𝐑 𝐔 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄 ? ─── 𝘧. 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

O7. sibling rivalry

seventeen years ago...

nietzche once said, 'man is as a rope stretched between the animal and the superhuman. a rope over an abyss. it is a dangerous crossing, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting.'

reginald hargreeves shuts his journal and turns to look at a young number seven. she blows a whistle while looking down the training staircase and watches as her siblings, all dressed in identical tracksuits, scramble to reach the top first.

one takes the lead.

as much as you must strive for individual greatness, and strive you must, for it won't come to you of its own accord...

two passes him with zero right behind. "out of the way, knife-boy," zero hisses, trying to either push him to the wall or over the banister.

"make me, blondie!"

you must also remember that there is no individual stronger than the collective.

five jumps in front of two out of nowhere and smirks down at the bickering siblings as he rushes up the staircase. "five!" zero hisses, getting ready to put a force field around him to slow him down.

"that's not fair, five's cheating!" two yells, wanting to strangle the boy for using that signature move of his.

"he adapted!" reginald yells back, disappointed in how slow they were all going compared to the last couple of times they ran this drill.

the ties that bind you together make you stronger than you are alone.

days later, seven of the siblings wait in a room with their parents and a tattoo artist. four holds three as they cry in a corner of the room while two gets his umbrella tattoo, clearly trying his best to get through the pain. grace steps forward to hold his hand but the boy pulls it back, wanting to look tough for the siblings waiting to get their own tattoo.

they will make you impervious to the pain and hardship the world will thrust upon you.

reginald, standing next to grace, looks down at the four pre-teens watching two from their seats. one crosses his arms, trying to look unbothered at the sight of his siblings' suffering. six avoids looking at the scene and tries to steady his breathing. next to him, zero watches in horror and tries to stand up when their father leaves the room to stop the tattoo artist.

before she could fully stand up straight, five grabs her hand and pulls her back down in her seat between him and six. the boy slowly laces their fingers together to try and calm her down as he stares at the tattoo on two's forearm.

and believe me when i tell you... life will be hard.

"i don't want a tattoo, z," six whispers, not wanting grace to come over. zero looks over at her other brother and gives him a small smile. "i don't either. but we have to. for the academy."

"it looks like it hurts, though."

after a moment of silence, zero gets an idea. "why don't you think about names you think would suit you?" he can't help but smile as well. "and if that isn't enough, try thinking of the names you want mother to give the rest of us.. when dad finally allows it."