a.n. I shouldn't have to clear this up but since it's wattpad I'm going to anyway, there is nothing romantic between y/n and five and there never will be. There is a 17+ year age gap and the dynamic is/always will be strictly platonic/familial-like.

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☂︎ 𝔱𝔰𝔲 | ❛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴇᴛ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ? ❜

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❛❛ 𝐘/𝐍 ❜❜

Your name had left his lips in a dying whisper that almost no one had heard over Diego's voice. Almost no one.

Klaus could see by the look in his brother's eyes he had recognized you. There was no denying it. And neither was there any denying the internal battle that was waging inside Five as time unpaused.

Vanya pushed herself out of her seat, everything in her stance including her movements was stuttering as she processed the news. Her mouth moved to try and form words but nothing came out at first.

"Is this...? Wait, you guys are--?" she shot you an apologetic look as she tripped over her words and grasped at her temples. "Uh, sorry. I'm having a little trouble comprehending all this. Um, Y/n?" She asked, making sure she heard right.

Cautiously, you nodded.

"Hi, I'm Vanya."

Your eyes fell curiously to her outstretched hand. But Vanya already pulled away, sending an apologetic smile as she put the pieces together. Looking to Diego for help, he merely shrugged from behind you. Just go with it, his eyes said. Please.

"Y/n, this is our brother, Five." Said Diego, both of you turned to Five.

He hadn't moved since you walked in.

You almost began to wonder if he moved at all. And if they were all the same age as Diego had said, why was he so young?

Before his brother could call him out in his silence, a new, flattened look fell over his face. He stood to his feet, returning his hands to his pockets where they normally rested. An all too different kind of surprise took over your face.

"You are a number? Like me?"

Before any of them could explain, Klaus watched with great curiosity as his brother took a sudden sharp breath in through his nose and gave a curt nod. Whatever was bothering him, he was stuffing it way down.

"Sorry, I wanna make sure I understand," he looked between you all with a concealed look of frustration in his eyes. "Are you saying you were... here?"

You nodded and Diego spoke up, his voice grim and tight. "Dad had locked her away in some special underground chamber. Says she's been there since '91. Can you believe that shit?"

His eyes fell back to you. "No. No, I can't."

"She's like us,"

"Did you say since '91?" Vanya said, her face stuck in an expression of shock. You nodded, and her voice fell in a whisper. "Oh, God,"

"If you'll excuse me,"

Five disappeared around the corner without another word, leaving you all in a state of perplexion. "Wh--! Five!" Diego scolds.

Klaus jumps up from the couch with unease, giving you all an offering glance. "I'll go see what the old man's so bothered about. Probably out of prune juice," he laughs nervously, abruptly turning on his heel and darting after Five to the front entrance.

You didn't understand this-any of what he said, or what just happened-but you found some comfort in Diego's behavior. Something about it seemed just as lost as you. Looking back at Vanya, she offered a sympathetic smile and shrugged.

"You'll have to excuse him," she says, fiddling anxiously with her hands. She seemed like a very nervous person to you. "He hasn't exactly been," she paused, looking for the right word. "himself...? Lately? It's difficult to explain."

Vanya had yet to understand your silence was normal, but you weren't exactly sure what to make of her point either. Frankly, you were still trying to adjust to the fact that you were here. And with so many people. You did however recognize her to the same extent the others felt familiar. Had she not been introduced as their sister you were sure you would have been able to recognize her as someone from up top.

"Not that it's any of my business-I mean, I'm not even sure what you all have talked about yet," she begins again. She looks eagerly between Diego and the others before her brown eyes land earnestly on you. "but I have contacts all over the city. If there's anything you need-anybody who you think might be looking for you--?"

"--No."

Everyone's eyes snapped to yours at your unexpected response. No words came as you had a stubborn staring match with the floors. Clearly, you were trying to avoid Vanya's gaze with your brows pulled in a frown, your e/c burning holes on a fixed spot on the carpet. Those who had met you only the night prior weren't as shocked as Vanya was.

Diego sent her a silent look from behind you and gave a small shake of the head. "Thank you-- Vanya," he forces the words. "We'll let you know if we need you."

Vanya flinched, clearly unhappy with the exchange but setting aside her feelings like she was so used to doing. Her eyes return to your shrunken-in form to study your body language; your arms were wrapped around your torso as your back stayed glued to Diego's side, your head still aimed at the carpet. You were shrinking away from the growing crowd-and in the house of your captor no less. Vanya suddenly felt all the more out of place.

Her opposite hand flies to her watch despite the words already leaving her drying lips. "It's almost two... I should," she points to the hall, her actions not unlike yours; she was shrinking back into herself. It almost saddened Diego. "I should get going. I have a private lesson scheduled for twenty-five after and it's too late to cancel, but-- please, any of you--" her eyes venture the room. "let me know if there's anything I can do."

Surprised, and packing away the guilt itching to be known, Diego gives his sister a reluctant nod. He isn't unaware of the linger Vanya's eyes leave on Allison, or the passing glance at Luther before she hurriedly takes her leave.

It's quiet as the latter share a wordless exchange before departing to the hall, but Diego pulls the two of you to the side regardless. It's then you hear the low husk of his voice, soft, as it normally was, around you.

"How you holding up?" He searches your eyes-relieved to see they have no trouble meeting his-the familiar expression you normally wore told him what he already guessed. He repeated his question. "Are you doing okay so far, I know that must be a lot...?"

It was clear as you finally looked up from the floor and into Diego's eyes you weren't trying very hard to mask your suspicions. A small tilt of your head as you observed his features for any kind of tell. Scouring for any crack in his mask. You had been doing so since meeting him. No one was this kind to you. No one who knew what you could do lived with no fears. And certainly not the son of the man who imprisoned you. But the more you searched for such a mask, the more you began to doubt its existence.

"Y/n?"

His voice was soft again-it was smooth and low. Harmless and gentle. And it was saying your name. You could live a thousand lifetimes hearing your name again and not quite believe it. Number Zero, while you never accepted it, had become tied to your life in the most unpleasant way. And hearing it, from quite possibly the only person you trusted in this moment, made your heart do funny things.

'anybody who might be looking for you--?'

'--Y/n!'

It hits you faster than it had at the car and the frown that takes over your face is heavy enough to sink your head to the floor. Diego's heart sinks with it, his instincts kicking in faster than he'd prefer.

"Hey, hey, now, come on," he tries. "it's... a lot, I'm sure."

"I-I j--" you swallow a sudden breath, surprised by your own stutter. "I just-just--" You shake your head, your eyes indicative of your mind scouring for words, but you're at a loss. In every sense. It's a sensation Diego knows intimately, and that feeling returns. It's seizing his chest.

His first thought is what would his mother do, and just like that it hits him. He wasn't lying when he said he believed Grace had nothing to do with your capture. Sure she was programmed by his father, but she had evolved, he'd seen it for himself. She got upset, she got angry, she got protective-she would never willingly take part in such things.

And yet, Diego was too terrified to admit, even to himself, that he had felt just a flicker of fear as he offered his arm out to you a third time and asked.

"How do you feel about meeting one more person?"

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

"Like I said to your son earlier, any information about the prosthetics we build is strictly confidential,"

Klaus had realized very quickly how wise it was to have kept his mouth shut about the encounter back at the academy. Neither brother said a word spare for the occasional detail of the plan already underway, but anyone could tell the young (looking) boy was at war with something in his mind. He had always been on edge but this was different. And Klaus knew it had little to do with the prosthetic eye the two were of the hunt for now. Truth be told, he couldn't remember the last time he saw Five like this; he had been angry, he had been heartbroken. But he hadn't seen him this... quiet. And that was saying something.

"Without the client's consent, I simply can't help you,"

Klaus now sat noiselessly, folded in the chair across the executive, Briggs, and watching as his brother gripped the desk with extra fervor. His words were spat through his teeth in a hiss as whatever remaining patience he had was siphoned away by the doctor before their very eyes. "Well, we can't get consent if you don't give us a goddamn name,"

Maybe it was the voice of guilt that won over the urge in Klaus' mind to crack a joke and lighten the mood.

"Well, that's not my problem." The man before them shrugged with a smile far too cavalier for their taste. He was rubbing their sniffers right in it, and Klaus didn't appreciate that one bit.

Maybe it was intuition that told him to give Five this favor today, no more questions asked.

"Sorry," Briggs lied. "Now, there's really nothing more I can do, so,"

Or maybe Klaus just liked to cause trouble.

Until now, he had said little else apart from what was expected of him to Five's surprise. But as he sat here now, listening to this man belittle the two of them, his eyes lost in the snowglobe perched on the corner of the desk, the urge to stay quiet was finally extinguished. His eyes snapped to the man before them, his expression calculated. He spoke with a level voice and an eery calm that surprised even both brothers present in the room.

"And what about my consent?"

"Excuse me?"

"Who gave you permission," choking back sudden tears that were mysteriously struggling to pool in his eyes, Klaus pointed one shaky finger at Five. "to lay your hands... on my son?"

Both Briggs and Five-equally baffled-looked to Klaus. "What?"

"You heard me,"

"I didn't touch your son," he said carefully.

"Oh, really?" Countered Klaus with great intrigue. "Well, then how did he get that swollen lip, then?"

"He doesn't have a swollen--"

SMACK!

Klaus had risen from his seat and struck an unsuspecting Five across the face before Briggs could finish his sentence. The doctor, appalled, watched in stunned silence as Klaus strolled toward himself and leaned across the desk. As he towered over a gulping Briggs, his eyes narrowed into threatening slits.

"I want it. Name, please. Now."

"You're crazy," was all Briggs managed to say.

Klaus then forced a chuckle Lance Briggs wouldn't soon forget before all emotions falls away. "You have no idea." Instantly, his eyes fall back to the snow globe and he picks it up with a certain twinkle in his eye. "'Peace on Earth.' That's so sweet," he coos. Not even a second later the glass was shattered against his skull.

Nobody said anything as Klaus remained doubled over the desk. Allowing one guttural cry of pain, he emerged from behind his trembling hands to reveal his face dripping with streaks of watered-down blood that ran all the way from his temple to his neck, chunks of glass in his tousled bangs and glittery confetti sprinkled in his eyebrows. He sucked in another harsh breath through his teeth, his voice dropping an active or two in strain. "God, that hurt!"

Briggs snatched the landline up off the hook without a second thought. "I'm calling for security-- What--? What are you doing?" Klaus had seized the phone from his hands just in time for someone on the other end to pick it up. With a fearful, trembling gasp he pleas desperately into the phone.

"There's been an assault..." he wept. Beside him, Five's gaze flew all around him. He was amazed nobody on this entire, see-through floor was paying attention to what was unfolding. "in Mr. Big's office, and we need security, now." Five returned to his side, watching now thoroughly entertained. "Schnell!" Klaus shrieked into the phone, no doubt startling whoever was on the other end before finally hanging up.

Klaus shivered at the lingering effects of his stunt. The pain was still all too real, some of the dirtied water seeped further into his wounds. Nevertheless, he leaned further in on the man-blood, glitter, and water dripping all over his desk.

"Now, here's what's gonna happen, Grant."

"It's..." It was clear he regretted the correction as soon as he began, and yet it still slipped out in an intimidated murmur. "Lance."

"In about sixty seconds, two security guards are gonna burst through that door, and they're gonna see a whole lot of blood and they're gonna wonder, 'what the hell happened?' And we're gonna tell them that you..." he drew another shaky finger towards himself and his brother, his words cracking impressively as he spoke. "beat the shit out of us."

He chokes out a sob that even Briggs would have believed and risen back up with a confident bloodstained smile. "You're gonna do great in prison, Grant. Trust me, I've been there. Little piece of chicken like you. Oh, my God, you're gonna get passed around like a..." he began swiveling his hips in a manner that Five would rather not have seen. Klaus perks again. "You're just-- You're gonna do great! That's all I'm saying."

"Jesus, you are a real sick bastard,"

His emotionless expression returned, but a hint of pride was almost traceable in his voice. "Thank you." It was all he said. All he said before he spits out a chunk of glass, further intimidating the executive Lance Briggs where he sat paralyzed in his seat. Fearfully, he took a chance in peeling his gaze away from the bleeding man to his supposed son.

Five, who had remained otherwise silent since the unexpected slap to the face, found himself delightfully surprised. After the initial shock, he couldn't help but watch the entire scene with an unstoppable smirk and a budding sense of pride at his brother's quick thinking.

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

"This is not good. This is not good!"

Of course the damn eye hadn't even been made yet. Cause that would be too easy. And nothing could ever be easy, for Five. Nuh-uh. No way!

Klaus scurried quickly after his pacing brother, not a stranger to the storm of sudden fury to take hold of his brother. All of it, brewing fast and hard in Five's chest as the weight of the world seems to crash onto his shoulders. And yet, tried and true, his instincts kick in as surely as Five's.

He gave the man-boy he called his brother an excited pat on the arm, desperate to see him smile again. "I was pretty good, though, right? Huh, that whole, 'what about my consent, bitch?' He was totally ready to shit his britches!"

"Klaus, it doesn't matter," Five snapped before they could even reach the bottom of the three porch steps. His shoulders sank and his grin deflated as he turned to face his brother, any hope in cheering him up or distracting him gone. He didn't know why he was surprised. And it was moments just like these where he wondered why he tried.

Klaus didn't say anything. Not at first. His mind kept returning to Five's sudden exit earlier that morning-how skittish the old man got when "meeting" you. And however since, whatever metaphorical wedgie he had been trapped in had winched him up further. He could feel Five searching his own eyes, clearly unaware of what little he was suspicious of and waiting impatiently-nostrils falling and neck veins popping-for an answer.

"Don't you get it?"

Impatience beginning to stir within himself, Klaus finally shrugs, taking the bait. For Five's sake. "What, huh? What don't I get? What's the big deal with this," he shrugs, careful not to pry. Not to pry too obviously, that is. "eye, anyway? Why's it so important to you?"

"There is someone out there who's going to lose an eye in the next seven days. They're gonna bring about the end of life on this earth as we know it." Five spits, stalking off in a huff that leaves Klaus in thought.

It's quiet for a moment, and for one moment only Five is foolish enough to believe he finally shocked his brother into silence.

"So are you sure you didn't know about this 'eye' somehow before, or...?"

Five is halted in his tracks where he slowly turns to gawk up at his brother in disbelief. "What?" Why was he surprised, he wondered to himself, of course something as big as the end of the world wouldn't be enough to stop his brother.

He nodded with a small, pleased smile but it vanished instantly. Genuinely replaced as his face lit up in genuine realization. "Oh, and, totally not a big deal but," he winced playfully. "I would prefer the twenty bucks sooner rather than later, that's probably easiest for both of us. Do you have Paypal?"

"Your twe..." Five trailed off with the shake of his head and a scoff. "Your twenty bucks?! Seriously?"

"Uhh, yeah. My twenty bucks."

"The apocalypse is coming, and all you can think about is getting high?!"

"Well, I'm also quite hungry," he wagers, patting his stomach with a suspicious smile. It was almost as if he knew he as pushing every one of Five's buttons. "tummy's a-rumblin', grRrRr,"

But Five was too distressed to care. Too distressed from the unexpected news from earlier this morning, too distressed from the dead-end at MeriTech of his one and only lead, and too distressed to shoulder this weight alone. All he could bring himself to do at this moment was shake his head in a daze.

"You're useless," he breathes, more to himself than Klaus. "You're all useless!"

In truth, it was Five who felt useless. Useless that he couldn't find the answer to the one clue left behind that determined the fate of the entire world-that determined the fate of his family and the ones he cared for. It wasn't the first he felt this way. And it certainly wouldn't be the first time he let the people important to him down.

He plops himself down on the second step and takes the time to enjoy the vibrant green of the surrounding trees. A simple pleasure he didn't have for so many years, and likely wouldn't get to enjoy for much longer.

Klaus broke him from his solemn thoughts with that same suspicious smile and a dismissive wave of the hand. "Oh, you need to lighten up, old man," He was definitely up to something, Five wasn't oblivious, he just didn't have the energy to care.

"Hey, you know, I've only just now realized why you're so uptight," Klaus begins, careful to tread his next words with great delicacy. Which in Klaus' definition... "...you must be horny as hell!"

Klaus laughs and takes a seat beside him, all too aware of the tired, disturbed eye-roll he pulled from Five.

"All those years by yourself. What, forty-five, you said?" Thirty-five. The number thirty-five comes immediately to Five's mind, but he doesn't dare correct him out loud. "Forty-five years alone is a lot, Five, for anyone. It's gotta screw with your head--"

"--I wasn't alone."

Klaus lit up in feigned surprise. "Oh?" He asked, not bothering to hide his lack of shock at the admission. His little routine, hopefully, had worked. "pray tell."

Five hadn't taken his eyes off the trees since he sat down. But one look on Klaus' part and he knew Five was somewhere else. Somewhere far away. There's something written in Five's features, something that almost convinced Klaus that Five will omit the missing piece of the puzzle he suspected. But with one small, barely traceable shake of his head-as if he were silently scolding himself for the thought-the look vanished.

"Her name was Delores."

Klaus' gaze sunk to the concrete in understanding. Yet still, that name rang a bell. He had mentioned a Delores earlier, just after his sudden return.

"We were together for over thirty years,"

"Thirty years?"

Five nodded, making Klaus laugh in shock. "Oh, wow! Gosh, you know, the longest I've ever been with someone was... I don't know? Three weeks? But that was only because I was so tired of looking for a place to sleep."

A warm smile came to his lips at the returning memory, his eyes fluttering closed as he could almost taste it. "He did make the most amazing osso buco, though. It's--"

The words died on his tongue as he turned to find he was alone. Five had already blinked away. Klaus' shoulders sank at the bitter realization. But it quickly vaporized in anger when he spotted Five's gloating face saluting him from a passing taxi. Klaus sprang to his feet, hollering out at the boy knowing it would yield no true results.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, what about my money?"

The taxi was already around the corner and Klaus feels his entire body deflate. He wants to be angry, and a part of him is. He's pissed. He had just spent all day helping the man-child out, in more ways than he probably should have-in farther lengths than he probably should have. All so he can help things run a little smoother with the latest... discovery. It's not like he was doing all this for selfish purposes. Well, not only for selfish purposes. And here Five was, wasting his time and ditching him with a smile.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to act on it. Something Five had said was stuck on a loop in his mind. This morning, he had heard it. Clear as day. Your name had slipped out under Five's breath as Diego spoke it. It was no coincidence. He knew you, somehow. And it had taken an incredible toll seeing you today.

Much worse, the truth he just spat out was still hanging in the air, finally beginning to settle on Klaus' shoulders. According to Five, an apocalypse was coming. Between the two (now three) of his brother's disappearances, the boy's behavior made just a little more sense. Frankly, he was surprised he was this strung together.

But, Klaus supposed, that was one of their many differences. While both brothers were keen on sheltering themselves from intense emotions, their methods differed. Klaus sought humor-Klaus sought distractions. But Five?

Well, Five was always good at running.

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

Vanya's journey home hadn't been a quiet one.

Her mind was muddled with thoughts and questions overflowing from the news she had just received on top of her race against traffic. The accident just off Harris gave her more trouble than she needed. She had debated leaving the taxi and flying the six blocks but the thought was laughable. She did worry about missing her appointment. And that was assuming she could clear her head of her father's latest plot.

It made her sick. Nearly thirty years you had been down there. There were so many questions she didn't get to ask. How were you found? How did you survive? What did he want with you? She knew of course she could never ask you these things, not when everything was so fresh and you two were strangers, at least. But it didn't mean they didn't eat her up inside.

She thought again of her siblings had told her: the earthquakes had stopped, you had been found. Then a terrible thought hits her-something that makes her angry.

'He might have had no problem using you for your power, more than any of us, but he still threatened to lock you up anytime he felt threatened by you. Like some animal.'

Diego's words from the funeral had struck her harder than she had cared to admit. Vanya still didn't know how he found out about that but he did. All these years, her father had been afraid of her despite her being in his good graces. At least she thought so. There was always a threat hanging over her head that never quite made sense. But it was starting to; the threat kept her in place. And it kept her off his trail.

This realization struck her as she ascended the stairs to her apartment. She could barely recall leaving the taxi as she hurriedly fumbled for her keys. They were hard to grip through her gloves and her scarf was threatening to fall off her shoulder in her hurry. On top of it all, hair was falling into her face and she wondered to herself why she never wore it up.

"Shit," she muttered, cringing at the sound of the keys clattering to the wooden floors at the top of the stairs.

"Here, let me get those for ya," a hand swoops out of nowhere, scooping up her keys just as she stands.

When she does, she meets eyes with a man her age. He flashed a charming and friendly smile as he dangled out her keys for Vanya to take. As she did, she was quick to notice how dark the brown of his eyes were-the prominent curl of his hair. His face had just a little bit of scruff but it was well kept. And he was smiling at her, in a way she couldn't place.

She took the keys back and pressed on a tired smile. "Thanks,"

He nods, his head following her as she steps around him to her door. She rifles through the ring of keys for the right one, ready to unlock the door. "Rough morning?" He chuckles.

Vanya throws a distracted look over her head at him. "Uh, yeah. I guess you could say that," there's a click in the deadbolt that brings her relief. The door opens and she steps inside, ready to say an eager goodbye to the man when he gives her an expectant smile.

"Sorry, but I have--"

"--A violin lesson?" Her mouth falls open, and his smirk widens in confirmation. "A ten-fifteen, right?"

It's a second before it finally clicks, and when it does she lets out a sigh. Shit.

"I am so sorry," she gapes, grasping at her temples. "My mind is just-- I'm not all here today, to tell you the truth."

"Well," said the man, flashing Vanya a sympathetic smile as he rocked slightly on his heels. "that's quite alright. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had a few days like that myself."

Vanya was surprised to feel some of the tension leaving her shoulders. She hadn't realized just how much she had been dreading a venomous response or a passive-aggressive quip. She wasn't used to someone not calling her out. It felt... nice.

He removed a hand from his jacket pocket and offered it to her. "Pleasure to officially meet you," he said. He couldn't stop grinning, she thought. "I'm Leonard,"

"Vanya," she took his hand, enjoying the feel of the calloused skin on her own. "But I guess you already knew that,"

They both laughed a little, and Vanya shook her head. "I'm so sorry, where are my manners. Please, come in,"

Vanya stepped aside, sweeping her arm out in gesture as she beckoned the man in. His eyes, she realized, hadn't left her since she arrived up the steps where he had been waiting outside her door. There was something about him Vanya couldn't place─a feeling not quite good or bad that he gave her as an all-new kind of grin crawled across his scruffy face and he bowed his head in thanks. His dark eyes never left hers until they had to when he crossed the threshold and into her home.

And into her life.

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

I REMIND YOU TO BE CAUTIOUS OF ALL RESOURCES YOU FIND REGARDING AIDING THE UKRAINE--IF YOU SUSPECT ME OR ANYONE YOU KNOW HAS OVERLOOKED SOMETHING THEY ARE SPREADING, MAKE IT KNOWN!

WITNESS

'A Library of Free Resources for Video Activists, Trainers & Their Allies'

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Unheard Voices

'Unheard Voices is an award-winning digital media and news communications company founded by retired computer scientist Mr. Covin.'

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Therapy For Black Girls

'Find trusted, culturally competent therapists that know our feelings and can help navigate being a strong, black woman.'

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