Word count: 3081

𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 the sunny outdoors, Elizabeth made sure that no one was looking and became visible once more.

"You okay?" Five murmured to her as they began to walk down the sidewalk.

She was most definitely not okay. She could feel a terrible headache coming on, and her body felt like absolute shit. Having to make multiple portals and stay invisible for quite some time, all while—especially while—having not eaten at all was enough to bring her body to a point of exhaustion. She had hoped that her body would've held up for a little longer, but alas . . .

Was she worried that she would pass out? Of course. Was her body begging her for a nap? Of course. Was she gonna tell Five? Of course not.

"I'm great."

"So what are we doing now?" Vanya grumbled, clearly still quite irritated from what had just happened.

"We should talk to Luther," Five sighed, putting one hand in his pocket as he took Elizabeth's hand in the other. "He'll want—"

"Luther?" Vanya echoed, an expression of bafflement on her face.

"Another one of your brothers," Five clarified. "Big guy. Blue eyes. Kind of awkward."

"And dumb," Elizabeth added. "Very dumb."

A strange look crossed over Vanya's face, her eyebrows furrowing. "I think I know him. He—he came to the place I was staying at—he said he was my brother. And that he was sorry."

"He should be," Elizabeth muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.

Vanya shook her head. "Wh-why are we going to see him?"

"Well, I'm sure he'd like to know that you're with us now," Five mused. "Maybe it'll change his mind."

Vanya glanced over at him as she asked, "About what?"

"Helping us," Five answered.

"Helping us" —Vanya tilted her head— "with the apocalypse?"

He gave a curt nod as he confirmed, "Exactly."

"Seemed like he hated me." Vanya knit her eyebrows closely together as she turned to Five. "Why would me being with you guys change his mind?"

Elizabeth slowed her pace. The headache she had been predicting had finally arrived and was pounding at every edge of her skull. Her eyebrows furrowed as she came to a stop, letting go of Five's hand as she scrunched her face in pain and rubbed at the side of her head.

"Well . . ." Five sighed, not noticing that Elizabeth had stopped as he and Vanya continued walking. "The more people on our side, the more of a chance we have."

"But—"

"No more questions," he interrupted. He turned to his right, his eyebrows raised. "Do you think he'd—Elle?"

Finally noticing the lack of a third presence, Five and Vanya stopped in their tracks and turned their heads to see that Elizabeth was quite a few feet behind them, her fingers rubbing her temples as she tried to relieve the pain.

"Elizabeth?" Five hurried over to her, Vanya trailing close behind. He placed a hand on her shoulder, gripping tightly as he peered into her face and questioned, "Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm . . ." She took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly before braving a smile. "I'm fine."

Vanya furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes carefully studying Elizabeth's paling skin and grimaces of pain. "You don't look fine."

"I'm fine," Elizabeth insisted as she rolled her shoulders back and lowered her hand. "Just a little headache. It's okay, let's go."

Five's eyebrows furrowed. "Elizab—"

"The bar?" she offered as she ignored him. "Should we check there first?"

"Actually . . ." Vanya sighed, looking over her shoulder. "I left the car at the cornfield. I need that back, it doesn't belong to me. I can drive us wherever we need to go."

"Then let's go there." Elizabeth nodded. "I'll make a portal."

Five folded his arms. "No, you're—"

Quickly, she stuck her hand out in front of her, and a portal arrived not too long after. She looked towards Five, an innocent smile on her face. "Oh, look at that! It's already there! Might as well use it, right?"

He sighed, "No more."

"We'll see." She leaned over and kissed his cheek before grabbing both his and Vanya's hand and pulling them through.

They arrived back at the crop circle that they had left only twenty minutes before, which looked just as it had before—chock-full of corn. Luckily, there was still no sign of life anywhere around, including the Swedes that had been so desperately trying to murder them.

After sending a glare towards Elizabeth, Five turned to Vanya. "Do you know which way you came from?"

"Um . . ." Vanya bit her lip as she turned around in a slow circle, trying to figure it out. She stopped after a moment, her eyes slightly narrowed, and gave a small nod. "That way."

She led the way as they once again entered the maze of corn, her eyes still narrowed as she peered through the stalks of corn.

Five took Elizabeth's hand, pulling her closer to him as he murmured, "Tell me if you don't feel all right."

"Mhm." Elizabeth gave a small nod as she used her free hand to push aside the cornstalks, trailing not too far behind Vanya.

"Seriously."

"I will."

"I'm not kidding."

"Wha—I'll tell you!"

"Elle, I swear to God, if you pass out because you didn't—"

"How many times do I have to say that I'll tell you?"

Five was silent for a couple of moments, the only sound that filled the air being the rustle of leaves and the quiet winds. Finally, he muttered, "I don't trust you."

A wave of hurt washed over her as she glanced towards him, a frown visible on her face. With a small roll of her eyes, she released his hand and ventured forward, hoping to catch up with Vanya, who was now about a metre ahead of them.

It only took a second for Five to hasten towards her, his shoes crunching against the dirt as he came to her side and grabbed her hand once more.

"No, Elle, that's not what I—" He gave a heavy sigh before continuing, "I do trust you, but not—not with this. You don't care about yourself as much as you do others."

"Yeah, coming from the guy who told no one about the shrapnel in his stomach for an entire day," Elizabeth scoffed, shaking her head as she stepped over an ear of corn that had fallen to the ground.

"That's different," he immediately responded.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she scrunched her face in disbelief. "How the hell is that different?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Because . . . because."

"Oh, fuck you," Elizabeth groaned just as they came to the end of the cornfield.

A tan-coloured car sat on the edge of the road, the bright sunlight gleaming off of its sleek sides. Vanya gestured for them to get inside as she unlocked the car and sat in the driver's seat.

Elizabeth got into the back seat, expecting that Five would go into the front passenger seat as he headed towards the right of the car. 

He instead slid into the seat on the right of her, his hand lingering on the interior door handle for a few moments.

He glanced over at Elizabeth as she rubbed her forehead, and he let out a small sigh.

Vanya turned around to face them after starting the engine, one hand gripped on the top of the wheel. Her eyebrows raised as she looked at both of them and inquired, "Where am I going?"

Five sighed once more before answering, "The bar on—"

"No," Elizabeth interrupted, "the ring."

He furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to look at her. "But you said—"

"I recalculated." She kept her gaze to the back of Vanya's seat, studying the intricate lines that creased the material as a way to distract herself from the pounding headache. "The chance that he's at the ring right now is seventy-nine percent."

"The ring it is." He gave a curt nod before telling Vanya the address of where they were headed to.

Vanya nodded and turned back to the front. After checking a map that was hidden in the glove compartment, she readjusted her grip on the steering wheel and began to drive.

As a blur of trees and clouds passed by them, Five unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted over to the middle seat. He cupped Elizabeth's cheek, a frown apparent on his face as she turned to face him.

"Are you sure you're all right, beautiful?" he murmured, his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"I'm" —she winced as a sharp pain hit the side of her head— "fine."

"Obviously not," he replied with a sigh.

She didn't respond, instead resting her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes. He snaked his arm around her waist, clasping onto it tightly.

After a moment, he muttered to her, "Listen, if that ring doesn't—doesn't let you in, you're not coming."

"What?" She opened her eyes and lifted her head up towards him, a confused expression upon her face. "Why not? I need to go! I can just use my—"

"I'm not letting you use any more energy, idiot," Five disapproved. "Especially invisibility."

"It's okay, I can handle—"

"No, you can't," he cut her off, shaking his head.

"Yes, I—"

"You practically almost died the last time this happened," he countered, his voice rising enough to get Vanya to glance back at them in concern.

Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"You had used so much energy that you barely had enough left to self-heal," he continued.

"Wha—are you talking about the thing that happened twelve years ago?" she questioned incredulously. "When we were seventeen?"

Vanya quickly looked back at them once more, her face now puzzled. "Are you saying you're twenty-nine? That's impossible," she chuckled nervously. "Right?"

"Well, I mean, we're not. I'm twenty-seven, he's thirty-six," Elizabeth said dismissively, only getting an equally confused look from Vanya in response. "Anyway, Five, that was so long ago."

He shook his head. "I'm not taking any chances."

"Even if I'm not any better now" —she folded her arms— "it would only be like that if someone stabs me!"

Five arched an eyebrow. "Well, we're probably going to see Diego today, are we not?"

"Five."

"I've made up my mind," he concluded, then turning his head so that he was facing the front.

Elizabeth sighed, leaning her elbows onto her knees as she massaged her temples. Her head had already been aching before, and the additional stress that was building up because of the boy next to her didn't help the pain in the least.

Though he knew she was now slightly irritated with him, Five rubbed her back in reassurance. He grimaced as she let out a soft groan of agony and pushed her face further into her hands.

Vanya seemed to have the same worries as him. "Is there anything we can do to help, Elizabeth?"

To add to the pain she was already feeling, Elizabeth felt a pang of sadness hit her chest. This was the first time she had heard Vanya call her by her full name in a long time. She didn't like it.

"Not really," Elizabeth murmured. Her eyes peeked between her fingertips to see a couple of strands of Vanya's hair poking out from the headrest in front of her. "I just need to sleep."

"Well, it's gonna take a couple of hours to get there." Vanya frowned. "You could probably take a quick nap."

Elizabeth only nodded in reply and straightened her back.

"Come here," Five murmured as he slid back to his original spot. He gently took her shoulders and guided her head towards his lap, causing her body to relax over the seats.

Her eyelids grew heavy as she rested her hand under her cheek, feeling comforted as Five tenderly stroked the side of her hair.

He bent over and kissed her cheek, murmuring a soft reassurance before straightening up and limiting his gaze to her face.

Now hearing nothing but the rumble of the engine, Elizabeth drifted off to sleep.

After a strange dream comprising of a sea urchin playing whack-a-mole, Elizabeth woke up.

She had been shaken awake by Five, whose hand was still grasped on her shoulder and rocking it. She hummed quietly to tell him that she was awake, and the shaking stopped.

"We're here," he told her as she slowly lifted herself up.

She rubbed her eyes, looking past him and towards the big, stone building that they were parked right outside of.

"So . . . Luther's here?" Vanya cut into the silence, her eyebrows furrowed as she peered out of the passenger window, squinting slightly at the glaring sunlight.

"Probably," Five answered with a small nod. "Let's go and check it out."

He opened his door, slipping out of his seat. He offered a hand to Elizabeth as she shifted over towards him, and she took it with a small smile.

"You feeling better?" he asked quietly as Vanya headed towards the sidewalk they were on.

Elizabeth paused for a moment as she thought. "My headache isn't as bad," she deduced. "The pain's reduced by sixty-two percent."

"Better than zero," he sighed as the three of them walked towards the door of the building. "But I'd rather it be a hundred."

They approached the front doors, and Five held up a hand that caused them to stop in their tracks. His eyes quickly flew all over the entrance, reading every sign and searching every poster.

He gave a satisfied nod. "You're allowed."

"Good," Elizabeth sighed.

They walked through the doors and entered a small room, which only had a couple of elderly men standing in the corner. They continued further down a hallway whose walls were covered in tattered posters, passing a few younger men who seemed to be placing bets on the next fight.

Elizabeth continued as they walked, "Although, I wasn't going to let you stop me from going in."

"I would've been able to stop you," Five scoffed.

"Oh, yeah?" She raised her eyebrows in a challenging manner as she pointed out, "How would you be able to stop me if you literally couldn't see me?"

"Shut up," he grumbled as they neared the entrance of the boxing ring.

The wild cheers and claps that could be faintly heard from outside the room grew stronger as they entered. The disgusting blend of sweat, cheap cologne, and strong alcohol immediately hit their noses, causing them all to scrunch their faces.

The large room was filled with cheering men, sitting in rows that surrounded the square boxing ring. Some of them held dollar bills in their hands, some held beers and flasks, and some were clutching onto the cowboy hats that sat upon their heads. The only sources of light were the big, yellow lights that were held up by posts behind the seats.

Jack Ruby was among one of the men who sat in the crowd. His hair seemed to have as much grease as before as it remained slicked back, and his smart suit stood out against the plaid button-ups and jeans that surrounded him. He seemed to be intensely focused on the fighter in front of him, one who was quite easy to recognize.

Luther stood in the middle of the hay-covered ring, his hands up in a fighting position. Sweat gleamed against his chest, and the white tank top he was wearing was dirtied. It seemed as though he had embraced his animal-like figure during his one-year stay in 1963, and, boy, did the crowd love it.

He was fighting another man of similar size. He, however, had dark hair that was neatly combed to one side, a short, greying beard that matched his hair colour, and was wearing suspenders that were pulled over a long-sleeved shirt.

Luther sent two punches his way, forcing him to hit the metal railing behind him. The men at the seats behind the railing jeered, slapping against their laps as they watched the man recover.

Five pulled the metal door open and followed the other two girls in. They quickly found an empty area that was on the side Luther was fighting on, and they leaned forward against the rusting railing as their eyes stayed glued to Luther's figure.

The opponent quickly collected himself and landed a punch on Luther's jaw, but then straightened up after doing so. A baffled look crossed his face as he stared at Luther.

Luther didn't retaliate.

The man sized him up, hearing the screams from the crowd to continue. Heeding, he punched the side of Luther's head, whipping it to the side. Seeing that Luther wasn't responding to the attacks, he punched the other side, only receiving a grunt in return.

The three of them peered their heads closer to the railing, all of their expressions more than concerned.

"Look, he's pummeling him," Vanya said worriedly as she glanced at the other two.

The man wrapped his hands around the back of his neck and with an expression of great fury, threw him to the side of the ring.

Luther slammed against the wooden wall just in front of the three of them, landing with a groan.

"Oh my God, Luther," Vanya breathed out, horrified.

"Why isn't he fighting back?" Elizabeth watched in fright as the man grabbed Luther and brought him back to his feet, only to throw multiple punches into his gut.

Luther received another couple of punches in his face and seemed to not hear as Jack Ruby shouted at him to fight back nor his siblings at the side.

The two men stood facing each other for a few moments as Luther shouted something that was inaudible over the crowd. Then, with a great cry, the man sent a punch so strong that it swept Luther off of his feet and forced him to fly through the air.

He landed on his back with a loud thud, one that was brasher than the roaring crowd. His blood-covered face clearly showed that he had been knocked nearly unconscious, with his fluttering eyes and gaping mouth.

"Shit," Five breathed out, unable to take his eyes off of the man, "Luther."

"Why didn't he fight back?" Vanya questioned, her eyebrows furrowed.

Elizabeth groaned as she put her face into her hands. "Because he's a fucking idiot."