A hotel room at the Arms, Sunday morning

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Five's idea of a 'more private location' had been a hotel room and Belle had willingly gone along with him. At first to talk. She'd meant it when she said she wanted to exchange stories with her old...whatever it was that Five had been when they were both still in school here.

She'd told him more about the curse and about Regina. She'd talked about Rumple and revealed that her type was indeed dark and mysterious older men with powers and murderous tendencies. She hadn't mentioned being married. She hadn't mentioned Gideon. She was saving that for later.

Of course, one thing had led to another, as it so often did, and Belle found herself waking up in bed entangled with a dark and mysterious older man with powers and murderous tendencies.

It was her favorite way to wake up.

[For that murderous older man!]

Comments

[apocalypsehow]

Look. Look. Perfectly normal things were happening here.

For a class reunion.

Five startled awake the moment Belle moved because he was no less paranoid in his old age.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle was used to sharing a bed with a light sleeper and made a soft, soothing noise as she pressed herself into his side.

"It's only me," she told him. "No need to panic so early in the morning."

[apocalypsehow]

"I'm not panicking." He was a little bit. But now it was mostly confusion over how she wasn't thrown off about it at all.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle had seen some shit since high school, okay?

"Good." She lifted her head to smile at him. "You're unreasonable when you're panicking."

[apocalypsehow]

Now, if there was blood or some sort of temporal paradox, he'd be fine. But emotions? Ugh. The worst.

"I am not." He very much was. Just ask any of his siblings, dead or alive!

[noonedecidesmyfate]

There would be emotions this morning and he would like it.

"You very much are," Belle informed him, smirking. "Do you need to calm down?"

What she had in mind wasn't necessarily calming but it ought to be relaxing, eventually.

[apocalypsehow]

"How exactly are you so calm about this? Did you plan to seduce me?"

Yes, Five. The seduction of catching up.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"It was your idea to come to a 'more private location,'" Belle reminded him. "You brought me here. I thought we were just going to talk."

She batted her eyelashes at him, then laughed.

"It's hardly the first time, now is it?"

[apocalypsehow]

"Yes, but what about your true love nonsense?" Five demanded.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"It's not nonsense," Belle said tartly. "It's magic. And I don't see any curses around here that need breaking, do you?"

[apocalypsehow]

Five huffed and gave her an unimpressed look. "Fine. No curses other than the continued existence of this place."

[noonedecidesmyfate]

That was not the sort of look Five had been giving her last night!

"This place is not cursed," Belle said with an eyeroll. "I spent quite a long time imprisoned in a cursed town."

She had mentioned being held captive without any memory in the basement of the hospital, hadn't she?

[apocalypsehow]

No, it very much wasn't the look he'd had last night at all.

"So, you have Stockholm Syndrome then," he said, losing some of his bluster.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle much preferred last night's look. She would have to work at being on the receiving end of it again.

"Oh, do I?" she asked. "Then why am I here?"

[apocalypsehow]

"Probably?" Five ventured. Because his love life was Belle, Dolores and whatever weird thing he had with the Handler. So. Maybe he was bad at telling.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"Honestly, Five." Belle said, exasperated.

Luckily, her love life was Five, that one weekend with Harry, and Rumplestiltskin. She was used to impossible men.

"I assure you I am not suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, nor have I been coerced, or brainwashed, or anything else. I am in this room, and this bed of my own free will."

And she was quite willing to spend longer in this bed. They did still have more to talk about.

[apocalypsehow]

Five opened his mouth to refute that claim, but it would really make him sound so much worse, so he closed it again.

"So long as that's clear," he decided.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"What," Belle asked, sitting up further so she could give him an imperious glance more effectively, "can I do to clarify things more?"

[apocalypsehow]

"You could," Five said. Because. Well. He certainly wasn't going to turn it down.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"Number Five Hargreeves," Belle said with an exaggerated sigh, "every version of you is quite impossible."

Yes, the full name was needed. As was the very thorough kiss she was leaning in to give him now.

[apocalypsehow]

"You picked me," Five muttered, pulling her closer for it.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"Repeatedly," Belle murmured against his lips. "I like a challenge."

[apocalypsehow]

Well that explained a lot, really.

"This can't go past this weekend," Five said, having absolutely zero issues with kissing her back in the moment.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle let out a very quiet laugh as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I wouldn't worry."

She had an arrangement with her husband, after all.

[apocalypsehow]

Five would only be surprised at the fact that he was even surprised that her husband was some version of him from another timeline. Because that did indeed sound like him.

"Well, good," he muttered, wanting some good memories to tide him over from his goal.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle was happy to provide some more good memories. Last night had been lovely, after all.

"I think we can do better than good." She laid her hand on the shoulder of his missing arm. "Can't we? We usually do."

[apocalypsehow]

"Of course we can," Five said because no Hargreeves was good at turning down that kind of challenge. "Wait, what?"

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"What?" Belle asked, ever so innocently.

"This is hardly the first time."

[apocalypsehow]

"You said usually," Five said, pointing at her with the only hand he had left.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"I did," Belle said, catching his hand with her own. "I'm glad you were paying attention."

Unable to resist the temptation any longer she added "don't worry. My husband is quite aware of how often it happens."

[apocalypsehow]

"Your--husband??"

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"Mm-hmm. Belle grinned wickedly. "He's older than I am. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Mysterious powers. Occasional murderous tendencies."

[apocalypsehow]

Belle. You had a type.

"Me? Some... alternate version of me?" Who didn't have to do ridiculous things to save the world from his evil, alien father.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

It was a good type!

"Of course it's you, you ridiculous man. We have an understanding about alternate versions of ourselves." Because they'd both lived in ridiculous places where that sort of thing might be an issue.

[apocalypsehow]

"...of course I'd say something like that." It really did track for him.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"Of course," Belle echoed, smiling fondly at him now and leaning back in for another kiss.

[apocalypsehow]

"You tell him he's a fool then," Five insisted, kissing her back with some force.

Clearly he had to be the better Five.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle was quite fond of all the versions of Five she'd met. Hers was the favorite, of course, but this one was rapidly moving up the ranks, especially with that kiss which she was going to focus on until she needed to pull back to catch her breath.

"I tell him he's a fool quite often, I assure you," she finally managed. "At least once a day. But he's my fool. You're my fool. All of you."

She was a bit possessive of every Five, honestly. Perhaps she needed to illustrate that further.