Right Back Where We Started [Five]

Five

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Five was everything but his usual self after that. Emery had started growing increasingly worried for the man over the past two hours. First joking with Emery and then proceeding to walk into the hotel room without glaring at anyone and then taking a nap was just the beginning. Diego and Klaus gaped, wide-eyed at Five as he walked in with a kind hello to each of his brothers and then they turned to Emery who was fixing Klaus with a wet towel to clean his wounds.

"He looks happier." Klaus had noted as he let Emery clean his cuts.

"Yeah. What the hell did you do to him." Diego said, eyes narrowed from where he sat beside Klaus on the couch.

Klaus had snickered. "I think it's more a question of what didn't he do to Five."

"We didn't do anything." Emery had said, moving onto Diego who first swatted his hand away but then relented, letting him dab the reddened towel on Diego's bloody face. "He's just happy to get some rest."

And Five was. He was even happier when he woke up as he all but sprung out of bed still donned in his robe, downed another cup of scotch, and then pulled everyone down to the lobby where they all stopped for food and drinks at a bar.

"What's wrong?" Luther asked, finally taking a break from shoveling as much food into his mouth as possible. "You look happy."

"I am plenty happy." Five said, sitting down. "Had a nap, quality time, a shower, and a shvitz. What else does a man need?"

"Two brothers who don't eat like barn animals?" Klaus ventured, giving a not-so-discreet glance at Diego and Luther who had taken the liberty of shoving as much food into their mouths as humanely possible. Emery didn't blame them. They hadn't had a proper meal in days.

"So I've been thinking through our little timeline snafu." Five began.

"Oh, is that what you were doing in the shower room with Emery? Thinking?" Klaus teased.

"Among other things, yes." Five said carelessly. "And I'm pleased to report that in my professional, expert opinion, we are totally in the clear."

"Awesome!"

"Great."

"So everything totally fine?" Luther asked in between bites.

"More or less." Five said. 

Emery paused, eyes dancing to Five from where they were scanning the food before him. "But? I sense a 'but' coming."

Five just sucked in a breath sheepishly. "I mean, there is one... small thing. It's nothing we can't manage." Five said, moving to grab one of the Chinese food boxes they had ordered. Everyone stopped their eating, looking Five dead in the eye as he worked. Emery raised a brow.

"So spit it out, Boomer!" Diego said, mouth full of noodles.

"Fine, Diego, it's like this." Five said. "Dad didn't adopt us as babies but those babies still existed here. We just grew up in different places with different people."

"So?" Luther asked, back to eating.

"So where are they now?" Five ventured. "Odds are, we each have identical versions of ourselves walking around out there, living completely different lives."

Luther gasped. "Our doppelgängers!"

"That's a made-up word." Klaus dismissed.

"No, no! I learned all about this in Texas. Tell him about the paranoid psychosis, Five."

"Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa! I thought you said this wasn't a problem!" Diego said.

"Okay, yes, technically, if you're near your Doppel for too long, you'll go insane. So if you ever see your other self—"