veraarora

[veraarora]

having blood on the face will make anyone hot

[veraarora]

Yeah you could say I’m doing numbers on tumblr. And that numbers? One

[veraarora]

Preview of The Umbrella Academy: Plan B #1 via Alt Press. Out June 11th 2025

[veraarora]

[veraarora]

do you ever feel like you love a character more than their own writers do

[veraarora]

The line I fall for

Previous: Chapter 7

Tw: NSFW

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Chapter 8

The second Axel left me with the guard, I switched. Taking out the knife I’d hidden in my pants, I grabbed one of the guards, sliding the blade across his neck before the other could drag me away.

I buckled away, the second guard grabbing my arms.

They couldn’t kill me — no — and that gave me an advantage.

I threw my head back, slamming it into his face, and as he stumbled, I turned around and drove my knee into his stomach, stabbing him.

With each kill, the madness took over me more and more. My vision sharpened, my senses heightened — predicting every punch, every move.

The alarm echoed through the walls, shrill and blaring. With every passing minute, more and more agents came for me, trying to bring me down.

I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

I picked up the gun from one of the dead agents and charged down the hallway, adrenaline overriding every other thought. My target was clear. I was going for Axel.

But before I could reach his office, a hand grabbed me from the side. Instinctively, I punched the attacker — but they didn’t stumble back. Instead, they yanked me by the hair and slammed my head into the wall.

Pain exploded behind my eyes, but I pushed off the wall, staggering upright.

And there he was.

Axel.

Standing before me.

My breaths were quick, and I had to take a couple of seconds before I could even speak.

“I’m going to fucking kill you.”

He grabbed me by the neck and lifted me slightly, the air slowly draining from my lungs.

“I’d like to see that, Vera. See, the feeling is not mutual — but you’re really not giving me much of a choice here.”

I groaned and slammed my knee into his side. He finally let go, and I didn’t have time to catch my breath. I grabbed the gun and aimed it at him — but before I could fire, he kicked my legs out from under me and pinned me to the ground, his hand closing around my throat.

I choked on the floor, nails clawing at his arms until I managed to roll us over. I straddled him, throwing punch after punch until my fists ached — until his face turned red and bloody and he stopped smiling.

But he wasn’t down. Not even close.

He flipped me back over like it was nothing, and I kicked, scratched, bit — anything. My body moved on instinct, fueled by rage.

“I should’ve killed you years ago,” I spat, tasting blood in my mouth.

“Yeah?” he hissed, wiping blood from his chin. “Maybe I should’ve done that too.”

I managed to grab a knife, but he twisted my wrist and yanked it from my hand. I tried to fight back — tried to move —

But before I knew it, the blade was already in my chest.

Suddenly, something — someone — yanked him off me, but I was too far gone to care. I scrambled to my feet, one hand pressed against the wall for balance, vision spinning.

I squinted through the blur.

Five.

He grabbed his gun and fired — I don’t even know how many times.

Axel dropped.

Five dropped the gun.

And then he was running to me.

My ears were ringing, and the adrenaline still hadn’t left my body. Time around me slowed. I wanted to move, to do something… but I couldn’t, so I just stood there.

His hands were on my face, pulling me toward him.

There was a war inside me. I yanked his hands away.

“You fucking left me here!”

I punched his chest, tears falling freely, but he just stood there, taking it all.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But you have to calm down, Vera — please.”

“Five, I need to—”

That’s when Five noticed it. The blade, lodged at the top of my chest. It wasn’t fully in, but deep enough that the damage could be fatal. I reached for the handle, but Five grabbed my wrist.

“No — Vera — Jesus, don’t pull it out.”

I looked up at him, desperate. Breath shallow. “I have to. I can't breathe like this.”

He hesitated — just for a second — then nodded, his jaw tight.

His fingers curled around the handle, and I braced myself, my eyes locked on his.

“This is gonna hurt,” he muttered.

“I know,” I whispered.

He yanked it out in one clean motion, and I screamed — loud, raw, burning. My vision went white.

Blood poured from the wound, and I felt my knees give. He caught me before I hit the floor, arms wrapping around me like a lifeline.

“Stay with me,” he said, voice rough, trembling. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

I was shaking. Fading. But his hands were steady now, pressing into the wound, holding on like he could keep me here through sheer will alone.

And for a moment — when the pounding in my head started to fade…

The world went blank.

——————————————————————————————————

The aching in my body was the first thing I felt.

At least it reminded me I was still alive. Well, so much for poetic endings.

I struggled to open my eyes — the light burned at first, and it took a few seconds for my vision to adjust. My throat felt dry, like I’d been asleep for days.

I groaned while sitting myself up on my elbows.

Footsteps echoed from the hall, and Five opened the door.

He spotted me, and something in his expression shifted. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, handing me a glass of water.

“Thank God you’re awake.”

I leaned back against the bed frame. “How long was I…?”

“Two days.”

He lifted the blanket and gently pulled up my shirt to check the wound. I let him, silent.

Catching his hand, I made him look at me. “What happened after I collapsed, Five?”

He hesitated. “Well… I basically blew out the data room and then got us out.”

I sat up quickly — too quickly — and pain shot through me. Five frowned, gently steadying me.

“Easy. You’re still pretty bruised.”

“What do you — what do you mean?”

“Well, the Commission would come after you. Eventually. From what I gathered, Axel was pretty secretive about you, so it would have taken them some time… but no data, no evidence… you were never even there.”

He paused.

“I owed you that much.”

“But how did you know?” He still held my hand and I let him.

“Don’t forget I worked there for a disgusting amount of time.” He chuckled, putting my hair behind my ear.

He looked tired, the purple color under his eyes being the proof of that.

“You look like shit,” I grinned at him, and he rolled his eyes.

“Well, you’re one to talk.”

“Yeah, I probably need a bath,” I groaned, slamming my head back into the pillow.

“All right then,” he said, already pulling the blanket off me, “time to get you back among the living.”

I giggled as he picked me up gently.

“Hold on there — too soon for the dying jokes, all right?”

He set me down on the edge of the bath, turned the water on, and tested the temperature.

I stared at the tiles, the laughter slipping away.

“What did he say to you, Five? To make you leave? Because last I recall, you said you wouldn’t let me stay there.”

“Well, I didn’t. Eventually,” he said without looking at me.

“But that’s not the point, Five!”

He closed his eyes. “He said he’d kill you if I didn’t leave.”

“Well, he tried that anyway… but that was probably my fault.”

He reached for my arm, helping me stand as he undressed me gently. I stepped into the bath with care.

“Look at me, Ver. None of it was your fault. None of it.”

“I killed them. All of them.”

“Yes,” he said, steady and low. “And you did it to have a free life. And if that’s something they wouldn’t let you have... then they deserved it.”

He lathered shampoo into my hair, fingers gentle and careful, like I might break.

“I’m sorry. For everything.”

“I know,” I whispered. Then looked up at him, arms wrapped around my knees.

“But Five... you saved me. And I don’t mean back there. The moment you stepped into my life — I think that was the first time I felt alive. Like I had a friend. Someone I cared about. Someone I could… love.”

His fingers stilled. Then he reached for me, his right hand dipping into the water, making it splash softly.

He kissed me — gently.

My hand slid into his hair, soaking it as I kissed him back without hesitation.

When he pulled away, his eyes were glassy, his voice lower than a breath.

“No. You saved me.”

“I’d shut everyone out — isolated myself from everything. And then you came out of nowhere like a goddamn angel, and suddenly… I could feel again.”

He pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head.

“I love you, Vera.”

Before I could even breathe out a reply, he scooped me up out of the bath — water dripping onto the floor and soaking into his shirt. I squinted up at him in surprise.

“Where are — where are we going?” I asked, caught between a laugh and a suppressed wince.

“To bed,” he said simply.

“To bed?!” I shook my head, still breathless. “Five, I just nearly died.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Exactly. Bed.”

He gently set me down, climbing on top of me, lips meeting mine with that same quiet desperation I had missed.

“Well, for someone so ready,” I murmured against his mouth, “you’re definitely wearing too many clothes.”

He grinned, low and lazy. “Seems like you’re already working on that.”

I lifted his sweater, and he helped me pull it over his head. His fingers found my skin, warm and slow, and our breaths tangled as he leaned in to kiss me again.

His mouth traced a path down my neck, across my chest, and lower still — like he was mapping every inch of my body.

But he was too slow, too careful.

I tangled my fingers in his hair and tugged, guiding him back up. His mouth met mine again, hungry this time, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer.

“Tell me you want me,” he murmured against my neck, his voice low and breathless.

“I want you — so bad,” I whispered, gasping as his teeth grazed my skin and he pushed into me, slow and steady.

“You’re taking me so well, my pretty girl.”

He kissed my cheek, then my forehead, voice catching. “I’m so, so sorry.”

But I wasn’t angry anymore. I couldn’t be.

I cupped his face, guiding his gaze to mine as his rhythm stayed slow and deliberate, like he didn’t want it to end.

I didn’t mind. Because when this ends, the real world comes — and I wasn’t ready for that yet.

“Five — Five — look at me.”

His green eyes met mine, and I swear I could see every answer I’d been searching for reflected there.

“It’s alright, Five. I forgave you the moment you came back for me.”

He kissed me again, deeper, more urgent.

“I love you so much,” he whispered.

I was so close — his body moving against mine, his hand finding just the right spot — and with a few more thrusts, I came undone.

Five collapsed beside me, and I settled my head on his chest. The last thing I felt was his lips brushing my hair… and then sleep pulled me under again.

——————————————————————————————————

I nervously fidgeted with the hem of my shorts as Five gently ran his hand along my back.

“If it’s too much for you, just tell me, alright? My siblings can be—”

The door opened before he could finish, and one of his brothers — Diego, I assumed — stood there.

Earlier this week, I had made Five show me photos of all his siblings so I could remember their names. He thought it was silly, but it made me feel safer.

“Hey, I’m Di—”

A hand shoved him aside, and suddenly I was pulled into a tight hug by someone else. Five groaned, trying to drag the person off me — which earned him a smack.

Once I managed to compose myself a little, I recognized Klaus.

“Well, hello there, beautiful,” he said, grinning. “I can’t believe Five finally found someone who can handle that grumpy little brain of his.”

Five looked like he was about to start a fight before we even stepped inside, but I couldn’t help giggling.

“Hi to you too, Klaus.”

“Oh my god — Cinco — if you’d told me she was this cute, I would’ve broken into your place just to see her sooner.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s exactly why I didn’t.” Five rolled his eyes, then caught my hand and gently pulled me inside.

His siblings all turned their gaze on me, and suddenly I felt weirdly watched — although most of them were smiling.

“Everyone, this is Vera. My girlfriend. And I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t har—”

Too late for that.

They were already on their feet, circling around me, hugging me, complimenting my outfit.

And even though it was overwhelming, I had never felt so happy surrounded by so many people.

So I smiled back and hugged them, letting them drag me to the table and fire off question after question — all while Five stood off to the side, watching me with that little grin of his.

Later that evening, I was more than just tipsy, and Five guided me to the car.

He buckled me into the seat and slid into the driver’s side.

“You alright?” he asked, brushing his hand along my thigh.

“Never felt so happy before,” I grinned at him, and he smiled back.

“Let’s go home.”

“Uh-huh.” I leaned my head against the seat as he drove, the soft hum of the radio playing in the background.

One of his hands stayed on my leg, his fingers gently tracing circles, and every now and then I caught him looking at me.

I turned toward the window, watching the glow of the city pass by — and for the first time in my life, I was completely, unquestionably sure:

Everything was going to be okay.

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Taglist: @whatsup-huzz

[veraarora]

The line I fall for

Previous: Chapter 6

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Chapter 7

I strapped my gun to the side of the Commission pants and threw Five’s jacket over the black long-sleeve I’d brought with me. Standing in front of the mirror, I adjusted one of my braids with a nervous twitch of my fingers.

“Vera?”

“Hmm?” His gaze followed me from across the room as he stood by the bed, pulling on a shirt.

“After we’re done with this…” He hesitated for a second. “I was thinking maybe you could meet my siblings?”

I turned to look at him fully, hand still resting on the braid I hadn’t finished. There was something quiet in his voice.

I was surprised he brought that up now, since we hadn’t really even talked about the thing between us, and I wasn’t totally convinced I would make it out of there either. Still, I didn’t want to let Five down, so I agreed. “Sure, I would love to.”

“They’re assholes, but I just—”

“Five, I get it, don’t worry, okay?” I fixed his hair a bit and smiled.

“You ready to go?” The mood was strange, too anxious and nervous even though neither of us would admit it.

I just nodded and took the briefcase from the ground.

Five reached for my hand, holding on tighter than usual.

He glanced at me once. I nodded. And then the world twisted.

The familiar pull of air, the sound of everything folding in on itself. Like being sucked through silence.

The apartment vanished.

Both of us were so used to the feeling that it didn’t even throw off our balance anymore. We landed steady, barely reacting, still facing each other in the middle of the bright white corridor. The air buzzed faintly with the familiar background hum — machines, lights, maybe voices behind the walls.

We didn’t say anything. Just stood there for a second, fingers still barely touching, like neither of us wanted to be the first to let go.

He looked around. “What now?”

“We go find Axel.”

“Who’s Axel?” There was a weird undertone to his voice — flat, but not neutral.

“The new… handler.”

He hummed. “Hmm. Don’t like that guy already.”

I tugged lightly on his sleeve, guiding him through the hallways while trying to ignore the stares. “Yeah, he looks nicer than the last assholes, but don’t get too fooled. Everything’s still the same.”

I once again found myself standing before the big, scary door — not bursting through it like last time, neither alone like last time.

I opened them.

Stepping inside along with Five, I looked at Axel’s face. He stood up from his chair, his expression stern as he looked at me, then turned his gaze to Five.

“What exactly about watching didn’t you understand, Vera?”

“I told you — I’m not a babysitter.”

He grinned, nodding slowly as he moved with that same deliberate precision I remembered. “And Vera… that’s exactly what you became. So tell me…Did he at least fuck you hard enough?”

Five flinched, stepping forward, but I caught his arm — just a hand on his sleeve, a look, a silent shake of my head. Not yet.

Axel’s voice brought my attention back to him.

“Vera, listen to me now. This is not a friendly conversation, so you listen and do what the fuck I tell you.”

I stared at him with a stone-cold look, holding myself back from throwing something at his smug face like a kid with no impulse control.

Then he finally looked at Five — really looked — and I saw something click in his eyes.

“Vera. You leave this room now. Let me have a conversation with your new friend here, and then we’ll see what we can do about this situation.”

I almost laughed. “If you think for one fucking second I’m gonna leave then—”

Five took my arm, and the moment I looked into his eyes, I knew.

“No. Five, no.”

“Vera, let me handle this, okay? I will. You just have to trust me.”

I shook my head, breath catching in my chest. But I knew I didn’t have a choice.

The door opened behind me, and someone stepped in — didn’t say anything, just waited. I let them lead me out.

And I didn’t stop looking at Five. Not until the door shut between us.

——————————————————————————————————

I stood in the room that once looked so different — in front of a man who now looked at me like I was fucking prey.

His mouth twisted into that stupid grin he must’ve thought fooled everyone. It didn’t.

“There’s really no need to delay anything,” he said smoothly. “So I’ll be honest.”

I mirrored his grin, sharp and bitter. “Try me.”

“You two may have thought you were so clever. A step ahead. But Five — tell me, how exactly do you think your powers came back, hmm? Out of nowhere? Or did they never really leave at all?”

I didn’t answer. My jaw clenched.

I’d wondered. I just didn’t want the answer to sound like this.

He waited. When I stayed silent, he laughed — soft and smug.

“I see. The thing is… she’s not staying here,” I finally said.

“Yes. That would seem to be what you think.” He sighed, like this was exhausting for him. “I’ll admit — she fucked up. We gave you your powers back so you’d return and finally do the job you were meant to do here. But clearly, that’s not on the menu anymore. So...”

He paused.

“So we’ll go about it like this: You’re bad for her, Five. You don’t know her. Not really. You think you’re a monster?” He scoffed, eyes darkening. “She’s worse.”

I didn’t flinch.

“She’s not staying here,” I repeated.

He met my gaze, then looked at the floor like what he was about to say hurt him. I didn’t buy it.

“She stays, and you leave... and she lives.”

He glanced up at me, unreadable. “If you insist on making this complicated — she dies. And you stay.”

Something dropped in my chest.

And I hated how fast my brain started calculating what that meant.

How the fuck did I start caring this much?

I swallowed. “Why the fuck would I believe anything you say? You’re full of shit.”

His face twitched — barely — but the anger was there. Just under the surface.

“I guess she didn’t tell you much about her past, then. So tell me, what do you know?”

I stared at him. “She grew up here. She has powers… intuition, energy manipulation...”

He chuckled, like it was the most pitiful answer I could’ve given.

“That’s part of it, sure, but maybe she left out the bit where — when she gets pissed, hurt, in danger — she blacks out and kills entire rooms of people with her bare hands.”

I didn’t react. “And that’s supposed to scare me?”

Axel tensed, seemingly running out of temper.

“The Commission doesn’t really like bringing attention to itself — as I don’t have to remind you, since some obviously smarter version of you founded this place. So who do you think covered that for her? Hmm? Who do you think saved her ass when she was a teenage girl, drenched in blood?”

He stepped closer.

“I did.”

We stood there, not blinking.

“So if there’s anyone you can trust with her in this building, it’s me. Because I don’t want to fucking kill her. But I can’t… let. her. leave.”

I looked away, tugging on my hair while thinking.

“If — I leave, she isn’t going to be treated like a weapon.”

Axel nodded once, like he’d expected the question.

“You know what she’s capable of, Five. You’ve seen the signs already. And when it happens again — and it will happen again — what do you think your presence is going to do? Calm her down? You think you can handle her?”

“Five years,” I said, voice low. “Five years and she’s out.”

Axel chuckled. “You accepted that offer once. And how did that go, hmm?”

I didn’t respond at first.

But something cracked.

I looked away, swallowing down everything in my chest.

“…Well. You obviously care about her.” My voice came out quieter this time. “So don’t you want her to have a fucking life?”

He looked conflicted for a while. “Jesus — fine, under the condition that you stay away from her.”

I didn’t answer right away.

Just stood there, hands clenched at my sides, heart pounding like I was being hunted.

This was it. The line I couldn’t uncross.

“…Fine.”

One word. That’s all I gave him. Because if I said anything else, I might’ve fallen apart.

Axel studied me for a moment, as if waiting for me to crack. But I didn’t. I just stared through him.

He nodded, satisfied. “You’re making the right choice.”

I didn’t respond. Because fuck you, Axel — I wasn’t making the right choice. I was making the one that didn’t get her killed.

——————————————————————————————————

I couldn’t tell how long I’d been in that locked room. Hours maybe. Long enough to count the footsteps outside. Long enough to know at least three agents were stationed behind that door — the same door I’d banged on seven times already.

Then finally, the lock clicked.

Axel stepped in.

I was ready to see him — arms crossed, maybe angry, maybe bruised. Anything.

But no Five.

I stood up fast. “Where is he?”

Axel didn’t flinch. He crossed the room, picked up the jacket on the chair — Five’s jacket — and I yanked it out of his hands before he could say another word.

“Gone,” he said.

Confusion twisted in my chest. “What the fuck do you mean gone?”

“He left. Willingly.”

I exhaled, my breath shaky — a terrified look frozen on my face.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said, almost casually. “It was a pretty heroic act. He left to save your life.”

He stepped closer. “Because I told him I’d kill you otherwise.”

He reached for one of my braids, twisting it between his fingers like it was nothing. I just stared at him — wild, unblinking — like a little mad girl.

Then he let go of my hair, turned, and opened the door.

“And that offer still applies. So don’t try anything.”

He paused, hand on the handle, then glanced over his shoulder.

“So be a good girl, and keep doing your job. Okay?”

I left the room after him, holding my breath.

I didn’t move yet. But give me one more second — and they’re going to regret ever leaving me alive.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8 (End)

Taglist: @whatsup-huzz

[veraarora]

The line I fall for

Previous: Chapter 5

Tw: nsfw

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6

The morning light found its way through the gaps between the curtains. I felt Five’s slow breaths under my head — like every morning since I moved from the couch.

His hand rested on my bare hip, and I didn’t dare move. I didn’t want to wake him up, so I just lay there with my eyes closed, enjoying the silence before he started his usual bickering over breakfast.

Guess I shouldn’t have felt so smug — because his hand started to caress my hip, fingers drifting lower, right to the hem of my panties.

“Really?” I asked.

“I knew you were fake sleeping like ten minutes ago,” he murmured into my hair.

“You got a morning boner or something?” I teased, but I met his mouth right after that, already leaning in.

“Mmm.” He hummed into the kiss. “Doesn’t seem like you have a problem with it.”

“Never said I had.”

He moved on top of me, brushing my hair out of the way. “I swear, your hair is like a third wheel between us.”

That made me laugh — full-on laugh that made my chest shake. He looked down at me with that crooked grin.

“You’re crazy,” I said, still giggling, barely able to stop.

“You have no idea,” he replied — and then he lowered himself, sliding my panties down and kissing my belly.

The teasing took him forever. He marked my hips with messy bites that made me gasp, every one of them intentional. Then finally, he started kissing between my legs — too slow. Too controlled.

“Please, Five— I need more,” I gasped.

“Shh,” he murmured, smug.

His hands roamed over my stomach, sliding under the T-shirt to cup my breasts. I shivered under his touch, and his tongue slowly circled my clit. Every time I felt myself getting close, he changed his rhythm.

“Five!” I groaned, frustrated and breathless.

“What was that?” he said, lifting his head, eyes gleaming with mischief. I groaned again.

“Be a good girl so I can give you what you want,” he said casually. “Just a suggestion.”

He grinned as he lowered his head again, and this time, when I bucked my hips up toward him, he let me. When he finally steadied his rhythm, it didn’t take long. I came in waves, my body shaking as I collapsed back into the soft bed, breathless.

Five sat back on his knees, admiring the mess he’d made. Once the adrenaline settled, he got up, left the room, and returned a few minutes later with a glass of water.

He set it on the nightstand and silently waited for me to drink it.

——————————————————————————————————

The living room smelled like coffee and eggs while we ate.

“What do you do — for fun?” he asked, out of nowhere.

I blinked at him, confused, but still answered. “I read. Or draw.”

He pulled the cup from his mouth. “You like to draw?”

“Uh-hm. I’m not too good, but… I never had too many options on what to do, so — drawing and reading, it was.”

“You?” I asked, chewing.

He seemed to think about it. “I never really had time for that either. But reading is good…”

I nodded. “Favorite book?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Flowers for Algernon.”

I nodded, surprised — but not really.

“Yours?”

“I’m not sure I could pick just one, but… either A Clockwork Orange or… Dune.” I smiled into my coffee.

“Dune?” He grinned wide. “You don’t seem like a sci-fi girl.”

“Oh — you have NO idea. I’m a fucking nerd.” I laughed.

He shifted gears. “I should practice after lunch.”

I bit my lip slightly and nodded, sighing. “Yeah, I know.”

“I wish we could just… hide here forever.” I looked toward his balcony window, watching the light on the glass.

“The world is scary.”

“The world would probably think you’re scary too,” he replied.

I hummed, smiling softly. “I’m gonna wash my hair.”

“Can I join?” he asked.

I stood up, brushing my fingers through his hair. “If you let me actually wash my hair.” I chuckled as he kissed my hip.

“Uh-hm.”

“Yeah, I’m so sure you will.”

——————————————————————————————————

Five was passed out on the bed, exhausted from the repetitive blinking, while I was preparing some food for dinner.

Humming to the song on the radio, I sat down while waiting for the pasta to finish, braiding my hair into two long braids.

I didn’t hear Five wake up — just the shiver in my spine telling me he was close.

“You okay?” I asked softly, fingers still working on the last braid.

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed, half-asleep still, his voice muffled against my skin. “Didn’t mean to knock out.”

“You needed it. And I made dinner.”

He didn’t say anything for a while. Just stood there, wrapped around me — and for a while, I thought he might just fall asleep again like this.

“I like your hair this way,” he mumbled.

“You always say that.”

“Because it’s true.”

He helped me plate the food, and we settled at the big table.

Suddenly, a strange noise cracked from the hallway.

Both of us froze.

We stared at each other, breaths held — and before I had the chance to panic, he stood up, already moving toward the fading sound.

“Five, be—” I started, hurrying after him.

I caught up just as he stood in the hall, staring down at something in his hands.

“Shit,” we said at the same time.

I swallowed hard.

Five held the Commission message in his hands. He turned it over once, twice, like he couldn’t believe it was real. Then he stepped closer to me.

Watching his expression carefully, I asked, “Should we… open it?”

He didn’t answer — just twisted the top off and slid out the card.

"Your immediate presence is required at Headquarters. Failure to comply will be logged as desertion."

I backed up, my breaths quickening. Five looked at me, noting my rising panic. He shook his head and took my face into his palms.

“Vera, Vera, listen to me. Breathe.” He still held my face. “They don’t know, okay? They don’t know I have my powers back. We will go, together, and I will protect you. I will blink us out if necessary.”

“No — Five, you can’t — You don’t have to go back there.”

The anxiety crawled into my brain and suddenly I felt stupid. This was inevitable. And I still let myself fall deep into this happy bubble, ignoring the reality.

Five brought my face up with his fingers.

“Vera, you can’t make me stay. I am going with you, and I am getting you out of there. End of discussion.”

Tears settled in my eyes and I shook my head.

“I am scared, Five. You don’t — They won’t let me leave.”

“If you think for a second I will let that happen, you are fairly mistaken.”

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Chapter 7

Taglist: @whatsup-huzz

[veraarora]

The line I fall for

Previous: Chapter 4

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Chapter 5

Tw: nsfw

Just a week ago I was spiraling into madness.

Currently, there is a girl sleeping on my sofa, just in a T-shirt and shorts.

I don’t know what happened to me or why I didn’t kill her right after she told me she was fucking spying on me, but I obviously didn’t — and I’ve been hiding her in my house.

She was like a puppy. So innocent-looking. But you get too close and she bites you.

So, for the past few days, I had company. Not because I wanted her to stay here, but because if the Commission finds her, they’ll drag her back — and apparently, I decided that was my problem now too.

She’s just safer here.

Even if they did figure out she’s with me, they wouldn’t come charging in. They don’t want me knowing they still exist, so they’re not going to risk showing up unless absolutely necessary.

It’s a logistical nightmare.

And yet... here we are.

Turns out, being raised by time-traveling sociopaths gives you a weirdly specific skillset. She knows how things work — how to read them, control them — stuff I never figured out.

So that’s what we’ve been doing — hiding out in my apartment, testing things.

She sets up these dumb little exercises like she’s training a dog, and I play along because — well — it’s working.

I stood in the dull kitchen, towel-drying my hair, still warm from the shower. She was asleep on the couch — despite the endless times I offered to let her take the bed — the TV humming in the background with some late-night crap neither of us had been watching.

I walked over and turned it off.

She was curled up tight, her hair covering her like a second blanket.

I checked the door. Everything seemed safe. Grabbing my gun and leaving my bedroom door open, I drifted to sleep myself.

————————————————————————

The familiar smell of coffee filled the room as I slowly started to perceive my surroundings again. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up, catching the quiet sounds of movement coming from the kitchen.

I grabbed a big T-shirt and pulled it on over the tank top I’d slept in. Barefoot, I walked into the kitchen.

“Hi,” I groaned, my voice still rough from the night.

Five turned toward me, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly.

“Hi,” he said, sliding a cup of coffee across the counter toward me.

“You’re going to give me a caffeine addiction,” I mumbled, wrapping my hands around the mug. He just chuckled at that, eyeing me strangely.

“I wanna try again today,” he said, humming.

I sank into the chair, pulling my legs up to hug my knees.

He paused, leaning against the counter, and I looked up at him, quiet for a while, just watching him.

“Shouldn’t you rest a bit? We already made progress.”

It was true. Even struggling, Five managed to blink short distances, and it started to get easier every day. But I knew it exhausted him. And it exhausted me too.

“It’s not enough,” he snapped — more harshly than he intended to.

I frowned at him.

“Five,” I said carefully, “you can’t push yourself like this. There’s no point if you burn yourself out.”

He turned to face me fully. His expression was new to me. I hadn’t yet seen him like this.

“And what do you think we’re supposed to do,” he said, voice rising, “when the Commission knocks on the door, huh? Today? Tomorrow? A week from now?”

His tone was defensive, like I’d accused him of something. I hadn’t.

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing a few steps like he couldn’t stay still.

“Do you think I can protect you like this?” He gestured at himself, frustrated. “You’re in my house. They’re after you, and I can’t even control myself!”

He cut himself off, jaw clenched.

“Five, you don’t have to—”

“No—no. This was the deal, Vera,” he breathed out.

“You help me. I protect you. That’s how it works. That’s what we agreed.”

I stood up slowly, setting the coffee cup aside, heart beating too loud in my chest. “I never asked you to—”

“Well, someone has to!” he snapped — and then went still. Completely still.

“I can protect myself just fine!” I shouted, and that seemed to push him even further.

He let out a cold chuckle, his eyes narrowing. “If that was true, I don’t think you’d be here right now.”

I took a step toward him, looking up into that stone-cold face.

“So this is how you see it, huh?” I was getting angry — really angry — fast. “I’m just some little girl who came here so you could fucking save her, is that it? And I bet you feel so good about it, huh? All in control again — hero of the goddamn day!”

He let out a cold laugh and nodded. “Oh honey, you’re one to talk.”

His voice turned sharp, cruel.

“You literally knocked on my door like, ‘Oh Five, let me save you! Let me save you so I don’t have to feel bad about the thousands of people I killed and whatever the fuck else you’re running from.”

My eyes widened. The words hit like a slap to the chest. I swallowed hard.

“Fuck you,” I breathed and stepped away from him, my chest rising rapidly as I tried to stay at least a bit calm so I didn’t go full crazy in his kitchen.

We stared at each other, both of us too far into the emotions to think straight.

There was this moment — stupid moment — where I could feel the heat radiating off him, his energy inhaling my senses.

And god, I hated him for it.

I hated him because he was nothing like I thought he would be — not really.

He looked at me like I mattered. Not like Axel. He didn’t even really want anything from me. He would’ve let me sleep on his goddamn sofa even if I didn’t do shit for him.

And I hated him for that. Or myself.

So when his eyes dropped to my mouth — It was enough for me to...

I crashed into him, and if he was stunned by it, it didn’t last longer than a second because soon hes been returning the kiss.

Five’s hands were on my hips. He backed me up to the sofa and turned us around so he was the one sitting, pulling me in between his legs and taking off the big T-shirt that had been thrown over my pyjamas. He looked up at me, those green eyes making my brain dizzy.

He kissed along my stomach, then higher — over the soft gray tank top I was still wearing — his mouth grazing over my breasts, slow and focused, like he was trying to drive me insane.

I was already gasping for air, and he hadn’t even really done anything yet. Stroking and pulling on his hair, I pushed myself closer to him.

His hands tugged at the fabric, and I automatically raised my hands so he could undress me fully.

“Fuck, I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I saw you sleeping in my living room,” he laughed, between the wet bites and kisses he dragged down my stomach.

I was getting desperate, wanting to climb into his lap, but he held my hips tighter.

“No,” he said low, “not yet.”

“Five, please,” I basically moaned it out.

“Say it again. Say you want me,” he growled, biting my hip.

“Please, Five, I want you. I want this.”

“You—” he pulled me down, settling me against the bulge in his pants, which almost made me finish on its own, “—are going to be the death of me.” He smiled and kissed me again, this time softer.

I moved my hips toward him, unbuckling his shirt, desperately trying to get him out of it.

He watched me, didn’t move an inch while I desperately stirred in his lap, my hands exploring his chest. Moving his lips to my ear, he whispered:

“You really think you’re in control right now?” he asked, voice rough.

“I—I need—”

He didn’t let me finish.

One hand slid up my back. The other wrapped lightly around my throat — just enough to make me gasp, to make my knees weak.

He moved his hips up into me, just once, hard enough to rip a sound from my throat.

And then, just like that— the world shifted.

I let out a surprised whine, my back landing on soft material.

He blinked us to his bed, climbing over me and kissing my neck.

“I thought I told you not to push yourself,” I said between moans. He laughed, the sound vibrating against my skin.

His hands pulled on the hem of my shorts, and I lifted my legs so he could undress me. The second they were off, his mouth was on my thighs. I bucked toward him instinctively, desperate for more — but he pushed me back down, his palm pressing flat and firm against my stomach, holding me in place.

“Stay still,” he muttered.

His mouth was so close to where I needed him — achingly close — and if he told me to get on my knees and beg for it, I wouldn’t even think twice.

His tongue entered the wet place between my legs, slowly, and it was so fucking obvious that he knew what he was doing. I arched my back, tugging on his hair. He moaned between my legs which almost made me finish right there.

Sliding his hands under my thighs he dragged me closer to him. His rhythm fastened and every time I move he just held me harder.

My moans were getting more desparate and I felt myself coming closer which he must have sensed since he entered me with two fingers.

Just a couple secind of that i came undone, absolutely devastated.

“God- Five, Fiv-“ He drags my orgasm a bit longer and than lifts himself up, clibing over me, kissing me, my flavour on his tongue.

He groans, “I need to be inside you. Now.” He unbuckled his pants and quickly undressed himself.

I took his face and kissed him again. He sat up, pulling me onto his lap. I felt him against me, and when he entered me slowly, letting me adjust, it pulled a gasp from deep in my chest.

“Five, oh god, Five—” I moaned into his mouth.

“You ready for me, baby? You’re taking me in so good,” he whispered, and just the sound of his voice maked me moan again.

“Yes, please—yes.”

He started thrusting into me. At first, he was slow, letting me get used to him, letting me feel everything. Then he started to quicken his pace.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” he said — almost a whisper.

His fingers brushed my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear, and I felt like breaking down, because no one — no one on this earth — has ever said something like that to me.

No one had ever been soft. No one had been kind. And for the longest time, I thought that was a good thing — that it made me stronger.

But when Five Hargreeves caressed my cheek and looked at me like I was the eighth world wonder, he managed to crumble the walls I’d spent my whole life building around myself.

And if my brain hadn’t been blinded by the slowly approaching orgasm, I swear I would have started to cry.

After we both came, moaning each other’s names into the room, I just stared into the void of his bedroom.

He looked at me, and I must have scared the living shit out of him, because he immediately took my face into his hands.

“Are you okay?”

I managed to nod, just a little.

“Vera, talk to me. Is something wrong? Did I do—”

“Shit.” I shook my head fast and forced myself to start verbalizing before he fully freaked out.

“Five, sorry — no, everything’s fine. It’s just that…” I sat up, my legs still loosely wrapped around him. I frowned a bit, trying to find my words, while he grabbed my top and helped me slip it on.

“No one ever — I just never—”

He blinked. “Wait — this was your first time?!”

I let out a breathless laugh, dropping my head into my hands. “No, no. But just… not like this. It was never… nice. Or good. Or—” I didn’t finish, but he understood what I meant. I saw it in his face.

So I kissed him. Slowly. Gently. Tangled in his sheets like we weren’t both wrecks.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I didn’t realize.”

“Five—”

He started mumbling, rambling, stumbling over words.

“Five.”

“Five.”

He finally looked at me.

“I liked it,” I said — soft, but clear enough that he could really hear it.

His eyes lingered on me for several seconds. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then laid his head on the pillow.

“The Commission won’t like this,” he murmured.

“The Commission can respectfully fuck itself,” I said while covering myself with the soft bedsheets. To Five’s surprise, I buried my head into his chest.

That made him ease off the anxiety, and I knew he said just what he wanted to say before but couldn’t.

“I’m sorry.” Before he could continue, I stopped him.

“No, I’m sorry. You were right,” I sighed. “I wanted to come here and save your unaware ass, because I knew what you probably went through in the Commission, and I just didn’t want you to go through it again. You just… you looked so sad. And alone. And something in me just… I don’t know.”

I felt his hands in my hair, playing with a few strands.

“You know, we both woke up and ended up in bed like fifteen minutes later.” I felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled, and I just whined into the pillow, messing up my hair.

“I don’t ever want to leave this bed again,” I complained.

Five suddenly took my hips and shifted me on top of him, which made me gasp in surprise. I settled on his lap, giving him a look, and he grinned at me — something strange in it, amused and unreadable.

“What?!” I grinned back as he shook his head.

“Vera, you have cats… On your panties.”

“Yes, I do. Is that a problem for you? Are you too old for cat panties?”

“It’s adorable, really,” he said, the smirk deepening. “If they weren’t in the way of something even more adorable, I’d tell you to never take them off.”

I hid my face in my hands and shook my head before mumbling through my fingers, “First of all, you just called my pussy adorable. And second — do you realize you’re supposed to change your underwear every day, right? Just checking. I know you’ve spent a lot of time without, like, basic hygiene access—”

Guess he didn’t want to hear my rambling, because he shut me up with his mouth — kisses, fast and distracting. Probably intentionally distracting, because before I even realized it, he was standing up with me in his arms.

“We’re getting up,” he said.

“Noooo.”

“Yes.”

“…Alright,” I sighed, giving up. Fighting Five Hargreeves is pointless anyway.

He put me down in the kitchen, and I wandered over to the couch where we’d left my — well, his oversized sleeping T-shirt. I slipped it on, limbs still shaky.

“I gotta take a shower,” I called over my shoulder as I headed to the bathroom.

And I did.

I stepped under the warm water, palms on the wall, watching the steam curl upward.

I was just fucked by Five. Five Hargreeves.

If the Commission finds out — if Axel finds out that I just slept with the guy I was supposed to stalk from twenty feet away — they’ll be furious.

And every second of it was worth it.

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Taglist: @whatsup-huzz

[veraarora]

The line I fall for

Previous: Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Tw: suicide mention

(Flashback)

I didn’t know how long I’d been lying on that red, wet floor. But when I finally opened my eyes... I saw the image that would haunt me every time I closed them for the next five years.

All I could see were my hands, soaked in blood.

My lungs were tight and I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stand up. I didn’t remember a thing and I was fucked, my body aching, on fire.

Breathing heavily, grasping for air, I dragged myself across the floor.

Sobbing, crying like a baby, I closed my eyes at the horror around me and hugged my knees.

I know you’re not supposed to say things like this, but in that moment... I genuinely thought about taking the knife and slicing my wrists open. Because I already knew I would never forget this. That no matter what happened after, this would follow me. Rot inside me.

I lay there for an hour, maybe longer. Time stopped meaning anything. I’d made peace with the idea that I would die in that room, just another body on the floor, just another stain. No one would ever find out what I really was. That I had caused it.

That was until warm hands picked up my body. I fought with the last energy I had in my body, but the person’s voice broke the long-going silence.

“Shhh, it’s me, Vera. You are safe, you are safe.” Axel’s golden voice echoed in the quiet room.

“I don’t know what happened,” I choked through my tears. “I don’t—”

“It’s alright, I will take care of it, I will take care of it.”

And he did.

That day, Axel Moreau lied for me.

He changed the reports. Covered the scene. Maybe he blamed it on someone else. I never asked, and he never told me. He didn’t want me to ask. So I didn’t.

It haunted me for years, until it didn’t—because it happened again, and again.

And I knew the truth — I wasn’t kept safe out of kindness. They didn’t give me purpose because they believed in me. They gave it to me so I wouldn’t destroy myself before they got what they wanted from me.

They wanted me to believe they saved me.

So I’d never realize they were the ones who broke me.

——————————————————————————————————

“Come on!” Five muttered under his breath. “I know you’re there!”

Twenty-seven minutes of staring at the wall had earned him exactly nothing.

Not even a flicker. Not even a hum. Just silence — and the rising urge to smash his head against the nearest surface.

Since that first moment his powers had come back to life, it had happened exactly three times.

Once, it woke him up in the middle of the night — he just saw the disappearing blue light, and before he managed to fully wake up, it was gone.

The other two times, he almost gave himself a concussion by falling down the stairs when he accidentally blinked two steps ahead.

He slumped back into the chair, letting out a breath that had been stuck in his chest for longer than he realized. He should probably ease off a bit.

What was he supposed to do? Wait? Call someone? Did the same thing happen to his siblings? Why didn’t he think about that before… but he’d felt his powers for a long time and they knew about it. So either they were lying to themselves — or he really was the only one.

Still, he needed to be sure, so he pulled out his phone and dialed Diego’s number.

The phone was ringing long enough, and Five almost hung up, then his brother picked it up.

“Five? Are you alright?” Diego sounded confused. Not surprising — Five hadn’t exactly thought this through. He didn’t call often unless something was actually wrong, so of course Diego thought it was serious.

He stayed quiet, staring at nothing.

“Five, are you there?” Diego’s voice pulled him back.

“Oh. Yeah. Hi. I just…” He hesitated, scratching at the edge of his sleeve. “Is there anything weird going on, per chance?”

“Weird? Weird how? Five, are you drunk?”

No answer.

“It’s almost midnight. Go to sleep,” Diego muttered, more skeptical than concerned now.

Five’s eyes dropped to the floor.

“Bro?”

“Yeah?”

“I think my powers are coming back.”

Silence stretched between them.

“Five, I swear to God, if you’re bullshitting me right now…” Diego’s voice dropped — probably trying not to wake his wife.

“I’m serious. It’s been a few days. I blinked twice. Accidentally.”

“Shit.”

“So… it’s not happening to you, is it?” Five rubbed the back of his neck, the skin warm from how long his hand had been resting there. He stood up from the chair, pacing without meaning to.

“Nope. Still boring over here on my side.” Diego sounded half-asleep, but at least he believed him.

“Yeah, well. It’s so much fun.” Five let out a dry laugh, but there was no real humor in it. He stared at the floor, waiting for Diego to say something.

“What are you going to do?”

Five groaned. “No fucking idea. But just… don’t tell anyone yet. Not even Lila.”

“Trust me, I’m not waking my wife up for your existential crisis, so don’t worry.”

“Thanks. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

Five ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bed.

Maybe tomorrow it would make sense.

But tonight, it didn’t.

And that was starting to feel familiar.

——————————————————————————————————

I was about to do something really fucking stupid. But I had already decided, and there was no going back. I was willing to risk my fucking ass for the asshole.

The world behind his door looked scary, so before I knocked, I just stood there for a minute or so. Maybe enjoying the last minute of peace, or wondering if I had gone mad.

With one last deep breath, my knuckles touched the wood a couple of times. My heartbeat quickened and I felt panic in my throat. Before I had a chance to turn around and run away like the fool, Five opened his door. He stood there, just in his pants, looking worn out, hair messy, leaning on the door frame.

I must have looked fucking bizarre, considering the absolute horror on my face. We stood there for a few seconds, a frown on his face.

“Who are you?”

Shit, shit… this wasn’t one of my brightest ideas.

“So—sorry, I’m looking for someone, but I must have mixed up the address.”

I was already turning around, but this was Five Hargreeves and he would be suspicious even without my weird-ass behavior and frightened expression, so no matter how much I tried to hide the briefcase I brought as proof for my little plan, of course he noticed it.

“You are from the Commission.”

I turned to face him and nodded — small, shaky — and when I met his eyes, I swear my heart forgot how to work.

He must have sensed somehow that I wasn’t there to kill him, or he must have been absolutely desperate, and even though I could use my powers to make him believe me, I don’t think that right then I could have told him even just my name. So when he stepped aside, silently inviting me in, I just held the suitcase in front of me with both hands and did just that.

I felt goosebumps on my skin as I walked inside past him. I had never felt energy like his; my breath quickened just a bit.

“So will you tell me what’s going on?”

I turned frantically again, putting my hair behind my ear. He looked down at it.

“We met already, I mean… I saw you already.” He walked around me, still shirtless.

“Yes,” I breathed out.

“Yes?” He chuckled, surprisingly — that woke me out of my trance just a bit.

“I will explain everything, I just need—” I repeatedly looked into his eyes and away, looking like a mess.

“I’m sorry, I’m just really nervous.” I tried to not look away this time.

“I noticed, yeah,” he said, taking a shirt from his chair, putting it on. Then he looked at me again.

“Are you here to kill me? Or does it have something to do with my suddenly appearing powers?”

“I’m not here to kill you, and yes, it does.” I settled the suitcase on the ground. “Can I—?” I said while taking off my coat.

He nodded and took it from me, placing it to the side.

“I’m here because—well, it’s kind of complicated. I didn’t really prepare for this.”

He looked at me — not just looked, but studied me. Every inch, every flicker of movement.

“Can you please... not do that?”

“What?”

I let out a slow breath, steadying myself. “No. Doesn’t matter. Just—listen.”

I cringed a little, still standing awkwardly in the middle of his kitchen. “I came because of your powers. Because of something the Commission did. Something they didn’t tell either of us.”

He stilled.

“I was sent to watch you,” I admitted. “Stay close. Report anything unusual.”

His expression shifted — skeptical, guarded. The kind of look that meant he was already connecting the worst dots.

“Look, this isn’t a coincidence. They must’ve known. The second I realized your powers were back, it clicked. They sent me here because of this.”

He stilled, and I looked down at the floor. My voice dropped. “I didn’t report it.”

He frowned. “You mean you didn’t tell them I got my powers back? Why?” He shook his head, clearly trying to make sense of it.

“Well, because—” I hesitated, breath catching. “Because I’m… I’m one of you. I’m one of the 43.”

His mouth fell open slightly. He just stared at me — unbelieving.

“Yeah. I need a drink.”

He turned away, and I followed instinctively, panic nudging at my chest.

“Five, please. They’re going to come after you. I just couldn’t—”

“What’s your name?” he asked, suddenly cold again.

“Vera.”

He picked up a bottle and poured something dark into his glass, eyes on the liquid, not me.

“So… you have powers,” he said. “Do they work?”

The confusion on my face must’ve been obvious.

“Because mine don’t. Not really.”

I shook my head. “What—what do you mean they don’t work?”

“They just don’t,” he said, eyes on me. “They show up sometimes, then disappear. I can’t control it.”

He traced the rim of the cup with his finger. “So. What is your power?”

I blinked. “Well… I have this intuition. I can read energy, also manipulate it. Sometimes I know what’s going to happen before it does. I can tell when people lie… Let’s just call it intuition.”

Not rather mentioning the homicidal blackout rage that takes over me sometimes.

He nodded slowly. “Figures.”

He didn’t say anything for a while. Just kept looking at the glass in his hand. “Sounds like the kind of thing that makes it hard to sleep at night.”

“You get used to it,” I said quietly, while he seemed stuck in his thoughts.

“Yeah, you do.”

“I knew the Commission still existed…” He slammed the glass against the countertop and I looked up into his eyes.

“Never stopped.”

“Do you want a drink?” Five asked, already grabbing another glass.

“You look so, so familiar to me…”

“You too,” I said, not breaking the eye contact.

He handed me the glass I never said I wanted. I accepted it and took a sip, the alcohol warming my insides.

“Why do you work for the Commission?”

The million-dollar question… “Uh—I grew up there.”

He looked at me with terror.

“You what?! Jesus—Well, those bastards definitely pushed the line.”

“Five?”

My voice came out softer than I meant, but he looked up anyway, waiting for me to speak.

“If you help me get out of the Commission…” I paused, heartbeat suddenly louder than it should be. “I’ll help you get your powers back.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5

Taglist: @whatsup-huzz

[veraarora]

[veraarora]

The line I fall for

Previous: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2

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Chapter 3

Five woke up in the middle of the night, with a dry mouth and a sweat-soaked pillow. He groaned and pushed himself off the bed, dragging his feet toward the kitchen for a glass of water.

The clock showed 3:42 AM.

The place was too quiet, and his thoughts were too loud. The humming of the fridge and his anxiety were killing him.

How long had he been living like this? Long enough to go mad? Probably.

After returning to bed, he stared at the blank space next to him.

He was lonely. Had been, for a long time.

Five Hargreeves was used to being alone — years in the apocalypse with nothing but the creations of his mind. But somehow, lying in bed in the middle of the night, surrounded by silence and soaked in anxiety, made him feel so much more alone than when he’d been the only person alive in the entire world.

Sleep eventually took over him, and when he woke up again it was late morning. He managed to feel a bit better and decided to do one of the few hobbyish activities he did sometimes — gym.

He hated the people in there. God, he despised them. But it made him feel better, and he cared about his body enough to keep it in shape.

On his way, he stopped to get a coffee.

He stood in line and noticed a girl sitting in one of the booths. She was reading a book and wore a brown coat. Her hair was long — maybe the longest hair he’d ever seen on a girl.

That wasn’t what had initially caught his attention, though.

Next to her, half-covered by the table, was a briefcase.

A briefcase that looked far too familiar.

Too similar— Was he imagining things?

“Hello, sir? Do you hear me?” The worker’s voice cut in. It was his turn to order.

He blinked. “Sorry. A black coffee, please. That’s all.”

He paid, and when he turned back again — the girl was gone. Along with the briefcase…

————————————————————————

Over the last week, Five had become the center of my universe.

If I wasn’t following him, I was writing reports about him. If I wasn’t doing that, I was at least thinking about him.

My intuition was killing me. I wasn’t even sure what was real anymore, and what was just me overanalyzing. That was the downside of my ability.

In a way, I was too similar to Five Hargreeves. I was a paranoid bitch who spiraled into her own thoughts too quickly and couldn’t get out.

So when I fixated on something, it swallowed me. And it didn’t let me go.

I was rented a flat in the middle of Brooklyn, where Five lived now. I adjusted to the new city quickly enough, and honestly, I was enjoying every second I didn’t have to spend working.

I never had the opportunity to really have a life — to find friends, or someone to love. I just worked. And worked some more.

So when I could sit in cafés and walk through snow-covered parks, that’s exactly what I did. I wanted to try as much as I could before I had to go back to my old routine.

It was a Thursday. Five would be going to his brother’s, like every week, so I called Axel to ask him if I should follow him.

“It’s probably too suspicious.“

“Okay,” I said mindlessly while scrolling on my laptop.

“Vera?” he asked. I could almost see his stupid pretty face sitting there, all worried.

“I’m fine…”

“Yeah? Well, just… if you feel something weird… tell me, okay?”

“Uh-hm, sure…”

I closed the call.

“Everything is fine. It’s fine. I’m okay.”

I held my head in my hands, pulling at my hair a little. I needed to calm the fuck down.

I filled the bath and got in. The warm water felt good on my skin, and the strong lavender scent invaded my senses, settling into my bones.

I got out an hour later and headed to the kitchen, trying to cook lunch.

Cooking wasn’t something I’d had to do before, so it was — to say the least — an interesting experience. I kept it simple: canned sauce and pasta. It was fine. I didn’t even like meat anyway. I ate and stared out the window, some movie playing in the background.

As the day went on, I got ready and drove over to Five’s house. I knew he wouldn’t be back for a while — he usually returned late from his brother’s place — but I still wanted to be early. Just in case. So I waited in the car in front of his house for about forty minutes, just to check when he’d come home.

He did — at 9:32 PM. And he seemed angry.

I leaned closer to the window to get a better look. He slammed the car door and stormed toward his front steps, frantic. Then he disappeared inside.

————————————————————————

Five slammed the door shut, hard enough to rattle the frame. He tossed the keys somewhere — didn’t care where — and stood in the middle of the room, frozen.

He felt like he was about to scream. Or explode. Or cry.

He had done everything for them. Sacrificed his life. Saved theirs — again and again. And for what?

To sit at that stupid dinner table and be treated like shit?

He gripped the counter, his breaths shaky. Anger took over him, and the outside world started to buzz away.

If destroying his apartment would’ve solved anything, he would’ve done it twice already.

Then sudenly, he felt something.

A familiar electric sensation sparked in his hands. Something he knew so well… and never thought he’d feel again. He was afraid to open his eyes. Afraid it would vanish — that it was just his imagination. But when he finally did…

He froze.

Either Five Hargreeves had finally lost it — or his hands were glowing.

Light blue, flickering energy. His fucking powers.

He tried to blink.

Nothing happened.

But that didn’t matter — not right now. Because it was here. It was still inside him.

————————————————————————

About ten minutes ago the window of Five Hargreeves kitchen flashed with blue light. I was already about to start the engine when it happened, curently i am siting in my car, unsure what to do, still in shock.

I have to report this rigth? But if I do then… The comission wont leave Five alone.

And i didnt like that for two reasons

The first being that if he came back, if he started working again, I’d lose everything I’ve earned over the years.

Because right now, with him gone, I’m the best, which ment i was treated as the best (They at least tried to pretend I wasnt like, held captive there.). Second place only exists when someones better than you. And Five Hargreeves? He was better.

The second reason…Well, let’s just say that if you follow someone’s every step, study their life, a tragic one, on top of that. You start to feel bad for them. Even in my mildly sociopathic case, which I more or less fell into just to survive the Commission.

After all, Five was old. He may not look like it, but he’s definitely old and lost and I’m pretty sure depressed.

And even though I didn’t really enjoy my job, I never knew anything else, and I was good at what I did, Still, I wouldn’t willingly put someone else in that position.

Not even him.

So, after I returned to my temporary home, I did write a report on Five Hargreeves.

Except this time…I lied.

____________________________________________

Chapter 4

Taglist: @whatsup-huzz

[veraarora]

The line I fall for

Previous: Prologue , Chapter 1

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Chapter 2

The Commission assignments were piling up on my table as I successfully managed to ignore them for the past three days.

Two coffees, one aggressive email that could be counted as a threat sent by my amazing boss, and a migraine in the back of my head.

Not bad, considering my situation.

I sat on the hard chair and flipped one of the documents to feel productive. Bad idea.

“Monitoring request? What am I, some kind of babysitter?”

Apparently so, because stapled to the assignment was a photo. Shit.

I aggressively snapped the file back on the table and—before I realized that snapping at my boss and basically storming into his office wasn’t a good idea—I was already on my way.

Not that he could even fire my ass anyway.

“What the actual fuck, Axel?!” I burst out before even stepping fully into the room. He looked confused for a brief second as his blue eyes looked up from his laptop with a lazy smirk, like my outburst was the best entertainment he’d had all day.

“Wow,” he said. “We’re not even at the part where you threaten to quit. Did you skip breakfast?”

“Did you seriously assign me Five fucking Hargreeves?”

“Technically, the system did. But sure, blame me. That’s more fun.”

“I’m not doing it,” I hissed immediately.

“Yes, you are.”

“I am not.”

“Vera.”

I stared at him. Conflicted.

What really was my problem?

I mean, yes, I often complained — but I did as I was told, and I did it well. But this guy? He founded this place. He was a fucking celebrity around here…

Over the last few years, I avoided the topic of Five Hargreeves as much as I could. Everyone here fucking loved him, idealized him and his actions — even more than our new handler, Mr. Perfect. Five was the only one. The only one above me. Not that I would ever show that it bothered me in any way and honestly, it really shouldn’t, since he’s no one now. No powers, no connections. He doesn’t even have a clue we exist anymore.

Anyway, that may not have been the entire reason for the avoidance. The truth was...

I was one of them.

Born on October 1st, 1989. Just like him. Like the others. Same day, same anomaly, same weird cosmic birth lottery.

I wasn’t adopted by some monocle-wearing maniac, though. I had a mother — for a while. But she didn’t stick around. After that, I was brought to the Commission, labeled a useful little anomaly, locked away like some kind of cosmic asset — and, on top of that, got stuck in my abnormally aging body.

Up here, in headquarters, where I spent most of my life, time didn’t work the same anymore. Too few agents. Too much work. And after the Commission nearly vanished from its already fragile existence, they needed to make some… backups.

Here, time stretches, bends, and folds in on itself until you forget how old you’re even supposed to be. People don’t age normally at the Commission anymore — if they age at all. It’s how I stayed the same. Still nineteen. Or twenty. Or however the hell old I’m supposed to be by now.

Honestly? I stopped keeping count a long time ago.

Still, every time I entered the handler’s office and saw that asshole’s photo on the wall — his shiny hair and perfect green eyes — I felt a twist in my gut.

He was a fucking genius. And I bet—

Well. What the fuck am I doing?

I snapped back into reality.

"Fine," I blurted, louder than I meant to.

“Fine? That’s it? Fine? You looked like you were about to kill me a minute ago.” He gave me a really concerned look and pushed his chair further from the table. Even sitting, I felt so small next to him... vulnerable, scared. Did he make everyone feel like this? Hardly anyone ever made me feel that way, but in Axel Moreau’s presence, I wanted to crawl into a ball and hide in the corner.

Recalling the events of the last ten minutes, in which I didn’t think through any of my actions — and judging by my next statement, I didn’t intend to start doing that anytime soon.

“Is that a problem suddenly? You want me to do this job, don’t you?” I fidgeted with the fabric of my black pants.

I acted stupid, and I knew it — so before he could say anything about it, I calmed down a bit and pretended like I didn’t just have a small breakdown about a guy I’ve never met.

“Why do we even care about him anymore? I don’t remember him being valuable to us in any way.”

“He’s nosy.”

“Nosy? That’s it? Oh my—Axel, really? What am I supposed to do, spank him if he misbehaves?”

“Well, if you would like that, then—”

I rolled my eyes and interrupted his words.

“I am not a babysitter. I am an assassin.”

“No. You work for the Commission. You do what I tell you.”

“Which is killing.”

“Not this time. And for God’s sake, just stop arguing with me already. Do you realize that if you were literally anyone else in this building, this would be unacceptable?”

I was quiet for a moment, noticing he wasn’t so sure about himself anymore.

“You’re not telling me everything,” I said flatly.

“Would it make you do your job better if I did?” He leaned back in his leather chair, making eye contact with me.

“Depends on what the truth is,” I said coldly.

“Go do your job, Vera.”

I bit the inside of my mouth and stood up, putting a hand through my long brown hair. I nodded.

“Sorry,” I breathed out.

“Hey. Look at me.”

I did as he said, his golden locks shining in the sun.

“Do your job, and do it well.” His tone wasn’t harsh — it was a reminder.

And it helped, because that’s what I did. Every day. Every mission.

This one won’t be any different.

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Chapter 3

Taglist: @whatsup-huzz

[veraarora]

me when I reach the angst part of the angsty fic that I specifically chose for the angst

[veraarora]

picture this: me, frantically feeding this apparently dying fandom textposts like i’m drowning a very dead plant in water in an effort to revive it

[veraarora]

Everything I post is also on my Ao3, linked in my bio.

The line I fall for: Prologue chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 (End)

[veraarora]

The line I fall for

Previous: Prologue

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Chapter 1

Five Hargreeves woke up early as usual. The cold air of his bedroom hit him in the face as soon as he swept out of the warm covers. The outside world was still dark and quiet, exactly as he preferred it. The streets had been covered in snow for the past few weeks, and that made the self-convincing to leave his house really hard, at least harder than usual.

He made his usual expensive black coffee — one of the few luxuries in his apartment. He had the money, sure, but never felt the need to spend it. This place didn’t feel like home anyway. If anything ever did, it was probably that little apocalyptic nest back in the day.

So why bother?

A few good suits, some alcohol, caffeine — that was enough.

Five combed his hair and brushed his teeth, taking a few lazy steps to his kitchen, browsing through some documents on his table.

He still hated being powerless.

Four years, and he hadn’t gotten used to it.

For the first few months, before his brain finally made some sense of it, he tried to automatically blink at least two times a day. It was the same as walking or breathing to him, and now it was gone.

He told everyone it’s fine, that he’s over it… he had enough time to get over it, didn’t he?

And sure, his siblings had moved on. So why couldn’t he?

Maybe they never needed their powers the way he did. He wasn’t useless without them — but with them, he was the best. And he knew it.

Still, there was nothing he could do. He’d tried everything.

So now, all that was left was learning how to live without them.

Living his life unfortunately meant maniacally researching anything about the Commission and their suspected ongoing existence. He knew he was right, he felt it, and maybe he was going crazy, but sometimes he felt like his powers weren’t entirely gone either.

Five didn’t tell that to any of his siblings. They would obviously accuse him of being out of his mind, and they wouldn’t be too far from the truth.

Later that day — it was Thursday — he had to meet up with his siblings due to their so-called family meetings. Let’s just say he didn’t even bother to argue with them and just sucked it up.

The meetings usually took place at Diego and Lila’s house. Today was no different. On the way, he stopped for some snacks to give to his nephew and nieces. He parked his black sedan in his brother’s driveway and took a few breaths before getting out of the car. He did so after a few more breaths, and he was immediately attacked by Klaus’s energetic greetings.

“Well hello, Cinco. I actually thought you wouldn’t show up anymore after your previous outburst with our sweet sister-in-law,” Klaus said while giggling between his words. Five struggled a bit to get him out of his personal space and frowned, not saying a word as he smoothed his shirt.

“What’s up with you?” Klaus said after noticing that Five was a bit more strange and grumpy than usual.

“Nothing,” Five said coldly and just knocked on the door. The door opened, and at first, it didn’t seem like anyone was behind it — until he looked down. The little girl in the yellow dress looked up at him as he picked her up.

“Where’s your dad, Coco?” Five said as he walked indoors, Klaus behind him.

She just signaled that she didn’t know and leaned into Five’s shoulder. Diego was sitting in the kitchen, and Five handed him Coco.

“You should teach your kids not to open the door. What if I was a killer?”

“You are a killer, bro.” Five cringed over himself a bit, but it was true.

“Yeah.” He sat and breathed out. “Where’s Lila?”

“You missed me that much? I bet our little fight got your dick hard.” She walked out of the kitchen.

“You wish, Lila.” This woman really got on his fucking nerves. God. He was already standing up, his blood boiling. Diego shoved him down before he managed to strangle her to death.

“Stop this, both of you. No one here is interested in this.” Diego looked at both of them, and Lila murmured something to herself.

Five sat back down, frowning at his brother’s wife once more.

The rest of his siblings arrived eventually, but he didn’t even know when. He felt stuck in his own mind. Something was about to happen real soon — he felt it.

He felt Diego’s sight on him. “What?”

“I don’t know, bro, but you’ve been chewing on that bread for the past five minutes.”

“Yeah, I’ve been savoring the taste of the dry carbs.”

“Can we not do this? It’s one dinner. One.”

“He’s brooding again. What paranoid conspiracy theory will it be this time? Is the moon gonna crash into us again?” Lila chuckled, stuffing herself with pie as one of her kids crawled next to her.

Five sighed and looked up at the ceiling while sipping on the disgusting cup of coffee. He then decided it would be better to just shut up for the rest of the dinner.

A couple of hours later, when he intended to sincerely leave without any of his siblings giving him the same old lecture for the fifth time, a hand stopped him by touching his shoulder. He turned to see Diego standing behind him with some stupid-ass look on his face that signaled he wouldn’t like this conversation.

“I meant what I said, Five.” Diego leaned on the door frame. The house was already quiet, and the only sounds were the TV and his wife and kids’ voices as she dragged them into the bathroom.

“Me too. I’m fine, seriously. You don’t have to worry,” Five nervously mumbled.

“Maybe it’s time to let it go, Five. Just try it.” Five already opened his mouth to protest, but Diego didn’t let him.

“Shh. Just think about it, Five. You can be happy. I know it.”

Five swallowed hard and nodded. Diego gave him a side hug before he closed the door and left Five alone in the cold night — just with his own thoughts.

Notes:

This is my first fanfiction ever, so I hope it’s readable! English isn’t my first language, but I spent a ridiculous amount of time editing — so everything should be right. If you spot any mistakes, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Thank you for stumbling across this. xoxo

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Chapter 2