———————————

Slowly, unable to believe his own eyes, Five began to take in his surroundings. Where tall buildings had once stood…only remained ruins. Melted and bent metal littered the broken streets, burning trees barely resembled trees anymore. So much was burning, yet there was no noise.

That was the worst thing. There were no screams of panic, no sirens, no sounds of attempts to extinguish the fire that was trying to swallow the city. Instead, there was silence.

Five broke that silence as he began to cough, the falling ash invading his lungs and taking root somewhere deep inside. Panic overwhelmed his mind to the point that normal thoughts were pushed out and he started running, in the hope that he would reach a safer place. Instead, it only got worse.

“No…“, he whispered breathlessly as he spotted the ruins of the Umbrella Academy, burning like the rest of the city. There they were. His siblings, all of them unmoving and pale. He was back in the apocalypse, in the hell that he had landed himself in. Yet when he tried to teleport, not even one blue spark came up.

With all of his options exhausted, Five started to cry and scream. In the back of his mind he thought that he could hear something, but he was too busy giving his frustrations and fears a voice. Until he was suddenly pulled back.

———————————

“Five!“, Derek exclaimed as he shook his shoulder to wake him up. He had at first tried to only use his voice, but that hadn’t worked. In one moment, they had both been sleeping peacefully in seperate beds, because Five still wasn’t comfortable with so much touching, because their mattress preferences were different and because Five was a blanket hoarder. Then all of the sudden, his partner had screamed as if someone was attempting to rip his heart out.

Rather abruptly, Five’s eyes opened again and he sat up, gasping for air. His eyes were wide with panic, pupils dilated to the point that the green was barely visible and his heart was beating so quickly with adrenaline that it resembled the wings of a hummingbird. For a few moments, it seemed like he didn’t even know where he was. Then suddenly, his expression softened.

“Derek?“, he whispered and Five couldn’t help but sound like a small child, scared of the lightening outside. If he was there, that meant the apocalypse wasn’t.

Derek nodded in response, shifting slightly. He was practically kneeling on the bed next to Five, one leg on the mattress and one on the floor.

“Yeah, I’m here. It was just a dream, I-hmpf!“, he was cut off by Five practically falling into his chest, like a marionette with its strings cut. In that moment, Derek knew that asking questions would result in nothing. Five was obviously exhausted. And even though it was quite unusual for him to want to cuddle, he didn’t stop him.

Only after a few seconds did Derek realise that Five was falling asleep listening to his heartbeat. To make sure he was still alive and would stay that way.

“Goodnight, Mr.Five“, Derek whispered before he closed his eyes again, despite the awkward position he found himself in.

———————————

The next morning, Derek woke up alone. That wasn’t unusual by any means, sometimes Five headed off to work early to get some preparations done. And after that eventful night, talking about feelings was out of the question. They never talked about nightmares or trauma, Five argued that they had their respective therapists for that.

During his morning routine however, he could detect the faint scent of coffee and tea wafting through the appartment. A sign that Five hadn’t left, but had simply gotten up early to prepare breakfast. The thought of that alone was enough to make Derek smile. Instead of taking his time with styling his hair and picking out his outfit, he decided to walk into the kitchen, tying his tie in the process.

“Morning“, Five yawned without looking up from his coffee. He wasn’t really in the mood for talking in the morning, at least not until he had reached his ideal caffeine levels. Which he still hadn’t reached by a long shot.

“Good morning, Mr.Five“, Derek replied with a soft smile and began to look through their mail. The entire atmosphere was deeply comforting. It was lazy, natural and painfully domestic. And it gave his partner a sense of retirement, something that he deeply desired, but could never quite reach.

Five cleared his throat when Derek picked up a letter with really chaotic handwriting. The older man recognised it, but not many other people would.

“It’s an invitation from my idiot brother“, he explained, though there was no real malice, “He wants to have a family dinner or something. With all the kids and partners…it’s stupid.“

His words were a deflection, nothing more. Five couldn’t imagine that his siblings, who he had spent years protecting, really wanted him there. He was just another name on the list, the one everyone hoped wouldn’t show up. At least that was what he told himself. Sometimes his old mind couldn’t comprehend the thought of his family caring about him, not the same way he did.

Derek hummed quietly as he read the words, then looked up at Five. And there it was again, that calm smile of his.

“I think we should go. I would love to meet your family.“

For a few seconds, Five stared at him as if he had just suggested that they should do the hula. It was the same look he had given Luther whenever he had mentioned the moon in relation to the apocalypse…before it had actually caused the apocalypse.

“My family consists of a bunch of lunatics. They’re not…like you. Trust me, you don’t want to deal with all of their collective issues“, Five snorted and took another sip from his coffee. In truth, he was scared of Derek wanting to leave.

Because if he did, he would be alone…again. Five‘s breath hitched slightly when their hands made contact, but he didn’t pull away.

Derek smiled at him, reassuringly, despite the way his heart pounded with excitement. And for just a few moments, they were alone. There was no CIA, no Reginald Hargreeves, no annoying siblings. Just them, peaceful and happy.

“You spend so much time making sure these…lunatics…are safe. It makes me a bit curious of what they’re actually like. Unless you don’t want me there“, he explained, though a hint of fear was present as he uttered the last sentence.

Almost immediately, Five shook his head, which indirectly sealed their fate. But he didn’t care, in the worst case scenario they would just leave shortly after arriving.

“Of course I want you there. Now, could you get me another coffee? I can’t deal with this without caffeine or I will kill someone.“

Derek actually laughed and stood up. This was as close as he would get to Five declaring his love for him and he would take it. His older partner wasn’t really the traditional romantic, but he was fine with that. He wasn’t one either.

“I think the murder look in your eyes does something for me“, Derek teased him lightly while Five finished up his cup. That little attempt at flirting was enough for Five to almost choke on his coffee, all while trying to control the colour of his face.

In a matter of seconds, it turned a flattering shade of burgundy. Five rarely blushed, but whenever he did, Derek was the cause for it.

“Shut up“, he mumbled, though he clearly couldn’t hold back a shy smile.

———————————

A few days later, they made their way to the announced family dinner. Though it was far less formal than what most people would have in mind. The Hargreeves siblings were not the best at picking one specific meal, so takeout dining was the way to go. Which basically meant that the dining room table held everything from pizza to pasta to fried rice. It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing dinner, but it did the job and Diego’s kids loved it.

However, that wasn’t the thing that everyone focused on that night.

“Wait…did Five not come alone?“, Luther asked Diego while both of their wives were busy sitting on the couch. They were in charge of plating, with Luther having insisted on it so Sloane could relax. And Lila had then basically pressured Diego into being a gentleman, so he did the same.

Diego slowly shook his head as he watched Five and Derek take each other’s coats off, in complete disbelief.

Klaus was the one that ended up greeting them though.

“Good evening Fivey“, he grinned widely and looked his older brother over, “Mein Bruder, you really look amazing. Love the longer hair.“

Instead of telling Klaus to get lost or shut up, Five brushed his hair behind his ears and straightened up.

“Thank you. Still not sure how I feel about it yet. I prefer you with your shorter hair“ he commented while Derek was busy with redoing his tie, then turned towards him once he was done, “Come on, let’s get some mulled wine.“

Klaus stared at them, speechless until he ran over towards Diego like an excited child. Already, there was something extraordinary for the Hargreeves siblings to focus on and they attacked it like starving wolves.

“Did you see that? Five took a compliment from me and didn’t tell me off!“, he whisper yelled so the aforementioned brother wouldn’t hear.

Diego nodded slowly, not taking his eye off the couple as they sat down on the couch next to Sloane and Lila. It was very strange for Five to be so civil during a family outing.

“Do you think his buddy is another secret serial killer or something? It would explain why he and Five get along so well“, Diego began to theorise, “Or he’s from the Commission. He has shady office guy written all over him.“

In truth, he didn’t think that Derek looked particularly threatening. He seemed like a perfectly nice person that he would pass by in the grocery store without thinking twice. But that didn’t mean anything.

Viktor took that moment to walk into the kitchen, one glass of wine in his hand. He had previously watched the scene from the stairs, but now he was curious.

“Guys, is Five okay? He just laughed at one of Ray’s jokes, even though they’re absolutely terrible.“

They had seen their brother smile before, but this amount was definitely a cause for concern in their books.

———————————

Five was feeling quite comfortable, both due to Derek and the mulled wine by his side. So much so that he actually laughed when Lila commented on his pasty knees that he had shown in the past.

“Those shorts were a crime against humanity more severe than the apocalypse“, Five commented and crossed his legs. He and Derek weren’t holding hands, as that would make him quite uncomfortable, but they were close enough for their shoulder’s to touch.

———————————

Meanwhile, Five’s siblings were still stuck trying to figure the situation out.

“Well, he seems happy, so why don’t we just leave it?“, Viktor asked eventually while helping Luther with the cutlery arrangement.

Diego rubbed his eyes hard. While he appreciated Five not insulting any of them, he was also concerned for him. And maybe part of him was naturally suspicious. Everything in this family was weird and unusual, but never like this.

“The guy seems nice, polite and like a really good friend to Five“, Diego told them quietly and grabbed the nearby Dora the Explorer napkins, “But what if he’s like Leonard? We can’t have that happen again.“

The Leonard and later the Lila incident had been enough to make the entire family wary of new additions. Especially ones that seemed too friendly at first sight. And after some of them had seen how soft Five could be, they wanted him to be truly happy.

———————————

Derek sipped his mulled wine while he and Five listened to Sloane talk about her Italy honeymoon with Luther. He was surprised by how relatively normal the conversations seemed to be.

Sure, Lila was by no means completely normal, but she seemed more occupied with complimenting her daughter’s drawings than with the adult conversations.

“I loved our trip to the mausoleum“, Sloane ranted excitedly, “It was just everything I ever wanted and more. Luther liked the fountain in front of it, we made a wish there every single day.“

“Truly happy for you, Sloane“, Derek smiled, his tone showing that he meant it, “My job makes travelling a bit difficult, but it sounds exciting.“

He looked up when the rest of the family sat down. So far he had only talked to Klaus and the in-laws, but now he would be confronted with the rest of Five’s actual family. Soon enough, he would realise why Five had warned him.

“What do you do for work then, Mister…?“, Diego asked, clearly wanting his name. The way he asked was by no means polite, which visibly annoyed Five. It was a bit reminiscent of a cop in a noir movie leading an interrogation and not in the nice way.

“His name is Derek and he works with me, Diego.“

Five’s tone seemed a bit sharp, he was slightly drunk and wanted to have a good time, without anyone interrupting it. However, his siblings seemed focused on doing exactly that. He didn’t seem to realise that they were doing what he had been doing all those years, just on a much smaller scale. Making sure he was safe and doing well.

“Five, it’s okay. It’s a valid question“, Derek carefully reassured him. He was slowly starting to understand what exactly his partner meant. Five’s siblings were by no means normal. Though he hadn’t grasped the full extent of it just yet.

“Me and Five share a desk. I do a lot  of the paper work, he does a lot of field work, though we do switch sometimes“, he began to explain in an effort to lighten up the mood, “Does that answer your question, Diego?“

Diego hummed, seemingly satisfied for a moment before he frowned.

“Wait…you know my name. Five, what did you tell him about all of us?!“, he sounded a bit panicked when he said that. A good informed potential enemy was a dangerous one, Reginald Hargreeves had always said that.

———————————

While Derek was starting to look a bit uncomfortable with the interrogation, shifting back and forth, his partner was mainly annoyed. Five had wanted a relatively normal evening, nothing more.

But of course, he couldn’t have that. In moments like these, he honestly wondered why he went through all the trouble of protecting his family.

“He had every right of knowing everything that I told him. Derek is more capable than most of you combined, Diego, hence why I live with him, not with you“, Five replied rather sharply, one hand planted firmly on the table. He barely noticed that he had taken a protective stance, ready to defend Derek from his own brother.

———————————

Klaus was the first one to break the silence that came afterwards. He had been looking Derek over, starting at his goofy glasses and ending at the way he did his tie. And even though his siblings often ignored him, he wasn’t stupid. He could see the way that Derek and Five looked at each other, the small invisible gestures that barely registered.

Klaus recognised it, he had once been the same way with Dave when they had started dating. And even though they were past that honeymoon phase now, he still found himself falling into those same patterns when he was around his love. It was a shame that Dave had to stay at home with the cat. A wide grin began to form on his face, one that Five recognised and was a bit afraid of.

“Are you two an item?“, he asked and his grin widened even more, to the point that Klaus resembled the cat from Alice in Wonderland.

“What are you, from the 1940s?!“, Five shot right back, but it didn’t have the desired effect. Instead of making everyone ignore Klaus, everyone stared at them. Inlcuding Allison and Claire, who had just come back from soccer practice. Viktor’s expression softened a bit.

“Five, it’s okay if you are“, Viktor sounded a bit awkward, but he kept pushing forward, “I’m glad that you’re happy.“

For a few seconds, Five was speechless. He was a bit frustrated because of his siblings and that was putting it mildly. But at the same time, he felt relieved by the fact that they knew now. Part of him had been scared that either Derek or his siblings would leave. However, that didn’t seem to be happening. His partner was still sitting next to him and his siblings seemed surprised, but not disgusted. To be expected when they had  a sibling like Klaus. Five coming out of the closet when he was an old man didn’t seem as shocking in comparison.

Derek smiled a bit at the kind words, daring to touch Five’s knee as his partner answered the question with a nod. While he was definitely overwhelmed by the situation, he didn’t feel as though he needed to be afraid.

———————————

Diego cleared his throat a bit. He didn’t seem as aggressive as before, but still a bit worried. So he gestured towards Luther to ask the question that they had formulated together in the kitchen.

Luther frowned, then blushed darkly as he realised how dumb it would sound out loud.

“We just need to make sure…Do you promise that you’re not a sick serial killer or Commission employee sent to assassinate one of us?“

For a few moments, the question hung out in the open like an awkward marriage proposal. Derek glanced at Five, as if to confirm that it was not a joke, then looked at Luther.

“I…I promise.“

He was utterly dumbfounded, unable to form a sarcastic remark this time. So Derek just went for the blunt truth. Five had told him about the Commission once, but hadn’t gone into much detail. And he most definitely didn’t work for them.

“Good“, Lila smirked and stood up, her sleeping eldest daughter in her arms, “Because I’m starving and I really wasn’t in the mood for murder. I’ll just get this little munchkin to bed so we can eat.“

———————————

The rest of the evening went off without any major problems. Slowly but surely, Five was starting to relax again. Because despite his family’s rather chaotic behaviour, Derek seemed to be enjoying himself. He engaged in their conversations, answered questions and overall was just having a good time.

“Did you two meet at work?“, Allison asked curiously while she reached for the fortune cookies. She was half leaning against her husband, who was holding her free hand.

“Yeah, my boss assigned me to him on his first day“, Derek leaned back, not really in the mood for more food, “I started just about a year prior. My former colleague ended up retiring.“

His partner shifted a bit and went to say more, but their conversation was interrupted by one of the twins crying. And naturally, when one began to cry, the other wasn’t far behind. Lila groaned quietly, having just relaxed against Diego’s shoulder. Her husband seemed equally tired and exhausted, because otherwise he wouldn’t have said the following: “Five, could you maybe get that? You’re the only one that Coco tolerates.“

Five blinked slowly, looking at his brother, then at Derek. To his surprise, Derek stood up with him, a small smile on his cheek. He liked children, despite not having any of his own. And even though he and Five had never talked about the possibility of adopting them one day, he certainly didn’t mind looking after Five’s nieces and nephews.

“Okay, I’ll look after your stupid kid“, Five mumbled, but his tone held no real malice. His siblings seemed to notice that as well, because Viktor and Allison looked at him in genuine surprise, while Lila grinned and pinched his cheek.

“Thank you, mate“, she smiled, her accent getting a bit thicker.

———————————

Derek chuckled quietly, which earned him a playful glare from Five as he pulled him along by his sleeve. By checking on Diego’s kids, they would also have the opportunity to talk amongst themselves for the first time in hours.

“I told you they were morons“, Five mumbled under his breath as he rubbed his eyes hard, though he couldn’t hold back a small laugh. He had been so worried that this dinner would ruin everything, so he was overwhelmed with relief.

“They’re…definitely chaotic“, Derek readjusted his glasses slightly before opening the door, “But I don’t mind it. They’re your family. And we’re with the CIA, we’ve had much worse, Mr.Five.“

Five nodded slowly before he decided to focus on the task at hand. It was what he did best after all, his entire job consisted of focussing on small jobs like his life depended on it. Though this time, no one would die if he messed up. Except for his ears maybe.

“Hey Coco, hey Stanley“, he whispered and his voice turned quite soft. Derek had rarely heard Five talk in such a caring way, it took him a bit by surprise.

“Could you tell me what’s going on? I’m your uncle, I’m here to help“, Five reassured the twins as they looked up at him with wide eyes. They looked like they were on the brink of crying again. Instead of a verbal answer, both of them extended their arms towards him. The universal sign of Pick me up.

By no means was Five a toddler expert. But even an idiot would understand what they would have to do next, it wasn‘t exactly complicated. Back when he had met his nieces and nephew for the first time, he had been a bit of a mess. At least he knew the basics now.

Five sighed heavily, realising that he had a problem.

“I can’t carry you both“, he said quietly, then looked over at Derek, “You take Stan, I’m taking Coco, okay?“

Derek nodded immediately. He recognised the tone, it was the same one Five used when they were talking about the execution of a mission plan. And that didn’t leave much time for debate. So in less than a minute, they sat next to each other on the couch, holding one toddler each in their arms. Just like that, the crying stopped. Five let out a deep sigh of relief while one hand rubbed over his niece’s back.

“Sorry for dragging you into this mess“, Five told him in a hushed tone, though he was smiling a bit, “You don’t seem to mind though, do you?“

In the dimmed light of the room, he could see the way Derek held the toddler like he was the most precious thing he had ever come across. That question almost caused him to laugh out loud, but he caught himself.

“No, I don’t mind“, Derek carefully brushed Stan’s hair into place while leaning back to get comfortable, “But I think we’re going to be here for quite a while.“

In a situation like this, standing up became practically impossible. All that was left to do was to accept their fate. A few minutes into silence, Five carefully extended his free hand until he found Derek’s next to him. The three magic words remained unspoken, but Derek heard them nonetheless. He could hear them in the way Five looked at him, in the way their fingers brushed against each other, in the way they made each other coffee or tea.

In their own way, they loved each other.

———————————

If you liked it, leave a like or a comment. It really makes my day and encourages me to keep going. Also, I would have an idea for another smaller additional chapter, set during Season 4. It could also have some angst if that‘s what you want. Would you be interested in that?

If you are, let me know!

Until next time,

Five had been trying to live a more normal life. He took vacation days, watched movies with Derek and sometimes got his morning dose of caffeine at a coffee shop instead of making it himself. It most definitely wasn’t easy to let go of his former life, where he constantly had to be on guard. But it was nice and his therapist had assured him that it would take practice, that healing from trauma couldn’t be rushed. Through all of it, Derek remained by his side, even when it became incredibly tough.

———————————

“Mr.Five, she’s turning six years old“, Derek insisted. They had spent almost an hour looking for a birthday present for Grace, Five’s favourite niece. The oldest Hargreeves sibling had joked once that she had the looks of Diego and the intellect of Lila, which was both a compliment and an insult.

“Yes?“, Five held up the book that he had been considering, “This is a quantum physics book for beginners. She’ll like it, I’m sure of it. You can get her another gift.“

He was stubborn and he insisted on his pick. For their birthdays, Reginald had always bought practical presents. Books, weapons, anything that he thought represented real value. So Five had never really received normal gifts. And even though he tried to step away from his father’s lessons, some of them stuck. But he also knew Grace. She was quite bright and already surpassed her reading levels.

Derek sighed heavily, soon enough returning with a board game. He didn’t have a lot to do with kids, but he knew enough to know that a gift like that was a safe bet.

“Alright, I’ll trust you on this. Let’s just get them both wrapped up“, he said, his tone softening again, “But this is the last time we do last minute gift shopping.“

Five chuckled, reaching out to take ahold of Derek’s elbow. He still wasn’t completely comfortable with unannounced romantic touching, but he had grown to enjoy small gestures of affection. Both with his partner and with his family. After so many tough years, he wanted to be a good uncle and brother, even if it meant attending birthday parties full of screaming children, most of which he couldn’t care less about.

“Are you sure that you want me to come with you?“, Derek asked him out of the blue once they got into the car, “I fully understand if you want to be alone with your family.“

Even though he had met Five’s family, he was still a bit nervous from last time. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they didn’t completely trust him yet. Along with that came the knowledge of how much his boyfriend loved his siblings.

“No, you’re coming with me“, Five insisted, though he kept his eyes fixated on the road ahead, “I’m not dealing with them by myself, you’re the only one who can stop me from murdering them.“

He loved his siblings, that was a well known fact. But they also annoyed him on a regular basis. Of course, Five would never intentionally kill them…though he had to hold himself back a few times. Sometimes he wondered if he really was a killer at heart, if the Handler had been right that the Commission hadn’t corrupted him, he had done it himself by just existing. His knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping his steering wheel, his thoughts running wild.

Luckily, Derek pulled Five out of it before he could crash the car. The younger man had gotten better at recognising the signs that Five was experiencing an episode. The episodes themselves had turned milder as well, but they hadn’t stopped, even after all this time.

“Five, I’m here“, he said firmly, without touching his partner. Touches were still a complicated topic, so he used his voice. And it was almost always enough to get Five to snap out of his thoughts. Derek belonged to a time without the Handler, without the Commission or the apocalypse, so he symbolised safety for him.

“Yeah, I know“, Five mumbled, relaxing his grip a bit as he pulled up to the parking lot, taking a few deep breaths. He was grateful and Derek fortunately knew that, because he still had trouble saying it. Yet he smiled softly when Five whispered a quiet thank you, just before they walked inside together.

———————————

Derek stared at the situation in front of him in shock. He had already handed Grace his gift and she had politely said thank you, most likely taught by her Uncle Klaus. After him however, Five had insisted on handing over his gift, the book he had fought Derek over.

“Wow!“, Grace squealed with joy once she read the title, her eyes lighting up, “That’s so cool, Uncle Five! I love it!“

She didn’t even give her uncle a chance to say anything in response, all but lunging at him for a hug. Five’s eyes widened, before his expression settled into a wide grin. Very gently, he wrapped his arms around his niece, allowing himself to settle down into the moment. This was everything he had wanted for years and he wanted to enjoy it as much as he could.

“I’m glad you like it, you clever girl“, he whispered, so only he, Grace and maybe Derek could hear it, “You enjoy your birthday, alright?“

Never before had Five found any enjoyment in birthdays. Not in his childhood with Reginald, not in the apocalypse, not in the time that came afterwards. But he would do anything to make sure his nieces and nephew would have a chance at enjoying what he never truly had.

Grace nodded, still holding onto the book tightly as Five set her back down. Sometimes she reminded the family of their robot mother, who she had been named after. The same gentleness, mixed with the chaos that were the genes of Diego and Lila.

“Yeah, I will!“, she exclaimed with a wide smile, “You’re the best uncle ever!“

She took off shortly after, but that didn’t change the fact that Five’s heart was melting. Only people who knew him would notice, but his expression softened by quite a bit. Derek stepped up next to him about a minute later.

“Okay…“, he hummed and readjusted his glasses, “I guess I was wrong about her reaction.“

Five quickly caught himself again, though he couldn’t stop smiling at that point. For a few seconds, he had forgotten that Derek was even there. But he was glad that he was there with him, so he didn’t have to face the overwhelming feelings alone.

“Come on. I know you have to go home soon, but let’s at least grab some peanut butter muffins“, Five said before pulling him along to the tables that were designated for food. After all those years, he still enjoyed peanut butter and marshmallows quite a bit.

Derek chuckled and followed along. “Look, I know you plan on drinking with your siblings later“, he said once they sat down together, Five’s legs resting on his lap, “But please don’t overdo it, we both have work tomorrow.“

The older man rolled his eyes. Despite their age difference, their relationship was relatively evened out in terms of power. They both had to adapt to the other’s needs and most often, it worked. Not all the time though.

“Just because I threw up in your potted plant once?“, Five pouted, but looked away after Derek gave him a glare that could level mountains, “Fine. One drink, I won’t go overboard. You’re right, I don’t want to be hungover at work.“

That sentence seemed to satisfy his partner, who focused on watching Diego help his daughter break her piñata. Derek fully trusted Five’s promises, knowing that his boyfriend would keep his word.

———————————

He went home after the party was over, while Five headed to a restaurant with his siblings. Sometimes, Derek was teased for his perfectionism. But despite a few instances of staying up late to finish up a case, he did his best to get the recommended six to eight hours of sleep. Five had only joked about it once, quickly shutting up after hearing Derek’s answer: “You act like I choose to feel this way. But like this, I at least feel like I have a little bit of control over my life and it makes me feel better.“

———————————

Upon waking up after exactly seven hours and fifteen minutes, Derek felt betrayed for just a few seconds. His partner had promised to only have one drink. Yet upon looking at Five, he seemed to be suffering from a massive hangover. His skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat, he was shaking like a leaf, while at the same time seemingly fighting both nausea and a pounding headache. In short, Five felt absolutely miserable.

“You promised me to keep yourself under control“, Derek told him as he sat up from his own bed to walk over. Yet as he approached the other bed, he noticed how glassy Five’s eyes were and that despite the accusatory tone in his voice, his partner barely reacted. He even managed to place a hand on Five’s forehead, where he was immediately met with one revelation.

“Oh no…you’re burning up“, he mostly whispered to himself and went to walk into the bathroom to get supplies. However, Five stopped him from doing so by grabbing his wrist, effectively keeping his hand pressed against his hot forehead.

“Don’t leave…“, Five mumbled, the usual collected tone gone, “You feel so nice and…cold.“

If it weren’t for the fact that Derek was incredibly worried, he would have found the situation almost adorable. Never before had he seen Five lean into his touch like this, rubbing his forehead against Derek’s palm like a cat, though he didn’t purr. A clear sign that something wasn’t okay. Five only sought out touch when he wasn’t doing well at all, like after a particular bad nightmare or after getting injured. And his partner had experienced both, but he hadn’t seen him get sick before, that was a first.

Derek sighed heavily, allowing Five to use him as an icepack for another minute before he carefully pulled away.

“Mr.Five“, he used their nickname in an attempt to lighten the mood, “You’re sick. I’m just going to get up to gather some things, okay? I’ll be back before you know it.“

———————————

Instead of a proper response, Five groaned in discomfort. He decided to take that as a yes nonetheless, making his way towards their medicine cabinet. Derek had never experienced something like this before and if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t like having no real power to help Five. All he could do was fight the symptoms, hoping his partner would recover on his own. So for once, he decided to recruit some help, picking up his phone. Most of the siblings were out of the question, they all had work or their kids to worry about. However, there was one who should be around that time of day.

Derek: Hey, could you buy some soup and stop by my place? Five isn’t doing so well.

He expected to have to wait for a few minutes, but the answer came surprisingly fast.

Klaus: I’m on it!

Derek let out a small sigh of relief upon reading that response. At least he wouldn’t have to leave Five to make some soup or go to the store and buy some. He really admired how Klaus had turned his life around, according to his siblings at least. It must have taken quite a bit of will power and for that, he deserved respect in his opinion.

The younger man quickly shook off that thought, returning to Five’s bedside. His partner seemed to be a bit more awake, but still looked quite miserable. And yet, he hadn’t gotten up, which was a plus. He probably wouldn’t be able to keep himself upright.

“Open your mouth“, Derek gently encouraged him, sliding in a thermometer once Five followed the command. While they waited out the results, he began to wipe his sweaty and hot skin down with a damp towel. The coldness of the cloth caused Five to shiver, yet he leaned into it immediately. All while his glassy green eyes attempted to focus on Derek’s face, which was scrunched up with worry. Even though he had grown up a lot since arriving in the reset timeline, Five couldn’t help but feel like a child again. Back then, he had gotten sick more often, with Grace taking care of him in a very similar way. Whenever he had gotten sick in the apocalypse or Commission, he had tried to imagine that tender touch attempting to ease his pain. But in that instance, he didn’t have to use his imagination. Derek was there, gently brushing his damp hair into place. The beeping of the thermometer caused them both to flinch.

Derek bit his lip as he glanced at the numbers flashing back at him. The fever wasn’t incredibly high just yet, but it worried him nonetheless.

“Here, you should drink this“, he attempted to both distract himself and keep Five hydrated, helping him sit up before he grabbed the cup. And despite how utterly miserable, weak and sick the oldest Hargreeves felt, his nose scrunched up once he identified the liquid.

“I’m not drinking tea or any other hot leaf juice type“, Five mumbled and tried to turn away from him. He wanted coffee, but knew at the same time that his partner wouldn’t let him have it.

Derek groaned quietly and walked around the bed to face his partner once more. “You need to drink something. This should help you.“

Both of them were incredibly stubborn, though Five most often won when it came to a battle of will power. Yet now, absolutely exhausted, he didn’t have the energy to fight. So after a lot of pressure from Derek’s side, he began to take small sips of tea, until the mug was empty and his partner set it back down. Just as Five was starting to doze off a bit, the doorbell rang, causing him to flinch from the sudden noise.

“It’s okay, I’ll get it“, Derek quickly reassured him and walked down the hall to answer the door. As expected, Klaus was on the other side, wearing a face mask and holding a container with apparently homemade soup.

“Hi, Wesley“, Klaus smiled underneath his mask and gave him a small wave, “Not in a suit today? Wow, Fünf must really not be doing so swell.“

Derek chuckled at the nicknames, looking down at himself. With Five sick, he had no time to change out of his sleeping attire or properly style his hair, causing it to poof up. At least he was wearing his glasses.

“Good morning, Klaus“, he greeted him back, leaning against the doorframe to hide how nervous he felt, “Five is really not doing so well, not sure what he has. You didn’t have to make soup though, store bought would have been fine.“

Klaus hummed as he handed over the container, clearing his throat a bit. “Actually, Dave made that soup for dinner two days ago. Really soaked up all of that good flavour“, he grinned, which Derek was able to see from the way the skin by his eyes wrinkled, “Plus, our Mom used to make us chicken noodle soup when we were sick.“

While he was suffering from a mild germaphobia, Klaus mainly wore the mask because he sometimes volunteered at a hospital. And he really didn’t want to get sick people with comprimised immune systems even more sick.

“That’s…really kind of you“, Derek admitted, a lot of tension leaving his body as he held onto the container, “Thank you so much, it means a lot.“

Klaus nodded slowly, looking him over from the bottom of his house shoes to the top of his fluffy blonde hair. “No, I should be thanking you, Harry Potter. You’re the one taking care of Five and he obviously likes you quite a lot. I know the old man can be quite a lot sometimes. Speaking of…how do you deal with him?“

Derek blinked slowly as he processed that question. For a minute, he stayed silent, then looked back up at Klaus. “We just…complete eachother. Sure, sometimes we have to move a bit for the other so to speak, but I love him for who he is, just like he loves me. I’m used to an age difference. I fell in love with his soul, not his body, and so did he.“

To his surprise, Klaus didn’t seem amused by it or tried to make a joke about his words. Instead, he just seemed moved. “Awww…That’s good, I’m glad for you too. Tell Five that I hope he gets better soon and to keep you, okay? You really fit in well“, he winked before leaving again.

For a few moments after he had left, Derek stayed frozen, smiling a little bit. Those words meant more to him than he cared to admit. But before he could think about it further, he decided to warm up the soup and check on his partner again.

———————————

Five had dozed off again after the sound of the doorbell had echoed through their appartment, but woke up when the smell of chicken noodle soup entered his nostrils. “Mom?“, he mumbled, slightly delirious from the fever.

“Not quite“, Derek replied, a soft smile on his lips as he sat down, a steaming bowl of soup in his hands, “How are you feeling, Mr.Five?“

Five groaned as he sat up properly, pushing himself up himself instead of letting his partner help. Yet he couldn’t help it as he leaned against Derek’s chest as a makeshift pillow. It soothed his pounding headache a bit. “Like someone ran me over with a bulldozer“, he answered him quietly, opening his mouth for the first spoonful of soup. Picking up the spoon himself felt incredibly exhausting and for once, he didn’t mind how vulnerable he was.

Derek hummed, feeding him half of the bowl before he set it aside and shifted slightly, wanting Five to be as comfortable as possible.

“Whatever it is you have…you should probably get some rest. Just sleep a bit, I’ll stay right here with you. I already called out sick for both of us“, he whispered into his ears, even daring to kiss his partner‘s temple. After waiting for a response for a bit, he noticed that Five had fallen asleep, propped up against Derek’s chest and one arm loosely wrapped around him. For the sake of letting him sleep, he decided against moving.

———————————

About three hours later, Five’s temperature had dropped down to a less worrying level. When he woke up though, the feeling of sickness was replaced by something strange…yet familiar at the same time. After sitting up, Derek didn’t even get the chance to ask if he was feeling any better. Because with one sneeze, Five disappeared in a flash of blueish purple light.

He landed hard on the cold white floor of a subway station. His nausea and headache flared in a way that he had never before experienced in his entire life, making the time he lost his arm appear like a school trip.

 “What the hell…“, Five mumbled upon spotting strange symbols written on the walls, only to get pulled through space yet again, landing on his bed once more. Derek had apparently stood up in the few seconds that had passed, staring at him in complete and utter shock, but also confusion.

“What the hell?!“, he echoed the earlier sentence, only much louder. He wasn’t exactly scared of Five, but he had no idea what was happening and humans generally didn’t react well to the unknown. A few times before, Five had mentioned time travel and teleportation, though it had never really raised Derek’s alarm bells. After all, his partner had graduated with a degree in quantum physics while he had still been a teenager. But he had never fully explained the story of his siblings and their powers, afraid of what Derek would think.

Five let out a groan of pain and discomfort, fighting down the upcoming nausea. His entire body felt drained from the telelport, in a way he hadn’t experienced in many years. Slowly, he opened his eyes to look at Derek, taking a shaky breath.

“Look…I don’t fully know what’s going on“, his hair fell into his eyes and he brushed it away without much care, “But I’ll do my best to explain.“

———————————

About thirty minutes later, Derek nodded slowly as he paced back and forth. He believed his partner, despite how crazy it sounded. Even though Five didn’t tell him everything, he always told him the truth. They had insisted on that rule, so he wasn’t angry, just overwhelmed.

“But if the universe reset“, Derek finally uttered his first words since his initial exclamation, “Why do you have your powers back?“

That question hit Five like a punch to the face. While explaining, he had been too focused on making sure Derek understood everything and that his sentences actually made sense. The headache made that last part a bit harder than expected.

“I…I…“, Five stuttered and pulled his knees up to his chest, a sign that the potential answer terrified him, “I don’t know…Maybe the reset didn’t fully work…Oh God…maybe that means the apocalypse is coming back! I’m not ready for that, I can’t go through that again! I can’t bear the sight of my dead family for the fifth time! I don’t want to loose you too, now that I finally found someone who completes me and makes me feel alive!“

He was spiraling so hard, Five didn’t even notice that he was screaming his thoughts aloud, tears running down his face. A panic attack was something his pounding head couldn’t fully handle and he was starting to hyperventilate.

Derek quickly sat down in front of him. “Five, listen to me“, he said firmly, attempting to get him to focus, “It’s going to be alright, we’ll figure this out together.“

Once he noticed that the normal strategy wasn’t working, he decided to change course. While he kept reassuring Five, he pulled him into a gentle hug, hoping that the contact would help. It was a 50/50 chance, but he was fully willing to take that risk. Shortly after his arms wrapped around him, Five hugged him back as if his life depended on it. His tears stained Derek’s sleeping shirt, yet neither of them particularly cared about that. They just kept holding on, both of their respective rants echoing through their minds like a melody.

I don’t want to loose you too, now that I finally found someone who completes me and makes me feel alive!

It’s going to be alright, we’ll figure this out together.

———————————

The next day, Five still didn’t feel too well. But he had recovered enough to leave his bed and visit his siblings with Derek by his side, where it was revealed that the world wasn’t ending. Which was both a relief and a cause of anger for Five.

“You stole from Dad and spiked our drinks?!“, he exclaimed and Derek had to actively hold him back so Five wouldn’t try to strangle Ben, who looked even worse for wear. And even though Derek didn’t have to use as much force as usual, it was still more than one would expect for someone as exhausted as Five.

“Please, Mr.Five“, he practically pleaded, “Relax a bit and sit down.“

To everyone’s surprise, Five did settle down a few seconds later, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Normally, he probably would have put up more of a fight.

Luther stared at Derek, then Five, his eyes wide open. He did look exhausted as well, but was able to keep Sloane from floating to the ceiling by holding onto her ankle. “Wow. You gotta teach us how to do that. He’s never done that with any of us.“

Diego nodded quickly as well, immediately regretting that decision when a wave of pain shot through his head. None of them felt good, except for Klaus maybe. “Yeah. I have three kids, who all got their stubbornness from me and Lila. How do you do that?“

In response, Derek blushed a bit, readjusting his glasses ever so slightly. He looked as unassuming as possible. “Well…he sometimes holds me back too, when it’s necessary, so it evens out.“

Before anyone could ask what he possibly meant by that, Five let out a groan next to him. A sign that the nausea was back at full force, disorientating him beyond measure. But as soon as Derek placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, everything went downhill.

———————————

Never before had the blonde teleported and it was a sensation that took some time to get used to. Suddenly, his world got turned upside down, so much so that he could no longer determine whether his feet were touching solid ground. As for his vision, for a small moment he couldn’t see anything, then for just a split second, he could see stars. Never before had he seen so many stars in the sky, he felt like he was facing the infinity of the universe as time seemed to have lost its meaning. Until, as suddenly as they had disappeared, the reappeared in the strange subway station.

While Derek still tried to come to grips with what happened, Five recovered a bit faster. After all, he had teleported before many times. No matter how much he tried though, he couldn’t bring himself to do it again.

“Shit…“, he cursed under his breath, just before helping his partner with sitting up, “We have a problem.“

———————————

After about ten minutes of recovery time and senseless walking around the station, Derek took a deep breath. He was close to having a panic attack and he refused to let himself get tipped over the edge. Not with Five already freaking out over everything.

“I say we get in the train, see where it takes us“, he announced and made his way towards the open doors. Derek could be extremely stubborn when he wanted to, just like his partner. And in that moment, his tone indicated that he was in no mood for protest. It was a tone that rarely ever came out.

Five groaned, but followed him onto the train. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit curious. Plus, he couldn’t leave Derek alone. “You have no idea where this will take us“, he mumbled, unaware that this would be a longer trip than expected.

As soon as they stepped out of the station, they were confronted with burning rubble and collapsed buildings. Five’s grip on Derek’s hand tightened a bit more as he did his best to stay in the present.

“This doesn’t look too good“, he whispered, kneeling down as he spotted an arm sticking out of a hill made out of metal pipes and concrete. And while there wasn’t an umbrella tattoo this time, he recognised the watch around the wrist as the one he was wearing every single day.

Meanwhile, Derek slowly looked around. A strange feeling began to wash over him, but he couldn’t quite place it. It was as if the entire world around him seemed out of place entirely. He reached up to scratch the back of his neck, grimacing as the itch refused to go away. No matter how hard he scratched at his skin, to the point that it turned red, it didn’t get better.

“Derek, are you alright?“, Five asked him, but didn’t really look up as he attempted to move the rubble aside. He was too focused to really split his attention.

“Yeah, of course“, his partner found himself saying almost instantly, even though he most definitely wasn’t feeling alright at all. His mouth had gone dry, his saliva no longer doing its job, so he was yearning for water. At the same time, sweat began to trickle down his neck and temple, even though he definitely didn’t feel hot at all.

Finally, Five looked up, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Even though not all of the signs were present, there were enough for him to recognise it. He had gone through it himself after all.

“We need to leave, now!“, he exclaimed, just as the first bullet cut through the air, hitting the wall behind him, “Before you shoot us!“

Derek took cover right next to Five, daring to glance around the corner. And between the rubble, he could spot…himself. Sure, he was no longer wearing his tie, his glasses were cracked and his face dirtied with ash, but it was definitely him. “How is this possible?!“, he exclaimed as they made their way back into the station, avoiding bullets as they did so.

Five took a few shaky breaths, pulling him back into the train as quickly as possible. He was still exhausted from the teleportation earlier. “If I had to guess, that was an alternate timeline. One in which I died, the apocalypse happened and you survived somehow.“

After hearing that, Derek stayed quiet for a few minutes. He knew about the existence of timelines, but knowing about something and seeing something was quite different. After about ten minutes though, he suddenly broke the silence again. “Oh no…We just passed our stop, the train just keeps going!“

Almost instantly, Five paled, trying anything to get the train to stop. But he couldn’t find anything, teleporting was still something his body couldn’t handle and the windows refused to break.

“Shit...“, they both said at the same time, just as the doors opened again and they entered a new station.

———————————

Despite working with files and complicated cases evey day, navigating the subway map took them a lot of time. Every time they thought they had cracked the code, they were proved wrong. And unlike Five, Derek had never fought for his own survival on such a primal level. So things like making a fire, building a shelter or preserving clean water were all things that he had to learn.

Fortunately though, Derek was good at hunting animals, either by building traps or with a weapon. So they were able to get some food, even if they landed in timelines that had long turned into worlds without any humans in it.

However, not all stations lead to those kind of timelines. After about two years of aimlessly wandering through the subway, they stepped out of the train once more. They hadn’t completely abandoned their suits just yet, but had been forced to put on some old coats, as it often got quite cold.

“This is seems promising“, Derek dared to say as they stepped out of the station. The buildings were still standing and the air was clear of ash. Not everything was as good as it seemed though.

“Look out!“, Five exclaimed and lunged at him, just as a gunshot echoed through the air. They were used to making a quick escape at that point, so they barely had to think about it as they fled down the stairs and back into the train. “Woah…That was a close one.“

Derek had stayed strangely quiet during their escape, the only sound that came from him was his heavy breathing. “Mister Five?“, he whispered, his voice barely above a whisper and quite strained. His upper arm was shaking beyond belief, a dark red patch slowly spreading across his sleeve.

Never before had two words affected Five that much. His vision tunnelled on the blood, as well as the gunshot wound on Derek’s right upper arm. “No…no, no, no, shit!“, he exclaimed, his fingers hastily pulling off his tie to use as a turniquet. He had never cared much when he himself had gotten injured, but when it came to people he cared about, he felt almost paralysed.

“Hey, hey, look at me“, he almost commanded, placing one hand on Derek’s cheek, “No going into shock, Mister. Here, drink this.“

He shakily pulled out a flask from his leather satchel, forcing his partner to take a swig before taking a sip himself.

Derek had previously been dissociating into a state of shock, the pain burning like a hot iron but it had still been not enough to keep him awake. However, as soon as his tastebuds registered what the liquid inside of the flask was, he found himself wide awake and disgusted.

“Ew!“, he exclaimed, not even noticing as his partner tightened the turniquet a bit, “Is that coffee?!“

Five nodded, leaning back and taking another sip. He still had to stop the bleeding and check whether the bullet had gone through or not, but for just a second, he could relax. “You need to stay awake, keep the adrenaline up. This was the best way.“

Just for a moment, both of them laughed. It wasn’t light laughter by any means, but it was a small break from the constant danger and hopelessness.

———————————

Keeping track of time inside of the subway was tough. There was no day and night cycle, Five’s watch had given up after about a year and their sleeping schedule wasn’t regular by any means. So they had to rely on Five’s sense of time, which he possessed due to the nature of his powers.

“How long has it been?“, Derek asked one day, his head leaned against his partner’s shoulder as they waited for the water to boil. The right lense of his glasses had cracked, though he desperately tried to keep it together. It was the only sense of normalcy he had retained.

“Six years, four months and twelve days“, Five mumbled, his eyes loosely closed. He barely had to think about it anymore, the numbers burned into his mind.

Derek hummed quietly and reached into the depth of his pockets, only to frown when he touched something he had long forgotten about. He had bought it before they had ended up in the subway system, which felt like an eternity ago.

“Mr.Five?“, he asked with a smile, which caused his partner to open his eyes and look at him, “Once we get out of here…I don’t want to spend a day without you. And I know you find it cheesy, but will you marry me?“

He carefully pulled out the box from his pocket, revealing the silver ring that held five emeralds, similar to Five’s deep green eyes. Even though he had thought about those words for six years, Derek couldn’t help but feel incredibly nervous.

Five’s eyes resembled saucers once he looked at the ring for the first time. He had been married before, but back then, he had been the one to propose. And even though he was a dangerous killer, he found himself blushing like a teenage girl getting asked out by her crush.

“I…“, he stuttered for a moment, then nodded quickly, trying to quickly wipe the tears away, “Yes, I will marry you. I’ll get us out of here, I promise, we will have a wedding.“

Normally, Derek was the one who mainly initiated the touches. But this time, Five pulled him in for a kiss as soon as the ring found its place on his finger. He almost seemed hungry for any sort of touch, holding onto his collar and only pulling away once they both needed to breathe. The sweet moment of affection was interrupted by a Eureka moment.

“I got it!“, Five exclaimed, grabbing Derek’s left arm as to not accidentally hurt him by digging his fingers into his old wound, “I know how to get back!“

Derek barely had time to ask him any questions. They were both overwhelmed by emotions and the thought of getting back far too overpowering. “Let’s go then!“, he grinned, something he hadn’t done in quite a while.

———————————

It took them a while to go through the combination of stations, but after about an hour, they made it. With one teleportation, they found themselves back in the academy. Five’s siblings seemed to have left, but not much time had passed at all, a few hours at the most.

“We did it…“, Derek whispered breathlessly, allowing himself to fall onto the couch next to his fiancé, “We made it back.“

Five nodded, taking a deep breath as the realisation hit him. For a while, he looked at the ring on his hand, a faint smile appearing on his face. “How about we go home, take a shower, change…have some coffee?“, he suggested and offered him his hand.

Derek nodded and readjusted his glasses before he took the offered hand.

“Or tea.“

-----------------------------