NUMBER FIVE

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“ ALL THOSE YEARS ----------------------------

IN THE APOCALYPSE -------------------------

------   WE NEVER STOPPED WORRYING

--------------------------  ABOUT OUR FAMILY. ”

               HIS REFUSAL SHARP WITHIN EARS / GIVEN FORTH with such confidence – ; cannot quite comprehend what lays insidious at the base of her spine , hissing of sheer PERSECUTION . who was he stood bold as brass , words filtering through the fog of fury at being DENIED . no single ounce of contrition within her bones , sinew fused with bought but malice , && an all consuming anger that swirled within stomach . had she not forged him from the ashes of the apocalypse ? shaped && molded him into far more than perhaps he had even thought of ? of course , his use had been solely for her own sick purposes – / 𝐈 𝐀𝐌 𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 . knew it so well , of all she was , all she CLAIMED to be when faced with choices ; would give no satisfaction of visible vexation ( 𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝙾𝙷 𝙼𝚈 𝚃𝙾𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙴 𝙸𝚂 𝙰 𝚆𝙴𝙰𝙿𝙾𝙽 ) , she would not stand so docile , smile painted upon lips that does not meet hues of emerald – glittering with animosity towards he who believed his life still his own .                                       he was a killer , of that she had made sure all that time ago – dissolving what had lingered from times before the end of worlds ; 𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐁 𝐑 𝐔 𝐓 𝐀 𝐋 , as all that remained to her now . standing upon her choices whilst he stood upon his own , throwing aside all gifted in time when none other had offered air – 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙾𝚆𝙴 𝙼𝙴 ! screamed within her mind , pointed glare an indication of all that lay simmering beneath a calm facade / a beast in fancy clothing . upwards tilt of chin , fortified upon attempts at her life that did not reach fruition / 𝙸 𝚆𝙸𝙻𝙻 𝙽𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚁 𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝙱𝙸𝙽𝙳𝚂 . none who tried to run ever made it out alive , her hold too tight … claws too sharp .  she did not know how to let go , she never had , she would never learn .                ‘ you do , you 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 to slaughter the members of the board – for your family , of course ! ‘                        heels click as she moves , circling / a shark scenting blood upon the water . sigh pushes through her teeth , fist perching against her cheek as she stands behind him – ; as though considering 𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 . silence holds the reins now , nothing more than her simple presence / a thickness in the air of 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 , awaiting the strike that could perhaps rear its head – not that she would fall prey to such a thing , though … the 𝚄𝙽𝙿𝚁𝙴𝙳𝙸𝙲𝚃𝙰𝙱𝙸𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈 tasted oh so sweet .                                 ‘ && despite it all , here we are . ‘                 click of her tongue as she rounds to stand before him , slender digits reach – personal space 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 , && she affixes fingers onto knot of tie , straightening it for the sheer purpose of drawing out that 𝙳𝙸𝚂𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚃 she knew brewed from her sheer presence .                    ‘ what a happy little cycle we always seem to find ourselves in , though truth be told , you’re starting to grow a little 𝚁𝙴𝙿𝙴𝚃𝙸𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 in your demands . ‘                      flex of fingers , gentle tap of tip to cheekbone before she draws away – / amusement flitters , easily read between notes of lilting laughter that peel between her lips .

𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐃𝐎 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐘 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐘

                  perhaps a piece of her admires the dedication , though such a part is stomped down as one might a cigarette beneath their heel , he is but a means to an end / a woman who held none close , 𝙳𝙴𝙳𝙸𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 to anything but her own goals was unheard of , a foreign concept . he was an enigma to her , if she was going to be honest about something for once in her life … what was it like to hold anothers survival over your own ? to go to the very end of someone other than yourself ? it was 𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 to her .                            ‘ how about you 𝙱𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙷 𝙾𝚄𝚃 , ask for something more EXCITING than the survival of your siblings for once , Five . ‘

Her very presence instills a tension in the air around them. A tension Five hates that he is familiar with. There is a different edge to it now, however. Now that her grasp over him has softened. He won’t indulge in this game she loves to play with him. Knowing exactly that she thrives on even the smallest reactions to her uncomfortable closeness.

               A predator circling its prey. Run and it will leap at you.

He knows that his answer frustrates her, even if she barely shows a change in demeanor. This is all their interactions are, really. Just one trying to stay one step ahead of the other. Constantly trying to desperately get ahead, catch them off their guard, say something they do not expect. To do that without giving yourself away is the real challenge.

He is tired of this mental game. This invisible chess board has stayed the same for much too long. Pieces dancing around each other without toppling over any of the major parts at play. Finally, he will step away from the board. Leave whatever happens to his king up to some other poor henchman.

          “ I don’t want exciting . “ He argues through gritted teeth, mirroring one of their earlier conversations. The hell that was the apocalypse couldn’t break his resolve, never had he stopped worrying about his family’s safety, never had he forgotten their bodies lying motionless between the rubble of the destroyed academy. Who did she think she was to compete with that? To overthrow 40 years of that to somehow convince him of a different mentality?

Eyes squint at her, casual demeanor hides a complicated interior. She had made him, or at least she believes so. Isn’t it the fate of a creation to rise up against its creator? To break free the shackles and rise above?

     too loud.

  too loud is what this is as they’re riddled with bullets, taking cover behind the nearest thing that proved a good enough shield between the pair and the commission agents that had popped out practically out of nowhere. hands press against his ears as klaus tries to quell his breathing – it’s an automated notion, one he’s long since practiced as he curls up behind cover – protect one’s head first, everything else later. the only words he manages to blurt out are those, though it seems like five is not having it.

   they are vastly outnumbered, running out of options and with nothing to retaliate with, how in the hell is his brother certain that there’s a positive outcome for them out of this? “oh my g – you can’t possibly take on all of them —” or distract them without having at least one of those shoots inevitably hit him. a plan klaus isn’t too on board with, if the frown that settles is anything to go by. “there’s gotta be some other way –”

Already halfway to enacting his plan, there’s visible hesitation in his step as he stops to hear Klaus out. He knows it’s a hopeless move, that if he reveals himself without the aid of his powers he might as well already be dead. But it’s better than just sitting here and accepting their faith. He’d rather go out fighting than holed up in hiding.

he’s  sure  no  one  will  find  him.  normally,  these   situations  arise  because  diego’s  gone  looking  for  them.   normally,  diego’s  prepared  and  ready  to  take  on  whatever   danger  might  be  lurking.  but  lately,  nothing’s  been  normal.   not  when  they  keep  making  new  enemies  and  each  one  seems   deadlier  than  the  last.

this  time,  they’d   gotten  him  off  guard.  the  fight  had  been  close  and  then   diego  had  been  certain  he  was  losing.  the  hold  the  other  had had  him  in  sent  diego  into  panic  mode,  his  only  goal  was   survival. and,  somehow,  he  had.  though  he  isn’t  sure  how.

wincing, he  spits  out  some  blood  looking  at  the  body  across  from   him.  it  was  like  his  knives  had  mind  of  their  own  and  had   attacked  the  man.  but  that  was  silly.  that  wasn’t  something   they  just  did.  but  then…how?  how  had  it  happened? diego  must   have  done  it  but…he  hadn’t  thrown  anything  and  all  but  one   had  be  tucked  into  place  on  his  body. so  how?

he tries  to  stand  but  finds  that  too  difficult  at  the  moment   and  opts  to  stay  in  place.  he  needs  to  regroup  anyway.  calm   down.  he  had  just  killed someone.  violently. he’s  almost   lost  enough  in  his  thought  that  he  nearly  doesn’t  register   five’s  arrival.  nearly.  looking  up  at  his  brother,  he  has  no   idea  how  he  looks,  how  this  whole  situation  looks.  or  how  to explain  why  all  of  his  knives  along  with  random  scraps  of  metal  have  made  their home  in  his  attacker’s  body.

———————— ❝  I-I-I-I think.…I….I think…. I think….Five….I think I did this…..I….❞ of  all  people,   five  will  understand,  right?  his  brother  will  understand  that   he  hadn’t  meant  to.  hell,  he’s  still not  sure  if  he  had  but   if  not  him  then  who  else?

Usually, Five doesn’t care about what Diego gets up to. He has managed to keep himself alive for the years he was away so he figures he can keep doing it without him now too. The same sentiment extents to his other siblings as well. As long as they don’t die, that’s really all that matters to him.

That’s why it’s really more of a coincidence that he managed to discover Diego in the sorry state that he is in. He had considered not acting when he overheard the suspicious group of people talking about a knife wielding vigilante type in a not so favorable light. After all, he thought his brother ( somewhat ) capable in a scrap. To his own annoyance, however, he found it impossible to get the worrying voice in the back of his brain to shut up.

That’s how he ended up finding Diego after all. The horrible sounds a fight like that brought only lasted a brief moment. It was still enough to lead him to it. The sight of the aftermath is one that Five is not unfamiliar with, nor does it seem to bother him much. Though his gaze does linger on the pieces of bloody metal stuck in this man’s body. Fascinating.

Hands rest in his pockets nonchalantly when he comes to stand still in front of his brother “ You think you did ? “ He repeats in question. Nothing in his demeanor seems to judge his actions, not that he had any right to to begin with with the bloody track record he himself holds.

as promised, he leaves his double to his panic, pours himself a tumbler of whiskey, and collapses over dad’s old arm chair, crossing his rather short legs over the desk. he needs a fucking break. which he will get, later, when he’s not world-hopping to save some other poor hapless apocalypse buster an extra five hundred fucking years on the job.

a voice somewhere between gently chastising and vaguely acerbic reminds him he already fixed his own apocalypse problem, so why the fuck is he tearing holes in reality and heroically saving the goddamn day in another dimension, instead of spending time with his own family in his own. five tells the voice to please choose if it wants to sound like vanya or delores, and that he could go back home whenever he wanted, actually, and if he timed it righted he wouldn’t even miss dinner. they wouldn’t know he was gone. and this is good. peaceful. it’s easier being a stranger in a new world than a stranger in his own.

‘ ah,’ he waves a quick dismissive hand as his double scratches his neck, ‘ don’t worry about that. this isn’t that kind of weird day. ’ he’s almost positive dimension travel won’t lead to paradoc psychosis. meeting his counterpart from another dimension may have it’s own series of side effects, but as he’s the only dimension hopper he knows, he’ll have to find out the hard way.

he laughs. ‘ stop you! ’ he says, incredulous, amused, ‘ you think i don’t know what you’re willing to do to fix it? i know how far you’d go to save them all, you lil martyr. ’ he knocks back half his drink, then nods towards the chair opposite him. ‘ sit down, kid. we have a lot to talk about. ’

There’s a glint of suspicion as he listens to his double explain. Though he isn’t entirely convinced by his words, he does seem to relax somewhat after hearing them. It is good they seem to agree on what he’s currently fighting for, at the very least.

For him, this is the first time seeing himself like this. The other’s relaxed nature tells him this is most likely one of many for him, however. He’s uncertain if that should reassure him or make the future more worrying. If anything, it does mean there will be one. With all of the circumstances at play, that’s something.

“ I’m just fine standing , thank you . “ The words make no attempt to hide the speaker’s suspicion of the other. He’s already got enough problems to deal with. Whatever this other him has in store for him, he’s learned from past experiences unknowns more often bring bad than good.

                 ˜”*°•.     Arrogance,  conceit and  disdain,  Five’s attitude  had  always driven  her  up the  wall:  infuriated her  to  no end,  yet  amused  her  as  well,  entertained  her  in  some  weird,  inexplicable  way.  This  supposed brilliancy,  this  energy, this  zeal:  her mother  had  thought of  him  as the  best  of the  bests,  the  most  skillful assassin  of  them all.  She’d  believed he  could  outpower her,  defeat  her, beat  her:  she’d been  nothing  but blind  though.  Same  as Five:  delusional,  judgement clouded  by  haughtiness  and  certainty.  By  their  own  lies.

     ❝ I  doubt  your little  brain  allows you  to  see further  from  the whole  Apocalypse  thing, but  do  you know   what  kind  of  trouble you’ve  got  yourself  in? With  the  council dead,  you  caught the  attention  of quite  some  people. ❞ A  small  chuckle.  ❝ Let’s  be honest.  AJ  was not  the  scary one  in  the Commission.  And  definitely you  weren’t  scary  either. ❞  

There’s a frown at her explanation. Five had thought with everything that had happened they would finally be able to put the commission behind them once and for all. Lila’s words implied the opposite, and he couldn’t help but already feel tired. He had been confident in his ability to avoid the assassins they would sent after him if he broke his contract, but The Handler’s methods had grown increasingly destructive after they’d avoided destruction in 2019. Now that she’s gone. What more was there left to say?

Lila does have a point, he barely considered what consequences his actions would have inside the commission. Though, in his defense, he hadn’t really cared to begin with. It’s hard to when you’re faced with imminent nuclear destruction.

“ What, are they going to throw us out of our own house? “

Klaus gives Five an unconvinced look, scarcely registering the soft whoosh of a blink. It’s familiar again, another memory of fight stances at a child’s eye level and too dark places. He looks up at the ceiling of the Academy, a soft breeze coming through the shattered window. It has the same tiling, the same floors – Klaus would be hard-pressed to believe where he is if it wasn’t for the bat-shit bonanza their lives were. 

Only half begrudgingly, he picks himself up off the ground, stretching against a kink in his back. As far as he can hear, the rest of the house is quiet, no immediate response to the makeshift B&E. 

“ We know all of Dad’s tricks. “      Except, even now, he’s whispering (just in case Five is right – he’ll do that from time to time). 

“ Besides, worst case scenario, you can do your  ‘ master assassin ‘  speech   while I grab whatever looks important. “        —- He’s still working on what that entails. 

Five looks around as Klaus takes his time lifting himself up. Checking around corners for approaching footsteps or floating cubes or murders of crows or anything of the sort. The absurdness of which barely registers to him anymore. The past two weeks and, frankly, his entire life have given him a certain numbness for this sort of stuff.

“ I wouldn’t bet on it , that man keeps more secrets than he knows what to do with . “ He answers bitterly with a hushed tone of his own. Their father was the worst, still, he hadn’t expected him to actually try to change the course of history by adopting the wrong set of super powered assholes. Bold, he had to give it to him.

Keeping his attention strictly on the hallway and not on his brother, he carefully starts moving forward. “ And you remember how protective he used to be of his research . “ He pauses and frowns, then turns back towards him.