It Starts With The Little Things

Summary: Written for TheseusInTheMaze as part of the FandomGiftBox challenge. When trying to mend their relationship, Allison and Vanya discover desires they both have
Warning(s): AU; spoilers for the first season of the Umbrella Academy; the beginnings of an ABDL relationship

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Growing up the second time round had been hard. With all their adult memories, it had been much more complicated this time. And their father being around hadn’t helped matters. Eventually, even though none of them had died, they’d all left, one by one.

Vanya had chosen to stay. This time around, her powers hadn’t been sealed away. This time around, she actually felt accepted by her siblings. And even though everyone apart from Luther and her had ultimately ended up leaving, they were still keeping in touch. Still trying to make sure the end of the world wasn’t brought about…even though Vanya had no intention of travelling along the same path as she had before. She could only control herself, after all, not other people.

Even if there was a big part of her that kind of wanted to cede that control to someone; a part of her that, although big, she kept hidden down low, where no one but her knew or could see it.

Their father was out on one of his many business trips. Vanya spent some time in her room, playing her violin. Despite Reginald pushing every one of their buttons, she was trying hard to keep control over her emotions. And her music helped a great deal with that.

She wasn’t going to be able to stay in her room all day, though. Already, she was starting to get hungry. She put her violin down carefully back in its case and slipped out of her bedroom, heading to the end of the hallway and down the stairs.

As she reached the kitchen, Vanya paused just outside, listening to the sound of someone else opening cupboards and banging around plates and cups. Was Luther downstairs as well? And if he was, did she want to talk to him?

The low rumbling from her stomach made the decision for her. She reached for the door handle and opened it, stepping into the kitchen.

Allison looked up from a plate of sandwiches she was cutting in half and smiled at Vanya. “I was just about to bring these up to you.”

Vanya paused, hovering just inside the doorway, torn. A whole series of questions and reactions went through her mind. She swallowed and slanted a glance at her sister’s neck. The scar was gone, of course. In this new timeline, she’d never physically cut her sister’s throat.

But the memory was still there.

“Vanya?” Allison’s smile faded, even as she held out the plate. “Are you hungry? I can make you something else, if you’d prefer.”

“Aren’t you here to see Luther?” Vanya couldn’t keep the confusion out of her voice. What was Allison doing here? And making her sandwiches? “You moved out.”

“I was hoping to see you.” Allison set the plate down and pushed it towards Vanya.

Slowly, hesitantly, Vanya reached out and picked up one of the sandwiches. She took a bite, chewed and swallowed, then focused on her sister. “It’s good.”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Opening the fridge, Allison got out a carton of milk and retrieved a glass from one of the cupboards. She poured out the milk and then pushed the glass towards Vanya as well. “I wouldn’t try to poison you.”

“I know that.” Vanya picked up the glass of milk and drank half of it before setting the glass down and continuing to eat the sandwich. “Luther’s probably in his room. He’ll be happy to see you.”

“I told you. I’m not here for Luther,” Allison said. “I’m here for you.”

Vanya swallowed another mouthful and dropped her gaze to the plate. “If you’re worried about me destroying the world again, I…I’ve been trying to control my powers. Well, my emotions. But they’re the same thing, really.”

“Vanya, I….” Allison took a deep breath and then gave a self-deprecating smile. “I’ve spent the last several days rehearsing what to say to you, but in the end, all I can really say is that I’m sorry. Telling you Dad was responsible is only an excuse. It doesn’t change that I was the one who locked away your power. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not just about my ability, though.” Vanya reached out to drain the last of the milk. “We’ve never really been close. I’m not sure we know how to be friends. How to be sisters, even. I know it was my power that destroyed the world, but I can’t help thinking things would have been different if we’d all been closer.”

“I think…I know you’re right. It’s why I’m here,” Allison admitted. “I don’t know how possible it is to fix things between us, but I’d like to try. I can’t make a good life for my daughter until I can be sure the world she’ll be born into is safe.”

Vanya took half a step back. The plate and glass on the table began to wobble and shake precariously.

“No, Vanya. I didn’t mean….” Allison stepped round the side of the table carefully. Making eye contact with Vanya, she held her hands out in front of her. “I’m not talking about sealing away your powers. I’m talking about helping you. Helping you to control them. Being the sister you needed and deserved long before now.”

Oh. The tension fled from Vanya’s body; and as it slipped away, the rattling stopped. “I don’t think I can.” The admittance slipped out in a whisper and she flushed and looked away. She hadn’t meant to say that.

“You mean you don’t think you can control yourself?”

Vanya forced herself to look at her sister. “If I could, I wouldn’t have destroyed the world. Even now,” she pointed to the table, “I thought you might try to lock my ability away again. And I reacted. What if I hadn’t been able to stop?”

Allison looked at Vanya for a long few moments and then she held her hand out. “Come with me.”

Vanya looked at her hand and thought. This was almost like a peace offering, but Allison wasn’t offering to shake hands. She planned to lead Vanya somewhere. Like a child.

And Vanya could and perhaps should refuse. She might have been thinking about how bad she’d been at controlling herself, but that didn’t mean she wanted her sister to take that control. Did it?

Walking out would be easy. Knocking Allison’s hand away would be, too, even though it would cause conflict.

What if she did neither of those things, though? What if she took Allison’s hand? Took a step in ceding control to her sister? After seeing how badly things had gone in their future, giving up control to someone else wasn’t scary. It was more tempting than it had a right to be. It felt right.

Vanya reached out and took Allison’s hand.

For a few moments, they just stood there like that. Taking a first step in changing their relationship. Then Allison smiled, squeezed Vanya’s hand and said, “Let’s go to my room.”

It felt strange, being led out of the kitchen by her hand like she was a child. Vanya walked next to Allison, their hands linked together. When they went up the stairs, it was side by side, even though Allison was very obviously taking the lead.

No one saw them, whether because they weren’t around or because they were giving the two of them privacy. Either way, they reached Allison’s former room without being interrupted.

The room had been left in the same state it had been in when Allison had left, though had continued to be carefully maintained by Grace. Few of her personal belongings remained, though, most of them having gone with Allison when she’d ultimately left.

Once the door closed behind them, Allison let go of Vanya’s hand.

Feeling surprisingly bereft of the touch, Vanya wrapped her arms around her own stomach, watching as her sister headed over to one of the chests of drawers. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a yellow onesie.

Confused, Vanya looked from the onesie to Allison’s face. “Why do you have that?”

“Honestly? I thought it looked cute.” Allison shrugged. “What you mentioned downstairs made me think you might feel better to give control to someone else for a while. Maybe if you let go, even if it’s only for a little while, it’ll help you to control yourself better in other situations.”

“By letting you treat me like a baby?” Vanya fully intended the question to come out harsh. Dismissive. What she didn’t plan on was sounding hopeful. Needy, even.

“By letting me look after you. By letting me take control.” Allison held up the onesie. “Come here and I’ll put it on you.”

Vanya thought about asking if Allison had bought the onesie specifically for her. It looked like it would fit her perfectly, after all. And then she thought about walking out of the room. Returning to her own. Pretending that Allison wasn’t suggesting something a big part of her wanted. She thought that, if she said no, or walked away, her sister wouldn’t push the issue. “Why do you want to do this?” She didn’t move forward…and she didn’t move back, either. She felt frozen in place.

“When we all came back in time, I spent a long time thinking about how I could help you,” Allison answered. “I don’t want you to feel left out or like you’re not part of the family, Vanya. I did leave, that’s true. But I never intended to stay away. I love you.”

The last three words hit Vanya harder than anything. She looked at Allison’s face, into her eyes. Played back the words in her mind, searching for the lie. Searching for a reason not to trust her sister.

There was nothing. And if Vanya was entirely honest with herself, out of all of her siblings, Allison was the only one she remembered trying to find a peaceful resolution. Even if that hadn’t registered with her at the time.

Instinct seemed to take over and Vanya walked to Allison’s side. She stood there as her sister grasped her arms, raising them above her head and pulling her blouse free. The next moment, her pants were unbuttoned and pulled down. Allison knelt to pick up each foot in turn, tugging the pants off fully, finally leaving Vanya clad only in her underwear.

Leaning forward, pressing against Vanya’s chest, Allison slid her hands behind and undid the bra, carefully pulling that free. She dropped it on the floor, on top of the blouse and pants, and then began to push Vanya’s panties down. Just like she had with the pants, she lifted each foot in turn, pulling the socks free along with the panties.

Finally, Vanya stood naked in front of her sister. She felt vulnerable, exposed and very young. With Allison’s encouragement, she settled back on the bed, laying still as her sister began to put the onesie on her. She moved only when Allison indicated she should, letting out a quiet sigh once the soft material was finally in place.

Allison stroked some hair out of her face and ran her fingers down Vanya’s cheeks, then gave her belly a little tickle.

Vanya was startled enough to let out a little giggle at the sensation, then squirmed as Allison’s tickling fingers ran down her legs and over her feet. She squirmed a bit in place, but when the other woman stepped away, she found herself propping herself up on her elbows to keep her sister in sight.

A few moments later, Allison crawled onto the bed with Vanya, holding a children’s book in hand. She wrapped one arm around Vanya, kissing her cheek, and then opened the book, beginning to read.

Vanya thought she should be embarrassed. Thought she should pull away. But the onesie was warm. Allison was cuddling her. Her belly was full and the world was in no danger of being ended; at least by her. And her sister was stroking and gently tickling her back and it was so soothing…she might as well enjoy being babied for a while.

The End