Chapter Text
“No one ever knows when the paso doble will be the difference between life and death, children.”
Five Hargreeves could only bite down his snark and offer his hand. “My lady,” he said dryly.
You grinned and took his hand.
They were cold to the touch.
.
.
.
Five’s grip on you was like steel, his expression murderous and you could feel his burning gaze on you. If looks could kill, you would be long dead from the hole on your forehead.
“Smile, Fivey,” you murmur in his ear, “And relax, you’re so stiff.”
“Do not. Call me Fivey.”
You just hummed and allowed yourself to be led by the obviously uncomfortable Five. You know he doesn’t like physical contact. You learnt it the hard way once when you touched his shoulder by instinct when you asked him if he was alright as he was constantly frowning. It was when you first arrived at the academy with your mother. Not only have you received a death threat as a lesson, you also learnt that Five is someone you don’t need to be nice to.
You twisted your body along with the music. If it weren’t for Old Man Hargreeves’ pointed stare, and the inquisitive looks from the rest of the Seven, you could’ve actually enjoyed the ambience you were dancing in. You and your mother had taught the art of dance in many places, but none as grand as the Umbrella Academy.
Step
The warm rays of the Sun bathed the living room with soft light. Your gaze went up, sweeping past Five’s furrowed eyebrows and neatly slicked hair, to the flecks of dust dancing above both of you, only visible under the perfectly positioned lights. Poor Grace, despite her endeavors, dust still appeared.
Step
A tug from Five switched your train of thought. You closed your eyes and took in the clicks and clacks of your shoes. You loved the sounds both yours and Five’s heels make on the ground. The carpet was cleared, the couches and furniture were cleared. So many things were cleared in short notice, and it was all for dance lessons. Your eyes closed and you grinned as you swelled with pride.
Dancing was your passion. Gliding across the floor with a cooperative partner (as cooperative as a grumpy Five can be), feeling the music and adrenaline coursing through your veins…
Slide
“What are you smiling for?”
“Just relax.”
Five’s grip on your waist tightened but he said nothing more.
Step
You could see your mother in the corner of your eyes, fiddling with her fingers nervously. Mother always got nervous around Old Man Hargreeves, the reason why, you did not know. You only associated the old man with words such as 'stuffy' and 'arrogant'.
Your mother was an amazing dancer, with dainty feet and a flexible body, she graced the dancefloor and left everybody mesmerized with her graceful movements. Her patience as well as her skill was well-sought as a dance instructor and it is how you and your mother were invited to teach the well-known Seven to dance, with you as the childrens’ partners and your mother the instructor. As payment, your education will be supported as an added bonus to your mother’s salary.
It was a generous offer from Old Man Hargreeves. You were almost apologetic for all the mischief you would cause in the Academy.
Almost.
As the pace of the music quickens, your and Five’s movements quicken too. The frantic strum of the guitars rejuvenated you and you can’t help swishing your skirts along with the tempo. Your enthusiasm seemed to rub off on Five too as he sported the tiniest of smiles when he mimicked your movements.
Everything was a blur, there was only your high from the dopamine released and the distinct feel of Five’s hands on you.
It is only when Five cleared his throat that you realised the music had come to an end.
And just like that, the only peaceful moment you and Five had was broken, ready to be mended again by next week’s dance lessons.
“Well done!” your mother clapped her hands together, “Amazing job from the both of you! Have you been practicing a lot, Five? Your movements are perfect!”
You scoffed, “He’s stiff, could be better.”
“I manage, thank you,” Five’s smile was thin and forced. He looked pointedly at you to make sure you were looking as he wiped his hands on the sides of his uniform.
You raised an eyebrow and pulled out a bottle of hand sanitiser to sanitise your hands with.
Oh, you loved butting heads with this boy. He infuriates you to no end.
Your poor mother looked like she wanted to cry under the inquisitive gaze of the old Hargreeves but she clapped her hands and said with the cheeriest tone.
“Well then, Klaus you’re up!”
.
.
.
It has been exactly three years since Old Man Hargreeves had decided to put a stop on dancing lessons. You still flit in and out of the academy, visitation rights not frowned upon by the old man thanks to the adamant whining of the rest of the seven. You still danced with Vanya and occasionally Klaus during your free time in the Umbrella Academy. You spend most of your time there anyway, studying, eating dinner, watching them train…
Mostly, your visits were to keep Vanya company during those training sessions. You'll both read and sometimes Vanya will teach you how to play the violin. You weren't the best student and your progress was slow but Vanya didn't seem to mind. You knew how lonely she could be and the large library in the Academy was an added bonus.
When Klaus had finished with his training he would drop by Vanya's room to chime into whatever conversation you both would have been talking about. Ben would also stop by to sigh in exasperation when Klaus tried to drag you into one of his many antics but he still tagged along with a book under his arm.
Amazing moments like these are only awkward when Five were to pop up unnoticed. The rest of the Seven were too engrossed in their own mini friend circles to join. Once, Five popped up to see you and Ben cheering Klaus on as he peed into Old Man Hargreeves' fuel tank. Vanya was too pure to see the dysfunctional side of this specific sibling, so you took it upon yourself to relay the entire experience to her after you were all done with your mischief.
"What are you idiots up to?" Five approached the three of you, his hands in his pocket. Klaus stuttered at his sudden appearance and tried to pull his underwear back up. You tried not to laugh at Five's look of blatant disgust. Ben could only shrug and reread the page of his book that you could've sworn he's been reading for the past hour repetitively.
"Why would you be here?" Five asked, looking at you skeptically, "I never knew you were into such vulgar activities."
"Lots of things interest me, Five. It's more of the company that's enjoyable, not the activity."
Klaus looked crestfallen, "You don't like seeing me pee in Dad's fuel tank?"
"I think she's more interested in Dad's reaction than seeing you pee in it, Klaus," Ben said.
"Fair point, Benny," you shrug. You looked at Five, mirroring his look of skepticism. "So, Fivey. What are you here for? Are you stalking us?"
Five rolled his eyes, "Please, I have better things to do-"
"If you want to join in, you could just ask, we love accepting new members into our little club!" Your grin was wide and Five did not know if it was borderline sarcastic or genuinely welcoming.
Klaus cleared His throat, "We're doing apple bobbing next week if you'd like to join. Vanya will be there and I'll convince the others to join too. Maybe we can convince Mum to make us pie so we can have a pie-eating contest."
"It'll be fun, Fivey," you grinned, "A good moment to get that stick out of your ass! Old Man Hargreeves won't be at the academy then. Think about it as a trial run for joining us! If you like it, you can sign up with a simple blood ritual!"
Ben grinned, "If you're lucky, we could even summon the Prince of the Underworld."
"Maniacs," Five spat before vanishing with a flash of blue light.
Klaus unzipped his pants again, "He's just mad mines bigger."