okay, i definitely once thought about Five having actually had an imaginary friend named Dolores when he was very little (y'know, before Reginald beat that sort of thing out of them all), so like... he comes back and suddenly he's talking about her again and everyone goes ????, only to go ????????? even HARDER when they realize she's half a mannequin now. where am i going with this? idk!
oh that’s so absolutely valid and i’m immediately accepting that as a very very blessed au
so when they’re all little, number four has like a BUNCH of imaginary friends that he talks about all the time. They sound really neat and interesting and Five takes an immediate interest - but when he asks four how he met them four just shrugged and say they’re just there all the time but only he can see them ‘cause he’s special and they like him best
So Five tries really very hard and eventually makes up his own friend so he can have something to talk about with four. Her name is Dolores and he loves her lots and lots because she says he’s her favorite and at this point in his life Five hasn’t really ever been anyone’s favorite
after it’s revealed four’s friends are actually ghosts, four stops wanting to talk to or about them altogether because now they’re scary (he doesn’t even want to talk to the nicest one named Dave who he used to say he was gonna marry when he grew up)
but everyone knows Five’s power is jumping, so they tell him that Dolores isn’t real. He kindly tells them that they’re stupid and of course Dolores is real
eventually he just learns to not talk to Dolores around the others, even if he slips up sometimes and asks her what she thinks all the time (she’s really very smart and gives good advice so why wouldn’t he consult her whenever possible?)
he’s probably around?? nine? when he trains himself out of talking to dolores? because that’s the age that Luther tattles on him and calls him a baby in front of dad and Dad agrees that he’s being a baby so now he gets punished if he talks to or about Dolores
so there are four years where Five only ever talks to Dolores in whispers when he’s alone and she’s the one who listens to him when he needs it and comforts him during and after Dad’s awful training and really he’s okay with keeping her private and safe because she’s his friend not anyone elses
so when Five pops back up looking thirteen and goes and fetches a mannequin that he introduces to them as Dolores they all remember Five’s imaginary friend
he might have only talked sparingly about her for a long time but now he gives exactly 0 shits what his siblings think because he’s not going to ever hide Dolores away again not when she’s been the only one he could rely on for all those years alone in the apocalypse
so he’s constantly consulting Dolores and telling the others in matter of fact tones that “Dolores thinks that’s a stupid idea”
“Dolores is a mannequin” one of them points out
“Not always” Five responds blithely just making everyone even more confused
and you know what because Dolores isn’t associated with the apocalypse and has been with him since WAY before that, he doesn’t go and take her back to the department store. So he’s in the house when Luther tries to lock Vanya up. And so Vanya ends up being freed and the apocalypse doesn’t happen and they have a happy ending
