Work Text:
Five didn't know what to do.
The house was empty of people other than him. Allison was visiting Claire, Vanya was at a rehearsal, Klaus was out doing god knows what, and Luther and Deigo had gone out for drinks. They'd offered to let Five tag along, but he'd turned them down, wanting some time to settle down after two weeks of hell.
And now that he had time, he didn't know what to do with it.
It was cold, so he didn't really want to go on a walk. He considered finding a book to read, but couldn't find anything that seemed interesting. He wasn't sure he'd be able to focus on it anyway.
So, instead of finding something to do, he made himself a cup of coffee and settled down on the couch, alternating between staring at the gentle flames flickering in the fireplace and gazing out the window at the raindrops gently sliding down the window.
He let his mind wander, something he hadn't done in... damn, he couldn't remember the last time he had time to think. His zoned out his surroundings as his brain jumped from one train of thought to another, and another, and another, always coming back to one question.
'What now?'
He hadn't thought about what he would do after saving the world. Every time he'd had time to relax, something new was thrown at him. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes. What he really wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option for him. Not now, at least.
He hadn't felt this stuck since... since... His eyes flew open and he sat up abruptly. Five was in the apocalypse again. His heart began to race.
'No. No no no! I can't go back! I can't be alone again!' Everything was burning and there wasn't a single living person in sight. He stumbled through the rubble, screaming his sibling's names despite knowing they wouldn't call back. It was deafeningly quiet and suffocatingly hot and everyone was dead and he felt like he was dying and everything was crashing down and he couldn't breathe and-
"Five?" Five snapped back into reality. He inhaled sharply, realizing what had happened. He felt alone again because the house was quiet. He heard the burning because of the fireplace. He was blistering hot because he'd dropped his coffee. He'd felt explosions because the cup had shattered against the floor. And he was back in reality because of his sister.
Vanya was standing near the door, looking at her brother with eyes of concern. She walked forward cautiously.
"Are you okay?" Five stared back at her for a moment before realizing she was talking to him. He glanced down at the broken coffee cup on the floor before sighing and looking back at her.
"Yeah. I'm fine." He stood to clean up the mess he'd made but Vanya beat him to it.
"Sit, Five. I'll take care of it." Five pursed his lips and sat back down reluctantly. Vanya picked up the shattered pieces from the floor. She retreated from the room, reappearing a few minutes later with a couple of towels. She handed one to Five, who mumbled a thanks, then wiped up the spilled drink. When everything was cleaned up, she settled down onto the couch next to Five, who had more or less managed to clean himself up.
"Do... you want to talk about it?" she asked him gently. Five sighed. He realized how lucky he was, having a sister like Vanya.
"I've spent years just trying to get home, save the world. Now that we did I just..." he waved his hand in the hair, trying to find the right words. "I guess I never thought about what I'd do after. I don't know how to deal with all these sudden changes." Vanya nodded.
"I get it. If there's anything I can do... let me know, okay?" Five nodded absently. He stood, straightening his jacket.
"I'm going to go on a walk, clear my head." Vanya pursed her lips.
"It's raining outside," Five glanced out the window, frowning, and shrugged.
"I'll be fine." Vanya stood up.
"Actually, Five, I have a better idea."
~A few days later~
Allison rolled over in bed, sighing. She couldn't sleep. She'd been able to visit Claire over the weekend, but now she was back at the Academy, in her old room, already worried about her daughter again. She'd been staring at her ceiling, lost in thought, for twenty minutes now. She was considering going down to the kitchen, making herself a snack or some hot chocolate, when she noticed the noise.
It took her a moment to comprehend what she was hearing. It was music. It didn't sound like a record, and it wasn't Vanya's violin. It was a piano. Allison frowned. As far as she knew, none of her siblings knew how to play one. She rolled out of bed and made her way to the door.
As she stepped out into the hallway, she heard the sound of a violin join the piano. They were playing a slow, melancholy tune she'd never heard before. There was so much emotion in the music like someone had turned every single drop of their grief and pain into sound.
She walked quietly down the hall, following the music. She walked through the maze of halls that made up the house, a series of rooms that only a person who'd lived there for years could ever hope to navigate. Eventually, where the music was loudest, she ran into Klaus.
He was standing outside one of the rooms Vanya had often used to rehearse. Allison vaguely remembered there being a piano in there, but no one ever bothered to learn it, and she figured it had long since gone out of tune. But it sounded perfect.
When Klaus saw her he smiled and put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. He nodded to the door, which was opened a crack. Allison stepped forward and looked past the door.
The piano had been pulled to the center of the room. Vanya was leaning against the side of the piano, her violin raised to her shoulder, the bow gliding across the strings. Sat at the piano was Five, the last person Allison expected to be playing music with Vanya. Both siblings had their eyes closed and peaceful expressions, tired smiles resting easily on their lips.
Movement down the hall caught Allison's attention. Deigo was walking in their direction, a confused frown on his face. Allison made a gesture for him to be quiet. She pointed at the door. Deigo watched the two for a minute. A hint of a smile traced his face. The group listened for a while.
Heavy footsteps down the hall signaled Luther's arrival. All three siblings turned and quickly shushed him. They all saw how relaxed Five and Vanya seemed, and were happy for them. If anyone needed a break, it was those two. Luther joined his siblings outside the door. The four of them took a seat on the floor just outside of the music room, listening intently with content expressions on their faces.
As the music tapered off, soft laughter was heard from inside the room. Five and Vanya spoke quietly to each other, their tone sounding relieved and happy. After a couple of minutes, the door swung open. Upon seeing their siblings, the two had very different reactions.
Five realized they were there first. His eyes widened and he inhaled sharply. His face paled, and he disappeared in a spiral of blue light. Vanya just sighed, shaking her head with a small laugh.
"What are you guys doing here?" she asked quietly. Allison stood up, smiling.
"Why didn't Five tell us he could play the piano? That was beautiful!" Vanya laughed again and began walking back to the bedrooms.
"Well, I'll be sure to tell him that. Try not to compliment him too much, alright? I don't think he can handle positive feedback." The siblings let out soft chuckles and followed her. When they got back to their bedrooms, she turned to face them, her face suddenly serious.
"Seriously, though. As much as you guys liked this, he really needs something good for himself." The siblings agreed. They quietly told each other goodnight and disappeared into their bedrooms.
And if Five was listening from the other side of his door with a smile, well... they didn't need to know.