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Your feet hurt like hell from the heels as you made your way backstage on wobbly legs. Today had been another rough day, like so many of them seemed to be recently. You sighed in relief once you could sit down and pull the shoes from your feet.
Elodie, one of your fellow dancers, handed you a drink and a towel, which you accepted with a thankful smile in their direction. They’d really become one of your best friends at the club, and surprisingly fast too.
You downed the drink and gave the glass back, dabbing at your face with the towel. Your breathing was still heavy from the choreography. It had taken weeks to learn. You could still remember how much of a pain it’d been to get it right. How close you’d been so many times to just throwing in the towel –literally – and quitting.
And now, you were performing the damn thing every night for weeks on end, and it still hadn’t gotten easier.
“Oh, and you’ve got a visitor,” Elodie told you, grinning at you as they spoke. They winked before disappearing to go change.
A visitor? That could only be one person.
You looked up towards the door, and indeed, there he was. Tall and broad as ever, with a thoughtful look on his face. You smiled to yourself and stood up, slipping on another pair of shoes before walking over to him.
“Hello, Luther.”
Luther’s head shot up to meet your gaze, as if he’d really been in deep thought. But he smiled once he registered it was you, and that smile had butterflies dancing in your stomach.
“Hello, Y/n. Difficult night, huh?”
You only rolled your eyes playfully, making him chuckle a little bit.
There was a tiny blood stain on Luther’s blue shirt. You noticed it when he offered you his arm. He must’ve fought some rowdy drunk outside the bar, as it often happened. That was how the two of you had met, he’d saved you from a customer who’d gotten too handsy. You’d been new to the club back then and hadn’t yet developed mechanisms to shut down drunks like you could now.
You’d thanked Luther with a smile, even though your heart had been beating way too fast from the shock – and maybe from something else.
Luther had tried to seem strong and confident, but the shy look he’d given you in response had betrayed any of his efforts. You’d attempted to strike up a conversation but that didn’t last long. He stuttered and stumbled over his words, and then the boss had called him over so he would stop chatting and actually did what he was being paid for.
You’d known even back then that Luther would grow to become important to you.
Maybe you’d also been suspecting in that moment that you would lose your heart to him. You weren’t quite sure.
But you had been right.
You let Luther lead you out of the club, your racing heartbeat echoing in your ears like always when you were with him. He just had this… thing about him that made you feel like you were walking on clouds. The whole world was brighter when you were with him.
You wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Today was a rather slow work day. Luther barely had any drunkards to throw out of the club, and the ones that were noisy and aggressive weren’t difficult to get rid of. Nobody bothered Jack, either.
So, Luther found time in-between to chat with Elodie while they were on their shift handing out drinks. It was nice to be able to just talk, with barely any disruptions to the rather calm atmosphere. A moment of peace was necessary every now and then.
Luther didn’t spot Five until Elodie pointed him out. He thanked them and made his way over to where his brother sat in front of the stage, watching you perform.
His stomach twisted when he saw the way Five looked at you.
“She’s too young for you.” he said into Five’s ear, trying his best not to sound jealous. Luther knew those stares so well from all the drunk guys he’d kicked out of the club. He wouldn’t just sit by and let his brother look at you the same way.
You weren’t everyone’s to stare at. You belonged to him.
“Nice to see you too, Luther.”
Five finally turned away from the stage – away from you – and looked at him. He raised an eyebrow at the frown on his face.
“What are you doing here?” Luther asked, not interested in any small talk or whatever Five could come up with.
Five only returned his hard gaze with that cocky expression Luther had always hated so much. It made him feel small –stupid – compared to Five. He hated feeling that way.
“Would you believe me if I said I just missed you?”
Luther rolled his eyes so hard, he wondered if they could get stuck in his head. He looked up to the stage for a moment, where you had finished your number and were leaving to the back room. Elodie hurried past him with a glass and a towel to assist you.
“Cut the bullshit,” Luther growled at Five as he was reminded how his sibling had stared at you. The anger resurfaced, a fire in his stomach. “What are you doing here! Why are we here? Are the others with you?”
Five sighed and took a deep swig from his glass.
Luther fought the urge to slap it out of his hand.
“I don’t know what we’re doing here. All I know is the world will end in a week and I need your help.”
“We just defeated the apocalypse!”
Five shook his head, that annoyed look still on his face. It seemed to scream at Luther.
I wish you were smarter, then I wouldn’t have to explain myself that much. The others get it. Why are you so stupid?
“Yeah, this is a new one. I don’t know what causes it or anything, but we need to stop it.”
Luther curled his hand into a fist. Five. All of their problems had started with Five’s return. Sometimes, in his weak moments, he wished his brother had stayed in the future, that he had never found his way back. Then, Luther would still have a normal life, his family as usual, Allison–
No, not Allison.
He had you now, and you mattered more to him than he could put into words. He wanted to stay with you, earn enough money so he could maybe buy a small flat for the two of you where you could start a family and be happy.
Luther only wanted to be by your side, to see you smile at him every day, waking up together every morning. He wanted to be yours, and know that you were his. Five’s presence here threatened to shatter the somewhat peaceful life Luther had built for himself. It threatened to destroy every dream he had of a family and a home with you, away from superpowers and apocalypses.
A normal life.
“It’s better if you leave.”
Five stared at him, shock written over his young face. He set the empty glass down carelessly, standing up to his full height that was still barely intimidating compared to Luther’s own towering form.
“Luther, I need your help. I can’t do this alone!”
Luther’s eyes travelled past him, spotting you entering the main area of the club. It was time to leave.
“Look, Five, I can’t help you. You should find–“
He trailed off when you reached him, smiling brightly at him with that happy grin that always made his heart do backflips.
“Hello, Luther,” you greeted him, standing up on your toes to press a kiss to his lips. It left him unable to speak for a moment.
You turned towards Five, that smile still on your lips.
“Who is this? One of your friends?”
Before Luther’s brain could catch up, Five held out his hand. “Business associate,” he answered and kissed your knuckles when you offered your own hand. “I’m Five.”
You raised an eyebrow at Luther, your smile slightly faltering and making space for confusion. He was once again reminded that you didn’t know of some aspects of his work, of the boxing and being Jack’s personal bodyguard. You believed he was just the bouncer for the club, and that he was protecting the dancers. He had worked hard to keep it that way.
“Business associate, hm? I hope you don’t get into anything shady when I’m not around.”
You winked playfully.
Luther was quick to shake his head once his brain had caught up to the situation that was unfolding before him. He wouldn’t let Five destroy this new life he’d built himself, too.
“Absolutely not. Nothing you wouldn’t know about.”
Luther saw the way Five’s eyebrows furrowed. He had clearly detected the lie.
Hopefully you hadn’t…
Luther turned towards you, his hands coming up to carefully rest on your shoulders. He tried his best to give you his softest smile, the one you adored and that always made you so happy to see.
“How about you go talk to Elodie while I finish this real quick, and then we can go home.”
You tilted your head, nodding. Your lips stretched into a small smile of your own as you reached up and pulled him towards you, kissing him once more.
Luther fought to keep his eyes open. As much as he wanted to lose himself in you and forget everything, he couldn’t let that happen right now. He needed to stay present.
He still returned your kiss for a moment before he softly detached himself, brushing his fingertips over your cheek.
You smiled at him one last time, before you bid Five goodbye and made your way over to the bar.
Five only regarded Luther with a look that he couldn’t read. He’d raised his eyebrows earlier, but had now dropped that expression. He only sighed deeply.
“I understand. But I still need your help, Luther. I can’t do this without you.”
Luther snorted, shaking his head. The feeling of your kiss still lingered on his lips. He’d fight to stay with you, whatever it took – even if it was Five he had to fight.
“You’ve never needed me. You don’t need anyone. Don’t you always say you’re off so much better on your own? Well, this is your chance to prove it.”
Luther was about to turn away as he remembered something. He stared at Five, barely concealing the anger that you had briefly managed to calm down.
“Don’t ever come back here. And if you do anything to Y/n, I will destroy you.”
With those words, he left Five alone. He didn’t look back as he left the club with you.
Meeting Allison again changed everything.
It didn’t, not really. But in retrospect, Luther found that meeting her had been a sign of certain progress towards letting go of the past for him.
It was weird to see Allison again. Last time, back in their original timeline, she hadn’t been able to speak due to the wound at her throat. Luther could still remember all the blood and the tears in her eyes, and he’d only stood there, unable to do anything to help her.
Now, Allison looked healthy. The wound was gone, fully healed, and she pulled him into a hug, mumbling his name under her breath.
Hearing her voice again was like magic. Luther couldn’t escape the power it still held over him, couldn’t stop the memories that resurfaced as he carefully wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug.
They sat down at the small fast food stand. Allison stole a few bites from his food, grinning at him as she popped it into her mouth.
It was then that Luther saw the ring on her finger.
The discovery should’ve been more painful than it really was. Instead, it was… weird. More like there was something there that he had never seen before, something out of place.
Allison probably saw him frowning and looked down at her hand.
“Oh, yeah, I – I have a fiancée. His name is Raymond, he… He’s a good guy. Normal. Not like us.”
Her voice sounded different as she said those words, careful. It became more shaky and hurried towards the end of the sentence. As if she was scared to hurt him.
Luther stared at the ring for a moment longer before he nodded his head and looked away, up into Allison’s slightly worried face.
A flash of your smile crossed his mind, and he couldn’t help the twitch of his lips as he started smiling himself. There was just something infectious about you, something he couldn’t escape even when you weren’t near him. It was there when you performed, that magical aura that drew people in, causing them to turn away from conversations just to watch you perform, or it had them staring when you simply walked past them.
That aura, that smile was the reason Luther had fallen for you from day one.
He nodded, still with that small grin on his lips.
“Normal is good.”
Allison tilted her head at him, her eyebrows lightly furrowed as she watched him. Then, a grin broke out over her face. It was the amused, teasing kind that he knew so well from their childhood.
“Who is it?”
Luther frowned at her.
“What do you mean?”
Allison only shook her head, her grin turning softer. She lifted a hand and gestured towards him.
“I should’ve known. You look so different, so… happy. You found someone, didn’t you? Who is it?”
Luther almost dropped his fork. He caught it at the last moment, stuffing some more food into his mouth to have the time to think about an answer.
As if stalling had ever worked with Allison…
“I– Her name is Y/n,” he finally said, glancing up at Allison with worry. Yes, she had someone now, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be hurt or angry that he had left their relationship behind.
Allison only grinned at him and leaned forward. It was a kind smile, a happy one.
“And? How did you meet? When did you meet? Is it serious?”
Luther cleared his throat, confused by her enthusiasm. But there was no anger in her tone, nothing negative, just excitement and genuine interest.
There were many things he could have said about you. How much he adored your smile and your kind nature, how you made him so happy just by simply existing in his proximity. How he so badly wanted to be able to earn enough money for the two of you to move in together and start a family.
Instead, all he said was, “Do you know where I can buy an engagement ring?”
Allison stared at him for a second. Her eyes widened. Then, she threw her head back and laughed loudly, without a care in the world.
Once she’d calmed down again, she grinned at Luther, her eyes sparkling with genuine happiness. Maybe she wasn’t mad at him…
“An engagement ring, huh? I see. This mystery person really means a lot to you, it seems.”
Luther nodded shyly. He wasn’t sure why he was suddenly embarrassed, but he knew that, if Allison asked him to describe you and your relationship, he wouldn’t know the words to properly express how much he loved you. That he would leave everything behind in a heartbeat just to be with you.
“She… she’s special,” was all Luther could manage. He hoped Allison understood.
She just nodded, a soft smile on her face. Slowly, carefully, she reached out and placed her hand on Luther’s arm.
“I’m glad you’re moving on. Clinging to the past has never done any of us any good. It’s good that you’re happy.”
Luther looked at her, saw the honesty in her eyes, and softly placed his hand over hers.
“It’s good that you’re happy, too.”
Allison nodded her head again, pulling her hand back. She smiled softly as she traced the ring on her finger.
“Yeah, I am.”
They stayed silent for a while after that. It was a comfortable silence, almost like it had been when they were younger. But this time, something was different.
Allison grinned at him and poked his arm.
“Eat your food. I can show you a good shop to buy a ring.”
Luther looked at her in surprise, before he turned back to his food and devoured it as fast as he could.
Allison’s amused laughter echoed through the air.
Sometimes, Luther wished he could keep his promises.
There were so many vows he’d made in the past that he hadn’t been able to keep, so many people he’d disappointed. He’d sworn to himself that he would never do that to you.
Luther had promised to stay with you.
And yet, here he was, looking at your tearstained face as he explained everything to you. His family, his powers, his sudden arrival in this time – everything. Every little thing he’d kept from you spilled from his mouth, his chest growing tighter with every word until the air was squeezed out of his lungs.
You looked up at him, your beautiful eyes filled with an expression of utter betrayal.
That was another promise he’d broken – that he would never lie to you.
“So, you’re from the future?”
Your voice was filled with a mix of disbelief and shock. It was understandable. Some of the inventions he’d described would still have to be discovered – like the technology necessary to make his long stay on the moon possible.
Luther reached out, wanting to wipe your tears away. He hated seeing you cry. Knowing that it was because of him broke his heart.
But you only backed away from him, anger and hurt contorting your beautiful face.
“How dare you!” You almost screamed. “Not only are you just leaving me, but you have the nerve to tell me all these lies. Time travel, really? Couldn’t you think of something else?”
Luther stared at you in shock. Your words cut him deeply, the pain in his chest spreading throughout his body in bone-numbing waves.
You didn’t believe him…
Luther tried to reach for you again, his movements fast and shaky this time. How could you believe he’d lie to you? Did you really think he would just make up a story like this and present it to you the way he just had?
To be fair, Luther had lied to you by keeping his origins a secret. But him being from the future wasn’t something you could just sprinkle into everyday conversation like that.
“Y/n, I would never lie to you, I–“
I love you, I would never want to see you hurt, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.
You interrupted him, cynical laughter spilling from your mouth. You threw your head back, quite literally laughing into his face.
“You’d never lie, huh? Then why is all that’s coming from your damn mouth just lies, Luther? Tell me. Tell me why, and maybe I’ll actually believe you. Come on, tell me!”
Luther had never seen you like this before. He could only stare at you, too shocked by your anger and your yelling to be able to respond. Any possible excuse or apology in his head turned to smoke because of your angry words.
You nodded, your mouth twisting into another cynical smile. But your eyes held an indescribable sadness.
“That’s what I thought.”
You turned away from him and walked towards the door. With your hand on the doorknob, you looked back once more, regarding him with an ice-cold stare.
“You know what? You’re no better than those assholes you beat up at the club. They lie too. Anything to get into our pants, right?”
Then, the door fell shut and you were gone.
Luther could only stare at the spot where you had just stood. His heart was convulsing painfully, but the rest of his body was numb once again.
“Because I love you, Y/n,” he whispered, finally able to answer your earlier question.
But you didn’t hear him anymore. You were gone.
Luther had lost you.
The world was tinted in red. Anger and hurt lit a fire in his stomach as he started pounding his fists into anything within reach that was breakable. But even beating everything in his small room into a pulp didn’t dull down the pain in his chest.
Luther wasn’t sure how long his rage-filled destruction went on for. It could have been a minute, maybe even an hour, he didn’t know. When he came back to himself, his room was in shambles, wooden splinters and glass shards littering his floor. His chest was heaving with heavy breaths.
As Luther looked around his thrashed room, he spotted a small box tangled in his bed sheets.
A stuttering breath left his mouth. He picked it up from the floor, opening it carefully. His throat constricted.
Inside the small box was the ring Luther had picked out with Allison’s help. It was a simple golden band with a small stone embedded in it that sparkled in the daylight.
Luther slowly ran his finger over the words on the inside of the ring. It had taken a while for him to decide to get them engraved, but he’d wanted this to be special.
I love you to the moon and back.
Luther could only stare at the words, tears welling up in his eyes. They held so much truth.
Now, you would never even get to see them. All his hopes for a life with you had turned to smoke.
He let himself fall to the floor in the midst of all the destruction and just cried out, screaming all of his pain into the emptiness of his room.
You’d been supposed to be his happy ending, and now, Luther had been the reason for your heartbreak.