Work Text:
Allison thinks it begins with the sea glass. She is strangely touched to receive the smooth, nearly diamond shaped piece that matches her eyes when the sunlight hits them. Five was almost bashful when he shoved it in her face and blinked away.
Mostly, Allison was glad that he hadn’t frozen to death getting it for her.
After the sea glass, there comes the loose cherry-scented marker, the jade bracelet, and finally the skeleton key to the new house. “You’re the most organized person who lives here, Allison. I’m going to trust you with this.” Allison wonders where he even found it; there’s no way the realtor or anyone else they had to talk to had given it to them.
She keeps Five’s gifts inside of her jewelry box, and if they start to take up space, she decides that she’ll get a second jewelry box. A trinket box. The things he brings aren’t really practical, which is unlike Five, but strangely this doesn’t feel unlike him. Allison knows that he grew up without any of them, that he’s his own person. Still, she can’t help but feel like an exasperated cat owner whenever a new trinket is on her pillow, or her desk, or, if Five is feeling social, thrown at her during breakfast.
She knows that she’s missing something.
-
Klaus feels like they may be getting pavloved here, but at least they’re enjoying it! They’ve always collected pretty rocks and lone earrings found on the sidewalk, but they have never had someone bringing them found objects, and Klaus never would have expected Five to be this someone. But they’re certainly not complaining.
Klaus had squealed with delight when they were given the sea glass, and each time they find a new Five-present they have a similar burst of happiness. Klaus can’t help it really, this is just another absolutely adorable thing that Five does.
The things themselves are the best presents too, pins and buttons, glitter pens, plastic beads, bottle caps from soda bottles that they’re pretty sure aren’t even manufactured anymore. They often wonder if Five has a secret dragon hoard of gold coins and collectible animal erasers.
Sometimes, Klaus gets odd things from him; like old ( but blank) postcards, motel room keys of dubious origins, and one time, a sandwich baggie of colorful leaves. They cherish all of them though, each and every thing-a-ma-jig is thoroughly doted over before it’s turned into jewelry or another art project.
Klaus even makes Five a non-traditional friendship bracelet out of some of the gifts, and Five pretends not to care. “ I don’t even know where you got this junk, moron.” Moron is said with affection. During movie night, Klaus catches their big-little brother grinning down at his wrist. They smile to themself, and know they did the right thing.
-
Vanya isn’t sure if the trinkets are an old man thing or a middle schooler thing. Kids sometimes bring their siblings cool things from the yard, right? Then again, Vanya’s never had grandparents, but if she did, she thinks they would probably slip her those little old people candies now and then.
Either way, it’s clearly a form of affection for Five. Gift giving. Which is odd, she doesn’t recall him doing that before. The apocalypse, the commission, all of it changed Five. He’s far more quiet, thoughtful and cold than the giggling kid she remembers. Vanya is only just accepting that.
Her own form of affection is also strange and stunted though, so she thinks she understands. Vanya invites Five to sit while she practices violin every few days.
To Vanya, playing the instrument is like sharing a part of herself. She hopes that he understands that; she thinks he does. Five’s presents start to become more consistent. Novelty pencils, which she uses on her sheet music, then an amber stone. “ Reminds me of your bow rosin,” Five had said. “ Reminds me of you.” Vanya knew he had meant, gazing at his face.
-
Diego wasn’t one to just let himself be given gifts for no good reason. When the old man had started it, he’d thought it was a joke, then maybe. Actual genuine gifts? It got weird when Diego had some pretty glass, a bottle opener/ necklace, and a quarter from New Hampshire sitting on his dresser.
Diego didn’t really do gifts, but he wasn’t ungrateful. So, he started making Five food.
When he found some new gift, Diego would make his way to the kitchen, kick out Klaus, and get to work making something other than sugar and caffeine to fuel Five, since the kid wasn’t willing to do it himself, but was willing to put little sentimental things on Diego’s pillow️. Maybe Five was disturbed, but Diego cared about his brother.
“Five, I made you a sandwich.” “Come downstairs old timer, breakfast!” “Five, made you a snack.”
“ I can take care of myself.” He would reply at first, but eventually he started to say “ Thanks .” Progress, Diego was making progress.
Soon, it became clear just how weird Five’s eating habits were; he liked sugar and carbs because it fueled his powers. He detested most everything else, save light things like soup and oatmeal. The food combinations Five made when fending for himself were disgusting, but he seemed to actually enjoy them. Past Diego thought the fluffernutter sandwiches were gross, now Diego knew that Five sometimes mixed white chocolate and butter scotch chips together and ate it casually, like bowl of m&ms .
Among other concerning habits, Five would also refuse to eat the last of anything during family meals, unless no one else had claimed it and it was about to be thrown out. Even if it was clear that he wanted to eat it.
Diego resolved to cook more for Five, it was the least he could do.
-
Luther was the one to take action, in the end. After receiving a bowl of only lucky charms with everything but the green marshmallows picked out, he felt morally obligated to call a family meeting. Without Five present.
“Have you guys been getting… presents from Five? Weird ones.”
“I think they’re beautiful!” Klaus smiled, waving the many bracelets and rings adorning their hands, all composed of said presents. “Makes me look shiny.”
Diego rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve been getting stuff from him. He’s been eating better though, so I’m not complaining.”
There was a beat of silence.
“It’s really fucking cute.” Diego mumbled.
“I know! Right?!” Klaus giggled, swiveling their whole body to face Diego, and Allison laughed too. “Yes, it’s cute.”
“Today he left a lemon drop on my desk.”
“V, that’s adorable. ”
“Exactly!”
Luther cleared his throat. “I like marshmallows almost as much as Five,” he held up the bowl, “But isn’t anyone else worried that this is some kind of coping mechanism?”
“Oh. Well shit.” Allison hissed.
“I conquer.” Klaus said, fiddling with a bracelet. They all took this in.
“Guys, I- can I say something?”
“Of course, Vanya.”
Her brow was furrowed as she spoke, making her look, funnily enough, like Five. “His brand of gift giving might be a coping mechanism for a trauma, sure, but I kind of doubt that’s the root of it. It seems like it’s just… his love language? He’s told me about the gifts he used to get Delores, how he’d find blouses and jewelry and romance novels and stuff for her. That’s how he shows love.”
“That… makes a lot of sense, actually.” Luther hugged the marshmallows to his chest.
“I’ve heard about those. Um, Eudora used to say that I showed love through acts of service? I think that’s it, anyways, I guess Five has the same one. I’ve been making him food in exchange for the gifts.”
“I’m proud of you, Diego.” Allison grinned.
A dramatic gasp. “So you’re responsible for Five’s vegetable era?”
“Klaus, I don’t understand half the words that come out of your mouth.”
“Wait, has anyone but Diego been giving back to him?”
A collective groan.
-
It was an average Sunday, as far as Five was concerned. He woke up sometime before the sun rose, brewed a pot of coffee, and returned to his room to read a library book mostly pertaining to the multiverse theory.
As a child, Five was considered a slow reader, as he liked to take his time absorbing every paragraph and running the words over his head.
The apocalypse had changed this. You become pretty good at reading when there’s literally nothing else to kill the time.
Every morning Five reflected on how nice it was not to live in survival mode. He was becoming better at self care, and relaxing. And, he really did have to practice at it every day. At relaxing . Living in the moment, finding things to ground him and taking time to check on his family.
Speak of the devil, one of his siblings was knocking on his door. At 7AM. Most unusual.
“Five, it’s Diego.”
“Door’s open.”
Diego made his way in, arms laden with a tray of red velvet pancakes, maple syrup, and a steaming mug of coffee. “Made your favorite, though I’m pretty sure you’re gonna get heart disease if this is your ideal breakfast.”
Diego willingly made something sugary for him. Most unusual.
“Thanks.” Five said.
-
They all came throughout the morning. Luther, with an absurdly large bag of yogurt pretzels, because “ You like it when food that’s already unnatural is put together.” Five did not tell him that was correct. Then Klaus, with a new bracelet fashioned of many things, but with colors all to Five’s liking, Vanya, who gave him a new fantasy book called Tales from Earthsea. He only read them because she enjoyed these types of stories, but lately he’d found that he was enjoying them, too.
Last was Allison during lunch, who passed him a box of chalk at the table.
“It’s called Hagoromo, and it’s supposed to be the absolute favorite of all the professors and other mathematicians out there. I thought you’d like to give it a try.”
Five couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why are you all being so nice to me?” The clinking of cutlery on plates and easy laughter stopped, like all the air had been sucked out of the room. “What do you want?”
It was Klaus who took his hand over the table. “Five we just… you always get us little gifts, stuff that makes our days better. We thought that we should return the favor.”
Five suddenly felt very dense.
“Oh.”
“Thank you, then.”
Slowly, noise returned to the room. Five buttered a slice of bread and looked at the box of chalk, sitting in his lap. He felt happy.
-
He has been writing on his walls all afternoon, and he could use a break, so when Luther calls him down for dinner he jumps to the kitchen sink and starts washing up.
He stops, blinks at his own fingernails under the running faucet and sees that there is chalk dust underneath them.
Five remembers other things that have been under his fingernails; ash and blood in his old life, bits of viscera even.
Nice things though, as of late, like coffee grounds and spackle, when they were fixing up this house, or dirt, when he helped his siblings to make planter beds in the yard and then plant things in them. And now chalk, fancy, good quality, the most blessedly smooth chalk he’s ever had.
“Five, are you okay?”
Five blinks again. Allison, her face twisted with concern.
“Yes,” He realizes that the water is still running over his hands, the skin of them now red with the heat of it. “Yes, only thinking. Sorry.” Five smiles at her warmly.
I must be the luckiest person on earth, that you are my family.
She smiles back.