Work Text:
Five had been back home for five minutes and he already hates it.
All he wants is a fluffernutter sandwich. Except, the shelves are bare and his siblings are being annoying, as usual. The only issue is that
- As adults, all of them shouldn't be this annoying still.
- Two of his siblings are missing.
Five is aware of what happened to Ben. Vanya's book had given him enough information to piece it together, and he mourned for the kid. But, for the other one-
"Anyone mind telling me where Seven is?" he asked, settling in on some bread he had toasted.
Luther (who got really, really huge what the fuck) drew up to his impressive full height. "Actually, we were just discussing why she isn't here. When I found Dad, his monocle was missing-"
Diego threw his head back and groaned. "Again, with the monocle! Jesus, man-"
"-and no one has heard from her. I even found her old number and called-nothing. Out of all of us, Vanya had a lot of reasons to go after Dad. You would know, Five, you guys are close," added Luther, nodding at the shorter boy.
Five and Seven had been close. Five liked to think him and his sister were always still close, in the sense of time. He wondered if she would be angry that he had been gone for decades. Hopefully not. He missed the conversations they had.
"While this whole thing is pretty interesting," said Klaus, sitting cross-legged on the table. "No way did itty-bitty Vanya kill ol' Reggie. She never was trained and wouldn't know."
"People can learn, Klaus," shot back Luther defensively. "You never know. Pogo called all of us for the funeral and Vanya doesn't show up?"
"Yeah, you would think she would come back for another scoop for the next new book," said Diego, scowling at the floor.
Allison beside him shot him a look. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I expected her to be writing shit down and everything. Can't believe she would publish that."
Five snorted out loud, drawing the attention from his family (and what a site to see them, alive and moving and present). "Let's not get too hurt over some book," he began to say, pacing around the room. "If you think she has anything to do with Reginald dying, Luther, why not just go and find her? I know all those years up in space messed with your IQ, but you two know where she is," he added, looking at Klaus and Diego.
Both men glanced at one another. "Yeah, I know the place," said Diego. "But, this one visits more often."
Klaus shrugged at them. "Sometimes I miss her music. Also, Vanya makes really good waffles. Like, holy fuck She adds blueberries to them sometimes. And I did see her last time, come to think of it," he added as an afterthought.
Five tried to stomp down the growing excitement inside of him. "And? How was she? Seemed suspicious?" he added, giving Luther a look which the other man returned.
"You know, yeah," said Klaus, eyes lighting up. "Some reason, she seemed really loud, ya' know. Which I thought was never possible for her. But, Vanya was talking about how she wanted to change her life, do something big, make an impact. I thought she meant music with her lil' fiddle, but no. No, she was talking about doing something to stop living the old live Daddy made her life. Something that would piss him off, in her words."
Luther pointed at Klaus like he was a game show host, and the lucky contestant got it right. "See! Right there! That's enough of a reason to track her down-"
"Luther, Klaus has been high half of his life. You seriously want to believe him," said Allison, crossing her arms.
"Its still something! I'm the only one showing concern over this!"
"Oh, just you, big guy? Sure."
"Shut up, Two. You don't want to admit I'm right."
"How about everyone just-"
"You morons-"
This argument would have spiraled into something that would lead to nowhere had it not been for the clearing of a throat. All eyes turned and fell to find the hunched figure of an old friend.
"I might be of some help on finding Number Seven," said Pogo, peering at them with old, dark eyes. "However, I ask you all to listen to me with open minds and hearts..."
They find Seven-Viktor, on a farm, of all places.
They had go to his old apartment which is where they discovered he had become Viktor from Pogo, of all people. First, Diego had burst through the door acting like a comic book vigilante (Klaus had muttered that his lock picking skills were perfection and could have just opened the door without property damage). Then, Luther lumbered his way in and promptly slipped on a puddle of water. A puddle of twinkling shattered glass and water stood in the middle of a tiny apartment that Five knew suited Viktor. The kind he could pack up the meager personal belongings Reginald left the and make a home.
Except it was wrecked. There were cracks in the walls that if you touched it would sigh out powder. Even more broken plates in the cabinets, oddly enough. Busted lights, but it didn't look like someone whacked it with a baseball bat. The mirror in the bathroom was cracked, and the sight of it made Five's hair stand on end.
Something wrong had happened here.
Then, Allison and Klaus are looking through the bedroom. It's there that they discover the empty pill bottles and prescriptions, a small notebook filled with strange handwriting. "Its shorthand," Five commented, turning it over. "Russian. Shorthand, too. Would take me a good hour to decode."
Luther frowned in thought, creating dark furrows with his brow. "And that's an hour wasted trying to find Va-Viktor." At least the big guy as correcting himself. Out of everyone, he was taking the longest saying their brother's new name.
Diego shot him a dark look. "You really think Viktor killed Reginald? The same Seven who would cry when we would kill buys?"
"Diego, look around!" Luther exclaimed, waving an arm about. "This whole place would never look like this if Seven actually lived here. Plus, the notebook has some actual words in it. Seven knew there was something off about his meds, and looked into it."
"And?"
Luther frowned even more. He looked more troubled than he had ever since Five came back. "Well, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. He sounded pissed. Wrote down how he hated his old life, and wanted to start over. Wanted to do something bigger than what he already was doing."
Allison looked up from where she was crouched down beside the bed, pulling a box out. "Maybe we should spend time translating it. Could give us some clues."
Diego let out a dark chuckle. "Yeah, so you guys can accuse an innocent man-our brother-that he killed our dad. Lemme' tell you all something-Viktor would never do that shit even if Reginald put him through the same Hell he put us through. He just doesn't have it in him."
"Out of everyone, he didn't show up to the funeral!" argued Luther. "We all know that Dad excluded him from hanging out with us. Plus, no one would suspect it because he just-he's unrecognizable."
Five blinked up at his brother, astonished. "Wow," he said. "Asshole." Out of everyone here, Five knew how Viktor felt about his lack of powers. If he were here, the guy would be crushed.
Luther blinked before his eyes widened, realizing his mistake. "N-Not like that! I meant-Seven is just-Seven doesn't stand out-NOT LIKE THAT-!"
Now, both Diego and Luther are talking loudly. Five feels a headache brewing. He turns his focus to the more quieter siblings-Allison and Klaus. "You two find anything useful?"
Klaus tosses him a wide smile. "Just something fabulous!" With a flourish, he pulled out a large fabric of baby pink and blue, and dove white. Five remembers seeing that flag way back in 1999, being waved around in San Francisco and New York. Klaus twists the flag here and there before winding it around his shoulders like a colorful boa.
The taller man rubbed the fabric between his fingers and sighed. "I really should have talked to him more about this," he said more to himself than everyone else. "Maybe told him about some-some club to join. I get it, you know. What it's like to be that bright, bright fish in a school of straight fish." Klaus flapped his GOODBYE hand at the straight fish in the room, still frowning rather melancholy at the flag.
Allison clears her throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "I think we can talk to him about everything pretty quickly," she said, holding up some folded paper. "I know where our brother is."
Which lead them to a farm.
It's a classic red one with large acres, cattle grazing it in the distance like a portrait. The road gives away to gravel and the car crunches its way to the barn. It's a good three hour drive from the city, and Five delights in it with telling his siblings all the information their puny minds can handle about the shit show he is in. By the time they reach, there are more questions than answers. And yet, Five doesn't care. He feels his limbs tingling, like his powers are itching for him to jump so he could get closer to his own destination. The one sibling who was actually his best friend. The only person that understood him.
A blonde woman in jeans and a simple blue shirt sees them, and emerges from the barn. Her frame is tense as she watches them approach, frowning even more as Klaus walks over to her raising his HELLO hand.
"Hey, there!" greeted Klaus. He had turned the trans pride flag into a chic scarf around his neck. "Nice place ya' got here. Got to say, you have some adorable chickens." A pause. "That came out creepy, so sorry-"
Allison cut in, stepping forward with a movie star smile. "Hi," she greeted. "I'm Allison Hargreeves and this is my family. We are so sorry for interrupting you during your work, but we were wondering if you know where Viktor is? He-"
"We think he might be caught up in something dangerous, and need to talk to him now," cut in Luther. Five actually saw Diego slap his forehead in exasperation and felt like doing the same.
The woman went from confused to hostile in just a few seconds. "Dangerous?" she repeated in a southern accent. "You all got it wrong. I know that's not Viktor you're talking about."
Five is about to put an end to this pointless conversation when he senses-something. A shift in the wind, another pair of footsteps. Either way, he turns and standing just a stones through away is his best friend.
The last time he had seen Seven, there had been a short, mouse-like girl who hide behind the world with bangs. Who played the violin like a master, but stuttered around her siblings. Who longed to join them on missions, but never included in any family picture. Who seemed to shrink more and more until Five didn't notice that someone would always be waiting for him in the kitchen with a plate of too-sweet sandwiches.
Now, he has a brother. And this brother has grown only just a couple of inches, and wears the same baggy clothes that belong to a prepubescent child. Except, the hair has been cut short enough it looks wispy and actually suites the square face staring at them. Age had wormed its way under his eyes and around his cheekbones, but there was more of a sharpness to his jaw. Viktor actually had a healthy glow to his skin when-as a child-he looked almost like the ghosts Klaus would describe.
Viktor Hargreeves stood before them in dusty jeans and a grey shirt, sweat on his brow, and looking more alive than Five had ever seen. He blinked at them in astonishment before his eyes narrowed. "Klaus, did you steal my fucking trans flag?" he asked incredulously.
"No," came the automatic reply.
("Would this be considered queer-on-queer crime?" Ben asked rhetorically, causing Klaus to nearly explode with laughter.)
And Five, who as trained to hold his composure up like a mask and to never act on his emotions, ran-something he's well-known for. This time, he ran towards the one person who knew him before he ended up at the end of the world. This time, he ran like he finally found the answer.
Viktor also registers who's running towards him because shock overtakes his face. "Five!" he shouted out in disbelief, lurching forward. They both stumbled into each other and fell hard onto the gravel, rolling a bit. Five ended laying on Viktor, burying his face into the other man's shoulder and hugging him tight. It reminded him of when they were younger, and the two snuck down to the gymnasium to mess around. Running and playing tag until they collapsed within each other, breathless with glee. In that moment, Five really believed they fit so well together. Two pieces of a puzzle. Two gears in a grand machine.
Five hugged his brother tighter, mourning the lost years between them. How many birthdays did he miss? Who was the one who held Viktor's hand when he decided he wanted to be a man and not Number Seven? Who took him to his first trip to the barber, finding his first suit, and helping his figure out which medication to be on? Who was there for his little brother?
Five wanted to scream. He wanted to burst like a balloon and sob. He said this instead.
"Nice haircut," Five croaked out, squeezing Viktor tighter.
His brother only let out a wet laugh, returning the embrace. "I can't believe you're here," he whispered. "What the fuck?"
Then, Viktor tensed up. He pushed away from the hold, growing panic on his face. "I-You-" he stuttered. "I know I look different, but-" The man's eyes fell on the rest of their siblings. "I was going to tell, but-"
"You think," began Five furiously, blinking away the wetness in his eyes. "That I survived the apocalypse, ate nothing but scraps, killed more people you could fathom-that I would hate you for being who you are?! You're still my fucking family, Viktor!"
Said man stared at him. Tears shined from his eyes and fell silently before a sob broke through Viktor. He began to cry, but it was almost like a great big exhale. As if he had finally released the breath he was holding.
Five hugs him again, savoring the long overdue embrace. He feels more arms wrap around them-the thick arms of Luther, the floral scent of Allison, the smell of cigars and perfume from Klaus, and the thick fabric from Diego. There is a fresh cool air that presses again't Five's right cheek. All of them welcomed their brother with open arms as he cried out, finally finding acceptance after so long.
Later, Viktor will explain how he had grown suspicious over his medication. He will say it began when he started to question his gender and place in the world, fed up with feeling so stuck. About how he felt even more trapped until he found a way out; eventually, someone to love and grow with.
Later, he will show them his own powers and it will astonish them. Later, they will tell embarrassing stories to Sissy who will tease his boyfriend. At night, they will binge movies Five never got a chance to see. Luther will talk about throwing a party, and Klaus will tell Five about what really happened to Ben-who is right in the middle of everything, grinning widely.
Later in the night, they will find a bottle of wine and relieve their shoulders of the burdens they are carrying. Grown adults becoming children again, leaning on one another as they finally talked and connected, forming bonds their father tried to burn.
And much later, when everyone is asleep, Viktor will make fluffernutter sandwiches for him and Five.
Its the best damn thing he's had since he came back.