DESOLATION.

ii/iii.

𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒕; 𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍

  Turns out, no, this is not a dream and is very much real.

   Five went through different stages of identifying what this...in front of him could be. An apparition? No, he could touch this particular Ben. A vision? Nah, it's too vivid. Or maybe, it's a hallucination? Could be. Maybe he's going crazy. Must be [y/n] rubbing off of him and now he's losing his mind.

   He pulls away slightly, eyebrows furrowed and still in skepticism as his hands press themselves on Ben's wet cheeks. He pushes lightly, watching his face scrunch, before pulling. At this, Ben slaps his hand, and he winces.

   Oh, that pain is real, alright.

   "The hell's going with you? I'm real, Five! It's me! And...and Klaus, over there—" cue a long, dragged out moan falling from the clearly suffering male, "—he's real, too!" Ben pulls him into a hug again, tighter this time as the Asian male laughs in glee.

   Jesus...How long has it been? He lost count of the days after 256, when he took his tenth—or was it twelfth(?) mission from the Commission. He couldn't even remember properly how far apart Ben's eyebrows were. And when they pulled away from each other again, his frowning face stared straight into Ben's eyebrows. Oh, so he did imagine them closer than the actual reality.

   Klaus stumbles to stand, and the two brothers turn to watch as he settles on all fours. He heaves for a second, before crawling over to the chair to help himself up. It's a long process, where Five and [y/n] both exchange glances as Klaus' heavy footsteps finally reach them.

   "My...God...is it...is it really you, Five?" A sob slips past Klaus' lips, and in a second, he jumps to the now shaken Five.

   He doesn't know how to register this whole ordeal. Just a second ago, he had a fight with [y/n] and now two of his brothers are slobbering all over his jacket. When did time pass by so fast? How did even...

   Five shakes his head, and he swallows the lump that has formed in his throat, and for the first time, a shaky yet small smile pulls at his lips. Holy shit. This is real.

   "Klaus," He exhales, trying so hard to swallow the tears and cry, "you stink."

   A small giggle is heard, and the three turn their head to the girl on the very corner, hand raised above her lips. She halts, eyes wide and horrified as she gulps, "Continue, please."

   A laugh, unfiltered and mixed with ugly sobs. It escapes Ben and Klaus, while Five chuckles after ignoring the girl as he pulls Ben by the collar of his denim jacket and into the hug, "You both fucking smell."

   Five has indeed been through hell and back for the past fourteen months. The first few of it was torturous, and it never got better—only numb. But for the first time after a long, long time, he finally started actually feeling. He tries to pinpoint if this feeling inside him has recently sparked, but it's there. And it grows tenfold as he reunites with some of siblings. Although, there's still a lot of them missing, this a huge start. And hope, although foreign to him now, is bursting through his chest in the most comforting way possible.

   He doesn't believe in a lot of things, and he has always been the most pessimistic out of all of them, but for once, he feels optimistic. Ben and Klaus are finally here, reunited with him—and he is determined and has not a single ounce of doubt that they will be able to find the rest of them in no time.