Chapter Text
Empty. Everything felt empty. Five shot up in their bed and pulled their arms tightly around themself. They were trying desperately to make the world around them seem real. Their dreams had taken them back to the apocalypse, to miles and miles of hollow loneliness. Five, while not fully convinced they’d escaped in their half-awake state, was happy to be back in their bed. The only downside was that it’s not acceptable to scream whenever you get too stressed when there are others sleeping in the house. At least when they were alone they could be open about how they felt without the discomfort of intimacy. Their nails scraped against their bare upper arms, still trying to pull back into reality. They figured they wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep anytime soon so they wandered down to the kitchen, never letting go of their arms. They slapped together a sandwich and sat down on the counter to continue trying to center themself enough to breathe at a normal pace. Once their sandwich was finished they shifted to climb off the counter and fell on the ground with a loud thud.
“Is someone in there?” A slightly hushed voice came from the next room. Klaus.
“No?” Five said, knowing nothing would keep their brother from walking in but hoping against hope Klaus would just leave it alone. The door swung open. Damnit.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m lying on the floor, do you think I’m okay?”
“I’ve come to discover the floor can be quite comfortable in times of crisis,” Klaus plopped down on the floor next to Five’s head and placed a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly the world felt real again, too real. They felt every movement they or Klaus made a hundred times more intensely than anything they’d felt in a long time. They didn’t know whether they wanted to lean deeper into the touch or teleport to another country, so they just went completely stiff.
Klaus felt how stiff they went and slowly moved his hand away and began speaking again, “Do you think you can sit up?” Five nodded slowly and pushed themself off up until their back was against the counter and went back to grasping at their arms, forcing themself not to grip the spot where Klaus’ hand had been as it tingled. They saw Klaus’ eyes dart to the scratches and they realized that they probably don’t look very good. Aggressive, built-up scratches from weeks of nightmares and stress, dark marks under their eyes from lack of sleep, general dishevelment from falling off the damn counter like an idiot. Probably not the most put-together they’d ever looked. Their eyes rose to meet Klaus’ and they regretted it immediately. Their brother looked so… concerned. They hated being fussed over, they knew how to take care of themself, they did for 40 fucking years.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“Why?”
“I’m fine, you don’t have to pity me.”
“Pity and care are two very different things, my friend. The look I’m giving you is because I just found my sibling lying on the floor of our kitchen at 3 in the morning. Now if it was me, no one would really be surprised. But, as far as I know, this isn’t really common for you. So, if you wanna talk about what it is that landed you here, I’m all ears. But I promise to fuck right off if you want me gone.” The soft smile on Klaus’ face was comforting. Five could tell he really was speaking from past experience. The thing is, Five did want to talk about it but had no clue how. They didn’t want to burden their siblings with their issues, the others had enough of their own shit. But Klaus looked so eager to listen and maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t hurt to say something for once. They sighed and squeezed their eyes shut.
“I was alone for so long. I mean, I had Delores, but she’s not exactly the most, uh, physically affectionate. I keep having these dreams where I’m back in the apocalypse and everything is empty and it’s just me and when I wake up nothing feels real. Usually, I can just scratch at my arms for a while until the pain makes my body feel like it’s actually me? But it just wasn’t working tonight so I came down here and I ate a sandwich and then I fell off the counter, which I don’t even understand, and then you touched my shoulder and everything went into high definition so I’m a little overwhelmed but it’s so much better than before so I don’t really know what to do.” By the time Five was half-way through spewing out their guts they could feel tears building behind their eyes and by the time they reached the ends tears were spilling down their face and Klaus was right in front of them.
“Is it okay if I hug you?” Five tried to voice their consent but all that came out was a small whimper so they nodded and Klaus pulled them forward from their place slumped against the counter. “See, you’re real. Right here, right now, you and me. This is real, I promise.”
Sobs racked their small form as they shoved their face into their brother’s shoulder. Five thought they felt a few tears roll down his face into their hair.
“You know I searched for you everywhere I went. I felt like if I could just find you, dead or alive, everything would be a little better. It was really dumb but it kept me going, having some sort of purpose. Even when you were missing you were still supporting me and I don’t know if any of us have told you how fucking happy we are you’re back. Obviously, I can’t fully speak for the others, but I am goddamn ecstatic. But, just because you’ve become so strong and independent doesn’t mean you have to be all the time. What’s happening right now? This is allowed. You’re not weak for it, having people you can find comfort in who find comfort in you is pretty much the only thing worth it in life, so now that you’ve gotten it back, don’t waste the opportunity. I’m not gonna make you talk to me or any of the others, but if you need to, or even just want to, I’m one space-step away. Okay?” Klaus’ voice shook through the whole speech but it was exactly what Five needed. They hadn’t felt that real since leaving when they were thirteen the first time. Five pulled themself impossibly farther into Klaus’ embrace and sobbed out a thank you.
The two of them sat their, intertwined, crying into each other for only a few more minutes before Five passed out in Klaus’ arms. A soft smile rose on his face as he proceeded to carry them up to their room and place them in their bed. He then took a seat in the armchair Five had stolen from Dad’s library and curl up for the rest of the night. He refused to let Five wake up feeling unreal without someone to help again, at least for that night. For the first time, he felt like he could protect someone, and damn if he wouldn’t do it right.