#⓶ ∥⤷: MORE HEART THAN ALL OF US --------- [ Klaus Hargreeves ]

[i-like-writing-stuff]

never changing; part two [ five hargreeves x reader ]

a/n: y’all this ain’t much i’m still trying to reacommodate myself back into writing but i will share a final part 3 to this imagine eventually!!!

again this is just fluff and banter i love keeping things light hearted

and i’m trying to heal myself with what could’ve been 😔

summary: you and the hargreeves siblings start your rescue mission

“Well, you all certainly look shittier than the other,” You crossed your arms awkwardly, watching the seven Hargreeves siblings as they were all clutching onto their bodies, sprawled across what used to be the fancy mansion that they grew up in.

Now it was just looking as beat down as your family.

“You’re fucked up in the head,” Ben groaned, making you roll your eyes.

“Coming from the dipshit who roofied his siblings with space juice… that’s a big statement,” Diego mumbled, as the others nodded in agreement.

After Gracie’s birthday party, you intended to go back to the office and catch up on some paperwork. The current case you were working on was truly a pain in the ass. Ever since you started working on it a couple of months ago, you didn’t think that anything else was more important than trying to win it. Boy, were you wrong.

You intended to leave the party a bit earlier, so that’s exactly what you did. Even if you felt like you couldn’t get enough of bantering with the family, playing with Gracie and most specially, talking to Five, you eventually dragged yourself back to the car and drove back to work. You needed that gathering, you truly did- in spite of the inevitably awkward moments.

That’s why when Five called you to inform to that Viktor got kidnapped, you didn’t hesitate to drive back to the mansion and regroup with the siblings to rescue their brother. One thing led to another, you managed to save him and even celebrate after that, but it wouldn’t be a Hargreeves mission without something going sideways.

“We have to get going, asshats,” Five reminded you all, stroking his hair.

You wanted to comfort him, as your heart sunk watching the dark circles around his eyes. His skin was as pale as a ghost, and he was groaning lightly through heavy breaths. His long fingers were running through his messy hair, as his other hand was holding the marigold jar loosely.

You always thought how stupid it was that you could just look at him for hours, just because he was so pretty. He could be doing nothing, you still couldn’t get enough of him.

This is so embarrassing, it’s been six years, you thought to yourself, looking away exactly as he caught a glimpse of your stare, Besides, he looks like he is dying. Handsomely, but dying, nonetheless.

The same man who kidnapped Viktor last night entrusted you with a rescue mission to bring his daughter back home. You decided not to pursue it, eventually, and before you went your separate ways, you all had a shot of Sake, ushered by Ben.

The rest is history.

Point is, everyone seemed to have their powers back.

“Shotgun,” You raised a hand, as the seven siblings started cussing at you on your way to Diego and Lila’s van.

You felt very nostalgic, since so many years passed without being with everyone. It was bittersweet, but you tried to promise to yourself to not get too attached. You liked your current life, and as lovely as it was spending time with Five, that led to nowhere. It was just a stupid little crush, anyway.

The family van was parked in front of the building, right in front of your car, so Diego started moving some thing into your car trunk to make room for everyone. Allison and Klaus were talking to Claire on the phone, as Ben, Luther and Lila were bickering about the sconces and Viktor was still trying to calm his nerves.

“You okay?” You placed your hand on Five’s shoulder, feigning a confident smile.

You were honestly so concerned for them, all of them.

“Just the most annoying hangover in my life,” Five placed his hand on yours absentmindedly.

Maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal, he appreciated your concern, he always did. When he got hurt in missions you were always scolding him and he acted annoyed with your protectiveness, but this was the first time he actually showed gratitude for it.

“But you don’t gotta get all up in my ass,” He added with a smirk, taking your hand off his shoulder.

There it was.

He still held onto it, proudly, as you rolled your eyes, not even noticing how naturally your hands locked together.

“Oh please, you’d love me to get all up on you,” You scoffed, making him chuckle.

“Since when are you so arrogant?” He wondered.

“I may have picked up a thing or two from you over the years,” You shrugged your shoulders lightly.

“Should’ve picked up the phone more often,” Five said, causing you to wave a hand in front of your face bored of how many times you’ve been told that;

“The phone that…”

“Works both ways,” He interrupted you, “Yeah, yeah.”

“Then you don’t really have a leg to stand on,” You declared with a smile.

“Is that right?” He took a step closer, eyeing you curiously.

If you were to ask him where did that come from, he really had no idea what to say. Five always was unpredictable, but this was something new. But then again, it’s not like your relationship was that cold- it wasn’t. However, he was playing with fire a tad too much.

It all felt so ridiculous. How could he still make your heart thump heavily just with a simple look? You felt so little compared to him, as hard as you tried to seem confident. With the help of your platform boots you were still almost reaching his chin, and that was to show you just how young you both still were, even if your mental ages begged to differ.

“You still look like shit,” You broke the ice, still trying to keep up a tough exterior.

“Bullshit,” Five grinned, obviously feeling a lot better.

Little did you know how much your simple presence helped his mental well-being.

Surprisingly, he thought to himself.

“Are you two gonna suck faces or can we move along?” Ben suddenly walked up to you and his brother, as the rest of the family was watching everything unfold as if it was a soap opera.

“Why’d you wanna watch your brother kiss someone?” You wondered, letting go of Five’s hand to climb into the car along the others.

“That’s not okay,” Klaus agreed.

“You’re getting weirder by the second,” Allison told Ben, as he tried to argue.

“What the fuck?” Diego turned to watch his brother disgusted, as Viktor was just silently side-eyeing the tentacle man.

“I fucking hate you all,” Ben said defeated, looking around the car.

“At least they don’t wanna watch their fresh 19 year old brother eat tongue,” You couldn’t help the banter.

“Don’t say fresh 19,” Luther chimed in as well, as the siblings turned to you now.

“He is 64, nothing about him is fresh,” Klaus pointed out.

“Shut the fuck up, fuckface,” Five only rolled his eyes.

And thus the road-trip begun.

[inkspiredwriting]

The Defense of the Hargreeves

Five Hargreeves x reader

A/N: Sir Reginald Hargreeves is an asshole. I just had to write a little story about it.

Warnings: None

Y/N had always heard stories about Sir Reginald Hargreeves, but she had never met the man. Today, however, fate had different plans. She found herself standing in the grandiose living room of the mansion, face to face with the infamous patriarch of the Hargreeves family.

Reginald's cold eyes assessed her with the same indifference he likely showed everyone. "You must be Y/N," he said, his tone devoid of warmth. "I've heard about you."

"Yes, sir," Y/N replied, trying to remain polite despite the chill in his demeanor. "It's nice to meet you."

Reginald ignored her attempt at pleasantries and launched into a critical monologue about his children. "You must understand, my 'children'—if one can even call them that—are highly flawed individuals. They lack discipline, focus, and a clear understanding of their purpose. Especially Number Five. A brilliant mind, wasted on trivial pursuits."

Y/N felt her blood begin to boil. "Excuse me, but I think you’re wrong," she interjected, her voice steady but firm.

Reginald's eyebrow arched slightly, the only indication that he was taken aback by her boldness. "Oh? And what insight do you believe you have that I, their father, do not?"

Y/N took a deep breath, determined to stand her ground. "Five and his siblings are wonderful people. They’ve faced more challenges and endured more pain than most people could imagine, all because of you. Despite everything, they’ve grown into strong, resilient, and compassionate individuals. They might have their flaws, but they are good people."

Reginald remained silent, his expression unreadable, as Y/N continued.

"Five is incredibly smart and resourceful. He’s saved the world more times than you probably know. Luther is strong and has a heart of gold. Diego is passionate and fiercely protective. Allison is kind and uses her powers to help others. Klaus is empathetic and more powerful than you realize. And Viktor, he’s brave and incredibly talented. They all stick together, no matter what. That’s something you should be proud of."

Her voice trembled slightly with emotion. "They are so much more than the sum of their powers or their mistakes. They are your children, and they deserve your pride and love, not your disdain."

Unbeknownst to Y/N, Five and his siblings had entered the room, drawn by the sound of her impassioned speech. They stood just outside the doorway, listening intently, their hearts swelling with gratitude and emotion.

Reginald’s face remained a mask of cold detachment, but something flickered in his eyes. "You seem quite convinced of their worth," he said slowly.

"I am," Y/N replied without hesitation. "Because I see the good in them every day. They are extraordinary, not just because of their abilities, but because of who they are as people. And if you can’t see that, then you’re the one who’s flawed."

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, Reginald nodded curtly. "I see. Well, you’re entitled to your opinion."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Y/N standing there, her heart pounding in her chest.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Five and his siblings rushed into the room, their expressions a mix of surprise and admiration.

"Y/N," Diego said, his voice soft with emotion, "that was... incredible."

"Yeah, you really told him," Klaus added, his usual cheeky demeanor giving way to genuine appreciation.

Luther placed a hand on Y/N’s shoulder. "Thank you. For standing up for us."

Y/N smiled, tears of relief and happiness in her eyes. "You all deserve to be seen for who you really are. I’m just glad I could help."

Viktor nodded, his eyes shining. "We’re lucky to have you with us, Y/N."

Five pulled Y/N into a tight embrace, his voice filled with gratitude. "I love you, Y/N. Thank you for defending us."

Y/N hugged him back, feeling the warmth and love of the family around her. "I love you too, Five. Always."

In that moment, surrounded by the people she had come to love and cherish, Y/N knew that they would always have each other. And that was something truly worth fighting for.

[lowkeyrobin]

DIEGO HARGREEVES ; the house

summary ; yours and diegos last look at the house you were raised in

warnings ; language

disclaimers ; platonic, set in a no-doomsday au where the house was sold after reggies death in 2024, also Reggie wasn't as abusive and the kids had special normal kid core memories cause I want them to have some sort of peace damnit, y/i = your initial

track ; the house that built me, miranda lambert

word count ; 1.1k

masterlist

Colorful Christmas lights hung around the home, just the way Mom would always hang them up. But this year, they weren't hung up by Mom. They were hung up by someone else's mom, someone else's protector, someone else's safe space.

You and Diego stand close together, solemnly walking up the front steps.

The umbrella logo had been removed from the glass front doors, leaving two red, wooden doors in their place. In some of the front windows, you could see fake battery-powered candles and snowflake decals.

Diego knocks on the door, looking in the little window above. A warm light illuminates the front space.

A woman opens the door, unknowing of who you were.

"Hi, can I help you? Are you a friend of Adam?"

"Uh, no" Diego replies. "We used to live here. Uhm..." He looks to you for reassurance.

You turn to the woman. "Can we walk around for just a moment? We never got to say goodbye after our parents passed. I promise we won't take anything other than our memories. Just to feel it, relive it one last time... I just wanna find myself again. This house built us. Our parents died unexpectedly, we couldn't come to even go to the funeral."

The woman's face softens. "Oh, of course" She steps back, allowing you entrance to the home.

The old black and white checkered floor was no more, replaced with some sort of white wood, contrasting against the dark oak accents. The light was warm, different than from what you remembered. This front room was always so cold.

"Take your time," She speaks. "I'll be in the kitchen. Would you like some hot chocolate? It's cold out there"

"No, ma'am," Diego answers, tapping the snow off of his boots on the welcome mat.

She nods, retreating to the other room.

You and Diego look at each other, quickly rushing to the stairs in front of you. On the side, in black paint, rests all of your handprints.

The first was Luther, always number one. He wrote his name like he was creating text to head the newspaper. Then there was Allison, her name painted underneath in cursive. Next was Five, his a little blotchy as he had to do his twice. He wrote his name in his palm, covering up his legal name, which Grace tried to get him to use, Max.

Then there was Klaus and Ben, theirs overlapping each other. Klaus had a mini paint fight with Ben, who'd disapproved immensely. Klaus' name was barely legible, Ben's neat and tidy. Next was Viktor, his hand perfectly placed on the side of the staircase. His name was written underneath in italics, slightly messy since he was in a rush to give the paint to you and Diego.

Speaking of you and Diego, your handprints rested on the end. You'd created a little heart, kind of, out of your hands. You took the left, he took the right. In the middle rested Mom's hand in dark pink paint. He'd begged and pleaded for her to join in for a good ten minutes. He was always a mama's boy.

Little eight-year-old Diego couldn't have been happier in that moment.

Your name was messily scribbled beside your hand, Diego's just the same. Grace wrote Mom with a little heart in cursive in her palm.

Your hands caress your little hands, remembering the cold paint on your hands, the mess it created on the floor.

"You think our height board is beside the hallway closet?" Diego asks softly.

"Wanna find out?" You ask

He smiles, leading you across the house. Beside the white door that led into a cleaning closet rests the height chart on the side board. L, D, A, K, F, B, V, and Y/I. Color coded, too.

Diego chuckles, seeing the height that represented him at ten. "God, I was so short. Allison was so tall"

"She still is" you reply, looking up at your final height checks. Luther's was at twenty-one. 6'3. "Wow. I never realized we all left at different times like that"

Diego nods, looking over Ben's final height at sixteen. He felt his heart trying to fix itself in that moment.

"I thought Klaus left at eighteen?" You comment, looking at the last number he had, being seventeen as he'd run away.

Diego shakes his head. "Seventeen. We left at nineteen, we got a little help from Mom, remember?"

"Oh, yeah"

You're both silent for a moment before you silently agree to go up to your rooms, wanting one last touch of Five, Ben, and yourselves.

You separate ways as you enter your rooms, sitting on the floor. You could remember where every last poster and item had gone like it was yesterday. From the bed placement to which one of Luther's records you were borrowing that day, it all stuck in your head.

The memories kept in the floorboards spoke to you.

Diego used to sneak into your room when he had nightmares up til the age of fifteen. He was mortified of the dark.

Viktor used to read with you on days off from training, all day long.

Luther sat in your room to listen to music with you while you tidied your room.

Klaus would often smoke in your room at because you were the only one with a table fan to wash the smell away out the window. Turning the lights on, even with a closed door, would've got you in trouble. Reggie was a night stalker.

Ben would trade posters with you everytime he wanted to reorganize his room.

Five would make you puke in your room by teleporting you around a kajillion times.

Allison would come to your room so you could style her hair.

You close the door as you leave, moving to Ben's. You can't enter, like the wound was torn into your skin just an hour ago. You look over the blank walls, your eyes set on where his old bookshelf sat.

In Five's room, newspapers were always plastered on the walls, much to Reginald's dismay. The foot of his bed usually housed a row of uniform shoes. There used to be a trunk under his bed where he kept his stuffed animals, which he'd outgrown before he disappeared. He couldn't bring himself to let go of them.

Diego approaches from behind, resting a light hand on your shoulder.

"You remember when Allison made a journal full of homes from magazines that she'd want to live in?"

You chuckle. "Yeah"

You're both quiet for a moment before he speaks again.

"Weird being here again"

You nod. "Hard to say goodbye to what raised you"

He nods. "I miss Mom"

"Me too"

[justherefortua]

finished the young blood book! Though it’s definitely YA rather than as mature, it gave me a lot of nostalgia for the post-S1 fics where people thought they were goin gto be ported to childhood, and I thought the little details and the way the characters were characterized was actually really good! I loved how many parallels there were to canon and the further elaboration on the day to day life of the Umbrella Academy (and Viktor)

I wouldn’t take the book as a 100% canon source, but here are some disconnected small details that I enjoyed: SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

- Twice trying to wrangle the hargreeves is referred to as “herding cats”, which is very accurate

- Grace custom sews their outfits and adjusts them for each member 🥺🥺🥺🥺 Luther gets a new one every time he grows, Diego has secret compartments for his knives, Ben has tentacle openings, Viktor’s looks a little too big on him

- I could definitely see how this Luther turns into S1 Luther but also he’s such a good guy. He just wants to help people and receive hugs

- Diego;;; my goodness. He loves his mom and also very much has a black and white view of justice. This is when he figures out he likes all black utility gear rather than the uniform

- Allison )::: allison )::: It’s so weird to see her feel out of place among other girls considering she grows up to be a famous actress but I think it was a good moment, as well as foreshadowing for her whole issues with the rumors

- Klaus is so vibrant here. He learned how to hotwire a car (They call Hargreeves’ car Hermes) at 12 from a ghost, regularly sneaks out of the house through the sewage system (the siblings refuse to do this) and is the life of the party

- Five was mentioned and acknowledged a couple times and every time it made me go ): The revelation that Ben had a daily check-in with Klaus asking about whether he could see Five or not and always believed Five was out there somewhere destroyed me. My crumbs ): oh ):

- Ben is my favorite character so I’m so glad he gets a POV here and an actual voice! He definitely has a good heart but also definitely doesn’t fall into the solely “shy and totally passive” stereotype <3 also im just happy for content of umbrella ben i miss him

- Viktor!!! He isn’t sure if Mom claps for his violin because of if he’s actually good or. He’s very lonely but the kids do include him a little bit which is lovely. Definitely some parallels to S1 canon. Also! Some Viktor trans moments where he ruminates on that for a little bit without knowing the actual cause, the mirror line has relevance here. I thought it was handled nicely but obviously I can’t speak on experiences that aren’t my own.

Other misc details:

- Ben gets calmer under high pressure situations and therefore becomes pretty good at pool despite never having played

- Klaus likes to jump from roofs for the fun of it and just thinks his body is extremely resilient to head trauma. Klaus. Klaus no. 😭

- Diego uses “Boy Scout” as a insult for Luther, who doesn’t mind because Boy Scouts are supposed to be dependable

- Diego has always been pretty good at dancing

- The Umbrella Academy never stick around to clean up after themselves on missions

- Ben and Viktor can fit together in the passenger seat

- Favorite meals: Ben likes PB+J and potato chips, Klaus likes bubblegum ice cream, Diego likes roast beef, Luther hamburger and fries, and a hot dog for Allison (though according to her it hasn’t been her fav food in years, and also she forgot Five’s favorite and Viktor’s favorite)

- Klaus listens to heavy metal (to drown out the ghosts), Allison likes pop music

- Viktor learned how to drive one year before this book, taught by Pogo. He has his license! Klaus knows how to drive too but he drives much more recklessly lol

- Allison once had a solo magazine cover and she can’t remember whether she rumored for it or not (foreshadowing)

- Ben has never told anyone that the tentacles hurt when they come out ())):) [BODY HORROR TW] They are also literally slithering under his ski, he can feel em with his organs, and the skin is tender where they come out

- Allison knows CPR. and uses it after one of the siblings has a near death experience 👍

[emelinexxxxx]

Just another silly little fan fiction

- five x reader

- fluff/two friends and idiots in love but their too oblivious and idiotic to admit it

- reader is five's friend and Grace's tutor

Your phone rings and you slide it across the table towards you to see who's calling - Five. Again. You pick up the phone, smiling as you put it on speaker phone.

"No." you say, before he can even talk.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" he protests as you roll your eyes.

"Stop rolling your eyes!" he says

"You don't know I was rolling my eyes! Also yes I do. You were going to beg me to go to Grace's birthday party, again."

"You were rolling your eyes, as usual, and actually, I was going to ask how you are."

"Mhm, and then?"

"Then I was going to ask if you would please go to Grace's party." he says sheepishly, then adds, "it would mean a lot to Lila."

And it would mean Five would actually have someone to talk to, rather than standing alone in the corner, drinking coffee and being anti social.

You hesitate, eventually giving in, "fine."

"I knew I could persuade you to come."

"Bare in mind that I'm only going to shut you up." you say, laughing a little.

"I can accept that."

"Alright." you smile, "See you tomorrow."

Lila greets you as you walk into the heavily decorated room. Balloons fill the room, confetti covers the floor and Diego crosses the room, a large pinata in his hands.

"You said you weren't coming!"

"I wanted to surprise Grace! I hope that's okay?"

She laughs and a wide grin spreads across your face.

"Of course. The more the merrier and all." Lila smirks slightly, "That's the only reason you came? Not to see a certain Mr Hargreeves?"

"That would depend which Mr Hargreeves you're talking about."

Five crosses the room to greet you and Lila raises an eyebrow.

"That Mr Hargreeves."

"Perhaps." you reply, a small smile playing on your lips.

"What?" Five interrupts, looking confused.

Lila and you share a look, as if communicating without speaking.

Stop pretending, she seems to say, everyone knows the two of you like each other.

"Nothing." you say, still looking at Lila. For some reason you smile, the look she's giving you and five tugs at your heart a little and you feel a blush creeping to your cheeks as you watch Five's puzzled face.

Don't go there, you reply, we're just friends.

Five takes your hand and the two of you break eye contact as he pulls you away.

Five hands you a takeaway coffee as you stand near the pinata, watching as kids try their hardest to break into it.

"A cappuccino for the lady." he says.

Thank God for caffeine, the party was great but you had been asked enough times "why a pretty young thing like you didn't have a boyfriend" or "why you're wasting your golden years playing hard to get with the boys".

In fact there were no boys, other than a few school friends, and Five of course, you kept to yourself.

"You are an absolute angel."

A small smile plays on Five's lips, "I aim to please."

"And you succeed, I am very pleased."

"So it was worth coming?"

You nod, "At the very least it spared you being awkward and alone for the majority of the party."

You both laugh, "That it did."

"So, um, how's work?" you ask, truthfully just wanting to continue talking to Five.

He raises an eyebrow, knowing well that you don't care about what he's doing for work, knowing well that you're just making small talk. "The usual. Top secret and all."

"Ah yes, as it always is with Mr Five Hargreeves."

You look at each other for a moment, before you both turn awkwardly, your gaze going to the floor.

"What was that about? With Lila?"

You shift awkwardly, wondering what excuse to use now, when another man interrupts the conversation.

"Five, good to see you, who's your friend?"

You smile at the man, named Klaus you quickly learn from five's reply, "I'm Grace's tutor and Five's friend."

Klaus' eyes widen, "ohh, your that friend."

You look at Five, puzzled, and find him glaring at his brother as Claire drags Klaus away again, "it was to finally meet you!" he shouts.

Finally? That friend? What on earth was Klaus on about? An awkward laugh tumbles out of your mouth and Five blushes, the two of you smiling softly like fools.

To say what happened next was a disaster would be an understatement. It was pure chaos, pieces of cake covering the guests, everyone's faces either laughing at the ridiculousness that just occurred or horrified, frowning and scowling as they pulled cake off their clothes and out of their hair.

Five and you stood at the side, laughing at each others cake covered faces and embarrassed expressions. Five pulled a few larger pieces of cake from your hair and you smiled in appreciation, everyone else in the room dabbing themselves clean with napkins Lila was frantically passing around. She handed you one and you took it gratefully, laughing as you used it to dab at the frosting smeared across Five's cheeks.

"Hold still!" you say, laughing as you cradle his face, attempting to clean the cake from his face.

He smiles, watching you try to clean up the mess of frosting and tiny bits of obliterated cake.

"What?" you ask, awkward as he watches you, smiling slightly.

"Nothing. Just enjoying you."

You raise an eyebrow, "Enjoying me trying to get the cake off you when you won't hold still and how ridiculous I look covered in bits of cake and frosting and confetti?"

"Mhm" he nods, yet again ignoring the fact you told him to hold still.

His arm falls around your waist and the rest of the world seems to fall away until all that left is Five, his arm hugging your waist and you, your hands cradling his face. The two of you covered in cake and confetti as your faces seems to get closer and closer until you are just inches apart.

Klaus watches from a distance, Claire lingering at his side though she's not quite sure what he's looking at; Diego yelling at Luther in Spanish, the remaining half of the pinata that dangles in the air, or the two people at the side of the room that look like they're about to kiss.

[sortofanobsession]

In the absence of light (Umbrella Academy Season 2) Chapter 4

Author's Note: This one is a bit all over but I didn't know where to separate it. So I just decided to post the section mostly as is.

@crazycatmaddy

So as it goes, Y/N = your name. Y/N/N = your nickname. Reader pronouns She/Her.

Tag Requests are Open just message me.

Primary Pairing: Diego Hargreeves x Female!Reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Series/TUA Masterlist

Content warning: Canon typical drama, manipulation, firearms, arguing, violence, PTSD, sibling rivalry, the usual stuff.

But I still have a heart

Diego pulls his powerless sister behind him when the four of them are met by Elliot with a very distinct firearm. Five makes quick work of disarming the man. The female Hargreeves can’t help but feel useless and helpless again. Diego and Five deal with Elliot, not even noticing how their sister hugs herself.

"You alright?" Lila moves to stand in front of her.

"Yeah, just a fun reminder I am powerless and no help to anyone," the lowest of the Hargreeves siblings admits.

"I doubt that; if you can fight half as well as either of these idiots, then you are fine,” Lila says, gesturing to Five and Diego. “Please don't leave me with this lot."

The Eighth Hargreeves nods, but she is distracted. She finds the same photographs of her siblings that Five had seen. She looks at them one by one.

“Are these your other siblings?” Lila asks.

“Yes,” the saddened sibling states. She ignored her own pictures and focused on the ones of Klaus, Viktor, and Allison. She was used to worrying about Klaus, but she also knew her brother was pretty good at landing on his feet when he was sober enough to do so. And he had been completely sober when she last saw him. She missed him, but she knew he’d survived time travel once. No, she worried about Viktor and Allison the most. Viktor hadn’t even been conscious when Five started to use his powers on all of them. Allison’s vocal cords were too damaged for her to use her powers. Hopefully, her sister healed better than she had.

“Is this you?” Lila asks as she points at the photos of Y/N in the alley.

“Not my favorite day to think about,” the eighth sibling admits.

“If this was your state before you had dropped here, I can see why he was desperate to find you. Good thing the article didn’t have any photos like these.” Lila’s tempted to show them to Diego now, just to see his reaction. A painful reminder of his failure to protect the one person he had spent most of his life trying to protect. That would be entertaining. But the brothers seemed too caught up in whatever the creepy photographer guy said. Creepy to have pictures like this of people he didn’t know hung up in his home. And this was the guy Five trusted? Go figure.

Y/N is in shock as she sees the film, especially when she notices that their father is in it.

"He's here," she mutters to herself as Diego and Five discuss if he killed JFK. She hears none of it as the pulse in her ears drowns them out. Her hands started to shake as she thought about the last time she had seen her father. He had been livid that she was leaving. That she refused to spy on the others. He had tried to stop her from leaving. Demanding Luther as Number One stop her. Luther couldn’t have known back then why their father had tried to keep her leaving more than the others. Their father had already said all sorts of terrible things about her succumbing to weakness. That she was as pathetic as Klaus and no one out there would accept her. She was too different. He hadn’t been completely wrong. Very few people had accepted her. Viktor’s book at least helped her be viewed with sympathy. Sympathy wasn’t acceptance. She thought about Grace and Pogo finding small ways to help her and the others despite risking their father’s ire. They weren’t there to help them anymore. The weakened Hargreeves was more afraid of the fact their father would probably want to find out why her powers failed than she was of the idea she might never get her powers back. She doesn’t notice how Lila watches her. The newest member of their little group easily picks up on the shift in behavior.  

“Diego,” Lila calls. Diego wasn’t used to her calling him by his actual name. No snark. He looks over at her. She nods towards his sister. He sees what she trying to call to his attention instantly. Luz was staring at the image on the projector, but it didn’t look like she was actually seeing it. He’d seen plenty of damaged people in the psych ward with that thousand-yard stare. He calls her name. Five and Elliot look over when she doesn’t answer. Five tries, but she still seems lost to them. The brothers exchange a look before a worried Diego goes over to her.

"Luz?" Diego is in front of her. She finally looks up at him.

"Hmm?"

"Called your name a few times," he says.

"Oh, sorry," she says, " What's up?"

Five shrugs when Diego glances over at him. "Nothing,” Diego says, not wanting to make things worse. “You okay?"

"Dad's in Dallas," she says, her crestfallen tone doesn’t sit well with either of the brothers.

"He is," Diego agrees.

She looks away. "He would be mad if he knew I lost my powers. Without Pogo and Mom, No one will- He'll pick me apart and-"

"That won't happen," Five is quick to stop her.

"He doesn't even know us yet," Diego tries to soothe her worries.

"We don't exist to him." Five is quick to add. "Your anonymity will protect you."

"I'll protect you," Diego quickly offers, brushing his fingers across her cheek. Lila throws a balled-up piece of paper at his head. He corrects himself, “We'll protect you."

“You’re okay, Y/N/N,” Five tells her.

She wants to believe them, but can she? They can’t be with her 24/7. Diego and Lila were on the run. Five was too young, or at least looked like it, and Luther wasn’t always at the club. But she wasn’t going to tell them that. They had enough to worry about. She looks at her watch. “I should go,” she tells them as she get up. “I have a shift to prepare for.”

At the end of her shift she pulls Luther aside.

“Why are we doing this here?” he asks. “I’ll be home in-“

“Because the clock is ticking again, Luther,” she insists. “You wouldn’t believe what Five found. It’s-“

“Don’t care,” Luther says as he starts to walk back towards the club.

“I’m serious, Luther,” she cuts off his path as best she can. “Five and Diego need our help.” He could easily move her out of his way, but she is still his sister, and he still has the task of looking after her here. “Lila and Elliot are helpful and all but-“

“I’m serious too, Y/N,” he states. “You are in no condition to be going along with whatever half discussed plan those two have. And I’m too busy trying to keep a roof-“

“We don’t need the roof here if we can go back-“

He reaches for her arm and starts to lead her towards the car he had been loaned. “You need to go home, and forget-“

“THIS ISN’T OUR HOME, LUTHER!” She screams at him and tries to shove his hand away but it’s a futile effort. “HOME IS WITH OUR FAMILY!”

Luther is keenly aware of the few people that linger outside the club are now looking at them. Watching to see what the giant of a man is going to do to the comparatively tiny waitress. He drops her arm and takes a step back. He tries to think of how to calm her down, but he hadn’t seen her this mad since he locked Viktor in the bunker. He never knew how to handle her temper. Their siblings did, but Luther usually just let the fire in her fade. He should probably feel guilty that he’s glad she didn’t have the Wisp. She couldn’t burn him alive with the thing now. She was already drawing enough attention to them by arguing with him in the damn parking lot.

“Say what you want, just stop screaming,” he demands.

“This is bullshit,” she practically hisses at him, but she had lowered her tone enough that no one would know what she was saying. “You think that things aren't fair for you because you do all the work to keep me safe. That’s your damn job, Number One! You were so bitchy last time because no one respected you as Dad’s Number One! I did, Luther! I did and look where we are now. Look at me, Luther!” She snaps. “The Wisp is gone. My powers are gone, but even I am trying to fix this mess. Why aren’t you? Last time you were all about fixing shit, saving the world. Now? Nothing. You don’t care. Well I do. Don’t you miss the others? Don’t you miss Klaus? Viktor? I know you miss Allison.”

“That’s not-“ he starts but she isn’t finished.

“You wanted us to rely on you. Now I’m asking you, as the one sibling that does, to do the right thing. Please, Luther.”

“No,” he bluntly states as he shoves the car keys into her hand. She stares at him with angry, tear-filled eyes. But he won’t let her sad eyes work this time. “Go home. Better yet, go tell Five and Diego sending you to beg for them won’t work this time. You shouldn’t even be involved in any of this. Without your powers-“

“That’s right! I don’t have my powers, but I still have a heart. Did you lose yours when you landed in that stupid alley? Are you even happy here? Because I’m not. Do you think I enjoy being degraded by old creepy men that think how a waitress responds when they grab a girl's ass determines her tip? I am cold and scared, and I miss my family. And that roof you mention, my tips pay for most of what’s under it. I do everything you tell me to. I run your errands. You won’t let me take a break, let alone try to find the rest of our family. We need to find Allison. I need to find Klaus and Viktor. They-“

“You think I haven’t tried to find them? And all I do now I do is to protect you,” he counters. “You needed someone to take care of you, and I stepped up. Would you rather still be in that hospital or on the street? You’d probably be a warden of the state or, worse, dead. No powers. No documentation. Don’t act like you don’t need me.”

She was taken aback at the familiarity of his statement. It was very similar to the one that just seeing her father had brought back. Then again, what did she expect. He was Number One. “Then let me make this a hell of a lot easier for you,” she says as she shoves the keys into his chest. “You’ll be so glad when I’m someone else’s burden again, won’t you?”

He grips the keys tight and groans. He didn’t actually hate that she relied on him. She was one of his least annoying siblings. She’d just hit a sore spot with some of her points. Sure, he missed Allison, but he thought they had been doing okay before Five showed back up. They had a life here. “Come on, Y/N/N,” He starts to backtrack, but she is already halfway across the parking lot. “You know I didn’t mean it like that!”

She ignores him and hails a cab. Thankfully, the driver didn’t ask questions beyond where she was headed. She gave him Elliot’s address. He’d probably seen his fair share of tearful women trying to leave a painful situation. Probably thought she was a pathetic dame who caught her husband at the gentleman’s club one too many times. He couldn’t possibly know the truth.

Diego takes one at her after Elliot lets her in and sees red. Just seeing the mascara-stained tear tracks and red rimmed eyes is enough. He is ready to fight whoever has upset her. He’d burn Jack Ruby’s club to the ground if he must. His rage only grows when she tells him she had fought with Luther. Five barely manages to talk him down as Lila takes her to the bathroom and helps clean her up.

"There's that lovely face," Lila grins as she wipes the last of the makeup from the other’s face.

"Thank you," the female Hargreeves manages now that she is calm and clean.

"Anytime," Lila winks before she leads her out. The waitress is still in her skimpy little work outfit, and Diego can't remember if he'd ever seen her in anything like that before. His mouth goes dry. Even with her hair pulled back, no makeup and no powers, he still thinks she’s perfect.

Lila rolls her eyes.

"Easy lover boy, your girl is fragile," Lila says in a low tone as she pushes past him to sit on the couch and watch TV. Diego glares at her. But for the weaker sibling, that breaking of eye contact is like breaking a spell. She feels uneasy again. Like she still doesn't know who she really is. Diego sees the way her shoulders slump and she looks at the floor. Suddenly shy, despite the scandalous outfit for the time.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?” Diego asks. “Five says Luther is different, that he-"

She shook her head. "He just doesn't listen," she says as she sits down at Elliot's kitchen table. Her face in her hands for a moment. "And I don't get it. Last time stopping the apocalypse was his biggest priority, and now, he just doesn't care. He doesn't care if we ever go back. He doesn’t get that I have nothing here. This isn’t home. I want the chance to go home. Even if I never get my powers back, I just want to go home." She feels like she might cry again. Not thinking she reaches out for Diego. And without hesitation he goes to her. He kneels in front of her, one hand in hers, the other on her knee. It reminds her of when she sat in the infirmary while giving blood to Allison and wanted nothing more than to touch him. So, she does. She ghosts her fingers along the scar on his brow. He closes his eyes as she does. Just trying to believe this isn't some dream, and he'll wake up still in that damn padded room. He catches her wrist and kisses her palm.

"I'll do everything I can to get us back home. So, you can go back to that shitty boss of yours that doesn't respect your time. I'll give your stupid neighbors something they can’t ignore, and we can figure the rest out from there, how does that sound?"

"Eso suena como el cielo, cariño," she smiles and leans her forehead against his. "Absolutamente perfecto."

"Tu eres perfecta, mi luz." He pulls her forward and kisses her. She kisses back but pulls back far too soon in Diego's opinion.

"What about Lila?" she asks in a harsh whisper.

"Lila know I've been fighting to get back to you, she's-"

"Just a bit of fun, love," Lila says from where she watches the two of them with a grin. "Although, it still could be fun." She winks at the pair and disappears down the hall. Diego hadn't exactly expected that, but Lila was anything but predictable. And he found it adorable the way his luz blushed all the way to the tips of her ears at the suggestive comment.

"I mean, the outfit does give off a certain vibe, Luz," he grins. She blushes again and buries her face in his neck. He can't help but laugh.

"I missed you," she sighs against him.

"I missed you too, Luz. More than you could ever know."

She spent the night wearing Diego's shirt and in his arms. And after promising they would all behave and that it was only practical since there was only one room, Lila on her other side. She fell asleep safe, happy, and warm for the first time since she lost her powers.

Rough Translations:

"Eso suena como el cielo, cariño" = That sounds like heaven, darling

"Absolutamente perfecto." = Absolutely perfect.

"Tu eres perfecta, mi luz." = You are perfect, my light.

[darkk-academic]

Ides of March

[The Umbrella Academy x Reader]

Summary : The assassination of tyrant Sir Reginald Hargreeves.

Warning : Stabbing. Lots of it.

Beware the ides of March.

Fortunately for all Hargreeves siblings and you, Sir Reginald Hargreeves had ignored the warning.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who is currently standing in the middle of the living room, whistle in hand, ready to start training.

Diego, next to you, nudges your shoulder, silently urging you to tell Five to start the plan.

Gaze locking with Five, standing in front, 'Now' you mouth.

"I want to time travel," Five says, loud and clear.

Attention successfully diverted, Viktor—positioned behind Sir Reginald—subtly pulls out a dagger from his pant pocket.

The daggers, seven of them, are custom made for this occasion, specifically.

"Number Five, this is not the time for your asinine dramatics." He fixes him with a stern stare.

"But I want to, I'm ready," Five argues.

Sir Reginald's body turns in his direction at his defiance.

It's all the distraction you guys need.

Viktor in a flash launches forward, thrusting the dagger to the hilt into his back, blood spurting, splashes his face, but he doesn't flinch.

"This," he hisses, twisting the knife, "is for every single time you belittled me, for every moment I spent in that cage, for everything you've ever done to me." He steps back, breathing hard.

Before Sir Hargreeves could say anything apart from the slight gurgle at the back of his throat.

Allison with a dagger and Diego with a knife, are stepping forward.

In unison, they stab him on the chest, not directly to the heart no, of course not, just above, near his collarbone.

"This is for everything you've done to me, to us, for pitting us against each other," Allison murmurs, a cold glint in her eyes.

Jaw clenched, Diego curls his fingers around his Father dearest's throat. "For putting me down every chance you got, making me hate my brother, for all this rage you gave me, how does it feel to have a taste of it?"

Sir Reginald sways on his feet, "Pogo," he chokes out.

Pogo isn't gonna come, you think, he's out buying bleach to get the stains of your blood off this carpeted floor, Reggie.

Klaus and Ben step forward as Allison and Diego come back.

"Hey pops," Klaus chirps. A vicious smile curling at his lips. "I'd rather tell you why, y'know, before you go all dizzy with pain. So this is happening cause you're a shit father and an even shittier man." Glancing at Ben, he raises a brow. "Ben? Wanna do the honor?"

Ben nods. Not hesitating once, he jabs the dagger into Sir Reginald's gut.

"It's funny," he remarks, sounding almost detached. "How the merciless monster you tried to make me failed and yet, I don't feel an ounce of mercy right now. This," he stares him in the eye, "is for everything you've done to me, to us, for everything and more."

As soon as Ben steps back, in a blink, Klaus is stabbing him by the waist.

"For locking me with the ghosties you're soon going to join." Laughing, he pushes himself away, leaving the dagger in like the rest. "Oh and Pops? Don't haunt me."

You step forward next, twirling the dagger.

"I honestly don't have a personal grudge against you," you tell him, head tilting. "But you hurt them, and now I must hurt you."

Unfaltering, you push the dagger into his stomach.

"Man's greatest flaw," you quotes his own words, smiling, "the illusion of control."

Then, finally, Sir Reginald Hargreeves is falling to his knees with a groan.

Luther comes to stand in front of him.

"Nu-number…One…" Sir Reginald heaves out with great effort, "you too?"

"I love you, Dad," Luther professes. Piercing the dagger in the middle of his abdomen. "But not more than I love my family."

Sir Reginald starts to fall down—

Five jumps near him, hand gripping his nape, he stops him from falling.

"For my family," he says. With a cruel smirk on his face, in a swift move, the dagger tears through Sir Reginald's neck, directly piercing his carotid artery.

"Sic semper tyrannis," Five states, as you all watch Sir Reginald Hargreeves fall motionless on the floor.

A beat.

"A shower is in order?" Allison prompts.

Eyeing the blood you're all adoring, everyone murmurs in agreement.

………………………………………………………………………

A/N :

Lmfao saw the opportunity and took it.

"Sic semper tyrannis." Is latin phrase meaning "Thus always to tyrants." As in, "Tyrannical leaders will inevitably be overthrown."

A reader insert cause lets be honest, we all would want to take part in this.

It might not be too well written, but this one is yk a treat so anyways—

TO THE FALL OF TYRANTS!

Hope you guys enjoyed this.

Thankyou! ❤️

[air--so--sweet]

Okay I already made one post about Klaus's rehab 'accessories' sold as part of a TUA prop auction and there's a lot of cool stuff but I can't post about everything, as much as I would like to, but there's one more thing I thought was worth singling out, Reginald Hargreeve's journal from season 2.

Transcription:

I have finally arrived at my destination. The journey was lengthy and arduous, far more taxing than any of my expeditions back home. Few of my fellows were prepared for the physical and emotional demands of the trip. The close quarters, the strict rations, the seemingly nonexistent passage of time. One could easily succumb to insanity or death in such a fate. I carry Abigail in my heart, her tenacious spirit and altruistic nature. She would not allow me to stay behind and perish with her, and in turn I will not allow her to die with me.

It took a ludicrously short span of time to determine my new home is a filthy, foolish and depraved place. I find it hardly worthy of saving, despite my commitment to doing so. Why should I have abandoned my Abigail for the sake of countless souls, not one of which could even hope to match her selfless grace? But I know she would admonish me for these thoughts, and tell me to recognise the value in all who reside in this despondent place.

It will take decades to see my plan to fruition. I enacted the very first step prior to embarking on my journey and now I can do little more than await the date of its engenderment. In the meantime I will commence building an identity, empire and legacy in my own right. My singular priority in the years to come is to ensure access to the resources (both material and intangible) to successfully implement the final phase. I am resolved to make Abigail proud.

There's so much interesting stuff in here. Firstly the implication that Reginald Hargreeves is not the only one from his planet on Earth. I don't think we'll learn anything about or see the other aliens, but I do wonder what they were getting up to while Reggie was doing his thing. Honestly I think it wpuld be funny for a throwaway allusion to some of them being certain public figures.

He knew before he came to Earth it needed saving. It's unclear from phrasing if he chose to do this or was tasked with it. And why him and seemingly only him if he was not the only one to travel to Earth? Or was the plan always save the world and then use hotel oblivion and the 7 bells to remake it with Abigail by his side? In season 1, having failed, did he choose to kill himself to reunite the academy to at least complete one part of his plan, having failed at the rest? A last ditch attempt to honour Abigail's memory? Hotel Oblivion was more or less off the table as soon as Ben died (which in a way makes ut funnier Klaus frequented Hotel Obsidian when he was on the streets, it literally just became a hotel and nothing more 😂).

That brings me onto the next thing - his love for Abigail. This is the most affection we've ever seen from Hargreeves I think (and the least creepy since the closest example I can think of was him creating a robot mother in his ex-girlfriend's likeness). Though saying he doesn't see why he should abandon her to save all life on earth is a tiny bit concerning. His description of Abigail as altruistic and saying that she would admonish him for not seeing the value in the lives of humans is definitely interesting (also I cant help but feel the choice of saying 'selfless grace' over 'selfness nature' or similar was intentional, not that it means anything, just a fun play on words). I saw a theory forever ago (I believe on reddit but I'm not sure, if I find it I'll edit and add credit) that in season 4 Abigail will leave Reginald when she learns what he did to bring her back and the way he describes her here it doesn't sound like she would be okay with the cruel and abusive treatment of his children followed by him sucking them of their powers and seemingly life force to revive her (though the fact Luther is alive it's possible he planned to reincarnate all of them in the new universe but y'know, maybe make Allison aware so she doesn't chop your head in half before you fully finish building your new universe). The Reginald who wrote this journal entry bears hallmarks of the one we knew, but he seems to have been somewhat tempered by Abigail. Did the decades without her cause a hardening that led to the cold, cruel and abusive man he became? A man Abigail will no longer recognise as the man she fell in love with? Based on this it doesn't seem unlikely but, as far as I recall, these entries are never seen on screen so I don't think we can really count them as canon, especially not knowing who wrote them (I suspect it was someone on the writing staff but we don't know that for certain). However, I vaguely remember seeing a few claims of a new big bad several places, I think people may have sourced this from an interview with Steve Blackman (I intentionally avoid interviews with him because he gives far too much away) which, if the main villain of the piece is not in fact Hargreeves, Abigail, the love of his life and his whole reason for his lifes work leaving him, feels like a pretty good catalyst for him to give up, and possibly even yield to anything the Umbrellas ask of him or maybe even help them?

And lastly, when writing this I couldn't help but think how Reginald's loss of Abigail mirrors several of the Umbrella's own losses. His deal with Allison involved getting Ray and her daughter back and there's been a lot of people wondering if Dave, Sissy, Harlan or even Patch could be alive in this new universe. Allison's words to Viktor before pressing the button, 'Trust me,' and the fact we didn't see her make the deal with Reginald (beyond the handshake Five saw through the doorway) has made me wonder if it didn't just involve her getting to be reunited with her lost loved ones but her siblings too (though my housemate suggested the alternative idea that she made a deal for herself and Viktor only, as he is the only other Umbrella to lose a romantic partner and child, a loss Allison is partially responsible for, having killed adult Harlan, and he's also the sibling Allison was cruelest to in season 3). Would Hargreeves have agreed to the terms of any deal if it meant getting his way? Yeah probably, but I also feel like he might have been more willing to agree to Allison's terms if they involved reuniting her and her siblings with the people they loved who they had to leave for reasons outside of their control (Ray, Sissy and Harlan) or they lost to death (Dave, Harlan (again) and Patch, and in a sense Claire). I feel like I'm giving Hargreeves too much credit but at the same time there's moments in the show that could be interpreted as him caring for the Umbrellas and I do believe he cared for human Grace and Pogo too so it's not impossible that he's capable of empathy, at least at times where it wouldn't negatively impact him or stop him from doing what he believes is right (though just to be clear - any care or love he felt does not in any way absolve him of the cruelty and abuse he subjected his children to or the fact he subjected Pogo to a life of servitude either).

It's just occurred to me that there's the whole additional layer in regards the apocalypse that Reginald was aware of it and wanted to avert it yet he was the cause of it as without his interference the Umbrellas (and other super powered children) would never have been born, never mind his treatment of them, especially Viktor, leading to them growing into the adults they were that led to their actions causing the apocalypse. I've already spent several hours and a tonne of hyperfocus writing this though when I have other real world stuff to do so I'm going to leave it here.

[stephsageek]

A Preview of the upcoming chapter of my Five x Lila fic, "Much Longer Than Six Years, Five Months, and Two Days."

“—Klaus?” Five interrupted, trying to get his brother’s full attention.

This was important.

“Yeah?” Klaus’s eyes dragged back towards his brother’s. Five waited a beat until he saw focus in his brother’s green eyes.

“Old dogs like me and him—never change,” Five intoned.

Five’s mouth twitched unhappily. He took no joy in telling Klaus that trusting Dad—no matter what version of him it might be—was a terrible idea.

He didn’t want to burst Klaus’s bubble; he’d always had a soft spot for him.

But this had to be done. It was better to try to tell him than for him to find out the hard way.

Five had seen the usefulness of their father in the past—even admitted to himself that he and the old man were more alike than not—but that only cemented his distrust and dislike of the Hargreeves patriarch.

“He has never had our best interests at heart,” Five finished, as gently as he could manage. His tone was cold even to his own ears.

No wonder everyone avoids me, he frowned. Can't even give someone advice without sounding like an asshole. He mentally shook his head. Old dogs, indeed.

Five’s mind drifted back as it often did to their childhood.

Back to when Klaus would return from spending a night in the mausoleum—looking pale and drawn. The nights he’d crawl into Five’s bed, when they were very young, shivering from nightmares, weeping, and mumbling about ghosts.

Five clenched his jaw, sudden rage spoiling his mood.

I need a God damn drink.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them, he had managed to reign in his fit of emotion.

Klaus’s mouth twitched, begrudgingly acknowledging his older brother’s words. Deep down, he likely knew their wisdom firsthand.

Five recognized that Klaus generally didn’t heed advice from his siblings very often, but he hoped that Klaus would listen this time.

He hated seeing any of them get hurt.

All he ever seemed to be able to do was pick up the pieces.

Five frowned feeling awkward. Should he do something? Reach out reassuringly?

Only Klaus would receive such affection from Number Five.

Five honestly didn’t care for any form of affection—hadn’t liked being so much as touched, as far back as he could remember.

For Five, touch was no small thing. It was not straightforward in his mind.

To Number Five, it meant the loss of control. It meant risk. Risk of harm, risk of intrusion, risk of invasion, risk of vulnerability; But more than that, Five feared how it might lead to ruin, to being compromised and clouding his judgment.

It was likely a conditioned response to being experimented on as children—like rhesus monkeys clinging to a steel mother wrapped in tattered fabric.

It felt like an uncharitable thought considering Grace—but she and Pogo had always felt more like parents to Five than Dad ever had.

To the Hargreeves children being touched by Dad meant being given shots, having blood drawn, having tests run, and needing to fight, and defend. Even being spoken to meant harsh words, criticism, and orders.

God, what a fucked-up family, he mentally sighed, reaching out to Chet as he passed and snagging a flute of champagne.

Five watched Klaus sit across from him, only feeling the barest twinge of guilt as he took in his defeated posture.

Five twisted, dropping a shot glass full of whiskey into his beer with a plop.

“So, my only plan for tonight is to get fucked up beyond all recognition.” Five took hold of his boiler maker, affectionately patting his brother on the shoulder. He squeezed him once, for good measure.

Suddenly Klaus perked up and began scanning the other tables.

He's just gonna go try and convince somebody else. He never gives up, does he?

He found himself smiling.

Klaus always seemed to bounce back. Five might pretend to get annoyed with their wayward brother but the truth was he envied his ability to remain resilient and positive despite things frequently going wrong in all their lives.

None of the others saw how strong Klaus really was but Five knew.

Klaus was a survivor, like him.

Whenever things went wrong, Klaus would be the first to rally himself. Always with an easy smile, covering up his pain.

Klaus had always been the most stubborn when it came to showing him affection. The rest had taken the way he flinched from every casual brush of their fingers, shoved away all attempts at a hug, and ignored every high-five, as a clear sign that Number Five Hargreeves was the last person they should be touchy-feely with.

But Klaus, even as children, had doggedly come back for second, third, and even fourth attempts.

Five could think of only two people alive whose touch he was not on some level immediately repulsed by or suspicious of.

Five's eyes strayed ever so slightly over his brother’s velvet-covered shoulder to a black-clad figure talking animatedly with their father, her blond tresses catching the light. His eyes drawn to the sway of inviting hips and a blinding smile.

He swallowed, eyes snapping back before they could linger.

Maybe I've already had enough?

[mangoshorthand]

Before A Fall [Five Hargreeves x F Reader]. Ch 6 (Hard Feelings Part 2)

SUMMARY: As your life begins to grow around Five's, his attitude becomes a little sinister. When does protection become suffocation and when does taking matters into your own hands become betrayal? (weekly updates) Series masterpost Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six - Chapter Seven - Chapter Eight - Chapter Nine - Chapter Ten - Chapter Eleven - Chapter Twelve

You're not the only person Five dismisses. It's high time you teamed up with his brother.

Fighting corporate crime with Klaus below. Proceed at your own risk

Chapter 6: Heist Sorta Gals

He only let Sarah run from him when they were both out of the building. He apologized profusely in the elevator on the way down but it hadn't seemed to register. Her white face and frightened eyes kept recurring to him on the way home.

Poor kid. It was harsh, but necessary. 

When the door creaks closed behind him, he’s surprised to find Klaus sitting alone in the corner of the entrance hall. He’s cross-legged, resting a slightly-tilted beer on his knee and smoking a cigarette languidly. 

“Hey little bro. How did it go?”

Five produces a pen-drive from his jean pockets and indicates a paper file under his arm.

“I found pretty much what I expected. Just got to do some more digging and then I blow the whistle.”

“Cool.”

“Santi asleep?”

“Yeah. Little guy was bushed.” 

Klaus seems odd to Five. Thoughtful. There’s none of the usual glint in his eye.

“I’m going to update the family later on. I think I’m going to need the team. Will you be here?”

“Sure.”

He strolls as if towards the living room but, sensing it’s empty, turns back to Klaus.

“Where is she?”

“Probably packing.”

Five feels like his heart has dropped into his stomach. Surely not? You hadn’t been pleased, but…

“What do you mean?”

“Just messing with you. She’s working out.”

Five shrugs out of the flannel shirt and holds it over his arm. Something about the timbre of Klaus’s voice lets him know that this was more than a joke, and he resents the implication behind it. He regards his brother with narrowed eyes. 

"You got something to say to me, Klaus?”

Klaus meets his gaze and holds it. Five shifts his eyes first. This, it seems, prompts Klaus to laugh.

“You really fucked up there, man.”

“Really?” Five says, firing up at once, “Wow- I'm so glad you told me. I spent the whole day thinking 'Gee, I wonder what Klaus thinks about all this?'"

“Kinda hard not to give a shit when I have her crying in the living room over how shitty you treat her. She's my friend and you're my brother.”

Five steps towards him, hands going into his pockets and his jaw setting.

“If she’s upset, then she can come to me.”

“Well didn't she try that? After your little ‘heart-to-heart’ with Santi. When you told him her and everyone who isn’t like us is 'insignificant’”

Klaus takes a heavy drag on his cigarette.

“Great job there, by the way.”

“I never said that. Nobody’s insignificant.”

“Whatever you said, it made her feel this tall”, he holds his thumb and forefinger within an inch of one another, “and then today too?”

“She knows how I feel. I’m protecting her.”

Five steps forward, his neck jerking as he speaks. Always a sign of danger.

“Exactly! She doesn’t want to just be protected, maybe she wants to be treated like an equal!"

He breathes hard through his nose, "Just stay out of this."

Klaus, now angry in a way uncommon to him, draws himself up. Sometimes, the truth hurts.

"If you can't take her seriously, maybe you gotta rethink the 'ethics' of sniffing her panties. She is young enough to be your daughter."

Five blinks to within an inch of Klaus, grabbing him by the collar and dashing him off the chair. Klaus gives a small yell of pain as the tiled floor makes contact with his shoulder. 

“Ow! What the fuck, Five?” he says, cradling his shoulder and shaking off the beer now soaking through his pant leg. 

Five stands over him, breathing like a bull, then pivots a little, staring at the wall to his right rather than continue to look at Klaus.

“Listen, you useless shitheel, I'm not taking relationship advice from you." he stalks off towards the attic stairs.

"Oh yeah? Don't want to take advice from someone who knows what it’s like to lose someone?" 

Five pretends not to hear Klaus as he calls after him.

"At least with Dave it wasn’t my fault!” 

On the landing between the second and third flights of stairs, Five leans against the wall and covers his face with both hands until his rage subsides. He doesn’t have time for this. What’s he supposed to do? Give you something insignificant just to keep you busy? He’ll deal with you later.

After beating the punch bag to exhaustion, (imagining that it was his smug face), you arrive back in the bedroom post-shower, wrapped in a towel. Five holds a coffee and writes incomprehensibly on the dry-erase. He nods when you walk in but otherwise makes no acknowledgment.

You sit on the bed, towel-drying your hair. Usually, being in any state of undress earns you at least an appreciative glance. Not today, however: his eyes stay glued resolutely to the dry erase, muttering the odd word like: “pharmacokinesis”, “bioavailability” or simply, “fuck.”

You’ve seen him this way before. When an idea consumes him, his first instinct is to break it down to its component parts and analyze it into submission. It intensifies all his usual mannerisms and expressions. You usually find it endearing, even attractive, but today it’s nothing but irritating.

“Well?” you say, expectantly.

“Well what?” he says, maintaining calm only through the medium of  clenched teeth. 

You blink incredulously, affronted.

“Are you going to apologize for how you spoke to me today?”

He lets out a slow, angry breath.

“Is this really the time?”

“Then when is the time?”

“I don’t know, dear, maybe when there aren’t second graders being poisoned.”

“Asshole.”

“Yeah, yeah.” he murmurs.

You fall into tense silence. After a minute or two of intense calculations, he speaks again.

"I got another family meeting in ten minutes."

“I take it I'm not invited?"

He doesn't respond, pen squeaking a little in contact with the wall.

"So you’re not going to keep me informed at all then?”

He stops writing, places the lid on the pen and walks slowly to put it away in a drawer. With his back turned to you, he lets out a controlled, drawn-out exhale, as if he’s steeling himself to deal with you. Then, he sits down at the desk, rests his forearms on the tabletop and turns to look at you; his face is spread with what you’ve come to recognise as his ‘customer service’ smile. When he talks, it's like he's addressing a particularly challenging nine-year-old.

“Sure. I got ten minutes.” 

His smile broadens, showing more teeth but not quite reaching his eyes.

“There is something bad in the soda,” he continues, “I am going to find out what and try to stop more kids getting cancer, so if we could delay our little ‘conflict’ until a more opportune time, I’d be grateful.”

For the moment, you dismiss his shitty tone just for the chance of more information.

“So what’s the next stage?”

“That’s what my brothers will help me decide. You’re going to have to forgive me if I don’t consult you on this.”

You scoff. Really? 

“Oh yeah, don’t consult me, I’m just your girlfriend. I’m only here for recreational purposes, right?”

Five returns his eyes unseeingly to his latest lines of calculation. Easier to look at them than you right now.

“There’s no point in talking to you when you’re like this.”

In sheer frustration, you tear off your towel and throw it in his direction. 

“Then get out Five! Fuck off downstairs and have your super-exclusive family soiree. Because fuck me, right?”

He gives a short disdainful laugh, getting up from the desk and grabbing his coffee mug.

“You said it, dear, not me,” as he strolls to the door, he mumbles, “thrown out of my own bedroom. Gee, I’ve reached a new low.”

He shuts the door behind him a little harder than necessary.

“So,” he points at a graph tacked onto the old blackboard dragged from their old education suite, “this is the suspicious compound, the one Sarah thought was probably a mutagen. It was only present in the soda can from Santi’s school,”

“So they’re using the kids as…lab rats?”

“Yeah. I think that’s what it suggests. Free test subjects under the guise of a ‘pilot scheme’ investing in education."

Luther looks grave.

“It would explain the newspapers,” says Viktor, “They’re trying to discredit you so anything you come out with won’t be believed.”

“Yeah. That’s why I think we’ll have to play PR on this one. When the time comes.”

“A press conference maybe?” suggests Sloane.

“Oh I think it’s worse than that,” he responds, regretfully, “we need to show that all the ‘verified’ members of the Academy trust me. I think we may have to go full uniform.”

Klaus changes the subject, “You know me right, you know I’m no fan of big business, but are you telling me there’s some evil genius sitting in a corner office somewhere cackling to himself about giving kids brain cancer?”

“Maybe? But I lean towards it being an unintended consequence.”

“Am I right in thinking a mutagen is something that alters DNA? Like radioactive? Radon?”, Viktor asks.

“Exactly. But not all mutagens are radioactive.”

“So they’re trying to change the kids in some way? What could they want to change?”

Five frowns. “It makes me think about Dad. If he could farm powered kids then he would have done it, regardless of how many got cancer.”

They all seem to accept this. Had they not been 'farmed' themselves?

“But would a company want to 'improve' children?” Viktor asks.

“Unless it’s a front? Maybe it is some madman like Dad trying to build his own child militia. That’s why we’ve got to get in there.”

“So we need to plan a heist into their head office…or development labs?”

Five turns to Luther, “The head office first. There’s got to be a smoking gun somewhere. Internal memos, encrypted files?”

“Diego and Lila won’t be happy to be left out of this,” tries Viktor, “do you think we ought to tell them?”

Five considers.

 “I know for sure that Santi himself is OK. So, for now, let’s keep them out of it. Let them enjoy their honeymoon. I think they’re too close to it anyway. We need to approach this with clear heads.”

“I agree,” says Luther, “Let's get planning. I’m happy to move quick on this if the rest of you guys are?”

Klaus stands, replacing the wide-brimmed hat on his head. “You guys knock yourselves out. I’m going to take a bath. I’m not exactly a ‘heist’ sorta gal. Hit me up if you really need me but otherwise I’m going to sit this one out”

“I won’t object to that.” says Five, coolly, clearly having not forgiven him for his earlier challenge.

You’ve been sitting on the bed crying again. You’re sitting here, in the bedroom you share with the man you love, knowing that he doesn’t love you like a partner should. He thinks you’re a liability. You’ve only lived with him for a few months but already your life has grown around his. Just like ivy growing around a tree; the tree doesn't reciprocate. Eventually the tears dried up and now you just sit.

You couldn’t face going back to your shitty little apartment after Monroe almost beat you to death. The idea of seeing your dining chairs, the threadbare carpet probably still stained with your blood…it was too much. The Academy had been your refuge, the place you’d started to function again. His training had given you part of your confidence back, and his love had rebuilt part of your feeling of security

Up until now, you’d thrived here, but dawning is acute awareness of what you’ve lost. When all is said and done, this is still Five’s space. 

Yes, your possessions are scattered around you. Yes, he has given up half his storage to your clothing and yes, you do feel at home, but the idea that your only home is now under his…stewardship has only just occurred to you. Having this sort of reliance on someone who seems to see you as serving an auxiliary purpose to his real life is not a tenable position.

Just as you start to seriously consider calling Ellie, confessing all your fears and asking if you can stay for a few days, there’s a knock on the bedroom door. It’s too early to be Five and he wouldn't dream of knocking.

“Come in.”

Klaus walks over the threshold with two beers. His eyes are alight. He looks like all his birthdays just came at once.

“Hey.” He sits at Five’s desk, swinging his legs up onto the desk at an extremely high angle- almost vertical. He prises off the beer caps on the edge of the desk and passes you one, taking a swig of his own.

“I want you to picture the scene.” he holds up a tattooed palm, "You. Me. Saving kids from evil corporations and stickin’ it to Cinco in the process. What do you say?”

You take your own sip of beer. It certainly sounds intriguing and you’re for certain angry enough to really want to stick it to Five. You look at Klaus with interest, eyes prompting him to continue.

“So there’s a mystery ingredient in JUICED, right? Some freaky compound that they’ve put in the drinks from the school but weren’t in one from the store. Five proved it with his little science experiment - y'know, the one he could have done so much easier if he’d just asked you. But no he’d rather traumatize some poor PhD student.”

He leans towards you slightly, almost overbalancing, but steadies himself on the chair.

“Now, Five thinks it’s some creepy ‘chemical x’ thing that they’ve put in to make super-children, but in some kids it’s causing cancer because it’s mutating their…DNA or some shit.” 

He makes a gross alien-noise, presumably to denote mutation. It pulls a smile from you.

“So he’s downstairs,” Klaus continues, “and he’s all 'Ugggh let’s go break some heads and hack servers and blaaah'. But then I thought: why don’t we just…ask someone? Aaand who’s worked for the man long enough to know how and who? You, you little corporate slave you.”

He leans towards you and boops you on the nose.

You’re starting to get the picture.

“Not everything has to be some mega time-travel super heist.” he says, “Wanna work with me?”

His mischievous, coaxing smile broadens and wrinkles his nose. It's irresistible.

“Abso-fucking-lutely”

“Yay!!” 

Klaus swings his legs down, leaps from the chair, onto the bed and gives you a hug.

“We are going to NAIL this.”

“You’re totally right about this.” you say.

Still in his arms, you pause for a second to adjust your ideas. His words are churning around your mind. The more you think of them, the more it makes sense. Why didn’t you think of it?

“The way he’s going about this won’t work.” you say, slowly, “When corporate crime gets exposed it’s by whistleblowing, not by smash and grab.”

“Exactly-”

“And it’s nearly always disgruntled employees. They’ve got the access and the knowhow to leak the right documents.”

“Uh-huh.”

“…and in the world of brands, there’s back-stabbing, ladder-climbing… Klaus, I’m pretty sure we could isolate some likely assets with an hour of research." 

“Me and you, a couple of cans of White Claw, researching the shit out of things! I’m already pumped. I’ll get my computer, you get more booze!”

You sit top to toe on the bed, drinking the rest of the beer with the cans of White Claw Klaus suggested ready to go.

“So,” you begin, tapping away at the keyboard, "best place for disgruntled employees: Glassdoor.”

“What’s that?”

“A site to review employers. I’m on JUICED’s page now and there are hundreds, which is great. If we start filtering by 1-2 stars and then see where we end up." 

You share the URL as well as that of a live-edit document. 

Klaus leans towards his screen with a giggle, “Well Christ on a cracker; look at all these. Do the companies know which employees give them one star? They gotta hate that!”

“Yeah. That’s one of the problems with it: it’s anonymous but you need to enter your job title and other situational stuff can make it clear who’s who. That works in our favor, but it does mean that only ex-employees can go scorched earth.”

“Oh I love reading scorched earth reviews! But…little problem: if they’re an ex-employee then how do they get access to files?”

“Their network. There’s a good chance they’ll still be friendly with someone on the inside.”

"Ooh, subterfuge…”

“Plus, we don’t just have to deal with ex-employees.  The current employees might rate high because they’re scared of what the boss will say, but then they’ll use euphemisms to explain what it’s really like. They’ll say it’s ‘like a family’ when they mean that you have absolutely no work/life balance.”

“So we’re looking for spicy bitches and passive aggressive bitches?”

“You got it. Then once we’ve got a list of likely reviews, it’s just about identifying them. Cross-reference job titles and start and end dates with LinkedIn, and then we’ve got a list of names we can rate from most to least likely.”

“Look at you, you little LinkedIn Nancy Drew!”

“This is my world, baby. Keeping up with corporate bullshit.”

Over the course of the evening, you work together to develop a list of links to promising reviews and manage to identify six LinkedIn matches to go with them. 

"Ooh, this looks spicy!" Klaus turns his screen to allow you to read, "We got a mention of elementary schools too."

He shows you a recent glassdoor review from a former Business Development Manager.  They rated JUICED one out of five stars after working there for over 5 years. The headline reads:

'Absolutely no loyalty to long term employees'. 

I was overworked and under-valued. It was a cliquey, totally untransparent rumor-mill. Lost out on promotion to a less experienced coworker with a worse track record. Was made to spend way too much time reaching out to elementary schools to sponsor rather than pursuing actual paying leads and then blamed when my team underperformed according to totally unfair metrics. Completely unethical work culture based around guilting you for not working all the hours god sends. Apparently it's important to be a 'team player' but don't expect them to be on your team if shit hits the fan.

You look back up at Klaus and laugh, "Wow, tell us how you really feel.”

After a bit of searching on LinkedIn, you find a matching profile: “Harvey Klein,” you read, “And look at this! The review's recent because he only left three months ago. And he’s taken a massive hit; he’s two or three job rungs lower.”

“So somebody might be looking for…revenge.”

 Klaus waggles his eyebrows.

When Five comes to bed, long after Klaus left, you pretend to be asleep already.

You feel him brush a lock of hair off your face and give a sad sigh. When he gets in beside you, you roll and face away from him, still feigning sleep.

He presses his face against your shoulder and inhales, cupping your body with his. His arms wrap around you and he holds you to him. After a few minutes, when he’s sure you’re in deep sleep again, he whispers:

“It has to be like this...but I love you. I really do."

Tag list: (please comment to be added or removed.) @dilfjohhny , @sunsunhe, @w4stedtr4sh, @nevbrooke-555, @theredvelvetbitch, @td-miley01 Alternatively, join me on AO3.  Here is a link to the whole series

[conduitandconjurer]

🙌

Send 🙌 to put your hands around my muse's neck.

Klaus is no stranger to roughhousing; he has five male siblings with varying degrees of trauma, after all, and Allison is a bruiser in her own right. The Hargreeves family itself is really one big bruise, sometimes from the proverbial tumble off the bike, and sometimes from things darker and more dire.

So, when a sibling lays hands on him, he's hasty to tolerate, even oblige. And despite his pretense of machismo, Diego is, always has been, among Klaus's safer brothers.

"Hurk--okay. Okay okay okay, asshole."

He squeaks a laugh, a shared laugh with his brother.

But today, in the space of a few seconds, something hits different.

He looks down at his brother's black-gloved hand, bangs in his eyes, tawnier than usual, a half shade lighter than the deep chestnut of his mother and generations of family he suspects he'll never know. Something about the futility of that, of so many things he's suffered through with little gain and even less understanding, burns like a lit flare cracked alight, in his gut. Not belonging is hard, especially when it's pervasive. When you're stuck between states, straddling selves and even whole dimensions. He cherishes the immortality; he also hates it. And everyone thinks he's "overcome" all that, because of one night in a cemetary with his monster of a father. No one checked in on Klaus; no one challenged his poor judgment with the Reginald of the kugelblitz; they used to try, but many years ago. Maybe his addictions were in some way a welcome exemption from accountability, for his sister and brothers, his many friends and rehab counselors, his countless (living) lovers, his parents (all three of them): 'Klaus is still Klaus; what can you do, he'll never step up; not unless we threaten him or gorge him with guilt.

Just more trouble than you're worth.

Klaus squirms. "O-kay," he cajoles, a little louder, as these thoughts pour out in a steady leak from some sealed jar shoved far back in his mind.

Patting Diego's hand, "Okay, Deeg, Jesus--!"

He's just shitting around with you; it's just Diego; calm down, stop being trouble--

He's an image in an old slide projector, jammed in the middle of transition. At home neither with the living nor the dead, ears pricked (against his will) to the unquiet of spirits similarly stuck, alienated deeply by knowing no one can hear the same thing, and even if they believe you, they look on you with exasperation or worse, concern. Every so often Klaus tries to shed a skin, or molt, or whatever the analogy may be, in the hope that peeling back who he has tried to be for two or three or ten years will finally reveal the version of himself who is completely at peace.

Or at least someone better. Someone people don't feel free to lay their hands on. People. Siblings.

I need to get a haircut. Yeah.

Every so often, Klaus runs.

And yet--

"You're HURTING ME!!"

The volume with which he snarls this--and the bile--is impressive. One blink-and-you'll-miss-it gesture, and he's loose, arms up, hands blazing teal, eyes, chest--the entire room floods with ghosts as that leak in his mind becomes a broken levee.

The expression on his face is terrifying, uncanny like an AI filter or poor drawing. Klaus isn't meant to look that fearful, animal, and angry. But he does.

"Fuckin HELL, man! JESUS! Could you take it EASY?"

The room is still ashy blue-green, heavy with a fog of spirits. His heart is screaming in his chest. So loud, shut up.

[hidelias]

A bend in space-time Season 2 - [Chapter 17: Chapter 19: οἴκαδε]

[Chapter 17: Chapter 19: οἴκαδε] Links : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Summary: After the incident between Klaus and Lloyd, Rin takes refuge in the alleyway where she had arrived in 1961. There, Five finds her and talks to her about… "going home"

(…) I don't say anything, I keep my head in my arms, but that young, slightly nasal voice is easy to recognize. I'm not even surprised to find him here. How many times have I hoped to see him or the other Hargreeves in this brick-walled alley? This time, I don't tell myself that Five is a dream. I can feel the golden particles of his power, even with my eyelids closed. (…)

"I'm so lost, Five… I just… want to go back to where we belong".

These are words straight from my heart. I once told Allison that I'd always feel at home if I could collapse on the same couch as Klaus again. Tonight, I don't even feel like I can do that anymore. I hear Five sigh, then keep silent for a moment. And finally, as if he needed to recite those lines over and over again, he utters into the night:

"Tell me about a complicated man, muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost". I look up a little, my red eyes above my crossed arms. He speaks a few more words, which I can't properly hear, and then : "Where he went, who he met, and the pain he suffered in the storms at sea… and how he worked to save his life and bring his men back home."

I don't know why, but his words instantly soothe me, as I identify them as coming from Homer's Odyssey. One of the few books I remember from my short time in high school. All of a sudden, my heart seems to calm down. Maybe it's because I feel a kind of parallel with our wanderings through space-time. Maybe because I believe that Five bears more responsibility than any of us, as if at the helm of the ship. And maybe… because there's this muted hope that - like Ulysses and despite all the ups and downs - one day we'll finally be able to go home for good.

(…)

↝↝↝↝ Read 'A bend in space-time' ↜↜↜↜ Full chapter : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN Season 1 complete : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN Season 2 in progress : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

I chose to insert an OC - Rin - into the plot of The Umbrella Academy, appearing almost only in deleted scenes. This fic is not a self-insert nor a OC-centric fic : Rin exists to flesh out the canon characters, and the fic is mostly focusing on Klaus. Please read the introduction for more details ♡

Any comment will make my day! ♡

[inkspiredwriting]

A Hargreeves Welcome

Five Hargreeves x Fem!reader

Warnings: none

Y/N stood outside the grand, imposing structure of the Umbrella Academy, her heart racing with a mix of excitement and nerves. She had heard so much about Five’s siblings, each one a unique force of nature, and now it was finally time to meet them. Five stood beside her, looking uncharacteristically anxious.

“Are you ready for this?” he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Y/N smiled, squeezing his hand. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”

They walked up to the front door, and Five pushed it open. The hallways of the Academy were just as she had imagined—grand, a bit dusty, and filled with an air of mystery. As they entered the living room, they were greeted by the sight of the Hargreeves siblings in various states of relaxation.

Klaus was sprawled on the couch, flipping through a fashion magazine, Diego was cleaning his knives at the dining table, Allison was reading a script, Luther was lifting weights, and Viktor was playing his violin softly in the corner.

“Hey, everyone,” Five announced, his voice a little louder than usual. “This is Y/N, my girlfriend.”

All eyes turned towards them, and Y/N felt the weight of their scrutiny. She put on her best smile and waved. “Hi, everyone. It’s great to finally meet you.”

Klaus was the first to react, springing up from the couch with a wide grin. “Five, you didn’t tell us you were bringing home such a hottie!” He enveloped Y/N in a dramatic hug, twirling her around.

“Klaus, put her down,” Five said, rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless.

Klaus set Y/N down gently, giving her an exaggerated wink. “Welcome to the madhouse, darling. You must have the patience of a saint to deal with our dear brother here.”

Diego smirked from his spot at the table. “So, how many timelines did he mess up to win you over?”

Y/N laughed, feeling some of her nerves dissipate. “Just the one, I think. Or maybe two. It’s hard to keep track.”

Allison stood up, crossing the room to give Y/N a warm hug. “It’s so nice to meet you, Y/N. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Y/N hugged her back, grateful for the genuine warmth. “All good things, I hope.”

“All good things,” Allison confirmed with a smile.

Luther put down his weights and approached, towering over Y/N with his imposing frame. “I’m Luther. If Five gives you any trouble, let me know, and I’ll straighten him out.”

Y/N laughed, glancing at Five. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Viktor set his violin down and walked over, offering a shy smile. “Hi, Y/N. I’m Viktor. It’s really nice to meet you.”

“You too, Viktor,” Y/N replied, appreciating the sincerity in his eyes.

As they all settled into the living room, Klaus couldn’t resist continuing his teasing. “So, Y/N, did Five tell you about his first love?”

“Klaus...” Five warned, but there was no stopping him.

“You mean Dolores?” Y/N said with a grin. “Oh, he’s told me all about her. I’m just glad I don’t have to compete with a mannequin.”

The room erupted in laughter, and Five groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Why did I bring you here again?”

Y/N patted his back, laughing along with the rest of them. “Because you love me, and you wanted me to meet your family.”

Klaus draped an arm around Five’s shoulders, grinning mischievously. “Yeah, Five. It’s all out of love. Just like how we’re going to tell Y/N all the embarrassing stories about you.”

“Oh, please do,” Y/N said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’m all ears.”

Five sighed, knowing he was in for a long night of merciless teasing. But as he looked around at his family and saw Y/N fitting in so effortlessly, he couldn’t help but smile. Despite the embarrassment and the chaos, this was exactly where he wanted to be.

As the evening wore on, stories were shared, laughter echoed through the halls, and Y/N felt more and more at home with each passing minute. The Hargreeves were a handful, but they were Five’s family. And now, they were hers too.

In the end, it was Klaus who raised a toast, his voice uncharacteristically serious for a moment. “To family, old and new. And to Y/N, for putting up with our dear Five. Welcome to the madness.”

“To the madness,” Y/N echoed, clinking her glass with the others. She looked at Five, her heart full. This was the beginning of a new chapter, and she couldn’t be happier.

[mannanoo]

Masks and Facades

No Warnings Apply Teen and Up Audiences Klaus Hargreeves and Number Five The Umbrella Academy Word Count: 6,794 Completed.

Klaus is sober and Five is capable of feeling emotions.

That being said, just because Five does have a heart, doesn't mean he knows how to actually use it to bond with his brother

Or maybe he does because it's just so easy to talk to Klaus.

Sober Klaus was… different. Unexpected. An outlier.

Not to say that it was unexpected that Klaus would ever be able to get sober, no. But his behaviour was definitely unexpected.

For one, while sober, Klaus couldn’t cook anything. Toast was a struggle. Compared to when he was high as possible when he seemed to become a 4-star chef.

While sober, Klaus was definitely more distracted by the ghosts around him. Sure, he’d learned to deal with them better than when Sir was ‘training’ them, but they were definitely more distracting. But while high, the only ghost he seemed to see was Ben. Five was sure that was because of stubbornness, however he couldn’t figure out whether it was stubbornness on Ben’s part to try and stop Klaus’ destructive behaviours or whether it was Klaus subconsciously needed some sort of support, especially the kind of support that could be easily ignored or couldn’t physically stop him.

Five supposed, the reason he was so caught up on how Klaus had changed was because it was the more noticeable change between his siblings. After Five had managed to make his way back from being stuck in the future and then under The Commissions thumb, his siblings hadn’t changed all that much, bar the change in Ben’s mortality. But he had already grieved Ben, along with his other siblings in the future. He knew how Ben died, granted he didn’t know the details. He suspected the only people who would know how Ben had died would be those who were present. Vanya wouldn’t know, and despite everything else she had written in her book, he doubted very much that she would write the details of their brother’s death in her book.

But, back to the subject.

In the week that followed his return, Five noticed in the back of his mind every time Klaus changed. Whether it was for better or worse. Klaus was always more… flexible. More mouldable. He wore masks, whether he realised it or not, Klaus had masks for each person he spoke to. His default though, seemed to be the junkie who could see ghosts. That was the mask Klaus had started to carefully construct when they were younger, before Five has disappeared. It was the mask he wore when he was faced with more than just one of his siblings. It was the mask he had defaulted to when Five returned.

Which had, stung. More than he’d like to admit. Five knew that mask well. It was the mask Klaus used when he didn’t know who he was talking to. It had definitely stung that Klaus used the mask with Five, but he knew the reason. For them, he had been gone for 16 years. Even though it had been longer for him, he knew he wasn’t the same person as when he was 13. He wasn’t the same person, but Klaus being able to see that immediately through the haze of pills and alcohol that was a constant in his system now stung.

But he took it with stride. He knew how Klaus ticked, and it made him feel warmer inside when Klaus had acted the same way Five knew when they were younger. The idiot with poor impulse control but who could always get them out of trouble with a new mask for a new person. Although his lip had stung and he was sure that his brother’s forehead was stinging through his fogged-up mind, he smiled when he saw that Klaus had once again got them out of trouble.

That moment, that small, seemingly insignificant moment was the exact point when the default mask had started cracking and slipping from his face as he turned to Five and asked for his twenty dollars after the front doors to the lab shut behind them. With that job taken care of, Five decided his efforts were better spent on averting the apocalypse. If he needed his siblings, he would tell them, would take Luther’s place as leader. But until then, he needed Klaus to see him as his brother again but he needed, more than anything to know they were all safe. If they weren’t involved, then they wouldn’t die and then he would have at least changed something and they wouldn’t be alone. But until then, until he knew whether he had succeeded in averting the apocalypse, he needed to keep one eye on his siblings and one eye on finding Dolores. And the fake eye on averting the apocalypse.

Finding Dolores had been a priority since he came back. But when Hazel and Cha-Cha found him with Dolores, both eyes had been on getting out alive with Dolores. He had kept running until he got back to the Academy. He had stitched himself up, his only thoughts on keeping Dolores safe and fixing the apocalypse. Surely his siblings would be fine while he altered his calculations. They had grown up the same as him after all.

They would all be fine.

Until they weren’t.

After he had come back to the Academy, dragged there by Diego who didn’t want him in his disgusting boiler room anymore. He had found the trail of wet, bloody footprints coming from the small bathroom directly to Klaus’ room. He had been shocked and curious by the trail of diluted blood. He had been prepared for some blood in the mansion, after Diego and Luther mentioning Hazel and Cha-Cha’s uninvited visit. He hadn’t been prepared for his brother.

In the few days it had been since Five had seen his ghostly brother, he had not expected such drastic changes. The new tattoos and the new-old dog tags around his neck didn’t shock him as much as the air surrounding him.

Klaus had always been a cold person physically. He had used it to torture his sibling’s countless times when they were children, had even used his freezing hands to try and throw them off when they were all forced to spar with each other by Sir’s insistence. They all knew it was due to his powers. And they all knew that the more ghosts clinging to him, the colder he was. Since Five had returned, Klaus seemed to have been at a constant temperature, kept consistent by the only ghost clinging to him being Ben. But the shift in temperature as Five stepped through the doorway to his brother’s room shocked him. It was like walking into a freezer. It was like something in the room was sucking out all heat, but Five knew that it wasn’t on purpose. He could also see how dirty-clean Klaus was. Physically, he was still quite dirty and rough looking. There were still spots of dirt on his skin that seemed like they were tattooed there more than just smeared there. His hair seemed more tamed than usually, but on Klaus it just seemed wrong. Off. No matter how clean it would look on anyone else, on his brother, it still seemed dirty and unkept.

But his eyes were the biggest change.

Five could still tell his brothers head was foggy. His mind was still hazy and his eyes were still glossy, but it was different this time. It was a cleaner, more pure fog that graced his brothers mind. There was no other way to describe it, but despite how high Klaus might have looked to the untrained eye, Five knew. He knew the symptoms. He knew that his brother had travelled in time and come back the same age, give or take however long he had been gone. His mind was already firing up questions and calculations, answering questions to himself that he hadn’t asked already. His feelings for his brother and how he might have felt were filed away for the moment. He knew when he went for a more analytical view of life that Dolores hated it, hated seeing him shed all sense of person, but in that moment, that brief moment of amazement that his brother had managed to get Hazel and Cha-Cha’s briefcase and use it, he couldn’t remember why it was so bad. Why it was so wrong to see the bigger, clearer image.

His moment of elation was quickly shut down when Klaus wouldn’t (couldn’t, his brain later supplied, when he was thinking with his heart and head in equal balance) answer his questions. When he had told his younger-older brother that he had broken the briefcase, that he had left it on that street corner to explode and burn when he had the chance. He wasn’t thinking about his brother. He needed that briefcase. He needed that briefcase to blackmail Hazel and Cha-Cha. Anything else was irrelevant. If he had that briefcase, he could stop the apocalypse from happening. He could save his siblings from dying. He wouldn’t have to bury them a second time.

(He knew in the back of his mind, that the worst thing the Commission could do to him if he failed to stop the apocalypse would be to save him. Save him and let his siblings die and make him grieve them all over again. And let him repeat the cycle of trying to save his family and failing and trying and failing and trying and failing and-)

The door swinging back against the wall knocked him out of his thoughts as Klaus left. He hadn’t seen his face, but he knew, he just knew that Klaus had a different mask for him now. It would be a completely new one and there was no way that Five would know what it could be. He had just thrown all of Klaus and his new changes to the side in favour or plotting (of trying to save his family. Feelings didn’t matter now if he couldn’t save them later) but he knew that Klaus wouldn’t-couldn’t give him the junkie mask.

Five had already seen that Klaus was clean. Even if he didn’t know exactly why, he knew there was a reason for being clean and Five knew that Klaus knew that he knew that. Which meant Klaus couldn’t put forward the junkie mask again.

Not any time soon at least.

(There’s no time for feelings. Hazel and Cha-Cha don’t know the briefcase is broken. They can still be used. We can still fix the world and then fix our family)

He wasn’t sure when he had started referring to himself as we. Maybe when he saw the Academy destroyed. Maybe when he buried his siblings. Maybe when he couldn’t find Vanya. Maybe when he found Dolores. Maybe when he lost Dolores. Maybe when he gone back to his 13-year-old body but was still older than all his siblings who were all born on the exact same day or the exact same year as him.

Maybe when he realised that Sir Reginald was right and that he wasn’t ready for time travel. Maybe when he realised that he hadn’t come out of the ice properly.

Maybe he had come out of the ice properly and the travel had changed everyone else.

He wasn’t sure anymore, and he wasn’t sure the other part of his brain that referred to him as ‘we’ knew either.

Dolores would know, but he wasn’t sure-they- weren’t sure they-he- wanted to admit he was wrong this soon. Especially not about hurting his brother by pushing his heart aside and thinking with his head.

The days that followed, he saw Klaus much less. It was his own fault, but he couldn’t dwell on that. Not after he had filed away Klaus’ feelings for his own gain and effectively broken that mask that Klaus had spent time creating and perfecting for him. His mask with Diego was more open, more vulnerable. With Luther it was the same as it had always been, just crazy enough to keep Luther away from him but just friendly enough that he wasn’t a threat. But it kept shifting with Five now. For a moment it would be the junkie mask, the next moment it would be the mask he had spent years on, the next it would be a combination of all the masks Klaus used on his siblings separately.

It stung Five to know he had shattered the mask Klaus wore with him. It stung to know that once it was complete, he would most likely get the same new default mask. The mask he’d be able to wear with all his siblings together that wasn’t the old ‘junkie-who-can-see-ghosts’ mask.

It stung to know he had become a stranger to his brother again when all Five could think was he didn’t want to bury his brother again.

The sting of his failure to recognise his brother’s emotions didn’t leave him. Especially when he was designated the lookout like nothing had changed when everything had actually changed. It stung when he saw that confident, smug look on his brothers face after he manifested Ben and used their dead brother’s powers. The smile that Five had carefully crafted all those years ago, because it was the one thing he had over Sir Reginald. That he was better at controlling his powers than his siblings and he knew it but Sir Reginald couldn’t do shit about it because they both knew he wasn’t wrong.

It stung to know his brother didn’t have a mask for him any more but that he had been carefully crafting Five’s smug smile, even after he had disappeared. Because Five knew, that no matter how hard he had tried when they were younger, Klaus could never get the perfect balance between overconfidence and justified confidence that had come naturally to Five.

A few months after they had averted the apocalypse, and a few days after Five was absolutely sure that they were all safe from The Commission, he had decided it was time to come face to face with his brother again. He knew that whatever mask Klaus had made for him would sting, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid it forever. Not when all of his siblings were insistent on having ‘family-bonding-time’ to try and stop any chance of another apocalypse happening. He knew that Klaus had been practising with his powers along with Vanya so they could both learn at their own pace. He knew that they had bonded over Sir Reginald’s ‘training’ induced claustrophobia. Neither of them wanted to chance of being locked away to deal with their powers again and had elected to train each other outside in the garden, by Ben’s new memorial. One that had been made after Klaus had manifested Ben one day, who had then made a comment about how much he had hated the statue and was glad when Luther had knocked it down at their dad’s funeral.

The new memorial was much better, in all of their opinions. Instead of a statue with the vaguest influence of their brother, they had all chosen to take care and help grow a large evergreen tree. It had taken a while to get it to the right size, but since they had all been thrown into the past to help Vanya anyway, by the time they had caught up to themselves in the timeline, the tree towered over the garden and was perfect for climbing. It had become one of Klaus’ favourite spots in the grounds of the Academy and there was almost a guarantee that no one would interrupt them when Five had made up his mind (it was his own now. He had stopped referring to his body and mind as we. He wasn’t sure when, but it had happened and he wasn’t going to question himself).

He had planned out the encounter perfectly. He’d wait until early evening, when Klaus and Vanya had finished training with each other, when Diego had gone to do some PI work (he still justified it as being a vigilante but they all knew he had stopped being ‘Batman’ nowadays), when Luther and Allison were off, either working on their weird relationship or helping Allison get Claire back (they were all becoming quite anxious to meet their niece every time Allison talked about her so there was no chance Allison or Luther would be willing to interrupt his encounter with Klaus). He knew that Klaus and Ben had an agreement that early in the evening, Ben would go off to do whatever ghost things he did and Klaus would enjoy the setting sun (it had quickly become his favourite past time during his times at rehab and had made getting sober easier on him every day when he was ‘trapped’ in rehab. (He hadn’t said it, but they all knew it was because of Mom and Pogo reminding him on particularly bad days that there couldn’t only be ghosts in the world because then there would only be darkness and a sunset couldn’t exist in an everlasting darkness. He didn’t need to say it.))

Five had gone to sleep the day before, after going over his plan in his head for the fifth time and to Dolores for the third time. He had planned it perfectly, even down to the time he would need to wake up the next day (it wasn’t any different than normal but if he woke up later then the plan would have to wait for another day (“Yes it does matter Dolores. No, I’m not procrastinating. It matters. It always matters.”))

He was going to sleep for 9 hours, and wake up at exactly 8am. (“Even if I’m a minute late waking up then it waits another day, Dolores. I already told you, it always matters.”)

His plan was perfect and timed and there was no way it would go wrong.

Until he was woken up to the smell of coffee, the noise of a mug being plonked on his bedside table, his curtains being thrown open to let the sun shine directly onto his face and a body sinking onto the bed right by his head. He sat up sharply, reflexively reaching beside him (his gun was gone. He couldn’t protect himself- there was nothing to protect himself from. He was safe. He is safe. He didn’t-doesn’t- need the gun anymore. He didn’t before but he definitely doesn’t now.) He turned his head to the side to look at his alarm before even attempting to figure out who had woken him at-

28 minutes past 4. In the morning. 4:28 AM.

His plan was ruined. It would have to wait until tomorrow.

He turned to face the person who had woken him up and ruined his plan, ready to lash out at Luther or Diego or Allison. Vanya wouldn’t have woken him at this time of morning. (Allison probably wouldn’t have either, but it was still her preferred method of waking him up. Annoying him awake with light and sound before making him compliant with coffee.)

His words died on his tongue when he came face to face with Klaus.

Klaus, smiling at him.

Klaus smiling at him.

Klaus smiling at him.

He wasn’t sure what shocked him the most. The fact that Klaus, the brother he had been very obviously ignoring for the past few… however long it had been (time travel would always be a bitch) or that fact that it was Klaus who had come to him first.

Klaus wasn’t a patient person. All of their siblings knew that. They all also knew that Klaus would easily annoy other people but wouldn’t get annoyed easily. But when he was annoyed, or hurt mentally, he knew how to hold a grudge. Five expected Klaus to try and get away from him as soon as he put his plan into action, which is why he had chosen to try and corner him on his perch of some of the taller branches of Ben’s tree (Klaus may still have destructive tendencies, but they had lessened significantly since he had become sober (since he came back from Vietnam after watching someone he loved die) it was one of the changes Five found fascinating about his brother. That he could be so destructive for years of their lives, even after seeing their little brother (Ben would always be the little brother despite being the same age as the rest of them and not being the smallest. He had tended to try and take up the least amount of room possible and became the little brother while Vanya had become their little sister) die. He had kept up his destructive tendencies even after he had died and overdosed so many times (“He overdosed 9 times before he figured out the limit and died 6 other times while high, once while sober” Ben’s voice echoed in his head.) and it was only when it was someone who had loved him back and loved him fully through his misgivings and until his death, that Klaus had decided it wasn’t worth the risk to destroy himself to piss of Sir Reginald (Sir Reginald who still didn’t care what Klaus did, just that he had been a disappointment to him).

Five was still processing and sorting through all his early morning intrusive thoughts when Klaus smile brightly at him (it was Five’s mask. The same one as before. Somewhere deep inside him a coil of tension unfurled and soothed. Maybe he hadn’t broken everything) before grabbing the mug of coffee and pushing under Five’s nose.

“I got that coffee you were banging on about. Figured you might have noticed it already, but looks like you haven’t.” He had noticed it. He knew that someone had bought it for him. He knew that it had probably been Klaus. But he hadn’t been ready to face his brother and therefore wasn’t ready (deserving) to have a decent cup of coffee so had suffered. He blinked slowly, still trying to get rid of the grogginess before slowly lifting his hands to take the mug out of Klaus’ hand and away from his face. (The mug was close to overflowing and he was sure Klaus had already spilled a few drops on his nightstand and bed already, and he could tell the coffee had been brewing too long but he would still drink it (no one had gone through this much trouble for him since… since forever. He wasn’t used to this but he thought he might be able to) because Klaus had made it).

“No. Smiling this early in the morning is unnatural and disgusting. Do you even realise what time it is?” He knew his words were sharper than he wanted them to be, but he still couldn’t get past the fact that his plan to confront Klaus had been ruined by Klaus confronting him.

“It’s half past four in the morning and you have been ignoring me and the coffee I bought you. Don’t complain.” The smile left Klaus’ face, but eh amusement in his eyes didn’t leave and the mask didn’t change. Silence fell between them, but it was comfortable as Five lifted the mug up to his face and managed to take a small sip of too bitter (burnt) coffee without wincing. A few moments passed before Klaus opened his mouth to say something, but Five beat him to it.

“I’m sorry.” Klaus froze. Five didn’t look at him-couldn’t look at him. He knew he had been wrong to push Klaus aside before (later? He still wasn’t sure when it was). He had known even as he asked about the briefcase instead of what happened to his brother, when he got angry about the briefcase being destroyed and his brother messed with the dog tags (Dave’s dog tags. The only person outside the family Klaus had loved and who had loved him back equally. He needed to start using his name. He was worth that in the very least). He knew when instead of running after his brother he had sat down to scribble a note to meet with Hazel and Cha-Cha (the ones who had tortured his brother for information he didn’t have and who couldn’t keep hold of their briefcase long enough to keep it out of Klaus’ sticky fingers (it was their fault Klaus had been tortured in that motel and then with a love he couldn’t keep (but then it was also Five’s fault and he knew that))).

Klaus’ jaw was still hanging open and amazement had replaced amusement in his eyes. In all their years (he still wasn’t sure but without Dolores he knew his calculations would definitely be wrong) Five had never apologised. Not when they were children, not when he came back, not when they went back and not when they had finally been able to live their lives and start acting like a family. (He still needed to apologise to Vanya for saying she wasn’t important during the apocalypse (she was, she always had been important, regardless of her part in the apocalypse (but he needed to finish apologising to Klaus first.)))

“Dolores always hated when I stopped thinking properly but I just couldn’t stop and I wanted to be your brother again but then I didn’t want to bury you again and if I had the briefcase then I could stop Hazel and Cha-Cha without killing them because Luther really doesn’t like the idea of me murdering people and I didn’t want to-I don’t want to, but there wasn’t much choice because I didn’t want to bury you all again because it would be my fault if you all died because it would mean I’d failed and it’d be all on me and all my fault. I’m sorry I didn’t ask about what happened, or where you went, or when you went, or who you lost but I couldn’t stop thinking about how I could save you all because I didn’t want to lose all of you all over again.” His words spilled out of his mouth like bitter coffee. They stung, and burnt his throat, and numbed his lips and cheeks and tongue and he didn’t even realise he was crying until he felt the burning coffee mug (it wasn’t hot enough to burn his throat so why- oh yeah, the tears) being pried from his death grip (he hadn’t realised he was gripping it so tight-that must have been why his fingers were burning) and when he felt his brother’s cold (they were always so cold) hand reach up to wipe away his tears with one hand while he set the mug down on the coffee table again (carefully this time-Klaus must have noticed the few drops he’d spilt before). The trails of salt on his cheeks that were making his way into his mouth through his open lips (that must have been the sting. The salt from his tears). He didn’t even realise how much he was crying until his brother’s voice slowly started to echo in his ears past the ringing and slight pain at his temples.

“… two, three, four. Breathe out, one, two, three, four.” He felt his breathing slow, and opened his eyes (when did he close them (better question: when did he lift his hands up to press his fingers into his temples?)). He looked into his brother’s face and saw him smile shakily with wet eyes. (Five was the one who had been crying, there was no need for Klaus to have tears in his eyes (He realised later, when he was more awake and more… steady that Klaus was close to crying because his brother was crying-he didn’t know when he would get used to seeing his family care about him again (they couldn’t care if they were just corpses he was burying))) “Just breathe for a minute Five.” Klaus paused in his words as he helped Five bring his hands to warm themselves around the mug of coffee again, and wiped the remainders of the tears from his little (no matter how much Five wanted to disagree, he had always been the smallest of them all (only just in comparison to Ben or Vanya, but smaller nonetheless)) brother’s face.

“There’s a lot to unpack there Five.” (He knows there’s a lot to unpack, it was his fault for all of it anyway (maybe not the actual apocalypse but his definitely still played his part in that.) “But you know I don’t blame you right? Like, none of this was your fault. Especially none of the stuff with Dave or Hazel and Cha-Cha. You didn’t make them  kidnap me, or torture me, and you weren’t the one who set that briefcase to the fucking Vietnam War. I mean, you didn’t even send them after you or any of us in the first place. The only person I blame is that Handler lady and dad but that’s just because I blame him for everything.” He paused again, taking a breath to look straight into Five’s eyes (he did that a lot-now he was sober. It was one of the bigger but more subtle changes Five had noticed now Klaus was sober. He could look people in the eye now). He wiped off the remainder of Five’s tears from the corners of his eyes before leaning back slightly. His head tilted slightly (Ben) as he stayed silent before he continued speaking, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. “It was extremely shitty, being tortured and then escaping only to end up in Vietnam in the middle of a war in only a towel and my coat, but if the situation came up again, you know the only thing I’d do different?” Five shook his head. He didn’t trust himself to speak, he couldn’t predict what Klaus was about to say. His head was turned too far away from him. Klaus looked at him from the corner of his eyes and Five shook his head again. “I’d save Dave. I wouldn’t wait for him to be killed, or follow him to the front lines. I’d keep him alive til the end of the war, I’d make sure he could go home and see his mom and his sister. Then I’d sweep him off his feet and bring him here, try and make a life with him here so we wouldn’t have to hide anything. That’s all I’d do. Just change it so he could live his life.” Five couldn’t speak.

How could his brother, who had arguably been screwed over physically more than any of them, not only not blame him for what had happened, but also not want to change it? Would willingly go back into a warzone for someone he’d only known for ten months?

He studied Klaus’ profile in silence as he tried to figure out what to respond with. He watched Klaus smile wistfully up at the ceiling. Watched as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes (probably both but Five could only see one of them (he wished he could see both. Just to make sure it wasn’t his brothers eye he’d carried around for years)). He watched as his brother (his big brother. It was starting to grow on him-that he didn’t have to be the strongest or oldest or smartest one anymore) tilted his head to the side again (always tilted it to the left (they all knew that Ben preferred to stay on his right-if only to screw with their father’s number order (they were children. They shouldn’t have been numbered; they should’ve had names))). He realised as he watched his brother just how much he had loved Dave (he was getting there-using his name. Even if he hadn’t said it out loud). There was nothing he could say that would even be close to right in response to that kind of statement (he knew what it implied. He’d sacrificed himself for the only person who had truly loved him and seen past everything (Dave had probably seen him through withdrawals and relapse and the nightmares during that time he spent in the past (he didn’t dwell on how Dave had probably seen Klaus worse than any of their siblings, especially him (he should’ve been there))).

He’d sacrifice himself for the only person he thought loved him without obligation.

He needed to change the subject. He needed to change the subject before he started crying again.

He lifted the mug to his lips to drink the coffee (it was still bitter and burnt but with the added effect of now being too cold (it was still better than anything else because Klaus had tried to make a perfect drink with his favourite coffee (he bought it specifically for him, he’d be damned if he wasted a single drop))).

After he choked down most of the liquid, he put the mug down on his bedside table again (it had to be in the exact same place or else everything would change again). He turned back to look at his (big) brother who was still probably swept up in his memories of Dave.

“It doesn’t absolve me of guilt Klaus.” His voice startled his brother, who snapped his head back to face him in confusion. Before he could retaliate, Five held up his hand and Klaus stopped. His brows furrowed further but quietened down nevertheless. “Just because all that wasn’t my fault, doesn’t mean I should’ve ignored you and your feelings. I should’ve asked about where you were, I should’ve noticed you were even gone. I should’ve asked what happened and not tried to reason my way out of it. Hell, I could’ve mentioned it to Diego or even Luther. I took him with me to try and blackmail Hazel and Cha-Cha with a broken briefcase and I could’ve told him then but I didn’t. And unless you’ve told any of them, then they don’t know either and they should know-we all should know because we’re your siblings and we should care more than we already do.” They both stayed quiet for the next few moments, both trying to absorb all the conversation. Five swallowed the rest of the burnt coffee, resolutely looking down at his bedsheets (still covering his legs, doing nothing to hide the nervous shaking). Once his mug was empty, he stared down at the bottom of it, staring at the coffee grounds that hadn’t been filtered out properly, as if they would give him answers or an idea of what to say (they wouldn’t. he’d tried too many times during the apocalypse to find answers of how to fix everything. He still wasn’t sure they’d done the right thing or that they’d averted the apocalypse completely, but there was no way of telling now the Commission was gone and there were no more briefcases left to travel with.)

“Alright then. It wasn’t your fault and you still feel guilty about being a prick. Is that what you wanted me to say?” Klaus’ serious tone shocked Five more than any part of this conversation. His head snapped up to stare at his (big) brother who was staring up at the ceiling, his head tilted back and his brows furrowed. Five had never seen his brother look as angry as he did now, he wasn’t entirely sure it was possible (Lies. Five had seen Klaus this angry before, the first time all of them, including Vanya, had tried to get Klaus sober. They’d taken all his drugs and half empty bottles from his room and Five had been the one to disappear with them while Luther pinned Klaus down. They’d all ignored his protests and his excuses. They’d all thought he was being dramatic. They’d thought he was being childish. Fuck, they should’ve just listened to him, tried to help. Christ, they were all so messed up.)

“Do you want me to say you’re a prick? That I think you’re a shit brother because you had so much on your mind that you weren’t worried about your druggie brother? Because honestly Five, I don’t blame you for anything, except pissing off in the first place. I don’t blame you for wanting to time travel, I don’t blame you for doing it just because dear old Reggie said you couldn’t, I don’t blame you for getting stuck in the fucking apocalypse, I don’t blame you for being more focused on the entirety of the human race dying than your own siblings, and I definitely don’t blame you for not asking me about my feewings while you were trying to stop us all from dying horribly.” The words were spat out of Klaus’ mouth like venom, as if the topic of emotion was too much, too close, too familial.

That stinging feeling was starting to come back in his chest.

It stung knowing that Klaus didn’t think he was worth feeling guilty for. That he thought he wasn’t worth anything Five was trying to say.

“Do you understand Five? I don’t blame you for anything that happened because I wasn’t your fault and there’s no reason to blame you. The only person I blame for any of this, the only person I will never forgive, is Reginald fucking Hargreeves. He turned us into soldiers and was directly responsible for at least one out of the seven of us becoming a druggie. He’s the reason that Vanya thought she was ordinary, he’s the reason Allison used her powers on us all the time, he’s the reason you disappeared and got stuck in the future, he’s the reason Diego has that scar, that Luther died and was brought back as a science experiment, the reason Ben died, the reason I became a junkie, and the reason why you had to see us all dead along with the rest of the world. There is literally no reason to blame you for ignoring my feelings when you were trying to fix all of his mistakes from when you were thirteen. The only thing he did right was die and not come bitching at me every hour.”

He did. He did understand. It didn’t get rid of the guilt completely, but it definitely lessened.

He didn’t understand how Klaus could feel so… worthless.

He didn’t understand how Klaus, who had been speaking to their dead brother this entire time, who had been sober for this long, had fought in the Vietnam War, had been able to manifest Ben to help keep them alive when they were being shot at, had been able to talk Vanya down after they averted the apocalypse, had essential fixed everything, could feel so worthless.

So undeserving.

Before he even realised, Five was reaching his arms up to pull at Klaus’ arm, tugging him down lightly.

The shock of his touch must have done most of the work, because Klaus was immediately half laying on top of Five’s small body, with Five’s small arms wrapping around his shoulders and his face buried in the nook between Klaus’ neck and shoulder.

The two of them stayed silent as Klaus slowly and carefully wrapped his arms around Five’s waist and they both relaxed into place.

Eventually, Five broke the silence, his murmured words only just making their way into Klaus’ ear.

“Tell anyone about this and you’re dead.” Klaus’ body started shaking as laughter took over his body and he fell out of Five’s grip, clutching his stomach, falling on his back across Five’s covered legs (that were no longer shaking. He wasn’t sure when they’d stopped, but thank Ben that Klaus either hadn’t noticed or jut hadn’t said anything.) Five struggled upwards, pulling his legs out from underneath Klaus’ lithe form to kneel over him. “I mean it Klaus! If you tell anyone I swear you’re dead!”

“Big Bad Assassin Five has emotions! Thank the Lord! It’s a miracle!” Klaus blurted out, and by now, Five was sure he had awoken Diego at the very least, maybe even Vanya (now she had her powers back, she was way too sensitive to any sounds. It had made it hard to try and surprise her now but also meant she was a much lighter sleeper than they’d all remembered her as.)

“Klaus shut up! It’s too early for you to wake up everyone with this shit!” Five shouted back, ignoring the fact that he was probably being even louder than his (big) brother. His statement, however, was contradicted by the fact he was smiling, a much bigger and truer smile than he had ever before (it seemed more like childish glee in this body, however, he couldn’t bring himself to care. They were finally starting to act like siblings. It had only taken some failed time travel, Reginald dying and averting the apocalypse.)

[pepperf]

I posted 1,294 times in 2022

That's 325 more posts than 2021!

192 posts created (15%)

1,102 posts reblogged (85%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lochrannn

@bending-sickle

@ponyregrets

@bethanyactually

@wheresmytowel

I tagged 1,172 of my posts in 2022

Only 9% of my posts had no tags

#the umbrella academy - 262 posts

#tua - 259 posts

#diego hargreeves - 225 posts

#lila pitts - 162 posts

#dielila - 140 posts

#diego/lila - 138 posts

#david castañeda - 71 posts

#tua s3 - 59 posts

#tua s3 spoilers - 48 posts

#tua fanfic - 48 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#''and i listen to the sound / of the trucks as they move down / out on 95 / and pretend that it's the ocean / comin' down to wash me clean''

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

No.

283 notes - Posted May 25, 2022

#4

Hey, parts of North London I know well! So the places they visited in today’s Dracula Daily entry are all still there, and relatively unchanged since Victorian times I think, aside from the first:

Jack Straw’s Castle:

This is a massive white-painted pub at the top of Hampstead hill, now closed. In Stoker’s time, the building looked like this:

It was badly damaged during the Blitz, and rebuilt in the 60s. The current building looks like this:

See the full post

385 notes - Posted September 26, 2022

#3

My dearest darlingest TUA fic writers and fan artists: let me start off by saying that I love you all, I do, without bias or judgement, and I appreciate all the hard work that you put into whatever it is that makes your little hearts go pitty-pat.

That said, I have noticed an alarming trend recently: Diego is shrinking! He is getting smaller and smaller, in every lineup and fic description, inch by inch he is getting more and more petite, and I begin to fear that, at this rate, by this time next year he will have vanished entirely.

So, for your edification, I have put together this handy-dandy height reference chart for the Hargreeves siblings:

See how Diego (all 5′11¼ delicious inches of him) stands, taller than his sister Allison (5′8′‘), just slightly shorter than his sibling Klaus (an even 6′), and on a par with his brother Ben (5′11′‘)? See how he towers above his littlest siblings, Viktor (5′1′’) and Five (5′7′’ but still growing if he’ll only cut back on the caffeine)! See how he’s only a few inches shorter than his tallest brother, Luther (6′4′’)! Let us celebrate him, tall, proud, and erect (no, wait, wrong kind of fic...), and lofty!

I thank you for your consideration.

697 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

#2

See the full post

1,272 notes - Posted June 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

A love letter to the co-conspiritors

They have many names—beta reader, friend, Oh Fuck You—but you know who they are: they're the person who is as rabid as you about a ship or a character, the one you DM with your most twisted headcanons, the one who agrees that YES, he SHOULD be tied to a chair and slapped in the face—that she SHOULD be allowed a little tragic backstory, as a treat—that they SHOULD be roommates who are secretly pining for one another...the one who hashes out with you, at past midnight, how soon is reasonable for people with superpowers to have sex after one of them has been shot in the leg.

They’re the person who reads your fic before you send it to anyone else, and raves with you about that plot point that you COULDN’T WAIT for them to reach, or points out where you’ve forgotten that they were at the bar, not the library, so you need to remove the reference to book stacks, or pokes you to finish the goddamn next chapter because they want to read it, okay?

Fandom would not exist without them. They enable and encourage. Some of them are also fic writers, and you get to enable them right back. Some of them create fan art, or meta, or text post edits, or run prompt fests, or edit wikis...some of them are simply just as in love with the same thing that you are and want to feed the squee.

If you’re lucky enough to have someone like this in your life, you’ll know how much impact they have. It’s different to getting comments and kudos (wonderful though those are!), because they come in before the fic is finished, sometimes even before it’s started, and say ‘yes, do it!’. The fact that I've written so much for Community and The Umbrella Academy is completely down to @bethanyactually and @wheresmytowel respectively, and I count myself incredibly lucky to have them both in my life (and not just for all this, but also because they’re both incredibly lovely and smart and fun).

It was Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day yesterday (Aug 21st), and it made me think that we should also give a shoutout to the co-conspiritors, because without them, an awful lot more fic writers would be stress-scrolling through tumblr instead of working on their WIP, and there’d be so much less fic in the world.

1,945 notes - Posted August 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[angelyuji]

I don’t have a tik tok, sorry 😅

Right!!?? They KILLED the characters development! Especially Five!! I know everyone deserves love but Five with Lila??? (I’m not gonna talk about the actors age cause even tho it’s a big gap, they are a c t i n g, I think people should remember that, there wasn’t even a sex scene between them)

Going back, it was Five the one that made Lila realize she was in love with Diego + he spend 45 years in that apocalypse missing his family every second, are the writers really gonna say to us that THAT SAME FIVE would fall in love with Lila??? I know they spend 7 years trapped in that reality, but come on! AND what Diego said to Five in the van? That Lila told him that “you can’t get pregnant while breastfeeding”? That rubs off in soooo many ways for me… I kinda liked Lila in S3 but not anymore

Plus, the “jokes” about Diego being fat when in reality he’s really fit? I mean, we saw him in the fight with the CIA

Luther got dumber and dumber this season and I hate it! Isn’t he supposed to be an astronaut? Astronauts are smart, right? Plus, they only mention Sloan ONCE! He was so in love with her in the past season (so much that he even forgot Allison) and now he doesn’t even TRIES to find her??? What type of bullshit is that??

Allison… was there… and mad… Well, she and Claire rescued Klaus but… what happened with Ray anyway? They did got divorced? Why? They seemed so in love. But then she was jealous of Sloane… but she didn’t wanted a relationship with Luther either… I mean, she didn’t even tried to talk/flirt with him anymore…

Ben… he was never a part of the Hargreeves, at least for what I felt. Even after saving Viktor. The sudden relationship with Jennifer was SO rushed, even when they explained it. I mean, if Reginald wanted to kill her, why didn’t he did it right away? She was a kid who was found inside of that calamari (English is not my first language, I don’t remember if that’s the correct word, sorry 😅) ANYONE would suspect of her death anyway

Then, the writers “saved” Klaus only to make him a drug addict AND a sex slave again??? What happened to his development??? He WAS at peace with his powers and could even fully control them for what??? I would preferred it if they made him a cult leader again, ugh

I KNOW this is gonna be controversial (like the thing I wrote in the beginning) buuuuuut I liked Vanya WAY MORE than Viktor

I’m not a transphobe I swear! It’s just that I could empathize more with Vanya while with Viktor... I know he was trying to save Ben and Jennifer and that was the right thing for a brother to do(? But like I said, I could empathize more with Vanya

Which leads me to a more controversial take 😅

I think Vanya and Five should have to be the couple that got together and were happy

lol i have an account on basically every social media platform to exist lolol

the whole five x lila thing was sooo weird like ughhhhhhhhh lila and diego were so cute and the whole "i thought you didn't like bracelets???" when he DID give her bracelet when they were in the hospital together??? alsoo five would NEVER betray his brother like that. thats crazy (lets not even talk abt how awk it must have been to film this when lila's actress has known aiden g since he was a minor like)

also diego ripping his shirt off and he's ripped and im like ???? wheres the dad bod??????

yeah allison never even fully used her new powers. i liked allison and klaus's relationship tho like every scene with them made my heart hurt. it did piss me off that they made klaus fall back to drugs and be used as a slave like ugh.

the jennifer stuff was soooo stupid like god idgaf abt this girl at all. also like why didn't reginald kill her???? weak ass bitch reginald and his weirdo wife

i love viktor, sorry, he's so fine i need him. i also prefer viktor becuz vanya was annoying lowkey lmao

also im sorry again but no to vanya x five, i hated luther x allison so much. i liked sissy and also viktor being a man-whore is sooo :)))) need him!!