Chapter Two of Divorce

"Sixty-four... How does that work?" Elliott sat in a chair across from the couch where Inanna sat, slowly losing her mind. It had been hours since Five had left and Elliott had been pestering Inanna for answers.

"Time travel," Inanna answered, running her thumb over the cup rim. She had finished her coffee rather quickly once she had sat on the couch — it was her third since Five had gone to find Diego and Inanna had been using coffee as an excuse to escape Elliott for a moment. However, the only time she had peace and quiet from Elliott was when she went to the toilet and locked the door behind herself.

"And how does that work?" Elliott asked.

Inanna shrugged, "A briefcase".

"A briefcase?" Elliott rubbed his fingers against his temple. "Like-like a—".

"Like a briefcase," Inanna's stare burned into Elliott's skin as he nodded. "Five can do it without one," Inanna stated. "Clearly not well, if he scrambled his siblings across the timeline," Inanna mumbled.

"Five?" Elliott repeated. Inanna was sure that she had already called her husband by his name but she chose not to question it, "His name is Five?" Elliott asked.

Inanna nodded and her head phased with the subtle movement which caused her to close her eyes tightly for a brief moment, "An unloving father plus seven adopted children equals a terrible choice of names".

"Oh," Elliott nodded. A further explanation was needed.

"Suits him though," Inanna mumbled.

"What-what happened to your family?" Elliott asked.

Inanna had never once tried to find her family while she worked at the Commission. She wanted the memories of them to stay happy and if she searched for them Inanna feared that the happiness would be replaced with sadness. She had spent years grieving them in the apocalypse and she didn't plan on reopening those very old wounds. "I don't know. But they aren't even born yet," Inanna shrugged.

The slight raise of his brow and the half nod told Inanna that she was slowly losing Elliott and with all the information she had given him, it was no surprise. However, Elliott was still prepared to continue on, wanting to know everything, even if his brain rotted. Inanna, on the other hand, simply wanted the questions to stop.

"Are we done with these questions?" Inanna asked.

"Please be done," Five spoke from the kitchen, startling Inanna and Elliott.

Inanna launched her coffee cup in Five's direction and screwed her eyes shut again and Elliott almost slid off the chair he was sitting on.

"I got here when you were talking about that cow you befriended while you lived in a barn," Five tucked his hands into his pockets — he had been there for at least ten minutes — and leaned his body forwards as he gave Inanna a tight lipped smile and his eyes darted to the shattered cup on the ground. "Good job that was empty, don't want to be wasting coffee".

"Do you like scaring people?" Inanna asked, running her hands down her face, ignoring how her hands phased rapidly.

Five stepped around the broken cup, "I thought you'd be used to it by now," Inanna was not used to it by now.

"Did you find who you were looking for?" Elliott asked.

Five nodded as he sat down on the couch next to Inanna. Five leaned his head back against the cushion, "Found Luther too, he's an asshole".

"He doesn't want to help?" Inanna asked. She bit the inside of her cheek as she laced her hands tightly together feeling a burn of pain run from the tips of her fingers to the base of her spine.

"He doesn't care," Five turned his head towards Inanna. "And Diego is locked up in a mental hospital. He thinks he can stop what happens on November 22nd". The Assassination of JFK.

"Oh... well, that's-".

"Stupid?" Inanna nodded. "That's Diego for you," Five said.

Elliott wanted to know what was going to happen on November 22nd but he chose not to ask. Inanna had already told him not to ask her about things from the future, especially things that could have an impact and November 22nd seemed to be just that.

"So, what's your next big plan? Finding your other siblings?" Inanna asked.

Five hummed as he nodded his head. "First I'm going to take a nap on this couch-" Five patted the couch, "-then look for the others".

"You need to eat too," Inanna gripped the end of the couch as she stood up, her vision swayed slightly. Inanna scrunched up her nose and the broken cup caught her attention once the room stopped moving. "Keep your energy up," Inanna added.

"I'll make us something," Elliott stood up quickly from his seat, almost tripping over his own feet as he hurried past Inanna.

"Make some Eggos. Five eats like a seven year old," Inanna said as she stepped around the broken cup to fetch the brush and pan to clean up the mess she had made.

"I have to make up for the lost years somehow, Imogen," Five tipped his head forwards as Inanna turned to look at him, a smirk forming on his lips. "What's your last name again?" Five asked as Inanna picked up the brush and pan that were stored under a desk — it wasn't unusual for a cup or plate to be knocked off by Elliott while he paced back and forth, thinking of new theories.

"I will throw this at you," Inanna raised the brush. She didn't need Elliott finding out that her real name wasn't Imogen Hart. She had always felt terrible for lying to him but she did it to keep them both safe.

Five shrugged and he stood up to take his blazer off, "You have terrible aim".

"Terrible aim?" Inanna scoffed, "At the Commission I beat you in the training room, you were only faster because you cheated".

"Cheated?" Five hung his blazer over the end of the couch, "It's not cheating if I was born with it".

"I bet that's what you used to tell your siblings. I'm sure they would agree with me".

"Oh, they would," Five nodded. "But it doesn't change the fact that you have terrible aim". Inanna sighed heavily as she crouched down to sweep up the pieces of the cup. "You know I'm right," Five added, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"No," Inanna shook her head. "And to think I was going to invite you to share my bed".

Five's brows furrowed, "What's wrong with the couch?" Five asked.

"It's like the mattress from The Princess and the Pea".

Not believing her, Five decided to test it out for himself. Five kicked his bowling shoes off before laying across the couch.

"It's not bad," Five shifted as he struggled to get comfortable. He didn't want to disagree with Inanna but he didn't want to hear her say 'I told you so'.

"Don't even lie to me. I didn't even last an hour before I was going into Eddie's room".

"Eddie?" Five didn't move as Inanna glanced at him. Inanna rested her elbow on her knee, dropping her hand that held the pan by her side.

"No need to get jealous," Inanna chuckled and Five rolled his eyes, "Eddie is Elliott's kid. He lives with his mom".

"I'm not-".

"Just share the bed with me," Inanna interrupted. "The floor is probably more comfortable than that couch", Inanna argued.

"I like it here," Five didn't want to lose to Inanna, even if it meant having a sore back the next day and no energy from the lack of sleep, but Five had slept in worse. They both had.

"Five," Inanna sighed. She picked up the pan and the brush before glancing over the floor to make sure she had brushed up every last piece into the pan. "Why are you so stubborn?".

"Why is your hair ginger?" Five retorted. He loved Inanna's hair, always had done, even when it went darker over the years. "Same reason, gorgeous".

Inanna stood up looking between the pan and the kitchen before looking back at Five, "You know what-" Inanna sighed, rolling her shoulders back. Although Inanna was in her younger body, she believed that her back problems had still followed her into her younger self, "-just sit down and shut up until Elliott is done".

"Who would have thought a compliment would cause such hostility?" Five murmured as he sat back down on the couch. Five turned his head to look at Inanna, sitting his hands on his knees. "Anything else you'd like me to do?" Five asked.

Inanna walked around the back of the couch and stopped behind Five. Inanna leaned into the back of the couch, her face inches from his as he turned his head towards her. Five's eyes flickered from Inanna's eyes to her lips, "No," Inanna mumbled before pressing a light kiss to Five's cheek.

Five leaned his head back against the cushion of the couch, dragging his gaze to the ceiling as Inanna picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the desk behind the couch. Elliott had begun writing things down earlier but after Inanna had told him not to, he scrunched it up and tossed it aside to be thrown in the bin.

After Elliott had finished the Eggos and the three of them sat in an almost silence as they ate, Elliott disappeared to his room and returned moments later with a pillow and a blanket from his cupboard for Five while Inanna went to the room she had somewhat claimed as her own over the weeks.

Inanna laid in her bed by the window. The blind was pulled open an inch so she could see the moon before she fell asleep. She felt almost sick seeing Five in his younger body, it brought back many memories that she had forgotten from their years in the apocalypse together and although they were the darkest years of both of their lives, Inanna still loved them and didn't completely hate the trip down memory lane.

"Don't say anything," Five's voice was quiet as he entered the room with a pillow stuffed under his arm and the blanket in his hand. Inanna knew he wouldn't sleep on the couch, not when there was a bed on offer.

"Look who decided to join me," Inanna turned onto her side as she watched Five cross the room to the other side of the bed, ignoring what he had just said. Inanna pulled the covers up, tucking it under her chin as Five climbed into the bed next to her, leaving the pillow and blanket on the floor.

"Shut up. Please," Five mumbled.

"You could have saved yourself the hassle by-".

"And hear you say 'I told you so'? Absolutely not," Five spoke as he got comfortable on the bed, still wearing his Umbrella Academy uniform.

"Well, I was right-".

"Do you want to be suffocated in your sleep?" Five turned onto his side to look at Inanna.

"I should be asking you that. Leaving me here with Elliott while you blinked around town looking for your family," Inanna mumbled.

"Didn't realise you were so excited to meet your in-laws," Five's voice was quieter than before but Inanna heard it well enough in the silent room.

Inanna wasn't excited exactly, she was nervous. Nervous to meet the people she had heard so much about. Inanna had always wondered if they were how Five described them and meeting them would allow her to finally know that and with the world potentially coming to an end, Inanna wanted to meet the only family she had left, even if they didn't live up to the characters in her head.

"How did it happen?" Five reached for Inanna's hand under the covers. Even in the dark room, he could see each slow phase of her body.

"The stupid briefcase exploded," Inanna knew the questions would come sooner rather than later. "I mean, it could have been worse. I could have been blown to pieces".

"It hurts?" Five could tell it hurt. Anyone who took one glance at Inanna would see that.

Inanna nodded as she shifted their hands and rested them underneath her chin. "It feels like- like my nerves are on fire and every cell in my body is tearing itself apart to escape the flames," Inanna chuckled at the dramatic explanation but it was exactly how it felt. Painful.

"There must be a way to fix it".

"You can't travel back six years," Inanna whispered.

Five brushed his thumb over Inanna's chin, "I know. If I could, I'd do it in a heartbeat for you". Inanna believed him. "If there's a way to stop it, if we can find a way, wouldn't you want to?".

If there was a way to stop the phasing, Inanna would want to do whatever it took to stop it but she was still breathing and with some concentration, less coffee and less surprises, Inanna could live quite peacefully with her condition. It wasn't ideal but it seemed like the only 'solution'.

"Don't you have a world to save?" Inanna asked.

"Inan...".

"You can't help me if we're dead".

Five sighed in agreement. Inanna was right. "I think and don't let this completely go to your head, I think I'm going to need your help".

Inanna gasped, "My help? You want-".

Five groaned as he rolled onto his back, his hand still holding Inanna's as he looked up at the ceiling, regretting the words that had just left his mouth. "I'll leave you with Elliott again," Five threatened.

As much as Inanna loved Elliott she needed an escape from him especially after the questions he had fired at her. Inanna also missed Five more than she had realised and a lot more than she'd say.

Inanna moved closer to Five and leaned her head against his chest. Five wrapped his arm around her and placed his hand on her waist where her shirt had risen up, brushing circles over her skin. "Don't you dare," Inanna mumbled.

five and inanna had a slow burn enemies to lovers at the end of the world. that's all i have to say.