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“Viktor, hey, so I was just, wondering.” Luther sounded nervous, catching Viktor off guard. “I was doing some research and well, I just wanted to check, if you have preferred pronouns?”
Viktor’s tension eased as he smiled at his brother.
“Oh.”
“Because you see I now know I use he/him, but I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable with what I use for you?”
“Luther man I said don’t be weird, Viktor will tell us if we need to know something, right?” Diego put in.
“Oh, no it’s okay. Actually, I use he/they pronouns.”
“Aye snap!” Klaus put in from across the room, giving Viktor an air high-five and causing everyone to turn and stare. Klaus looked up from his cocktail, swirling the mini umbrella in their teeth. “What? Didn’t you know this?”
Klaus was met with blank stares. He waved them off casually.
“Hey man this is Viktor’s thing, come on.” Diego asked but Viktor interrupted.
“No, it’s okay - Klaus thank you for telling us.”
Klaus smiled
“No worries mon frère, I’m just amazed y’all didn’t notice, you really think one gender could contain all this?” They gestured up and down, wiggling an eyebrow suggestively. Viktor cracked a smile, whilst Luther looked even more confused than before.
“So…Klaus isn’t a brother?”
“Brother, sister, sibling, it’s all fine with me, I really thought I had made this obvious when we were kids?”
“We just thought you were just being…Klaus.” Diego rationalised.
“Exactly, that’s me.” Klaus said, taking a sip of the bright red drink in his hands.
“So, Klaus would it make you more comfortable if we used they as well?” Luther asked, his brain taking a moment to process. Klaus beamed at his brother.
“Yeah, sure thing big guy, that’d be nice. Just to be clear though I still get a spot at brothers meetings.”
“You guys have been having brothers meetings?” Viktor raised his eyebrow.
“No, no not technically.” Luther stumbled and Klaus grinned.
“We were kids, it was stupid. Mostly it was just a mission to the snack cupboard.” Diego clarified.
Viktor smiled.
“That sounds like fun.”
Klaus gave a dramatic little gasp.
“Mission 517: snack cupboard, the sequel!”
“Klaus, we are not breaking into the kitchens!” Luther stage whispered, as though he was worried someone would overhear him.
Klaus huffed.
“Well, that isn’t fair! It’s a rite of passage! Are you really going to deny him this!” Klaus protested, wrapping an arm tightly around Viktor and pulling him in close. Viktor smiled awkwardly.
“Klaus that was in our house, we can’t here!”
Klaus pouted harder.
“Really Luther I am disappointed in you, this is for our brother!”
Luther looked to Viktor as if for an answer, and they shrugged.
“I mean…I could eat?”
“That’s my man!” Klaus slapped him on the back. Diego shook his head.
Luther sighed.
“Okay, fine.”
“Yes! Diego, you in?”
“Klaus, I have a kid now, what sort of example am I setting?”
Klaus just locked eyes with him, giving him his best puppy dog.
“Come on Diego, it’s not a brothers meeting without you!”
“Come on Diego.” Viktor put in, fully on board now.
Diego sighed. “Ah fuck it, fine. This is for you though, Viktor, not them.” He clarified, guesting to Klaus. He didn’t notice the way Klaus smiled at his wording.
“Noted.”
“Perfect!” Klaus clapped their hands together. “Right, as both the brains and the beauty of this operation, I have a plan!”
“Oh this will be good.” Diego muttered sarcastically.
“First, Viktor and I get into the dumbwaiter. You two stand guard whilst we collect the snacks.”
“Hey, hey, there cowboy you think we’re stupid, this is just a ploy so you can get the best snacks first!” Diego protested and Klaus gasped, dramatically offended.
“How dare you!” Klaus suddenly adopted a southern accent.
“Diego has a point; how do we trust you for equal snack distribution?”
“I can’t believe it! My own brothers don’t trust me!”
“Klaus you pawned my entire Pokémon set when we were 12.” Diego reminded him.
“And your point?”
“Do you know how many shinies I had man! So many!”
“They can’t have been that special, they only got me three edibles!”
“Viktor, do you promise an even split if you supervise Klaus?” Luther asked, turning to Viktor and leaving Klaus and Diego to bicker.
“Yeah, I think so.”
Luther considered this for a minute.
“Okay, I’ll take that.”
“Wait what why is he trustworthy and I’m not!” Klaus protested. “Viktor ended the world! - no offence but - come on!”
Diego grinned.
“I agree, I’m only in if Viktor’s in charge of the extraction.”
Klaus sighed. “Damn it, I never get to be Number One!”
“Hey Klaus, you can still be Number Two though?” Viktor pointed out and Klaus seemed to consider this for a moment before silently accepting it.
“Alright Number One, what’s our next move?” He asked and Viktor smiled.
“Well, too the dumbwaiter!” He announced.
“To the dumbwaiter!” The others chorused back.
As they rushed off towards the kitchen, they passed Allison and Five and Lila at the bar.
“Where’s the Scooby doo gang off to?” Lila asked.
“Seems like a classic Mission 517.” Five said, matter-of-factly.
“Which means?”
“They’re going to raid the kitchens.” Five took a gulp of his drink. “As Grace would say, boys will be boys.”
“Idiots.” Lila muttered.
“Yeah, that too. That’s brothers for you.” Five finished his drink, hopping down from the bar stall.
“You’re going to join them aren’t you?” Lila raised her eyebrows and Five shrugged.
“Can’t beat them, join them.” He said simply, before vanishing in a flash of blue light to greet his brothers in the kitchens below.