Chapter Text
He did it.
He finally saved the world, thwarting not one, but two apocalypses, and his siblings, who barely escaped death at the hands of the Handler, were safe.
He did it.
But at what cost? The answer, Five knew, was painfully simple: it cost him his family. Not their lives, no. They were alive, but the bond they once shared was shattered, replaced by resentment and mistrust. For the two weeks they'd been together, Five felt it in every glance, every word they exchanged. They didn't see him as one of them anymore. They saw him as something alien, something to be wary of. He was the odd one out, the one who had spent 45 long years alone in a desolate wasteland, becoming a stranger to normalcy, to human connection. He'd forgotten how to be anything other than the soldier, the survivor.
It wasn't their fault. He wasn't easy to love. How could he be, after spending decades in a world that was nothing but ruins? There were no people to talk to, no life to share with, only endless sands and the echo of his voice. He had become something else entirely, someone who only knew how to fight, how to survive, and how to bear the weight of impossible choices. And they blamed him. They blamed him for the dangers they faced, and for the lives they were forced to lead. It didn't matter that he saved them; in their eyes, he was still the one who had brought the darkness into their lives. But it was alright, he thought, because they were safe. That was all he had ever wanted. His happiness was never part of the equation, never a possibility. He accepted that a long time ago.
Five closed his eyes, allowing himself a rare moment of vulnerability, a luxury after two weeks of constant vigilance. But something felt off. A wetness on his cheek startled him, and he reached up, wiping it away to inspect it.
Tears. He was crying.
Why? He didn't understand. He had no right to cry, not after all he had done, not when his siblings saw him as the monster in their story. He had survived for so long on his own and had faced the end of the world twice, yet here he was, breaking down over something as foolish as longing for a family that didn't want him.
The tears came faster now, and Five let them. At that moment, he realized that saving the world was never the hardest part. The hardest part was losing the only thing that had ever mattered to him, the family, which was his entire reason for fighting.
And that was a cost he wasn't sure he could bear.
Five opened his eyes once more, God, he needed alcohol more than ever. He then decided to get up and blink to the bar his father had in one of the rooms in this huge fucking mansion. One of the small miracles Reggie left after his death.
In the meantime, Klaus wandered through the mansion, the combination of boredom and a mild buzz from the wine he'd swiped earlier making him feel a bit off-kilter. As he aimlessly drifted through the halls, he heard the unmistakable clink of glass from their father's old bar. Curiosity piqued, he sauntered over, half-expecting to find Diego sulking in a corner or Luther drowning his sorrows. But no, it was Five. Little old man in a boy's body, knocking back vodka like it was water! Jeez, what got the kiddo like that anyway? Klaus leaned against the doorframe, watching for a moment before strolling in with his trademark giddy swagger. "You should probably check on him, Klaus," Ben's voice came from behind him, almost making Klaus jump out of his skin.
Klaus spun around to face the culprit. "Jesus! Bentacles—" he whispered, and then looked back at the manchild who was clearly on a path to alcohol poisoning. Klaus sighed. "I dunno, Benny. I like my body intact and not in bags, if you ask me. He seems... not to want any company," Klaus grinned nervously. "That's why this is my cue to leave the old man alone—"He was met with a disapproving mama bear glance from Ben.
"Klaus, he clearly needs help, you dumbass! Look at him!" Ben pointed at Five, who looked more wrecked than Klaus had ever seen him. Klaus squinted his eyes. Now that he got a better look, Five looked odd. Depressing, even. It was pretty unsettling to watch. Klaus dramatically sighed and rushed inside.
"Well, well, well, look who decided to hit rocko bottomo!" he said, trying to keep things light. But man, Five looked shattered. What happened? Weren't they supposed to be celebrating stopping the apocalypse or something? Five was a mystery, alright.
Five's glare was like daggers. "Whath dwo yo-u want, Kl--aus?" His words were slurred, a slurry mix of anger and sadness. Klaus was surprised he understood him at all. "You all hate me," Five barely managed to spit out. Klaus exchanged glances with Ben. Shit. He heard it right. Whoa. Klaus hadn't expected that. "Hate you? Five, that's not—"
"Don't lie to me, Klaus!" Five's shout echoed, his voice cracking. "I see it in their eyes, the wa-y they...all look-w at me." That mortified Klaus. Which one of these assholes made Five feel that way? Shit. How fucking dare they make his brother feel that way? Something in Klaus roared in anger. The nerve of his siblings. Klaus always knew how much Five sacrificed for them, how much he did to stop the apocalypse, to make them all survive. Klaus loved his brother. He did. Klaus moved closer, easing the bottle from Five's hands and setting it aside. "Five, listen to me. I don't know who made you feel like that, but I don't hate you, Five."
Five shook his head, tears pooling in his eyes. "I don't- They- You hate... Me.." Hate him? Klaus almost laughed at that. " Five, my lovely oldest brother, I never once in my life had a negative thought about you. I love you, Mi Hermano. Kay? I want you to understand I would never in my life hate you, never, understood?"
Five's tough exterior was crumbling, the sadness taking over. It's like he didn't hear Klaus like he was in his own world. "I jus.. want..ed to protect you all. 'hat's all I ever wanted."
Klaus nodded, feeling a pang of empathy. "And you did, Five. You saved us. But it's okay to let me in and help you too. We're a family, remember? Dysfunctional, messed up, but a family. And that includes you."
Five's shoulders sagged, his voice barely a whisper. "I don't know if I can do this, Klaus. I don't know if I can be what you all need."
Klaus pulled him into a hug, feeling Five stiffen before finally relaxing. "You don't have to be anything other than yourself, Five. We'll figure it out. That's what families do."
Ben, still hovering and invisible to Five, looked on with a sad but approving gaze. For once, Five didn't pull away. He let himself lean into Klaus's embrace.
Five woke up with the worst headache he'd had in decades, which spoke volumes. Shit. He didn't even remember half of what happened yesterday. Five frowned, trying to piece together the hazy memories. He remembered drinking... and then drinking. That was about it. Great. Just what he wanted—more confusion.
But.
How did he end up in his bedroom? Could he have blinked here? Perhaps that was it. With a groan, Five swung his legs over the side of the bed and shuffled his way to the bathroom. After making himself look presentable enough—although the dark circles under his eyes weren't going anywhere—he blinked into the kitchen to nurse a cup of coffee. To his surprise, a pot of freshly brewed black coffee was already on the counter.
Five's eyes narrowed. That was... weird. No one else drank coffee in this house. He scanned the room, but there was no one around. Okay, that was even weirder. Why was there coffee, freshly made, but no one was there to drink it? Did someone make it for him? Viktor, perhaps? Five chuckled at the thought. No way. Either way, that coffee was now his. He grabbed the nearest cup and filled it, chugging the warm drink the second it hit the mug.
Five's eyes widened in delight. Whoever made this might just become his new favorite sibling, because that shit was delicious. He decided to get himself another cup after nearly choking on the first one. How did someone achieve this taste? Five never really enjoyed his coffee, not when Doomsday was on his back and all he needed was energy to keep going. But this? This was different. He could actually enjoy this.
It was... nice.
Five pondered if there was a specific recipe for coffee to make it taste like this. Maybe he could find out who made it and get them to share their secret. For now, though, he decided to enjoy the coffee.
There wasn't really anything Five had planned for today. Now that he had so much free time, he didn't know what to do. What did normal people do anyway? Should he just stay home? No. He wanted to go out today. Do something. Anything. He felt his hands itch for work already, but there was absolutely no work to be done. Five sighed and got up.
At last, he decided on a walk to the library. Now that he had the time, he could read all the books he never could during the apocalypse. Ready to go, Five was about to blink away when he was met with a familiar face: Klaus.
"Five-o! Well hello there, Guten Morgen!" Klaus waved his hand with 'hello' written on the palm. Five sighed. He was definitely not ready for any social interactions in the morning, and what made it worse was that this was Klaus. His personality was always rather... explosive, to say the least.
"Hello, Klaus," Five said, making his way to the entrance door. Klaus, however, had other plans. It seemed he didn't value his life after all, as he followed Five step after step.
Five stopped and turned to his brother with a frown. What was that idiot up to now? "What is it?" he decided to ask with gritted teeth.
Klaus grinned. "Whatever do you mean, my dearest numbero Cinco?" His dumb brother answered. Okay, something was definitely up. Why would Klaus stick to him like glue voluntarily?
Five sighed. "What do you want, Klaus?" Whatever it was, he would not help; he had places to go. (He didn't, but that wasn't the point.) Klaus, now in front of him, smiled and put his hands in the air.
"I want to spend time with my littlest brother!" Klaus yelled. "Is that a crime?" His brother pouted dramatically, which might have made Five smile if not for the words Klaus had said just moments before.
"And... you want to spend time with me why?" Five's frown deepened. What could Klaus possibly gain from spending time with him?
Klaus mirrored his frown like some sort of cartoon character and crossed his arms. "And... I need a reason why?" he answered.
They stared at each other in silence for several seconds before Five sighed. "I'm going to the library. You may tag along if you'd like to." Five would never admit it, but it did sound rather nice to spend time with his brother like this. Maybe he had misjudged Klaus? Maybe Klaus didn't need anything from him after all; maybe he did just want to spend time with Five. That thought brought a small smile to his lips.
"I will! On one condition!" Klaus said, and with that, Five's smile was gone. Of course, a condition. Why did Five expect anything else? Of course, his brother wanted something, and the only person available right now was Five, so he pretended to want to spend time with him. Five didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry at the irony.
"You know what? I don't need you coming with me, so you can shove that condition up your—" Five spat out, but before he could finish, Klaus interrupted him."My condition is that we go grab some sweets on the way back!" Klaus exclaimed. Oh. That was not what Five had expected.
Five frowned again. He was such an asshole, wasn't he? No wonder his siblings hated him—his thoughts were interrupted by Klaus's waving hand. "Hello? Earth to Fivey!" Klaus yelled, and Five wanted to punch him or hug him, possibly. What an idiot.
"... Fine," Five said with a huff. Klaus took a hand to his ear.
"Hmmm? Didn't quite catch that." That fucking—
"I said fine! I agree to your stupid condition, you idiot." Five looked away to hide the smile he couldn't quite contain.
"Yayy! Brother bonding time!" Klaus said while getting his shoes on.
Moron.
He loved him.