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Maybe he was destined for loneliness.
Five, keeping a tight grip on the leash he put on Klaus to— mostly to keep him from running off again to smoke crack, and peered down the isles of food.
More often than not the man-boy could keep his thoughts to a whisper. A lingering though of Dolores would stick to his head and he'd dive back into figuring out what exactly was causing their apocalypse to follow them back to this period.
As much as he wished he could spend what time he had to go track down his beloved wife, He didn't want his desire to outshine her own life.
She already died once. She doesn't need to die again.
Five shook his head, grief always was shoved down into some dark pit inside of himself. Tonight wasn't any different, even with Klaus pleading with Five that— "You can fucking shoplift Five! Let me stick the bag of fruity pebbles into your suit and we can get outta here!"
"I'd gladly do that but I don't wanna piss off Allison. I'm trying to keep the family together not cause a fistfight." Five replied calmly, stuffing a box of macaroni into the basket. "Im not gonna track you idiots down again."
That was a lie to himself and he knew it.
"Not our fault is it? Besides, it's Luther you have to worry about since he's practically dating Lee Oswald!"
Five shot a look to his younger brother; yanking him down another isle while Klaus groaned. "It's like 2AM Five, can't this wait?"
"Like I said, no." Five responded, flashing a look down the isle. Pausing and squeezing the jellybeans he was grabbing for Diego.
Maybe that was the moment he recognized what love actually felt like. Not to say he didn't adore Dolores, he did, but some part always spoke to him that it was by chance they drifted together.
Five stared at the girl down the way; watching her look through flowers, cards, and candies. Her hair curled and bouncy. Like something that was made from waves hitting a sandy beach.
A flickering thought crossed his mind at her jewel-like eyes. A ocean blue crossed with pink from silky ribbons. Sporting dark brown hair; tied up high and wore a button down with a pencil skirt.
Five never considered himself to be able to find love again. Fresh from one apocalypse he managed to get himself and his siblings to avoid, then thrown into another with a month to stop it yet again.
He shouldn't have the time of a day to admire such a person. Yet here he was, staring a girl just a few steps away, like he didn't have control over his own hormones.
Puberty sucks. This didn't.
Klaus waved infront of Fives face, unmoving to the beauty he saw at the end of the isle of packaged goods. "Fiivvey, Wakey wakey crotch monster!—"
Five slapped Klaus's hand away, "Shut up," he growled, grinning wildly to try and get him to back off.
"Holy shit you like her don't you?!" Klaus teased, laughing almost silently. The girl waved to the duo; Five instantly waving back calmly before shoving Klaus again.
No no, he, he couldn't. "Just- Just fuck off right now and get everything we need okay? Can you atleast do that?"
Klaus nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Good luck. Elliot's place if the Swedish come?"
"Yeah yeah, now go." Five watched his brother scurry off. Making sure his brother left before dusting off his uniform. As much as he hated desiring after someone in such shitty clothing; he hadn't had the chance to grab something nicer.
A quiet voice poked through his thoughts, "So if you don't mind me asking,—" The brunette smiled softly, "—What was that whole ordeal with your friend?"
Five slightly jumped, startled by her standing beside him. "Oh! Just uh, uh a friend of mine. He needs to be kept under control is all, I sent him to go find me something." He lied through his teeth, a genuine smile creeping up on him as she grabbed the basket from his hands.
"We'll, I hope you two find whatever it is." She started down the isle again, Five trailing behind her quietly. "My name's Candy, you?"
"Paolo." Five responded, nearly coming out as a stammer as she turned the corner with the groceries. "Candy you don't have to help at all, I can do this—"
"No no, I insist." She grinned, "It's late after all, you seem like a hard worker."
As she reached the checkout Klaus had turned back down that way. Mouthing to Five as he flipped them the bird; standing closely nearby as she paid.
This so-called Paolo trailed beside her as she reached her compact car. Insisting on helping her get her belongings inside.
As she was about to ask another question, she halfway jumped from the sudden tug on her wrist. The brunette pulling her in close and apologizing softly, "We need to go, now."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Candy snipped back, worry beginning to cover her face.
"There." Paolo nodded to his left. Above his shoulder parked was a milkman truck with two white-haired men at the wheel.
"I'm sorry about this—"
When Five landed inside of Elliot's home again he took a shaky breath, trying to recover his vision as Klaus picked up the unconscious girl to take upstairs.
"Okay so you kidnapped a poor girl but forgot our fucking food?" Allison snapped to noone, rubbing her temple. "What the hell happened Five?"
"Give me a goddamn second!" He started up his probably 9th cup of the day. His abnormally sized brother leaned over the couch, gently draping a blanket over her figure.
Five tried to drown out his siblings bickering. Together trying to decide whether or not it's best to either;
A) Wipe her memories, suggestion by Klaus
B) Leave her in a homeless shelter, suggestion by Allison
or C)... Keep her.
Suggestion by Five truly.
"Didn't we just have this discussion when it came to who we could bring with us back to 2019?" Vanya replied quietly, gripping the back of the couch. "If I can't bring back Sissy and Harlan, and Allison can't bring back Raymond, why are we debating keeping her?"
"Maybe it'll thaw his heart out."
"I can hear you Diego." Five quipped back weakly, setting his cup into the sink. That quick remark had made the house awfully quiet once more as the siblings tried to sort it out.
"Five." Allison started, careful. "Why'd you save her? You usually never have a heart for casualties like this..."
Youch.
Five glared over at his sister, opening his mouth to say anything to shut her down. All that managed to roll out was a shuddering sob as he shrugged, catching each of them off guard.
As much as he'd like to explain, words were out of his mind at the moment to explain he's not entirely a monster. He has guilt from so much of his past but he doesn't have time.
"She looks like Dolores," Five stammered in a soft voice, "I- I couldn't just, leave her there."
Allison's tone shifted, walking over to her brothers side as he leaned away gently. The others occupying themselves as she grabbed Fives shoulder.
"What do I gotta do?"
Early sunrise next morning Five had awaken to an empty house. Allison taking on the role of leading the search party for ways to escape and/or prevent the new apocalypse lingering above them.
Candy was still asleep, chest heaving as she rolled about on the couch. Five sitting nearby in a recliner and waiting for her.
"Paolo?"
Five peered up from his cup, moving over to her side carefully. "I'm sorry about last night, you had a hard fall." He mumbled, checking on the gauze around her ribs carefully.
She moved to sit up, holding the side of her head as she did. "What happened?... Don't bullshit me either, I remember gunfire."
Five sighed, sitting on the coffee table infront of her, and began to dab her face with a washcloth. "I'm a time traveler from the future that came back with my siblings. That friend from the store is one of my brothers, Klaus."
A complexed look came across her face as Five continued; "We came here to avoid an apocalypse in 2019 and it followed us here. We have roughly a month to stop it and there's an organization trying to stop us."
"Organization?" Candy commented, leaning into the warmth of Five's hand.
"The Commission. Outside of all time and space they control the timeline and maybe even more, sent a few people to kill my family and I, with no witnesses." Five trailed off, letting her gather the intel herself.
Candy shuffled softly, taking his hand away from her face. "Thank you for saving me then," smiling sweetly. "Shouldn't you, yknow, not interfere with the timeline?"
Five found himself smiling back gentle, clearing his throat as he re-wrapped her ribs up. "As long as I don't take you back to the future, we should be alright."
As soon as the words slipped out Five found himself in another pit of despair.
He wasn't good enough to stop one apocalypse. He wasn't good enough to save Dolores, His siblings in the first time, and now what? He couldn't save her?
Maybe he should've just rotted there alone and withered. Five Hargreeves, The Missing Boy, for all eternity.
Five Hargreeves; Deserving of Death—
Candy reached up, gently cupping the side of Paolo's face in her hand. Watching as he seemingly snapped out of some internal dialogue in his own mind.
"Candy?" He whispered, surprised by the motion on his face. Such a warm, soft, new feeling he hadn't felt in such a long time.
She wasn't going to harm him.
"It's okay," Candy nearly mouthed, letting him fall into her embrace. "I don't think I'll ever properly understand your past but I want to learn."
Five broke within a sentence from this sweet girl. Whispering 'Thank Yous' over and over as she held him tight.
"I love you, is that insane?" Five managed to croak out after seemingly forever, laughing nervously and breathlessly.
Candy giggled, brushing her fingers through his hair, "If that's insane then I should be locked up too." She smiled into his head, "I love you too, Paolo."
"Please, call me Five."