Archive of Our Own ^beta

1.Diego

Diego liked to think of himself as a cautious guy. Things so rarely caught him off guard these days (Vanya didn’t count; how the hell was he supposed to be prepared that his sister was going to destroy the world?)

In any case, he didn’t spook easy. Five was probably the closest he came to startling and he could appear from any direction without warning. Not exactly fair.

Right now, though? He was tired and all he wanted in the world was to go to sleep without any of his siblings pestering him about the shitty stitching he just finished applying to his arm. They liked to nag now that they were all talking again and no matter how many times, he sent them packing to either Five’s or Klaus’s room (you know those other two assholes who weren’t in the greatest shape these days?), they never left without getting what they wanted out of him.

He was about two steps away from his bedroom door, two steps away from finally collapsing onto his bed when he slammed his foot into something and heard a whimper loudly echo around the hallway.

His first thought was something along the lines of shit, I just tripped over Five. Again.

Short stack liked to sit around the house at three in the morning, passed out next to pieces of paper for what felt like the sole purpose of scaring the shit out of his siblings.

Klaus had screamed bloody murder the last time he’d found him in the kitchen cabinets, nestled amongst paper towels and the boxes of cereal Diego wasn’t aware they still had.

Five didn’t even like cereal. Said it was too sugary or something like that in between bites of that abomination he called a sandwich.

Klaus had come barreling into his room and made him go put Five back to bed, all while the little bastard tried to twist out of his grip like Eudora’s cat used to when he accidently let it out of the house.

Needless to say, he hated running into Five in the early mornings.  

But instead of finding Five’s short ass, there’s a dog. It’s a puppy given how little it is and after pushing itself up from where Diego had kicked him, it wandered over to his shoes and sniffed at him.

Apparently satisfied with Diego, it yipped at him and rolled over along his shoes. Its tail thumped against the floor.

It’s a raggedy little thing; its fur is matted slightly, and it looks a little too thin for comfort. More concerning is the dried blood around its neck.

It’s two in the morning. Diego had just gotten back from patrol. On the list of things, he didn’t want to do right now, dealing with a stray dog loose in their house is definitely towards the top.

“Okay, fine.” He huffed out and gently scooped up the dog. It sat quietly in his arms, only attempting to lick his face every so often as he trudged his way back to the infirmary. “You’re a cute little thing. How’d you wind up in this hell hole?”

“What are you doing with Mr. Pennycrumb?”

Diego didn’t spook easy, but Five always liked to be difficult. It was two in the morning; shouldn’t he be busy lying comatose around the house for him to find hours later?

Diego’s foot almost slid off to the next step and he quickly oriented himself. The dog let out a whine at the rough movement and Diego softly stroked at his fur while sucking in a quick breath to dispel the adrenaline flooding his veins.

He almost forgot about Five until the sound of slippers scraped across the floor. Diego’s heart was still pounding hard enough that upon seeing Five upright and unarmed, he sighed in relief. Then he remembers very quickly that that little shit almost made him trip down the stairs. He shot a glare at Five.

The kid didn’t even react. He just frowned and raised his eyebrows expectantly at him. The words he said suddenly sink in.

“What did you call him?” Diego asked just to be sure.

Five rolled his eyes. He really looked thirteen when he did that, and Diego felt like he was being hit solidly in the chest with a wave of nostalgia. God, he was just a kid. An asshole to be sure, but who wasn’t in this house? It was practically a requirement to be a Hargreeves.

“Mr. Pennycrumb.” Five said like Diego was an idiot. It was how he usually spoke to Diego. He had such a loving brother. “That’s his name. What are you doing with him?”

“Is he yours?” Diego stepped closer. The dog started to squirm the closer he got to Five and Diego put him down on the ground. The dog immediately ran over to Five and started pawing at his knees.

“Mr. Pennycrumb is a friend of mine. He’s the only source of intelligent conversation to be found in this house.” Five declared, calmly bending down to stroke at Mr. Pennycrumb’s dirty fur. The dog jumped around him, back and forth around his knees like he wanted to play. “Where were you taking him?”

“He’s hurt.” Diego answered. This all felt too surreal. Maybe he’d lost too much blood earlier and now he was paying the price for it. Five was not only awake at this hour, but there was a dog and he was acting almost kind.  

Five frowned and held the dog still for a moment. It complied for the most part, though it still kept trying to rub its head against Five’s hands. Five had a serious expression on his face, the same one he’d had that time he’d pressed his hands against Allison’s throat as she bled out. Diego swallowed. Why think about shit like that right now? Allison was fine. Her voice was doing much better and she’d even started acting again.

No point in dwelling on old wounds. He just needed to focus on the problem in front of him.

“He’s fine.” Five announced, cutting through Diego’s thoughts. “The blood isn’t his.”

“Who’s is it then?”

“Mine, but that’s no longer a problem. I’ve already patched it up.” Five said easily like they were talking about whether or not he put the milk back in the fridge.

Now that Diego was looking closer, Five did look a little pale. His forehead was sweaty, and his hair was in disarray. That pinched expression he wore when he had a shrapnel wound was settling onto his face the longer they stood on the stairs.

“Are you an idiot?” Diego sighed and grabbed onto his shoulder carefully. “C’mon, I’ll get Mom to check you out. She can look over Mr. Pennycrumb too. Even if he isn’t hurt, he’s filthy.”

Five looked as though he wanted to argue, but then Mr. Pennycrumb let out a whine at his feet. Five sighed and nodded. “Fine, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to let him get examined.”

Five bent down and opened his arms for the little dog to jump into. Diego watched him carefully, trying to figure out where exactly the prick was hurt.

Five gave nothing away and smugly smiled at him when he caught Diego’s gaze. “Well? Satisfied?”

“Shut up.” Diego reached over and shook Five’s gelled hair until his bangs were laying across his forehead. Five squawked at him and held up Mr. Pennycrumb like a shield.

The dog licked at Diego’s arm and Five’s face crumpled. “Traitor. You better not do that to Luther.”

“If you can get your dog to attack him, I’ll pay you five dollars.” Diego said. Five’s eyes gleamed.

“I’ve been training him.” Five told him proudly. It all felt weirdly normal. Just a boy and his dog, learning tricks and spending time together.

Diego had been planning on searching for the dog’s owner (it was far too comfortable around people to not be lost), but as he watched Five tuck the dog into the crook of his little arms, he couldn’t bear to do so.

There might be a little kid out there missing their dog, but Five had been through so much already. He didn’t see that mannequin hanging around anymore and Five had been glued to it the first few days he came back.

He’d been quieter after it went missing, except when he thought he was alone. He would ramble to an empty room, fighting with himself or on some occasions, with Dolores who wasn’t in the room. It was a little disturbing and had been the topic of many family meetings, though they’d yet to have come up with any possible solutions.

Vanya and Allison were of the firm belief that he needed therapy of some sort. Luther hadn’t really noticed there was anything too wrong but had pointed out that Five was sure to hate anything they offered. Klaus (and Ben, he supposed) hadn’t had much to say on it other than he needed to stop drinking so much.

This could be good for him. He needed an outlet and anything to make him seem more like a thirteen- year-old was best. They were already getting enough looks when they went out and Five spouted off some weird shit like, “Remember when we were seven and I snuck out to buy you all sodas? You guys each owe me around a hundred dollars now. It’d be more, but I’ve decided to be kind and not account for inflation.”

Also fuck him, Diego’s not paying back shit. That soda didn’t even taste good. It was some weird flavor like candy cane or whatever because Five loved to be an asshole and also had the weirdest taste buds alive.

“You shouldn’t think so hard.” Five said softly. Diego felt touched for maybe two seconds because Five never spoke gently unless he was about to tell them something horrific about the future, before he continued with, “I’m not sure the remaining two brain cells you have can manage any longer.”

“Brain cells or not, one of us has a diploma and the other is supposed to be in middle school.” Diego leaned down, knowing that the subtle reminder that Diego was taller than him would bother him more than whatever he just said.

“If Mr. Pennycrumb wasn’t here, I’d stab you.” Five said primly, turning his head away from him. Diego smirked. Sure, that was what was stopping him.

“We’re here.” Diego said, pulling open the door to the infirmary and pushing Five through. Five hissed at him, but otherwise followed along like a good boy. “I’ll get Mom. You sit down with Mr. Pennycrumb.”

What a weird name. It sounded like something a five-year-old might come up with and it was endlessly funny to hear Five say it so seriously.

Five nodded and carefully sat Mr. Pennycrumb down. The dog looked instantly relaxed and curled up rather cutely on the bed Five was supposed to sit down on.

Oh well. Diego didn’t feel up to fighting that battle at the moment. Mom could sort that out when she got here.

He left and as he closed the door behind him, he could hear Five whispering to the dog.

“That was Diego. He’s not the smartest one here, but he’s not so bad. You’d better not tell him that or I’ll have to put you in the kennel.”

It’s sweet. Diego can’t help the smile that crosses his face. Yeah, Five and Mr. Pennycrumb were good for each other.

He shut the door and began the trek up to Mom’s sitting area. They hadn’t been able to figure out how the charging station worked yet, so she didn’t have her own room, but they were working on it.

He’d let her look over Five and the dog. Then he’d finally get some sleep around here.

Hopefully Five got some too.

2. Allison

If Allison saw any knife laying around the house, she was going to tuck Claire away in her room and murder Diego, no matter what anyone said about it.

She’d called the house multiple times, leaving messages on the machine that ranged from, “Hey, it’s me. Claire and I are coming over this weekend and I would really appreciate if the house was a little more…not dangerous for a six-year-old. Thanks, and please call me back.”, and “Hey assholes, someone answer the damn phone and tell me if it’s going to be dangerous for my daughter to visit.”

Perhaps that was a bit of an overkill but considering how often she found herself reaching for a magazine and finding one of Diego’s stupid throwing knives or Five making margaritas in the kitchen, she felt it was warranted.

“Is Space Boy going to be there?” Claire tugged on her shirt. She looked so excited at the thought and all the anger running through her body dissipated immediately.

It still felt nothing short of magical to be here with her daughter. After months of therapy and discussions at the courthouse, she’d finally been allowed visitation. Patrick had been reluctant to allow her to have Claire over for the weekend, but he’d relented after Claire had bounced around talking about how cool it was going to be to see all her uncles and her aunt Vanya.

“Yes, your Uncle Luther’s going to be there.” Allison smiled down at her. She held out a hand and Claire put her hand in hers. It was so small, and Allison almost felt like crying. “So will your other uncles.”

“All of them?”

“Yeah all of them.” Allison replied, already regretting that meant Klaus and Diego would be there. They were fine as human beings and she loved them, but she also didn’t trust them to not act like animals in front of her daughter. Klaus had been sober for a while now, but he never stopped saying weird shit at the drop of a hat. Diego had knives and he wore that awful outfit even though she’d begged him to stop when they went out to eat.

He pointed out that Five was already scaring away the waiters that tried to smile at him and if anyone was getting them thrown out it was him. Luther also didn’t help with the way he didn’t fit in the booth.

Allison shook her head and took a breath. It would be fine. It would be because if it wasn’t, she was going to make it be fine.

Claire hesitates for a moment, biting on her lip in that way that reminded her of Ben. “Will Uncle Five be there too?”

Five. Now that was a landmine, she still wasn’t sure how to explain. How do you tell your daughter who was still learning how to add numbers together that her Uncle Five only looked thirteen and was actually older than her mom?

Plus, there was the issue of Five himself. He barely acted polite to them; who knew how he’d react with a child?

Allison began to mentally prepare herself to not slap Five if he made Claire cry. He’s still adjusting. He said he wanted to meet her, so he won’t do anything mean. At least not on purpose.

It didn’t help calm her nerves. She wished she’d still smoked.

The taxi pulled over and Allison saw the familiar black gate adorned with umbrellas. She closed her eyes and squeezed Claire’s hand.

“We’re here!” She said brightly and opened the door. She quickly paid the cab driver as Claire peered up at the tall building with a look of wonder in her eyes. It reminded her of the first time they snuck out to go to Griddy’s. All her siblings had stared at the neon doughnut sign with the same look.

“Is this where Space Boy lives?” Claire bounced on her heels. Allison held onto her hand as she pulled out their duffel bags. She hadn’t brought much for herself; after her recovery, she’d left any of the clothes she bought for moments like these.

“Yup.” Allison waved the cab driver away and swung open the gate. “Let’s get inside and we can eat lunch together.”

That had been the plan. Her siblings were supposed to be here at around 1; it was 12:30. If they weren’t waiting inside, she and Claire would eat without them.

If none of them showed up at all and Claire was disappointed, she was leaving them all threatening voice messages for at least the next month.

“I didn’t know you were back already.”

Allison turned around. Well, at least one of her siblings was here, though she wasn’t sure yet if that was a good thing.

Five was standing outside the gate wearing the Academy uniform that she’d asked him not to wear anymore; people tended to think he was cosplaying from the Umbrella Academy and nothing pissed him off more. She could only hear so many snippy remarks about ‘idiots who don’t even recognize me’ and ‘why the hell did they think I was trying to be Klaus of all people?’

It takes her a minute longer to realize he’s holding a leash. Claire is much more reactive.

“Is that a puppy?” She practically gasped, pushing at Allison’s leg to get a better view. “Can I pet him?”

Five smiled softly and then looked up at Allison for permission. She nodded and let her daughter’s hand go. Claire looked absolutely delighted and dropped to her knees to pet the dog. It immediately sprinted to her and Allison felt something like alarm crawling up her throat, but Five didn’t react. He wouldn’t let some dog maul her daughter. Especially not after asking permission.

It’s small and it seemed to like licking people. Claire giggled and pushed it away as it attempted to make its way up onto her shoulders. Allison reminded herself to wash Claire’s face when they went inside.

Five leaned against the gate and watched Claire with all the fondness in the world. Or maybe he was looking at the dog. Either way, it was very cute.

“Claire, this is your uncle Five.” Allison said, gesturing at the boy. “Five, this is my daughter, Claire.”

Claire paused and looked up at Five. He gave her an awkward little wave and kneeled down to offer his hand. Claire grabbed it solemnly and they shook hands.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot of things about you.” Five told her. “That’s Mr. Pennycrumb. He’s happy to meet you too.”

It’s completely strange to see how in his element Five is. When they were kids, he preferred to spend as little time with them as possible, save for Vanya and Ben. He’d said they were smart enough to hang out with.

And then, he’d come back and couldn’t stand to spend a minute with them that didn’t have to do with the apocalypse. He’d gotten better afterwards, but he still hid in his room more often than she liked.

It was really nice to see him looking almost his age.

As though he could hear her, he shot a glare her way as Claire got distracted with Mr. Pennycrumb.

“Is there a problem?” He asked as politely as he could. It sounded like he was hissing through clenched teeth.

“No, none at all.” Allison smiled at him. “Just wondering when you got a dog.”

“Not too long ago. We met a few weeks ago.” Five said, relaxing again. “He’s been good company.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Luther’s upstairs, I think.” Five switched topics. “Diego and Vanya are running late. I’m not sure but I think Klaus is in the attic. He’s…doing something. Wouldn’t bother him for a little while.”

Allison hoped that meant he was practicing conjuring. Five wouldn’t know how much Claire knew about their powers and Klaus had the most frightening ability to a little girl. On the other hand, Five only had so much tact. He could very easily be implying that Klaus was with someone up there.

If there was a strange man or woman up there with Klaus and he brought them down to eat lunch with them, Allison was going to strangle him. She’d called and told them multiple times she wanted it to be just them.

 “He’s alone.” Five added. He shoved his hands in his pockets and continued, “Well, as alone as Klaus ever is.”

The tension drained out of her body. Good. Good.

“Mommy, is Uncle Five going to eat with us?” Claire asked suddenly. “I want to sit with him!”

“I’ll be there.” Five crouched down again. “Do you like to read?”

Claire nodded. “I can read picture books all by myself.”

“I have a few you might like.” Five said, eyes flitting to Allison. “Would you want them? I don’t really read them anymore.”

“Really?” She gasped. “Mommy, can I please?”

“Of course.” Allison patted her shoulder. “Let’s go inside and wash up. Uncle Five will meet us inside.”

“Okay,” Claire said and pet Mr. Pennycrumb one last time. “Bye, puppy.”

“Mr. Pennycrumb says goodbye to you too.” Five said. “He’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss him too.” She assured him. Then she looked to Allison. “Aren’t you gonna say goodbye too?”

“Bye, Mr. Pennycrumb. We’ll see you later.” Allison waved at the dog. Five picked up the dog and walked over to her.

“He wants you to pet him.” Five insisted and pushed the dog closer.

Allison gingerly reached out and pet the dog. It slobbered all over her hand and she would have looked disgusted were it not for how satisfied Five seemed.

“Bye-bye.” She said and pulled her hand back. She turned to Five. “You’ll be inside?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Five said. He looked happy though, so she didn’t think it was sarcastic. “Mr. Pennycrumb needs to eat though, so I’ll be in my room for a little bit. I’ll come down with the books soon.”

Allison pulled him into a quick hug. He grumbled something at her and pushed her away after a moment.

“Love you, Five.” She whispered as she untangled her arms.

“Love you too.” He muttered, eyes looking anywhere but at her. It was very Five and pretty adorable. She bet he told that dog he loved it more openly than his siblings.

It was like he was a normal thirteen-year-old being pestered by his family. Allison felt warm.

“Come on, Claire. Let’s go.” She called out. Claire grabbed onto her hand and hugged at Five’s leg.

He stood still for a moment before wrapping an arm around Claire.

“Love you Uncle Five.”

Five looked shocked. His mouth opened and closed just the slightest.

“Love you too.” He repeated carefully, as though he could break the moment. “I’ll see you inside.”

Allison shot him a smile and he nodded at her, eyes glassy all of a sudden. They finally entered the house, Claire’s hand tight in her grip. Claire seemed infinitely more amazed at the inside than the outside.

Allison looked around for knives. She didn’t see any, but nobody had ever called her back. The knives could be anywhere.

“That was Allison. She’s one of my sisters. She’s nice, isn’t she?” Five said quietly from behind as he locked the door. Claire didn’t seem to notice, struggling against her grip to peer into the living room.

“Her daughter was really nice too.” He continued. “I can see why Allison cares so much about her. It’s hard not to with how she looks so excited just to see some boring old house.”

Allison turned to look at him. Five’s eyes were glued to the dog and he looked as though he were waiting for an answer.

Oh.

That was interesting. Not as strange as the mannequin he supposedly talked to before this. She’d never seen it, but Luther had admitted to her one night that he’d held it hostage in exchange for Five’s gun.

She hadn’t realized how important it was to him until he kept shouting at the walls in his room, fighting with people who weren’t there.

She hadn’t told anyone, but once she walked in and he’d told her to go away. Normal enough, but he’d followed it with, “I already told you, I’m sorry. I already buried you; there’s nothing else I can do for you so just go.”

Needless to say, the next family meeting she’d broached the idea of therapy for Five. Vanya had agreed easily enough but everyone else hadn't seem sold on it.

If they’d seen what she had, she’d bet they’d agree.

“Uncle Five is really cool!” Claire beamed up at her. “Can I play with him later?”

“I’ll ask him.” Allison answered. “Maybe him and Mr. Pennycrumb will show you the courtyard.”

It would be nice to see him playing outside like a real kid. It would be good for him to get away from his room for a bit and maybe she could wrangle the rest of her siblings into playing with Claire too.

The thought gave her both a headache and made her heart feel like it’s grown three sizes. Her family was difficult at times, but she can see the progress they’re all making.

It’s a step forward and in the right direction. She couldn’t ask for more.

3. Vanya

It’s not exactly Five’s fault that he looks thirteen. Well, okay it was in the sense that he messed up his equations, but it wasn’t intentionally his fault.

It didn’t change the fact that he looked thirteen and was supposed to act as a thirteen-year-old in public.

It generally didn’t go well.

The last time it had been Vanya’s turn to make Five go out and interact with the world, he’d almost fought an elderly woman at the grocery store because she’d called him a “darling little angel.”

Five had hissed at her almost immediately and had been about to launch into a tirade before Vanya had smiled in apology and dragged him down to another aisle.

He didn’t do well in public for other reasons either. She didn’t know what exactly triggered these moments for him, but sometimes he’d stop suddenly, hands loosely dropping whatever they were holding, and his eyes would glaze over.

She thought it was similar to the panic attacks she used to get (still got, she was supposed to admit that to herself. That’s what her therapist had told her.)

She’d tried to guide him through a breathing exercise, but he never responded. It was like he was in his own little world. It wasn’t a nice one, from what she could gather.

Sometimes he’d break out of it with only a sharp gasp, the lingering beginnings of the word ‘no’ staining his face.

Other times he would scream so sharply that people stopped to stare. Vanya wasn’t proud to admit it, but she wasn’t good with people looking at her.

It made her feel like an exposed vein, hot and raw against the stares. Her breath might stutter before she had to push it out again evenly.

She would take a moment for herself and then Five would be gone. The first time it happened she had felt so guilty that she’d almost lost grip on her powers. Chairs had rattled next to her and her hair had brushed past her shoulders from an invisible breeze.

She was supposed to be focused on Five and all she could worry about was herself.

She’d spent that day looking for him until she finally gave up and hailed a taxi to the mansion. She found him sitting in his room, frantically writing equations on the walls.

She isn’t proud to admit this either, but she left him. She turned on her heel and quietly shut the door so it would be as if she wasn’t there.

It bothers her even now.

That’s why she’s going to do better today. She told herself that each time and each time she failed. Her therapist reminded her that that wasn’t a healthy way to think, that to help others you had to first help yourself.

She was right, but it didn’t make things any easier.

“Five?” She knocked on his door, keeping her gaze away from the door behind her. No point in bringing up bad memories now. Today was about Five. “We’re supposed to go outside today.”

Five knew that. This is what they did every Thursday, though it wasn’t always her turn. Sometimes Diego or Klaus would take over. Sometimes Luther would try and fail, sitting outside his door while Five shoved angry notes underneath it.

She admired him for staying as long as he said he did. Five was still angry over the…she didn’t want to think about it. It was okay for her to not think about it.

(She remembers feeling lightheaded, like she hadn’t eaten that day. Then she remembers the room with it’s grey sound proof walls. They reminded her at first of the practice rooms she’d used in her high school orchestra, but not as expensive. There’s the panic crawling up her throat, the banging of her hands against glass that never yielded and Allison, there’s so much blood, so much blood and she’s the one who made it spill-)

There’s a scratching sound at the door and harsh little barks coming from the other side.

“Is someone there?” Five called. “If it’s Luther, forget it. I’m busy.”

“It’s Vanya.” She managed to choke out. She took a breath in and out, up to ten and let it out.

The door swings open and Five looked her up and down. His eyebrows fold up in that funny way they always did when she came up the stairs and asked if she could stay in his room for just a little bit.

There’s a little dog barking in his arms.

She blinked. When did Five get a dog?

“Hello.” Five greeted. “You’re earlier than usual.”

She’s not, but she’s not sure if Five even knows what day it is. He thought she might be Luther even though it was his turn last week.

“Um, cute dog.” Vanya said, gesturing awkwardly to the little dog currently trying to squirm out of his arms.

“This is Mr. Pennycrumb.” Five said, waving a little paw at her. It’s really cute, but also so unlike Five that she wonders for a moment if he’s been replaced by an…well, not evil clone, Five was already pretty mean. She loved him anyway. “He’s a friend of mine.”

The way Five introduces the dog reminds Vanya of one of her students that always brought a stuffed bear with her. She’d told her that they were great friends at the beginning of the lesson and at the end matter of factually informed Vanya that Mr. Bear did not like her, but it’s okay he’ll get used to you.

She updated her after each lesson and the answer never improved.

Sadly, Vanya always ended those lessons with a hollow feeling in the bottom of her stomach and each time she was told that a stuffed bear didn’t like her, she felt the need to cry in her bedroom.

She was doing great though.

“It’s nice to meet him.” Vanya told Five. He rolled his eyes at her.

“You can talk to him. He’s right here.” Five told her impatiently. “See?”

Five pushed the dog closer to her chest and its little paws began to slap at her eagerly. Vanya took a step back on instinct and Five’s face fell.

“Oh,” He said quietly. “You don’t like him, do you?”

“No, no!” Vanya was quick to assure. “It’s just, I’ve never really been a dog person. I’m used to cats. They don’t…drool as much.”

Five looked thoughtful for a moment. “I see. He doesn’t drool that often, but he’s excited. He likes to see new people.”

Vanya wondered if Five meant that he was excited. He’d looked pretty pleased to see her and he’d held up the dog like a prized possession.

“I see,” She echoed. “Well, maybe we can get to know each other. I was thinking about going out to the mall since Allison said you needed new clothes.”

Five wrinkled his nose the slightest bit.

“Well, that was before I met your dog. I think the dog park might be nice change.”

“There’s less people.” Five pointed out.

“You like it when there’s less people.” Vanya said. He always complained about crowds the second he caught wind of them and badgered her to leave if he thought he might get caught in them.

Not that she blamed him. Crowds were awful. The only exception was concerts, but that wasn’t the same. With those, she was part of a group and her talent was the focus. In public, it was everything else. Things she had control over and the things she didn’t.

“Isn’t the whole point of these trips so that I interact with others?”

“There’s nothing wrong with taking it slow.” Vanya told him softly. His face doesn’t change, but Vanya thinks she can see something loosen in his eyes. “It’s okay to work your way up. I’m not good with crowds either.”

“I know.” Five told her just as gently. “Thanks for working with me. I know it’s not easy for you either.”

“Thanks.” She whispered back.

Mr. Pennycrumb barked and Five set him on the ground. The dog ran up to Vanya’s shoes and sniffed at them wildly.

“I think he likes you.” Five told her.

“I think I like him too.” Vanya told him back. She crouched down, knees creaking just the slightest, and scratched at his chin. The dog stilled against her touch, though his tail still slapped against her calf. “Want to head out? He’ll like it outside.”

“Yeah.” Five agreed, looking directly at her. “I think he will.”

If Five meant anything else, he didn’t say it. But sometimes you didn’t have to say anything else for someone to understand.

He was trying. He was doing better. What more could she want?

“Are baseballs safe for dogs?” He asked, pulling one out from his dresser. She hadn’t seen that since the one time they’d tried playing baseball together. They’d all agreed that it was cheating for Diego to pitch and for Luther to bat. Five had teleported around the bases and Allison had grown tired after a few minutes.

Ben and Klaus had fun though. Five had really liked it from what she recalled. There was a baseball poster hanging against the wall, faded and dusty.

Maybe they could all try playing again. That could be fun.

“I think so.” She answered. “Not really an expert though. Dogs in movies play with them.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” Five said and placed the ball in his pocket. He grabbed a leash off the dresser and attached it to Mr. Pennycrumb’s collar. “Are we going?”

“Yeah.” Vanya smiled at him. “Should be fun.”

“Should be.” Five echoed back. He shut his door and the dog patiently walked at his side.

Things were good.

She hoped they got better from here.

4. Luther

Luther was used to strange things. He himself was a strange thing, a fact he could never forget.

Still, he thought it safe to agree that the dog currently pulling at his sheets was a very strange thing indeed.

He wasn’t aware that there were any dogs in the house. Nobody had mentioned it to him at least. Not that he really expected them to.

They really only talked at weekly meetings and on occasion, one of his siblings would invite him to do things.

He didn’t usually accept. It was easier to just hole up in his childhood bedroom. There was nobody to remind him of his mistakes in here. It was just him and his records.

The dog didn’t seem to fond of that, if the way it was tearing through his room was any indication. It seemed to be for lack of any better words, losing its shit. It had already torn one sheet and it looked like it was straining to bite his ankle.

He took a breath and wiped the sleep from his eyes. When he blinked them open again and the dog was still there, he was sure that despite all the facts pointing otherwise, he was still awake.

“Uh, dog. Stop that.” He told it, feeling very silly all the while. It was a dog. A normal dog. It wasn’t going to sit immediately and respond with some reason for what it was doing. Not every animal was like Pogo.

Or like him, some traitorous part of his brain hissed.

“Hey.” He said holding out his hand to it. The dog sniffed at it once and immediately sunk its little teeth into the meat of his palm. “Ow, what the hell?”

“What are you doing with my dog?” Five exclaimed, bursting in like it was his room. “Mr. Pennycrumb, come here.”

Mr. Pennycrumb? Wait, hold on, was this little bastard Five’s?

The dog stopped its assault upon Luther’s room and trotted over to sit at Five’s feet, like it was innocent and had done no wrong in it’s entire life.

“Is that your terror?” Luther asked, holding his hand against his chest. He was bleeding against his sheets; Mom wasn’t going to like that. He’d tried to convince her to let him do his own laundry years ago, but she’d always laughed him off. Even now, she insisted on it.

Five nodded absently and bent down to pet the dog.

“Why am I not surprised?” Luther groaned and sat up. “Is it always so vicious?”

Five looked insulted and shook his head. The dog bared its teeth at Luther and growled. Luther might not have cared about that except that it literally had Luther’s blood along its mouth. It looked feral.

“Then why did it just storm in here and wreck my room?”

“Mr. Pennycrumb doesn’t like you.” Five announced haughtily, sounding uncannily like the petulant child he claimed he wasn’t. He swooped down to pick up the angry dog. It calmed against his touch, though it still barked at Luther. “He’s very smart.”

Luther got the feeling that maybe Five and Mr. Pennycrumb had that in common. Maybe Five was trying to tell him something.

“Mr. Pennycrumb is being a little mean, don’t you think?” Luther said, holding his hands up. “We’ve just met. I don’t see why he’d dislike me so much.”

“Maybe he’s heard about how you like to stick people in cages.” Five said evenly. “Mr. Pennycrumb doesn’t like that.”

“I already said I was sorry!” Luther exclaimed. “Vanya’s already forgiven me. I thought we’d all gotten over this at the last meeting!”

“Well it’s like you said,” Five replied. “You’ve only just met Mr. Pennycrumb. He hasn’t had time to come to terms with it.”

“Mr. Pennycrumb’s being a little unfair.”

“Mr. Pennycrumb is a dog, Luther.” Five gleefully informs him. Luther very quickly realized the trap Five had led him into and sighed. “He doesn’t have moral concepts of fair and unfair. I thought you were aware of such things. I guess you’re dumber than I thought.”

Luther can hear laughter behind his closed door, almost like the rest of his siblings were watching his misfortune. He wasn’t buying any of them birthday presents this year.

Five turned and opened the door. Four siblings almost spill into his room, though the smiles broadly shining on their faces was almost worth being assaulted by a dog the size of his hand.

“Diego, you owe me five dollars.” Five said immediately and held out one of his hands. The dog barked as though it were agreeing.

“He bite you?” Diego asked Luther. Luther nodded reluctantly and Diego whooped, pulling out a five from his wallet. “I wish you’d have let me watch.”

“I can’t take credit for that.” Five sighed and put the five in his pocket. Then he looked down at the dog and gave it a scratch beneath his chin. “Mr. Pennycrumb decided to do that all by himself. I’m very proud of him.”

His siblings laughed.

 Evil. They were all evil. Dad had been trying to raise them to fight villains, but he’d been raising them all along.

His siblings would probably argue that their dad was the real villain.

It was still hard to admit that they might be right.

“Does he at least have all his shots?” Luther sighed and crossed his arms. Five shrugged until Allison shoved at his shoulder.

“Fine, of course he has them. I’m not a monster.” Five rolled his eyes. “Better question: do you? I wouldn’t want him to get sick.”

Luther sputtered as his family waited patiently for his response. “What the hell? I’m not an animal. You should care more about me; I’m your brother.”

Five sighed and stroked Mr. Pennycrumb. “I suppose you’re right. You’re my least favorite though.”

“Brother?”

“Sibling, but if it makes you feel better to think the former, then feel free to do so. They’re both technically accurate.”

Allison giggled and when Luther shot her an offended look, she straightened up and swatted at Five. “Be nice to him. We’re all working to be better.”

Five made an ‘eh’ gesture with his free hand. “No promises.”

“C’mon Five. Don’t be like that.” Vanya told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with a face that reminded Luther of a little kid being told to go to bed. “We’re a family. Families are nice to each other.”

“Whatever.” Five said, moodily. He turned to Luther and stuck out his tongue. “Sorry for being an asshole…I guess.”

What a little shit. Luther hated him.

Isn’t that how it went with brothers though? One moment you hate them and in the next you’d die for them? Luther hoped that sentiment went both ways.

“Luther, come over here.” Five ordered suddenly. “Mr. Pennycrumb wants to apologize.”

Luther didn’t believe that for a second. The dog hadn’t quit barking since Five had picked him up. Its little eyes looked like they were thirsty for blood.  

Five sighed loudly. “I didn’t know you were such a coward, Luther. Are you really afraid of a puppy?”

“Ooh, he’s calling you out, leader.” Klaus laughed. “You’re going to let small fry here talk to you like that?”

 Luther rolled his eyes and took careful steps over to Five. He didn’t want to get bit again and especially not in front of Diego.

That asshole probably had a camera tucked away into that ridiculous suit of his, just waiting for Luther to screw up.

He stopped a few feet away, in reach if he stretched his arm out, but far enough away that he could jump back if the vicious little thing tried anything.

He wasn’t just talking about the dog.

“Mr. Pennycrumb.” Five said, holding the dog up to his face. They made eye contact and the dog went silent, wagging his tail and even tried to lick his face. Five smiled at him and then let his face smooth out to stern again. “This is Luther. Don’t bite him. He’s rude and big, but he’s alright. I guess. Everyone else around here thinks so anyway, even Diego. You like Diego, right?”

Five turned the dog to face Diego. The man waved at the dog and reached out to pat his head. Five turned the dog to Luther and he saw it begin to growl.

“Hey!” Five snapped and turned the dog back to face him. “We just went over this. Luther is good. Friendly. Be nice.”

“Five, maybe you shouldn’t have trained him to hate Luther.”

Luther wishes he was surprised to hear that, but it was too in character for Five to do that. Asshole.

“Diego, I would never train my dog to hate any of my brothers. I trained him to attack strangers who enter the house. We’re in the house and he doesn’t know Luther.” Five explained impatiently. “That’s why I’m introducing him.”

“I think he just might not like him though.” Five added after a moment of contemplation. “I can’t force him to like you. You’ll just have to earn his trust.”

“Maybe he thinks Luther’s the alpha.” Klaus cut in with a giggle. “God, imagine them just fighting it out in the courtyard. My money’s on Pennycrumb.”

“Shut up.” Luther said, crossing his arms. “I’m not the alpha.”

“Yeah we all know that.” Diego told him kindly. “You’re too dumb to lead. You’re big enough though.”

“Guys, lay off him.” Vanya said. Luther felt touched. Of all his siblings, she had the most reason to hate him and here she was defending him. “Mr. Pennycrumb’s wounded his pride enough tonight.”

Never mind all his siblings were traitors. He didn’t have to deal with this on the moon.

Still, it was nice to see them all in the same room without anyone shouting (for the most part).

Luther let his gaze fall on Five. The boy was holding the dog securely to his chest. It was the closest he’d let anyone get to him.

He’d had problems with touch, the others had told him. He hadn’t noticed it before they pointed it out. Then, it was all he could notice. Five would linger at the edge of the group. When they sat at the table, he was careful not to bump elbows with anyone.

Luther watched as Diego messed up his hair and how Klaus leaned against his shoulder, the way they used to as kids.

If Five was as messed up as everyone thought, then this was progress, right? Even if he still ducked away from their hugs or snapped at them to go away every so often. Even if he only talked to Luther some days through angry notes that softened the longer he sat there.

He kept the notes in his desk.

They were nice reminders that his brother was back. Not quite the same, but that was okay. He still liked this one. Even if his demon dog tried to take his life and he was an asshole. Sometimes siblings were just like that.

Luther was okay with that.

5. Ben

It’s hard to watch your family mend itself without you.

Don’t get him wrong, he was glad they were getting their shit together. They needed it more than anyone else he can think of.

He was especially proud of Klaus, though that’s a little biased considering how much time they spent together.

Being dead and having a brother who could speak to the dead would do that to you.

When he died, he’d felt so…cheated. He was young. He was supposed to grow up and leave the Academy just like Five did, just with more of a plan.

And then just like that, it was over. One moment he’s writhing in pain and the next, he’s watching Klaus throw up into a toilet and sobbing.

Not the most pleasant transition.

Klaus had looked at him and sobbed harder, swinging his hand through Ben until he fizzed out. That hurt a lot more than the dying, he thought. At least that had happened at the hands of someone who couldn’t claim to be his brother.

Cheated felt like the best term for being stuck with Klaus at first. He’d been ignored for a few years until one day Klaus couldn’t ignore him anymore, high or not.

Ben had always been a little stubborn. Death had only served to strengthen that it seemed.

“Hey, Klaus?” He asked suddenly. Klaus turned from the toaster to grin at Ben.

“Yes, brother of mine?” He responded. “Is there something troubling you? You’re usually a lot quieter in the mornings.”

He hadn’t always. Before Klaus got sober, he’d have to be loud to even get a scrap of attention. There was also the fact that when Klaus wasn’t sober, he was less careful about where he slept.

There were too many times he almost watched something awful happened and he couldn’t do anything but yell at Klaus to get up, to get out.

“I was wondering…I want to hang out with Five today.” Ben said, hands shoved into his pocket. If they weren’t Klaus might be able to see how he couldn’t keep them still.

“Hmm,” Klaus hummed, drumming his fingers against the countertop. “It won’t be for long, you know. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Ben wasn’t. There was nothing worse than being mid conversation only for the other person’s face to drop and to ask what happened.

Still, it wasn’t fair that everyone else had been formally introduced to Mr. Pennycrumb and he hadn’t. He’d been there when Klaus had dumped the dog in Five’s room, but that wasn’t the same. The dog hadn’t even known he was there, despite all the urban legends about dogs being able to see spirits.

“I’m sure.” Ben nodded. He stood from his spot and walked over to Klaus. “Whenever he’s up. I just…you know.”

“I know.” Klaus told him. “Man, have waffles always taken this long? I swear it never used to be this long.”

They’ve always been this long. Klaus just didn’t have any patience.

“I don’t know. Maybe the toaster’s getting old.”

“Maybe.” Klaus agreed. “God, I’m tired. Is this what it’s like to be an old man?”

“Calm down, you’re barely thirty. If you want to talk old, ask Five.” Ben smacked at Klaus, knowing he’d go right through. Klaus had been getting a better handle on his powers, but it was still a lot for him to make ghosts exist in the same plane.

Sometimes he could get a voice thing going on, like some sort of spirit phone call. He could hold it for about thirty minutes before things got crackly.

Or so he was told. On his end, things were always fine.

Manifesting fully was much trickier. Klaus could only hold on for five to ten minutes before having to crash out for the day.

He tended to save those for special moments or for when Ben asked. Ben didn’t normally ask.

The toaster went off and two waffles popped out. Klaus breathed them in and grinned.

“Do you think Five would appreciate being woken up to this?” He asked Ben, waving a waffle around. There were wisps of steam gently rising from it. Ben had no idea how he could just hold it in his hand so soon after it came out.

“Depends.” Ben shrugged and hopped off the counter. It got boring, just sitting around after a while. “How are you giving it to him?”

“I was thinking maybe just tossing it at him.” Klaus said, miming the action. “He liked catch when we were kids right?”

Ben could see so many problems arising from this train of thought. When Klaus got going though, it could be hard to derail him.

Better to just point him in another direction.

“You know who would probably enjoy that waffle?”

Klaus looked down at it, like he’d forgotten he was holding it. “Me?”

“Yeah, obviously.” Ben rolled his eyes. “I meant more than Five, since you seem so eager to share.”

“Oh.” Klaus thought about it for a moment. “I’d say Diego, but he isn’t here. Allison…no, she hates frozen food. Vanya doesn’t live here. I…think that’s everyone, right?”

“Luther?” Ben pointed out.

Klaus gasped, slapping both hands across his cheeks and the waffle crumbled against his face. Ben cringed at the sight of the crumbs rubbing against skin. There were worse things, he told himself.

“You’re absolutely right!” Klaus exclaimed, gently placing the other waffle on a plate. “This. This will be for Luther.”

Klaus grabbed the bottle of syrup he never bothered with himself and poured heaping globs of maple onto the waffle.

It looked sort of neat, but Luther hated sweets. He would have barely accepted the waffle before Klaus went and drowned it.

“Perfect?” Klaus asked, holding up the plate for Ben’s approval. Luther was going to hate it, especially if Klaus woke him up just for that.

“Perfect.”

Luther, predictably, did not enjoy the rude awakening. Better him than Five. One of them slept with a knife beneath their pillow and it wasn’t the one they’d bothered with a sticky waffle.

Kids are so charming these days, Klaus remarked to him after the first time Five attempted to slash his throat in the morning. Really just fills me with hope for the next generation.

It was about fifteen minutes after Luther had chased them away from his room, that Ben found himself walking up the stairs to where Five and his own room were.

He hadn’t been inside his room since he died. He didn’t see any reason to change that. There was nothing of his anymore; the boy who lined his desk with thick stacks of library books from the times he and Five snuck out, vhs tapes he left hidden between his mattress and the floor, the half-eaten donut he knows he left out before he went on that mission, wasn’t him anymore.

He could watch movies or read books with Klaus’s help, but it wasn’t the same as sneaking away to hole up in his room. There was no freedom to be found in trapping himself up there.

He wondered if Five would ever realize that.

Klaus knocked on Five’s door in some weird rhythm that Klaus only knew. Ben had tried asking him about it once, but Klaus had only laughed him off.

“Five!” He knocked. “Come open the door for your favorite brother!”

“You’re not my favorite.” Five answered simply. The door clicked open.

“Ah, who said I was talking about me?” Klaus twisted the door handle open and gestured at Ben. “Ben here has something to say.”

Five looked over warily to where Ben was standing. Ben waved.

“Is this a joke?” Five asked, turning his gaze onto Klaus. “It’s not a very funny one.”

Klaus held up a finger and shut his eyes. His hands began to glow bright blue and Ben felt like air was rushing into his lungs after being deprived of it for so long.

He gasped and waved again at Five.

This time he waved back. It wasn’t the most enthusiastic wave, but he figured they could work on that.

“Okay.” Klaus clapped his hands together. “I’ll leave you two to it. There’s not much time, so try and say anything important before then.”

Five nodded mutely, eyes never leaving Ben.

Mr. Pennycrumb sprinted up to Ben and began to jump against his knees. It felt strange to have something touch him and not go straight through.

Five watched as the dog did so, and it was like the realization smacked him in the face. His eyes widened and his mouth hung ajar.

Ben hadn’t seen Five look so open since they were kids and he’d shown him the public library. It was nice.

“Ben.” He whispered. “You’re here.”

“I am.” Ben agreed and reached down to pet at Mr. Pennycrumb. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Five opened his mouth again and cut himself off with a grin. “Yes, of course. Mr. Pennycrumb this is Ben, the only good one in this house. Ben this is Mr. Pennycrumb.”

And if they don’t say they miss each other that’s fine. They were never the most open with words.

Five’s hand brushes against his as they pet the dog. If Five wrapped his hand and squeezed tightly, then well that was nobody’s business but Ben’s.

+1. Klaus

“What the hell is that?” Five asked carefully, setting his book down almost reverently. If he overreacted now, he’d have to deal with his siblings nagging all day and though he loved a good argument, they didn’t so much as trade remarks as stubbornly repeat the same thing over and over. It got old very quickly.

One could only hear about how messed up they were before the reached a breaking point. Five was certain he lost his point somewhere in a time full of decay and rust. Fire and ash swirled behind the doorway Klaus was leaning against and he shut his eyes and swallowed.

Better to stay focused on the problem in front of him. Klaus. Not ash, not death. Annoying old Klaus whose ribs might be too visible beneath his shirt, but was breathing, nonetheless.

“It’s a dog!” Klaus replied, holding up the puppy in his arms as though Five could have missed it wriggling in his arms. It wagged its tail at him, and saliva dripped down its face onto the floor of his room. Five felt his patience wearing thin as it darkened against his carpet.

“I can see that.” Five bit out. “Why is it here? And why are you showing me?”

“It’s for you!” Klaus said and promptly pressed the animal into his arms. It licked at his cheek, tongue wet and slimy. Five looked down at the dog and felt something loosen in his chest.

A dog, huh. That wasn’t entirely a bad idea.

He’d always wanted a dog when he was a kid, thinking that it would be much better company than the animals that lived on the floor below him (aside from Vanya, of course). It was sort of cute too; gold fur that looked a little worse for wear, but who didn’t look like that these days?

Five’s rumpled clothes and greasy hair spoke volumes to that statement. Plus, it looked smart, even as it drooled against his neck. Maybe he could bounce ideas off of it.

He used to do that with Dolores. She was happier now, had to be. When he saved his family that included her too, and she’d always missed her friends. It was better to part.

He looked up at Klaus who watched him with expectant eyes and a smug grin. Five rolled his eyes and gently stroked at the dog’s fur. It sniffed curiously at his hands and tried to jump up at his face again.

“This was really nice of you.” Five reluctantly admitted, keeping his eyes focused two feet to the left of Klaus. “Where’d you find it?”

Klaus grins. “He was eating some food outside the dumpster and it reminded me of you for some reason.”

Five scowled at him and huffed. He hadn’t done that since the first week after the apocalypse had been averted and it had just been from the top of the trash can.

Whoever had thrown away their plate of eggs should have just left it in the fridge. Five would have eaten it later.

Plus, it had been mostly instinct. Food that looked relatively good and spoiled fast needed to be consumed as quickly as possible.

He hadn’t realized how weird it must look to walk in on a man eating out of the trash. He vaguely remembered Klaus doing something similar during those first few days back. He’d eaten a bagel.

“That’s more similar to you, don’t you think Ben?” Five said looking around for him. He hoped the dresser was as good a place as any; Klaus said Ben liked to sit.

“Ben does not agree.” Klaus said immediately and then hissed to his left. Five smiled and waved in the direction.

“Ben says hi and that I should tell you to wash your face since the garbage dog just licked it. I’m inclined to agree.” Klaus continued pointing at Five’s cheek.

Five blinked and felt the saliva crusting where the dog had managed to lick him. It felt gross.

He scrubbed at his cheek and neck where it had slid down, feeling somehow absolutely disgusted despite the fact that he hadn’t left his room in almost a week aside from sneaking into the kitchen for dinner or the bathroom.

“His name isn’t garbage dog.” Five said as he got up to head to the bathroom.

“Oh?” Klaus said. “Got any names lined up? Dolores maybe?”

“If you say her name again, I’ll kick your teeth out.” Five said, feeling anger thrum in his fists. His threadbare patience had finally reached its limit it seemed. His heart felt like it was pounding in them instead of his chest and his vision felt tinted red. “Got it?”

He took a breath and stalked down the hall to the bathroom. He was about halfway there when he heard something chasing after him.

“Are you fucking serious?” He hissed and turned around to glare at Klaus. There was no one there. He looked down.

The puppy was lying in front of him, little paws folded up and tongue hanging lazily out of his mouth.

“Get lost.” He told it. “I’m not in the mood. Go bother the asshole at the end of the hall.”

The dog didn’t react, but it put its tongue back in his mouth. Five didn’t know what that meant.

“Fine, whatever.” He shoved his hands into his pocket. “I’ll take you to the shelter tomorrow. I don’t trust Klaus to not just put you back where he found you.”

He opened the bathroom door and before the puppy could follow him, he slammed it closed. For a moment he worried that he’d slammed it on the dog, but since there was no whimper or blood leaking beneath the door, he figured it was fine.

He turned the faucet all the way on and the sound of rushing water filled his ears.

When he walked out five minutes later, he was expecting to be alone. He’d calmed down for the most part, but he felt like a firework about to pop.

People were the last thing he wanted to see right now.

The dog is still sitting there, though it seemed to have fallen asleep. Its eyes were shut, and it was curled up snugly against the door frame.

Five sighed and gently picked it up. It didn’t stir; just shifted in his arms so its legs were better supported.

“You’re a dumb dog, you know that?” Five told it as he made his way down the hall. The dog said nothing in reply. Not that he expected it to. It’s only a dog. “Anyone else and I might have cursed them out. Maybe not Vanya.”

The dog snuffled against his chest.

“Yeah, you’re pretty dumb. You any good at math?” He asked, gently swinging open the door to his room. “We can work on some stuff together. You’re a pretty good listener. I think we can do some great things together.”

Five set the dog at the edge of his bed. There was plenty of space for both of them. Five quietly climbed into bed, throwing a sheet over his legs.

He’d apologize to Klaus tomorrow. Not for what he said; he meant that and would do exactly as promised if he said something like that again.

He understood though. Klaus was trying. This was his way of helping.

The dog shuffled against his leg. It was a good way of helping.

“You seem like a Mr. Pennycrumb.” Five told him, shutting his eyes. “Weird name, but it’s okay. That means we match. I rather like the idea of that.”

Tomorrow he’d apologize and maybe he’d leave the house. Mr. Pennycrumb would need some things. For now, he shut his eyes and took an easy breath in. He wasn’t alone, but there also wasn’t any pressure to put up any pretenses.

He could simply close his eyes and sleep.

Tomorrow would be better. Tomorrow he’d do better.

And Mr. Pennycrumb would be right at his side.