flawless. five hargreeves

I KNOW THAT I CAN'T TAKE NO MORE, IT AIN'T NO LIE
I WANNA SEE YOU OUT THAT DOOR, BABY BYE BYE BYE

Bye Bye Bye - NSYNC

Amy and I barged into the living room of the old, condemned Hargreeves house, the weight of the building's history pressing down on us. Dust hung thick in the air, and the once grand surroundings had long since fallen into disrepair, making the perfect backdrop for the kind of day I was having.

Five glanced up from a pile of old, yellowing papers, his scowl deepening as soon as he saw me. "Great, as if my day couldn't get any worse, you're here."

Before I could respond, Amy, who had been hovering just behind me, smirked and shot back, "Hey, don't talk about my wife like that!" Her tone was light, clearly not meant to be taken seriously, but it was enough to pull Five's attention.

"Who's the lapdog?" Five fired back, his voice dripping with disdain.

I rolled my eyes, already too exhausted to deal with his sarcasm. "I don't have time for your silly comments right now. She's just here because I didn't want to risk driving myself and turning the car into a flying death trap."

Amy, ever the queen of timing, added with a grin, "Honestly, I'd say you were better off driving yourself. Might've been more exciting."

I chuckled despite myself, the tension between us easing just a fraction. "Now, where's Ben? We need to talk."

"As do we," Luther interjected, stepping into view. My eyes widened as I took in his appearance, still as hairy as ever. "Holy mother of Jesus." Amy, who had been staying relatively quiet, looked utterly shocked as Luther hastily tried to cover himself with a robe, his embarrassment clear.

Before I could process the sight, another headache hit me like a freight train. I instinctively grabbed my head, only to hear a sharp crack as the sconces on the wall shattered.

"Hey, my sconces! It took months to find the original ones!" Luther whined, looking more distressed about the damage than his own dignity.

But the room's mood shifted abruptly when Viktor stormed in, fury radiating off him. "I don't give a fuck about your sconces! I need answers now!" A whirlwind of air seemed to swirl around him, and both Amy and I instinctively took a few cautious steps back.

"Whoa, whoa!" The others exclaimed, trying to get Viktor to calm down before he unintentionally leveled the place.

"Relax, Kodiak Jack. It was me," Ben finally entered, looking as miserable as the rest of us, though his usual sarcasm was still intact.

"I knew you all would be too emo to do what needed to be done, so I spiked your sake with the marigold," he confessed, looking almost proud of himself as everyone else sighed in unison.

"Why am I not surprised," Five muttered, rubbing his temples as if trying to ward off the headache Ben had undoubtedly caused.

Viktor wasn't as forgiving. "You had no right to do that, asshole!" His voice was sharp, filled with righteous anger.

Ben, ever the instigator, just smirked. "Oh, trust me, you'll thank me later."

Viktor's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yeah, or I could kick your ass right now!"

Ben chuckled as he sauntered past him, totally unfazed. "Okay, now that I would love to see."

Amy, who had been watching the whole exchange with wide eyes, elbowed me lightly. "Your family, sorta, is way more entertaining than mine, and I haven't seen my father in years!" She quipped, her sarcasm breaking through the tension.