Work Text:
Vanya hears the telltale sign of Five jumping back into his room late at night. Or is it early in the morning?
Usually she's comforted by the sound of him arriving. She loves the sound of him arriving, because it means he's back, that he isn't leaving her them again.
But right now it's the least comforting sound in the world, as it's accompanied by a laugh that Vanya can't place- but it is familiar.
“Now what could you possibly want from me this time?” Five tries for an innocent grin as he curls his fingers around a glass of Scotch.
They’re way past innocent at this point, and he knows it.
If Five is being completely honest with himself, he’s not completely sure why he’s here, at a luxurious bar sitting across Vanya. Or Sparrow Vanya, he muses. This has become a bit of a common occurrence, every other day? But he can’t seem to put his finger on why he kept doing it. Maybe this new timeline is turning him into an alcoholic. Not that he's ever been the epitome of virtue in any timeline he's existed in.
Then again, he supposed it was quite simple. He was here because she asked. As if he’d ever be able to say no to Vanya- any version of her.
Not that he’d let her know that.
“You’re… interesting.” Vanya is eyeing him with barely veiled curiosity. Her face is relaxed, but there is intrigue in the lift of her brows that the boy spies easily. “We don’t have you in this timeline.”
“The others don’t seem too fond of me.” The words are said with a hint of caution, but Five is lounging in his seat.
“We don’t like competition, buddy.” She laughs, before raising her glass jokingly and downing the rest of the contents.
“Competition? I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
Before they go their separate ways though, somehow Five needs to have the last word.
“By the way,” Five murmurs behind her, grazing his lips on the spot where Vanya's neck meets her shoulders. He’ll blame this on the alcohol, or paradox psychosis, or being mentally senile, he can't bring himself to care anymore. "I'm not your buddy."
A swirl of heat and guilt churn in his stomach.
Given Vanya’s poor opinion of the Sparrow Academy, she’s certain that this was just for them to see what they were up against. Ben (not their Ben, she belatedly reminds herself) had demanded a sparring match, or to train together, whatever they called it. She didn’t particularly care.
“Oh this will be fun,” The other Vanya says almost gleefully, striding over to the center of the courtyard. She’s dressed in her uniform, and exudes a certain confidence that Vanya can’t help but resent (or envy) as she rolls her shoulders back.
Vanya almost wants to take this fight. She moves to step forward, when a flash of blue light reveals Five squaring up against this other her.
There’s a vicious look lurking just beneath his smug expression. “Bring it.”
Before he’s finished speaking, white light starts to pulse from Sparrow Vanya’s hands, running up her body and Five’s jaw drops just a little bit. Even Vanya has to admit that this version of her is stunning, almost otherworldly. Her hair is flowing in the energy she’s exuding, eyes white. A blast emanates from her, directed in Five’s direction. But he’s already gone, reappearing right in front of the Vanya he's fighting, delivering a vicious kick to her legs.
They fight beautifully, it’s enchanting to watch. Flashes of blue and white light all over the courtyard. They are fast , and Vanya muses that regular people would not be able to keep up with who’s where, but she can still hear the sound of their laughter and blows landing.
It is the most irritating thing she has been subject to in this new timeline.
Vanya spots the other her catching Five with an energy blast, almost blowing him into the building when he pops out of sight.
The sparring session ends with Five’s foot on her throat, hands glowing with power as he freezes her in time.
Silence.
“Huh, little Number Five did grow up hot.” Klaus says airily, breaking the tension. “I called it, Diego!” He hollers, doing a little dance.
Five’s concentration breaks- he’s won, and he releases the time freeze on her.
For once, this world’s Vanya turns and cracks a smile at an Umbrella Academy member who isn’t Five. “Yes, he did,” she leers at Klaus. She looks too comfortable underneath Five, not really trying to get away, for reasons Vanya can’t place. Sparrow Vanya looks almost… pleased?
A tree violently splits apart behind her.
He jumps them back to his room, with his lips still on her skin.
“Why are you fraternizing with the enemy ?” Klaus wails dramatically, throwing his hands up in the air. “These are assholes, Five. Not our dad, not our Benny, not our timeline! How can you do this?”
The time-travelling sibling opts to ignore his brothers’ and sisters’ input as they begin to chime in alongside Klaus.
This is when it clicks in Vanya’s head. The laugh, the fight. Of course the laugh was familiar- too familiar.
Five and Vanya.
Well, not Vanya Vanya, but Sparrow Vanya.
She isn’t quite sure why that irks her so much. Maybe it’s because they are Vanya and Five- he had always been fonder of her than their other siblings, and she knew it. Maybe it's because of things she refuses to admit to herself. Maybe she just doesn't think they are safe here.
“Klaus is right,” Vanya eventually decides to say, her voice carefully neutral. “I heard you, you know. Jumping into your room. With her.”
The other Hargreeves fall silent.
Five blinks, his cold shoulder strategy faltering.
But then a smug, almost sinful smirk graces Five's lips. “I’m actually quite offended that the jumping was all you heard, V.”
Vanya's lips part into an 'O' of... surprise? Disgust? Anger? J- doesn't matter. She breathes in to reply, though in that breath she realizes she has no idea what to say to him.
But Five blinks, as if remembering where he was and his expression transforms back into one of pure irritation and he's directing it towards her. “And actually, what the fuck do you care?”
They didn't go their separate ways- they never did on nights like that.
“Why not her though?” Sparrow Vanya’s voice isn’t tinged with bitterness, or jealousy, or anything but curiosity. She is turned on her side, facing Five on his bed. She looks just a little bit debauched, her lips tinged red and hair all mussed up.
Five likes this look on her.
“I don’t think my Vanya feels the same,” Five says quietly, reaching out to touch her face. “It was never like this.”
His entire being radiates calmness, as if this is something he’s put a lot of thought into, come to terms with. In a sense, this Vanya supposes that it is. After knowing Five as much as she does now, she figures that he'd probably settled on never seeing her- or any version of her again at some point. This is better than he could've ever prayed for.
Even though Vanya knows that she isn't the real thing. Not real enough for Five. She knows she isn't her.
She says so.
"So you’ll pretend like an alternate version is good enough for you,” this Vanya says almost gently, reaching out to stroke Five’s hair. "When it's kind of your fault, really- because I think your Vanya would call this cheating."
Five ignores this. “Does it hurt you?”
Sparrow Vanya carries on as if he hadn’t spoken. “I’ll enjoy having you of course, again and again,” a mildly lecherous grin slips on her lips. “But-”
“Does it hurt you?” Five repeats intently, reaching up to grasp the hand touching his hair. Making her look at him.
“Does it hurt you , is the question, Five.”
“You’re not answering my question, Vanya.” There’s a palpable tinge of irritation in Five’s voice. His fingers tighten on her wrist a bit more.
Silence.
He relents, letting her hand fall from his grasp with a sigh.
“It’s enough,” Vanya says neutrally. She hooks her fingers on his skin as Five pulls away, just enough to be touching. “I don’t know if the same goes for you.”
Five doesn’t know either.