because i sure do. i do hope that if this is true, that bylers will be credited for the discovery. the GA were too stupid, and thought the ending was perfect and now they switch up? so annoying. but i believe in byler, i believe in conformitygate, and we’ll see if both are true tomorrow! what sells its the most for me is not just the inconsistencies and deliberately places inuendos and “coincidences”, it’s the fact that the duffers said they cut ZERO scenes. yet we’ve seen a boat, water, a tent, mike at a grave, so many scenes that we never got. why would they say they cut nothing when there’s REAL evidence showing us scenes never used? it would only be true if there were more episode(s). and the biggest hint is finn and noah saying they filmed before everyone else, in the summer, in water. together. they were said to have the most scenes together, have emotional moments. finn said his ending was more than he ever would’ve expected. caleb said his ending was different from everyone else’s. millie said the ending was meta. the duffers said no one would predict the ending. we’re all of these lies? i don’t think so. i believe. do you?
CLAIM YOUR TICKET HERE
if it isn’t real im gonna look so stupid but we’re not gonna talk about that rn
Summary: In your thirteen year old bodies, you try to navigate your first day in 2019. Thankfully, the Hargreeves siblings are ready to help your little family.
Warnings: Viktor referred to as Vanya and she/her pronouns, non-sexual nudity
Word count: 3k
A/n: This time I genuinely debated whether or not just write Viktor as Viktor, instead of delivering his full story through the rest of the series. If this ends up being the last chapter, I will come back and actually change the pronouns and the name, but for now I stayed with Vanya.
The shock of being in your 13 year old body didn’t hit until Penny started crying. At first you weren’t sure what made her cry. She just stopped a moment ago, so the fear now faded. And then, dread pooling in your stomach, you realized that you just started feeding Penny when you jumped. She was undoubtedly still hungry.
“I-” you started, Five’s siblings still staring at you, shocked by your sudden entrance. “Five-” you looked at your husband. “Could we go in?”
“Y-yeah” Five nodded, picking up Max into his arms.
“Five!” the woman with the beautiful curly hair called out to him. Allison, if you remembered correctly about Five’s description of his siblings. “Don’t you think you have some explaining to do?”
“Yeah, but my children are more important right now” Five sighed. “Inside. I’ll tell you everything.”
He gently took your hand, and you walked into the building. He showed you the kitchen.
“Five” you whispered. “Penny is hungry.”
“Do you need a private-” then he realized what you already had when Penny started crying. You didn’t produce milk anymore. “Oh… shit.”
You sat down on a chair, bouncing baby Penny in your arms. Five sat Max down next to you. Max still looked frightened. You could only imagine just how much. Previously he could express all his thoughts and now, caused by his much younger body’s not yet fully developed muscles, he was confined to his thoughts and some words.
“Mama” he said, looking at you and you could see all his fears in his eyes.
“I know, darling” you reached out with your free hand, caressing his face. “Everything will be okay.”
Max leaned into your side, reaching up to hold Penny’s little leg in a comforting manner.
Through this conversation, Five blinked out, then back in, his arms full of different formulas.
“I…” he put the bottles down. “I didn’t know which…”
“It’s okay” you sighed, reaching for his hand. “This is still better than what we had with Max. Neither of us could’ve known which one is right” you said, trying to calm his racing mind. “Thank you, darling.”
There was a cough from the side, which made you look at the Hargreeves siblings. They crowded in the doorway to the kitchen, watching you with different expressions. In a moment’s time though, Allison stepped forward, grabbing one of the formula bottles and went to the sink. Without a word, she started preparing the formula, and even produced a bottle. You could only watch in astonishment.
“Five” the big guy, Luther, called out to him. “Explain, please.”
Five looked toward him and nodded. He looked around, while gathering his thoughts, looking for something. He grabbed some bread, a jar of peanut butter and a bag of… marshmallows?
“First: a question. What’s today’s date?” he looked up at the group and started on a sandwich.
“The 24th of March” Vanya answered.
“Good” Five sighed and put the peanut butter on both breads. He spread it carefully while he started to talk. “The truth is, while for you I’ve only been gone for seventeen years, I actually spent about thirty-five years away.”
“Away where?” Luther asked.
“In a place that’s worse than hell. Part of the future.”
Allison finished the formula and turned, presenting it to you.
“Thank you so much” you looked up at her, grateful.
“I know what it’s like to struggle with breastmilk” she smiled gently, then turned to Five. “Is this what you’ve done in those thirty-five years?”
“I’ve done a lot more” he gritted his teeth, his short temper getting the better of him. How dare Allison demean you and his family? But then he noticed you, squinting your eyes at him in warning. You started feeding Penny, who eagerly latched onto the bottle. “Yeah…” he sighed finally, sprinkling marshmallows on the peanut butter and putting it together, he placed the sandwich in front of Max. “This is my little family. Y/n, my wife” you smiled at the group, “Max, my son” he gently ran his fingers through his hair. “And my daughter, Penny.”
“It’s nice to meet you all” you nodded to them. “Five told me a lot about you.”
Allison, Vanya and Klaus all smiled back, while Diego and Luther still watched Five, confused.
“Okay, so…” Diego started. “What? You’re forty-eight?”
“No, my consciousness is forty-eight” he looked down at himself. “My body is apparently thirteen.”
“How did you even come back?” Vanya asked.
“Well… in the end I had to project our consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of ourselves that exists across every possible instance of time” he explained.
“That makes no sense” Diego scoffed.
“It would if you were smarter” Five replied immediately.
“In english” you put down the now empty bottle on the table and lifted Penny to your shoulder to burp her. “He grabbed a timeless version of us and transported that body here.”
“How are you thirteen then?” Klaus asked, looking at you, curious, ignoring Diego who was ready to fight with Five.
“A slip in the calculation” you hummed, and touched Five’s hand, who looked at you very guiltily. “Not ideal, but at least we’re here.”
“At the very least” Five whispered and took your hand in his own to kiss your knuckles, right on the ring that was now loose on your finger.
“Well, aren’t you two cuties” Klaus grinned.
“Dada” Max’s voice was thin, looking at Five. “I’m hungry.”
“Are you sure, little crumb? Your stomach isn’t as big as it was an hour ago” he said gently.
“I want more” Max nodded.
“Well, alright” Five sighed and started on the second sandwich. “Y/n?”
“Yeah, I could eat” you nodded. “Don’t forget to make yourself one as well.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
“Can…” Klaus suddenly spoke up. “Can I hold my niece?”
“I don’t think that’s a-” Allison started, but you stood up and went over to Klaus.
“I trust him” you looked toward Allison for a second before looking at Klaus. “You see how I’m holding her? Try to copy it. Though she can hold her own head up now, we should be careful.”
“Klaus nodded and tried to copy your arm placement. After he somewhat got it, you placed Penny gently in his arms, making sure that she was held tightly.
“Good” you smiled gently.
“Oh my god, she is tiny!” Klaus breathed.
“Yeah. But Max was smaller.”
“She is beautiful” he awed at her sleeping form. “Her little nose is yours. But those lips, they’re Five’s through and through.”
“Her eyes are Five’s as well. Both children were lucky to get his beautiful green eyes.”
“Your eyes are plenty beautiful, my love” he looked at you seriously.
“I know. But your eyes, my love” you said, mockingly serious, “are magical.”
“Shut up” Five rolled his eyes, a fond smile on his face.
“She truly is beautiful” Allison said finally. “They both are.”
“Thank you” you smiled.
“How old were they?” Vanya asked suddenly.
“Thirteen” Max said, with a lisp. He immediately frowned, annoyed that his ‘r’ didn’t roll.
“Yeah, he was thirteen and Penny was two” you confirmed, taking the sandwich that Five offered you with a grateful smile.
“That’s quite a big change” Luther marveled.
“About as big as the change from forty-eight to thirteen” Five commented.
“This is stupid” Diego finally stood up and left the room.
The rest of the Hargreeves sighed, used to Diego’s almost permanently annoyed state, but you just looked at the door, where he left, confused.
“What’s his problem?” you asked.
“He is… well” Luther tried to explain. “He isn’t really happy that the family is back together.”
“No, he isn’t really happy that you accused us of Dad’s murder” Allison looked at him, annoyed as well.
“Again, I didn’t-” Luther raised his voice slightly.
“Shut up!” Klaus looked at him. “You’ll wake up Penny.”
“Sorry…” Luther quieted down.
“We should get some fresh clothes” Five put his hand on your shoulder.
“I’ll help” Allison stood up. “I’ll grab some children’s clothes.”
Five nodded gratefully and reached out for Max to take his hand. “Come on, little crumb. We’ll take a shower.”
“Okay dada” Max nodded, smiling.
You took Penny from Klaus’s hands, smiling at the man, then followed your husband out of the kitchen. He lead you to a room that had a kid’s bed and cute wallpaper on the walls.
“Was this your room?” you marveled at your surroundings.
“Yeah” he nodded.
But along with the awe of finally seeing your husband’s old room, you also feel a deep rooted sadness. He was so young when he disappeared. He was young and scared shitless. Sure, so were you, but seeing this… it made your heart hurt all the more. You turned to him and watched as he opened the closet and looked at the clothes, frowning.
“Five…” you called out to him gently. He turned to you questioningly. “Are you okay?”
He looked away for a moment, thinking. Was he? He finally had everything he worked for. He finally got back to his siblings, who he loved endlessly. He could finally save them.
But in the process of everything, he managed to get himself and his family stuck in their younger bodies. He now looked thirteen, his wife also. If he didn’t know it was you, who traveled with him, he probably wouldn’t have recognized you. After all, he didn’t know you from the beginning of his time in the apocalypse.
“I’m managing” he said simply. “It’s not easy, but I’m glad you’re here.”
“Okay” you nodded and leaned closer to press a kiss to his lips. “I’ll be here. Always.”
“Thank you, my love” he smiled thankfully, then turned back and took two uniforms out of the closet. “Here you go, this should be good for you as well.”
“So… we’ll be matching?” you smirked.
“Yeah” he nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Ah, true couple goals” you sighed, which earned a laugh from Five.
He pressed a kiss to your temple, pulling you close. “You’re so dumb” he said fondly.
Allison finally arrived with a bag of clothes for Max and Penny separately. She helped pick out an outfit for the two of them, so Max and Five could finally head off for a shower. From the door, Five looked back.
“Thank you” he said, looking at Allison.
“From one parent to another, this is nothing” she smiled.
“Her name is Claire, right?” he asked and Allison nodded with slightly wider eyes. She didn’t think Five knew about her daughter. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
With that they left the room. You finally sat down on Five’s bed and sighed. This was already a long day and you were tired. Thankfully, Penny was still sleeping in your arms. You were blessed by her deep sleeping habits on many occasions. One being this time.
“Can I hold her?” Allison asked suddenly.
“Oh, uh, sure” you snapped out of your thoughts. She gently took your daughter from your arms and sat down next to you. “It’s so weird…”
She turned to you, curious what you were thinking about.
“Well… I’m now thirteen. Barely ten years older than my son and barely twelve years older than my daughter” you explained your thoughts. “I never really worried about what people thought of me. But now…”
“Well… some of us live really private lives” Allison tried to soothe you.
“Not you though” you smiled. “I heard you’re an actress.”
“Yeah” she laughed gently.
“I wonder how my life would’ve turned out if…” you sighed, not having the heart to finish it. “When I was a kid, I would’ve loved to become an actor or singer” you reminisced. “Though on the flip side, I would’ve loved to be a spy, a doctor, an astronaut, a teacher and a bunch of other things as well” you laughed.
“The dreams of kids…” Allison commented, a gentle smile resting on her face. “Instead you became a mother. It’s kind of the best job in the world.”
“It really is” you looked at your daughter and caressed her chubby cheeks gently.
“Did you have a dream job? One that stayed your dream no matter what else was there?” she asked.
“Hm” you hummed. “I’m not really sure. It’s been a long while. Why?”
“Well… you got a second chance at achieving that dream” she explained. “Not many people get that” she furrowed her brows. “Actually, no one really gets that.”
“That’s true” you nodded, thinking about it.
“Hell, you could even have a full football team of kids” she snorted and it also made you laugh. You really could. Though you didn’t know if that was really something you’d want.
“Yeah, maybe.”
You sat in silence for a few seconds, Allison gently rocking Penny. You could see on her face how much she loved kids. And she was really good with them. With Penny. It made sense with her having a daughter as well.
“How old is she?” you asked.
“Claire?” she looked at you and you nodded. “Five. She is five.”
“Those are the golden years” you sighed. “From the age of three to six. Everything just gets harder after that.”
“Yeah” Allison nodded, looking thoughtful and… sad.
The next moment Max came running in, his underwear and shirt on, but he was missing his pants. As he rounded the corner, his socks slipped on the floor and he fell on his side.
“Max!” you jumped up and hurried over to him. “Son, what did we say about running in your socks!”
You helped him up, looking his body over to see if he injured himself anywhere.
“Sorry Mama” he looked at you sadly.
“Why were you even running?” you asked him, taking his hands in your own. You noticed that the skin of his palms were scraped.
“Will you heal it?” Max asked, ignoring your question.
“You caused this yourself, why should I?” you looked at him seriously. “You know our rule. If the injury is small, like a scrape, plus you inflicted it upon yourself because you didn’t listen to dad or me, then you have to suffer the consequences.”
“But Ma!” he whined. “Please, for the funeral!”
“Max” you narrowed your eyes. “That’s the rule.”
“Please” he stomped his feet, looking at you with puppy eyes.
“Max.”
“You heal?” Allison suddenly asked. “You have a superpower?”
“Yeah. I can heal any injuries” you nodded, looking back at her. “It takes time and energy though.”
“That’s… awesome” she hummed.
You looked back at Max. “Put your pants on. You can have a plaster, but that’s it.”
“But-”
“No buts” you put your finger up and stood up. “Allison,” you looked at her. “Could I ask you to watch Max and Penny for a bit? I’ll go shower quickly.”
“Yeah” she nodded.
“Thank you so much” you said gratefully and grabbed the uniform Five gave you.
When you were going up to Five’s room, he pointed out one of the bathrooms, that was closest to his room. That’s where you were headed, hoping to find your husband still there. Everything was so hard to process and you needed comfort from him if only for a short while. And you knew he needed some as well.
The shower was running when you reached the door and you knocked on it.
“Five, darling?” you called out to him.
“I’m here” he yelled over the rushing water.
“I’m coming in, okay?”
You didn’t hear a reply, but opened the door and quickly slid in. He was currently showering, his dirty clothes on a chair close by. His ring on the sink, safe from falling down the drain.
“Everything okay?” he asked, looking at you.
“Yeah” you sighed and put your fresh clothes next to his. You made quick work of your clothes and placed your ring next to his. He helped you into the tub, his hands going to your waist immediately. “Yeah, now I am.”
You pulled him in for a hug, your feelings washing over you along with the water. It was warm, perfectly so. His arms held you tight, and though you knew this was your husband and his hug still felt the same in terms of feelings shared, it was also… off. Like this body that held you close wasn’t the same.
You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to forget about it.
“I’m sorry” Five suddenly whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
It broke you. It wasn’t Five’s fault. Time travel was messy to begin with, he couldn’t have known. You will never blame him for it. You were at least safe, you could help his family.
You felt him start to shake. A rare moment of complete vulnerability that he had trouble showing even around you. And it broke your heart so much that you couldn’t really do anything to help him. You just hugged him close, caressing his bare back. You also felt the tears in your own throat, but tried to keep them in.
“It’s going to be okay” you whispered into his neck. “It’s all going to be okay.”
He squeezed harder at that, his shoulders shaking with the force of his silent sobs. You couldn’t help it anymore, your own tears slipped loose. You didn’t know… how could you help him? There wasn’t anything… you were helpless.
You put one of your hand into his hair, massaging his roots, while you tried to keep your own sobs down.
“I’m here” you whispered. “We’re here.”
His right hand gripped the back of your neck, trying to pull himself back to the ground. Though this is what he wanted, to be here with his siblings, he also couldn’t help but wish his life back. His body. Not this small one. He even wished for the small height difference that you had before.
“We’ll be okay” you sighed, your own emotions finally back in order.
“We’ll be okay” he repeated, swallowing his sobs. He breathed deeply, smelling your familiar scent. At least that was the same.
“I love you” you said, massaging his head. “No matter the body, the age, I’ll always love you.”
“I love you too” he sighed, calming down. “I love you too.”
