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Y/n was laying on top of the hotels roof, rocky layers of debris under her. She had her hands under her head as she peered up at the mixed swirls in the sky. She was listening to all the whooshing sounds the ball of lightning was making, accompanied by soft winds kissing her cheeks. The door to get onto the roof clattered shut and there was one, two, three, footsteps before they ceased.

"Nice outfit." Five nodded while looking down at her, quiet breezes combing through his hair.

She hummed. "Yeah, seemed fitting for the end of the world."

He laughed while taking a seat next to her, and they stayed like that for a while. She sat up, bringing her knees to her chest as she sat.

"Uh... how long do we have left?"

He licked his lips with a sigh, visibly deflating, "A couple of hours." He estimated, "Could be more, could be less."

She was quiet for a few moments, "How'd you know I was up here?"

He shrugged, "When we were younger you were always either up on the roof or in your room when you wanted to be left alone... or in my room, oddly enough."

Y/n laughed while reminiscing. Even when the pair wasn't fond of each other, Five had always been good at reading her. He could usually tell when she wanted to be left alone without being alone. Y/n would usually storm into his room with a book, or some trinket to entertain herself, and take any open seat. She'd stay for a few hours until her demeanor slowly shifted. Sometimes Five could tell when she was over whatever quarrel had occurred, but she still stuck around for a few hours anyways, and then she'd leave without a word.

Sometimes if she was really worked up about it, she would just talk and he would just listen. Five would nod along until she was finished, and they'd shared awkward glances with each other until she left the room looking deflated. Back then their feelings for each other were like a language neither of them spoke yet. They knew it was there, acknowledged it's presence, but couldn't decode what it meant.

"I guess I just needed to think for a bit." She sighed, "I don't think I'm gonna go. I mean, we've ended the world three times now. It's a sign we should just... stop trying." There was a short pause as Y/n nudged Five with her elbow, "What about you?"

"I'm still on the fence. I saw something last night that I was not supposed to see."

"Diego and Lila?"

"No, I saw the old man. He was in his room with someone. He was making some kind of deal." He continued, "Before you ask, I don't what the deal was or who it was with. Everything is a blur, but I know you were there."

"The last thing I remember is you puking in a fake plant and then I woke up in a random hotel room, so."

He laughed, "I woke up in the kitchen."

They laughed for a few more short moments, letting the sound of energy thrumming and winds whistling fill an otherwise silent, yet comfortable moment.

"That story about the bells?" He started, glancing to Y/n and she looked to him, "There's something he's not telling us. Think about it. When has the old man ever been straight with us?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, messing with her ring, "He was ruthless in our performance reviews, I guess. I always got backhanded compliments."

"He always gave me five stars."

"Really? He always gave me four and half."

"Focus, please." He sighed, "Look, I'm old enough to trust my instinct, and it's telling me this is a trap."

Five stood up as Y/n turned to look back at the sky. He watched as she went back to thinking, and knelt down for a moment, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Just some food for thought."

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Y/n hopped down the last few steps, going to lean against the same pillar in the lobby that Five was.

"I think you can all guess which way I'll be voting." Allison sighed, standing in the middle while wringing her hands together, "We've all been through a lot. We've all lost people. Mannequins... but their deaths have to mean something. Which is why I'll be voting to go."

Lila walked down the staircase, looking Diego in the eye as she passed, "What she said. Let's go save the bloody universe!"

"Alright, well, since she said yes... I vote stay." Diego shrugged while skipping up a few steps, "How's that for nice?"

Lila scoffed, placing her hands on her hips, "You're not being serious."

He smiled at her as Allison looked back to her, "It's his vote, Lila." She paused, "Klaus?"

"I am with father." He nodded.

"Okay, that's four to one. Viktor?"

He sighed, "Look, I wanna believe, okay? I really do. I just can't shake the feeling that I don't know what we're getting ourselves into."

"No, but we know what we've got if we don't. We have to go into this together." Allison glanced around before looking back to him, "Viktor. A family."

"You can't just keep throwing the word family around. It isn't enough." He shrugged, "I vote stay."

Allison bit the inside of her cheek, "Luther?"

"Um... Sloane and I talked, and, well, we're out." He sighed, "Look, we wanna spend whatever time left we have together, and not fighting some guy with a sword and ringing bells and stuff. So..."

"Well, dead even. Four in, four out." Viktor pointed out.

"That leaves you two, Numbers Eight and Five." Reginald turned to the two.

Y/n shrugged, "I want to go, but I also don't, so..."

"So what? You have to pick." Allison told her.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not stupid." She scoffed, kicking herself off the pillar. She paused and thought for a moment, "Which is why I'm staying. I'm not naive enough to fall for another end of the world mission all because the old man hopped off his pills."

She glared at him and then Allison, taking a seat on the last step.

Allison glared back, looking to Five, "Well?"

"I saw the future, and it told me to sit this one out." Five smiled sarcastically, speaking bitterly as he voted, "I vote stay. It's time we accept our fate."

Thunder rumbled outside from the Kugelblitz, setting an uncanny vibe along the group. Five moved to lean against the handle of the staircase, next to where Y/n was sat. Allison uncrossed her arms, glaring at the group of six on the stairs.

She scoffed bitterly and walked off, "You're all pathetic."

Ben leaned over to Reginald in a whisper, "Why can't we go in there, just the four of us?"

"That would mean certain failure. There must be seven." He looked to the group, "I can't say I'm happy with this. But I see now the blame falls on me. I failed you when you were young, and I have failed you now. And in doing so, I have doomed the entire universe. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the courtyard... awaiting the end."

He sighed while walking off, taking one last look at the group before going.

Ben glowered at all of them, "Idiots."

Viktor waited until he walked off to ask, "Was that a real apology?"

"That man's never apologized for anything in his life." Luther retorted.

"I actually feel bad for him."

"Don't worry." Five looked to Diego, "It'll pass."

"So... now what?" Sloane inquired.

"We wait for the end." Y/n shrugged while standing up, Five slinging an arm around her shoulders as they walked off, "See you guys around. It's been interesting, to say the least."