Hello I'm here with Luther Angst because I love my boy!

Their father made them stand at attention as soon as they got home. They fell into line easily, naturally, like it was the most normal thing for them to do. Six children with their backs straight and their hands clasped behind them, breath just slightly rattled from the adrenaline and the close call, trying to suppress the exhilarated laughter in their guts.

And Vanya in the doorway, leaning against the wall in silence, watching them.

Their father waited. He didn't say anything, didn't need to. They quieted down in a matter of seconds, bodies growing tense under his scrutiny. From the corner of his eye, Luther could see Klaus bumping his elbow into Five's side playfully.

It wasn't until all was silent that their father finally decided to speak. "I certainly hope none of you were satisfied with your performance today." His voice sharp in its suddenness.

None of them answered because it wasn't actually a question. They kept their faces straight, their eyes trained on the wall, as their father paced in front of them. They were ten and they had already learned to only answer when directly spoken to. Luther tried hard to keep his breathing even, clenching his fingers against the uncomfortably feeling building in his gut. He squared his shoulders slightly, posture stiff as a board but leaning back onto his heels a bit.

"Calling it a performance might be too generous," their father continued, cane scraping against the floor with every movement. "A disappointment would be more precise. You are fortunate only in that there were no casualties." He stopped in front of Luther, pale eyes filled with detachment. Luther often had thought those eyes might be colorless, devoid of anything. "You know that blood would have been on your hands, number one."

He swallowed. "Yes, father."

"You are all guilty of squandering your powers. Like aimless children, you treat your training as a game." His frown traveled down the line but none of Luther's siblings were foolish enough to meet their father's gaze. "As if the faith of the world did not lie solely on your shoulders."

He turned back to Luther. "But in the end, we know who should truly be held accountable for this negligence. Tell me why, number one."

It took a lot of effort for him to meet those eyes. "Because a team will always only be as good as its leader. Our success is my responsibility."

"Quite right." Their father stepped back, indicated the middle of the room with his cane. Luther followed slowly, trying to stop the insistent hammering of his heart against his ribcage. "And when one neglects their duty, punishment is in order."

Luther nodded, looking past his father at Vanya standing in the doorway, the way she fidgeted with the sleeves of her uniform. She looked worried so he tried to smile reassuringly at her, though judging by the paleness of her face it wasn't very convincing.

"Turn around. Your siblings need to know the consequences of their actions," Reginald commanded, so Luther did, hands dropping to his sides.

The first blow came so unexpectedly it knocked the air out of him and almost forced him to his knees. It was only the many years of training and the knowledge that his punishment would only be harsher if he buckled now that kept Luther on his feet.

His father held back a few seconds between each hit, waiting for the sting to subside before delivering the next one, the pain blooming all across his back. Luther didn't make a sound, biting his lip hard enough to taste blood against his tongue while he lost count of how often he got struck. If he could keep the pain from showing on his face maybe he hadn't failed after all.

Then he felt the cane come down on the back of his neck hard, making him stumble forward and almost lose his balance, gasping in pain. Allison's cry rang out sharply, but Diego had grabbed her wrist, keeping her steady.

"Dad-" It was Ben who had spoken first, voice soft and vulnerable and Luther hated himself. Hated himself for being so weak. For not even being able to endure even this much. "Dad, we're sorry, Please, it won't happen again, we're sorry-"

"Being sorry does not right a wrong," Reginald simply said, waiting for Luther to get up. "If I don't teach you now, you will never learn. Perhaps going forward you will think twice before acting recklessly again."

Luther didn't move, staring at the ground instead. He didn't want any of the others to see the tears stinging at the corners of his eyes right now.

Their father started leaving the room, stopping in the doorway only to add: "Number one shall now go to his bedroom, where he will remain for the next 48 hours. He shall not leave his room under any circumstances unless it is to partake in missions. You are not allowed to see or speak with him during this time."

His departure was followed by a few seconds of tense silence as if he had taken their ability to speak with him, but before they could regain their senses their mother was already crowding the others into the kitchen, mumbling something about listening to their father and freshly baked cookies, leaving Luther to make his way to his room quietly, stubbornly keeping the tears at bay until he had closed the door behind himself.

It wasn't until a few hours later that he was pulled out of his thoughts by somebody knocking. He figured it was probably Mom bringing him dinner, but when he opened the door it was Vanya who quickly slipped inside, pushing the door close again with her foot.

"Van-" he began, but she motioned for him to be quiet with one finger over her lips, waiting. Luther could hear heavy footsteps across the hallway now, passing by his room before they disappeared down the stairs. She sighed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, watching her sit down on his bed. She was carrying some kind of towel-wrapped parcel. "Dad said you guys aren't allowed to see me."

Vanya frowned for a moment, her eyes on the floor instead of looking at him. "I uh- I don't think he meant me. He wasn't talking to me, right?"

"Oh," Luther breathed but didn't argue. Their father had most certainly also been talking to Vanya and they both knew it. But not only was this a point of contention that often caused discomfort between them, but this also wasn't the worst use of the loophole this provided his sister for getting around their father's rules. "You still shouldn't have."

"Why?" Vanya asked, hands clumsy as she undid the knot around the towel. The sincerity behind that word made Luther answer without a second thought.

"Because I deserve this."

Vanya stilled for a moment. Luther watched her, the way her bangs made shadows across her face and made her almost unreadable. She shook her head. "That's not true, Luther."

"It's punishment," he said instead, the line sounding rehearsed even to his own ears because it was. A mantra whispered to himself so often before, whenever he took the fall for their wrongdoings. When he ran those extra laps because Klaus complained about being tired. When he went to bed without dinner because Five talked at the table. "I need to take my responsibility and make things right." Whispering it in the dark over and over until maybe he could believe his father's words.

Even if it had never been this bad before.

His sister didn't answer. Luther could have predicted she wouldn't understand. This was something that was beyond her, beyond the others even. This was his duty, the only thing he was good for. If he couldn't do this right then what use did he have?

"What did you bring?" he asked instead, plopping down onto the mattress beside her and ignoring the somberness on her face or the thoughts creeping around in his mind.

"It's not much but," Vanya started, revealing the plate of cookies she had so expertly stowed up the stairs. "Five helped me steal them since he's better at that than I am."

As much as the idea of ignoring their father's direct orders didn't sit right with Luther, he did have to admit their mother's chocolate chip cookies were worth the repercussions which their disobedience might incur. "Thank you," he said, taking one and stuffing it into his mouth eagerly. He didn't have dinner yet. "And thank Five too, I guess."

Vanya smiled again for the first time since coming in, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Ben told me to bring this as well, but I don't know if it will help?" she told him, revealing the ice pack their mom kept in the freezer for small accidents. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not really," he lied. He had stood in front of the mirror earlier when he was changing into his pajamas, watching the bruises forming on his back. They were bright red now, long streaks in the shape of the cane that struck him, but Luther knew they would fade into darker colors over the next few days and in a few weeks there wouldn't be anything left. "It isn't that bad."

"If you say so," Vanya muttered but she looked more than a little doubtful. "I guess you're used to it, with the missions and all."

"Pretty much."

They sat in silence for a bit, Luther scarfing down cookies rapidly while Vanya stared at the model airplanes hanging from his ceiling. The window was open and they moved slightly in the breeze, plastic propellors spinning in lazy circles.

"It still isn't fair," she said then, shoulders hunched and hands clasped and she looked tiny. So much smaller than she ever had before. Like maybe it was her that carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

And Luther, who did not know how to explain to her that this was exactly what he deserved.