Archive of Our Own

Five Hargreeves sat in the backseat of the clattering car, squeezed tightly next to his brothers...  adopted brothers, Luther and Klaus, as they drove down the potholed road. How long had it been in this suffocating ass car? Crammed against these two blithering idiots.

"Listen, you clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk!" He snapped, darting forward so violently the entire car shook, letting his hand find Klaus's collar and yanking harshly, bringing him to eye level, desperately trying to keep his fists at bay as they so immensely wanted to implode in his adopted brother's imprudent face. Five's blazing jade green eyes glared intensely at Klaus's fudge brown ones, imagining a strong enough stare down could scald holes right through him.

"I've been stuck in this, tiny, shitty car for I don't even know how long while having to listen to your entirely pointless blabbering is honestly driving me a bit crazy!" Five strained through gritted teeth, " so I suggest you shut your dumb mouth before I-"

"Five!" Luther scolded, using a strong hand to pull at Fives' shoulder before he could finish his threat, attempting to keep him at bay as if he were a feral, wild animal trapped in a cage. The force of the tug had him leaning slightly in Luther's lap, but it made release Klaus's lapels from gripped tightly between his fingers. His brother whom he just had pinned in his hold straightened up and fiddled around with the flaps of his long-sleeve palm tree shirt, then saying with a breathy laugh, "Chill out, buddy! I was just trying to make you feel better, but it seems you're just a little ball of anger today aren't you!"

Of course, he was 'just a little ball of anger' though, he wouldn't put it in those exact words- but it should be perfectly obvious why he was so furious, and Klaus was doing everything but comfort him.

Diego was seated in the front passenger seat, took a glance at the rear-view mirror, and found Five's eyes, both their gazes becoming heated in a non-verbal challenge.

Nothing more than intense silence crackled in the small space of the car, which Diego then broke with a snarky comment, making it fully clear his intent to piss Five off. "You know," he began, narrowing his dark eyes at the mirror which briefly shone white at a particular angle, "maybe sending you here will improve your attitude because you damn well need it," Diego snarked cooly, breaking their stare-off and looking back onto the road.

Silently, he seethed, continuing to glare icily at his brother in the mirror even though he looked away, biting the inside of his cheek angrily. The car rocked and clattered as it went over a pothole, making Five bounce in his seat, bumping shoulders with Luther, giving him a mean blow in the ribs, which made Luther wheeze and clutch his stomach. Only for a moment, he and his brother Viktor locked eyes, his other brother creasing his brows in apprehension, sensing the tension that loomed in the confined space. So, he decided to defend his little-big brother in the best way he knew how. 

"Diego, you know what I think would help: if you didn't keep on making these comments. I'm sure that would make Five feel at least a little bit better," Viktor calmly opposed, trying to defuse the lingering heat, giving Five an empathetic smile. 

Even though he didn't say anything, Five shot his kinder brother a grateful look in the mirror but refused to open his mouth

"Ah, c'mon- why wouldn't Five want to be with people his own age?" Diego sneered, voice dripping with deadly sarcasm, completely ignoring what Viktor had just said moments ago, letting his glare and Five's clash together in a smoldering stare. Many wouldn't know, but the truth about him was the fact Five had very few weak spots. Very few things could properly get under his skin and poke him like a bear being stabbed with a hot iron. The simple words 'own age' might seem like an innocent word to many others, but it wormed under his skin and bit away at the last string of sanity that was holding him together. 

Diego earned a side glare from Viktor who was driving, but it quickly disappeared when he turned his head back to the road.

Five gritted his teeth and cocked his head, all the tendons in his neck tensing, he knew full well Diego's motives were to piss him off, but the verbal self-defense part of him kicked in. 

"You wanna know why Diego? You wanna know why?" He hissed, leaning forward in his leather seat, hearing it creak almost inaudibly beneath him. Before he could get too close, Luther put a single, strong arm in front of him, but that didn't prevent him from pressing on threateningly.

"I would never, in a million years want to, waste my time with a bunch of insolent, pubescent, idiotic, dim-witted teenagers twenty/four/seven! I'm fifty-eight years old for goodness sake. I don't need to go to HIGH SCHOOL!" Five kicked the back of his brother's seat with such strength the entire car wobbled contagiously at the intensity of the push. 

Yep... That's right, Five was going to high school. Somehow his impudent siblings managed to persuade him to join high school, Five hardly knew how they did it, but he sure as hell knew he didn't want to go. 

Now, this school, this school was different, it wasn't one of the cliché high schools you see in movies, no, this school didn't have normal kids, it was a school for the gifted.

Evermore, it was called; a place for kids who weren't accepted into normal high schools BECAUSE they had these unique gifts, they were thought of as "a danger to others, and society" so they were forbidden from joining these real schools, so they made one especially for the special children, just like himself.

So, Five having the powers that he does was being sent to Evermore, mainly because his siblings knew that ordinary schools wouldn't be able to contain him, and they were almost certain that he'd be expelled after only a few weeks... And Five absolutely HATED IT.

                                 -rewind-

Three days ago: 

Five awoke to the aggravating noise of his sibling bickering in the living room. Slinging one arm over his eyes he sighed deeply "What could those idiots be up to now? " he mumbled quietly into the empty air. He licked his dry lips, noticing how unbearably thirsty he was. Five knew he had to go out into the wrath of probably some of the most irking people in the world at some point or another.

Taking one more sigh while contemplating his decision whether he should leave his warm bed or not, he finally found the strength and heaved himself off the bed and stretched, scraping up a low satisfied noise as his joints popped, releasing them of stiffness. The temperature in the room was annoyingly cold, so he padded quietly to his closet in his bare feet, ignoring how cold they were. His wardrobe wasn't much, mainly just hoodies, so he worked with what he had, so he forcefully shoved on some clothes Viktor had lent him a few days ago- a black hoody and some gray sweatpants, it was ugly-ish, but he couldn't seem to find a suit to wear, so he just had to deal with it. 

Glancing down at his grimy little desk, his eyes landed on his mixtape and headphones that sat on the table. Five debated for a few moments whether he should pick it up and listen to his favorite songs while he was in the kitchen... It would probably be better than having to listen to his sibling's infuriating arguing... He'd come back for it, he shrugged, slid on some slippers, and slowly plodded down the walkway, slowly getting used to the blinding light that peered into the rooms.

As he walked down the shabby hallway of the apartment Diego and Viktor were renting out, he heard what sounded like arguing from Viktor, Diego, Luther, and occasional dumb comments from Klaus that echoed throughout the rooms. Usually, arguments like this wouldn't bother him, he was above the petty shit they squabbled over, but it was almost always different and serious when Viktor argued with them and made him especially intrigued when he heard his name mentioned.

"-an't just send Five there! You know he's going to resent this the second he hears about it! " He heard Viktor almost yelling, Five stared curiously and suspiciously at his siblings "Resent what? " Five questioned, a single eyebrow-raising, "What are you guys talking about? " He interrogated, eyebrows creasing at the sight of them all before he locked his attention on Viktor.

Viktor just sighed and sat down on the chair beside him, glancing shameful looks at Luther and Diego, as if debating whether they should tell whatever secret they were arguing about with each other to him.

Klaus who was seated on a kitchen counter, swinging his legs back and forth, looked around the counter room then put a hand on his chest, making a delighted 'oh' noise.

"I guess that leaves me to do the honors of telling Fivey what's goin' on around here." Klaus gestured all around him before intentionally whispering a loud with a hand flat by his mouth, 'oh ho ho, cinco you're going to be pissed!' He laughed two breathy laughs and put his hands together in prayer hands like a mantis, trying to keep the suspense, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes. 

The last bit of sanity stringing him together had snapped, he had had enough of their bullshit. "SPIT IT OUT, KLAUS " He snapped, rubbing a hand at the base of his throat when it stung from dehydration; having still not gotten a glass of water like he originally planned to when he was first woken up.

"Guess what, you might be going to high school!" Klaus clapped his hands in applause, followed by a little weak, "woohoo!" But the news was anything but cheerful.

Five stared at his siblings, dumbfounded, mind had suddenly gone blank. So, this is what they were arguing about... "This is a joke... Right? A joke that someone dumb enough like Diego could come up with... Right?" Five tried, intently scanning his siblings for an answer that never came. He hoped that one of them would just sarcastically laugh, reassuring him that 'yeah! It's just a joke and they all have a petty chuckle at it, but to his surprise, not even Klaus burst out laughing as he imagined him to, telling him it was a stupid prank. 

He looked at Viktor, trying to find some explanation for what was going on. "Viktor-" Five began slowly, "you're not being serious, are you?" Viktor looked up at him, his eyes suppressing something like guilt and a bit of shame. "Five listen... With everything that's happened lately, we just need some... Time, to get back on our feet, and... " His brother visibly grimaced at the thought, "everything has been pretty difficult for us all, and we just think that-" Diego cut him off before Viktor could finish, cutting straight to the chase.

"You're sixteen years old, I think it's high time you interact get out into the real world and interact with kids your ag-" Five cut Diego off with a snap, "I'm Fifty-eight years old and you want me to go to high school?? I'm smarter than all of those pubescent dim-wits combined!" Five snarled, glaring at all of them, but Viktor stood up abruptly from his seat, blurting out a sentence that made his heart skip a beat in his chest.

"If you don't go people are going to take you away! Five!" He huffed out, crossing his arms in self-soothing, face struck in dejection. Shock creased over Five's features, looking down at the filthy floor then he glanced at Viktor once more for extra confirmation that it was true. The guilty features told him everything. 

"It's the law, Five," Diego's voice was firm, he continued, "just because you've got the conscience of a fifty-eight-year-old man doesn't change the fact that you look like a sixteen-year-old." He crossed his arms and stared at Five like a disappointed father. Like Reginald Hargreeves.

Then Luther spoke finally, his voice low, "and if the authorities find out that you don't go to school, and live in-" he gestured at the shitty apartment they were living in, "-this, then they'll take you away, and send you God knows where. " 

Five thought about everything his siblings said, letting it dig deep inside of him and make a home like a mole, for once not sure what to say. Again, he processed the information over again in his head. If I told people that I was really fifty-eight years old then people would think I'm crazy, and probably mental... Then who knows where they would take me, his mind screamed. God, the room was getting suffocating, and tight. He needed to be somewhere else. He needed a coffee. Two of his fingers hooked around the crook of his hoody, it was getting too hot.

Feeling his sibling's eyes burning on his face, he knew for a fact he had to be somewhere else. "I need a cup of coffee" he muttered under his breath, hardly loud enough for the others to hear. Blinking to his room and pulled some shoes on, then blinked outside the apartment to find the nearest coffee shop... Because shit he needed one.

A smaller cafe came into view even though it was only a short walk away, he decided to blink in front of the door, opening it with a welcoming jingle of the bells. The inside was fairly busy, though it was mainly quiet older couples, some teenagers laughing together, while there might've been a single person in the more secluded, quieter part of the cafe. There weren't a whole lot of people at the very back, so Five decided to make himself comfortable there. 

After he had gotten his black coffee, he found a two-person table with a small, lit candle in the middle, flickering steadily, but wavering when he came and sat down. Five watched the steam rise from his hot, black cup, staring at the foam that swirled in the mug. "Why couldn't they just homeschool me?" Five mumbled to himself, letting his fingers curl around the small handle of the mug and finally taking a long sip of the delicious, bitter drink after watching it steam for what felt like an hour, licking the dark remnants off his lips.

He found it strange that he needed to go. Typically, he was simple to take care of, he already knew everything, so they didn't need to spend hours sitting with him teaching him what -x+y equals. Five suppressed a snort at the thought, but released a steady laugh out his mouth and took another leisurely drink of coffee.

So why? Five questioned internally, gripping the mug tighter in between his fingers and inhaling the smell that drifted through him like a drug. Though, his train of thought was soon diminished when someone sat in the chair in front of him. For a moment, he was just about damn ready to tell whoever it was off, but when their face properly came into view, he realized it was Viktor who was seated before him

"Hey, Five. I figured I might find you here," Viktor greeted gently, slipping into the empty seat across him, tangling his fingers together, and releasing a steady sigh.

"I know you're mad, and I know you don't want to go to high school... But, I'm sorry, it's the law, and we don't want you taken away from us," Viktor told him slowly, trying to sound as understanding as possible, tracing invisible circles on the table with the tip of his finger.

Instead of looking at his brother, Five looked at the warm glow of the candle, the golden flame reflecting off his emerald green eyes, making it seem as if there were a fire growing in the deep black pit of his pupils. "Why can't I be homeschooled? " Five grumbled, finally saying something after a while of giving his brother nothing but silence, crossing his arms while leaning back in his seat with a creak of the wood. Viktor frowned, looking up at him, opening his mouth then closing it again, trying to find the right words. "Because there's a law, Five. If you're homeschooled, you actually need to be taught, and we would need to show proof that you are, and, no offense but, these days, we've been getting pretty busy with work and trying to keep up the rent..." Slowly, he trailed off, guilt dragging along each word. 

With one more pitiful sigh, he tried again weakly, "here is one thing that I do know: High school should feel like a breeze. It'll be over before you even realized it started; who knows, you might even make some friends there. And you might just even miss it," Viktor gave him a weak smile that didn't quite meet the amber glow of his eyes, he tried looking at Five but he couldn't look at his brother, instead, he looked at an old photo on the wall of a place in Canada from the nineteen-fifties. There was a man on a pure white horse with high-end clothing, with an old vintage car behind him, and someone beside the man on the horse was holding what looked to be an American flag, with lots of people surrounding the person on the horse. Though it wasn't colored, Five could imagine the colors inking in the photo. 

With all of the failed attempts, Viktor scooted his chair backward and rose from his seat, leaving two ten-dollar bills on the table, but pausing before he properly got out of sight. 

"Please, Five, just... Think about it?" He pleaded slightly, waiting for Five's answer. Not wanting to disappoint, he nodded once and watched Viktor leave the building

Five traced the rim of his mug slowly with his finger, thinking about everything Viktor said, 'high school should feel like a breeze' that one sentence played on repeat in his head like a broken record, rewinding to those words. Nah. There is no way a high school would 'feel like a breeze' it would be an agonizing semester surrounded by gossiping teenagers. Just thinking about it made him cringe.

-------------------------

After a while, Five wasn't quite sure how many hours he spent pondering in the shop, buying coffee after coffee after coffee, still not quite sure what to do, he knew what he personally wanted to do and that wasn't going to some irrelevant high school, hell, that place should feel like preschool to him. Dealing with his own school when he was actually a teenager was torture. A shudder vibrated through him at the thought of some of the awful exams he had to take, and how brutal substitute teachers he used to have. Though he could hardly imagine the mental agony he would have to endure having to spend all day with over-dramatic teens some of which just hit puberty. 

Damn government regulations, shit, Five gripped the handle of the mug, clenching his jaw tightly till it ticked at the thought.

The last thing that Five hated the most was the probable look on Diego's smug ass face if he agrees, knowing he had been bested for once, that feeling of pride that Diego wouldn't stop shoving in his face. After glaring intensely at his own, dark reflection in the half-empty coffee cup for a few minutes, he finally decided to go back to the apartment.

Five blinked suddenly back inside the living room, making Klaus flinch from the couch who was currently nose-deep in a book Five couldn't quite make out... Not that he would've cared what he was reading anyways.

"Jesus, Five, I nearly felt my soul leave my body!" He exclaimed while placing a hand over his heart exaggeratingly, "good thing I'm immortal! I would've been dead ages ago because of you," Klaus chuckled lightly, leaving a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Maybe we need to buy you a bell! " He giggled in a way that made fury run through his veins; Five just shot him an icy glare and made his way to the kitchen, making himself a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich to blow off the steam, but it wasn't till his intruding stomach growled that he realized just how hungry he actually was.

He knew that in his own way, Klaus was taunting him. Instead of looking up at his brother, he kept his attention fully focused on his snack, grabbing the bread and the jar of peanut butter from the cupboard while finding a butterknife from one of the many drawers in the kitchen. He didn't even bother putting the bread in the toaster, but there was something obvious he was missing. The marshmallows. In each cupboard big and small he checked for the marshmallows, but it wasn't till he saw on the very top shelf they were hiding behind something on the highest shelf, making Five growls in annoyance at where they were placed. First, he tried standing on the tips of his toes to reach it, fully aware of how foolish he must have looked, cursing his luck when he was too short. 

A small part of Five told him to ask Klaus to get it for him, but he was far too proud to ask that idiot to get it for him, so he looked around for a stool, something he could stand on to reach the highest shelf, which he did after a few minutes of looking, it was fairly wobbly as it stood on three legs, but there was no way in hell he was asking his brother for help. With a single foot, he stepped up on the stool, using the tip of his foot to boost himself some extra height. Klaus's voice issued from behind him from the couch, "Need some help there buddy?" He asked, which Five just yelled out a "no-p-e", popping the p as he focused on getting the bag of marshmallows, which finally in the end, he was able to snatch the bag and pull it down, giving himself a wide smile of gratification. 

He had all the ingredients for the sandwich, so he got to work on it, slathering golden peanut butter on the un-toasted piece of bread and sprinkling marshmallows on top before placing another piece of raw bread on top, taking a big bite out of it, allowing the different flavors to fill his tastebuds pleasurably. 

After a few moments, he realized how strangely quiet it was in the apartment. He heard no arguing, or dumb, pointless conversations, it was mainly silent... other than Klaus who was making weird noises on the couch. With his sandwich in hand, Five leaned on a blocky pillar, taking another bite of the marshmallow-ey goodness and swallowing it down. "Where are the others?" He asked, supporting his weight on a single shoulder and crossing his legs, scanning his brother.

Klaus sighed longingly, lounging back into the couch, releasing his book and letting it fall into his lap, head tipping back like a bored child. "Well... They all left for whatever work they had to do, leaving me aaaaall alone", Klaus whined, pouting his lips accompanied with unsuccessful puppy eyes, "but luckily, I have you! Yayy!" He clapped his hands a few times, Five wondered how Klaus has been supposedly sober for over a year. 

"Excited to go to high school, little-big bro? " Klaus quizzed, yet the question wasn't demanding, neither did it sound entirely like the intent to get under his skin, it just hit him the wrong way. 

Five's jaw clenched at the question, but he answered calmly, not giving Klaus the ticked-off expression he might have been aiming for. "I still haven't thought about it enough," that was a lie, it's been the only thing he's been thinking about all day. Agitation seared through his body, making his eye twitch, he couldn't spare anyone the rest of his dignity to piss him off. His power surged at his fists, ready to teleport to his bedroom.

"Ah, well, I'm sure you'll love it! Maybe, you might find someone who's just as boring as you-" 

Five cut Klaus off by blinking into his bedroom, not wanting to hear the rest of his dumb words; they were pointless anyways, and he didn't need his brother's stupid opinion.

"You can't deny it Fivey!" He heard Klaus call teasingly from the living room. Five grit his teeth in annoyance, kicking his shoes off a little too forcefully into the wall, and sat tiredly on his bed. Slumping his back deeper into his mattress, Five ran a hand through his hair, thinking more about the past conversations with Viktor, and the rest of his siblings, taking another two bites of his sandwich till it was gone. 

Just for a moment, the thought crossed his mind: Say he did go? And possibly, he did maybe like it there?

No. 

He needs to learn more about this mystery school before he starts asking questions if he did like it or not. Five tossed and turned in his bed, curling up in the warm blankets while releasing the tension that was built up in his shoulders into the soft comforter, picking at some fluff that dotted the futon. Slowly, he felt his eyes getting only slightly heavy as the warm sheets enveloped him, till slowly but surely, sleep hazily pulled him away.

Hours later, Five awoke with a joggle from a knock at the door, his eyelids struggling to stay open when the duvet felt twice as heavy and toasty then it did ages ago. Another quiet thump at his door had him groaning in his damp pillow. With a scuffle, he was able to push himself out from tangled between the bedsheets. His clothes were hot from the thick layering of the hoodie and sweatpants; while the very tips of his hair stuck to his forehead, so he ran a hand through his knotted, sweat-matted hair, trying to make himself look slightly presentable, and not embarrassing from the way it stuck out everywhere as if he had just been through a hurricane. 

One more tap on the wooden door had Five heaving himself out of bed, shaking the access hair out of his face as he made to open the door, but he paused and quickly slipped off his dirty hoodie to yank on a plain white t-shirt, the sleeves long enough to just tickle the very tips of his elbows. When he opened the door slowly with a creak, Viktor stood at the foot with a fist half ready to knock on the door again, but he lowered his hooked fingers and shoved them into his trousers. The light from the hall was blinding, so he screwed his eyes shut while rubbing them with his middle finger and thumb. 

"Sorry," Viktor mumbled, flicking off the bright hall light and looking back up at him. "Um... Dinner is ready if- if you wanna come and eat? " Five hardly noticed how hungry he was till Viktor mentioned dinner. The familiarly annoying voices of the rest of his siblings made him rethink as he was hardly in the mood for chit-chat, he was certain that his siblings would most likely bring up the stupidly pointless high school topic, it was inevitable. Before he could say no, Five's stomach spoke for him with a low growl, looking away out of a tad bit of humiliation.

He released a huff of air out his nose, bracing the frame till his knuckles went white, but the streak of worry that crossed Viktor's face made him release his hand. "I could eat," Five murmured, feeling his throat too dry to say anything above the stinging limit. With a single step, he made his way out the door, his brother making space for him to walk down the narrow hallway. Still, the same uneasy look never left Viktor, and he so clearly wanted to say something, but Five spared him an 'I'm fine' glance and said nothing more. 

Almost immediately, Five felt all their burning eyes on him, Diego's hard, judging ones, Luther's unsure blues, and Klaus's...Well, surprisingly sober ones- all staring deep holes right through his soul, but he refused to let the slight discomfort they were pinning him under, show so instead, he narrowed his gaze as if totally unaffected. 

Everyone was silent when he entered and sat down at the small table, but Klaus... Who obviously couldn't go a few hours without pushing his brother off the rails in the dumbest of ways. "There he is!! Our little psychopath! Have a fun brooding session?" He questioned as Five made himself at least a little comfortable on the fiddly chair, on the thick tension table. Although he didn't reply, he just shot his brother a hostile glare from across the short distance of the table, gripping his hand tightly on a butter knife while imagining a bunch of ways to use the knife on Klaus.

Viktor who was beside Klaus, elbowed him hard in the stomach under the table, making him choke on his food and raise a single finger signaling he was alright. Dinner was practically silent, other than the sound of chewing and clinking of silverware. This was particularly strange to him as usually there would be some sort of pointless argument happening between someone, but it seemed everyone was walking on eggshells specifically around him. Occasionally, one of his siblings would spare a glance at each other, and for once in Five's life, the silence made him feral with rage...

"Would one of you just- say SOMETHING?! " Five snarled, dropping his knife and fork on the table with a clatter, then forcefully pushing his plate away with a scrape, clenching the edges of his chair to prevent his hands from flying else were.

Diego just looked at him, partially stunned. "...Wow, for once, the old boomer actually wants us to talk. What is there to say? " He deadpanned, stopping for only a second when eating, then continuing as if Five had said nothing.

"I get it, okay? You're all still stuck in that stupid high school mentality, so now you're all treating me like I'm some fragile little thing!" Five lashed out, slamming his palm on the table so hard the entire surface of the weak table shook, making all of his siblings stop eating and look at both Diego and Five.

"Well, what are we supposed to say, FIVE? We can't say horseshit around you without getting a fire lit under our asses, " Diego boomed, digging his knife into the table, and scraping thin lines on the plastic covering. Five scowled at Diego, trying to figure out some sharp-witted remark to shove in his dumb face, but nothing came.

"I can just never seem to know what your deal is. You make everything ten times harder than it has to be. Why don't you just do something for once?"

"FINE, I'LL GO, HAPPY NOW?" Five yelled, standing up abruptly in his chair, balling up his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. All of his siblings stared at him, dumbfounded; Five realized what he said, he wanted to cram the words back inside his mouth as soon as he said them. 

"Ooo, drama!" Klaus snickered from across the table.

"Shut the hell up, Klaus!" Diego and Five both snarled in unison, glaring daggers at each other when they noticed.

Viktor kicked Klaus from under the table, making him pout and whine in response. Five stood still panting from his giant outburst of rage.  "I'll go. Is that what you all wanted to hear? " Five huffed out, "bet you feel freaking full of yourself now huh, Diego?"

"Well, good, I'll go sign some papers and contact the school! " Diego admonished, rising from his chair to grab what Five thought, grab a phone, but all he was able to see was red. He needed to be somewhere other than in the damned living room.

With one last, poisonous glare given to the rest of his siblings, he couldn't bear being around anyone for the rest of the damned day. "I'll be in my room," Five murmured before warping away into his bedroom.

When he blinked into his room, he did nothing but stand and allow him a few minutes to seethe. Diego can be such an asshole when he wants to be. Running a frustrated hand through his hair, Five shuffled into bed and pulled the sheets over him, taking deep breaths in his nose and out his mouth, attempting to calm himself down, preventing himself from doing something regrettable to someone. He tugged on the blankets till they nearly covered his entire face. How warm it was under the blankets was comfy, and cozy, but it wasn't till a knock on the door flinched him out of the momentary state of bliss. Why the hell couldn't he just be left alone for once?

"Go the hell away!" Five barked, turning to the other side so he wouldn't have to see whoever knocked on his door. Although, Viktor's pleading voice issued from the other side. 

"Please, Five, open the door, I just want to talk," he adjured, tapping on the door again. He didn't say anything, glaring at the stained wall. There was a sigh, and the sound of the door creaking open and then shutting. Of course, he let himself in, Five rolled his eyes, refusing to turn stubbornly.

"Please... I'll make it quick; I swear."

His brother's faint slippers scraping on the floor stopped at the foot of his bed, and he felt it crease where Viktor must've sat down at the edge of the mattress. He caved, forcing himself up on the comforter and pulling his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees like a sulking child. He felt like such a teenager. Sulky. But he pushed down the thoughts and stared at the mixtape that waited on the table. Usually, it was in times like these that he wished he had Delores with him to be able to talk to. She understood him best.

Viktor's hand planted on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort and shook him lightly, Five rolled his shoulder telling him to stop touching, which Viktor did, sighing disappointedly again. "Look... I know you're mad. Diego had absolutely no right to piss you off like that. In short: Diegos' an asshole." Five had to laugh at that, although, it was nothing more than a sad chuckle, he replied with a quiet, 'no shit', and placed his chin on his knees.

"Listen..." His brother began slowly, messing with a loose strand on his jeans, then picking it out and flinging it away before continuing, "schools these days are... Pretty messed up, not accepting teens..." Viktor trailed off when Five gave him a hard glare of warning. "...Gifted people like us because apparently, we're a danger to society or some shit like that; so, they made a high school, particularly for people like us."

'People like us' Those words echoed strangely in his head before he finally pieced it together with widened eyes. "...Wait... Are there more people like us?" He lifted his head from his knees to look properly at Viktor who had shuffled a little more on his bed next to him, the frame creaking as he moved. "That's impossible," he mumbled quietly under his breath. "I thought we were the only ones," Five breathed, pinching the soft sheets of the blanket between his fingers. Something inside of him squeezed knowing there were more who had powers. Was it just the feeling of being possibly superior to the others who have powers? Knowing some people have way better abilities than he does?

"I know, isn't that crazy? I thought it was just us too. But it turns out we are not the only ones." Viktor rubbed at the base of his neck as if something was hiding under his skin. Five clenched his jaw tightly at a thought that popped up in his head, how long had they been gathering information about the school? Had they been planning this for months now? He glared at Viktor suspiciously, making his brother look noticeably nervous. "W-what?" He stuttered, shuffling anxiously.  

"When, and how did you figure out about this school?" Five questioned slowly, unwrapping his arms from around his legs to place them on the wrinkled duvet, crisscrossing his legs out from curled by his chest. He felt less vulnerable out of the position. Viktor just huffed, frowning while staring out into something before responding. "Well... Diego found out about it... He saw a newspaper about it. The place is called Evermore; there was a news report about it, people claiming that the gifted are dangerous," Viktor laughed slightly and continued, "so, Diego is... The person he is, he wanted to send you there, for... a few reasons but, the main being that we can't homeschool you..." He finished, placing his hands in his lap guiltily. The shame in his amber eyes was deep, and something in his eyes told Five that he would miss him if he did go. Though he wasn't completely sure why if he would only be gone for a few hours a day.

"I see..." mumbled Five, dipping his head low, staring at the dark quilt that rumpled around the bed. He knew at that point he had to go. Every reason was valid why he should go. Did he really wanna risk staying and being taken away to God knows where? But he wanted to know a little more about the school beforehand. "Anything else I should know about this supposed school for the gifted?" He jokingly questioned. Viktor opened his mouth, hardly a squeak left his mouth before he stopped himself, scratching his head. 

"Well... I doubt you're going to like this but... It isn't just an ordinary school it's..." He paused, pursing his lips together in a tight, thin line. "It's a boarding school." Viktor was barely above a whisper at the last word. Boarding school... Shit. A type of school you have to wear uniforms and stay overnight... Sleeping in the same room as someone. With someone. Just thinking about it made his eye twitch involuntarily. The anger that had been put at bay was slowly bubbling again in his chest like a volcano. Ready to erupt. No. He had to be joking. They would know perfectly well not to send him to a place like that. Viktor had to be joking... He had to be.

"Viktor... You are not being serious... Are you?" Five asked cautiously, raking his gaze over his brother for any type of answer that said he wasn't being serious. The guilty look told him he was.

"No... It's for real. Please Five, I know people aren't your strong suit-"

Five cut him off sharply, "not my strong suit- Viktor, I might kill someone you know. I'm perfectly capable of it! Don't forget that! " He snarled, leaning forward till he was only a tense few inches away from Viktor, gripping the sheets tightly between his curled fingers, his nostrils flaring in rage. He felt like breaking something. Diego's nose would be preferred.

There was a hesitant look on Viktor's face that didn't falter when Five came up close, but he responded by giving him a nudge with a finger on his collarbone. Five got the hint and backed off, shuffling to the frame of the bed, looking away, the scowl never leaving his face. "I know, I know. Consider this. You might, just maybe, make some friends there. Out of an entire crowd of people, there is one person in the group who will be like no other." Those words hit deep in his chest like a bullet. Yeah right. Friends are nothing more than a waste of time. He didn't need any to drag him down.

With a gentle hand, Viktor gave his shoulder a light squeeze in affirmation, accompanied by a kind genuine smile despite the rude, hissy attitude Five gave him earlier. Instead of swatting his hand away. Five responded with a small tweak of the lips, to which he got a tender stroke with a thumb before he retracted. Part of him was missing the reassuring feeling which was given by nothing more than an understanding gesture... He shouldn't tell anyone that.

He watched as his brother slid from the bed and stood by the foot of it, giving him one last beseeching look before making his way to the door, opening it slightly but pausing to say one last thing, "Five, just, promise me you'll maybe try and think positively about the school. For me?" 

Probably best if he doesn't disappoint. A single nod seemed to satisfy him as Viktor slowly gaped the door wider smiling slightly.

"Good night, Five. " He mumbled thoughtfully, closing the door with a creak behind him. 

"Night, Viktor..." Five have him a small smile before it shut quietly.

As soon as the shuffling of feet descended the hall and into another room, Five fell back on the mattress, head hitting the warm pillow, though quickly flipping it over to lay on the colder side of the pillow as he snuggled his nose into it, exhaling a long breath, releasing the weight that was heavy on his chest.

"Shit... Did I just make a mistake?"

---------------------

The next day couldn't come any unbearably sooner. The unmistakable chattering of his siblings echoed loudly throughout the apartment, making him groan in irritation. He was hoping to avoid their bullshit for just one freaking day. A clock beside his bed showed half past seven. Huffing once into the sweaty pillow, Five pushed himself into a sitting position on the bed, running a single hand through his hair and tugging on it slightly. The urge to rip out his hair was infuriatingly intense as another loud voice went through the building. He allowed himself a minute to stare into the ceiling and pray for strength till he hauled himself out of bed and stretched, cracking his knuckles with a pop of each finger. 

The clothes he was wearing felt heavy on his body, and his shirt was sticky with sweat that clung to his skin. Thus, having to peel the shirt off, making him emit a low noise of disgust from the back of his throat. After he had thrown on a new, black t-shirt and sweats, Five silently slipped his way into the living room, but a familiar voice made him stop and growl in irritation, clenching his fists. He tried his hardest not to cause a dent in a random wall. 

"Hey there sleepy-head, have a good night's rest?" 

Lila. Always, Lila. Continuously trying to worm her way under his skin and mock him in every way possible. Five said nothing but roll his eyes and blinked by the counter, grabbing the ingredients to make his marshmallow and peanut butter sandwich, the hard scowl not leaving his features

A finger traced the cervical of his back, from one tip of his shoulder to the other, making him swerve and swat the hand away. Lila's piercing laugh issued beside him as she leaned on the counter. He couldn't bear not giving her a sneer. "Of course, it's you, Lila. Who else would have the audacity to show up and ruin my day?" The British-accented women beside him pouted and then broke into a chuckle, shoving him harshly in the nape of his neck, to earn nothing more than an evil look. Something like a spoon hit the back of his painfully before clanging on the floor. Behind him, Diego stood at the drawers where cutlery would be, giving Five a glare of warning to watch his actions, clearly, the spoon was a mild punishment for his tone... Why is everyone treating him like a child?

"Awwwh, don't be like that you shitty little cockroach, I just wanted to see how you are holding up since you're going to be a big boy soon." With a single extended hand, she tried to brush his chin with a thumb, but the tip of her finger barely touched his face before he growled and pushed her away, and prodded her to the table, single sandwich in hand as he fell into a cheap chair by the small, round table. 

"Maybe you'll even make some friends for once in your boring life," Lila added with scorn, trying to rub some salt on his still-fresh wound. Five glowered at her but decided not to criticize as he urged to. Resting his head in his palm, he slowly chewed on his snack, being careful not to bite his tongue while he did so. "It might be pleasurable when I know I won't have to hear your aggravating voice anymore," he growled angrily under his breath and took another bite of the sandwich, trying to focus on the flavors of his food instead of the looks he was receiving from Diego in the kitchen.

Something clattering on the table got his attention. A pregnancy test. Positive it showed. "Ready to become the world's most boring uncle?" She snorted, leaning on the table beside him. He picked up the test in his hand, then placed it back on the table with an emotionless smile on his face, a dimple disappearing and reappearing on his cheek as he twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Oh fantastic, just what I needed - more of you. How absolutely wonderful." Five resorted coldly. Diego gave him the middle finger which he just brushed off like water on a duck's back.

"Holy shit is this real??" Viktor broke in while pulling on his jacket to look at the test.

"Yep!" Lila chippered.

"Unfortunately," Five remarked, narrowing his eyes at Lila, who leaned over on the table, a single hand on the plastic tarp that covered it. "I cannot believe you might be my step-brother." Five just rolled his eyes.

"Diego, are you marrying this woman? You may be an idiot, but Jesus."

"Go to hell, Five," Diego fumed.

Instead of saying anything, Five just gave him a bittersweet sweet smile and took a bite of his sandwich. He could practically see the rage that darkened his stupid brother's face.

Five decided not to get caught up in some shitty argument, he was too tired, so he backed off, sliding a newspaper toward him that read 'The National Post' yet he hardly gave two shits about what was printed on the front page as his brain started wandering in different directions.

He pondered about what it would look like. What the students would be like. How shitty the uniforms would look. Though, part of him asked if it would be like one of those stupid, cliché teenage movies where the ending was always the same. But this wasn't any ordinary school... It was where people had powers. Who knows... there might actually be someone there that might actually get him. Get the way he thinks. His own, real-life Delores. He probably shouldn't get his hopes up.

Abruptly, he was pulled from his train of thought as Lila was tapping his forehead with the cool tip of a butterknife, the cold feeling jolting him away from the imaginary wonderland he was creating in his head. Raising a single, questioning eyebrow at the intrusion, Diego's annoying girlfriend leaned her chin on the back of her hand, a coy, wolfish grin spreading on her face. The expression reminded him a whole lot of the hander. He hated it.

"Hey you little weasel, I'm talking to you; are you at least going to be a cool uncle around my kid, or are you going to be as lame as you always are?"

At first, he didn't entirely hear what she had just said, while most of him didn't care, but a remark dangled at the tip of his tongue. 

"I'm touched by the notion that you'd subject your offspring to my tutelage, as it may be the only hope for the poor thing. Considering the lack of discipline in your own life and my imbecile, hot-headed brother, the child is doomed for failure unless someone shows them the ropes." Five scraped his chair back and stood, ready to leave and go back to his room.

The entire kitchen went quiet other than the sound of Diego's boots stomping against the wooden floor, most likely to beat the shit out of him, but Luther stepped in front of his infuriated brother before he could lay a finger on Five. "Back off," Luther calmly commanded, holding Diego by his shirt collar which made him growl lowly at the back of his throat but step away. Although, his idiotic brother seemed to want to take matters into his own hands.

Through the air, a knife flew and slashed the outer of Five's bicep, making him hiss in pain, clasping the wound as blood steadily trickled out of the cut. He glared daggers at Diego, retracting his red-smeared hand from the laceration on his skin to tear off a paper towel from a stand and cover the crimson that slid in neat streaks down to his elbow and onto the floor. 

"What the hell, Diego?! You cut him!" Viktor protested, running over to Five's side to check the cut.

"I'm fine," Five grumbled, using his other free hand to take Viktor's un-milked coffee from the table and walk out with it, stopping only briefly to turn to Diego.

"You can never control yourself, can you, Diego?"

"Maybe you should stop being such an asshole," Diego taunted, twirling a knife in his fingers.

Despite the flaming hot anger that was licking away at his insides, he refused to let it show, just giving his brother the middle finger and made his way to his bedroom, allowing the tissue to stick thoroughly to the cut, hoping the blood would subside though the red continued to pool through the paper towel. Probably requires stitches. He'll do it later, right now his biggest priority was packing, not having to take half an hour to put some thread through a needle. That was the least of his worries.

After a few hours of tiring packing, a light tapping on the door pulled him away from his zoned-out state of packing and listening to his old-style music and turned his attention to the door. At first, he contemplated whether he should open it or not, but a familiar voice convinced him.

"Five, it- it's me... Allison," her hesitant voice issued quietly from outside the room. Regarding many of the past events with the Kugelblitz in the other reality, it made him hesitant to open the door and face his sister on the other side, but he couldn't just leave her there. Cautiously, Five creaked open the door to reveal Allison, face creased in anxiety.

"I uh... I thought you weren't going to open the door."

"I didn't think so either," Five whispered. Between them, a few awkward moments beat through them before Allison finally spoke, "I- I heard you were going to um... A boarding school so I just, I came to..." She trailed off and scanned him. Five raised an eyebrow at her pause.

"Oh my God, Five, is- is that blood?" Allison grabbed his forearm and pulled him forward so she could assess the damage, but Five yanked his arm away, the touches burning on his bare skin. "Sorry. Five, that needs to be stitched up, what are you doing leaving that out?"

"It isn't bothering me."

"Doesn't matter." She stepped across into the bathroom and looked through the cupboards till she found a first aid kit, which she brought into his bedroom and sat on a chair while patting his bed, gesturing for him to come and sit down. He hesitated for a second. After everything in the last universe. What she did to Viktor. Betraying them and working for their father. How was he supposed to act around her anymore?

Who knows when I will see her again, one side of him argued.

Allison betrayed us, and another voice boomed.

She is still my family, a distance sentence echoed

Adopted, sister, one more voice corrected.

Is it normal to have these many voices in your head?

"Five?" Allison patted the bed again, and he finally walked over and sat down beside her as she peeled off the tissue that was glued to his skin like a sticky note. Immediately when she peeled off the fake, paper-towel gauze, the cut oozed blood slowly, making him wince and clench his teeth tightly. First, she gently pressed rubbing alcohol on the wound. Five hissed at the feeling, to which his sister mumbled an apology and continued working in silence.

"Are you nervous?"

"Huh?"

"Are you feeling a little nervous about going?" She asked again, struggling to put the thread in the eye of the needle, finally getting it through and wiping more alcohol over the needle, preparing to knit it through his skin. Five shrugged, cris-crossing his legs. "No. I'm not nervous at all. I hate the fact that I have to be with pubescent teenagers all day every day for the next I don't even know how long," he released a sarcastic, but low chuckle out his mouth. Not entirely a lie... Well... Maybe he was feeling a little nervous. 

With the first piercing feeling of the needle through his skin, he hissed again lowly through his teeth, but the pain slowly subsided when he got used to it, and she threaded small, little 'x's in and out of his skin. 

"Don't worry," she reassured, "high school may seem like the worst thing in the world, but trust me, when you're there for at least a week, I can guarantee you, you'll love it there." Allison smiled at him and continued working on his cut in silence, but Five broke it, nodding a few times before mumbling, "thanks... Allison." 

The sudden affection she was showing was weird after many months ago in the other universe. But the stinging reminder of what she did was like getting poked by a steaming rod. 

Once she had finished, there was a small snip of the scissors cutting at the string before she took thin, white plasters and applied them to his skin, taking one last pad of hydrogen peroxide and swiping it over his cut just for good measure which made him wince slightly from the pain.

"There. All better. Thank you for letting me treat you, Five."

Without saying anything, he nodded, giving her a small smile of appreciation and rolling down his sleeve so it covered the slash, and it brushed neatly at the crook of his elbow. He watched as his sister rose and took her leather jacket that had been draped around his chair, putting it on so it hung on her shoulders. 

"I guess this means goodbye, then..." She said slowly, rubbing at her forearm. Part of him said she wanted a hug that he only merely wanted to supply. Awkwardly, she shuffled to the door, fiddling with the golden zipper that shone on her coal-black jacket

"One last thing." Allison left the door half open, her hand bracing the handle. "Are they still mad at me?... Are you... Are you still mad at me?"

The question hung in the air. Was he mad at her? Five hardly knew. Viktor was the one who took all the blows, not him. Thus, Viktor would be the one to ask that question... Wouldn't he? But was he mad at her? 

"To be honest with you..." He sighed, tugging at one of the strings that tightened his sweat pants, twirling it around his fingers and unlooping it continuously. "I'm not mad at you. I don't feel that way anyways," Five shrugged, biting the inside of his cheek and attempting to fling his hair away from his eyes with a jerk of the head, then taking his fingers and finally brushing the tips of his hair away from dangling in his vision. 

"If anything, the person you should be asking that question to is Viktor, probably not me. So, you don't have to worry, I'm not mad at you." A smile threatened to crease at the ends of his lips, but he withheld it, and instead gave her a compassionate look, watching her give him a small wave and slip silently through the door, nothing more than the clacking of her shoes on the wooden floor echoed around the halls.

Huffing deeply out his mouth, Five pinched the crook of his nose, screwing his eyes shut. "God that was so awkward," he strained through clenched teeth, tightening his grip on the soft quilt beneath him. Beside the bed, his desktop clock said it was five-twenty-five, and it was only just beginning to get slightly dark outside, but he could still go for a short walk. 

His feet planted on the cool floor, and he opened his suitcase that sat waiting to be dragged out by the wall, taking out some socks that he had left inside. After he had put his socks on, he tugged on some black slip-on, ankle shoes that waited by the door and blinked outside. The temperature outside was bearable, but the wind kissed his exposed arms which left chicken flesh erupting on his skin. 

Though the part they lived nearby was within blinking distance, he decided to walk. A breeze blew by him, ruffling his hair wildly while blowing the smell of coffee, cinnamon buns, and wet leaves swirling into his senses in a relaxing way as he walked, while the laughter of children was almost... Comforting? In ways, he hardly knew how. After a mere ten minutes of walking, a park came into view. He quickly had to blink across a street to get there. As he made his way into the park, a wide pathway with just color-changing trees hung overhead, making a perfect cover of colors mixed between green and different shades of yellow and brown blotched in the leaves. 

The cold wind was beginning to make his fingers numb, so he shoved his hands deep into his warm pockets and walked down the wide pathway, occasionally playfully kicking a pile of leaves and watching them scatter in the wind. A fountain slowly began to appear behind the bundle of vibrant colors. He went to sit down on the concrete slab that rose four feet from the water that splashed gently on the stone. At first, when he sat down, the plate of concrete was cool, and rough beneath his palms, making him scratch at the tiny rocks that pressed annoyingly into his skin. 

Everything that had happened was beginning to build up like bricks that just began falling heavily on his shoulders, the cut on his bicep lingering in ghost pain from the cut. Damn it, Diego can just never keep his temper, can he? Well... Delores always told Five that he had a chip on his shoulder all the time... He hated it when she was right. His hands found the edge of the stone he was sitting on and gripped it till he felt the raggedy edges biting into his fingers painfully. Still, he couldn't believe how easily Diego had convinced him to go, now he was going to have it shoved in his face by everyone till the end of time, wasn't he?

Giggling and laughing broke piercingly into his awareness when he saw a group of teenage boys walk past him, probably the same age body-wise as him, he figured. There was a sharp stinging pain in the crooks of his fingers, and when he lifted them, they were red, with a few tears on his skin. He sighed deeply, running an agitated hand through his hair. The sky was slowly beginning to darken. He seriously hadn't spent that much time walking, had he? More laughing tore him away from his thoughts. He scowled at the group. Why would he want to participate in something as tiring as that??

Another cold wind swept by, sending more chicken skin appearing on his sleeveless arms, making a shiver rack through him. Pecks of water hit the back of his neck when he was seated beside the fountain, making him rub away the droplets with his palm and make his way out of the park, blinking back inside the apartment and into his room. Once he was actually in his room, did he realize how cold it was outside? He had to go through harsh winters in the apocalypse, but that didn't affect anything. 

His bed waited for him with warm sheets ready, so he quickly kicked off his shoes and leaped into bed, wrapping the soft blankets around him, his teeth clattering together made him clutch tighter the quilt to himself. The sun was beginning to set out the window, but he hardly cared if it was only seven PM, his limbs ached, forcing weight on his eyelids till they finally shut, and sleep eventually pulled him away.

Three days later and the day had finally come.

The day when he would officially have to leave for the school finally, achingly arrived. On the night before the day he left, Five was so wired up with something he hardly knew the feeling of, he wasn't able to sleep till the clock reached two AM in the morning, only to wake up two hours later at four in the morning. Surely it couldn't have been excitement keeping him up. He was not excited about something like this. After many failed attempts at trying to fall back asleep, he gave up, heaving himself out of bed, trying to adjust to the chilly temperature of the room. 

With a creak of the floorboards, he made his way to his closet and slipped a black hoodie on with some sweat pants, and quietly made his way to the kitchen, breathing out a long air of relief when he was the only one there. Even after four coffees and two sandwiches, he was still feeling antsy. Something. He needed something to take his mind off everything. So, he searched the living room mutely for a book or something to read. Luckily, there was still a newspaper sitting on the counter unnoticeably in the dark, he didn't give a shit what it was about, he just needed to take his mind off everything. 

Everything was, of course, blissfully silent till he heard big footsteps walking down the hall and into the living room. Predictably, it was Luther. Of course, it had to be one of his least favorite knuckleheads in the family. In frustration, he looked up at the ceiling, getting back to the annoyingly boring newspaper he was reading.

"What are you doing up so early, Five?" Luther yawned sleepily, making his way to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Jokes on him, Five drank it all, sipping on the last cup he had embraced in his hands. Almost inaudibly, Luther got himself a bar and made a salad for himself, placing it on the table across from him, acknowledging him with a tense smile. Five didn't smile back, just raised an eyebrow. 

"I was... Making sure I had everything before we leave today," Five said, trying to be as quiet as possible, not to wake anyone else in their echoey apartment. He swallowed down the rest of the information, keeping his mouth clamped shut. Not technically a lie, he just didn't add in the detail where he was too buzzed to sleep anymore. Without much effort, Luther seemed to buy it as he continued eating his salad, saying nothing else. 

"Well... where are you going?" If Luther was allowed to ask him questions, then so was he.

"Gym," he answered simply, shoving the rest of the leaves in his bowl into his mouth.

"Luckily, I'll be able to come and see you off when you go to high school! Isn't that great," he softly chippered, standing up from his chair to put his bowl in the skin. Five watched his brother slide his jacket on, not entirely thrilled that his brother was coming along. Yay, extra crowding in our shitty car, delightful, he scowled in his head.

"Delightful..." Five mumbled quietly, staring at the papers that were unfolded in front of him. The quiet clicking of the front door closing had him turning his attention to it, but his brother was already gone by the time he looked over. Something strange inside of him dipped, suddenly remembering that group of boys in the park he saw a few days ago. No. he should stop wasting his time on something so pointless. It was silly to think about. 

After a few more hours, the rest of his siblings woke up, and Luther came back from the gym. Viktor helped him pack up his luggage into the trunk, while Five struggled to get into the middle seat between Luther and Klaus, while Diego had the superior seat at the front. He could hardly believe how many hours it took to get there. Six damned hours of a painful eternity spent sitting in a cramped car. 

How.

Wonderful. 

-Present-

Sometimes, Diego could piss him off so much. Though it was usual, only sometimes could he dig under his skin and pinpoint the weak spot and gnaw at it for hours like a piranha, chewing away at the advantage that seemed so freely given to him, and Five knew it was coming, he predicted it, even tried to prepare himself for it beforehand, but that didn't help. Just knowing he was bested must've felt like one of the greatest feelings in the world just by doing some petty teasing... Instead of listening to Diego's utter bullshit, he rested his cheek against the edge of the door since Klaus moved to the middle, and Five was able to sit by the window. The glass was cold, and refreshing against the crown of his forehead where he was leaning it against the window, the strong plastic feeling of the car door against his cheek, slightly curving into the dip of his eye.

"Not that much longer left," Diego exclaimed emotionlessly. Or so he thought. His actions were clear to Five was he was doing, and how hard he was trying to keep the attitude out of his voice. Trying to get under his skin once more by telling him how close they were. His brother could go low sometimes. And he means low. 

Viktor had been driving for three hours of the way, most of which Five had been asleep then due to the lack of sleep. Diego however had taken over for the last three hours of the way, but to his imagination, he could almost swear he was driving above the speed limit just to get there faster, as sometimes he peeked at the little speedometer behind the wheel and it showed seventy miles-per-hour or above sometimes. Diego could be unbelievable.

For a long while, they had been driving through a bare forest, while most of the way there had been lush, and green, filled with forests that stretched out for miles and miles as it rained down constantly, sometimes heavier in some places than others. Having to watch the rain pour down on the window pane was life-draining. 

They had been driving through a bare forest for a while before they arrived at a town, it was quite a pleasant, quaint little town, with few newer buildings, Viktor commented that it had a Stranger Things look to it, whatever that meant. 

After they passed a huge town center, the roads looked as if it was getting more and more enclosed, and all the trees seemed... Dead? And Five wasn't sure if the sky had always been that dark and gray, but it looked unapologetically depressing, and gloomy... At least it was a little close to the nearest coffee shop.

Finally, they arrived at some large, black gates which slowly opened on their arrival, with the words "WELCOME TO EVERMORE" written in wonky, rusted letters. 

Not much longer, a castle greeted them, it looked like something of medieval times, dark gray bricks lined the giant building, with stained glass with various patterns dotted around the structure.

There was a water fountain roundabout that Diego parked next to; the entire area looked completely deserted... Other than two, the 1960s-dressed women, were there to welcome them.

When Five got out of the car, the two ladies walked closer, one of them almost suspiciously resembled the handler, with white, shoulder-length hair, a casual, but bone-chilling smile that could freeze your core if she grinned, with long, manicured nails that would leave marks if she but dragged her hand across a surface... the other... Well, the other, she had a nice smile on her face, with black glasses and shoulder-length orange hair, she looked... Pleasant.

Although the first lady seemed nice, Five had never been more disturbed by most likely a normal lovely woman.

The Handler-looking lady, extended a hand out for Five to take, a sweet smile plastered on her face." You must be Five, I'm Larissa Weems. Welcome to Evermore Highschool".