Chapter Text
Chatter, laughter, and the clinking of glasses were familiar sounds to Viktor Hargreeves. They came with owning a small bar in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, where everyone either knew each other like family or were friendly enough to pretend they did. It was a peaceful, carefree life Viktor had almost given up on after the Ben and Jennifer incident. Yet, luck, as always, found its way back into the Hargreeves' lives, albeit with its own quirks.
Jean, Gene, and Jennifer were gone. Ben was back in prison for a parole violation, and the apocalypse had been narrowly avoided—again.
For now, anyway.
So Viktor was back in Canada, back in his bar, and back amidst the familiar sounds of daily life.
“Yo, Viktor!” a familiar voice called from the bar. The patron was a burly man, likely a lumberjack or someone who worked outdoors.
Viktor, busy polishing glasses, rolled his eyes. He knew exactly what was coming. It was a recurring issue.
“Your brother’s had a little too much. Again.”
“Got it,” Viktor replied, placing the glass and rag down. He glanced at Kelly, his bartender. “Kelly, could you-”
“Watch the bar. Of course, Vik. Don’t worry about it.”
Kelly had been covering for him frequently lately. He really ought to give her a raise.
Winding through the tables, Viktor made his way to the back of the pub, where a group of men stood around a pool table. They were more entertained by the commotion than bothered. Viktor could already hear the slurred, incoherent shouting.
“Excuse me,” Viktor said loudly, pushing past two of the men. They chuckled, clearly enjoying the spectacle. In the center was Five, leaning against the pool table for support, his maroon hoodie soaked in what Viktor assumed was alcohol.
At any other time, Viktor would have expected this to be Klaus or Diego, but no.
“You think this is—hic—fucking funny?” Five yelled, his green eyes narrowing. He tried to jab a finger at the man in front of him but stumbled and missed entirely. Viktor quickly caught him before he fell.
“Five…” Viktor muttered, a mix of annoyance and pity in his voice. This had become a frequent occurrence since Five had joined him in Canada. Days spent moping around, nights drinking himself into oblivion. Viktor felt helpless, as if he had a better chance convincing raccoons to stay out of his trash than getting through to his brother.
“Come on, Viktor!” one of the men laughed, helping Five steady himself. “Let him stay out a little longer. The kids all talk.”
If only they knew.
Five mumbled something incoherent as Viktor led him to the back of the bar, towards the door leading to their small, upper-floor apartment. It was a bachelor’s setup, barely accommodating them both, and Viktor found himself cleaning up after both of them every day. Five’s indifference was wearing him down, making it feel more like they were college roommates than family.
But Viktor knew Five needed to be here, away from certain family members.
“You need to stop drinking this much, Five,” Viktor said, guiding him to the door. Five shoved Viktor away and collapsed face-first onto the couch, his shoes still on.
“You need to—hic—stop telling me what to—hic—fucking do,” Five grunted. Viktor watched him for a moment, hearing the soft snores that followed.
Sometimes Viktor felt like a captain of a sinking ship, powerless to do anything but watch, torn between abandoning ship or going down with it. But if he was the sinking ship, Five was the iceberg. For such a small person, the amount of baggage that was hidden under the surface was indescribable.
Kelly slapped the wet cloth into the grimy bucket and stretched her arms over her head. Viktor looked up from his paperwork, finishing the last payslip before counting the bills on hand.
“Not a bad night,” he said, laying out the bills. “Here’s your cut.”
Kelly smiled and picked up the cash, quickly counting it. “This is great! I might actually be able to catch up on bills now.”
Viktor gave her a look. “Kelly, if you need help, just ask.”
Kelly waved him off, a faint blush on her cheeks. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve got enough on your plate.”
Viktor sighed. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault. Family is messy sometimes. I get it.”
Kelly grabbed her jacket and prepared to leave. Despite it being mid-May, there was still snow on the ground, a late winter in Nova Scotia that Viktor had yet to get used to. He missed the early blooms and gentle spring rains.
“Is your brother okay?”
Viktor chuckled. “I don’t know, to be honest.”
It was a lie. He knew Five wasn’t okay, but explaining the situation felt like opening a can of worms he wasn’t ready to deal with.
“Like you said, family is messy sometimes.”
Kelly pouted but nodded. “I hope things get better for him. He seems like a good kid.”
“Yeah,” Viktor said, nodding. “Get home safe.”
“Thanks, I’ll text you.”
“Thanks.”
After Kelly left and Viktor had finished tidying up, he sat at the bar, elbows resting on the counter. He was grateful to be back home after his time in The City. He loved his family and the closure he and his father had found. But he was so tired of saving the world by the string of his pants and wallowing in whatever family drama was plaguing them at the time. He just wanted to live out the rest of his life as a normal guy with a normal job. Maybe get a normal girlfriend. Babysitting his deteriorating brother had not been on his agenda, and he was just tired.
His phone buzzed, and Viktor pulled it from his pocket, barely glancing at the name before answering.
“Hey,” he said quietly, as though Five’s location was just a floor away and he needed to be discreet.
“Hi!” the voice on the other side of the line chirped, almost too happily. Allison. “Sorry, is this a bad time?”
“No, no. I’m just…it’s been a long day.”
Things between Viktor and Allison had never really been the same since the hotel, and he was pretty sure they never would be again, at least on his part. Allison had been vigorously trying to act like everything was normal, and nothing between them had ever happened. But he just couldn’t bring himself to feel the same way. Regardless, sometimes it was nice to hear from her.
“Sorry to hear that.” Allison sounded sympathetic. “I was just wondering if you’re still coming to the graduation next month. Claire has to have the money for the tickets by Friday.”
“Of course I’m still coming,” Viktor assured her. He may not have been in love with the idea of visiting Allison, but he wouldn’t miss Claire’s high school graduation for the world. “I thought I had already sent the money.”
“You did, I just wasn’t sure if-” Allison stopped herself and the phone went quiet for a moment. Viktor wasn’t really sure what it was she was about to say, and he was honestly a bit too brain dead to think that deeply about it. God, he wanted to go to bed. “Okay great! She’ll be happy to hear that.”
Another pause filled the air. Viktor leaned the side of his face into his hand, his eyes drifting shut as he waited for his sister to say something, anything. He knew it was coming.
“Is…do you know if Five is coming?”
There it was.
Nobody knew how to address Five’s situation. Everyone walked on eggshells, unsure of how to approach it. The last time Viktor mentioned Claire’s graduation, Five had deflected and walked away. So he wasn’t sure if Five would come or not.
Viktor shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. He’s not really...receptive these days.”
“How’s he doing?” Allison asked, her tone betraying that she probably already knew the answer.
“Not great, if I’m being honest.” Viktor told her truthfully. “All he does is lay around all day, drinking. He won’t listen to a word I say, and he’s starting to rouse my customers.”
“Kick him out.”
Allison’s tone was as sharp as a blade, and as cold as ice. It made Viktor flinch.
“Allison-”
“I’m serious. If he’s causing you trouble and can’t be bothered to help himself, kick him out. If he wants to figure it out, he’ll figure it out. And if not, he dug his own grave.”
Allison was the one member of the family who did not seem to have the slightest bit of empathy for their brother, and Viktor understood. They all did. But it didn’t make it seem any less harsh.
She was vicious with her honesty.
“I can’t do that.”
Allison snorted.
“Listen, I know what he did was shitty. But he’s our brother. I can’t just…leave him out in the cold.”
“Diego’s our brother too.”
Viktor swallowed roughly. He didn’t want to be having this conversation now, or ever. It had been months since everything had gone down. Months. If they couldn’t find a way to get through it, or over it, they never would.
“I have to go, Allison.” Viktor cleared his throat. “I’ll text you when I arrive at the airport next month.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Allison was the first to hang up, and the abruptness of it sent a clear message that made Viktor breath a heavy hearted sigh.
If Five did end up coming to the graduation ceremony, Viktor could only imagine how much worse of a headache it would be.