°you shouldn't have come along°

▪︎part nine▪︎

Nietzsche 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.

Vanya blew the whistle and the 7 other children began to scramble up the stairs, each one's competitive spirit kicking in. Luther took a large lead, him being much taller than the rest and his strength to launch up the stairs overpowering his siblings'. Diego pushed past him, his drive to be the winner stemming from being named Number Two.

As much as you must strive for individual greatness, and strive you must, for it won't come to you of its own accord you must also remember that there is no individual stronger than the collective.

However he didn't keep this lead for long, as Five spatial jumped in front of them all, bolting up the stairs. Y/n who had touched him last copied his actions, racing in front of him. She did make a point of turning and sticking out her tongue to which he replied with a smirk. "No fair! They cheated!" Diego screamed as he started to run again. "They adapted." Reginald corrected staring down at the children.

The ties that bind you together - make you stronger than you are alone.

Allison quietly sobbed into Klaus's shoulder as he too wiped stray tears that traced down his cheeks. The buzzing of the tattoo gun filled the room making all the children anxious. Diego gripped the chair's arm tightly and grimaced as the sharp needles stabbed into his forearm. Their mother reached out for his hand in a motherly manner, to which he yanked away from her and sent a glare to the floor. She retracted her hands, silently stepping back to stand beside their father who watched with an emotionless expression.

They will make you impervious to the pain and hardship the world will thrust upon you. And believe me when I tell you, life will be hard. It will be painful.

Y/n stood alone a few feet from Klaus and Allison. Wet tears still stained her face and she held her arm tenderly as the black ink seeped into her skin. She had gone before Diego and her anxiousness towards the tattoo began to fade into hatred towards her father. She glared at him with a look of pure rage and he ignored it not even caring that his children were suffering. This was not the first time he had put them through pain and agony and she suspected it wouldn't be the last. She turned her furious gaze towards Five who sat anxiously next to Ben, gripping his leg tightly trying not to show he was nervous.

Her gaze softened as he looked up at her. His expression was full of worry and reluctance towards getting the painful tattoo and she knew he was absolutely terrified, as were the remaining boys. She smiled softly at him before walking over to him. She noticed her father's hard stare as she sat beside Five and she didn't care when he said her name in an angry tone. "Number Eight, you've already received your tattoo." He reprimanded her as she took hold of Five's hand comfortingly. "I'm well aware." She replied making everyone stare at her shocked. Allison stopped crying for a moment, sending a terrified glance towards their father who looked as though he might rip Y/n from her seat.

However their mother quickly whispered something to him and he paused a moment before leaving the room altogether. Y/n released a trembling sigh, squeezing Five's hand. He stared at her amazed with her strength and courage. He looked back at Diego who crawled out of the chair fighting back the tears that almost fell. Five turned to Y/n and she gave his hand another squeeze before he stood to get the tattoo. He wanted to be brave like her. But how could he? He didn't have the power she possessed within her.

We can accomplish anything when we accept responsibility together. This is what creates trust.

Reginald stared down at his daughter who slept quietly, curled into a ball and hugging her pillow tightly. He looked at her with what seemed to be a soft expression for a fraction of a second as he reached up towards her face. And if the moment had been frozen for a few seconds longer, it would've appeared as though a father was caressing his daughter's face lovingly while she slept. Promising to her that he would protect her from harm while she slept soundly and that when she awoke he would be there. However Reginald was not this type of father and hastily placed an electrode sticker connected to a wire on her temple before getting up and walking away without a word.

Static and beeping sounded from their father's office as he recorded the brain activity of the children, not much caring about the sleeping faces of his children as though a parent might when they go to check on their child in the night. He switched the cameras frequently to insure he got all the necessary data. However he paused on his last child, her brain waves going out of control. Based previous data, her subconscious must've been picking up on the power his 7th child projected. He wrote this down before carrying on with his records.

Together, you will stand against the reign of evil.

•••

Y/n watched as Five scavenged through the items stacked on one of the shelves in the kitchen knowing exactly what he was looking for. Klaus sat with his feet up, holding a guitar to his chest. Where he had gotten it, she didn't know but she really didn't think asking would be the best possible choice. She noticed him staring at her and she sighed turning away, not really wanting to deal with the outrageous questions he had bombarded her with earlier. The sound of heels clicking on the floorboards made them aware of their sister's presence and Allison stepped into the room looking over the small group. "Where's Vanya?" She asked.

"She left. I tried to stop her but I don't blame her for being one of the only sane ones in this madhouse." Y/n mumbled leaning back in her chair. "That's unfortunate." Five said suddenly and Y/n mentally prepared herself for the rant Five was bound to go into. "Yeah." Allison agreed, thinking he was talking about Vanya's departure. "An entire square block. Forty-two bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, but no, not a single drop of coffee." Five sneered, looking up at Allison as though she was the perpetrator. "Dad hated caffeine." She argued.

"Well he hated children too, and he had plenty of us." Klaus laughed before quieting himself and looking at Allison. She gave him a confused look not really sure how to reply to him, but he was used to it since a lot of what he said didn't really call for a response. "I'm taking the car, come on Y/n." Five declared tapping her shoulder and beginning to walk away from the table. Y/n sighed before standing up from the table and walking after him. "Where are you going?" Klaus sat up, deeply intrigued yet worried. Five stopped turning towards him.

"To get a decent cup of coffee." He answered putting his hands in his pockets. "Do you even know how to drive?" Allison asked. Y/n felt offended since she was 30 and had a very valid driver's license but Allison hadn't thought to wonder if Y/n would be driving. Why did Five always have to lead? "I know how to do everything." He snapped leaning over the table a bit. He then turned and dramatically disappeared, probably to the car. Klaus stood up reaching out to the empty space he left behind. "I feel like we should try and stop him, but then again, I also just kinda wanna see what happens." Klaus said. Y/n sighed using Five's powers to appear beside him in the car. The engine turned over before starting and Y/n sunk into her seat crossing her arms.

Five glanced at her upset expression before pulling out onto the street. "What's wrong?" He asked focusing his gaze on the street. "How come you get to drive?" She asked. She knew it was childish but she genuinely wanted to drive the car. Five always did everything for her and she had never realized it, but now that she was an adult and the two began to set back into their old habits, she noticed this and became annoyed. He smiled a little at her behavior before turning towards her.

"You want to drive?" He asked her and she nodding sitting up. He sighed shaking his head, "Alright, switch on the count of three. One...Two...Three." He counted before they both quickly spatial jumped, trading places. Y/n gripped the steering wheel, placing her foot onto the gas. She gave a satisfied grin and Five chuckled relaxing into the passenger seat. "Alright hold on." She said suddenly making him turn towards her confused. She then slammed down on the gas, racing down the street. "Shit!" Five yelled, quickly bracing himself and Y/n laughed as they travelled at dangerous speeds.