"You called the police?" Five commented tiredly but still with a hint of amusement as he snuck out the back door of the store. The sounds of the shop alarm ringing off beat with the sirens of the three police cars pulled up round the front. The brunette was a bit sweaty and rumpled while Peter merely looked windswept. He grinned at the boy but picked up on the other's somber mood.

"Are you okay?" 

Five scowled at him for a second before deflating with a sigh. Wordlessly he held out his arms and the blonde stepped closer to let them wrap around him. "Fine. Lost the knife though. Just take me home". 

"That I can do Darling". It was a testament to how tired Five was that he didn't protest the endearment. Peter hugged the brunette closer to him as he lifted them up into the air and away from the crime scene. The chill of the night air making Five shiver. It never seemed to affect Peter but that must be something to do with his ability. He always seemed to adapt well to cooler temperatures. So he just hugged Five closer and sped up. 

It wasn't a long flight across the city and soon they were landing gently down on the street outside the Hargreeves manor. Peter let Five pull away and followed after the boy as he pulled open the doors and trudged inside. Peter pulling the door shut behind them. 

Allison and Luther were closing the upstairs landing when Five made it to the top of the stairs followed by Peter floating just behind. They took in the two boy's rumpled states. Five still sweaty and visibly exhausted. "Five? What the hell happened to you?" She stated. 

"Are you okay? Cane we help?" Luther reached out but Peter was there and catching the big man's arm before it touched Five's skin. 

"No". He spoke firmly. "Not now". He knew Five wouldn't appreciate the touch in his current mood. He had learnt this lesson a few times. 

"There's nothing you can do. There's nothing any of you can do". Five's words started angry and bitter but the second sentence held a note of defeat. He turned to go. "Let him go", he ordered. Peter dropped Luther's arm and followed along behind his husband. Like he always did. 

That night Five dreamt of finding his sibling's bodies. He came gasping awake in the early hours of the morning. Fingers a death grip on Peter's stolen sleep shirt. His pulse running high and eyes wide until it landed on Peter's sleep slackened face. The blonde curled up on the single bed at his side. Cheek smushed into Five's shoulder and breath soft and even. Deep asleep his usual way. Five doubted anything less than him screaming in the boy's ear could wake him. 

Still, it was comforting in a way. It was easy to slow his breaths down to match the slow wave of Peter's. The ever present furnace of Peter's body within his orbit, either pressed to his side like currently or floating in his vicinity, was like having a shadow he knew would take a bullet for him. (That had happened once. During a job. Peter had almost died if it wasn't for his abilities). It grounded Five in a way that only ever thinking and reminding himself of his family had done before. 

He guessed that this was why he often thought Peter was a hallucination, a mere trick of his brain. People like him did not get loyal curly hair blonde boys with English accents and an obsession with a children's book character. He didn't deserve a boy, or the man he had been and would be, who would kill and die and live for him. Out of all the places Peter could have ended up back in the apocalypse, he just so happened to choose to fly over the ocean to New York and find Five. The chances were so low that it was insane that they had met. The whole dead world and still the last two boys alive had found each other. That shouldn't have happened. Not to Five who had abandoned his family. 

Yet here Peter was. Asleep curled around Five's form like the brunette was a body pillow just for the blonde's comfort. Arms thrown around his waist and one leg hooked over his. So deep asleep that the kiss Five pressed into his hair didn't even make him stir. 

He watched the dawn light creep between the curtains like that. Peter snoring ever so softly at his side. Watched the room change from dark to gloomy. Then he was wriggling himself free to get prepared for the day. Peter curling himself around a pillow to make up for the absence. He looked so young and soft, almost innocent if you didn't know the fifty seven year old man in his head, that Five almost felt bad about waking him up with a cup of cold water to the face. Almost. The yelp Peter let out and the whining "Darling" was worth it. 

------------------------

Klaus was dumpster diving when Five pulled open his window and Peter levitated them both to the ground of the alley. Washed and with new sets of uniforms on, the blonde's still missing a tie and characterised by the hoodie, they were almost ready to face the day. Peter even had a large green backpack half the size of him on his back for whatever Five had planned. Not that the brunette had shared yet. 

"Hey!" Klaus spotted them as they landed. Head and shoulders poking out of the dumpster to grin at them. "There are easier ways out of the house, buddy. But I guess the is the most convenient when you can fly". He made a wishy-washy hand gesture as if to try and symbolise Peter's flying. 

"This one involved the least amount of talking. Or so I thought", Five replied. He was in much better spirits than last night and Peter wondered what he had been thinking about. 

"Hey hey hey", Klause leaned against the edge of the bin with a flask of something probably highly alcoholic in one hand. "You two need anymore company today? I could clear my schedule". He took a swig and Peter decided that he didn't want to know what was in that flask. 

"We're fine", he grinned. 

"Looks like you've got your hands full", Five stated. 

"Oh this? No no. I can do this whenever. I'm just-" The sentence was broken by Klaus slipping and disappearing back into the bin with a loud clatter. Peter sniggered. "I just misplaced something. That's all", his voice came echoing up. "Oh! Found it! Thank god!" Then he reappeared with a half a plain bagel in his hand. He took a slow bite, chewing dramatically. "Delicious!" 

"I am done funding your drug habit". Five turned to go. 

"Come on! Maybe I just want to hang out with my brother and adorable new brother in law.  Bye Peter!" He waved. Peter turned around to wave back at him. 

"He's my favourite out of your siblings so far", he commented as they hit the Main Street. 

"Don't worry. He'll ruin that eventually", Five huffed. "You would have liked Ben", he added after a second. "He would have been your favourite". 

"Would he?" Peter hummed. "I am sorry I never got to meet him then". 

"Yeah", Five sighed. "Me too". 

unedited 

Bit more into Five's thoughts on Peter. Hope this gives more clarity into their relationship. 

I love that five is a grouchy old man but also a massive romantic. We see it in canon with his devotion to Delores. I want to show a bit in here too.