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Vanya sighed, sitting alone in her room and staring out the window. Her vision wasn't really focused on anything at all, her mind somehow empty and buzzing all at once. She couldn't focus on any of the thoughts that tried to surface in her mind, however. It was an odd feeling.
When she sighed again, she heard footsteps, then they stopped at her doorway. Without a knock, the door opened. There was a flash of blue, as well. Slowly, her vision refocused and she turned to look at Five, who seemed unimpressed as always, and Ben, who had his thumb keeping his place in the book he was reading as he leaned against the doorway.
What were they doing? It was a while after dinner, they should be in bed. If they were caught, then punishments would be arranged. As though Ben could read her mind, he quickly and quietly shut the door behind him.
"Alright, what's up?" Five asked, breaking the silence, eyebrows furrowed slightly, showing his concern. Vanya tilted her head at him, an eyebrow quirked in confusion. "I can hear you sighing from my room, and obviously Ben could, too. So, what's up?"
Oh. Well, how could she answer a question of which she didn't know the answer? She really didn't understand what was wrong. Did this happen when one became a teenager? They hadn't even been thirteen for very long, though. She just kind of felt...numb? In another world? In her own mind but at the same time somewhere else? She didn't know how to explain it.
Instead, she simply shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just kind of out of it, I guess." That wasn't a lie. It was probably the best way to describe what she was feeling.
"Well, you know what helps with that?" Ben asked excitedly, placing a bookmark in his book then putting it on Vanya's desk. Vanya glanced at Five who shrugged, his arms crossed. "Building a pillow fort!"
Five rolled his eyes as though being arrogantly dismissive. There was a gleam in his eyes and a slight quirk to his mouth that told Vanya otherwise, however. "We've never built a pillow fort, how would you know?"
It was Ben's turn to roll his eyes, replying, "I've read about it, duh." Five opened his mouth to speak, but Ben cut him off, "What do you think, Vanya?"
Vanya blinked. It was weird to be asked for her opinion when throughout the entire day her existence was ignored. Sure, Ben and Five payed attention, but there really wasn't much time between training, course work, and missions. Still, with Ben and Five looking at her expectantly, Vanya smiled.
"I think that sounds like a great idea." Ben grinned triumphantly, sticking his tongue out at Five, who glared playfully before turning his head away from them with a small, amused smile. Vanya giggled at that.
Soon, pillows were grabbed off her bed, Five brought over pillows from his room and Ben's, blankets were draped over chairs, and giggles were shared. When someone got too loud, they would all hurriedly shush each other before becoming a quiet, giggling mess. At a certain point, a pillow fight broke out, after Ben "accidentally" hit Five in the head with a pillow. They thought they heard footsteps creaking close to them, and instantly quietened, but after a few beats of silence, they decided they were in the clear.
Finally, the three of them settled in their pillow fort, sighing contentedly as sleep enticed them. All at once, however, Five sat up. Even in the dim light of her lamp, Vanya could tell he was up to no good. Whatever crossed his mind could get them in trouble, but Five seemed to like the thrill of danger. She never understood that.
As though Ben came to the same conclusion, he groaned, "What mischievous thing do you want to do, Five?"
A grin lit up the boy's features, "We should sneak out to Griddy's!”
Vanya glanced around, trying to catch sight of the clock. Sure, Griddy's seemed to be open all the time, but wasn't it too late to get out on a weeknight? Usually, the sneak outs happened on a rebellious Friday or Saturday night, not a Wednesday night. It seemed risky. But, wasn't it always?
"Well... A donut does sound good," Ben agreed, albeit a little reluctantly.
Five's green eyes brightened, then he turned his gaze to her. "Vanya?"
Ben had made a good point, a donut DID sound good. They hadn't gotten a chance to sneak out the past couple of weekends, anyway. Maybe it was a well-deserved donut. (And coffee for Five, he always got coffee.) So, Vanya nodded. Why not?
A few moments later, the three of them arrived at Griddy's, in their pajamas and slippers, stumbling as they landed on their feet. Vanya managed to steady herself against a wall, while Ben failed and ended up falling flat on his behind, and Five tripped, falling down to his knees. Ben glared at a Five, a glare without any real fire behind it. Five simply shrugged sheepishly as he got up, holding out a hand to help Ben stand.
The bell above the door rang as they entered, signalling their arrival. A young, blond woman with kind eyes greeted them warmly, as she always did. The first few times she used to ask where their parents were, but she eventually learned that she wouldn't get a straight answer. Now, she simply smiled at them, took their orders, and let them chat amongst themselves.
They each ordered their donuts and respective drinks. Chocolate milk and a glazed donut for Vanya, a Boston cream donut and hot chocolate for Ben, and a chocolate donut with a black coffee for Five. (Vanya never understood how Five could handle black coffee at such a young age.) Five dug into his pajama pants and pulled out cash to pay for their order.
When the lady was gone, Ben raised an eyebrow at Five, "Did you steal that money?"
The boy scoffed, "You ask that every time, Ben. Yes, I did. You know why? Because Dad never gives us money for our birthdays, any holidays, or anything, even though he's filthy rich."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's ok," Ben grumbled. Vanya thought she heard Five mutter something to himself about how Ben was too good of a person for his own good. She didn't quite understand that, but sometimes Five was difficult to understand.
"Well, Ben, think of it this way," Vanya reasoned, "if he didn't get the money, we wouldn't get Griddy's, our only chance to have some normal kid fun." Vanya internally winced at her words. She made it sound like they weren't normal, which, while true to her brothers, wasn't true to her. After all, she was just an ordinary girl living amongst them.
"Vanya's right," Five agreed eagerly. "Besides," he continued, sarcasm and bitterness seeping through his words, "eventually the old man will die, and we'll get an inheritance. Or, well, we might." He didn't seem too sure about it, but shook his head, "Just think of it as getting early access to our potential inheritance."
Ben sighed, "Alright."
Then, their orders arrived, and the topic was dropped. As they ate their donuts and drank their drinks, they chatted amicably. With all the teasing and banter between them, the topic was basically forgotten. Vanya knew Ben would probably bring it up again eventually, the boy had a good heart, but for now, it was fine. Laughing as Ben gasped dramatically at one of Five's playful jabs, Vanya was content.
It wasn't until almost two in the morning that the three of them were back. Despite being tired, they had to hide the evidence of them having fun. After Allison and Luther had gotten in trouble for their blanket tent, they didn't want to be punished for something similar. The clean up took longer than the setup, probably because of how they dragged their feet, too tired to clean and not wanting the fun to end.
Finally, everything was put away. Ben initiated a group hug, which Vanya joined happily. The two of them had to pull Five in, who groaned about how they'd see each other in the morning and wondered aloud if it was even necessary. He did, however, hug them tightly, and when they pulled away, there was a smile on his face. Once they were gone, Vanya smiled. She loved her brothers.