

He lifts his head to smile at you, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way you adore. "Of course you’d say that." he counters, leaning in to brush your lips with his in a sweet, intimate kiss.

As you both slowly come down from your euphoric high, he carefully pulls out of you, your bodies separating with a soft, intimate sound. He disposes of the condom, then settles in beside you, pulling you into his arms so that your back is pressed against his chest.

The room was now warm, filled with the slow rise and fall of your breathing, the dim glow from the bedside lamp casting soft shadows across the sheets.

Silence lingers for a while, comfortable and easy, until you finally break it.

“Y’know…” you murmur, voice drowsy but amused. “For someone who pretends to be all grumpy and emotionally detached, you sure are a clingy cuddler.”

Five scoffs, but his fingers don’t stop their slow, absentminded tracing along your skin. “Clingy?” he repeats, raising a brow. “I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you’re the one sprawled all over me.”

You peek up at him, lips twitching. “That’s called reciprocation. You started it.”

He hums, pretending to consider. “Mmm… no, I think it was you.”

You roll your eyes, nudging his ribs with your fingers. “Gaslighting me after that? Rude.”

He smirks, but instead of arguing, he leans down, pressing a slow, lazy kiss to your lips. It’s soft, almost teasing, but there’s something undeniably tender about it, like he’s not quite ready to let go of the moment.

When he pulls back, you’re smiling, eyes half-lidded as you brush your fingers through his dark hair. “Fine, I’ll allow it” you sigh dramatically. “But only because the sex was amazing.”

Five scoffs again, shaking his head. “If this is what I have to put up with for the rest of my life, I might need to reconsider some choices.”

“Too late. You’re stuck with me.” You grin, shifting closer, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

“God help me.” he mutters, but his arms tighten around you, pulling you even closer, his lips brushing your temple.

Silence falls again, heavier with drowsiness this time. Your breathing slows, your body sinking further against his, and Five exhales softly, his fingers still trailing over your back, lulling you both toward sleep.

“… I am good in bed, though” he mutters after a long pause, his voice barely above a whisper.

You snort. “Cocky much?”

“Shut up.”

You giggle, pressing your face into his chest, and with one last lingering kiss to your forehead Five lets out a quiet, contented sigh, pulling the blankets up around you both.

And just like that, you lose yourselves in each other again. Slow kisses, quiet laughter, hands lazily wandering as exhaustion finally starts to tug at the edges of your awareness.

You’re curled up in Five’s arms, limbs tangled beneath the sheets as he lazily traces circles on your bare back. His body is warm against yours, radiating that kind of comfortable heat that makes it impossible to move, even if you wanted to, which, at this point, you’re pretty sure Five wouldn’t even let you.

“You’re kind of a Velcro boyfriend.” You murmur, voice drowsy but amused.

Five pauses mid-trace, lifting his head slightly to look at you. “What?”

You grin, shifting just enough to glance up at him. “A Velcro boyfriend. You’re all over me, all the time.” You demonstrate by wiggling your arms slightly, only for Five to tighten his grip instinctively, proving your point.

His brows furrow. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not–” He stops, eyes narrowing. “Did you just make that up?”

“Nope. I saw it on TikTok.” You giggle, shaking your head.

Five stares at you, unimpressed. “Of course you did.”

“It’s a real thing!” you insist, laughing as you reach up to push his hair back. “It’s what people call their clingy boyfriends. Which you are.”

Five scoffs, rolling his eyes. “I’m not clingy. I just happen to like keeping you close.”

“Uh-huh…” You smirk.

“Velcro” You added just to egg him on.

He narrows his eyes at you, then, without warning, tightens his arms around you completely, rolling onto his back and dragging you with him so that you’re sprawled across his chest.

“Five!” You yelp in surprise, laughing as you try, and apparently fail, to wiggle free.

“You brought this on yourself” he says smugly, arms locked around you like an unbreakable vice.

You groan dramatically. “Oh my god. You’re literally proving my point.”

Five smirks, utterly unrepentant. “Good. Maybe this will teach you not to get your relationship terminology from a social media app made for children.”

“So what, you don’t want me calling you my Velcro boyfriend?” You huff, shifting slightly to rest your chin on his chest, pouting up at him.

Five pretends to consider, fingers trailing lazily down your spine. “…No. It sounds ridiculous.”

You grin. “Alright, Mr. Velcro.”

“I will leave you here.”

“No, you won’t” you hum smugly, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “You’d miss me too much.”

“Unfortunately, what a tragedy” Five sighs, long and suffering, but his grip on you stays firm, his lips brushing your temple as he mutters against your skin,

And despite all his protests, despite all his eye rolls and scoffs, Five doesn’t loosen his hold on you even once for the rest of the night. Leaving lazy kisses down your jaw to your shoulder.

“Alright, now we should actually sleep.” It’s only when your movements slow, kisses turning into sleepy pecks, that Five finally sighs, resting his forehead against yours.

You hum, curling closer to him, a small smile on your lips. “Five more minutes?”

His chuckle is quiet, but his arms tighten around you, holding you close as he presses one last kiss to your temple.

“Five more minutes.”

Slowly the world fades, leaving only warmth, tangled limbs, and the soft rhythm of each other’s breaths.

[thesilvertheorist]

Sooooo... im your latest fic posted WHICH I already loved, how dirty and fucked up it is Imma gon ask... will that perv stays submissive or is there's gonna be a switch???

✦ hello anon! i'm so glad you enjoyed Unprofessional :)), it's my first fic on here so i'm really appreciative of your kindness <3 ✦

✦ i write our perverted little fucked up time traveller as a sub always. i struggle to write anything other than sub!five as it's not to my personal tastes ✦

✦ my little niche in this fandom will always be sub!five, i don't intend on having him switch unless there's a specific request for a oneshot, if i label a fic as sub!five - it stays that way, i will always notify readers of switch!five content in the tags :)) ✦

✦ if anyone would like pointing in the direction of some switch!five/dom!five writers, i'd be happy to point you to some (fucking fantastic) people that i think get it just right, just hmu+lmk :)) ✦

✦ oh! whilst i'm here, i should probably mention that Unprofessional is now complete, it's a short 3/3 chapter ficlet to help me find my writing feet on here :)) ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

He is so deliciously fucked up and needs to be fucked. someone fuck him now and put him out of his old man misery. beautiful writing. he's unhinged

✦ "Order up!" i shout into the tua!tumblr abyss ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

I neeeeeed more of your five hargreeves content 🙏 You get his character just right and your writing is amazing, hope you keep it coming! :)

✦ eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Ch.3 of unprofessional is up :)) enjoy! you're literally too kind to me omg ilysfm✦

✦ what other concepts should i play with? ✦

[thesilvertheorist]

• unprofessional •

Five Hargreeves x Fem!reader

Fic summary: [set in s4] Five is forced to go into mandatory active therapy in order to ensure that he can perform well at the CIA, he finds himself opposite a young lady (21+ ish) who's taken him on as her first client. Five is resistant at first but soon begins to develop ALL kinds of feelings for this woman.

Warnings/tags: ptsd related traumas, flashbacks, self harm, self loathing, resistance to help, attitude, scandalous age gap (five is mentally 60+, body of a 21 year old), developing feelings, inappropriate relationship, unprofessional relationship, anguish, angst, sexually explicit content, mdni, stalker!five, reader should really contact the authorities in all honesty.

you have been warned

Masterlist

CHAPTER THREE

[12k words]

“I didn’t tell you to stop.”

Five felt his own breath catch and suffocate him inside his lungs. He dared not move for fear of ruining the agonisingly tense, teasing spell she was casting over him…he finally found himself to be a willing victim. All this time he had spent roaming the earth and various differing timelines, imposing himself on others and ensuring they knew that it was his way or the highway seemingly fell silent under his own will to submit to her. This time, he was being imposed on, on someone else’s highway – and better yet, he wasn’t even driving, she was.

Five snapped himself back to reality when his lungs finally opened and swallowed a breath larger than he expected. Fucking hell, he’d just been caught red handed in her office, palming himself through the expensive fabric of his trousers, and she wanted him to keep going. It took all Five had not to cum in his boxers then and there. She had given him permission to do something so vile and revoltingly invasive…and she’d done it with such a soft smile that seemed genuine and welcoming. Those lightly painted lips of hers instructing him to surrender himself were all too alluring and surely couldn’t be real. Yet, here she was, plain as day and holding his hand in her own – pulse against pulse…beckoning him to continue offending her.

Fuck.

He didn’t move, not even an inch. He couldn’t. He just locked her gaze and felt her hand in his own, relishing in some human contact that wasn’t a bloody fistfight. Five had all but forgotten that humans could hold each other so softly, so gently, and with such kindness. He never wanted to let go.

She must have noticed his fawned expression; she was softly squeezing his hand whilst slowly undoing his belt for him, freeing him from two prisons with one single action. One physical and cotton bound, one mental and trauma bound…

“Do you want to keep going, Five?” she asked, her expression calming from something so sultry to an expression which carried much more care.

Five took a moment before realising that she probably needed some sort of response, some sort of indication that he was actually into this and didn’t want to bolt again. He needed to assure her that this was all he’d actually been yearning for. He wanted her, and now she was here, checking on him. Fuck, he needed to say something.

He managed to force the muscles in his spine and neck enough to nod, feeling his eyelids droop heavy and his mind fall heavier. She didn’t seem content with his pathetic response though.

“Words, Five. You know I need you to say it.”

Her words were calm yet firm, forcing Five to open his mouth and say something, to agree to crumbling beneath her as he knew he would…to agree to showing her this – showing her him.

“Y-yes, I want this…please-” he managed to choke out, feeling his voice break upon airing the first syllable.

“That’s it. Very good, Five. Aren’t you just so good when you behave, hm?”

This was infuriating… she was right. He was behaving…and it did feel good…and he was being good…and he was behaving…and it felt good…and he was behaving…and he was being good…because he was behaving…he felt good because he was behaving…he felt good because he was behaving…he felt good because he was behaving…

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shiiiiiiiiit…

…this felt too good and she hadn’t even started yet.

“Okay, Five, here’s how this is going to go…I’m going to give you very specific instructions… and you’re going to be really good for me and do exactly as you’re told…sound good?”

Five felt himself fall deeper and deeper into the cloudy fog of her presence with each word she spoke to him. How on earth could she expect him to focus enough to listen when she’d already reduced his brain to a useless pile of grey matter? She was asking too much of him – but oh, did he want to impress her… to show her that he was strong and good…worthy of her praise.

“Mhm,” Five began in response, “sounds perfect- please, tell me what to do”

He could do this, he could show her that he wasn’t broken, that he didn’t need her stupid therapy for emotionally stunted sexual deviants. He was going to prove to her that he was capable of beating her at her own game. She’d never expect him to listen, never expect obedience out of him… not him, so that’s what he hit her with.

He didn’t realise he’d actually enjoy it though…

“Let me see you, I need to know what I’m working with.”

Five’s hand flew from where she was holding it, freeing himself from the last tethers of below-the-belt clothing he needed to before she could see him spring up. He felt the cold air pinch at his engorged tip as he tucked his waistbands under his thighs to keep them in place.

She gestured to his vest and crisp dress shirt. Those too? That was fine, he could call her bluff…and he did. He unbuttoned them both but left them on his shoulders, giving him some semblance of modesty in this exceedingly whorish position she had him in. His tie was still tight around his shirt collar, he hadn’t been instructed to remove it – so he didn’t…even if it did feel as though it were choking the fight out of him, forcing him further under her whether he was conscious of it or not.

She leaned back a little from her spot on the coffee table, adjusting her legs and crossing one over the other, leaning forwards towards him again once she’d ensured to give him a pervy preview of her tits in that ridiculously tight fitted blouse. She was drinking him in, not touching him…watching intently as his cock stood proud against the pinching air of her draughty office…as his nipples hardened under the same ridicule…

He swore he saw her take mental notes. Cataloguing him in her meticulously organised therapist brain under ‘filthy, free-use whore’. He was nothing more than a porno mag to her; his pages ruffled and ruined, some desecrated in dried cum and others stuck together – hiding his vulnerability from her. His beauty positioned exactly as she wanted so she could snap images of him for herself, mounting them on the walls of her psyche.

“Well, aren’t we excited? Enjoying yourself?”

“Obviously-”

“Ah- less of the backchat. Good boys listen. Now, stroke yourself for me…nice and slow…that’s it, good boy. Base to tip. Just like that. Keep going for me. Let me watch you.”

Five followed her instructions as she demanded. He took himself in hand and began to stroke himself base to tip in long, slow strokes, twisting his wrist on each upstroke to demonstrate his talent. He felt himself pulse against his own hand. Felt his cock get angrier as it pleaded for more. Unyielding, Five remained doing exactly and only what she’d told him.

Slowly…

..,base to tip…

……let her watch.

She watched him like this for what seemed like an eternity. Five only realised that time was passing as his hand grew tired and cramped along with the aching call from his cock for something more.

“Need more, Five?”

“Mhm,” He nodded back to her, holding her hazy gaze as he had since he sat down, “need it.”

“Speed up for me, perfect. So good for me. Feeling good?”

Why did she need to know if he was still feeling good? Surely she could fucking see that from the dire state of his prick and his oh so snappy temper. His enjoyment should have meant nothing to her in this moment; she was treating him like a puppet, his strings tied in knots from her honeyed voice and fraying from her relentless teasing. Yer, he still managed to be pulled by them, by her. Her wishes were his to grant and her demands were his to meet. So much so, that Five began to feel possessive over this moment, over having her here like this. He’d allowed her this amount of control, and he was well aware that he could withdraw it from her at any second and take the upper hand by force – only, he didn’t want to. He only allowed a breathy ‘yes’ to leave his lips in response.

Five wanted to feel small, powerless, and used. He craved the feeling of relinquishing that detrimentally heavy, demanding boulder of expectational control he carried over every situation. He longed for someone else to take the weight off his shoulders and allow him a moment to breathe, to offer him instruction as opposed to the time-crunched hell of anxiety ridden, self-imposed insistence of his own expectations.

She offered him exactly that, and he accepted her help.

The heaviness of Five’s balls and the overwhelming burn in his cock were familiar signs of an imminent and unstoppable release of his pent up whatever-the -fuck was going on inside him. He felt the need to alert her so she could move back a little. His instincts were crying out at him to shower her in his cum, to mark her as his, dishevel her good image and disgrace her reputation…he wanted to…but he wanted to listen more.

Pulling himself together for only a millisecond, Five managed to bid his vocal cords and tongue to move and voice his upcoming explosion, hoping and praying to any and all deities that she wouldn’t tell him to stop.

“Close-”

“Okay, Five. Listen carefully. Make yourself feel good, I want to see you come fully undone. Don’t rush it, just spill for me, relax.”

He did as she asked, even if it was plain old torture to do so – and it was. He’d usually have cum four times by now if it were up to him, dragging it out felt hellish. Regardless, he followed her instructions. He focused his attention more towards his tip and began to neglect his length, knowing he felt a torturous relief around the sensitivity of his glans. Swirling his fist over his tip sent him reeling and the protruding muscles and veins in his neck pushed against the cage of his top button and tie, collaring him in his own dresswear.

Feeling himself twitch in his hand, Five met her gaze again and felt himself inhale sharply, his mouth dropping agape. He put himself on display for her, leaning into the imagery of being her x-rated programme.

Her tongue slightly darted over her painted lips before she bit down on the lower one, leaning forward to hover just over and between Five’s manspread knees, her eyes locked on his as her elbows pushed her cleavage together…which he could now catch out of the corner of his eye…oh fuck…when had she undone that button?

Five came hard, shooting into the air as his body convulsed and his highly-strung nerves finally snapped. He felt reams of cum release from his rigid prison, landing on his belly and abdomen. One splodge of his incriminating evidence landed on the leather of her chair, damning it along with him as the debauched stage for his tragic undoing.

His hand didn’t stop as he came, he made himself feel good as she’d said. He pushed and pushed his pleasure until whiny gasps and pathetic whimpers fell from his lips, pleasure on the edge of pain, his ears filling with water as his eyes followed suit. That’s when she stopped him, her hand reaching over his just before he inflicted any of that pain onto himself.

“Don’t hurt yourself.” She whispered over to him empathetically.

He deserved it though…he deserved to feel hurt. It was the price of pleasure; pain. He felt so good only a moment ago, better than he had felt in years and she was telling him that there was to be no retribution for that. Five didn’t understand what she was getting at as he finally hid his eyes from her and allowed his salty tears to spill down his flushed cheeks.

She engulfed him, leaping forwards, covering him in care and blanketing him with a welcoming hug as he cried. She let him hide himself in her shoulder and bury himself into the fabric of one, very sexually confusing, blouse. The once sensual item now providing him an oasis to drown his sorrows into. The duality of her sent Five reeling once again, lost inside his head.

She didn’t stop him though, never hurried him through it, never forcing him to regain his composure. She just held him there. Entirely unstartled when Five’s pathetic, half-hearted and scared swatting turned into grasping at her for dear life. She was immovable. There. He clung to her, finally accepting a reality that was tangible.

 “It’s okay, I’ve got you…” she began as she traced her fingers under his tie to loosen it along with his damned top button, the air returning to his lungs was something Five was familiar with around her by now – but this felt different, “I’ve got you, Five. You did so well. I just don’t want to see you hurt, okay? I’m not angry with you.”

She wasn’t angry with him. She didn’t hate him. All this and she still didn’t hate him? Five had absolutely no clue what to do other than steer into her skid. He felt himself lean into her more as his heaving began to slow and his tears dried. She ensured not to let go first, holding him for as long as he needed to be held. Her heartbeat setting the pace for his own. A tuning fork for the petulant ringing in his ears.

Five’s senses did eventually come back to him; only through the warm embrace of her words and gentle affirmations of pride and care. Five relished in her feeling, feeling wholly undeserving of whatever she was treating him with. She had no idea what she was in for when it came to him, none. Clearly, he wasn’t her regular kind of client. She needed to run fast and run far – away from the hellscape of his emotional range and subsequent lack of growth. Yet, her insolent and arrogant self only stayed at his side, stubborn and boarish – thinking she knew best. She needed a reality check.

Five managed to pry his face from her shoulder once he regained control of his breathing, avoiding her eyes altogether, turning his face in any other direction than her. She wasn’t offput by this, following his movements ever so slightly and insisting she remained in his space. After all, he still hadn’t let go.

“I’m sorry, I should really go…”

“It’s okay to stay, Five. Do you really want to leave?”

“No, yes - hell if I know what I want! It’s not right, I’m not right!”

Five’s snappy words and harsher demeanour still hadn’t put her off; neither of their hands moved to let the other go, his fearmongering tactics weren’t working…

“I dispute those statements but I’ll put a pin in them for now,” she sighed, swiping Five’s hair from his eyes once again, finally meeting his gaze once more, “I’ll make this simpler for you. If you’d like to leave, forget this ever happened, and transfer to a new therapist the same second you step out of this office – let me go. If not, don’t. There’s no expectation of you either way.”

Five remained still. He’d heard her, and he remained still.

“Staying here?”

“If that’s okay?”

She didn’t reply immediately, she just pulled him back into her embrace and allowed him to breathe in her perfume. Once intoxicating and suffocating – now welcoming and as necessary to him as oxygen.

“Of course that’s okay.” She whispered.

It wasn’t long before her laptop pinged over in the corner, it was an alarm of some sort, a notification perhaps. Five didn’t care what it was but he was truly hurt to know that it meant their time together today was over. Her lunch break had nearly ended and he needed to fit himself back into his trousers before making himself scarce.

She assured him that he didn’t need to feel ashamed about what had happened here today. She even helped him back into his clothes, repositioning his tie, leaving it a touch looser than before. Before Five stood, she made her way over to her desk and wrote something down on a blank notecard, slipping it into Five’s blazer pocket.

“Just in case.”

After a final check over Five’s appearance, she unlocked and opened the door for him to leave, though still not forcing him out the door. They would continue their normal appointments, and now Five could see her on her lunch break – he was content with those facts. He stepped over the threshold with a grateful glance over at her, thanking her wordlessly for the time she’d allowed him today. She smiled back and watched as he turned the corridor corner on his way back to the lifts.

He didn’t have to hide in stairwells now.

She had fed the stray, knowing he’d be back for more.

As Five stepped away, he noticed that he felt content enough to step into the lift alone this time. He didn’t feel that same anxiety-fuelled suffocation that he usually did. As he descended the floors back to the foyer, he couldn’t help but notice his own ease. Only a few minutes ago he was having a nervous breakdown with someone he’d essentially committed a crime against…and she’d comforted him…and it worked.

Stepping outside of the main building and getting some fresh air gave Five a moment of contemplation. The hustle and bustle of life wasn’t irritating him as much as usual – his usually boiling blood cooling down to a gentle simmer. This was comfort; relaxation.

The realisation of this comfort didn’t fill Five with as much dread as he initially considered that it might, though it did rush his veins full of a mild enough confusion that he began to bite a little at his nails and pick at his hangnails for the remainder of his shift. He felt utterly weirded out that he was still experiencing her comfort, even though the event of his emotional plunge had ended. He couldn’t even smell her, but he could feel her energy, like a warm-weighted blanket given to traumatised rescue animals in shelters.

The thought of being her rescue didn’t scare Five…

…it enlightened him.

It gave him the strength to finish his shift instead of bolting. She’d unlocked his tenacity, his resilience that was so downtrodden after yet another timeline reset, she brought the shine back to his shaggy (and somewhat ill maintained) coat.

The end of the day unfortunately brought Five’s usual nerves back to him after dealing with his other colleagues and filing his report on the case he’d almost forgotten about, he was left all alone with his thoughts – knowing her work day was soon to be over and she was soon to be no longer around. He deemed it too much of an imposition to follow her around again after she’d shown him so much kindness, so he just watched the clock on his office wall as the final few minutes of her day concluded.

He imagined himself waiting downstairs for her, clocking their ID’s out together, and walking the same way home…but he didn’t quite recognise the direction. It wasn’t to his place, or to hers, they were heading somewhere new.

Only, they weren’t, because Five was stuck sulking in his office because his pathetically short social battery had already run out despite having been completely charged at lunch. He began to recall their entire interaction today: how she’d caught him, teased him, encouraged him, and then held him through one of the worst emotional dips he’d ever experienced…and how she’d slipped a note into his blazer pocket!

Thank fuck.

Five wasted no time in pulling the note from his inside pocket, reading the writing on the embossed card.

It was her address, and at the bottom she’d written ‘just in case’.

Five’s jaw went slightly slack as he began to finally realise the depth of her infuriating cleverness. This little notecard gave Five coordinates to set as his centre. A safehaven. A place of sanctuary…and, best of all, it gave him the opportunity to use this at his discretion. Perhaps she wasn’t such of a control freak after all…

His own sense of self control began to return to him as Five decided not to act on this card tonight. The door was unlocked and open for him, though he didn’t need to step through it just yet. He wouldn’t force himself into her space and hand himself over just like that. No, he thought it best to see her more first, to get comfortable with her scheduled absence. So he did.

He went home alone that night, contented. He had a shower, had a small meal with whatever the hell hanging around his kitchen cupboards, and finally managed to steal more than two hours of uninterrupted sleep for the first time in what felt like centuries.

Five visited her office every week as scheduled for their appointments, where in which they had their standoffish (and mostly redundant) admin-bound check in with one another to prove Five’s sanity after collecting their coffees from the foyer café and sharing a lift ride for seven anticipatory floors.

Though…

…the two met in her office each lunch-break…five days a week…for something much more therapeutic than one measly and mandatory hour a week.

Five was at her mercy like this, and that freed him. He valued the way she kept him in line and handled the heavy shit with him as opposed to for him. In this hour, they were equals, a willed push and pull keeping them both fluid and open to one another.

She would handle his avoidant issues with healthy attachment and correct his temper with an edged discipline that only servicemen truly recognise. She gave him release in every way – only, she wouldn’t touch him, and it was driving him insane.

She would rile him up and open his heart (and his pants) just to talk him through it each time, only touching him when his high hormones fell into despair and shame. She was surely reinforcing that her touch was one of aid and not one of torture, though Five began to fear that this very curved thought was coming full circle.

One Friday lunchtime held the catalyst. Their routine was set and Five was in her chair again, their Monday positions paralleled. Five was no less the subject, even if he was sat in her physical position of command. It buzzed his senses to realise that her control was not bound in the leather of that chair, not held together by the meticulous stitching, seemingly allowing for multiple stages to be presented all at once. The duality of a mundane leather chair, the chair they shared, the chair she utilised quickly evolved into the duality of her. 

Five was sat where she usually berates him, trousers round his ankles, shirt open all save for his top button and tie, hand on his cock, praises ringing in his ears as he meets her demands – the usual. His uniquely prescribed kinaesthetic therapy, doctors’ orders. She had her rescue dog working for her once again, earning his keep. Collared and panting. Jumping and humping for treats. Performing tricks. Earning praise.

“Aren’t you just so well behaved today? Making me so proud.”

Five hadn’t neglected to notice that she had increased her praise and affections as time went on and their lunchtime encounters became more relaxed, more reliable. It was clear that she’d grown truly fond of him and not only in his state of undress and dishevelment…she smiled at him in passing, saved space for him in the lift, backed him up in meetings with his superiors. She liked him.

The shock and abject horror of a knock at her locked office door punched the air out of Five’s lungs once again…in the worst way possible…after he’d only just re-learned how to breathe freely. Five felt terror run through him and seize his muscles. His eyes wide and his heaving manic, he searched between the door and her for answers – for what to do. Their safe space had been disturbed and was soon to be invaded if she unlocked the door.

She reached for him.

She actually touched him.

Cupping his face in one hand, pulling his hand away from his dick gently with the other, leaning her forehead against his. Care. Though, it wasn’t enough; just as her comfort had began to blanket him once again, another ripping knock reverberated in his ears – drying up her honey. Five was spiralling. No help in sight with the consistent onslaught of whoever the hell decided to ruin his one place of true solace.

“Let me handle it, stay put for me,”  she began, lifting his trousers for him, urging him to get the point, “I’m not leaving you, I’m still here.” Were the words she uttered before standing straight again and telling the dickhead on the opposite side of the door that this was her lunch break and if they needed her, they were to wait another twenty-six minutes for her to become available, no sooner. Ending her rant with a harsh ‘get lost’.

Five appreciated her defending this space as she did, he could hear the arsehole feign an apology and retreat away from the door, leaving what they presumed to be just her in peace as she ate her lunch. However, the damage had already been done, and it felt irreparable.

Buckling himself back in and doing his buttons back up, Five insisted that he had to go. He had to leave. Had to bolt.  Even though their threshold was never crossed, it came all too close to being discovered. He knew all too well that the best things never last long if they’re discovered; they get raped of their exclusivity and safety. This space was still theirs but, this was too close of a call for Five to ignore. If she’d have been caught seducing one of her clients, her life would be ruined. She was too young for that, too kind. He couldn’t allow that to happen, especially not because of him. So he straightened himself up, and ran.

He ran straight home, trapping himself in. Caging himself inside. A useless mutt like him belonged in isolation, deserved to run away and die hungry – after all, that was the story of his life. He slumped against the back of his locked door, hoping as though somehow it may absorb him and make his existence redundant. He didn’t make it more than two hours into this obscene self-isolation before he heard a light knock above his head. One notably much softer than the one he’d been shot with earlier.

He never cared to make friends with neighbours so this came as a surprise, though all became clear when honey began to seep through the cracks in the varnished wood, seeping past the lock and key, straight back into his ears – drowning out his fears.

“Five? It’s me, I know you’re there…” she waited for him to respond, but Five couldn’t mutter a sound for fear she’d stop speaking, “You don’t have to let me in, I just came to check on you.”

Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuckshitfuck.

She’d come to check on him…come to his rescue…to bring him out of this…and she meant it.

Five felt the door shift as she slid down the other side of it, the two of them now back to back kept apart by a cheap wooden door – a threshold. She wasn’t pressing him for answers, but she must have known he was listening to her; she just spoke to him and shared the boundary, shared the space. She spoke about how sorry she was that she got him into this and that she put him in that position. She explained that she’d have been with him earlier but she had to find his address, along with signing him out for a ‘medical day’ as not to get him in trouble with the higher up’s. She’d done her best by him, done as much damage control as humanly possible…and now she was here, apologising for having upset him and telling him that he never had to speak to her again if he didn’t want to.

He must have spent half an hour listening to her. Not replying. Just listening. Bathing in her. Accepting her presence. Controlling his anger over her sorrow. She was not at fault for him feeling this way or isolating; he was terrible for her and she deserved someone much less complicated to deal with. His fists tightened as she apologised, wondering if his larynx might actually permit him to oppose her…it didn’t.

He sat there, in cowardice, letting her take the blame for doing everything perfectly and handling this with such grace.  She couldn’t have done anything more for him, and yet here she was, doing just that.

His world shattered when she slid a piece of paper through the letterbox, asking him if he would read it and telling him that if he signed it and passed it back through, she’d submit it and he’d never have to see her at work again. She’d given him the option of a transfer. She’d given him the option of losing her forever. The worst thing was, she was going to handle it for him if he agreed; her final act ever concerning him would be one of care and service…for his comfort.

He didn’t sign the form.

She didn’t seem to mind though, his lack of response was something she was very well acquainted with. She knew what that meant…or he hoped she did.

“Okay, well, you know where to find me if you need me.”

‘just in case’

She moved a moment later,  her weight lifting off the back of the door as she stood, shaking Five’s foundations yet again. Untethered. Lost. Unbalanced. He listened as her kitten heels made small clicks against the floor of the hallway outside, grateful that he could still hear them. He dreaded them fading into silence as she took herself home.

Five couldn’t stand as she did, only feeling himself reach to grasp the door handle from where he was sat, forgetting that he’d locked the bastard thing behind him when he returned home. Defeated, he sat there wallowing in his own agony as he did hear those kitten clicks drift away…ticking like seconds, a countdown to his demise.

He let himself feel it, let himself taste the despair and revel in the separation, allowing her to fade into a nothingness. He didn’t manage to stop her leaving. He wouldn’t have wanted to influence that decision for her. Though, he was outwardly reaching for her and that was something he just couldn’t give up.

So, he got up.

He willed his legs to lift themselves, forced his knees to shift his weight as he demanded that his spine hold him upright. He stood facing the door, hand on the lock, for what felt like an eternity and yet no time at all. His blood had almost stopped in his veins and he was on the verge of cardiac arrest when he felt a tear drop down his face…and he unlocked the door, springing after her.

Five had never resembled newborn Bambi as much in his entire life totalled together as he did in that moment, if he were to play the moment back he’s sure he’d be humbled by his comedic scrambling and falling over his own feet. All the moment called for was for him to trip and fall flat on his face before reaching the lift, though he did manage to save himself that particular embarrassment.

His eyes burned and his throat tightened as his body fought through cries to push him forward, converting his all-encompassing angst into pure, forward-moving, kinaesthetic energy. He’s only ever felt this type of need to move once before…and that was back in the barn. Only, now he couldn’t blink. He was at the mercy of his own humanity. This desperation felt the same on his nerves as he loathed his frazzled endings into reforming themselves into some semblance of working team.

The lift didn’t arrive quickly enough; she’d taken it down. Five decided that the stairs were the better option, thinking perhaps he could intercept her on her way out of his shitty apartment complex. He couldn’t move quick enough, the lack of powers spiting him increasingly as the detrimental moments slipped past him. Practically falling down the stairs, Five reached the outer door of the complex realising that he’d just missed her. Following her outside, he knew which way she’d be headed. He knew her route home from here, two underground trains and a short walk. He had time to gain on her.

Or, he thought he did.

Rushes of people began to slow him down, traffic lights and crossings adding to his infuriation with the human race and their stifling urban jungles. He missed her by a hair at every step, seeing her board a train that drove off just before he could reach the doors, shouting after her despite knowing she couldn’t hear him from that distance. There were no alternate routes to get to her connecting train…Five needed a new idea. He reached inside his blazer pocket – ‘just in case’ had finally come.

Committing the address to memory, Five raced back outside of the station and got into a cab, angrily barking at the driver to take him straight there. This plan went swimmingly until they got caught in some sort of emergency pile up, the traffic went back miles. Oh, how the emergencies of others inconvenienced his own…could they really not have done this on a different day?

Throwing some screwed up notes at the driver, Five ran back on himself before realising how close to her address he actually was. He could probably beat her there at this rate. Pulling himself together once again, Five ran his little cantankerous heart out. His dried up tears causing his skin to feel tight against the air pushing past him. He was only a few moments away from her, she flashed in his brain with every step he took. Her stupid hair clip, her ridiculous shoes, her annoying perfume…her sickly, honey-like voice. He wanted those things for himself, and it’s well known that when Five Hargreeves wants something, he’s going to get it. No two ways about it.

He reached her door with adrenaline clouding his judgement. This was such a stupid thing to be doing. She’s not his…but oh, was he hers. Her neighbourhood was nicer than his, she lived in an apartment the same as him, but she was much more distinguished with her upstairs flat in a converted townhouse as opposed to his cheap-arse, dingy, murder complex that he gets on the cheap.

He saw her light turn on upstairs, likely her living room light. She’d just got back. Five didn’t know what to do other than knock on the outside door hoping that her downstairs neighbour might let him in. No one answered. He grabbed pebbles from her neighbours gravel garden, pelting them against her window with the force of an Olympic javelin competitor, cracking the upper corner in the process.

It worked, she answered.

Opening the window he’d just cracked, she looked around steaming with an irritation Five hadn’t yet seen from her.

“Five?! What the hell? I have a doorbell, you know!”

Oh yeah, doorbell.

Dickhead.

“I have to talk to you!”

“Yeah, I gathered that! Hang on-”

Five waited patiently as she came down the stairs and unlocked the outer door for him to enter through, his irritation matched hers as she seemingly took years to make her way down. He blatantly ignored the irony of his initial rush and her then apparent laziness. Eventually, she opened the door, stepping aside a little to let him in – as if her being stood there would have stopped him from entering, which it most certainly would not have done.

He ascended the stairs without even sparing her a glance, adjusting his hair on the walk up to her flat, huffing ever so kindly about her under his breath. He didn’t even wait for her to enter her flat first, he just barged in and stood in the entryway waiting for her to get her frustratingly alluring behind inside. She followed him tentatively, likely wondering if he was going to break something else if she eased her attention on him for even a second. Her eyes never held condescension or belittlement over him though, she looked at him with the same care as she always had, even in their most deliciously deviant moments – that care never seemed to change…and, it was absolutely not a look one would bestow upon a client of theirs.

He had her, hook, line, and sinker…

…but she had him first.

Five closed her door gently behind her as she stepped into the flat. His energy dissipating with every passing second. His outrageous attitude for himself was the only thing keeping him upright; he could have just fallen into her when he laid eyes on her again, had her hold him as he fell into something other than complete despair for once. He wasn’t entirely sure what being held would feel like, but he yearned for it nonetheless.

“What was it you wanted to tell me, Five?”

Running his hand through his sweaty hair, Five had apparently lost all semblance of sentence structures and phonemes because he couldn’t utter a single word in response. What did he want to say to her? He couldn’t remember. Her comfort was already consuming him – his previous panic-fuelled marathon closing off behind him. That’s how he remembered, he couldn’t be away from her. That’s what he wanted to say.

“Why did you give me this form?”

“I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable with me around work. I felt it easier to just give you a quiet exit if that’s what you wanted-”

“-It’s not what I want. Ever. Never be under that impression.”

“Oh, okay,” She smiled, “that could have been an email, you didn’t come all the way here for that did you?”

Fuck her.

Five scoffed and stepped further into her space, she didn’t back away though. She didn’t for a single second let him intimidate her away, or let his attitude consume her. She held her ground, firm but fair. He held the letter up slightly, gesturing to it.

“This,” he said as he wafted it closer to her, “is an abomination and a disgrace.”

“Mhm, seems so.”

“You do not speak for me, this form is an insult.”

“So much for the gentle approach, huh?” she smirked, matching his energy now, getting into his space, “You don’t have to sign it.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t be signing shit-paper.”

“It would appear not.”

“Why did you post this personally?”

“Duty of care, personal touch.”

“Surely even you aren’t blind to the irony of what you just said.”

“Well, Mr Hargreeves, it’s not my fault that you’re afraid of your own feelings. Far be it for me to leave you in pain.”

“I am not an injured bird, and for the last time, don’t call me that.”

“Sorry, did I hit a nerve, Bitch Boy? I never said you were.”

Five was losing it with this back and forth they had going on. He could feel his own tension build and his jaw clench with every irritating answer she gave him. ‘duty’, what utter horseshit. She knew it, and now – so did he.

“Y’know, it’s highly inappropriate for you to be here, especially in this state. You must have come with intention. Spill it.”

 “You already know.”

“Don’t just assume that. You doubt my intelligence daily – you’re doing it now. Spell it out for me won’t you? I’ll get my notebook.”

Five snapped, his tense patience pulled too tight and breaking clean in two. He closed the gap between them and kissed her, harsh. Though, he regretted his rough approach immediately; she was so gentle with him regardless of her words or his temper. She took all his brash energy and converted it into something so much softer. She absorbed him entirely.

Five struggled with where to put his hands, but luckily she was one step ahead of him, as she traced one hand through his hair, she took back that ridiculous form with the other, throwing it somewhere to the side of them both. She then led both his hands to her waist, allowing him to take hold of her as she had him.

Five had found gravity.

He soared and yet had such a strong tether that he felt comfortable in this new experience. This was nothing like he’d imagined it to be or like he’d experienced with Delores in the past. This was real. She was real…

…and she wanted him.

She led their kiss as Five’s frustration melted away under her touch. He was drinking her in as she gained entrance into his mouth, clashing their tongues together. He pulled her impossibly closer to him, begging silently for her to flush with him, become one. She complied and let her hands trace back up over his arms, over his shoulders, and under his blazer. Leaning back, she let Five catch his breath, asking one simple question in a tone no louder than a whisper:

“Are you sure?”

“God, yes,” he replied instantly, “take me.”

Without another word, she engulfed him again, tongues resuming as small whines of pleasure left Five’s throat. She pushed his blazer off his shoulders, freeing him from his first layer. Five was too focused on the magic happening inside his mouth (and his boxers) to pay attention to the layers he was losing. Before he knew it, she had his shirt undone and his tie loosened around his neck.

Something must have clicked in her brain that the entryway of her flat wasn’t the best place to do this because she led him with kisses all the way to her bedroom, careful not to trip on his discarded clothes en route. Five was only vaguely aware of the change of scenery until the edge of her plush bed met the back of his knees.  He wanted to fall on it and pull her down with him, directly on top of him, but she held his hips in place.

“Hang on, pretty boy, I want you to be comfortable,”  she said as she moved away from him to set up pillows against her headboard and ensured her sheets were straight, “lay back for me.”

Five did as he was asked, falling back onto her mattress with a ‘duf’, the only things keeping him awake now being the raging boner in his pants and his crippling desire not to miss a second of this. She leaned over him slightly as she began to undo his laces and remove his shoes, socks were next. She placed them both by the side of her bed. She looked him dead in the eye before unbuckling his belt, waiting for him to give her a slight nod, a confirmation of his ongoing want. He did just that, but it accompanied a whoreish whine and him gripping the sheets underneath him.

“Both, take them both off-”

“Okay, if you’re sure?”

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my entire life, it fucking hurts.”

He wasn’t lying either; when she got his pants and boxers down after lifting his hips for him, she was faced with his cock. Rock hard, solid, leaky, and painfully red. He dripped precum onto his abdomen as he waited for her to faff around with whatever the hell she was doing. Probably folding his trousers knowing her. Regardless of how long she took, Five couldn’t rip his eyes open. He just laid there in growing anticipation, willing himself not to cum untouched.

When she came back to him, she crawled over him, Five’s hands finding their place once again on her hips…that were now bare save for her underwear. He inhaled and sighed out as he traced his hands up her waist, finding her skin smoother than he thought it would be. If ever there was any supporting evidence for the argument that she wasn’t a dragon or poisonous snake – this was it; her skin was too silky to have scales.

She didn’t stop him as he continued tracing his hands up her body, taking his bottom lip between his teeth and he felt her straddled him and let him find his way to her bra. That ripped his eyes open, causing him to let out a slightly startled moan at what he saw, finding her to be more gorgeous than that ridiculous blouse could ever do justice for.

Her cleavage sat pretty in her bra, and her necklaces hung off her in such a way it nearly hypnotised him. Hell, he knew she was hot but he didn’t quite grasp how hot. He looked at her from under his lashes and she nodded and allowed him to palm her over the cups of her work-bra. Five must have pulled his confidence out of his arsehole because after he’d had a good grope of her over the top of the offending article, he shimmied his hands underneath the wires and took her tits in hand fully, neglecting the sting of the unforgiving underwired scraping against his hands.

“Here,” she said, reaching behind herself to unclasp the wretched torture-device and let it fall off her shoulders – though, in this moment, it was only torturing Five, “better?”

Five didn’t answer, he couldn’t. He was utterly beholden to touching her. He felt the weight of each breast in his hand, massaging them as he felt his stresses melt away. His mouth watered at the sight of her nipples. At first, he’d only caught a quick glance, but that led him to looking at them completely. A small, almost inaudible, giggle caught his attention as he realised he’d been subconsciously sticking his tongue further and further out the longer he stared at her chest.

Embarrassed, Five put his puppy-like tongue away and got too far into his head about acting like a small abandoned little mutt as opposed to the wolf he’d convinced himself she’d trapped in the first instance. She was soon to show him that all dogs could be domesticated with just a little encouragement.

“Go ahead,” she spoke gently, “no need to be shy, pretty boy.”

“Ohhhhmmmmmh-” Five moaned as he leant slightly forwards to take her left tit into his mouth, gliding his tongue across her nipple, relishing in her small sigh of relief at the contact.

Five swirled his tongue and sucked at her as if she were his very life essence. His own whines adding to the heat of the moment. He couldn’t stop the small moans of pleasure from escaping him and vibrating onto her as he latched further and further onto her, reluctant to let go, spit dribbling down his chin. She held the back of his head as he sucked and slightly nipped at her, moving his messed up bangs from his eyes as she combed her hands through his hair yet again.

Five didn’t even try to hide his pleasure, he felt his hips rut up as he tried desperately to drink her in. The warm air of her flat was ironically more unforgiving than that of his unheated one; it allowed his treacherous cock to get comfortable and prepare to offload – dangerous territory when you’re in bed with someone for the first time, especially when you’ve been pining for them for weeks.

Unfortunately his hips were met with nothing, he wasn’t given the opportunity to end this quicker than he wanted. He was rutting into air and that just wouldn’t cut it, not how he’d felt her. She was magnetising, she had him in clutch, ready to fling himself over the edge at the word go. Five craved this moment, and now he had it, and it was flooding his senses.

“Give me your hand, baby.”

He did as he was told without leaving her tit, he let her take his left hand in her right and lead him down to the hemline of her panties. She let him feel around and pull at handfuls of her arsecheeks. Five was bewildered at how firm she was, how perfectly shaped, how she fit his palms so well. He was getting impossibly harder and started to make a leaky mess all over his belly. He hadn’t cum yet, but he felt like he’d been edging himself for hours already. Only, he was at her disposal. She’d been edging him without even realising it.

She helped Five gather himself enough to hook his fingers under the band of her panies, pulling them about halfway down her arse before meeting the resistance of her open hips. She gently tapped Five’s head to have him release her tit from his warm mouth, a line of saliva lewdly connecting them both. He whined at the lack of contact as he fell back against the mattress and headboard, watching under lidded eyes as she lifted her weight fully onto her knees to remove her panties fully, a similar string of wetness following the telling wet spot on the fabric between her legs as it is removed from her cunt.

Five’s mouth was watering again. Oh, how badly he wanted for that slick to run down his chin, to coat his tongue and throat, to settle his dangerously anxious stomach. Though, she seemed to have other ideas as she took his left hand once again, letting him touch her, feel her wetness as he explores her folds.

Five all but combusted when he feels her slick beneath his fingers. His moan was loud this time, airy and desperate as his law slacked and his eyes fought not to roll into the back of his head. He followed her as she showed directed him wordlessly to her clit, rubbing in slow strokes and small, firm circles as she ground down onto his hand.

“Just like that, good boy.”

Her praise rang in his ears and he wanted nothing more than to have her spill that same sentence time and time again as she released more of this sweetness onto his hand. He lost himself in the movement as he watched her, she threw her head back and kneeled straight above him, entirely on display.

A goddess made flesh.

The next thing she did was straight out of some cheesy porno; she took her hairclip out and let her hair down, cascading down her like the waves of pleasure flowing through the both of them. What on earth had Five done in his life to deserve this honour?

She began to grind harder and harder against Five’s hand, forcing his long strokes on the outside of her pussy to go further and further to where Five’s limited theoretical sexual education told him her entrance would be. Did she want him in there?

“Inside, baby. Put them inside.”

She stilled so that he could position his hand as to access her hold without hurting her or adding to the potential of a hand cramp. Five tentatively felt around her hole with nervous fingers, her hand returned to offer him support as he began to push his middle finger inside her, seating it entirely as she clamped and clenched onto him – swallowing him. She’s the wolf.

“You’re doing so good, Five. Add another.” she breathed out, her eyes locking onto his as he carefully collected enough of her wetness on his fingers to enter into her smoothly.

She was truly all encompassing. She was so hot inside, scoldingly so.  Her walls were tight and responsive to every little movement Five made. Thanking his lucky stars, Five let out a sigh of relief when she began to fuck herself onto his hand in tune with the small movements he could muster up. She found her own rhythm and Five followed sit, matching it perfectly. The constant thrusting of his fingers inside him had a ghostly feeling mirror the same thing on his cock. It longed to be inside her and now was emulating the feeling of thrusting up into her. She was mind fucking him, with little mercy, in all respects.

“Please-” Five uttered, voice outrageously hoarse, “Pleasepleaseplease-”

“Please what, baby?”

“Take me…”

She lifted her hips off his hand, removing him from her wetness. Five wondered if he’d upset her by trying to hurry her along, though he was quickly pulled from this thinking when he felt her grasp his cock in hand, giving him a few teasing strokes before aiming his tip at her folds. Gathering slick along his length. Coating him. Preparing him. She leaned over him as he prodded at her entrance, kissing him softly as she began to seat herself along on his cock. Five broke their kiss to moan into her mouth, overwhelmed by the feeling of being enveloped by her warmth.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhfffffffffffuuuuuuuckkkkk”

Once seated and comfortable, she kept him there, still. Clenching. Tightening. Milking him. Five was a mess beneath her as the two shared air and saliva. He squirmed and writhed in pleasure, his senses alight. He had all of about a second of caught breath before she rocked her hips against him. His hands firmly planted on them, feigning themselves as guides, moreso just hanging on for the ride.

“Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck! Please please please- so good, so wet-”

“Mhm, you feel so good, baby. Feeling good?”

“Too good- am gonna-!”

How humiliating. All of thirty seconds inside her and he was already about to bust. She wasn’t helping him though; she didn’t stop her hips, she just kept going – letting him lose himself. Enabling it. Encouraging it. Catching his eyes again, she held his face as she gave him four very sacred words of permission.

“Let go for me.”

Five couldn’t stop his body, he couldn’t halt the pouring of cum as he spilled himself into her. His moans bordered on screams and fell silent in a deafened scream of pure pleasure. His hips finally sprung to life as he fucked his milky ropes further up into her sopping cunt. Mixing fluid. He came so much he felt it leak down his length and pool on his pelvis. He committed everything he could to memory before he lost his brain servers. The way she looked, the way she smelled, the way she tasted…the way she felt.

It all became too much for him and he all but passed out from the lightning shocking it’s way through his system. He wrapped his arms around her back, pulled her flush to him once again, and his face in her neck as he rode out his high, finding her to be the only thin tying him to reality.

She was so kind to him through it, too. She praised him to no end. Calling him her good boy, saying he was doing such a good job, making her feel so good, filling her up so well. It was in that moment that Five’s lack of brain servers actually gave him some enlightening clarity: she was no wolf, no hunter – she was a sanctuary.

She didn’t even rush him as he came down from his climax. No mention of disappointment in his embarrassingly early finish. Nothing. Only careful kisses and praise. Comfort.

Love.

Five was receiving love.

And he didn’t feel guilty about it.

Fuck.

Talk about bombshell.

She held him close until he caught his breath and his heart rate slowed. He moved his head back from her shoulders to reveal a tearstained face that he hadn’t even noticed was stinging until the air hit. He was crying…not because he was sad – but because he’d finally felt love.

She kissed away his tears and brushed his hair through for him once again, tracing his skin with love and covering him in an unwavering devotion. One that he didn’t feel he’d ever earned and yet would continue to lap up until his dying breath.  

“You did so well.”

“-m’sorry.” Five forced out, falling out of his headspace fast, worrying she’d hate him for his lack of reciprocation in her pleasure, “m’ so sorry, I didn’t mean to…so quickly…”

“Shhhh, baby. You did nothing wrong. I’m so pleased with you.”

Nothing else was said, but she held him increasingly close as he let tears fall onto her skin. She didn’t rush him, she just held him, keeping him safe and warm whilst he slowly softened inside her.

An indeterminable amount of time passed as Five let himself be comforted. He sat inside her as she kept him there. The intimacy grounding him, chasing away any lingering sense of insecurity or imbalance. Five had little idea what this meant for him, for them; they’d clearly crossed their professional boundaries and this wasn’t something he was likely to forget, nor did he want to forget it. It was clear to Five that, if he were to keep her, he’d have to surrender – in every aspect.

Willingly.

He was now no longer her willing victim but her willing counterpart.

Feeling her shift on top of him, Five wondered if she’d begun to regret this turn of events – hoping and praying that she wouldn’t evict him from the empathetic embrace (which closely resembled the benefits of a weighted blanket) they had tangled themselves in. To his comfort, he found that she was shifting in effort to lay down beside him…yet never forcibly removing his cock from inside her.

“Here, baby, let me get next to you.” She said softly as they both turned to the side, still linked together but in a position likely to be much more comfortable for her in the long run.

She had her leg hooked over Five’s hip so that he didn’t have to leave her warmth and though the comforting weight of her on top of him had shifted, he felt equally as comfortable in this new position, finding it easier to lean into her and come down from his rather dramatic emotional highs. He heard her whisper about getting some rest and that she’d still be here when he woke up. Although, it became apparent that he had absolutely no control over his body because as soon as those words left het lips, he was out like a light, not even responding to her.

He couldn’t have slept for too long because it was still dark when he opened his eyes. He was elated to notice that they were still in the same position as when he drifted off; she stuck to her word. She hadn’t left. She was still there.

“Hey,” she spoke gently, feeling Five stretch and shift as his servers came back online, “how’re you feeling?”

How was he feeling?

Rested? Comfortable? Happy for the first time in decades? All of the above.

“M’good. You?”

“Fantastic.” She shot back at him without even a hint of irony in her tone… she meant it.

“How long was I out?”

“Mmm a little over two hours, I think.”

Five simply hummed in response to her, snuggling deeper into her, nuzzling into her neck once again. She started to trace lines up and down his arms and back, letting out small giggles upon finding Five’s ticklish spots. Making constellations with the freckles that trickled down his shoulders and arms. Five could have stayed like this forever, could have stayed here forever – with her, however he’d become acutely aware of how they were still connected. He felt himself twitch inside of her and cursed himself for ruining such a pleasant moment.

To his surprise, she didn’t scold him. She pulled him in closer with her leg and ensured that he’d stay put. Yet, she didn’t seem to give any indication of wanting anything from him either. It appeared she was back to her ridiculous mixed messaging.

Memories of their earlier encounter came flooding back to Five as he hardened inside her. The heat flooding him once again. Visions of her teaching him, guiding him, finishing him came back like a pornographic highlights reel in his head. Oh, he wanted to do that again. To prove that he could last longer than all of a few pumps. To please her. That’s when he remembered the one thing he didn’t get to experience in their last encounter: tasting her.

As his blood began to boil back up and his mind lost more blood, he started kissing and nipping at her neck, neglecting to realise that he was leaving adorable little love bites along the way. He shifted slightly so that he could get at her tits once again, this time paying adequate attention to each one and being gentle with his biting tendencies. He noticed as her breathing quickened and her pussy clenched around him. He just couldn’t stop himself.

“You don’t have to-” she started, having realised his intentions

“-I want to…please- I’ll be good I swear.” He pleaded with her.

“Okay, baby. Go ahead.”

Her permission hit him like a truck and he almost came on command then and there, but he managed to get himself together enough to shift them so she was on her back, and he was kneeling between her legs – still connected. His hands were all over her, less nervous than before. He groped at her, loved up on her, and pleaded with her body as he made the harrowing realisation that he’d have to exit her warm cunt in order to taste it.

Finding that to be a hard but worthwhile decision, Five softly thrusted inside her a few times before leaving, both building the courage for the next event and satisfying his need for friction all at once as he warded off thoughts of remaining there for the rest of eternity.

He trailed wet kisses down her belly and pelvis as he positioned himself between her legs, feeling his dick get trapped between him and the bed, providing that damning friction he craved. Looking up at her, he silently asked for some guidance on how to please her, and he was met with her hands in his hair – reinforcing her love.

Five watched her face closely as he licked one long stripe up her cunt, delighting in how she arched her back and moaned at the contact he gave her, earning a moan from himself in return. He then took to lapping at her folds, tasting every inch of her and leaving nowhere unexplored by his tongue. Her hands tightened in his hair and forced a groan from his throat that he didn’t realise he was holding back. She guided him to where she wanted him most, making her clit the centre point of his devotion. Five latched onto it similarly to how he’d latched onto her tits, suckling like there was no tomorrow, as if his very life force depended on it…

…because it did…

……she tasted too good, he just couldn’t put his finger on what she tasted like – it was addicting.

Her pleasure was now his goal.

She locked her legs behind his neck and kept him in place as she began to grind on his mouth, relishing in the fact that even this couldn’t shut him up; he was arguably being louder than she was. The vibrations of his sweet moans send shockwaves up her spine that Five was proud to be the deliverer of. His own tension built and built inside his abdomen, finding that his hips were grinding on her bed the at the same pace in which she ground down against his tongue.

Five lost count of how many times he came during this.

He got more and more overstimulated with each climax he had, finding it impossible to tear his mouth away from her for even a second to tell her that he was cumming. She must have known; he was erratic.

Her own climax came shortly after this realisation. She kept Five in precisely the same placed, holding him there tightly, grinding down harder and stronger with every slick trace of his tongue against her. Five had no idea how to handle it, he was drowning. The only thing he thought he could do was bring his fingers up to enter her, working two digits immediately inside her, feeling her clamp down on them familiarly as she came undone above him.

“Ohhhh fuck, good boy, good boyyy. Fuck. Doing so well for me - just like that! Oh!”

She rode out her high for what seemed like forever, seemingly overstimulating herself with his mouth as his fingers worked on that soft spot inside her. Five would never admit that he actually lost his breath throughout this, finding this to be the only thing worthy of his wordlessness. Though, one thing was set to throw him over the edge yet again. As she released her hold on him and let him do as he pleased against her cunt, he made the gratifying mistake of removing his fingers and swallowing up the cum from inside her hole, realising that it was mixed cum. His and hers.

He came again, harder than any of the other times; this is what she tasted like...what they tasted like.

Honey and salt.

He must have blacked out from his climax because when he came to, she was fussing over him. Fanning him and checking him over.

“Oh thank- thought I’d lost you for a minute there, fucking hell.”

“Your fault…” he smiled back to her as she pulled him into another loving embrace. He couldn’t get enough of their closeness.  

“I’m sorry I pushed you too far.”

“God no, don’t apologise. That was…everything.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They sat together for a moment, enjoying the calmness of their combined company. Relaxing into each other. Floating on intimacy clouds. Nothing would ruin this moment for them, not even the traffic outside of her window or the chill in the air now that her central heating had automatically clicked off. A comfortable and contented silence set the tone, their breathing setting a melody, their heartbeats keeping them both in tune.

Five realised this is what he must have been after all along – closeness. A devotion so deep for another person that he cared deeply about their experience and their pleasure as opposed to purely his own selfish interests. He longed for love, yearned for connection, sought closeness…even if his methods were a little untoward and unorthodox. He couldn’t let go of this, of her.

He wouldn’t.

“What does this mean?” he whispered to her, fear stricken.

“Well, I think it’s pretty clear that I cant just be your therapist.”

Five wondered what that meant, scared she thought this would be their last encounter. Was this all her saying goodbye? Was she going to leave him? After all this? He locked eyes with her, tears forming along his waterlines as he prepared himself to hear the worst…but he never heard it; she said something rather to the contrary.

“I care about you, more than our boundaries at work will allow for…but I want this to be your choice. I won’t force it on you.”

“Yes.”

“’Yes’ what?”

“I don’t really know what you’re going to ask me but…if you’re asking me if I’ll be yours – whatever that means – then the answer is yes. If you’re asking me to leave you alone or if I want to transfer, then I’m afraid that answer is going to be a resounding no…I just don’t think I’m capable of that.”

“I see,” she began, “well, I was going to ask if you wanted to go on a proper date. Not one that happens to be in my office.”

“Oh…I’d like that.”

“I would too, obviously. Also, we don’t have to tell work right away. I won’t have you transferred, and we can see where this goes because…as far as I’m concerned, you’ve got me, Five Hargreeves.”

They spent the rest of the evening into the next morning talking about the parameters of their new arrangement, which did wonders for Five’s overactive mind. She put every concern he had to bed. Quite literally. Her honeied chirps smoothed over his open emotional wounds and healed his scars. She made their situation quite clear: they liked each other, she was positive about this turn of events, and they’d see where it went…even if they could pretty much see where it was headed already.

If the CIA found out before they declared it, they’d be in heaps of trouble and forced to split at the very least, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were both fired…so they’d keep their, rather unprofessional relationship, to themselves for the time being. They’d disclose it later, but for now – it was theirs…and that’s how they liked it.

link to: Chapter One

link to: Chapter Two

All rights Reserved ©thesilvertheorist 2025

Do not repost - reblogs welcome <3

TAGLIST NOTES - PLEASE READ:

A cherished friend of mine on this platform left a little while back but they asked that i continued their taglist. i hold a lot of love for this friend, i hope that they are doing well, i dedicate this chapter to them - wherever they may be. they asked that i added their taglist onto this post so that their community could get some Five Hargreeves content that they thought you'd all enjoy, and i agreed that i would do my best to honour their legacy and wishes. if you would like to be added/removed, please let me know <3.

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[thesilvertheorist]

I’m not afraid - Carl Grimes

Summary ; After the famous accident which caused Carl to lost his eye, Reader is determined to bring a smile back to her boyfriend's face.

Warning ; mention of death, mention of SA, mention of betrayal, mention of missing eye (?) [let me know if I forgot anything]

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The smile on his face started to vanish the day following the accident. The reason for this was confusing. Perhaps it was because that night a lot of people died. Maybe the way he lost his eye, betrayed by who he thought was his friend. Or because of how close he has been to death.

No matter what the reason was, a mix of all that or something completely different, making your boyfriend smile had become your mission. That’s why you were currently holding a bunch of comics books and sweet food, which you have been hiding for a little while in your room. The knock on his door had been heard 3 minutes ago as you were waiting for him to open the door. 

Eventually, the door opened on a looking tired Carl. His eyes were messy, the bandage covering his now missing eye and the second one looking as if he had just woken up. “..It’s early.”

You smiled at him, showing all the different things you brought him, causing the boy to sigh and allowing you in, a small smile there, like every time you were there. Your feet brought you inside, putting everything down on his messy bed before throwing a few of his clothes in the laundry bag. 

“I got you comics books, chocolate, candies, cookies-” You were stopped by his hand on your shoulder, making you turn around to meet his eye. His hand was warm even though your t-shirt. He was very slightly bent down to be at eyes level, considering the height difference. “And when did you get all of that ?”

A sheepish laugh left you, your hand meeting your neck in a scratch. You knew he wouldn’t like your answer, you had put yourself in danger, but you have always been a bad liar, it wasn’t about to change today. “I..Found them on an expedition.”

And like expected, his only eye widened, his eyebrows met in a frown as the following words came out of him, “alone? You put yourself in danger for that ?”

You shrugged, knowing exactly he would act like that, “But I’m all good, not a single scratch.” Your eyes looked at the items on his bed, “and you were sad, I wanted to make you feel better.”

Immediately, his face relaxed, his expression softening. Gently, his hand still on your shoulder rubbed it, a silent ‘thank you’. “You don’t have to, I’m all good.” but you knew he lied. By the way he wouldn’t look into your eyes, his grip on your shoulder slightly tighter while he was talking. His eyebrows still slightly furrowed and not any smile on his lips.

“But you’re not. Since that night, you’ve been completely distant.” and the boy knew you were right, because he was a choice of his. A part of him was scared you would abandon him ; not everyone wanted to date a cyclops. He sighed, his eye meeting yours for the first time since that night.

‘’I’m scared.’’

Your breath caught as you looked at him, an eyebrow raised. You knew he was insecure, it seemed evident and who wouldn’t be after such an accident ? But him being vulnerable near you hadn’t happened since that time he almost got sexually abused by this creepy old man. 

‘’I’m scared you will think less of me now.’’ Your eyes softened when you heard the following words coming from him. As in on instinct, you took him in your arms. In your eyes, he was the most sweet and handsome boy of Alexandria. He had a heart of gold and was definitely capable of everything for you. 

‘’I could never,’’ your voice was soft, your hand rubbing his back in a soothing mention as the other started playing with his soft hair. ‘’I love you for who you are inside. Sure, I love your pretty face, but your personality is what I’m drawn to. You're always here for me when I need you, and it’s my turn now.’’ 

You then smiled, a smile giggling leaving your lips. ‘’Plus, surviving a bullet on the eye is badass.’’

Just like you, your boyfriend let out a small chuckle. Here, you had succeeded in your mission ; you made him smile. He put a kiss on your lips, the simple movement strong enough to show you how much he loved you and was grateful for you. 

It would take a while for him to be confident again, but you wouldn’t leave his side, clearly more than determined in helping him. You would probably start right now, by showering him with kisses and cuddles.

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[thesilvertheorist]

[thesilvertheorist]

what a baby

somebody asked for dry humping with carl but i accidentally deleted it😭

and of course since i already did a lil blurb on this i fulfilled anons wishes

none of my works are ever proofread!!

this is still very short i’m sorry😔

cw: dry humping, dom!reader, sub!carl, use of ‘mama’ during sex, overstim, mention of subdrop but it doesn’t happen, crying during sex😝

“ah ah ah, p-please,” carl could hardly catch his breath enough to get a word out. your were sat in his lap with nothing between the two of you but your underwear and his boxers. it didn’t help his case that you were wearing his flannel and sheriffs hat, all while leaning close enough for your lips to brush but never kissing him.

carls hands were pulling on your thighs and hips, grasping onto anything he could. his hips jerked up against yours as he pulled on your (his) shirt, trying to get your hips to speed up against his. “cmon mama,” the boy cried, tears burning in his eye, “it’s not enough please.”

you hummed, finger tapping your chin as you feigned thinking about it while your hips sped up. carl gasped, head falling back against the headboard as his hands squeezed your hips tighter. it was easy for him to forget just how much stronger he was than you, as his grip actually did slow you down to a near stop.

the brunette picked his head up, looking down at his hands with a frown as he remembered that the power imbalance was the other way around, you didn’t actually overpower him. you watched as his bottom lip trembled, realizing you had to act fast before he was flung into subdrop.

your hands flew forward, grasping either side of his jaw and tilting his head up to make eye contact. “what do you think your doing? did i tell you to stop?” carls brows furrowed in confusion, “bu-“ he cut himself off with a gasp as your hips began moving suddenly once more.

placing a hand on each shoulder you pushed, forcing carl to lay down as you had your way with him. the boy whimpered, trying but failing to get the words out to tell you he was close. “m-mama,” he tried, chest heaving. “i know baby,” you mumbled, keeping up with your movements as you leaned down to kiss carl, “i know. let go f’me.”

carl cried out as his came, soaking through his boxers and mixing with the wet patch on your underwear. you kept up with your movements as your orgasm washed over you, not stopping until carl was hiccuping from overstimulation. “learn your lesson?”

it took a couple minutes, but once carl found the strength to open his eyes he nodded. “uh huh,” he mumbled, “love you mama.” you smiled, a gentle tone taking over your voice as you dove into the aftercare, “i love you, baby.”