umbrellajackassery | Open | Chose your adventure

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Open | Chose your adventure

1- We're canceling the apocalypse

The world ended.

Twice.

And both times, that wasn't quite right with Five Hargreeves. So he got back in time to change it, taking his family with him. They were, after all, the ones to blame for the long list of mistakes that culminated in their sister blowing up the moon. If Vanya was the bomb and Harold Jenkins was the fuse, Reginald Hargreaves was without a doubt the maker of the explosive. They had to do better this time and they had to do it together.

Time traveling was a messy business, more so when you were doing it in a rush and without the proper calculations. But they made it back in time to the morning of their father's funeral, in one piece against all odds, and after some trouble, their brother Ben was back with them.

His family was alive, hurt but whole.

Five gave a small smile before his eyes rolled back into his head and he promptly passed out from the effort, nose bleeding.

2 - (You Give Me) Fever, In the morning child, Fever all through the night

A few days later, the pain in his body had yet to subside and Five wondered if it could be a permanent effect of time traveling. You could only gamble with time so much until it started getting pissed off at you. His family was still dealing with the last week's events, either mourning, keeping to themselves or thinking about the future, but everything was relatively stress-free.

For the past 40 years, Five has never lived a single day that wasn't pressure-packed. And now, his body has decided that ey, this would be the perfect moment to crash. Bright lights made his eyes burn and increased his headaches, his throat hurt so much that he had stopped eating, his cheeks were constantly flushed and he felt hot a minute and freezing the next.

But the worse of all was that he sneezed.

Actually, the worst of all was that the sneezing made him space jump without intent or control. So far he had accidentally teleported himself to the basement, atop the kitchen's fridge, to the bar -knocking several bottles in the process-, to their mother's lap while she was sitting in front of the paintings, and into the bathtub.

The alarmed and frustrated shriek that Five gave out could be heard all around the house after a sneeze had teleported him to the chandelier, leaving him holding onto it for dear life several feet above the ground.

3- Another One Bites The Dust

When tiredness got too much or he had accidentally teleported himself somewhere, Five gave up and slept. Never in his room, if he could avoid it. He hadn't used it for decades and it was a reminder of the life he had lost, filled with books and toys and memories of a lost innocence that felt unpleasant.

Vanya's room was spartan and clean in all ways Klaus' wasn't but both reflected their owners and brought Five a sense of comfort, familiarity. Allison's bed was the comfiest, a soft mattress and softer pillows, while Luther had the biggest one. Five liked to curl into a ball in the middle of it and let himself feel small for once.

Diego and Ben's rooms hadn't been used in some time but Grace made sure to keep them both clean and they had signs of his sibling's personalities all over the place. A peaceful sleep still didn't come easy, though, with the fever only making his usual nightmares worse.

4- Wildcard

[ Do you want Five anywhere? Feel free to write your own starter, I'll adapt! ]

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Specific but sadly accurate. Five gives him a glare but he doesn't even have enough energy to keep that up. He takes the second pill with a shaky hand.

"It's cold in the house, the insulation always has been shit." After medicating himself, he leaves the glass on the table, reaches for the covers over his legs and drags them up to his shoulder, curling on his side. "I'm fine, just tired. Your room's warmer than mine."

He looks at Klaus pursing his lips and okay, that looks like a pout, but he would swear it's not. He's also silently hoping Klaus won't argue because while Five knows he's pushing it, that with not showing any intentions of leaving the bed at all, he feels rather miserable.

He's about to give him a hard time about it, honestly, but it isn't as if Five hasn't already shown on several occasions to care for him. When the teen wraps himself up in the blankets Klaus just shifts, rolling onto his side so that he can continue to keep an eye on his brother.

"I mean, you're right about that. Paper thin walls." He's sure everyone heard all his dirty laundry during his teen years (not that he cares, honestly).

He drops the back of his head to the back of Five's neck absently -- he knows that's one of the places that cool skin feels best when you're feverish like this -- and then decides, grudgingly, "If you're tired, then get some sleep. I'll crash whether you're in here or not." Which is almost certainly not true, but it's the thought that counts ... right?

They can leave the snarking for another day, hopefully after both had much-needed sleep and don't feel like they're dying.

It's strange for Five to stay this close in such a narrow space with someone else, or at least this close with someone who breathed and moved, unlike certain mannequin lady that was his only company for so many years. He's not sure if he likes it but it's not as threatening as he imagined.

"It wasn't always bad. I could hear Vanya playing the violin from my room." It was soothing and even if she was still learning, he could tell their sister had the skill to be breathtaking with her music. Funny how terribly right he's been about that.

Talking only this briefly had drained any energy Five has managed to regain, he gives Klaus one last wary look after that affirmation but closes his eyes again. His brother's forehead resting against him makes the boy stiff in surprise for a second before he relaxes. That's...kind of nice. " Thank you."

"Mm. And I could hear Diego's shitty taste in music," he mutters, letting his eyes slide shut now that he's settled behind him on the bed. Sure, now he's the one who's got the makeshift covers to contend with, but his coat is practically a blanket on a bad day, anyway.

True to his word, it really isn't long until he falls asleep -- although he won't stay out for long, if past history is anything to go by. Hopefully Five's sleep is a little more restful and restorative.

Five's reply is an amused, soft huff. God that was terrible, he remembers now and somehow it's one of these memories he had forgotten about Diego after so many years away from his family.

There's so many things missed and forgotten that spending time with his family both hurts and helps. But now, staying like this with Klaus is nice, sickness notwithstanding, and Five soon falls sleep.

Sure enough, Klaus sleeps for just over an hour before he's waking up with a start, sweating cold bullets and snapping himself up to sit in a way that makes him wince the moment that he remembers he isn't alone.

"Shit," he mutters quietly, bringing a shaking hand to rub over his forehead and trying to calm down his breathing so he can focus enough to figure out whether he's managed to disturb Five or if his brother is so deep in fever-sleep that he's stayed asleep. He's hopeful for the former, selfishly, even if the latter is what would be better for Five.

The movement jostles Five away, his usual alertness dampened by how sluggish sleep and the sickness are making his movements.

"Wha..." The boy shifts and leans on his arms to look up. Five's hair is mussed and his eyes are tired when he finally managed to focus them on Klaus. His brother doesn't look good, which get Five more alert in seconds. "Is everything all right? Did I get you sick...?"

Well, double shit.

He makes a soft half-whine and puts his hand over his mouth both to stifle the sound and to quell any residual nausea that he might have, shaking his head insistently as he looks over to Five.

God, he still looks terrible. "-- nah. 's fine, man. Didn't mean to wake you."

"S'ok. You look like crap too."

Protectiveness over his siblings trumped uncomfortable sickness, even if Five's bedside manners still needed some work. He reaches out to press his hand against Klaus' forehead to check for a fever.

"Do you want some water?"

No fever -- only sweaty, clammy skin. The hand against his forehead is nice, though, and he leans minutely into it while he focuses on his heartbeat.

"Yeah. Yeah, I should get some water..." Because obviously he's in a fine state to get out of the bed. It wouldn't be the first time he'd half-staggered down the hallway to the bathroom to drink or splash water on his face or dunk into the bath to try and shake off voices, even.

Five can't possibly be much colder than Klaus, that with his own elevated temperature, but it's more clear to him now the other man's shivers are due to some sort of night terrors.

"Stay. I'm rested enough for a jump or two now. The pills helped." .

Father pushed him this much when he was little and had just discovered his power. The man wanted to know how many jumps Five could make in a row, what distance he could cover, if freezing or scalding temperatures affected the jumps...Funny days, those. He couldn't even walk after the experiments, now it wasn't so bad.

He waits a few more seconds before retreating his hand, a blue glow surrounding him before Five is gone. If there's the sound of a chair falling coming from the kitchen, well...little accident happens.

When the boy comes back, he's holding a tray with a big jug of water, so they don't have to repeat this later if they get thirsty, and a small, two clean glasses full of water and a damp towel. He leaves the tray on the bedside table pretty quickly, it's heavy and it doesn't look like Five is really able to handle its weight for much longer.

"There..." One of the glasses is offered to Klaus and with his left hand, Five grabs the towel and presses it against his brother's nape.

Klaus is just about to protest when Five goes off on one of his jumps. He shouldn't be surprised, based on how their father had always treated their training, but that doesn't mean he likes the idea of him going off when he's still ill.

He's back without incident (more or less) quickly enough, though, and Klaus puts one hand over Five's once he settles the towel against the back of his neck, the other around the water glass.

"...thanks." And then he's blowing breaths through pursed lips like he knows he ought to to calm down. He's 90% of the way there.

"Don't mention it." He really means that because if Klaus went to his other siblings and told them anything about this, Five would either die of embarrassment or kill him.

With his hand now free after his brother takes the glass, Five runs delicate fingers trough Klaus' messy hair. He massages the scalp gently without saying a word, giving as much comfort as he can offer. The teen's body is shaking slightly, he's back to being cold after his little trip to the kitchen, but he doesn't seem to mind being out of bed. He already overstayed and knows that he should leave Klaus to rest in his own bed once the man is feeling better.

"Like any of them would believe you ended up in here and actually got taken care of for a bit." He laughs, even if it's edged with bitterness, and tilts his head absently into the touch to his hair.

"You going to get back in here? I was comfortable." Not a lie, but also definitely a way to manipulate Five into getting some more rest.

"Fair point." Vanya would believe it, she's seen him show at least one (1!) emotion every now and then. But she's also one of the few Five doesn't mind knowing that he actually has a little heart.

His hand stills on Klaus's hair. He can read the second intentions behind that harmless question. It's manipulation but it also gives Five an excuse to be where he really wants to be without making it all awkward. the corner of his lips twitches briefly, another almost smile.

"Can't let you freeze, can't it? Big brother responsibility and all that." He scratches Klaus's scalp one last time and then gives his nape a comforting squeeze. Maneuvering inside an already occupied bed is never an easy task, more so when your body feels sluggish as if your bones are filled with lead, but Five manages it without jolting them too much. He rubs at his eyes, trying to keep himself awake.

Klaus snorts. "You ever think about how I'm the second-oldest now, by technicality?" Because obviously, as something that set them apart from their siblings, it would be something that Klaus would mention in an argument with any of the others.

He barely suppresses a squeak when Five rubs his eyes -- it's cute, all right? -- and covers it with a cough, shuffling so that he can pull up the blankets and then drape that arm over Five.

"Yes, that's true. Please remind Luther at the first opportunity." Even if they were all born on the same day, the man often acts as an older brother who demands to be listened to. Five knows Luther tries so hard because of their father's treatment but it gets irritating every now and then.

The hand is lowered and Five stares t Klaus suspiciously after that noise. He better don't dare to call him cute or anything equally embarrassing. The boy's stare isn't as effective as usually, that with his hair being mussed and he half asleep. But that's not important now.

"Do you want to talk about it? About what woke you up?"

"Don't worry, it's definitely on my to-do list." He'd been hoping that Five was still delirious enough not to want to talk to him about the little event that he'd just had, but apparently he's not that lucky (when has he ever been lucky?). He sighs, glancing up at the roof.

"Talking about it's never helped, despite what all those court-mandated therapists insisted upon." He chews the inside of his cheek a moment. "I mean, sure. You tell them your dad locked you up to get rid of your fear of death and they'll tell you that's traumatic, but you can't very well tell them about the part where you got ghosts following you around, you know?" He's sure doing a lot of talking for someone who says it doesn't help.

Five's not asking just to annoy Klaus, he only has a simple idea of what his brother's powers are and most of that bows down to 'those powers sucked'. So he wants to understand them a bit better and see if that could help Klaus in some way.

"I know. But you can tell me, I believe you." Five's voice sounds a bit like a croak, so he doesn't raise it to make himself easier to understand. "Do they just scream? Or they want something from you? Perhaps there's a way to convince them to leave you alone."

And now Five sounds like Ben. He knows he wants to help, but it's --

"Yeah. Yeah. I've tried that shit, Five." He wonders if the whole family thinks he turned to drugs right away, or whether any of them remember when he was younger -- how often he woke up screaming, or went to bed screaming, or just -- put his hands over his ears, no matter where they were. Maybe they'd all just assumed he was dramatic.

"They're not all the same. It's not -- that easy."

To be fair, Five wasn't here when Klaus started with the hard ways of dealing with ghosts, so he has no idea what methods the other man has tried.

"Ah, sorry." He doesn't fault Klaus for being annoyed, his brother most likely heard all this before, it's only that Five honest to god doesn't know better. Doesn't know what to do to make it better and he hates that.

Klaus winces. He's not as bad as Diego for putting his foot in his mouth, but he's a near second -- and he does forget that Five wasn't there, sometimes, for the worst of it.

"I -- appreciate it, Five. I do." He sighs, drops his forehead down against his brother's shoulder. "I just..." What, exactly? Always feel too weak? Don't know what to do? Want to give up so I'll get to see Dave again?

All those things, but what he says is, "Can't deal with the war on top of that."

He wished he had been, not just because the Apocalypse was a living nightmare on its own, but because living with their dad for so long really ruined his siblings. Reginal and Five already butted heads when he was a kid, it would have only gotten worse with age. Maybe that would have distracted his father from torturing the others, they will never know.

"I know it's a lot." Five tilts his head towards Klaus when the man leans on him, this time not bothered by the contact even if it surprises him. He even leans into it so Klaus' head is resting on him more comfortably.

"You don't have to do anything, Klaus. Just try to be, one day at time." Just survive until tomorrow, that was his short term plan back when he was stuck in the future. "Sometimes we are too powerless to do much more than that, and that's ok. If you need to talk about it, we will listen. If you rather not, we will be here too. I...I will be."

They'd all butted heads with Reginald in their own ways, really -- except Luther, Ben -- Klaus had become more brazen with his rebellion, Diego had become more and more of a belligerent brat, Allison had gotten away from them as quickly as possible ... Five being there wouldn't have changed that, as far as Klaus is concerned.

He notes the way Five settles, the way his brother leans back against him this time. It feels strange in the best way, the easy comfort and the fact that he actually believes him when he says he'll be there. His breath comes out shaky, but he brings a hand up to squeeze Five's shoulder.

"Okay. I hope you're excited to have sympathy nightmares," it's just barely teasing, but at least it's got some of the usual Klaus in those words.

Most likely not but Five still regrets missing so many chances to be with his family. Time traveling when he wasn't ready it's something caused by his own hubris, not his father's cruel meddling. We really are our own enemies.

"I have nightmares when I'm still awake, Klaus." Is the closest Five can get to admit he somewhat forgets where he is and that certain situations trigger his PTSD. But the point is that, yes, he will try his best to help Klaus handle them. "Maybe ours will cancel each other."

Open | Chose your adventure

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Maybe we can fade to black here...?