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dumdumsun · 2 years

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To Nightfall

A/N: A sad chapter, my loves. There's one paragraph that could be particularly triggering, so I have it marked with bold arrows for those who don't want to read it to skip.

Warnings: ⚠️suicide⚠️, blood and gore, character death, alcohol, mentions of alcohol, blood and death/dying

Word Count: 6817

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Chapter 15: Wedding at the End of the World

It was a cataclysmic disaster of ember-turned homes and buildings, the survival rate of zero percent resulting in the extinction of man-kind for a third time. Outside the Hotel Obsidian, that is.

While everything and everyone was being sucked into the radiated black hole outside, the twelve survivors within the hotel were unaffected by the demolition. It was currently the only building left completely intact in the entire world. The Umbrella Academy and what was left of the Sparrow Academy sat together within one of the lounge rooms, quietly awaiting an answer or possibly an end to them as well.

“So,” Allison started. “How is it that we’re still here, but the whole of the universe is going down the cosmic shitter?”

Viktor shrugged from the chair he sat in. “Maybe we’re the last of it flushed.”

“Wasn’t talking to you.”

He rolled his eyes before Luther spoke up from where he sat cuddled up beside Sloane. “Hey, has anyone seen Klaus?”

Sloane looked up at him in realization. “Or Dad?”

“They’ll be here.” Diego answered.

“Really? Did they… hit traffic?” Ben sarcastically shrugged. “Look, people, we’re alive because we’re special, right? We’re the only ones who can save the universe.”

Allison raised her hand. “Uh, question.”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t we just try that and fail miserably?”

“Yeah, because his plan was stupid.” Diego cut in. “I got a better one.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “‘Course you do.”

“We go with the large hard-on particle accelerator. You guys do some science, and…” He clicked his tongue and mimicked the swing of a baseball bat. “...we launch the Kugelblitz into outer space. Didn’t think I knew that, did ya? It’s in Switzerland.”

“It’s ‘hadron’, not ‘hard-on’, ya moron!”

Lila turned herself around from her upside down position on her chair to look at Ben. “Oi! At least he’s trying, you shitty little squid. What have you contributed?”

“Actually,” Diego pointed at him. “He did blow up half his family.”

“Oh, you wanna talk about family problems?” He moved up to Diego. “You know what should have blown up is your face on that neck!”

“I wish I had a cake to hit you with it in your face!”

They switched to the Korean and Spanish language to continue arguing before Five cut them off out of irritation. “Hey!” He shouted. “You guys done? The universe is disappearing outside. So, you can keep rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic if it makes you feel better. But the fact remains that we are too late.”

Everyone in the room scoffed at his words. Never had they ever heard of Five giving up on the end of the world. He always had some sort of solution to a dead-end, to a life-threatening situation. The sound of him accepting their fate didn’t sit well with any of them.

“Five, come on.” Luther chuckled, hoping his brother was joking.

“It’s over, Luther. We failed.”

Viktor sat up. “Come on. It can’t be over over.”

“Yeah, come on, Five. We gotta figure this out, man.” Diego agreed.

“Okay.” He nodded. “How about we take a step back? Look at the big picture here. Most of us have spent the last twenty-eight days trying to stop the world from ending. What exactly have we accomplished?”

They all looked down, vocals unnecessary for the true answer, though Luther saw fit to try anyway. “Well,” He smiled down at Sloane. “We made some friends along the way.”

“Incorrect! You know what we’ve done? Nothing. We made things worse every single time. It was exactly what (Y/N) was trying to tell me and I didn’t listen to her.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Look, when I went to the Commission, I had a conversation with my hundred-year-old self. And my last words were, ‘Don’t save the world’.”

“‘Don’t save the world’?”

“‘Don’t save the world’.”

Diego waved his hand in dismissal. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Is it?” Luther narrowed his eyes. “Well, whatever we’re doing’s not working. All we ever do is save the world for a day, pat ourselves on the back, and then everything goes to shit again.”

“Yeah, maybe we’re the problem.” Viktor shrugged.

“Oh, yeah,” Allison scoffed. “Us.”

“So, wait.” Lila looked up at Five. “Your big plan is… no plan?”

Five pointed at her. “Exactly. Conscientious objection. Why the hell not? We’ve tried everything else.” His eyes roamed over everyone’s dreadful faces. “Look, maybe this is just what the universe needs. I say, embrace the apocalypse. See what’s on the other side.”

“What if it’s… nothing?” Sloane quietly asked.

“Then it’s been nice knowing you all. Whatever’s on your bucket list, I recommend you do that now.”

Five gulped, a terrible feeling in his gut. He didn’t truly want to believe that this would be one of the last moments with his family. He spent almost his entire life trying to save them and now it proved itself to be fruitless. Five finally solved his life-time equation he had been pondering. The likelihood of saving any and everyone was less to none. With a defeated sigh, he sat down. Luther and Sloane silently shared a smile before the former spoke up.

“Well, on that… super happy note, we’ve um…” He glanced at Sloane for a moment before they giddily laughed and stood. “Oh, what the hell. We’ve, uh, got a little announcement to make.”

“We’re engaged!” They cheered in unison, Sloane holding up a hand where a ring sat on her finger.

“Kill me, Jesus…”

“Idiots…”

“Now?”

Luther held a hand up to get them to hear him out. “Yeah. Look, we realize the timing is less than ideal. But obviously, it’s now or never. Am I right, Five?”

“Don’t drag me into this, please.”

His smile fell as Sloane spoke up. “What… Whatever time we have left, we wanna spend it with all of you. So, we’re super pumped if you would join us in the banquet hall at six p.m. for a celebration of our love, and the official union of what’s left of our two great families.”

Luther held his smiling fiance tight as he nodded. “Dress code is creative black tie.”

Meanwhile in a hotel room a floor above them all, Umbrella (Y/N), now dressed in a grey button up tucked into a pair of black cargo shorts, hurried inside with a glass of water in her hand. She walked up to Sparrow (Y/N), now dressed in a black crop top with buckle straps and black cargo pants, and held the glass out to her.

“Here. You need to drink this.”

“No, I-” The woman clutched her head in her hands and shut her eyes. “No, I can’t right now.”

“(Y/N), you’ve been hyperventilating in intervals for the past two hours. You’re dehydrated. Drink this water.”

At that, the Sparrow quickly turned to her and took the glass from her, mechanically gulping the entire thing down without a second to lose. Once she’d drained it, she blinked rapidly and twisted her bracelet on her wrist. Umbrella (Y/N) frowned and took the glass back as she watched her idly stand there, as if she wasn’t having a panic attack just a second ago.

“(Y/N)?”

“Y-Yes?”

“What is your obsession with that bracelet?”

Sparrow (Y/N) snapped her head up, brows raised and eyes wide. “Bracelet?” She quickly let go of it. “This old thing? I don’t have an obsession with it. W-What are you… No, stop it!!!” She screamed and backed away when the girl reached out for the accessory. Umbrella (Y/N) her hands up in defense.

“Okay… I’m sorry. I just don’t understand. Why do you care so much about it? It’s just a bracelet.”

“No, i-it’s my…” She cradled her wrist. “It’s my lifesource.”

The young girl’s shoulders slumped at that. “(Y/N), come on…”

“It’s true!”

“That thing is not your ‘lifesource’. You know what that is?” She inched closer to her. “That is yet another crazy thought implanted in your mind by your abusive siblings. You can’t keep letting them have this hold over you, (Y/N).”

The Sparrow sniffled. “You don’t understand… All of my siblings are dying a-and nothing makes sense right now. But this is the only thing that does. This- This bracelet, I’ve always had it. I’ve never taken it off. If I do, I die.”

“Well, what about it is keeping you alive?”

She shook her head frantically. “I don’t- I don’t know…”

“That’s the problem, (Y/N). They didn’t even bother to tell you why exactly you need to wear that thing all the time. Removing that bracelet is one step closer to healing yourself.” She softly smiled. “I promise.”

Hesitantly, Sparrow (Y/N) slipped her white beaded bracelet off of her wrist, her shaking hand setting it into her double’s palm. Umbrella (Y/N) smiled down at it and closed her hand around it. “See? And nothing happ… ened…”

Her words trailed off when she looked up, finding the light in the Sparrow’s eyes snuffed out. Her gaze was far away now, staring at the empty space before her. Her limbs that were once trembling were now stiff and unmoving. She looked like a soldier, like a…

“Clone…” Umbrella (Y/N) whispered as her head spun. “You’re a clone.”

Sparrow (Y/N) straightened, her face crumpling at those words. She looked to be in complete anguish as her shaking hands slowly reached up towards her abdomen. As soon as her nails sunk into her skin, her knees buckled and Umbrella (Y/N) rushed to catch her. She carefully lowered herself until she was sitting on the floor, her double resting between her legs with her head against her thigh. She was self-destructing.

“O-Oh, god…” The Sparrow sniveled as her blood dribbled down her skin. “I-I…”

“No.” The Umbrella sobbed. “N-No, don’t talk. Please… Please, j-just-”

“I-Is this gonna hurt, (Y/N)?” She cried. “Am I gonna die? I-Is it gonna hurt…?”

“I’m so sorry… I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t know, I’m so sorry…”

The Sparrow grunted as her flesh tore, blood oozing and collecting in both of their clothes. More blood seeped from her mouth as she threw her head back and looked up at her younger self, who was bawling her eyes out. “Hey… it’s okay. Don’t- Aah! D-Don’t worry about me, you little shit…” She smiled. “(Y/N), I need you to listen to me.”

Umbrella (Y/N) cried even harder as she watched the woman rip her stomach open even more.

“Listen to me. Are- A-Are you listening?”

“I’m listening…” She croaked out.

“Find me. The real me. Find her, okay? Y-You nee- need to pro-o- promise me.”

“I-I promise…”

Sparrow (Y/N) smiled just a tad wider and reached a bloody hand up, gently caressing the girl’s face with it. “I love you, little sister.” She choked as tears fell down her face. “You were the best part of me.”

The Umbrella nodded her head and tearfully smiled as well. “I love you, too…”

The hand on her face slowly slid away, leaving a handprint on her cheek before it traveled back down to the Sparrow’s body. She cried out in pain as she unwillingly tore her skin apart, blood splattering all throughout the room. (Y/N)’s body shook with screamed sobs as she held her close, petting her hair as she slowly died in her arms.

She tried to think of better times. Their shopping spree, their ice cream date. She thought of getting their nails done together and the way they freed each other through a simple haircut. She thought of exploring different parts of her, not the (Y/N) who bowed to her siblings’ every command, but the passionate and witty one who she learned to love. A part of her she didn’t know she needed until coming face-to-face with her.

(Y/N) had learned not only a different kind of love from her, but a different kind of loss.

When the screams decrescendoed to silence, she slowly opened her eyes, bile rushing to her throat at the mess of blood and organs that was left of such an amazing person. Her face was mangled beyond recognition and her blood stained (Y/N)’s hair and skin and clothes. For a long while, she could do nothing but stare in silent horror at the remains of what she had just witnessed.

Her glossy eyes stay trained on the shadow the remains had formed into, the black mass slinking its way out of the room. It was going to its source.

Quickly standing, (Y/N) stumbled down the halls, following the shadow as it practically flew across the floor. Soon, she didn’t need to follow it, for her sudden itchiness and sweats grew the closer she got to her destination. She viciously scratched at the itch on her shoulder as she entered the room her symptoms worsened in.

In the corner of her and Five’s room sat a huddled figure. They were in all black attire, knees pulled to their chest and arms covering their head. (Y/N) clenched her teeth against the sudden urge to punch this person in their mouth and slowly approached them. “Hey,” She tried to soothe the growl in her voice. “Are you okay?”

The true Sparrow (Y/N) snapped her head up, tears falling from her frightened (e/c) eyes. Every part of her body was trembling and her lip quivered with her frown. As soon as she set her sights on Umbrella (Y/N), her gaze turned venomous against her will. “It’s you…”

“Yeah,” The girl crouched beside her, wincing at the force she used to fight against her symptoms. “You- You might be feeling really weird right now, and it’s hard to explain. You might feel the need to kill me right now.”

“I-I do, actually.”

“And I’m asking that you don’t. Look, I wanna help you, okay? But in order for me to do that, we have to be nice to each other. No matter how crazy we feel right now.”

Sparrow (Y/N) sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. Her eyes that were sunken in with dark circles underneath. Whatever energy she once had seemed to be drained from her body because she looked too weak to move. Her current position resembled a wounded animal in need of rescue. The way her eyes darted everywhere in the room as if she were looking for a quick exit told it all.

“I just… I don’t wanna be here.” She quietly cried, wiping away the sweat on her forehead.

Umbrella (Y/N) got to her feet and reached a hand out to her. “Okay, well… Where do you wanna go?”

The Sparrow looked up at her with big eyes, hesitancy clear on her face. Nevertheless, she took hold of the girl’s hand and wobbly stood. Wordlessly, she let go and slogged out of the room, slamming into a wall. She could hardly hold herself up.

The Umbrella hurried out of the room and let the woman lean her weight against her. As Sparrow (Y/N) led them through halls, the two silently endured their worsening symptoms. The flatulence was slightly embarrassing for the both of them, but they continued on anyway. Neither voiced it, but they were utterly parched, unable to produce any saliva to hold them over for now. And neither of them said it, but they were drowning in paranoid thoughts.

Was this a trap? What if she was leading her to some sort of torture chamber? What if she truly were trying to murder her? Would she be able to fight her off? No one would find her dead body, would they?

Why was there a tiny version of her? What did she want? Was she going to kill her? She couldn’t let that happen. She better think of a plan to take her down before she gets to her.

They both tried their best to push away these thoughts, but every time they popped a bubble, a new one would form, obscuring their vision from any common sense. It was the influence of the paradox psychosis, and they couldn’t give into the fiery rage they felt towards each other.

Umbrella (Y/N) looked up when she noticed they were heading straight for a certain room at the end of the hall. The White Buffalo Suite. She started to wonder what was so important to the Sparrow about this room, but right as they reached the door, the woman sharply turned to the wall beside the room. With a sniffle, Sparrow (Y/N) pressed her palm into the wall, a door forming and opening.

“What the hell is this?” The Umbrella asked as the Sparrow leaned away from her.

“A panic room.” She whispered.

“Why, though?”

“In case I… woke up.”

“I don’t understand-” Before she could go after her, Sparrow (Y/N) darted into the room and slammed the door shut. Umbrella (Y/N) pushed on the knobless door to force her way in, but it wouldn’t budge. “(Y/N)! What’s going on?”

She received no answer, so she pressed her back against the wall and slid to the floor. In silence, she waited for her double to exit the room. Everything in the past fifteen minutes had been such a blur and yet she remembered it so clearly. (Y/N) watched herself die in the most gruesome way possible.

What was the point of her true Sparrow self projecting her consciousness into a clone for so long? Was it something she decided to start doing? Was it against her will? Did she even know what she was doing? She would have to undergo much questioning in order to sort this all out.

(Y/N) flinched at the sound of a muffled bang and thud, and quickly turned to the hidden door. “(Y/N)?” She called out, knocking on the door. “You okay in there?”

No answer.

“(Y/N)...?”

At another knock, the door opened, granting her access. Stepping inside, she noticed that the room was devoid of any furniture aside from a table in the middle along with a chair. She quickly cupped her hand over her mouth to hold back the bile rapidly shooting up her throat at the sight before her.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Sparrow (Y/N) was sat at the table, her body slumped over with her head resting against it. Her arm was lying on the table as well, a handgun in her limp grasp. Her eyes were still wide open as blood leaked from the wound in her head, trailing down her face and pooling onto the table beside her head.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

(Y/N) tried to shake herself out of the state of horror she was in as she slowly approached the body, a shaky hand reaching out and taking the gun. When she checked it, she saw that there were no more bullets. She wondered whether or not it was always like that, if it was meant to be like that. (Y/N) couldn’t imagine what this woman went through. To constantly project herself into something that wasn’t entirely her. She knew what that was like.

Whenever she operated behind the eyes of her clones, she never truly felt herself. It was like working in a box, a box where you could never see quite right or hear the same. Even food tasted off. But to do it without a moment to take a step back into her own mind could have driven her to insanity.

Maybe that was what triggered this. She had been torturing herself for so long. And for what? What was the purpose of this? It didn’t make any sense and frankly, it pissed (Y/N) off. Because she knew that no version of herself would ever do this to their own mind. She had to have been forced to do this.

And (Y/N) only had one idea of who it could have been.

She needed to tell her family. She needed to tell Ben and Sloane. With a shaky inhale, she gently closed her double’s eyelids and left the room, the door closing behind her. (Y/N) shut her eyes to force her tears back, the quiet sob escaping through her lips failing her. At this point, she was barely holding herself together. What she had witnessed back-to-back in such a short amount of time had her head reeling and her body stumbling into walls as she hurried to the elevator.

When the doors opened, (Y/N) slowly stepped out. In the room before her, she saw her family all talking to each other. Sloane and Luther looked to be passing around something, everyone staring at the items in curiosity once they got one. She had a fleeting thought that wondered what it was, but it went away as soon as she set her sights on the person standing beside Klaus in the room.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves.

“You!”

Everyone turned to the source of the scream, their eyes widening at their sister, covered in blood and rushing up to them with a savage look in her eyes, the fire within them crackling and snapping the closer she got. Sloane held out whatever item she had to the girl, but she ignored it and headed straight for Reginald. Before anyone could do or say anything, (Y/N) landed a blinding right hook to his face. Gasps rang throughout the room as he stumbled, Klaus holding him upright.

Five wrapped both arms around her middle as he pulled her back. She didn’t even budge as her eyes glued themselves to the man who called himself her father, holding his cheek as he stared at her in complete and utter shock.

“HOW COULD YOU?!” She wildly thrashed against Five’s hold. “HOW COULD YOU?!”

Diego ran up to her and helped his brother hold her back when she almost freed herself. “(Y/N). (Y/N), calm down-”

“YOU TORTURED YOUR FUCKING DAUGHTER?! YOU FUCK- YOU FUCKING LOCKED HER UP?!” She continued to holler her lungs out as Reginald straightened himself. “YOU FORCED HER TO PROJECT CLONE AFTER CLONE AFTER CLONE?!”

“(Y/N)-”

“YOU BUILT HER A FUCKING PANIC ROOM TO KILL HERSELF IN?! WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Reginald slowly shook his head and reached a hand out. “You must understand, my child. She was severely-”

“I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!”

(Y/N) broke out of their hold and rushed up to him. Her hand swiped at him and she managed to slash her manicured fingernails across his cheek before Diego and Five grabbed her again, forcing her to the ground.

“No!!! Let me go! Let me go!!!”

Diego snapped his head up. “Klaus, get him out of here!”

“Right.” Klaus nodded and grabbed hold of Reginald’s arm, dragging him out of the room. “Luther, Sloane. Oh, my god. I’m beyond thrilled. You guys are gorgeous. Amazing. Send me your registry!”

As soon as they were gone, Diego and Five let go of (Y/N), allowing her to slump over, her brows touching the floor as she tried to bring herself back. She was losing it. She was slipping, she could feel it. Her grief and her anger were boiling over and she couldn’t keep up with it all.

(Y/N) felt all eyes on her as a hand rubbed her back. She quietly sobbed into her hands, a crumpled mess on the ground as they all glanced at each other, wondering what to do. None of them had ever seen her go off like that. She was always the calm and collected one. No one could have angered her to such a degree.

Five reached down and tilted her head up, cradling her bloodied face in his hands. His thumbs swiped her tears away, smearing some blood along with it, but he couldn’t stand to see her cry. Her eyes were so distant, stuck in whatever moment it was that broke her. Her shoulders shook with the force of the sobs building up in her.

“Come on,” He whispered, helping his wife to her feet. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

(Y/N) dragged her feet across the carpet as she let Five lead her out of the room. She couldn’t bear the looks she received. Her family looked so frightened of her. She had never done anything like this, she had never gotten that angry. Now that she finally did and now that everyone saw it, she felt even worse for not biting her tongue.

She turned her head to Sloane, who was still frozen in her spot, the item she was trying to give her still in her hand. (Y/N) gently took it from her, her hand gently cradling the small jar in her palm. It was beautifully decorated with some kind of stuffing inside. Behind the small tissue paper bows was beautiful calligraphy inviting her to a wedding. A wedding for Sloane and Luther.

She was so happy for them.

“Congratulations.” She cried before walking away with Five.

-------------------------------------------------

“Am I gonna die?”

(Y/N) shut her eyes tighter, wanting to squint the image out of her head.

“I-Is it gonna hurt…?”

Her heart slammed in her chest with the hammering beats.

“I love you, little sister.”

A voice above called to her. “Come back now.”

“You were the best part of me.”

“Come back up, (Y/N).”

Two hands assisted her out of the water and in an upright position in the tub. The water she sat in was red with the blood washed away from her skin, but she didn’t mind. She was glad to have it off of her. She didn’t speak for awhile as she let Five continue to scrub her skin in the otherwise silent spa. No one else was in there since everyone else on earth had been wiped out. Five had forbidden anyone from entering while he was taking care of her.

“You wanna talk about it?” He asked, slicking her hair back.

She shook her head.

“Okay,” He nodded and went back to cleaning her. “That was some shot you took at Dad. I think you’re the first out of all of us to do something like that.”

“He deserved it,” She rasped, eyes remaining on the sloshing water. “He forced her into insanity. She was… She was living her life through something that looked like her, but would never truly be her. And when she was back, she didn’t even wanna be here. As soon as I gave her the chance, she-”

Five stopped and leaned his head against hers and she broke out into sobs, gently running his hand up and down her bare back. He let her air out her emotions for a while as he placed gentle kisses to her shoulder. Other than that, he didn’t know what else to do. He wished he could just snap his fingers and fix everything, but he knew more than anyone that it took more than wishful thinking to fix a broken soul.

“I know… I know.” He whispered into her ear. “I know it sounds off-putting, but you need to let yourself relax. You’ve been through a lot in a short amount of time. Maybe the wedding will… take your mind off of it. Just for a bit.”

He was trying to find a silver lining. She always did it for him, it was the very least he could do for her. As Five began washing her hair in order to get all the blood out, his heart broke at her quiet cries. (Y/N) didn’t deserve any of this, and he wanted nothing more than to take all of her problems away. She just needed someone to talk to. He knew she was no good on her own in a time of distress.

“Maybe I should stay with you until the wedding.”

“No, no.” She looked up, gently wrapping a hand around his wrist. “Go to the bachelor party. Luther needs support.”

“Are you sure? You’ll be okay?”

She nodded. “I can even go and help Sloane. I know how nerve-wracking a wedding can be for the bride, and she doesn’t have any of her sisters. She needs someone with her.”

Five gently kissed her cheek, in awe at her kindness to others even in her worst moments. He constantly questioned himself with how he got so lucky. Once she was all clean, he carefully stood her up and wrapped one of the hotel’s robes around her body, leading her out of the spa.

-------------------------------------------------

Within another room sat Sloane in a silk robe, quietly sewing up her wedding dress. She didn’t mind the solitude, it was what she was used to growing up. Though, she had wished she could share this moment with her sisters. It was what any other bride would do. But there weren’t any other brides left in the world, one of the many things that made her different from the rest of them.

Suddenly, Ben walked into the room, heading straight for the sink in the corner. “So, it’s official. My ears are broken, and the idiot with the knives really can’t sing.”

“Diego. You know his name is Diego.”

“Oh, whatever.” He sighed and walked about the room as Sloane continued with her task.

“Maybe you should try and bce nice to him and the others.”

“And why would I do that?”

She looked up at him. “As much as I’d love to work out your anger issues right now, I have to get back to this. The wedding is in an hour.”

Ben narrowed his eyes at her. “Fei is dead.”

“Yeah. I know. And so are the others.”

“Oh, so that’s it? What about (Y/N), huh? What about her?!”

Sloane’s heart shattered at the crack in Ben’s voice and at the mention of her sister. In all honesty, that was all she had been thinking about besides the wedding. “I loved (Y/N), Ben. Just as much as you did. Just as much as you still do.”

“It doesn’t look like it. You’re turning your back on the Sparrow Academy. I mean, you heard Dad. We have training to do. Something big is about to go down.”

“I wish you were talking about my wedding.”

Ben sharply inhaled and walked up to his sister, sitting down across from her. “Sloane, listen to me-”

“No,” She placed both her hands over his. “You listen to me. I’m sorry they didn’t invite you to the bachelor party.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “I don’t… I don’t care about that.”

“Yes, you do.” She spoke a little softer. “You care more about being invited to the bachelor party than you do Fei or the others. Maybe not more than (Y/N), but more than saving the world.”

Ben nervously chuckled as he tried to form a lie out of his mouth, a lie that would convince both her and himself. “That… That’s… That’s crazy.”

“Is it? You and I, we’ve never been alone. It’s always been the eight of us. Now it’s just you. So, congratulations, Ben. You’re finally Number One… of one.”

His eyes didn’t stray away from the chair she stood from, making her way over to the vanity on the other side of the room. “I’m a Sparrow, and so are you.”

“Not anymore.”

At that, he stood. “What’s so damn special about them, anyway?”

She turned to him. “They’re a real family. They don’t exist to sell action figures and tote bags.”

“We were more than that.”

“Were we?” She watched as his face fell. “Why is it so important for you to be a Sparrow?”

Ben turned and walked out of the room, but just before he was gone, he muttered something Sloane almost missed.

“Because I have nothing else.”

Once again, she was left alone to contemplate. Now she really wished someone were here with her. As if on cue, there was a very quiet knock on the door followed by an equally quiet voice. “Delivery for the bride.”

“You can come in.”

(Y/N) stepped inside, still in her robe, but with a small stereo in one hand and two wine glasses in the other, a bottle of wine tucked into her arm. When Sloane turned to her, she smiled in appreciation and fondness. “Uh- The guys are having a party, so why can’t the girls, right?” She tried a smile.

Sloane nodded with a giggle and went to help her, taking the glasses and stereo from her. After setting everything down, (Y/N) turned the stereo on to play jazz music. She quietly filled their glasses and handed one to Sloane, who gladly accepted it. A sort of awkward silence settled between them as (Y/N) watched Sloane work on her dress. She was trying. She was trying to keep it together, trying to keep herself busy so she wouldn’t have to think about-

“Thank you for being with her… when it happened…”

(Y/N) cringed inwardly and nodded. “I… I wish I knew it was going to happen. So, I could’ve saved her.”

Sloane looked away. “How… did it all happen?”

She shut her eyes.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it.”

She shook her head. “N-No, I need to. Plus, you deserve to know,” She opened her eyes, noticing that Sloane was having a bit of trouble with the needle, so she reached over and took it into her hand, fixing it for her as she thought of what to say. Mentioning the gruesome death of the clone was unnecessary, so she skipped over that entire ordeal. “She was scared. She didn’t understand anything. All she’s known is a… a trance, and an occasional meal. She wanted out.”

Sloane sniffled at the thought of her sister in such a whiplash state of mind. She felt so guilty, even in her last moments, they weren’t there for her like they should’ve been. Just as a tear fell from her eye, (Y/N) reached out and wiped it away with a soft smile.

“Hey… I know what it’s like to lose a sibling. I lost my Ben in my timeline and… we all blamed ourselves for so long. Luckily for me, I had a seance of a brother and was able to talk to him, but it was never the same. He always told me that it wasn’t my fault, that he was just happy to see me. I’m sure, if we could see her right now, she’d just be happy to see you.”

“You really think so? After everything?”

“Of course, Sloane. She loved all of you so much… She’d do anything for you. She’d be in this seat, drinking wine and listening to slow jazz with you before your wedding. And she’d be so proud of you.”

Sloane smiled and giggled with a smile, more tears rushing down her face. “I hope she forgave me. I love her so much…”

“She loves you, too. I promise,” (Y/N) leaned away and let Sloane continue as she lifted her glass to her lips. “You know, I was married before Five. My wedding day was so special to me… I’m happy you get to feel this, too.”

With a grin, Sloane took a sip of her wine. “It’s been one hell of a ride to get here.”

“Tell me about it. I still can’t believe this is happening to Luther.” (Y/N) chuckled. “You know, growing up, I wasn’t the biggest fan of him.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. Couldn’t stand him. I mean, he was One and I was Eight. We were raised to compete against each other the most. Then it followed us into adulthood.”

“I’m so sorry…”

(Y/N) waved it off. “It’s alright. We’re much better now. We went through too much to let bullshit parenting affect us. I’d take a blade to the chest for him, no hesitation, which is something I’d never say as a kid… Anyway, I’m proud of him for finding someone like you. You guys deserve each other.”

Sloane stood from her seat and pulled (Y/N) with her, bringing her into a tight hug. She reciprocated the affection, her heart warming. As Sloane got dressed, (Y/N) put her bouquet together. It wasn’t anything grand, but they didn’t need grand. They were making the best of what they had.

An idea sparking, she let her fingers graze the stem of the flower, pulling up another one from it. Thank you, (Y/N), she thought as she continued the process with every other flower until there was a much bigger bouquet to put together. Finishing up, she set the beautiful and bountiful bouquet back down before getting ready herself.

She found it ironic that her dress was red. She had just rid herself of the dreadful color from her skin and her hair. The dress was the only one she could find on short notice that was her size and fit their “creative black tie” dress code. It was beautiful, nonetheless, velvet and tea length with a v-neckline and no sleeves. Something to make her feel gorgeous without pulling out all the stops. After applying a bit of makeup, she picked up the flowers and walked up to Sloane.

“You look amazing.” The girl softly smiled. Sloane grinned and turned to her. It was true, Sloane looked stunning. Her dress was nothing grand, but she still managed to look like an angel in it.

“Thank you. And you look beautiful,” She tilted her head. “Is that… her bracelet?”

(Y/N) placed a hand over the white beaded bracelet she had kept and handed the bouquet to Sloane. “Y-Yeah… It has no effect on me, and it’s the only thing of her I have left.”

At Sloane’s sorrowful smile, (Y/N) pulled a duplicate from the bracelet and gently put it on the woman’s wrist. “There. So we can both have a piece of her.”

The two of them clasped hands, smiling warmly at each other. Sloane’s heart was so full. This (Y/N) reminded her so much of her own in ways that she hadn’t even thought of. Past all her sister’s flaws was just someone who loved her family. A family that would never admit they loved her as well. That was one of the differences between the two (Y/N)s. One was loved and the other wasn’t. It was how they turned out to be completely different people, but the parts that mattered were the constant in her.

“Thank you for everything, (Y/N).” She whispered with teary eyes. “You’ve done more than I could have ever asked you for. I know it’s last minute, but I would be… so honored… if you would stand with me as my maid of honor.”

(Y/N)’s smile widened as she nodded. “I would be honored to be your maid of honor.”

-------------------------------------------------

The elevator doors opened, revealing the decorated banquet hall. The tables and chairs set up were enough to seat a much larger wedding, the lights gave the room a lively glow and the chandeliers above were such an odd contrast to the disco ball hanging above the dancefloor the tables surrounded. Everyone stepped into the room, some in awe and some indifferent, but all in very nice attire.

“Not sure this place is gonna be big enough.” Klaus sarcastically spoke.

“This better be an open bar.” Allison sighed out.

Lila encouragingly smiled at her. “Hey, come on. It’s for Luther. Let’s perk up.” She turned to get a better look at the room, voicing her astonishment. The ding of the elevator sounded, Luther and Viktor walking out, the former fretting over his appearance.

“I don’t know. Normally, my tush looks good.”

“No, it’s-”

“Ah,” Allison’s tone dripped with sarcasm as soon as Viktor neared her vicinity. “I see you’ve gone for the oversized button-down. Original.”

Viktor was quick to retort. “You do realize there’s no paparazzi here, right?”

“What? Dang it.”

Luther shushed them, interrupting their small argument. “Listen to me, you two. This is my day, alright? So, if you two can just get along for a couple of hours, you can consider that my wedding gift.”

“Well, he started it, so-”

“You literally just started it-”

“Bah, bah, bah!” He shushed them again. “My day. Two hours. Do you think you can manage that?”

Just as they agreed, the elevator dinged again, the doors opening to reveal Sloane, arm-in-arm with (Y/N). All eyes were on the bride, staring in amazement, Luther’s stare full of every ingredient for an unconditional love. The only one looking at (Y/N) was Five, matching his brother’s love-sick expression. Ben rolled his eyes at the scene.

“Let’s get this over with before I die of cringe.”

—————————————

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