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donnalawliet · 24 days

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Coffee or Tea? (addition to my previous Derek x Five oneshot)

Well, you all enjoyed that first chapter https://www.tumblr.com/donnalawliet/759443098831110144/coffee-or-tea-five-x-derek-oneshot so much, so here's a second chapter! Thank you for all the kind words, comments and likes, it really encouraged me to keep writing. I did my best to include some of your suggestions.

In this second chapter, Derek meets Five's family.

———————————

Slowly, unable to believe his own eyes, Five began to take in his surroundings. Where tall buildings had once stood…only remained ruins. Melted and bent metal littered the broken streets, burning trees barely resembled trees anymore. So much was burning, yet there was no noise.

That was the worst thing. There were no screams of panic, no sirens, no sounds of attempts to extinguish the fire that was trying to swallow the city. Instead, there was silence.

Five broke that silence as he began to cough, the falling ash invading his lungs and taking root somewhere deep inside. Panic overwhelmed his mind to the point that normal thoughts were pushed out and he started running, in the hope that he would reach a safer place. Instead, it only got worse.

“No…“, he whispered breathlessly as he spotted the ruins of the Umbrella Academy, burning like the rest of the city. There they were. His siblings, all of them unmoving and pale. He was back in the apocalypse, in the hell that he had landed himself in. Yet when he tried to teleport, not even one blue spark came up.

With all of his options exhausted, Five started to cry and scream. In the back of his mind he thought that he could hear something, but he was too busy giving his frustrations and fears a voice. Until he was suddenly pulled back.

———————————

“Five!“, Derek exclaimed as he shook his shoulder to wake him up. He had at first tried to only use his voice, but that hadn’t worked. In one moment, they had both been sleeping peacefully in seperate beds, because Five still wasn’t comfortable with so much touching, because their mattress preferences were different and because Five was a blanket hoarder. Then all of the sudden, his partner had screamed as if someone was attempting to rip his heart out.

Rather abruptly, Five’s eyes opened again and he sat up, gasping for air. His eyes were wide with panic, pupils dilated to the point that the green was barely visible and his heart was beating so quickly with adrenaline that it resembled the wings of a hummingbird. For a few moments, it seemed like he didn’t even know where he was. Then suddenly, his expression softened.

“Derek?“, he whispered and Five couldn’t help but sound like a small child, scared of the lightening outside. If he was there, that meant the apocalypse wasn’t.

Derek nodded in response, shifting slightly. He was practically kneeling on the bed next to Five, one leg on the mattress and one on the floor.

“Yeah, I’m here. It was just a dream, I-hmpf!“, he was cut off by Five practically falling into his chest, like a marionette with its strings cut. In that moment, Derek knew that asking questions would result in nothing. Five was obviously exhausted. And even though it was quite unusual for him to want to cuddle, he didn’t stop him.

Only after a few seconds did Derek realise that Five was falling asleep listening to his heartbeat. To make sure he was still alive and would stay that way.

“Goodnight, Mr.Five“, Derek whispered before he closed his eyes again, despite the awkward position he found himself in.

———————————

The next morning, Derek woke up alone. That wasn’t unusual by any means, sometimes Five headed off to work early to get some preparations done. And after that eventful night, talking about feelings was out of the question. They never talked about nightmares or trauma, Five argued that they had their respective therapists for that.

During his morning routine however, he could detect the faint scent of coffee and tea wafting through the appartment. A sign that Five hadn’t left, but had simply gotten up early to prepare breakfast. The thought of that alone was enough to make Derek smile. Instead of taking his time with styling his hair and picking out his outfit, he decided to walk into the kitchen, tying his tie in the process.

“Morning“, Five yawned without looking up from his coffee. He wasn’t really in the mood for talking in the morning, at least not until he had reached his ideal caffeine levels. Which he still hadn’t reached by a long shot.

“Good morning, Mr.Five“, Derek replied with a soft smile and began to look through their mail. The entire atmosphere was deeply comforting. It was lazy, natural and painfully domestic. And it gave his partner a sense of retirement, something that he deeply desired, but could never quite reach.

Five cleared his throat when Derek picked up a letter with really chaotic handwriting. The older man recognised it, but not many other people would.

“It’s an invitation from my idiot brother“, he explained, though there was no real malice, “He wants to have a family dinner or something. With all the kids and partners…it’s stupid.“

His words were a deflection, nothing more. Five couldn’t imagine that his siblings, who he had spent years protecting, really wanted him there. He was just another name on the list, the one everyone hoped wouldn’t show up. At least that was what he told himself. Sometimes his old mind couldn’t comprehend the thought of his family caring about him, not the same way he did.

Derek hummed quietly as he read the words, then looked up at Five. And there it was again, that calm smile of his.

“I think we should go. I would love to meet your family.“

For a few seconds, Five stared at him as if he had just suggested that they should do the hula. It was the same look he had given Luther whenever he had mentioned the moon in relation to the apocalypse…before it had actually caused the apocalypse.

“My family consists of a bunch of lunatics. They’re not…like you. Trust me, you don’t want to deal with all of their collective issues“, Five snorted and took another sip from his coffee. In truth, he was scared of Derek wanting to leave.

Because if he did, he would be alone…again. Five‘s breath hitched slightly when their hands made contact, but he didn’t pull away.

Derek smiled at him, reassuringly, despite the way his heart pounded with excitement. And for just a few moments, they were alone. There was no CIA, no Reginald Hargreeves, no annoying siblings. Just them, peaceful and happy.

“You spend so much time making sure these…lunatics…are safe. It makes me a bit curious of what they’re actually like. Unless you don’t want me there“, he explained, though a hint of fear was present as he uttered the last sentence.

Almost immediately, Five shook his head, which indirectly sealed their fate. But he didn’t care, in the worst case scenario they would just leave shortly after arriving.

“Of course I want you there. Now, could you get me another coffee? I can’t deal with this without caffeine or I will kill someone.“

Derek actually laughed and stood up. This was as close as he would get to Five declaring his love for him and he would take it. His older partner wasn’t really the traditional romantic, but he was fine with that. He wasn’t one either.

“I think the murder look in your eyes does something for me“, Derek teased him lightly while Five finished up his cup. That little attempt at flirting was enough for Five to almost choke on his coffee, all while trying to control the colour of his face.

In a matter of seconds, it turned a flattering shade of burgundy. Five rarely blushed, but whenever he did, Derek was the cause for it.

“Shut up“, he mumbled, though he clearly couldn’t hold back a shy smile.

———————————

A few days later, they made their way to the announced family dinner. Though it was far less formal than what most people would have in mind. The Hargreeves siblings were not the best at picking one specific meal, so takeout dining was the way to go. Which basically meant that the dining room table held everything from pizza to pasta to fried rice. It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing dinner, but it did the job and Diego’s kids loved it.

However, that wasn’t the thing that everyone focused on that night.

“Wait…did Five not come alone?“, Luther asked Diego while both of their wives were busy sitting on the couch. They were in charge of plating, with Luther having insisted on it so Sloane could relax. And Lila had then basically pressured Diego into being a gentleman, so he did the same.

Diego slowly shook his head as he watched Five and Derek take each other’s coats off, in complete disbelief.

Klaus was the one that ended up greeting them though.

“Good evening Fivey“, he grinned widely and looked his older brother over, “Mein Bruder, you really look amazing. Love the longer hair.“

Instead of telling Klaus to get lost or shut up, Five brushed his hair behind his ears and straightened up.

“Thank you. Still not sure how I feel about it yet. I prefer you with your shorter hair“ he commented while Derek was busy with redoing his tie, then turned towards him once he was done, “Come on, let’s get some mulled wine.“

Klaus stared at them, speechless until he ran over towards Diego like an excited child. Already, there was something extraordinary for the Hargreeves siblings to focus on and they attacked it like starving wolves.

“Did you see that? Five took a compliment from me and didn’t tell me off!“, he whisper yelled so the aforementioned brother wouldn’t hear.

Diego nodded slowly, not taking his eye off the couple as they sat down on the couch next to Sloane and Lila. It was very strange for Five to be so civil during a family outing.

“Do you think his buddy is another secret serial killer or something? It would explain why he and Five get along so well“, Diego began to theorise, “Or he’s from the Commission. He has shady office guy written all over him.“

In truth, he didn’t think that Derek looked particularly threatening. He seemed like a perfectly nice person that he would pass by in the grocery store without thinking twice. But that didn’t mean anything.

Viktor took that moment to walk into the kitchen, one glass of wine in his hand. He had previously watched the scene from the stairs, but now he was curious.

“Guys, is Five okay? He just laughed at one of Ray’s jokes, even though they’re absolutely terrible.“

They had seen their brother smile before, but this amount was definitely a cause for concern in their books.

———————————

Five was feeling quite comfortable, both due to Derek and the mulled wine by his side. So much so that he actually laughed when Lila commented on his pasty knees that he had shown in the past.

“Those shorts were a crime against humanity more severe than the apocalypse“, Five commented and crossed his legs. He and Derek weren’t holding hands, as that would make him quite uncomfortable, but they were close enough for their shoulder’s to touch.

———————————

Meanwhile, Five’s siblings were still stuck trying to figure the situation out.

“Well, he seems happy, so why don’t we just leave it?“, Viktor asked eventually while helping Luther with the cutlery arrangement.

Diego rubbed his eyes hard. While he appreciated Five not insulting any of them, he was also concerned for him. And maybe part of him was naturally suspicious. Everything in this family was weird and unusual, but never like this.

“The guy seems nice, polite and like a really good friend to Five“, Diego told them quietly and grabbed the nearby Dora the Explorer napkins, “But what if he’s like Leonard? We can’t have that happen again.“

The Leonard and later the Lila incident had been enough to make the entire family wary of new additions. Especially ones that seemed too friendly at first sight. And after some of them had seen how soft Five could be, they wanted him to be truly happy.

———————————

Derek sipped his mulled wine while he and Five listened to Sloane talk about her Italy honeymoon with Luther. He was surprised by how relatively normal the conversations seemed to be.

Sure, Lila was by no means completely normal, but she seemed more occupied with complimenting her daughter’s drawings than with the adult conversations.

“I loved our trip to the mausoleum“, Sloane ranted excitedly, “It was just everything I ever wanted and more. Luther liked the fountain in front of it, we made a wish there every single day.“

“Truly happy for you, Sloane“, Derek smiled, his tone showing that he meant it, “My job makes travelling a bit difficult, but it sounds exciting.“

He looked up when the rest of the family sat down. So far he had only talked to Klaus and the in-laws, but now he would be confronted with the rest of Five’s actual family. Soon enough, he would realise why Five had warned him.

“What do you do for work then, Mister…?“, Diego asked, clearly wanting his name. The way he asked was by no means polite, which visibly annoyed Five. It was a bit reminiscent of a cop in a noir movie leading an interrogation and not in the nice way.

“His name is Derek and he works with me, Diego.“

Five’s tone seemed a bit sharp, he was slightly drunk and wanted to have a good time, without anyone interrupting it. However, his siblings seemed focused on doing exactly that. He didn’t seem to realise that they were doing what he had been doing all those years, just on a much smaller scale. Making sure he was safe and doing well.

“Five, it’s okay. It’s a valid question“, Derek carefully reassured him. He was slowly starting to understand what exactly his partner meant. Five’s siblings were by no means normal. Though he hadn’t grasped the full extent of it just yet.

“Me and Five share a desk. I do a lot of the paper work, he does a lot of field work, though we do switch sometimes“, he began to explain in an effort to lighten up the mood, “Does that answer your question, Diego?“

Diego hummed, seemingly satisfied for a moment before he frowned.

“Wait…you know my name. Five, what did you tell him about all of us?!“, he sounded a bit panicked when he said that. A good informed potential enemy was a dangerous one, Reginald Hargreeves had always said that.

———————————

While Derek was starting to look a bit uncomfortable with the interrogation, shifting back and forth, his partner was mainly annoyed. Five had wanted a relatively normal evening, nothing more.

But of course, he couldn’t have that. In moments like these, he honestly wondered why he went through all the trouble of protecting his family.

“He had every right of knowing everything that I told him. Derek is more capable than most of you combined, Diego, hence why I live with him, not with you“, Five replied rather sharply, one hand planted firmly on the table. He barely noticed that he had taken a protective stance, ready to defend Derek from his own brother.

———————————

Klaus was the first one to break the silence that came afterwards. He had been looking Derek over, starting at his goofy glasses and ending at the way he did his tie. And even though his siblings often ignored him, he wasn’t stupid. He could see the way that Derek and Five looked at each other, the small invisible gestures that barely registered.

Klaus recognised it, he had once been the same way with Dave when they had started dating. And even though they were past that honeymoon phase now, he still found himself falling into those same patterns when he was around his love. It was a shame that Dave had to stay at home with the cat. A wide grin began to form on his face, one that Five recognised and was a bit afraid of.

“Are you two an item?“, he asked and his grin widened even more, to the point that Klaus resembled the cat from Alice in Wonderland.

“What are you, from the 1940s?!“, Five shot right back, but it didn’t have the desired effect. Instead of making everyone ignore Klaus, everyone stared at them. Inlcuding Allison and Claire, who had just come back from soccer practice. Viktor’s expression softened a bit.

“Five, it’s okay if you are“, Viktor sounded a bit awkward, but he kept pushing forward, “I’m glad that you’re happy.“

For a few seconds, Five was speechless. He was a bit frustrated because of his siblings and that was putting it mildly. But at the same time, he felt relieved by the fact that they knew now. Part of him had been scared that either Derek or his siblings would leave. However, that didn’t seem to be happening. His partner was still sitting next to him and his siblings seemed surprised, but not disgusted. To be expected when they had a sibling like Klaus. Five coming out of the closet when he was an old man didn’t seem as shocking in comparison.

Derek smiled a bit at the kind words, daring to touch Five’s knee as his partner answered the question with a nod. While he was definitely overwhelmed by the situation, he didn’t feel as though he needed to be afraid.

———————————

Diego cleared his throat a bit. He didn’t seem as aggressive as before, but still a bit worried. So he gestured towards Luther to ask the question that they had formulated together in the kitchen.

Luther frowned, then blushed darkly as he realised how dumb it would sound out loud.

“We just need to make sure…Do you promise that you’re not a sick serial killer or Commission employee sent to assassinate one of us?“

For a few moments, the question hung out in the open like an awkward marriage proposal. Derek glanced at Five, as if to confirm that it was not a joke, then looked at Luther.

“I…I promise.“

He was utterly dumbfounded, unable to form a sarcastic remark this time. So Derek just went for the blunt truth. Five had told him about the Commission once, but hadn’t gone into much detail. And he most definitely didn’t work for them.

“Good“, Lila smirked and stood up, her sleeping eldest daughter in her arms, “Because I’m starving and I really wasn’t in the mood for murder. I’ll just get this little munchkin to bed so we can eat.“

———————————

The rest of the evening went off without any major problems. Slowly but surely, Five was starting to relax again. Because despite his family’s rather chaotic behaviour, Derek seemed to be enjoying himself. He engaged in their conversations, answered questions and overall was just having a good time.

“Did you two meet at work?“, Allison asked curiously while she reached for the fortune cookies. She was half leaning against her husband, who was holding her free hand.

“Yeah, my boss assigned me to him on his first day“, Derek leaned back, not really in the mood for more food, “I started just about a year prior. My former colleague ended up retiring.“

His partner shifted a bit and went to say more, but their conversation was interrupted by one of the twins crying. And naturally, when one began to cry, the other wasn’t far behind. Lila groaned quietly, having just relaxed against Diego’s shoulder. Her husband seemed equally tired and exhausted, because otherwise he wouldn’t have said the following: “Five, could you maybe get that? You’re the only one that Coco tolerates.“

Five blinked slowly, looking at his brother, then at Derek. To his surprise, Derek stood up with him, a small smile on his cheek. He liked children, despite not having any of his own. And even though he and Five had never talked about the possibility of adopting them one day, he certainly didn’t mind looking after Five’s nieces and nephews.

“Okay, I’ll look after your stupid kid“, Five mumbled, but his tone held no real malice. His siblings seemed to notice that as well, because Viktor and Allison looked at him in genuine surprise, while Lila grinned and pinched his cheek.

“Thank you, mate“, she smiled, her accent getting a bit thicker.

———————————

Derek chuckled quietly, which earned him a playful glare from Five as he pulled him along by his sleeve. By checking on Diego’s kids, they would also have the opportunity to talk amongst themselves for the first time in hours.

“I told you they were morons“, Five mumbled under his breath as he rubbed his eyes hard, though he couldn’t hold back a small laugh. He had been so worried that this dinner would ruin everything, so he was overwhelmed with relief.

“They’re…definitely chaotic“, Derek readjusted his glasses slightly before opening the door, “But I don’t mind it. They’re your family. And we’re with the CIA, we’ve had much worse, Mr.Five.“

Five nodded slowly before he decided to focus on the task at hand. It was what he did best after all, his entire job consisted of focussing on small jobs like his life depended on it. Though this time, no one would die if he messed up. Except for his ears maybe.

“Hey Coco, hey Stanley“, he whispered and his voice turned quite soft. Derek had rarely heard Five talk in such a caring way, it took him a bit by surprise.

“Could you tell me what’s going on? I’m your uncle, I’m here to help“, Five reassured the twins as they looked up at him with wide eyes. They looked like they were on the brink of crying again. Instead of a verbal answer, both of them extended their arms towards him. The universal sign of Pick me up.

By no means was Five a toddler expert. But even an idiot would understand what they would have to do next, it wasn‘t exactly complicated. Back when he had met his nieces and nephew for the first time, he had been a bit of a mess. At least he knew the basics now.

Five sighed heavily, realising that he had a problem.

“I can’t carry you both“, he said quietly, then looked over at Derek, “You take Stan, I’m taking Coco, okay?“

Derek nodded immediately. He recognised the tone, it was the same one Five used when they were talking about the execution of a mission plan. And that didn’t leave much time for debate. So in less than a minute, they sat next to each other on the couch, holding one toddler each in their arms. Just like that, the crying stopped. Five let out a deep sigh of relief while one hand rubbed over his niece’s back.

“Sorry for dragging you into this mess“, Five told him in a hushed tone, though he was smiling a bit, “You don’t seem to mind though, do you?“

In the dimmed light of the room, he could see the way Derek held the toddler like he was the most precious thing he had ever come across. That question almost caused him to laugh out loud, but he caught himself.

“No, I don’t mind“, Derek carefully brushed Stan’s hair into place while leaning back to get comfortable, “But I think we’re going to be here for quite a while.“

In a situation like this, standing up became practically impossible. All that was left to do was to accept their fate. A few minutes into silence, Five carefully extended his free hand until he found Derek’s next to him. The three magic words remained unspoken, but Derek heard them nonetheless. He could hear them in the way Five looked at him, in the way their fingers brushed against each other, in the way they made each other coffee or tea.

In their own way, they loved each other.

———————————

If you liked it, leave a like or a comment. It really makes my day and encourages me to keep going. Also, I would have an idea for another smaller additional chapter, set during Season 4. It could also have some angst if that‘s what you want. Would you be interested in that?

If you are, let me know!

Until next time,

-Donna Lawliet

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