Darling || Five

07

"Jesus", Vanya gasped as Five turned on the light. She exhaled loudly and set her keys on the side near the front door.

"You should have locks on your windows", Five commented.

"I'm on the second floor".

"Rapists can climb".

"You are so weird". She put her bag and violin case down near the sofa and shut the door. As she glanced around, she frowned. "Where's your husband? Peter, wasn't it?"

As if called by the mention of his name, Peter floated out of the bathroom clutching a first aid kit. He paused, midair and several feet off the ground as Vanya stared at him. "Hi. Sorry to break in but we needed somewhere to stay". He smiled and sunk down until his feet were resting on the rug.

"You fly", Vanya stated. "You're another one of the 43 like us, aren't you?"

"Yeah", Peter paused. "I thought that was obvious. By the way, you should update your first aid kit. You don't have much ibuprofen". He walked over to the arm chair where Five was perched and knelt on the floor as he set the first aid kit on the arm.

"You're bleeding", Vanya voiced as she caught sight of the stains on the boy's sleeves.

Peter tried to pull up Five's sleeve but the brunette huffed loudly and grabbed his wrist. "Peter, dear. You're dripping blood on Vanya's carpet". Peter cursed and held out his arm. Five pulled back his sleeve and set about bandaging the blonde, touch gentle. Vanya watching them for a few seconds before disappearing into her room. When she returned, Peter was finishing tying the bandage around Five's forearm, his own bandage hidden under his sleeve.

"So why did you come here?" She asked as she perched on the edge of the sofa. Peter rose from where he had been kneeling and began to hover in the air at Five's side. His legs curled up and body language looking as if he was seated when actually he was floating. Vanya stared at him.

"I've decided that you're the only one we can trust".

"Why me?"

"Because you're ordinary", Five replied, then corrected himself. "Because you'll listen". He sighed deeply, eyes dark. Peter reached out a hand and interlocked their finger's together wordlessly. Five squeezed his hand slightly as he spoke again. "When I jumped forwards into the future, do you know what I found?"

"No", Vanya was listening, watching them.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. As far as I could tell, I was the last person left alive". Five then paused and lifted their joined hands, tugging Peter closer. The blonde floated towards him, hovering a few inches over the armrest of the chair, close enough for Five to rest his hand in his lap. "I was alone for almost a year before he turned up. Sometimes, I thought he was nothing but an illusion, a hallucination".

Peter smiled gently. "I am not a hallucination".

"You're a dream", Five countered.

"I can see him. He is real", Vanya voiced. "Was the name Peter Pan because you could fly? Or because you are now stuck in a child's body?" She tried to joke.

"I have always been Peter", Peter replied. "But Peter Pan was my favourite book growing up and when my mother died and I ended up in the apocalypse, that is the name I chose".

Vanya nodded at the explanation. Five took the opportunity to continue. "We never found out what killed the human race, but I did find something else. The date it happens. The world ends in eight days. We have no idea how to stop it".

"I'll put on a pot of coffee", Vanya stated. "How do you take it?"

"Black", Five replied.

"You?" Vanya turned her gaze to Peter.