Pity.

Five knew he had reached his breaking point, but had never realized he had gotten this bad.

He could feel warm tears streaming down his face, his eyes burning, his vision blurring.

It was an upsetting and angering sensation, but also an all too unfamiliar one. The last time Five remembered crying was before he had time traveled, when he was still a young boy who didn't know any better. Any while it was possible that he might have cried during the apocalypse, he wouldn't have any idea if he had, as all of the years up until recently were blurred and scrambled together, an incoherent mess that Five could barely recall.

And even if they weren't, there wasn't any way Five would bother to remember such a pitiful, weak occurrence, a blip in his strength and resolve.

"Are you ok?" Viktor gently asked, softly putting a hand on his his shoulder.

And Five hated it.

Five hated everything about it. He hated the voice he was using, the way he put his hand on his shoulder.

"Fuck off, Viktor!" Five screamed. "I don't need your pity!"

Viktor froze for a second, and then took a step towards the door.

But then he steadied himself, and took a deep breath.

"I'm not pitying you, Five, I promise. I just wanted to check on you." He said, slightly more firmly this time.

"Why do you care, Viktor?" Five responded coldly as he gathered himself.

"Because I'm your brother." Viktor said, his lips curling into a timid smile.

"Do you understand how LITTLE that means to me?" Five retorted. "You're my brother, yet you and your other siblings never appreciated me. Never did a thing for me. Called me selfish. Blamed me for everything."

"I know, Five." Viktor said, tearing up slightly. "I know. I have no excuses, we should have treated you so much better than we did. We should have been nicer, we should have appreciated you for everything you did, should have treated you like a BROTHER should be treated. I should have treated you like a brother should be treated."

Before Five could respond, Viktor took a step forward.

"And I know this doesn't make up for anything, but here. I realized I never hugged you after you came back."

And Viktor wrapped his arms around him.

And for one second, just one second, Five didn't worry about anything.

He just let himself be hugged.