umbrellajackassery | [ Text

Klaus couldn't help but smile a little at the obvious concern, it wasn't the sort of thing he'd have thought Five capable of before he'd disappeared and even for a short time after he'd returned. But now... well, now he knew that Five was capable of it, but it still made him smile a little to actually see it in action.

He didn't draw attention to the fact, though, that would just be asking for trouble, instead he asked: "Have you thought of a name?"

Five never like to make it obvious when he like something or someone for the simple reason that in the past such thing had always been used against him. Their father did it, the Handler did it, and no doubt anyone who figured out he actually cared would use his loved ones to hurt him. It was safer for everyone involved if he kept it to himself. But the puppy would not think him weak and he trusts Klaus a little bit more than his other siblings, sans Vanya.

"Not yet." Five looks up, his face relaxed. "I was thinking about asking Vanya is she wants to name it. But since you are helping, I'm open for ideas." He pauses briefly, then adds. "No names of weird musicians or bands."

"There's always Irving, like Irving Berlin, wrote all those songs." He shrugged, leaning towards the street so he could see further along in the direction the bus would be coming from to see if he could spot it, "But you found him." He said even as he turned back to his brother, "Means you've got exclusive naming rights unless you decide to hand them off to someone else."

He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "That's just the rules, I don't make them up, but even I know what they are."

There was the faintest hum of approval coming from Five after the suggestion. Irving is not a bad name, he was expecting something worse like Snoop Dogg or Eminem.

"He's part of the family now." The boy looked down at the dog fondly, something about cute pets just happened to be one of Five's weakness. "We can name them all together, I don't mind. I already had to take all the decisions on my own for 40 years."

It had been tiring, there were days when Five really considered giving up completely. But the reason why he didn't was sitting next to him, smelling of cigarettes and cologne. A bus passed by but it was not the right number. Fives ignored it but it got the pup's attention and it started to yip at Klaus. "I think he wants you to hold him."

Klaus waved the bus driver off, giving a friendly-enough smile before turning back to Five and the puppy, almost concerned by the yipping at least until Five's statement and the still-wagging tail set in, and he grinned, picking the dog up carefully, "Hey buddy, it's okay, I'm still here, we're all going for a ride in a minute, means you're going to have to go back in the box when we do."

He set to rubbing the dog's face and ears gently even as he resumed talking to his brother, "You could always ask mom, she did pretty well with the rest of us, I think she could be trusted to name a dog."

What was with this family and waving goodbye Five will never figure it out but they all did it every now and then. The puppy calms down as long as it's held, trying to lick Klaus fingers and then wagging his tail and enjoying the petting. Maybe he missed his mom.

Five could understand the need for contact with another living creature and seeing Klaus dote on the dog makes him relax too.

"True. She also seems to be more ehm, natural now that dad's not around. Free. Did you notice too?"

He nodded, because he had noticed, at least in passing, though he did have to say: "I don't think that'll make her any worse at names, though. Just saying."

He was amused at the way the pup kept both trying to burrow into the crook of his arm, but still keep mouthing at his fingers at the same time, and Klaus just made the same whine whenever there was too hard a nip, and he wasn't sure if it was actually working or if the puppy just realized it had bitten too hard.

"I mean, really, what it comes down to, is what do you feel comfortable yelling through the house to get the little fella's attention?"

"She might be better at it now." The boy agreed, also noticing the playful dog. How anybody could have abandoned is was being Five. And people called him heartless...

"I don't like to yell." Not without a good reason and not on the regular but the truth is that Five was avoiding the question. He had no idea what would be a good name for the pup and he didn't want to mess it up.

Raising his chin after he saw another bus coming over, he stood up and tugged at Klaus's arm. "That's the one."

He nodded, "Yep, that's the one." He smiled down at the dog, petting its face again as he set it back in the box, "Okay buddy, here you go, our ride's coming so we've got to make sure you're contained or they won't let us get on." He didn't think that was the case entirely, as long as one of them was holding onto the dog it would probably be fine, but he also didn't want to risk it.

He knew that Five was skirting the question of a name, and so he was willing to let it go for the time being, since it wasn't terribly important in the long run.

The puppy harrumphed, still trying to chase Klaus's fingers around but when they started to move it fell on his butt and miraculously stayed put as Five paid for the bus tickets. Once they were seated, the boy seemed more at ease.

"I really hope he's not chipped." Five would really want to keep the dog and to be honest, he wasn't beyond stealing it if the pup turned out to be chipped. If he had an owner already, clearly they weren't very responsible.

Five is mostly silent the rest of the trip, either listening to Klaus chat, watching him play with the dog, and making sure the pup stays into the house. When they arrive at the vet clinic, the woman at the reception gives them a curious look and Five, for once, isn't sure where to start.

Klaus didn't have much better idea, but he at least knew what angle to play, letting Five keep hold of the box with the puppy in it, steering him towards the check-in counter with a hand on his shoulder, giving the woman there an easy smile, "Hi, my kid brother found this puppy under a dumpster? We just want to make sure it didn't run away from anybody, and, obviously, if nobody's actually looking for the little guy, we'd kind of like to keep him? Be good for the kid to have some responsibility, so we'd need to know what we'd have to do so we could, do that?"

Somehow he'd managed to get through all of that without sounding like a complete idiot, without stumbling over his words too badly, and without sounding like he was lying through his teeth and making it up as he went along.

He kept the box closer to his chest, trying not to stare at the woman too suspiciously and actually look like a kid of his (body) age. It wasn't something he enjoyed doing but it would be the quickest way to get the pup checked without being questioned. His eyebrows raised at the 'responsibility' bit but the woman seemed to buy it and Five was impressed at how convincing Klaus sounded. She typed on her computer for a bit and told them they could wait in the nearby room, she would call them as soon as possible.

"Ever considered acting?" Five told his brother as soon as they were sitting in the veterinary Waiting Room. "That was pretty good. And when we went to Meritech Prosthetics, you fooled that man too."

He gave her another smile and thanked her before steering Five towards a spot in the waiting room, letting his hand fall away from Five's shoulder, knowing that he got prickly about being touched.

He shook his head a little at the question, "No, I mean, everybody knows when I'm lying, and that's all acting is, right? It's easy when it's mostly true." Even if it was something he had to make true himself, like with slapping Five in the face at Meritech. This time it just happened to be more true, because Five had found the dog, did want to make sure no one else already owned it and definitely wanted to keep it. Klaus had just embellished a little in ways designed to garner sympathy, because that was something he was good at.

Touches weren't Five's favorite thing but so far the ones he shared with his family had been harmless and he was slowly getting used to them. He didn't (always) immediately pull away or grabbed the person making an attempt at touching him, so his effort had to count for something right?

"You could get better at it, you're really not that bad. And we know when you lie because you re trying to hide something that might get you in trouble. There's not that added pressure to acting, it's done to entertain, not deceive."

That said, Five understood why his brother might not be comfortable with it. He just wanted to help his brother find some sort of hobby that could distract him. Sobriety was a bitch, Five knew it well, and it was always easy when your mind focused on something else than when was the last time you had a drink.

He nodded even as he settled where he could still converse with Five, but also so he could keep an eye on the front door and the welcome desk alike, reaching into the box to rub his fingers over the puppy's head again, more to distract himself than anything.

"Might be worth looking into, worst case it doesn't stick and I have to find something else to do, right?"

[ Text | Ota ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Time skipping this a bit, I hope it's okay!

Yup, totally

/Thanks!

no subject

no subject

no subject