XIII. | THIRTEEN

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Outside was swirls of grey, black, and orange hues over the sky. It smelt of smoke and the humidity pressed down on Y/n's skin. The orange fairy lights were strung across the outside area to give it some light, reflecting softly against the windows. The hues painted themselves across everyone's skin, softening Fives features as Y/n looked over to him. She was sat next to him outside, and they both continued drinking.

"It's probably a good thing." Lila muttered, staring up at the mixes of blazed colors as she was laying her head in Diego's lap, "I would've been a shit mom."

"Hey, guys." Luther greeted, arm slung around Sloane as they took a seat on the rocks.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Diego complained along with everyone else as Klaus stumbled out drunk with Ben.

"Klaus, why are you bringing Ben here?" Five shouted, his words slurred as he spoke.

"Hear me out," He tried, "The brother that you all knew as Ben is gone. And not— I don't mean our Ben, the nice Ben. I mean this Ben. The asshole, he's gone now."

"Klaus, what are you talking about?" Luther shook his head.

"The man that stands in front of you is new new Ben, and he's one of us, and he's a member of the team."

"As a welcome gift, I suggest we throw him off the roof." Y/n sighed, sipping on her drink once more.

"Yeah. I'll help." Diego agreed.

"You know what? You know what?" Luther interrupted, "He can stay. He can stay."

"Why?"

"Cause it's my wedding day, man. Come on. He can stay."

The two took a seat on the rocks as Five slowly shut his eyes, leaning his head against Y/n's shoulder. Klaus looked up to the sky, seeing the swirls of oranges and yellows.

"Holy smokes." He mumbled, making everyone look up.

Everyone stared for a long while, the mood noticeable dropping until Luther spoke up. "You know, tonight is all I ever really wanted."

"To get hitched?"

He glanced to Diego, "Just... everybody coming together when it really matters."

Five suddenly lifted his head from Y/n's shoulder, nearly throwing up as he stood from his seat. Y/n stood with him as he stumbled, holding onto one of his arms until he stood upright.

"I think I'm gonna hurl." He mumbled, the group behind them laughing, "Actually, I think I'm hungry. See ya, guys. I'm gonna hit the buffet."

He shrugged off Y/n's hold on his arm as Viktor pointed to him as he walked off, "Is he gonna be okay?"

"It's Five. What do you think?"

"I'll go with him." Y/n turned back to the group.

"You're just as drunk as he his." Diego shrugged, shaking his head.

"It's fine, it's fine." She waved a dismissive hand, "See ya later."

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Five stumbled down the hall way, bouncing between walls to lean against. He refused Y/n's help and after a while she had given up on it. He was carrying a bowl and had his blazer slung over his shoulder. They reached the end of the hallway, Y/n tugging him to the left. She spammed the elevator button.

He dropped the bowl as well as his blazer, vomiting in the plant nearby.

"Five," She turned around and rubbed circles into his back, "Are you okay?"

He looked up at her, "I'm fine."

She sighed and went back to pressing the elevator button repeatedly, "The hell is taking so long?"

The bell finally dinged and the doors slid open as Five stumbled back into the elevator. He fainted down to the ground, probably hitting his head.

"Oh, shit." Y/n went after him and not long after, blacked out as well.

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Y/n awoke the next morning in a random hotel room on an unknown floor. Her head was pounding and it felt as if someone had wrapped bandages around her head a few times too many. She was wearing a set of pajamas that she must've found at some point and her shoes were laying on the bathroom floor and the dress was tossed next to them. The door was wide open as Reginald peeked his head in, seeing he was at the right room and handing her a tray of stuff. It consisted of some toast and water, along with some painkillers.

"Oh, god." She rolled her eyes. "What are you doing in here? And... how did I get in here?"

"I'm not sure of that myself. I was walking by when I saw you, figured you'd have a hangover with how intoxicated you were last night." Reginald set the tray on her bed.

She took the painkillers, washing them down with some water, "There's something else to it."

"May I remind you I'm not the father you grew up with? We're similar in looks, sure. But our circumstances are quite different."

"May I remind you you're not my father at all? My mother just dropped me on your doorstep after a few months. You never even bothered to legally adopt me." She scoffed, taking a deep breath, "What do you need?"

"What makes you think I need anything?"

"Because you wouldn't be here if you didn't." She shrugged, "So just tell me before I change my mind."

"... I've called a meeting in the lobby at noon. I'd like for you to attend."

"Oh, okay." Y/n nodded, "No."

"No?"

"I'm not interested in whatever crazed scheme you've plotted to kill us in this timeline, or any other."

"So you chose to let the world burn because of whatever I may have done to you in a revenant version of myself?"

"Whatever I may have done to you?" She repeated, "You put me through years of training, and treated me like a lab rat when Five left because I stopped aging. And to get me to age, you forcefully gave me drugs that I got addicted to, couldn't be bothered to put me through rehab, so you locked me up in the basement to go through withdrawals, and now I keep getting random powers because of it, and to top it all off, you kept me locked up in a house for 17 years. So, no, I'm not exactly invested in what you have to say."

"Well, what about everyone else? You think they don't wish to see another day?" He queried, "You don't want to see another day with Five after all those years he was gone?"

She bit the inside of her cheek until she drew blood, "Fine. I'll attend your meeting, but that's not to say I'll go through with whatever you've got up your sleeve.

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The revolving doors spun as Reginald came through with Five, the lot in the lobby cheering for him. Y/n clapped her hands together as she was laying across a love seat, her legs resting up on the armrest.

"That speech last night!" Diego clapped while standing as Five rolled his eyes.

"Brought me to tears, you big softy." Lila clapped, setting a hand over her heart.

"I especially liked when you referred to us as a family bound my destiny and love." Viktor called out, staying seated.

"Oh, I loved the part when he said Y/n was his soulmate in every timeline." Klaus nodded.

"Okay. Enough." He stopped them while going to take a seat with Y/n. She lifted her head up, resting it back down on his lap once he was sat down, "It was the booze talking. In the light of day, you're all still deplorable."

"And your days about to get worse." Reginald started from the front of the lobby. "The Norse had seven sleepers. The Blackfoot, seven stars. As a boy, I heard the legend of the seven bells. All these stories are the same. The village is under threat by flood, by fire, by a night that never ends. A shaman brings his disciples to a sacred cave. He tells them if they can ring the seven magic bells, the village will be saved, and all will be restored just as it was."

There was pause of silence as everyone shared confused glances.

Lila raised her hand, "Reggie? Can we get a little less Brothers Grimm and a little more "What the hell does this have to do with us"?"

"There is a truth to these myths. None of you can deny what's going on around us. All of existence will be gone by the end of the day, but whoever or whatever wove together space and time, they left a way to put things back together if the universe ever faced total annihilation." He continued, "There is a portal in the universe. I built this hotel around it, and on the other side is the answer."

Luther sighed, "And... we're supposed to, what? Just stroll in there, ring some bells, and fix this shit?"

"Sarcasm aside, you are mostly right. Except for the guardian."

"What kind of guardian?" Viktor inquired.

"Kinda guardian that does this." Diego held his hand up, wrapped in bandages with two missing fingers. "He had a sword."

"It is a force to be reckoned with."

"See? Yeah. This is where you lose me." Luther shrugged.

"This is where he loses you?" Lila scoffed, "I checked out at sacred cave."

"Why would the builders of this "back door" need to have have a guardian?" Y/n questioned as Five carded his fingers through her hair.

"Ah! To protect it from people who want to use it for nefarious means." Sloane answered.

"That is correct, Sloane."

"So, I guess it's gonna take all of us to defeat the thing protecting the bells." Allison shrugged.

"You're actually buying his crap?" Five checked.

"How is a guardian and bells any crazier than time-traveling briefcases and assassins with cartoon masks?"

"Actually, she's got you there." Luther agreed.

There's was a few beats of silence as Five sighed. Ben stood up from next to Klaus, going to stand by Reginald.

"I'm in."

"Me too." Diego stood up, leaving Lila to fall against the sofa. "But I think some of us should stay back. Like Lila."

"Uh... or you can stay, and I can go."

"No." Allison disagreed, "This is much bigger than all of us. Nobody can stay back."

"You are all that stands between us and oblivion." Reginald held his hands out, "Are we ready to go?"

"Well, I say we vote." Viktor shrugged.

"This isn't a democracy." Ben spat. "Dad's calling the shots."

"I'm with Viktor." Five spoke up, "We vote."

Y/n sat up, "I agree. It can't do any harm."

"The world is ending and you want to count hands?"

"You're asking us to risk our lives." Luther defended them, "I think it's only fair you give us time to discuss it. Privately."

Reginald looked around the group, bewildered look etched on his face. He scoffed and turned to leave the group.

"Why don't we meet back here in an hour?" Luther suggested.

Five nodded, "Agreed."

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