#vanya fanfic

[cardinalcheerio]

So, I'm writting a five fanfic, and come across the need to search up Dolores' name meaning.

It means "lady of sorrows" I am unwell.

It makes so much sense, I'm crying rn.

[tothosewholisten]

Forever Healed | TUA insert

Chapter: 16

<<previous chapter | next chapter>>

Masterlist

Cw: severe body injuries, alcohol abuse, cursing

...

Five pulled me aside from the crowd after I told him I was leaving the academy, and with furrowed brows, he started complaining. “What do you mean you're leaving?” He whispered.

Matching his tone I continued. “I already told you Five, If I don't go, then I'll die with an unfulfilled life and my ghost will wonder why I didn't do it.” Maybe I was exaggerating, but he didn't need to know.

Five’s stare wavered when he heard my reasoning. “Fine, just come back quick. You're the only one who can truly handle all these.. morons.” I chuckled at his words and turned back to the group, who were still staring at the paper Five handed them minutes ago.

“I better go quick before they notice.” I gave Five a final smile and tried to sneakily leave the area. But sadly I'm not a ninja and my absence was immediately noticed by the one who was mainly asking questions in the group.

Klaus jogged over to my faint figure with a grin on his face. “Whatchu up to?”

“Uhh too much excitement for one day, Klaus. And also the fact that I'm in wet and bloody clothes has caught up to me. I'm gonna head to my room.” I answered while trying not to give away too much.

His eyes widen, “but you're about to miss Luther's big plan of action! Poor guy still thinks he’s in charge.”

“I think I'll manage.” I cringed inside at my sudden coldness, but I was not sure if I wanted to open up about this.

“Oh come on! It feels like I haven’t seen you for forever.” He whines.

I stopped my progression up the stairs and met him at the bottom step. “It’s because you haven’t. I've been gone for almost a year, excuse me if things have changed.” My tone was sharp, it lacked all the fun qualities I'd normally have when talking to Klaus. It’s not like I wanted to be mad at him, since I had no reason. I was just mad at my situation. “I'll see you later Klaus.”

I disappointed myself with my actions. It was just hard to talk to someone so happy, after everything I'd just been through. I had also lied to my best friend, I wasn't going to my room, just yet,

I headed in the opposite direction to the place where I knew the person I needed would be. He had no room, which I never understood growing up, and neither did Grace. But when I'd be running around with Klaus and Ben we'd sometimes run into him in a mini library, one that Reginald probably kept to himself.

Gently, I knocked at the door to not alert the reading man. “Pogo?” I said.

He put his heavy book down and stood up to greet me. “Ms, Y/n! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

We walked back over to the seating area to talk, I held my breath the whole time. There was no easy way of going about what I was going to say next. I'd never talked about this to him, nor did I to anyone else. After all, if Reginald ever caught me saying things like this there would be heavy repercussions. But, he’s dead and here I am ready to spill my guts.

“I want to go home, Pogo.”

He tilted his head at me with confusion before looking around the room. “I'm afraid I don't understand. This is the academy.”

“You know what I'm talking about, please just humor me. I want to go back to where I was born and see my parents.” I pleaded.

Finally, after I said that it finally clicked in his head. Pogo started to fidget and sweat slightly. “Ms. Y/n..

I let out a loud sigh. “Look, I-I know I sound crazy but hear me out. I don't know if the others have told you but we only have a few days left on this planet. That is if we fail to save it, and I can't take those odds.. I need to see them one last time, just to talk and ask why.”

“And if you don't get the answer you want?” His words surprised me, his laid-back persona and natural calmness were completely abandoned. “I don't know what I'd do if you came back here and told me that they didn’t receive you with open arms.”

“Well then, I can say that I finally did it.” Something I've always wanted to do for years. His response was correct though, what if they didn't even want to see me?

Pogo went on. “I remember the moment when you were brought to me, I don't know if you recall but I was the first person you saw in the academy. Except for Master Reginald of course. You were as tall as me back then.” He chuckled. “But oh so scared, you wouldn't speak to anyone but me. You even told me that you were happy to leave your parents.”

“What?” I choked on the words leaving my mouth. “What are you talking about? I remember hugging my mom tightly as he and his people dragged me off, kicking and screaming.”

“That’s not how I remember it?” He said truthfully.

“How can we have different experiences of the same event?” I asked. “That's.. that's not the only thing I can't remember. I don't even know what my house looks like anymore. If I knew I'm sure twelve-year-old me would’ve run right back and begged for forgiveness. But I'm not that old, how can I not remember a place I spent twelve years of my life?” Pogo stared at me, almost like there were no thoughts behind his eyes. “This is why I need to go. I have blank spots in my head. I just need the full story.”

Time passed and no matter how much we went back and forth during my time in the mini library it was obvious I wasn't taking no for an answer.

“Pogo. Don’t I deserve to be in control of my own life?” That shook him to his core, he almost looked guilty.

The monkey man stood up with a wobble. “Very well.” He then slowly pulled out a pen from his pocket and a piece of paper that was on the table next to him. He thought about his words before he started scribbling down what looked like chicken scratch. Once he was done, with a shaky hand and a heavy heart he handed it to me. But I couldn’t read anything? I was about to tell him to rewrite it when everything became clear. Like magic, the unreadable blurb became a cohesive sentence. It was an address, my address. I lower the paper and stare down at him.

“I don’t understand. Brownsville is only a town or two away. It’s not like I came from another state, why don't I remember this?”

“I'm afraid I don't have that answer..”

I carefully folded the parchment and placed it into my suit pocket. “You don’t understand how much this means to me, Pogo.”

“Anything for you, my girl.” He sadly smiled. Something was off with him, it was clear to see judging by his body language. Before leaving I hugged the man and whispered that I'll tell him all about it when I got back.

Then I was off. Actually, to my room this time, to bathe and change. Before leaving I stared at myself in the mirror. Would I even be able to spot my parents out in a crowd? Do they even still live there? Would they even recognize me?

I no longer was the spitting image of my mom, if that was ever the case. Maybe I was born in a lab test tube.

..

Exiting the academy was a weird feeling. I'd almost forgotten how pretty this city could be, after only seeing corporate desks and sleazy streets nothing compared to this. I entered the same metro bus I'd taken to get to my first therapy session. If only I could go back to Gloria now, I'm sure she'd have a heart attack with all of the ludicrous things that have happened since we last spoke. If I have more time and we save the world I promised myself I'd go back to her.

The bus ride was silent, I had no room for music with all my swirling thoughts. No matter how I arrived at the academy I couldn’t forget the reason why I was put there. My parents wanted the money more than me. Just as all the other parents sold off their children to Reginald's fucked up daycare.

Even if they were extremely nice to me I'd never forget the things this situation brought me or the abuse I was given in both houses, as well as the pain and grief of a boy I should've never met, terrifying and uncontrollable powers and a horrible mindset to go with it all.

I spent the bus ride looking out of the window for about an hour and a half until we had finally reached the last stop. Brownsville was a town I only heard of through word of mouth, I never imagined I would grow up here.

..

Taking a step off the bus and onto the Brownsville dirt was an anxious experience, but if things went wrong I knew I could just get back on this same bus and run away. The air felt different here as well as the people and the noises. It filled me with a sense of dread that my body ignored as it kept moving.

The area I walked into was crowded with all types of people and all kinds of food which looked way more authentic than the stuff I force-fed to myself recently. I let my nose follow the scent of chicken and the nearest person to ask for directions.

“Excuse me?” I spoke. The old man working at the stand didn’t hear me, he was too busy on the grill. I felt very out of place and proper, I even stood up straight in anticipation.

Suddenly another man came up to the booth and started ordering in a language I didn't think I knew the name of. But it was things I'd felt like I'd heard before. The worker picked up his head to the words and cheerfully greeted the man like I was just his shadow. With the same quickness that the random man had entered, he had also left after receiving his food.

I was left with the worker man with no way of communicating. I only knew one language, which was uncommon in the Umbrella Academy. Ben knew Korean and Diego knew Spanish and the others had picked up their second languages as they grew up. I was never quick to learn.

My mind went back to where I heard this language. It wasn't at the academy, and it wasn't at the commission headquarters. It hugged me like a blanket of nostalgia. I must be going crazy. All my memories are scrambled, I can't tell where my history starts and where my blanks end. But for certain I know my life started here.

Once again I was pushed aside by a herd of young adults who all spoke the same language that was causing me so much trouble. Slowly but surely I started picking up what they were saying. One girl wanted a chicken and rice meal and the others wanted to go somewhere else. It felt like someone had a live translator humming all the words in my ear.

How did I do that?

When they ran off laughing with each other I was left at a standstill. Was this like the paper from earlier? As soon as I piece things together it's like a new area of my mind is unlocked.

As soon as the third customer cut in front of me all that confusion melted away. This time the customer was an elderly lady with striking H/c hair. She looked like me, she looked like my mother. She spoke the same language I'd heard all afternoon. People were speaking it on the bus back when I was too lost to pay attention, people were walking over to the vendors speaking this language, and little children pushed past me cheering in a language that all made sense to me.

And with a bit of courage and a lot of nervousness, I spoke my mother’s native tongue, for the woman to hear. I sound nasally and maybe I said some words wrong. But when the woman abandoned her tasty food to bring me over to my parent's house I knew I said the right thing.

..

Maybe this woman was my mom? No. My mom would be a bit younger if what I know is correct. My mother had me around her twenties and it's been almost thirty years since she would only be in her fifties. Maybe she was just a neighbor, but that wouldn't explain her striking resemblance.

“What’s your name?” I asked her in my broken version of the language. My shoes were now covered in mud as we strayed off a path. I started to think I was getting willingly kidnapped which led to my death. But the woman is elderly and also barely walking correctly. It was still eerily creepy when she never responded to me, just kept her same slow pace.

At the end of the mud was a street of houses that stretched to the ends of the earth, probably. Everything looked out of a commercial. It was too saturated and vibrant for this state where everything has a sad blue hue, except for Brownsville. We were not the only ones on the street witnessing the splash of color though, small children in uniforms were everywhere and so was a sand-colored school building.

My old school, my old uniform.

I almost ran into the non-talkative lady when she stopped at a house. This was it, we were finally here. After years of thoughts, cries and yells about my past life. I'd finally returned when there was no true reason to. Except for the fact that I was hurting inside, and needed to distract it with another type of pain. Family pain.

“Thank you,” I said in disbelief. I thought surely the lady was going to leave now. She surprised me when she took out the keys from her pocket and unopened the door.

She disappeared inside in a flash. “Hey-” my mouth hung open as I followed the woman in, desperate for answers. But I soon got lost in awe because of my surroundings. I was having a sensory overload, I'm sure. Memories all came back to me at once as I looked around. Nothing in the tiny house had changed since I was living there. They even had the same wall colors of the nineties.

This place was preserved in time like a memory box, but untouched by a single speck of dust. Someone had just dusted, and no way in hell it was my dad. I lost sight of the strange woman but picked up on something new, the smell of stew on the stove. Just like my mom made me when I came home from school..

An aged voice spoke out, filled with content. “Mom? Is that you, are you back?” It was barely above normal speaking voice and definitely not in English. I blinked and saw the older woman dipping a spoon into the unfinished stew. A middle-aged woman with a gentle voice and flowy clothing walked down the carpet-covered stairs and into the kitchen.

“Mama! You know you're supposed to wait.” She laughed while moving her mother away from the pot. It was straight out of a movie, about a kind daughter and her loving mother while I was just an extra in it.

I felt a wave of nausea, this was a horrible stupid idea you fucking moron. Why would you come here, you knew what was going to happen. I made my way to the door in a panic, if I let her see me I knew I'd burst into tears on the spot and melt into a sentimental puddle.

I'm not ready to face her, I told myself.

I expected my dad at least to be here, not her. So I could just yell at him and maybe get a few punches in. My wishful thinking made me not even prepare for what I was going to tell them. At the sound of the door handle shaking the two turned around to see me struggling with my back turned towards them.

“Did you invite another neighbor over? I swear I won't be able to feed every stray you bring in, Mama.” The middle-aged woman said. But her mom didn't say anything.

My breathing was heavy, I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest and into her stew. I could hear the footsteps of her getting closer to me, I came all the way here I had to get this over with. Come on Y/n just turn around.

The woman spoke in her common tongue to greet her guest. “Hello! I’m-” The clatter of the wooden spoon she was holding in her hand made the room shake. She stared at me with an open wide mouth and tears in her eyes.

..

I was told to take a seat in the living room and was also served a plate of stew that had gone cold by now. With a cup of water in my hand, I waited for my mom to sit opposite of me so we could talk. But she was wrapping things up in the kitchen. My grandmother was elsewhere but even in her absence, she did strike a question in my brain. When did she get here? She wasn't here when I was. I didn't even know I had a grandmother or any family on my mom's side.

Taking a look at my mom I saw that she'd definitely changed also, she cut her hair and wore more modest clothing than she used to. She looked like she was still a mother who was tired from her days of raising a kid. But what kid did she raise?

Once she sat down I felt like I needed to get down to business, I was growing more restless by the moment. But she beat me to it.

“How have you been?” She asked me.

I took a double take at her question. “Excuse me? That’s something you say when you haven’t heard from someone in weeks. Not to your child who you haven’t seen for seventeen years.”

She was startled at my response. “You're right, I'm sorry.” She spoke softly.

What the hell was going on here? Had these years been a dream because she was treating me like I'd never left? We sat in silence just staring at each other, my stare was more in anger but she stared at me with whimsy.

“You look great.”

“Don’t be so surprised, I looked great seventeen years ago too.” She made me scoff at her words. We dropped the second language minutes ago, I knew she knew had to speak English and I couldn’t get my point across in anything but English.

She ran a hand through her hair. “I saw the news the other day. I'm so sorry for your loss.” She said,

“What loss?”

“Sir Reginald Hargreeves? It must've been hard.”

I laughed in disbelief before saying. “Are you kidding me?”

“What?”

“Fuck Reginald Hargreeves.”

“B/n..”

I shook my head at the cowardly woman. “Don’t call me that. There’s no need to feel bad for him. He was a horrible man, Mom. You know, One of the first things he made me do was get a tattoo at twelve that branded me to him. And then he'd make me shoot bullet holes everywhere in my body every day. Father of the fucking year.”

“Please don't curse.” She pleaded.

“Are you even listening?” I asked back.

My mom looked down at her glass of water. “Of course I am! Something about a tattoo right B/n?”

I stood up in my chair slightly, repulsed and almost in shock by the way she said that name. After The Handler, I grew to hate a name I forgot I was even called. I wanted to flip the table and walk away but I grounded myself with a simple shout. “You're not listening. You don't get to call me that, that’s not my name. My name is Y/n. Do you know why? Because it was changed by the academy. Just like every other aspect of this bullshit fake life, I thought I had!” Maybe that wasn't a simple shout. It felt good though.

“Please calm down.” She tried to grab onto my hand. I slapped it away but it did make me sit. God, I'll never move on from my submission.

“I didn't come here for lunch. I came here for answers, so start answering,” she sat back down as well and I took a sip of the water given to me. “Why’d you do it?”

“Do what?” No way she was this dense.

“Oh my god. I mean all of this?” She had no response. “Why’d you give me away when the first man offered? Why’d you never get back in contact with me? You never sent any letters. Why didn't you visit? You didn't even tell me you loved me before I left..” I could feel salty tears drop to the corners of my mouth. “Don’t you understand what that did to me?”

She gulped down nerves as her heartbeat quickened. “It wasn't an easy decision, it was complicated.”

“I'm sure it was.” I rolled my eyes.

“Please just hear me out.” Her weakness was starting to show, her posture became smaller. Like she was trying to crawl back into her skin and away from this situation.

“Your father and I thought It wasn't easy to keep up with a daughter as unique as you..” She tried to justify.

“Speaking of the devil, where is he? Probably six feet under right?” I hoped so.

“He’s.. he's at work.” She turned to the clock on the kitchen wall. The same clock she'd always help me work with when I couldn’t figure out how to tell the time.

I couldn’t believe this. She’s still with him? The man who abused her, the man who hated her and married her out of convenience. “Why would you do that to yourself…? Why are you still with him, you're supposed to cut people out of your life when they hurt you. You had all this time to do it.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Not as complicated as when you gave me away right?”

“We had just gotten married, we didn't know what to do with a kid. You were special, you had superpowers! You weren't meant to stay here, you would’ve had a mundane life, and you would’ve wished to join those kids.” That was the first time I thought she was speaking her mind, but she had it all wrong.

“That’s what you actually believe? I would’ve been bored here?”

“You were made for something more. I always knew that. We thought Sir Reginald gave you a lovely home. I’ve watched you on TV all these years. You looked happy, you have siblings, you had everything I ever wanted growing up.”

“You’re basing my experience on what you saw on a TV? I can’t even think of them as my siblings. I met them when I was twelve!” I wanted to get my brains bashed again. Maybe I wouldn't have to remember this conversation.

“Well, I'm sure he had his reasons for what he did?”

“No! That’s not the truth, Reignald was an abusive asshole who only wanted us so he could use us. I joined late so I got all their childhood trauma at once. He was cruel and sadistic, Mom. Every day I wanted to go home, I wanted to come back here to you guys. Why would you give me up with the possibility of me having a happy life? Why couldn’t I have had a happy life here?”

“It was too much for us to handle at the time.”

“Oh yeah, I bet the cash he gave you made the time go by better.”

“Stop insinuating that we’re bad people!” She raised her voice. “We did the right thing.”

“I needed a mother! My mother! But you didn't even call.” I went higher than her; it was in my nature to be competitive.

“You want the truth?”

I cried out in agony. “That’s all I've ever wanted!”

“When you were shot in the stomach at the bank and came back like nothing was wrong. You scared me, I was scared of the possibilities that could happen. I had no idea you could do anything like that. I was scared of your powers at such a young age that I couldn’t help you control. I told your father, he was scared also and then we were approached by Reginald and we made the decision we thought would suit you best. We didn't want to confuse you so we never reached out.” She looked away.

“How did I scare you? I only tried to help you whenever he would hurt you. I’d be there to pick up the pieces. The reason why you have no scars on your face it’s because of me, why would I ever push someone to be scared of me? My powers are to heal people, not to hurt them. Why would anyone think that I’m dangerous?” I don't think I believed that at all. I know what I've done, it wasn’t something that reappeared in my head. If I told her I'd only prove her point.

My mind was racing back to memories like The Handler, who said I was a killer. My old boyfriend, who said I was crazy. The people I’ve killed even when I thought I was just protecting the world. Maybe I wasn’t so perfect. Maybe I was losing it, but that was only because of the situation I'd been put in.

“Because of this! Because of what you’re doing, you’re freaking out. You need to calm down B/n. You always hide your father's temper.” Now she was trying to blame me?

“I have my father’s temper? What about your selfishness? Even after I moved out you never thought of contacting me, Mom. It's almost been thirty years, I'm twenty-nine!”

Instead of responding, she checks the time again. “I'm so sorry Y/n. I don't know what else to say. I had no idea this would happen.”

As my anger rose, so did my blood pressure. “And now you're dropping the subject altogether. I don't even know you. I can't tell if you're being serious.”

“Then let's get to know each other. There’s so much I've always wanted to ask you.” She sounded so oblivious like we were just screaming at each other a couple minutes ago. But she wouldn’t stop staring at that damn clock.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

As soon as I say that she never looks at the clock again. “Nothing! I'll warm up your stew.”

My mom called over my grandmother and whispered something to her so quietly it sounded like the steam of the stew pot. Whatever she said it sent my grandmother running towards the door and out of it. “What was that?” I asked while getting up to meet my mother in the kitchen.

“I just asked her to grab some more vegetables for dinner before the store near here closes, we’re gonna have some pasta.” She stares at me. “Should I set a plate for you.. Y/n?”

The mention of dinner had me looking out the window. It was getting dark, just how long were we talking? I've been on my journey to Brownsville for almost the full day. Who knows what I've missed at the academy?

“I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, I have to get back to the academy..”

“Oh! Do you still live there?” She asked.

I blinked at her with confusion before realizing what I said. Everything has been so hectic recently that I didn't even know where to start with my explanation. “No it’s just, everyone is still together. From.. the funeral? Yeah, and we’ve just been with each other for the last few days. Grieving.” I tried to make myself seem as sad as possible but it wasn't working. We were together because the world was about to end, not because Reginald made us all sappy.

But now it was my time to ask a question. “What’s with pasta? You never made that before.”

She looked delighted to tell this story. She almost looked like Grace who would be ecstatic anytime we said her cooking was good. “It’s become one of your father's favorites since we need quicker meals to deal with- his new job.”

I folded my arms. “Which is?”

“He’s the head of a company which has produced books since a couple of years ago. I think he was even in charge of that book, that girl made. What’s her name again?” She counted different names that start with a v on her fingers until she landed on the right one. “Vanya! That’s her name.”

To think my dad published the book that helped drive a wedge into my family even more than there already was.

“I never read it myself but I heard great things from him.” She said, “What's with the name Y/n? Did Sir Reginald choose it?”

She made me think back to the currently dead Grace. “Something like that..”

My mother nodded in my direction. “It suits you. Better than what I picked out to be honest. But uh my mother, I mean your grandmother will be back soon, would you want to help me with the dough?”

I didn’t want to, my mind was focused on what I could have missed at the academy. Like if they went after Harold Jenkins themselves and someone got hurt. I was desperate for a feeling other than sorrow, maybe I needed a distraction. “I guess it could hurt.”

Despite how angry I still was with her, I helped her make dinner for a man I also hated. And as she gave me a demonstration on how to roll and make spaghetti out of the dough we started to talk once again. Since I no longer felt the pressure of sitting down at the living room table, the words started to flow out. She even answered my questions with her thoughts. She also handed me some wine as we kept talking. I'm not a drinker anymore but who am I to say no?

We laughed, we got angry and we got a bit sad, there was a perfect balance. It felt like I was talking to Allison, like the time when we stole Grace's dresses. We were never the closest but we could have civil conversations that led to great memories that lasted in my mind. It felt nice to talk to someone who wasn't superhuman or crazy. She was just a regular human being existing, I think I forgot how to one by now.

Once the pasta was in the water we took a seat on the couch. It was just as hard and lumpy as I remembered but nonetheless comforting. She handed me some more wine as we kept talking.

..

After some time the doorbell rang unexpectedly, it was weird because G/n, as I discovered was my grandmother's name, had a key. And so did my father who I was very scared to see. My mother got up and swayed towards the door to open it, slightly drunk and still raving about the score she got on Thanksgiving food last year. I was drunk too, I think, but I'd felt this lucid all day so I wasn't sure.

The person at the door made my mother almost drop her glass as she tried to usher them outside. It wasn’t G/n and it wasn't my father, so against my better judgment I went to see what was going on.

“This isn't a good time” she whispered.

“I thought you wanted me to come over for dinner?” The voice said it was a man.

As I walked to the door I smirked, did my mom have a secret lover? That’s something I would’ve never expected but made sense since she told me my father was never here. Once I opened the door back up I was excited to see what mysterious my mom’s life really held.

When I saw him I almost dropped my glass too. This wasn't some fifty year old man that I expected to see, it was a man who looked exactly like my mom. Like me. This man could’ve been my exact copy, the same look in his eyes and the same scowl id paint my face with if someone was pissing me off.

“What the fuck?” I yelled to no one in particular.

My mother looks at me in fright, completely sobered up. “Y/n.. Honey.”

As I downed my last drop of red wine I thought my body was going to give out, I felt betrayed and unwanted, clearly I was. “I was always the problem, wasn't I? I knew it.” I then addressed him directly. “How old are you?”

“What?” The stranger asked me. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, this kid didn't know how old he was. “Okay, easy math twelve minus twenty-nine is seventeen. You're around seventeen right? You're in high school or something?” I found myself not caring for the answer I could see his uniform on. He went to the same school I did.

He gulped while staring at my mother for approval. “Yeah..” he said quietly

“You got busy didn't you?” I laughed at M/n. It wasn't funny actually but that's all I could find myself doing at that moment, that or throwing something. “Probably didn't even wait a couple of months.”

“It’s not like that..” I found my supposed mother glancing back and forth between the both of us like she had to choose. “We just got so lonely.”

“So you didn't contact your daughter you already gave birth to. You just decided to start again? Have another kid and forget about me?”

The boy looked up at me surprised. “You're my sister?” He turned to our mother. I looked at the two of them. She didn't even bother to tell him? “You just love a mystery mom. Not even bothering to tell either of us is a new low.”

We left her at a loss for words. I'm sure she was thinking that the two carbon copies, twelve years apart, would never meet as long as I stayed out of her new perfect life with her perfect son.

By now the sky had turned a very vibrant shade of dark purple. There was nothing left to do here, it was time to leave. I entered their home once again to grab the huge bottle of wine they were probably going to enjoy with their meal. Turns out that I needed it more.

“Where are you going?” My mother called out.

I took a swig. “Oh, I'm leaving,” I said cheerfully. “I'm also taking this bottle here, it's very good. Thanks for the stew.” The thank you was more of a fuck you honestly. She was able to tell right away when she blocked my exit.

“Please, we can talk about this in the morning. Just stay with us.” She made everyone tense. Even my little brother looked anywhere but at us, he was trying to stay out of this.

I stepped up to the woman who had a similar height to me and she immediately backed up. She was scared of me, what bullshit. “There’s no need. I've never known this place as my home and you made that very clear today. This was a waste of time.”

Without another word, I walked out of the house. Secretly hoped it would catch on fire in an instant but that never came. And I limped all the way back to the muddy grass to get to the bus stop.

In the span of a whole day, I solved years of questions. With a simple answer, I wasn’t wanted. And my whole day was made worse because of it. I laughed as my hands went to tug at my hair. The outcome of this situation was hilarious to me, Pogo knew what would happen all along..

The bus didn't arrive until almost forty minutes after I arrived at the stop. Luckily I had my now empty wine bottle to keep me company. I knew I was going to make a pitstop before returning to the academy and getting more.

..

Once I'd gotten my fill, the bus ride home was filled with silent whimpers and bursts of excitement, my head was killing me. It could’ve been from all the alcohol mixed or because of stress, but I was practically up in the clouds. To the point where I almost missed the right stop.

I stepped off the bus after handing the driver an extra case of beer. I felt like I wanted to go dance, just like I used to with Klaus when we'd get this drunk. I planned to ask him to take me. I know he wouldn’t mind, right?

But when I got inside the academy I couldn’t find a single person where I left them. Of course, it’s been hours but weirdly I expected everyone to stay there. I was too wasted to go running around the huge mansion, I'm sure they’d turn up in the morning.

Without taking off my shoes or shredding myself of my clothes I went right to bed. I hoped when I woke up that this was all a dream..

…

.

“Y/N?”

.

“Wake up”

.

“Please.”

.

“Allison is..”

.

“Just get up, please”

An odd voice rang in my ears that sounded almost like Ben. But when I woke up I only saw Klaus, who stood over my body with tears in his eyes. It took a moment for me to adjust to my surroundings as well as my horrible headache.

He put his hands on my shoulders and shook me hard, it wasn't like him to be so tense. “Are you? Are you drunk?” He asked me while letting go.

I rose from my soft bed and rubbed my eyes. “I guess so,” I replied.

Soon another body entered my room, it was Five. He was equally as tense, he looked like he was about to explode. “She’s awake, good. We need to go before it's too late.” In the blink of an eye, I was no longer in my room but in the medical center of the academy. Had I forgotten a check-up? An important date? When I woke up earlier I had no idea what Klaus was saying. Just what happened in my absence, I was gone for a day..

When we reached the room everyone who wasn't in my room was surrounding the operating table. As I took a look around the room my vision was playing tricks on me, because when I noticed Pogo I saw someone else with him.... Grace? With blood on her white coat. Whatever was going on here felt like a terrible nightmare of my creation.

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off when everyone noticed I was in the room.

“Where the hell have you been?” Someone yelled at me. I couldn’t tell whose figure was closing in on me since everything around me was so blurry. Suddenly everyone was near me when he lunged, they held him back.

“You need to calm down Luther.” Diego’s wavering voice said.

He huffed. “How can I calm down? Allison can die any moment and the only one who could save her was too busy getting her beauty rest.” He continued to yell in my face.

“Stop this behavior at once!” Pogo shouted. But that didn't stop the man, no matter how much everyone in the room protested.

I took a step back as I continued to hear his sorrows. “What the fuck is going on?”

Klaus spoke up from behind Luther. “Harold Jenkins got to Allison when she went looking for Vanya.”

It clicked in my messed up head who was on the operating table, my breathing started to shorten as I looked at her wounds after pushing Luther out of my way. Allison’s eyes were wide open as she was trying to cling to life. Her whole throat looked like someone took a chainsaw to her body, it was cut open and mangled with blood spurting out.

The image shook me to my core, it did with everyone else in the room too. “Oh god,” I whispered. Despite being heavily intoxicated my brain switched into a state of sobriety just for her. There had to be something I could do so I couldn't lose another person. “How long has she been here?” I asked the crowd.

“You came in a minute after us.” Five spoke.

Okay, at least maybe ten minutes. Not unsaveable. When my hands touched her delicate sliced skin I was brought back to my days of healing people on missions. But with the added alcohol, I asked for a bucket and then got to work.

“She suffered a severe laceration to the lungs..” I talked to myself as I worked, but the solution was nowhere in sight. “Blood! We need someone’s blood.”

All of the men said they’d do it at once but Luther was the loudest. “I'll do it.” He said while lifting his sleeve.

Pogo gave him a sad frown. “I'm afraid that's not possible, dear boy. Your blood is more compatible with mine.”

“Pogos right. I need someone else.” I snapped at the crowd to start speaking.

“Hey, don't sweat it. I—I got this, big guy. I love needles!” Klaus moved next to me with his arm out ready to give out his blood.

“You got too much shit in your blood,” I told him. “You're too polluted.”

Diego took that as his sign. “Move.” He said to Luther, still slightly pissed off at his outburst earlier.

Once I brought out the syringe the poor guy took one look at it and with a loud squeak fainted. Everyone looked around at each other desperate for something to do. But I had a new idea.

“Y/n stick him,” Pogo told me.

I looked around the room. “No need, I have a new plan. Pogo go grab the box of serum now.” There was no time for manners in times like these.

“What box? What serum.” Luther asked.

Once Pogo handed me the box I used days before to heal myself I answered his questions. “Don’t worry, it's not the monkey stuff. It’s me, it's my blood along with other properties mixed into a healing serum. I just thought I'd be best equipped to get my blood but since I just downed like thirty beers. This is the next solution, it should heal her, I tested it on myself a few days ago.

“Where the hell has this been?” Five looked at the monkey man.

I prepared one of the vials into a syringe. The golden liquid seemed to just glow in the darkly lit room, this just had to work.

“Master Reginald had worked on it up to the day that he died,” Pogo answered.

“Full of surprises,” I said sarcastically, I brought the string up to her cut flesh and held her hand with my other free hand. Please let this work. “I'm so sorry,” I whispered before sticking it into her skin. I knew that this was going to hurt immensely like it did for me, but it would be worth it in the end. As the liquid dispensed into her veins and there was no sign of her in pain I took a sigh of relief. That was until her whole body started to shake, she was spazzing out.

“What’s happening?” Klaus cried out.

“It’s okay! It’s how it works.” I reassured the crowd. It was one time though, I wasn't so sure what was happening. But no matter how twisted Reginald was, if he was here he’d come to the same solution.

Her body stopped shaking after a few moments, and the blood flowing from her open wound stopped. The cut started to reverse slowly but the serum did work. I then placed a cloth and bandage over her throat to suck up any blood left. “Give her time, she’s a fighter. In the morning I’ll tie her throat up” I concluded.

A hush fell over the whole room, they looked at me with the same awe I found myself feeling. I did something useful with my powers for the first time in a while that did not cause anyone to die. It felt amazing, even more than my buzz. It gave me a moment of purpose that I didn't want to lose.

Suddenly I had more questions. “You guys went after him? What was your plan?”

Five looked down. “Well, a few of us stalked his house for clues but we'd left before this happened. Allison found where Harold Jenkins had Vanya but she headed there by herself. We found her like this.”

I looked back at the woman on the table, Allison didn't deserve this. “Wait, where’s Vanya now?”

“We have no clue,” Diego said.

This couldn’t be any worse, one sister was on the brink of death and the other was nowhere to be found. Just what has this Harold Jenkins done to the Umbrella Academy?

Pogo tried to get us to relax a bit. “You all should try and get some sleep, converse in the morning.” I wanted to take him up on the offer but I know that the others wouldn’t. He should’ve known, no one here ever rests. We had one last mission as a group and it was how to stop the apocalypse and clearly time was ticking.

…

Taglist

@aloflapse

@isomehowexist

@elenalovestoread

@miscrying

@rockyeatrock

@gabriella-aesthetic

@dakotapaigelove

@solarbeanz

@theorginalone111

@water-hemlock18

@tialovesyoutoo

@bunnychano3o

I am back with the next chapter! Were you able to guess what the chapter was about?

We're ramping up to the end. And when we get there I will give you some more backstory of.. well you. Powers and maybe if you have any like other questions I will do a short qna and start season 2!

[catoslvt]

umbrella academy s4 rant, spoilers ahead and also a potential rewrite by me 😆

nah guys I swear I'm about to rewrite Umbrella Academy season 4 cos wtf.

why did they dumb Luther down sm?

FIVE AND LILA.

Giving them new powers they didn't have in the first place.

Luther turning into a monkey again.

BEN AND JENNIFER?

Gene and jean.

the dance scene?

Luther and Sloane.

Alison being alive.

just everything guys.

I swear give me like 40 mins, a good playlist and some motivation and I'll rewrite episode one and upload it here. #notmyumbrellaacademy.

[incorrectklaus]

Klaus: Hey Diego, have you ever considered becoming a magician?

Diego: What? Why would I become a magician?

Klaus: Because you could finally learn how to make Dad's disappointment disappear.

[raving-raven-writing]

Ignoring the crash and burn that was the majority of season four, I will probably pick up on writing some TUA fics while the obsession is burning hot again. This has been sitting in my docs for awhile, when I had a strange obsession with the movie The Miracle Worker. But would anyone ever be interested in seeing a Miracle Worker AU?

[acetypeface]

Help me choose my next project!

Per custom, I have too many ideas and no clue which one to go with. So I'm going to leave it up to the fates. (Aka, you. You're the fates.)

All of these are Umbrella Academy fics, but you don't need to know anything about the show to vote. Just choose whichever title sounds coolest, or feel free to read the summaries beneath the poll.

Most of my fic ideas are Five or Vikor-centric. There's a Klaus one in there though, and an Allison one.

1. time, that fickle temptress

At first, Five assumes it’s a fluke, the trick of a tired mind. Just a lost recollection here or there; nothing too unusual for a man of his age. But when the memories begin disappearing at a faster rate, Five begins to piece together what is truly truly going on.

His mind and body are attempting to realign. He’s becoming thirteen again.

2. i look in a mirror and i see you

Five Hargreeves has been trapped in the apocalypse for almost five years; a bit ironic, isn’t it? His powers are working just fine, but he finds himself faced with a peculiar problem: he can’t seem to find the right timeline.

After another jump goes wrong, Five finds himself in a universe where he and his siblings were never adopted; in fact, they never even had powers. It’s there that he meets a younger version of himself, and sees what life might’ve been like if it weren’t for his father.

3. the voice of god

Allison is tired of losing everyone and everything she loves. Be it the fault of her father, the universe, or the careless actions of her siblings, she’s reached the point where she can’t take it any more. Someone needs to suffer for what has happened, and Allison is more than willing to make them suffer.

In which the author gives Allison a self-indulgent villain arc that does not involve sexual assault.

4. a morbid reflection

The Hargreeves may be broken people, but they have always tried their best to do what is right.

This isn’t the case in every universe.

When Allison reset the timeline with an incomplete equation, it fractured, resulting in dozens of different universes that are shaky reflections of the original. The Hargreeves and their allies have been scattered across these dimensions, trapped in worlds that are not their own with no clear path home.

Lila finds herself alone in one such universe. In this timeline, the members of the Umbrella Academy are not the heroes that are known and loved in other dimensions. Instead, they are the villains of this world, dark and twisted versions of the people Lila has come to love.

Unfortunately for her, if she’s going to get home, she’s going to need their help. She’ll do whatever it takes to convince them--or trick them--into giving her what she wants. But Lila isn’t the only one with ulterior motives; unbeknownst to her, there’s someone else pulling the strings, and they aren’t afraid to let the world burn along the way.

“This is the price of being powerful. Sometimes we step on ants.”

5. oh to be young again

Five tries to reverse the mistake that got him trapped in his 13-year-old body. Something goes wrong, and now his siblings are stuck as kids, too.

6. my brother’s keeper

(An Umbrella Academy/The Hunger Games AU) When Five Hargreeves’ brother is reaped for the 170th Annual Hunger Games, Five volunteers in a desperate ploy to save his life. He doesn’t expect to win, not when he’s so much smaller and younger than the rest of the tributes, but he’s willing to do anything to get back to Viktor. If that means defying the odds and fighting his way through twenty-three tributes to return home, then so be it.

Unbeknownst to Five, rebellion is boiling at the seams of Panem. The flame of revolution that died nearly a hundred years ago with Katniss Everdeen has been rekindled, and it has chosen this year’s tributes as its puppets.

Now Five finds himself faced with two choices: play the Capitol’s game and lose himself in the process, or fan the fires of revolution and risk losing the world instead.

7. the skeleton key

Klaus can’t take it any more; after one too many evenings spent trapped in the house of the dead, the ten-year-old boy decides to call the authorities on his father. Things don’t go quite as planned, and after months of brutal court cases and custody battles, Klaus and his siblings are scattered across the country through the foster care system.

Six years later, and Klaus hasn’t heard from his siblings since the day they were torn apart. As far as he’s aware, they never want to see him again; he did destroy their life, after all. But then a powerful new enemy rears their head, and Klaus starts receiving instructions through the mail. If he wants to save the world, he’ll have to reunite the Umbrella Academy… and just hope that the anonymous tipper feeding him information is friend, not foe.

8. rusty bullets

(Zombie apocalypse/no power AU) Viktor Hargreeves was attending his first semester of college when the world fell apart. Now the undead roam the streets, and Viktor isn’t quite sure how he’s still alive. One thing is certain, though; he needs to make it back to his hometown, back to his girlfriend Sissy. To do that, he’ll need to join forces with a ragtag band of survivors and battle his way across the apocalypse. The odds are not in his favor, so it’s a good thing Viktor has never been one to give up.

9. a trick of the fates

(Self-indulgent OC fic. They aren't a couple tho, just pals against the end of the world.) When Five Hargreeves escapes the apocalypse after six long years of solitude, he’s ecstatic. Now he has plenty of time to stop the apocalypse before it’s even begun. Only problem? He lands in Larkspur, Colorado, hundreds of miles away from home. And that’s not all… his powers don’t seem to be working, either.

Quincy Gray has never understood her powers, nor does she want to. Unfortunately, they’re becoming harder and harder to control. A miracle arrives in the form of a bedraggled boy who falls out of the sky and into her backyard. They quickly strike up a deal; Quincy gets him home to New York City, and Five teaches her how to use her powers along the way.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

[tell-me-a-tale-that-tells]

WARM HEART,

WARMER LOVE

Chapter 1: Vanya

╭━━━━━♩♪♫♬♭━━━━━╮

Disclaimer: This fic has been written back in 2019, after the first season of Umbrella Academy.

I didn't switch from Vanya to Victor because I don't want to erase his personal growth, he's a great character and Elliot Page did an amazing job.

╰━━━━━♩♪♫♬♭━━━━━╯

You knock on the door softly, the music stop for just the moment it takes to Vanya's voice to reach your ear.

"Come in" she says in a sweet tone.

You peek your head inside the room, Vanya is near the window wearing a white blouse and black jeans, her hair loose on her shoulders.

You think she's beautiful like this, playing her violin with her eyes closed, swinging slowly with the notes she makes.

You sit on the couch listening and admiring her intensity and waiting for her to finish the song before speak.

"Beautiful, the song was awesome too" you smile at her.

"Y/N!" she chuckles blushing "Thank you, I composed it but I am not sure... Maybe I should change a couple of notes".

"To me it was perfect... Oh Vanya, I just got an idea, but you have to give me your consent"

She looks at you with a puzzled expression before nodding.

"What about if I paint you a portrait while you're playing?" you ask her, excitement in your voice.

Vanya drops her glance to the floor like there was a huge stain on the carpet she could not tear her eyes off.

"Maybe... Maybe I am not a great subject" Vanya shakes her head, she's always been so insecure about herself that makes you want to rush to Reginald's grave and stomp on his tombstone.

All his fault if this beautiful, rare and kind woman is a ball of anxiety and repressed dreams.

You nudge closer to her on the couch, placing your left hand on her cheek and stroking gently with your thumb.

"Maybe I am the one not capable of catch all the wonders that you are" you said, barely a whisper.

With a little hesitation, she agrees and you rush to your room, taking your brushes and colors and a large canvas before returning to Vanya.

She makes a perfect model to you, in front of the window like before, with her violin under her chin and the sunbathing her figure in vivid orange.

You sketch her quickly and paint the canvas with fervor, not wasting a single second. Grace even brought you tea and sandwiches, smiling sweetly at both of you and making a pleasing sound when she sees your work.

"Thanks, Mom" Vanya and you say when she leaves. You finish right before dinner, Vanya is terrible at faking her curiosity to see the painting and now is your turn to feel a little nervous and insecure.

All of that emotions totally vanish when you see the woman expression, she's in total awe. "I'm... It's beautiful, I do not know what to say... I think you've made me prettier?" a tint of pink on her cheeks.

"This is exactly how I see you Vanya" She hugs you tightly thanking you repeatedly and hiding her face in the crook of your neck.

Even the rest of the family loves the painting, Grace insisted to hang it on her gallery on the second floor so she can see it every night. Vanya plays for you often and you love to sit on the couch sketching and drawing her.

You love her so much.

[ashleycatchemm]

03: The Return Of Five

Part 3 of ??

Parings: Five x Reader

Summary: (Y/n) Hargreeves has 7 adoptive siblings, all of which were born on the same day, of the same year, at the same hour. This phenomenon, somehow caused them all to get special powers. (Y/n) loved her siblings with all her heart, but there was one she just couldn’t stand, one that always seemed to get under her skin, and that was Five Hargreeves. The years flew by, with one sibling dead and another missing, the 6 that remained all went their separate ways. That is until the death of their father, Reginald Hargreeves. Now 29 years old, with all their own lives. The 6 remaining Hargreeves were brought back together for their fathers funeral, only for their missing brother to reappear out of no where, in his 16 year old body, saying that the world was going to end in 10 days. But it’s gonna take a lot more convincing for this dysfunctional family to even THINK about saving the world.

Season 1 Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☂️ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

~19 years ago~

Poking my head out my door I noticed Five's door ajar, the light from his desk lamp shining into the hallway. I could hear the smart ass grumbling about something that he was working on. Hoping to be able to sneak by him for once. I pushed my door open a little, activating my powers, camouflaging into my environment. Slowly closing the door quietly behind me, I started making my way over to the steps, only for the creak of a board to stop me in my tracks.

"Seriously?"

I heard from Five's room, a bright blue light shined in the middle of the hallway followed by the fluttering noise of his spacial jumps. The 10 year old boy appeared in the middle of the hallway, hair a mess, still in his uniform. "When are you gonna learn that-" he cut himself off, realizing that no one was around. I slowly started to continue towards the stairs on my tippy toes, as to avoid causing to much noise. The dark haired boy stood there, wracking his brain for some kind of answer to explain the creaking noise of the floorboards.

I was only a few feet away from the stairs, as an arm swung around my shoulders "And just where might we be going this fine evening?" A growl passed my lips in annoyance, shrugging his arm off my shoulders, I revealed myself to him. "How did you even know I was there?" My arms crossed as I faced the boy, shoving his hands in his pockets, a knowing smirk on his lips as he leaned forward.

"That's my little secret."

Green eyes sending a wink my way, only for him to straighten back up "And as much as I hate asking things twice..." he huffed "Where are we going this evening?" I scoffed, a confused look crossing my face "What do you mean 'we'?" Shoving past him, I quietly made my way down the steps. Only for Five to be standing at the bottom of the steps upon my departure down them. "Go back to your room Five." He shook his head, eyes narrowed at me as I walked passed him, having my eyes set on the front door.

Reappearing in front of me, I once again stopped in my tracks "I'm not letting you go out there by yourself." Rolling my eyes in response to Five's statement "I can handle myself out there." Five's hands moved in front of his uniform jacket, sticking them back in his shorts pockets "You aren't going out there alone." Crossing my arms in front of my chest, an annoyed look sat on my face as I stared down the boy in front of me.

"Oh yeah? Says who?"

His eyes narrowed, the corner of his lips lifting up into a small smirk "Says me." It was quiet between the two of us, both of us staring the other down, eyes unwavering. A look of amusement sat on one face, while the other held utter annoyance. Finally, I gave in, knowing he wasn't going to stop pestering me unless he tagged along. Stubborn ass. I thought, letting a small huff pass through my lips "Fine." I managed to walk past him, shoving my left shoulder into his own. "Just, keep up. I won't care if you need to stop to tie your shoe, I'll continue on without you." I almost reached the door, when Five's arrogant self appeared next to me.

"Trust me, I won't let you stray far from me."

Glancing over at the dark brown haired boy, a shit eating grin on his face, uniform jacket behind his arms, hands shoved into his shorts pockets. Rolling my eyes, I looked back towards the giant entrance doors in front of me "Whatever." I grumbled not wanting to drag this conversation on any longer. Opening one of the doors, I was quick to walk out, the troublesome Five Hargreeves following close behind me.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☂️ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

My ears picked up the sound of shoes hitting the floor, step after step. It was slow and barely there, but still able to be heard, I focused on the sound of someone walking, only for it to stop. It didn't sound to far away from me, a heavy breath could be heard from the person in the room.

My eyes fluttered open, letting out a small groan as I slowly sat up. "What the hell..." I mumbled, bringing a hand up to my head, pain coursing through it for a quick second, my body quickly healing itself, slowly making the pain stop. Then, I heard it. The voice of the boy who I used too love but also hate. "Welcome back to the land of the living." Closing my eyes, I refused to believe he was actually there. Because I knew that he was never coming back.

I thought I was passed this? I can't be hearing his voice again.

My ears picked up a noise, the movement of fabric. (E/c) eyes opening back up, darting around the room, hoping to god I wasn't just hearing things again. But at the same time, I hope I was. Because dealing with the voices would be easier than having to see him again after all these years. My mind went blank as my eyes caught sight of a familiar figure, Five Hargreeves stood in an (obviously borrowed) umbrella academy uniform, hands shoved in the shorts pockets. Leaning over my vanity, his green eyes examining every picture and piece of jewelry on it (which was very few). He got taller, dark brown hair over his forehead on the right side of his face. A hint of a chiseled jawline could be seen, his features having matured since I last laid my eyes on him.

All I could do was stare, so many emotions working their way through me all at once. I felt angry for him abandoning me, after promising that he would never leave. Happy that he's back, Five Hargreeves, the boy I hate, but also loved, was standing in my room again after all these years. Scared that he would leave once again, and I'd lose him for the second time. And finally, Sad, because deep down I knew this couldn't be him, after all, I used to hear his voice when no one was there, I could be seeing him now as well.

"Wha-What..."

I couldn't even get a sentence out, this seemed to grab the boy's attention, he straightened up as he looked over at me, forest green eyes sending me a hard glare. "Are you fucking stupid?" My eyes went wide at Five's sudden burst of anger, stomping towards me. I tried to sputter out something, anything, as he made his way towards me but my mind was blank. "What the hell were you thinking?! Sticking your damn hand into that portal!" An enraged huff left his lips, teeth clenched in anger.

I backed up a little on the bed feeling threatened I was still trying to process the fact that Five was here, standing in front of me. "I-I...Well... I just..." I couldn't find the words as I tried to say anything to explain myself but Five didn't give me the chance to continue, going back on his angry rant "You weren't thinking dumbass! Now we're both stuck in these pubescent bodies!" Gesturing between the two of us. Confused from his words, I let out a small scoff while asking "What do you mean 'both stuck'? You're the only teenager here." Green eyes rolling in annoyance, moving off to the side, he gestured towards my vanity with his right hand.

"Go take a look for yourself."

Moving my legs off the side of the bed, I quickly stood up, only to receive a dizzy spell in response to the fast movement. I closed my eyes, a hand shooting up to hold my head as I stumbled to the side, feeling as if I would fall. Five's eyes went wide, holding his arms out to catch me if I did fall. "Hey. Hey. Take it easy." The dark haired boy stated in an almost caring way. The dizzy feeling left as fast as it came, causing me to shake my head, the hand that was just on my forehead waved between me and Five. Grumbling out "I'm fine." My eyes opened as I made my way over to the vanity.

Placing my hands on it, leaning over a little to stare at the girl in the mirror. What the fuck? I recognized the person staring back at me in the mirror, it was my 16 year old self. Looking down at my clothes, there wasn't much of a difference, but they did seem a bit baggier than usual.  (E/c) eyes landing back on the mirror in front of me, hands gripping onto the vanity as if to stabilize myself from the shock of being back in my 16 year old body.

Anger coursed through me as my hands turned into fists on top of the vanity. Slamming them down against it, a small growl passed my lips, only for me to quickly close my eyes and try to steady my breathing. Calmly, I asked "What the hell did you do now?" Not bothering to turn towards him "I miss calculated when I jumped back in time." My brows furrowed in confusion, letting out a small breath as my anger faded, I turned back to face the 16 year old boy in front of me.

"What do you mean 'back in time'? You were in the future?"

Five let out a small huff, his eyes glancing off to the side for a quick second, gaze landing back on me "For over 4 decades." I shook my head in denial, trying to wrap my head around things. "That's impossible. You've only been gone-" Five finished my sentence with a nod of his head "For 16 years I know. But that's in your time." Walking a little closer to me "For me it's been over 4 decades." Closing my eyes for a few seconds I tried to piece things together.

Opening them I stated "That would mean that you're over 50 years old." Five's shoulders shrugged "58 if we're technically speaking." I narrowed my eyes at his 16 year old self "So then how..." I gestured to his whole body, causing his green eyes to roll in annoyance, letting out a huff he asked "Did you not hear a thing I just said?" Taking a few steps forward, an aggravated look sat on his face.

"No. Because I was to busy trying to process all this shit."

Gesturing around me Five pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he moved his hands back to his pockets, while opening his eyes. "I hate repeating myself, but since you are just as dim witted as the rest of the morons here..." Stepping forward, I scoffed in offense "Dim witted?! I-" Five didn't move an inch as the two of us stood face to face, staring down at me with the annoyed look that he always seemed to wear, as I looked back up at him anger written across my face.

Cutting me off " I- Five Hargreeves, miss calculated- made a mistake, when coming back here- to the present." I realized Five was purposely dumbing things down. My teeth grit in anger as I dug my nails into the palm of my hands. Five gestured between us "Which caused the two of us, to be stuck in these damn teenage bodies." A growl arose from the back of my throat, I turned away from five, closing my eyes as I tried to calm down, not wanting to get out of control. I heard the boy behind me suck in a small breath almost nervously, feeling his stare behind me.

I huffed and opened my eyes, feeling myself calm down a little as my nails dug into the palm of my hands, causing me to focus on the pain. "You're not getting angry?" Five asked skeptically, taking a few more deep breaths, I felt myself calming down. Turning back to face Five, my eyes opened, along with my fists. "Yeah. Something I've learned over the years." I stated, watching as his eyes fixated on my hands by my sides, that now had blood dripping down them.

"Bit of an unhealthy way to calm down, don't you think?"

Five's green eyes met my own, concern shining through them. His face held the same stoic expression he seemed to always wear, while his eyes held all his feelings on the matter. I glanced off to the side "It helps keep me grounded whenever I feel like I'm loosing control." My eyes moved back to meet his, the dark haired time traveler in front of me holding his stare on me, not wavering for a second. "Does this happen a lot? (Y/n), how much does this happen?" Five questioned, almost desperately, trying to put the pieces together as to why I need something to ground me.

My (e/c) eyes dropped down to my feet, hoping to avoid the questions he was currently asking. A small sigh passed Five's lips, "Come with me." He stated, looking up at him I opened my mouth to give him some kind of response. But he didn't seem to give me a choice in the matter as his right hand gently wrapped around my left wrist, carefully pulling me along behind him.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☂️ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Once we reached the bathroom, he let go of my wrist only to start looking through the cabinets above the sink. "Five I-" quickly shushing me, I sent him a glare.

"Sit."

Pointing at the closed toilet seat, his eyes never wavered from trying to find what he was looking for. I let out a small huff in defiance, only to end up giving in anyway, sitting down on top of the toilet seat. Placing the, cotton balls and gauze wrap on the counter, along with the Isopropyl Alcohol, he shut the cabinet and moved over to stand in front of me. "Hand." My (e/c) eyes stared up at him, dark brown hair hanging over his forehead, obstructing my view to his right eye.

When I didn't give him either of my hands, I noticed his green eyes roll, before his left hand came down to hold my left wrist. Gently pulling it towards him, palm open and facing up at him. "Shit. (Y/n), how many times have you done this?" My eyes drifted down to look at my open palm, scars, scratches and blood littered it. I shrugged, not wanting to answer his question. I heard a small huff escape his lips, his hands moved up to my sleeve and started to roll it up, only for my eyes to widen in fear. Trying to quickly move my arm away, but Five grabbed ahold of my wrist causing me to wince in pain.

He seemed to catch my small reaction, loosening his grip, I relaxed just a little. "I can take care of myself." Five's eyes seemed to narrow in anger, teeth clenching "Is this what you call taking care of yourself?!" Yanking up my sleeve, my eyes widened as I sucked in a breath of air, feeling the fabric rub against my recent cuts. "H-How did you-" scars and cuts now visible to the boy in front of me "I know a lot of things about you (Y/n)." Dabbing a cotton ball in the Alcohol, he continued "I know about you and Ben." It was barely there but I was able to hear a small waver in his voice as he told me. Five didn't waste anymore time as he gently rubbed the soaked cotton ball against my palm, covered in dried blood.

"I know about how Reginald treated you while I was away."

Once my hand was cleaned he moved up to my arms, running it over the irritated cuts a couple of times. It stung and hurt, but I didn't show it as I just watched the boy fix me up. Something that no one has ever done before, not even Diego when he was glued to my side for 3 years. But even through this nice gesture, I felt angry. Angry for him leaving me, angry for him not coming back. Why did he just come back now if he knew everything? A small growl left my throat and I tried to close my palm, only for Five to stop me and straighten my hand back out.

"You're angry, so talk to me about it. Don't try to push it down. Why are you mad?"

I glared up at Five, his green eyes staring right back into my own. "Why didn't you come back?" Fives eyes drifted back down to focus on wrapping up my hand "I couldn't." a huff in aggravation passed my lips. "What do you mean 'you couldn't'?" Once he finished wrapping it, he shoved the hand back towards me "Because I couldn't go back in time. I could only go forwards." Grabbing the other one he slowly rolled up my sleeve, his brows furrowed, teeth grit in anger as he looked over each and every cut and scar.

"You must've used your own hands. Didn't you?"

I stayed quiet my eyes drifting down towards the cuts and scars that littered my arm "Because I know that you can't heal from yourself, if these were normal knife wounds they wouldn't be here. So it was your own claws wasn't it?" I didn't want to answer him, but even if I did it wouldn't matter, because he already knew the answer anyway. Five's hand tightened around my arm for a quick second, only for him to let out a small breath, calming himself down before running a wet cotton ball over the wounds.

A burning sensation ran through my arm and hand like it did for the other, but I paid no mind to it. Different questions and thoughts flew through my head as he silently cleaned my wounds. After a minute or so I finally decided to ask the one question that's been on my mind. "You said you know a lot of things..." his eyes glanced up into my own, only to let out a small scoff as if I somehow insulted him. Throwing the now dirty cotton ball away "Yes, I do. What about it?" his green hues drifted back down to focus on wrapping up my hand.

"I just..."

I paused, debating wether or not I even wanted to ask the question. Not wanting him to know what I did years ago, but then again, I had a gut feeling that he already knew about it. "Well? Spit it out." My eyes stayed trained on Five, watching as he wrapped the gauze around my hand in his own caring manner. "What else do you know?" he stopped his actions to look up at me. I continued to clarify myself "About me, I mean." His forest green eyes held an emotion I couldn't quite place, lips twitching down, but quickly moving back to their original spot, keeping same stoic expression he always seemed to wear.

Five's brows furrowed, putting the pieces together behind my question, as to what I was really asking. "You want to know if I know about your attempted suicide." I swallowed the lump in my throat just what I thought. Of course Five knows. My eyes darted off to the side, confirming his statement to be true. I felt embarrassed, and ashamed. I was hoping that he wouldn't know, but I had a strong suspicion that he did. Five continued to wrap up my hand, my eyes stayed glued to my hands, not really knowing what to say.

A small sigh escaped the dark haired boy "(y/n), look at me." I didn't want to look him in the eyes. I couldn't. Because I'm not the same girl he once knew, I'm not the strong independent girl who never ran from a fight. No. I'm constantly terrified of when I might loose control next, always living in fear and never able to hold so much as a glimpse of a smile. I have to much death on my shoulders, and it seems to be following me everywhere I go.

Once Five finished wrapping up my hand he grabbed my chin and was quick to turn my head to face him "Look at me." His lip twitched down a little, his face holding a look that seemed to be remorseful "You're here with me now, which shows just how strong you can be. And proves that there is some hope still left in you." I stared at the 16 year old boy in front of me, watching his face go back to the same look it always has while his eyes continue to hold the same sorrowful emotion.

"So please don't stop trying, because I don't know what I'd do without you again."

I didn't know how to respond so I just sat there in silence, mouth held slightly agape. Rattling my brain for some kind of answer to his statement. Letting go of my chin, Five turned around and started making his way towards the door when my mouth finally caught up to me. "Five." Stopping in the doorway Five turned his body slightly to show that he was listening, but kept it so I only saw the back of his head. I continued "I won't stop trying. So don't worry." Five didn't give a response, standing there for a second or two before continuing to march out the doorway.

"Hurry up and get dressed. Meet me back downstairs when you're done."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☂️ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

~18 years ago~

A fluttering noise, followed by a flash of blue was quick to wake me. Sitting up in my bed, my eyes caught sight of the person who disturbed my peaceful slumber. "Five?" I questioned, squinting my eyes as I rubbed them to wake myself up further. "What are you doing here?" The dark haired boy shushed me a little before walking over to the side of my bed. "Come with me." His hand stuck out towards me to take, the light from the windows casting a glow onto the side of his face.

I noticed he was already all dressed in his uniform "What time is it?" Fives eyes rolled in annoyance at all the questions "it doesn't matter. Just, come with me." Now fully awake, my legs sat criss crossed under the covers "Can I at least know where we're going?" Five didn't respond, green eyes glancing down at the hand held out to me, as if begging me to grab ahold of it. I let out a small huff before moving the covers off me. "You're being real secretive this morning." A smirk graced the boys features as I stood up.

"When am I not?"

Taking his hand in my own, he pulled me closer to him, head leaning over, he whispered "Focus on me." Mouth a good distance away from my ear, knowing if he said anything to close he could hurt it from being to loud. I knew exactly what this boy was about to do, glaring at him from the corner of my eye "Five. I swear to god if you-" a chuckle escaped the dark haired boy, the fluttering noise of a spacial jump could be heard, successfully cutting me off as the two of us disappeared.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☂️ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

When we reappeared, my head was pounding in pain, ears ringing from all the loud noises that hit me at once. Five let go of my hand, only for both of my hands to be brought up to my ears. Closing my eyes I let out a small huff as the ringing in my ears slowly subsided. I felt someone grab my face in their hands, causing my eyes to shoot open. I was met with a pair of forest green ones staring back into my own, Five's lips moved but I could barely hear anything.

"Damn it Five!"

Bringing my hands away from my ears, I placed them on his chest, shoving him away from me. "I hate it when you do that!" The dark haired boy stumbled back a few feet, eyes blown wide in surprise. My hearing slowly began to clear up and focus on the boy in front of me. Quick to catch himself on his feet, he stated "I told you to focus on me." Sending Five a glare I let out an angry huff "Yeah well you didn't really give me a chance to!" He quickly jumped towards me, covering my mouth with his left hand "shh." His right hand held onto the back of my head, preventing me from moving my head away.

His eyes glanced over at the building next to us, which just so happened to be the mansion which we live in. "Do you wanna get us caught?" He angrily whispered, only for a growl to arise in the back of my throat. Opening my mouth, I bit down on the inside of his hand, causing Five to bring his hand away and let go. "Ow! Did-Did you just bite me?!" Five whisper yelled, eyes blown wide from surprise. Crossing my arms a crossed my chest, eyes narrowing at the boy in front of me. "What are you up too Five?" Looking down at the palm of his left hand "Jesus, you really bit me!" Rolling my eyes at his dramatics.

"Oh please. I didn't even break skin. If I wanted to hurt you, I would've done it by now."

Five messaged the palm of his hand with the thumb on his right hand, eyes trained on it "Well yeah. It just surprised me is all." I huffed a little starting to get annoyed "Are you going to tell me what you woke me up for now?" His eyes drifted from his hands, to the mansion-like building beside us "I forgot something inside." Green eyes landing on me, he narrowed them, a serious tone being held in his voice "Stay. Here." Looking back at the building he continued "I'll only be a second or two." I went to say something in response, only for a fluttering noise and blue flash to cut me off, letting me know that he was already spacial jumping away.

"Damn it Five." I grumbled out.

Annoyed and tired, I flopped down on the rock wall near our house. As much as the boy annoyed me, I could never stay mad at him for long. Five was quick to spacial jump back, gift bag in hand. "Couldn't find the damn thing at first." My eyes narrowed in confusion at the small bag "What's that for?" I asked, only for his arrogant smirk to grace his lips. "You'll find out soon enough." He stated, all while hiding the bag behind him. Holding a hand out for me to take, I shook my head in defiance.

"Oh no. I'm not going anywhere with you. You're just gonna spacial jump to our destination."

Letting out a small huff in annoyance, Five responded "As much as I would love to spacial jump there, I feel like taking a stroll this morning. Care to join me?" My eyes narrowed at him, not fully believing the dark hard boy. But as his eyes stared into my own, lips twitching up into a small uncharacteristic nervous smile. Closing my eyes, I let out a small sigh as a smile over took my lips, opening my (e/c) eyes meeting a pair of green ones. "Don't look at me like that." Taking his outstretched hand in my own, he quickly pulled me up, bringing me close in front of him.

"Like what?"

An almost genuine smile now sat on his lips, eyes shining with happiness. Our faces were inches apart as I stated "Like that, like you're actually happy." One of his brows lifted in a questioning way, all while that happy look stayed glued to his face. "Am I not aloud to be happy?" My eyes widened a little, of course he can be happy! I thought it's just different seeing it on him of all people. I quickly sputtered out exactly what I was thinking "of course you can, it's just... I never thought I would see that look on you." Fives eyes danced around my face, I couldn't tell if he was ignoring my statement, or didn't know what to say. His eyes finally landed back on my own after a small gap of silence.

Fives smile quickly faded into his normal stoic look "come on" turning around he started dragging me off "let's go." I fast walked to catch up to him, the two of us walking side by side. "Do I at least get to know where we are going?" Five's infamous smirk appeared on his face as he looked over at me.

"Not a chance."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☂️ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

I wasn't to surprised when the destination turned out to be a park we would always hangout in, after getting some food from Griddy's. Considering that it's 3 in the morning (I got the information out of Five) and Griddy's is currently closed, this is the next best thing. Whenever we came here we'd always sit underneath this giant maple tree at the top of the only hill in the entire park. It was nice and peaceful, it gave the two of us a break from everything so we could just talk or even sit there quietly doing our own things. But Five never seemed to take a break, considering the fact that he'd constantly be trying to figure out the right equation for time travel.

This time was different, Five seemed carefree his morning, like the only thing on his mind was here and now. He didn't have some kind of math problem going on in the back of his head and he wasn't angry about some argument with our father. Once we made it to the tree, the two of us sat down at the bottom and stared out at the rest of the park. "It's so peaceful out here." I stated, Five hummed in agreement before saying "Yeah, it is very beautiful as well." I let out a small huff in disbelief, looking over to him "You can't even see anything, it's to dark." To my surprise, he was already looking at me with a look that I couldn't quite place.

Shifting his view to the park, he cleared his throat before defending his statement "The streetlights in the park, it shows some of it, so it does have its own beauty at night." I nodded my head in agreement, while staring out at the park "I guess you're right." Five chuckled, sending a glance my way, smirk gracing his lips "And when am I wrong?" The dark haired boy smugly stated. Rolling my eyes, I bumped my shoulder into his own "Shut up." I stated playfully, causing him to let out another chuckle as a smile appeared on my face.

I started to feel the warm rays of the sun on my face as the park lit up around us. Looking over to my left, I noticed the sun slowly rising over the horizon. Hearing the noise of a bag crinkling, I glanced back over at Five, only to see the bag in his hands along with a small nervous smile on his face. "Happy birthday (Y/n)" my eyes widened a little, watching as the sun lit up his face, causing his hair to shine, showing just how brown it is. Fives forest green eyes could be seen clear as day holding an emotion I couldn't quite place, one that I've been seeing a lot more on the spacial jumpers face.

"Our birthday isn't till tomorrow."

"I wanted to get a head start and give you your gift now."

I should've known that it was that, Five always loved to be one step ahead, even if it was by a day or so. The dark brown haired boy pushed the gift more towards me encouraging me to take it. I slowly took ahold of the gift bag, curiously taking a peak inside "What is it?" A chuckle passed Fives lips at my question "Why don't you open it and find out?" Looking up at Five, his infamous smirk sitting on his face as a smile graced my lips. Opening the bag, my eyes landed on the light blue Polaroid camera, my smile broadened at the sight of it. Pulling the camera out of the bag Five explained "I always see you looking at it through the window of the camera shop we pass by, so I figured that-" I cut him off, eyes glued to the camera in my hands.

"Is there any film in it?"

I struggled to try to open it as Five gave a quick answer "Well yeah, I put eight in there so you can use it right when you get it." Turning the camera on I gave a quick response "Perfect." As I lifted the camera up to face us, throwing an arm around Five, all while he looked down at me, a confused look on his face. A joyous smile crossed my lips as I snapped the picture, bringing it back down to my lap a small Polaroid printed out of the slit at the base of the camera. "I wasn't ready. Let's take another one." Taking the picture from the camera, I shook it a little while teasing the boy next to me.

"Aww, is Mr.Grumpy pants mad that he didn't look good in the picture?"

Five rolled his eyes at me, taking the camera from off my lap "Hey!" I exclaimed, all while he grumbled out an annoyed response "Shut up and look at the camera." Five threw an arm around my shoulders pulling me closer to him as the two of us looked at the camera, a gentle smile sat on his face, all while a broad smile appeared on my own. The dark haired boy was quick to snap the picture, the Polaroid popping out soon after. Five took the Polaroid before handing the camera back to me "This one's mine to keep." Taking the camera out of his hands, I watched as he stared at the picture, patiently waiting for it to develop.

A small smile appeared on his lips, eyes shining with the same glow it's held all morning. Looking back out at the horizon, I noticed the sun rising higher and getting a bit brighter. "We should get going, before dad realizes we're gone." Glancing back at Five to see his response, he had his eyes glued to the currently developing picture. "Five." Snapping his eyes up to me, narrowed in almost an annoyed look, seeming to be aggravated that I distracted him from the picture. Five's eyes softened after a minute, and slowly stood up, lending a hand out for me to take.

"Come on."

Putting the camera back in the bag, I grabbed ahold of his hand. Pulling me up, a small smirk graced his lips, only for my eyes to narrow.

"Five don't you da-"

And with that the two of us special jumped back to the academy

Prev // Next

[cyberpunkvan]

Dancing with myself - SilverV fic

Read on ao3 Synopsis: V is desperate for some alone time, but Johnny has a plan of his own. Word Count: 3,061 Pairing: Johnny Silverhand / Female!V Warnings: Smut, masturbation, angst ending

The room was silent, except for the street noises below, which the mind tuned out. The only light offered came through the slanted blinds—the blinding light of colorful billboards. It seemed like the perfect night for V to vent some physical frustrations. Johnny Silverhand had plagued her mind in more ways than one for almost a week now. No matter where she found herself, he was always lurking nearby. He would burst in during her attempts to enjoy a hot shower, disrupting her moment of solitude with his incessant chatter. As she lay in bed, hoping for rest, she could feel his presence as he metaphorically knocked on the side of her head, invading her thoughts and disrupting her peace. The most invasive aspect of it all was that no thought of hers remained private; it felt as if he had access to her innermost musings, stealing away her sense of autonomy and making her feel perpetually exposed.

It was only natural for thoughts of a sexual variety to pop into her head now and then. The curve of good ass. A shirt showing the right amount of cleavage. An ad that was a little too suggestive. This kind of thought came up often in Night City. It was even worse with Johnny around. Not only because V couldn't deny an attraction to him, despite how much she hated it, but also because his own seeped in. Suddenly, her casual checking out turned into full-blown fantasies at the whim of Johnny. All of this had led to a sharp increase in her sexual desire. However, she couldn't bring herself to get hot and heavy with anyone. After an ice bath featuring Alt and Johnny's top hits, she'd already seen what it was like from the other side. She wasn't sure whether the reason was that she didn't want to subject Johnny to the same thing or if the idea of him watching made her not want to.

Either way, that left her with only one option: her hand and a soft bed. She had tried several nights already. However, when the idea popped into her head, Johnny would tease her with a snarky comment. He was a pro at ruining the mood. Tonight was different. The idea had already occupied her mind for several hours, yet Johnny had not made an appearance.

V peered around her small apartment as if Johnny was hiding around a corner somehow. With light feet, she snuck into bed. The covers were pulled back as she slipped into the soft, warm nook. She couldn't help biting her lip in anticipation as she sunk into the pillow. Her hands preemptively ran along her sides while placing her feet on opposite ends. Her knees bent slightly as her tank rode up to reveal her stomach. Flashes of lewd images passed through her head. First of past encounters, then of recent fantasies. However, her mind seemed to push the idea of Johnny Silverhand onto her. V ground her teeth in annoyance, trying to force them out. She shook her head before closing her eyes to continue. Her hand slinked ever so slightly past her hips. Thoughts of toes clenching, hands grasping, and Johnny caressing her thigh as he hooked his leg under it.

Fuck! V groaned as the image flashed in her brain. She rubbed her eyes until she saw stars, hoping it would clear it out. However, a new one appeared. Johnny sat on the edge of her bed, leaning back on his hands to get a full view of her. Unfortunately, this wasn't a vision or a dream. It was real. As real as a construct in your head can be.

"Damn V, didn't realize you saw me that way."

V slid her hand back to her side with a heavy eye roll. She pushed herself up and leaned onto her knees. She gestured at him vaguely with a raised eyebrow, "I don't see you in any particular way. I'm just... Well, you know. You can feel it too,"

V tried to ignore the heat in her face as a slight tingle ran through her. Johnny's small chuckle made it clear he felt it, too. The laugh only served to increase the feeling below her waist. Johnny removed his sunglasses. His eyes trailed from her chest down to the origin of the feeling. She grimaced at his lack of decency to look at her face first.

"Whatever gets your rocks off, Doll."

A cigarette flickered in between his fingers. He shifted forward, blowing the digital smoke in her direction. He flicked the cigarette between her legs. The ashes floated down before blinking out of existence just above her body. V was momentarily silent as she couldn't take her eyes off his hand lingering by her knees. Even though she knew he was just a ghost, the closeness still enticed her. Finally, she broke the spell with an annoyed groan. "Look, are you here just to fuck with me? 'Cause I'm doing this with or without you here. I'm tired of you getting in the way,"

"Nah. Actually, I have a plan."

"What? Want me to blow up a building so you can get off too?" V scoffed at him.

"I don't need to get at Arasaka to get rock hard. Just need you to take one of those miracle pills Misty gave you," his eyes landed on the pseudoendotrizine lying sideways on the kitchen counter.

V sat up quickly. She stared at him in awe of his stupidity. He wanted her to risk her own death so that he could get his dick wet. He was insane. She stood up to move in front of him. Before she could even get the argumentive words in her head out, Johnny spoke again.

"Calm down, Doll. I'm not trying to kill you. If we're gonna do this, then I want it to be good. I've been celibate for fifty years. Not gonna let my first time back be some mediocre finger tickle," he wiggled his fingers at her.

"And you think that you're better at making me cum than I am?" V looked down at him in disbelief.

Johnny smirked, the corners of his mouth curling upward in a confident grin as he slowly rose. For a brief moment, his image shimmered, a subtle distortion in the air, as his chest brushed against hers. He looked down, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that radiated his trademark cockiness. The playful glint in his eyes hinted at mischief, as if he were reveling in the charged atmosphere between them, fully aware of his effect on her. "You've seen me in action,"

He passed through her body, V feeling a cold shiver as the blue light entered her. She spun around to see him leaning his elbow against the counter. As he tilted his head slightly, he beckoned her attention to the small, organized array of pills on the counter. He beckoned her closer with a crooked grin.

"Just take half of one of those pills. I only need control of your hand to show you the night of your life,"

V mentally berated herself, a storm of frustration brewing within her. She couldn't believe how intensely his idea had piqued her interest; it felt like a betrayal of herself. The idea danced tantalizingly at the edges of her thoughts, its allure both unsettling and irresistible. She was on the fence about it. Was it really worth taking one of those pills? Was Johnny talking himself up, or is he actually good?

To put her worries aside, Johnny pushed his memories into her mind. He flooded her thoughts with images of his past with Alt, Rogue, and several groupies. The overwhelming influx made V feel overstimulated. She was hit with a whirlwind of conflicting emotions: an aggravating jealousy, a dizzying arousal, and a frustration that it was all affecting her. V grimaced as she snatched the pills off the table, hearing Johnny laugh triumphantly behind her. He leaned over her shoulder as she placed one pill on the sink counter and sliced it in half. She took a deep breath before swallowing it dry.

V clenched the cold countertop, her fingers tightening around it until her knuckles turned a ghostly white. A rough cough erupted from her throat, and she leaned forward, bracing herself against the sink. Luckily, there was no blood this time. With a murmur of a curse, she caught her reflection in the mirror, a familiar sight that felt oddly distant. Johnny was gone—his absence echoed in the hollow space beside her—but more disconcerting was the disappearance of the feeling in her arm. In fact, there seemed to be a shimmering, holographic robotic arm hovering just above her skin, its metallic sheen contrasting sharply with her flesh. Both of her arms lifted in front of the mirror. She wiggled the fingers on her right hand, knowing she was making it move. Her left hand, however, flipped off the mirror. Johnny was in control of that hand, for sure.

"Holy shit, it worked!" V wasn't sure if it was her words or his.

The two awkwardly stumbled back towards the bed. Their combined minds attempted to coordinate their movements to walk. They fell back onto the bed. Johnny pushed them up to lay back against the pillow. V took a deep breath as they both took a second to adjust to the new situation. She intertwined her hand with the holo one. The lack of feeling on the other hand made her head spin. Johnny squeezed back, easing the tension.

"Are you ready?" Johnny's voice rang out. V nodded. He let go of her hand to slip it under her pants immediately. V gasped as his fingers grazed the top of her clit. Quickly, she gripped his arm and pulled it back.

"What's wrong?" Johnny splayed his hand out on her stomach.

"You're going way too fast! It's more fun if you build it up," V smirked as she slowly lifted her tank. Surprisingly, V didn't feel any resistance to the idea from him. He typically believes he knows best in every situation. She held his wrist and guided it up to her chest. "Just take it slow."

Johnny's holographic hand flickered blue light as it squeezed her boob. His pointer finger moved down to twirl around her nipple. V sighed when her nipple started to turn hard at the consistent movement. She nodded in affirm Johnny while running her hand up her thigh. Slowly, she laid out her legs before spreading them. One leg hung over the edge of the small bed. She could feel Johnny's mind running wild at the sight. He wanted to move his hand back down, but V pressed her hand into his. He sighed from her lips as he started to pinch her lightly.

V gripped the inside of her thigh as Johnny kept working her up—his fantasies of having an actual body drove her further. Moments later, Johnny traced his hand along her side. He slipped it under her pants, running a finger up the middle. He chuckled as he pulled it back up above her panty line. V's mouth opened as he placed his middle finger inside. She sucked on it lightly until Johnny slowly dragged it out.

"I think you're ready now, V." Johnny appeared behind her shoulder. Since he was only partially inside her, he was still able to materialize in her mind.

Her breath stuttered as they worked in tandem to pull her pants and underwear off her legs. They landed quietly on the floor beside them. They laid back comfortably on the pillow. V's legs were bent at the knee when Johnny moved back into her. She leaned her head back against the wall. Her eyes peered over to see Johnny looking down at her. His eyes locked with a smirk. V gasped as he pressed a finger onto her clit. He spun it in a circle similar to the way he was working her nipple before. V felt herself clench as she overheard Johnny let out a low groan in her ear.

"V... It's so different-" Johnny cut himself out to let out another moan.

She couldn't hold back her own as he twirled his finger hard. V firmly grasped the sturdy shelf behind her head, the metal cool against her fingertips. She leaned back slightly, her posture exuding a mix of confidence and casual ease. With a shakey motion, she lifted her leg and rested it against the wall opposite the bed. The dim light from the window cast gentle shadows, highlighting the contours of her figure as she tensed. The two started breathing heavily together as Johnny tried to speed up his pace. Her body clenched when she raised her hips to move along with him. V rolled her hips as Johnny moaned at the new feeling.

"Johnny!" V crying out his name made him move faster. "Johnny, Johnny- Wait!"

He hesitated, holding his hand mid-air as V struggled to catch her breath. Her laughter bubbled up, lightening the tension as she slowly composed herself. Johnny watched her with a puzzled expression, trying to understand what had just happened. "Sorry," she said, "I just had my own idea." The playful glint in her eyes suggested that this was far from over.

V leaned over the bed's edge and opened a drawer, unveiling a recognizable sight: Sir John Phallustiff, a gift from her last partner. She picked it up and smiled wickedly. Johnny scoffed as he read her mind. V placed the toy by her opening as she peered at him. "I want you to pretend this is you,"

It was Johnny's turn to gasp as V inserted the toy deep and quickly. Johnny couldn't believe he was about to start whimpering. It took him time to adjust to the new sensation. The toy vibrated as V pressed it in and out. After a few more thrusts, Johnny was able to let his mind run. He shifted his hand back down to V's clit as he imagined himself in front of her. The image shared between himself and V. She joined in his moans as they moved simultaneously.

V's toes curled as her legs started to wobble. Her abs clenched, and she was losing her grip on the toy. Her moans got higher and louder. Johnny could feel it, too. His finger couldn't maintain the same pace as it slipped, and he became shakey. He was desperate to make them both cum. Something shifted when the toy glided all the way in, and Johnny's hand pressed down hard. V screamed out Johnny's name as he let out a low groan. Their bodies trembled. V's leg slid down from the wall and landed on the bed. She tossed the toy near the edge and buried her head in the pillow, her slick hair sticking to her forehead. Aside from their breathing, they lay in silence, savoring the rush of dopamine they shared. However, the relaxing bliss didn't last long as their vision started to blur.

V's eyes flashed with relic malfunction. She tried to hold in her cough while reaching for the omega blockers on the floor under her pants. Their shared hands quivered as they struggled to open the cap. Finally, the pills spilled out onto the pillow. She picked up one and swallowed it fast. V laid her head near the pills, waiting for the pill to kick in. Slowly, she felt Johnny's presence slip from her body. Her holo hand flickered until it was just flesh. V rolled over to the other side to see Johnny resting beside her.

"Fuck V, what did I tell you? I'm good at what I do," Johnny had a lazy smirk on his lips.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation but couldn't help laughing. It was utterly ridiculous. They had just shared an unexpected and passionate moment, yet the first thing Johnny wanted to do was inflate his ego as if that was the most important thing in the world. Despite her annoyance, she couldn't ignore the wave of warmth and appreciation emanating from him. She could almost feel it in the air around them.

Johnny desperately tried to suppress the rush of warmth and attraction that flooded his body. He wasn't embarrassed about being sexually attracted to her; that was a feeling he had grown accustomed to. But this attraction was something entirely different—it was softer, more profound. The way her tired laughter danced through the air seemed to touch something deep within him, causing his nonexistent heart to flutter as if it were alive. Watching her, he felt an unexpected connection that went beyond mere physical desire, leaving him both exhilarated and confused.

On the other hand, V felt a deep yearning for a kiss, a delicate expression of intimacy that would wrap around her like a warm embrace after their passionate encounter. She craved that gentle connection, acknowledging the intimacy they had just shared. However, Johnny's form denied any physical comfort, leaving her feeling a profound sense of longing. The closest she could come to bridging that distance was to tentatively place her hand in the small space beside him, hoping for a flicker of connection, a spark of warmth that might draw them closer together.

"You should probably get some rest, V. That pill always knocks you out," Johnny sat up on his elbow.

As V released a deep, heavy sigh, a sense of resignation settled in her chest. The weight of unspoken thoughts loomed large in the air, and she grasped the painful reality that any meaningful discussion about their choices or the feelings swirling within them was destined to remain untouched. It was a moment filled with unexpressed emotions, where the silence seemed to speak volumes, reflecting the distance that Johnny was placing between them.

Johnny flittered out of existence as he started getting up. V got up as well and cleaned up the bed and herself. She pulled up her pants before rolling back under the sheets. As V looked at the ceiling, she wondered if Johnny and her would ever address their relationship before they had to meet god again. But then she remembered...

There were no happy ends in Night City.

[five-hargreeves-marvel-fan-25]

New Timeline, New Life (Same Family in Chaos)

Chapter One:

Sloane woke up with a headache. 

Number 5 (different timeline)

“Sloane”

A terrible one. One moment she was having life sucked out of her the next…nooo Dad. He has traded his existence for his dead wife. One thought went through her head. Find Luther. She heard a groan next to her. There was a waking body on the ground. 

“Vanya?” He grumbled. He looked up.

“Who the hell are you?” The man said, scrambling back away from Sloane. He might have not known her but she knew him.

“Ben?” She said shocked.

“Yeah. Who are you? Where’s my family? Vanya? And why the hell can you see me. Holy shit I’m not dead?” Ben said a bunch of words like crazy.

“You don’t know me? Who’s Vanya,” 

“No, I don't know you. Vanya is my sister,” 

“Look, Ben, I'm Sloane. Wow this is weird introducing myself to my brother,” she laughed.

“Yeah I don’t think so. I would have remembered you. You definitely weren’t at the Umbrella Academy,” Ben laughed.

“Wait your an Umbrella,”

“Yeah,”

“Oh I get it now. Your Ben-“

Number 6

“Ben”

“Yeah you have said that a bunch,”

“No like Luther and his siblings, their Ben. The one that died and then moved on,”

“Well that’s what I thought,”

“Wait then who Vanya? Can you describe to me,”

“Umm young, quiet sibling. Short. Brown hair. Ended the world twice,” Ben explained.

“Oh Viktor,” Sloane asked.

“Vanya goes by Viktor now?” Ben asked, confused.

“Yeah yeah. She also goes by he now,” Sloane added.

“Okie. Anything else I should know about my family?” 

“Umm Luther is married now,” Sloane smiled.

“Please don’t say Allison,” Ben said.

“What no,” Sloane asked, confused. Weren’t Allison and Luther siblings? Of course they were.

“Then who?” Ben asked, confused. Sloane smiled. Ben smiled back.

“Congrats,” Ben smiled. 

“Thanks. Also Diego and Lila are pregnant,” Sloane said.

“I'm pretty sure Diego can’t get pregnant,” Ben joked.

“Yeah well…” Sloane laughed.

“Do you know where my family is?”

“No,”

“Well let’s at least find out what year it is. That might help us,” Ben nodded. He found a newspaper from the morning.

”Welp. There you have it,” Ben said, handing it to Sloane. 

“2025?” She shocked, “It felt like 2019 just a few minutes ago,”

“Doing a lot better than me. I feel like I’m still in 1963,”

Sloane gave him a confused look.

“In order for the world not to end the first time. Five blinked up back in time. Klaus got stuck in 1960 there for I also did. We both lived there for three years until again the world was gonna end and I moved on,”

“Right because Luther said something about working for the mob,” Sloane nodded. 

“The world normally doesn’t last for long anymore. We should find my siblings to figure out what’s going on this time,” Ben said.

“Yeah the Kugelblitz was not fun,” Slone muttered .

“A what?”

“A reverse black hole. Sucking all life into it. The end of the world,” 

“And Viktor has nothing to do with that?” 

“Well yes and no. Your siblings coming back to 2019 which was a totally different timeline because dad- Reginald adopted a completely different set of kids,”

“Well shit,” Ben muttered, “we really gotta find my siblings,” 

“And I have to find Luther,”

“You try to find Luther, Diego and Allison. I’ll find Klaus, Five and Viktor?” Ben suggested.

“That works. How though?”

“Tv stations. Yellow papers, city records,”

“You seem used this,”

“Unfortunately,”

“Wait why would they been on tv,”

“Diego for a fact I know couldn’t help but get himself in a little trouble,” Ben said.

“Oh,” 

“Let’s start searching,”

-o0o-

“Now kid listen without the moon. The whole world would turn into an apocalypse. The tides alone would kill as,” The man said. 

Number 1

“Luther”

A girl raised her hand.

“Yes,”

“Well how would the moon be gone?”

“Excellent question. Scientists aren’t sure yet but we are working to find out,” Luther smiled.

“I think that all the time we have for now. Say thanks to Mr. Sparrow every one,” the teacher said.

“Thank you,” the class said before leaving.

“Cute kids,” the scientist next to Luther said next to him.

“Yeah,”

“Luther you should go home,”

“Why? I’m fine here,” Luther said.

“No you're not. You think I didn’t notice it’s the anniversary of Sloane’s death. You don’t need to be here. Find a way to honor her today,” 

“I need to be here bud,”

“I’m telling you do go home Luther,”

“Fine”

Luther stood outside a building, a flyer in hand that he had gotten from work. He couldn’t go home not today because of many painful and happy memories there.

He walked in. So many people had suggested a grief group but he hadn’t actually done it.

“Hi I’m Luther,” he said.

“Hi Luther,” everyone said.

“My friends have been telling me to come here for awhile now and I have been coming here,” Luther said.

“Luther the important thing is that you had the strength to home here now. Could you tell us why your here?” The director of this group asked.

“My wife Sloane. She died six years ago today. And well I don’t know what todo,” 

“I’m so sorry for your loss. What we do here is share the happy memories about our loved ones and know that they are in a better place. Could you tell me about Sloane?”

“She was a light to everyone that met her. Being with her was like flying. She had a big family that mostly welcomed me with open arms,”

“Mostly?”

“One of her brothers wasn’t a huge fan of mine. One thing has was unusual about our marriage was that I took her last name. I didn’t have a great relationship with my dad and I didn’t want to bring her into that,” 

The director talked to Luther some more and then it was another person's turn. After the group Luther walked by two guys one wearing a polo that indicates that he worked in the building the other was wearing a jean jacket with fur lining. Luther kept walking.

-o0o-

The two watched as a big blond man walked past looking sad.

“Klaus is he in your group?” The man in a Jean jacket asked.

Number 7

“Viktor”

“Vic man, I don't know everyone who passes through. You know I only direct the one of families of service members and the recovering drug and alcohol addicts,”

Number 4

“Klaus”

“Just messing with you Klaus,”

“Yeah Viktor. And who is the one going through girls faster than I used to go through crack?” Klaus said.

“Man not fair,”

“I’m just saying focus on one girl,”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do?” Viktor huffed.

“Well the local theater is performing Hamilton you wanna go. Tickets are going fast,” Klaus smiled.

“Sorry but my bar need some much help at the moment,” Viktor grumbled.

“I can help,”

“Klaus you have been sober for over a year,”

“Just because I’m in a bar does not mean I need to drink Viko,”

“Okay. I just don’t want to be the reason you fall off the wagon,”

“You never were,”

“I know. I know. But you’ve made so much progress Klaus,” 

“Now you're being sappy about it,” Klaus grumbled.

“I am and always will be. That’s is why we are friends,” 

“Bye Viktor. Good luck with your bar thing. Don’t get into any fights,” Klaus called after his friend. Another friend in a polo shirt who worked at the building grabbed Klaus.

“What what?”

“You need to see the news,” 

“I prefer not. It’s depressing that everyone is dying. I know our sitting got crime. I don't need to be reminded over and over again,”

“Your going to want to see this though,”

“Fine,”

Klaus’ friend turned on the TV. A news reporter stood in front of a crime scene that had about a dozen bodies. Then the camera panned out and you saw eight other men died. 

“Investigators believe that this is gang related. There were about 15 dead, all from the Wenside gang. It seems like there were two weapons used in this massacre. An axe and gun. The gun, one of the cops believes is a match to other cases that have happened in the past year. We'll update you with more,” the news reporter said.  Klaus turned off the tv.

“The hell man. Why did you show me this,” 

“Weren’t you like two buildings down from there at that bar if your friends?”

“Yeah so. I hope you don’t think I did that,”

“No, of course not Klaus. Just thought you might have seen something. We need to get the person who is doing this off the streets,”

“Duh,” 

-o0o-

“Where’s Allison! She’s going to miss her cue!” The director yelled. 

“I’m coming. Marsha had a problem with the corset,” Allison said, running on stage with a pink dress on.

Number 3

“Allison”

“People are excited for Hamilton. I do not want to mess with Allison. Angela needs to be right,”

“I know that. Can you please stop being a pain in the ass for a minute,” 

“Let’s get this mic check done!”

Allison huffed picking up her dress and walked over to the other cast

-o0o-

“Diego!” A woman yelled with three kids near her. 

No Number

“Lila”

“Mummy? What's going on with dad?” Kenny asked. 

“He’s a bit busy. DIEGO HURRY YOUR ASS UP!” Lila yelled.

“Okay. Okay. Watch your month around the kids,” the man said coming down the stairs.

Number 2

“Diego”

“Gracie, dad's going to pick you up from school today,” Lila said.

“Okay,” Gracie smiled. 

“I’ll drop her off at home with the babysitter and the I have to get back to work. I’ve gotta work over time there was a mass murder down town. Crazy shit”

“Shit,” John laughed. Kenny giggled too next to his twin. 

“Don’t say that,” Diego corrected.

“I find it funny that the kids never pick on my cussing. Just yours,” 

“Yeah yeah. Don’t let the kids be late to school,”

Diego called.

“Let’s go kiddos,” Lila said, pushing all three kids outside.

“Love you,” Lila calls out to Diego.

“Love you,” Diego repeats. 

-o0o-

He sat there drinking coffee and checking one of his guns. He stuffed some weopons in his bag. 

Number 5

“Five”

And turned on the news.

“The murder of this massacre-“ the reporter said.

“Can’t believe that they found the bodies that quick.” He said, drinking his coffee. He checked his watch.

“I’ve gotta get going,” he called. 

“Wait wait,” a woman called, running to the front door to stop Five.

No Number

“Delores”

“I love you,” Five said, kissing her.

“I love you too,” Delores smiled. She looked at the coffee cup in his hand. “Hey you said you were cutting back on coffee,” 

“I need coffee in order to deal with the shit head Diego. If he at all  comes near me in that detective way he does I’ll kill him,” Five said.

“Hey. Be nice at work okay,” she said.

“Okay. You have a good day,” Five said opening the door. 

“You too,” 

** Hey it’s me! Umm I will post chapter two as soon as I finish. I didn’t like how Umbrella Academy season 4 ended just like every fan. So I decided to add one more season that we all needed. If anyone knows how to add chapter to this post please let me know.

thanks,

[girl-who-writes-world]

Finally getting around to writing another chapter after like a week.

I think this one is going to deal a lot with Viktor and Diego’s relationship. I don’t feel like we got much of a vibe of them so I’m kinda going in with little information.

All I know is that they weren’t on speaking terms, so I guess I’m going off that, writing what I think would piss of Walmart Batman enough to stop talking to vik.

Wish me luck!!!

[astrologicalwarrior]

The Wanderer Series

On the 12th hour of the first day of October 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer,  resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible.

He got seven of them.

On October 1st, 1989, Anabell Nicholson woke up feeling the same as she always did. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the sun was shining as it always did. The leaves swayed in the wind as usual. It was a normal Sunday, so Anabell proceeded to her routine as usual. She stretched before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood and walked to the bathroom to get ready for her day.  Anabell took the same path she always did to church. She entered the same church she always did. She praised the Lord with the same devotion as usual. At 11:58 AM she stood as always to approach the front. At 11:59 she turned to face the priest as usual. At 12:00 PM she dropped to the floor clutching her now round belly in pain. Now that was unusual.

 On October 1st 1989, Tabitha took her first breath and screamed. 

Since then she never stopped.

Since the day she was born, Tabitha’s mother knew there was something different about her. For starters, the fact that Tabitha was even born was unbelievable and quite frankly, impossible. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Anabelle firmly believed in no sex before marriage, so imagine her surprise when in the middle of Sunday's sacrament she gave birth to a baby girl with bright blue eyes. 

It’s not that Anabell did not want to be a mother, she just did not plan to be a 21 year old unmarried virgin mother but she believed that this was God’s will. So when an older gentleman named Sir Reginald Hargreeves offered her thousands of dollars for her child, she declined. The thought of selling her miracle child that the Lord blessed her with seemed like an ultimate disrespect. Instead she decided to raise the young girl, with the help of her church, to be a good God fearing woman. 

She tried her best. Lord she really did but when Tabitha hit the age of 4 and her eyes started to glow she started to question if this child was really a gift from God or a curse from the Devil himself. She tried to ignore the gold glow of her eyes, she tried to rationalize when that same glow started to appear on the young girl's hand. She could not ignore when that same glow appeared in others eyes when Tabitha was around, how those that were affected by the same glow that Tabitha possessed would then seem to be under Tabitha’s command. She did the only thing she could think of to help her child. She called a priest.

Tabitha remembers the day she turned 9 like it happened yesterday. She remembers the feel of the rope around her wrist and ankles. The way her drenched hair was plastered to her forehead after the priest threw the holy water. The way she screamed for her mother while he yelled at her in a language she did not understand. She remembered how dry her mouth was, the way that her bones ached from being kept in the same position for days. She remembers the relife she felt once she was released. At 16 she finds herself in the same predicament except this time, she snaps.

coming soon...

Series

nothing yet...

Drabbles

nothing yet...

message me to be added to the tag list!

[inopportune-oddity]

Chapter 8 of The Crescent Moon is here! woohoo!

If Chapter 7 wasn't angsty enough for you then don't worry, it ramps up again now since these two dumbasses don't talk and communicate nearly enough (¬､¬)

Anywaysss

This chapter introduces a very important character! ✨ Impington ✨

We have big plans for him later on, so I'd love to see what your theories are as to how he's going to be influencing the storyline if you care to drop a comment! My Blitzy and I absolutely love reading and replying to them 😁

As always @wanking-at-your-funeral did a fantastic job not only co-writing but also editing this chapter, so please throw in a kudos if you enjoyed reading it <3

[knoepfl]

Whispers in the Haze #2

Here is the second Part of my Christmas Present and the second Part of this Series too! Again Merry Christmas!

2/24

Characters:

1. Klaus Hargreeves: Sarcastic, chaotic, and able to see ghosts, masking his pain with humor.

2. Diego Hargreeves: Hot-headed and protective, Diego channels grief through action.

3. Ben Hargreeves: Klaus’s ghostly guide, offering moral support despite their differences.

4. The Ghost: A silent, mysterious figure, always present but never speaking, tied to Klaus for reasons unknown.

5. Luther, Allison, Five, and Vanya: The dysfunctional Hargreeves siblings, each dealing with their own personal struggles.

Trigger Warnings:

Addiction and Recovery: Substance abuse and sobriety struggles.

Grief and Death: Processing loss and trauma.

Emotional Abuse: Impact of Reginald’s harsh parenting.

Mental Health: Themes of depression, isolation, and emotional wounds.

Violence: Mentions of physical conflict and weaponry.

Supernatural Horror: Ghosts, hauntings, and eerie presences.

Family Dysfunction: Tense and emotionally charged sibling dynamics.

Masterlist

Part 1

Words: 2846

---

The dull hum of the old mansion settled over Klaus like a familiar weight, the echoes of the past seeping from the walls of the Hargreeves house. He lounged on the worn couch in the parlor, an unlit cigarette dangling from his fingers. The high from the motel had long since faded, replaced by the aching sobriety he hated so much.

Reginald Hargreeves was dead. That thought should have stirred something in him—grief, maybe, or anger—but Klaus just felt…empty.

The others were scattered across the house, mourning in their own dysfunctional ways. Luther was barking orders in the kitchen, trying to pull some semblance of control over the chaos. Diego sharpened knives upstairs, probably imagining ways to channel his grief into violence. Allison sat quietly in the study, lost in thought, while Five muttered about paradoxes and futures no one understood. Vanya, quiet as always, lingered near the piano, her fingers hovering over the keys but never pressing down.

Ben, of course, was there too, leaning against a bookshelf, watching Klaus like he always did.

“I can’t believe you came back here,” Ben muttered, his arms crossed. “You swore you’d never set foot in this place again.”

Klaus tipped his head back, staring at the ornate ceiling. “Yeah, well, it turns out death has a way of dragging you back to places you’d rather forget.” His voice was light, but the hollowness in his tone betrayed him.

Ben scoffed. “Sure, blame Dad’s death. It’s not like you were running out of motels to haunt anyway.”

Klaus snorted softly, a half-hearted laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. He brought the unlit cigarette to his lips, pretending for a moment that it was lit, that he could taste the smoke curling in his lungs. His gaze flicked to the corner of the room, where she stood.

She was here again, like she always was. Her presence was faint but constant, a quiet specter watching from the edges of the world. In the bright light of the Hargreeves house, she seemed softer, more subdued, her outline barely visible. Klaus could feel her watching him, her gaze warm but unyielding, just like it had been in the motel.

Ben followed his brother’s eyes, his expression darkening. “She’s still here, isn’t she?”

“Of course she is,” Klaus said breezily, leaning back against the couch. “She can’t get enough of me.”

Ben sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You need to stop doing this to yourself, Klaus. You can’t keep pretending she’s different.”

Klaus’s smile faltered, and for a moment, the mask slipped. He turned his head to look at Ben, his eyes tired, raw. “She is different, Benny.”

“Right,” Ben said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Just like all the others, right? The ones who show up, latch onto you, and then disappear when they’ve had their fill?”

Klaus flinched, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he turned his gaze back to her, his hand absently brushing the arm of the couch as though reaching for her presence. She didn’t move, didn’t react, but Klaus felt her warmth all the same.

The silence between the brothers stretched, heavy and unspoken, until it was broken by the sound of the front door slamming open.

“Everyone in the living room,” Luther barked, his voice echoing through the house. “We need to talk about the funeral.”

Klaus groaned, dragging himself off the couch. “Because nothing says family bonding like planning a funeral for the man who emotionally scarred us all.”

“Don’t start,” Ben warned, though his tone was more resigned than angry.

The others filtered in slowly, each carrying their own weight of grief and resentment. Klaus settled into a chair, slouching dramatically as Luther began his speech about honor and duty and all the other things Reginald had drilled into them.

But Klaus wasn’t listening. His attention drifted back to her, still lingering near the corner, her gaze steady as she watched him. For a moment, he let himself wonder why she was here, why she’d chosen him of all people. Maybe she felt sorry for him. Maybe she saw something in him no one else did.

Or maybe, he thought bitterly, she was just another ghost drawn to his chaos, destined to fade like all the others.

And yet…she didn’t fade. Not at the motel, not here, not even when the weight of his family’s dysfunction threatened to suffocate him. She stayed, her presence a quiet reassurance, a tether keeping him from drifting too far.

As Luther’s voice droned on, Klaus closed his eyes, a faint smile playing at his lips.

“Haunting me again, huh?” he whispered, too softly for anyone to hear.

This time, there was no answer—not even a flicker of acknowledgment. But when he opened his eyes, she was still there, watching, waiting.

And for now, that was enough.

---

Klaus sat through Luther’s painfully predictable monologue, his eyes occasionally flicking toward her in the corner. She remained where she was, her presence an unspoken constant. But now, her gaze wasn’t on him.

She was looking at his siblings.

Her head tilted slightly as her eyes lingered on each of them in turn, as if studying them, trying to understand them in the way she seemed to already understand Klaus. Her gaze softened as it settled on Vanya, who sat quietly at the edge of the room, her posture tense and her expression withdrawn. It was as though she could see the weight Vanya carried, the invisible scars etched into her soul.

Klaus followed her gaze, his brow furrowing. “What, now you’re interested in them?” he muttered under his breath.

Ben shot him a sharp look. “What are you mumbling about now?”

Klaus ignored him, his attention fixed on her. She didn’t respond, didn’t look at him, her focus unwavering as she shifted her gaze to Allison.

Allison was sitting near the fireplace, her arms crossed, her face a careful mask of composure. The ghost seemed to linger on her for a moment, her expression unreadable. There was a subtle intensity in her gaze, as though she could see through the polished exterior to the fractures beneath.

Then she looked at Five.

The boy—man?—sat perched on the arm of a chair, his posture rigid and his face set in that permanent scowl of his. But even Five wasn’t immune to her scrutiny. She studied him with the same quiet attention, her head tilting slightly as though she were trying to untangle the threads of his impossibly complicated existence.

Diego, sharpening a knife at the table, was next. Her gaze softened again, but there was something almost amused in the way she looked at him, as if she could see past his bravado to the wounded boy still fighting for recognition.

Finally, her eyes landed on Luther, who was still speaking, oblivious to the ghostly presence in their midst. Her expression didn’t change, but Klaus thought he saw a flicker of something—a sadness, maybe, or pity.

Klaus’s lips curled into a smirk. “Don’t waste your time on him,” he said softly. “Trust me, Spaceboy’s not as deep as he looks.”

She didn’t react, but her gaze drifted back to Klaus, her focus narrowing in on him again.

Ben leaned closer, his voice low and tense. “What is she doing, Klaus?”

“I don’t know,” Klaus murmured, shrugging one shoulder. “Probably judging all of you.” He paused, his smirk widening. “Can’t blame her, really. Have you seen this lot? A bigger mess of dysfunction you’ll never find.”

Ben’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.

Across the room, Luther finally seemed to notice Klaus’s lack of attention. “Are you even listening, Klaus?”

Klaus sat up, throwing his arms out dramatically. “Oh, I’m listening, brother dearest. Funeral plans, legacy, blah, blah, blah. Very compelling stuff.”

Diego snorted, and even Allison suppressed a small smile. Luther glared at him but didn’t press further.

As the conversation continued, Klaus leaned back in his chair, his eyes returning to her. She wasn’t looking at the others anymore. Her gaze was on him, steady and unyielding, as though she were waiting for something.

He raised an eyebrow. “What? You want me to care? About them? About any of this?”

Again, she didn’t answer, but her silence spoke volumes.

Ben sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

Klaus grinned. “Why, thank you, Benny. It’s one of my many charms.”

But beneath the bravado, Klaus felt a flicker of something he couldn’t quite name. She’d looked at his siblings like she knew them, like she understood them in a way even he didn’t. It unsettled him, made him feel exposed, like she could see through all the layers he’d spent years building up.

As the family meeting dragged on, Klaus’s attention drifted again. The ghost stayed where she was, her presence a quiet weight in the room. For the first time in a long time, Klaus felt something unfamiliar: a strange, tentative sense of connection, not just to her, but to the fractured family around him.

And though he’d never admit it, it terrified him.

---

The funeral was over, the sky above the Hargreeves estate as gray and heavy as Klaus’s mood. The ceremony had been cold, impersonal—just like Reginald would’ve wanted. No tears, no heartfelt speeches, just ashes in an urn and Luther’s grim sense of duty holding the whole thing together.

Klaus stood by the front steps, shivering in the late afternoon chill, his thin jacket doing little to ward off the biting wind. He lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply as the first hit of nicotine steadied his frayed nerves.

“Let’s go,” Diego called, stepping down from the porch. He jingled a set of car keys in his hand. “You’re coming with me.”

Klaus exhaled a plume of smoke, arching a brow at his brother. “Oh, are we having a sibling bonding moment? How adorable.”

“Just get in the damn car,” Diego snapped, rolling his eyes.

Klaus sighed dramatically, flicking his cigarette to the ground and crushing it under his heel. “Fine, but if this is some intervention, I’m not above jumping out at a red light.”

Ben walked alongside him as they headed to Diego’s beat-up car, his arms crossed and his expression skeptical. “Do you ever stop being an ass for five seconds?”

“Nope,” Klaus said brightly, opening the passenger door and sliding in. “It’s part of my charm.”

Diego climbed in on the driver’s side, slamming the door shut. “Seatbelt.”

Klaus smirked, making a show of pulling it across his chest. “There. Happy?”

“Ecstatic,” Diego muttered, starting the engine.

As the car rumbled to life, Klaus glanced in the rearview mirror. She was there, sitting in the backseat like she belonged, her gaze fixed out the window. The ghost hadn’t spoken, hadn’t moved, but she was a constant presence, her quiet weight pressing against Klaus’s awareness.

“Great,” Klaus muttered under his breath. “Road trip with the family and a ghost. Could this day get any better?”

Diego shot him a sharp look. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Klaus waved him off. “Nothing. Just musing about life’s little surprises.”

They drove in silence for a while, the city streets flashing by in a blur of gray and muted neon. Diego gripped the wheel tightly, his jaw clenched as if he were holding back words.

Finally, he broke the silence. “You okay?”

Klaus blinked, caught off guard. “Am I what?”

Diego kept his eyes on the road, his voice low. “I said, are you okay? You’ve been…off. Even for you.”

Klaus laughed, the sound sharp and brittle. “Oh, sweet Diego, always so concerned. I’m fine. Peachy, in fact. Nothing like burying your emotionally unavailable father to brighten your day.”

Diego’s grip on the wheel tightened, but he didn’t respond.

From the backseat, she shifted slightly, her gaze turning to Klaus. He felt her eyes on him, a silent pressure that made his skin prickle.

“You’re lying,” Diego said after a long pause, his voice quiet but firm.

Klaus turned to him with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “Of course I’m lying, Diego. It’s what I do.”

“Maybe you should stop.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and unspoken. Klaus turned away, his gaze drifting to the window as they passed through the city. His reflection stared back at him, pale and tired, with shadows under his eyes that no amount of sleep could fix.

In the mirror, he saw her watching him. She didn’t judge, didn’t ask questions, but her presence was a reminder of everything he couldn’t outrun.

Diego glanced at him, his voice softening. “Look, I know this whole thing sucks. For all of us. But…you’re not alone, okay?”

Klaus barked a laugh. “Oh, Diego, if only that were true.”

Ben sighed from where he sat, his ghostly form leaning against the dashboard. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

Klaus ignored him, his gaze flicking back to her in the rearview mirror. She was still there, her expression unreadable, her presence steady.

---

Finally, Klaus broke the silence. “She’s always there, you know.”

Diego frowned, sparing him a quick glance. “Who?”

“The ghost,” Klaus said breezily, gesturing vaguely toward the backseat. “My new little shadow. She’s been following me for months now.”

Diego sighed, gripping the wheel tighter. “Klaus, come on—”

“I’m serious!” Klaus interrupted, turning in his seat to look at her. “She’s right there. Sitting in the back like she’s part of the family road trip.”

Diego tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his jaw flexing in frustration. “You’ve been seeing ghosts your whole life, Klaus. This isn’t new. Why is this one such a big deal?”

Klaus turned to him, his expression caught somewhere between a smirk and something more vulnerable. “Because, Diego, she’s different. It’s not like the usual parade of moaning spirits begging me to fix their unfinished business. She doesn’t say a damn word. Doesn’t want anything. She’s just…there.”

Diego flicked a glance at him, his brow furrowed. “And you’re sure she’s real?”

Klaus’s laughter was sharp, bitter. “Oh, please. I’ve been seeing ghosts since I was a kid, remember? Our dear old dad made sure of that with his delightful experiments. I know the difference between what’s in my head and what’s real. Mostly.”

Diego winced at the mention of their father, the old wounds still raw. “Yeah, well, I also remember you using that as an excuse to mess with people. Half the time, I couldn’t tell if you were actually seeing something or just trying to freak us out.”

Klaus waved his hand dismissively. “That was just good fun. This, though? This is something else. She’s not like Ben or the others. She doesn’t look to me for answers, doesn’t blame me for anything. She’s just…watching. Like she’s waiting for something.”

Diego glanced at the rearview mirror, where the backseat was empty except for Klaus’s invisible companion. He frowned. “Waiting for what?”

“I don’t know,” Klaus admitted, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. He leaned his head against the window, his fingers tracing idle patterns on the glass. “That’s what’s so weird about her. She doesn’t give me any clues. Just…shows up, sticks around, and watches me make a mess of everything.”

Diego sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You ever think she’s here for a reason? That maybe she’s got something to tell you, even if she’s not saying it?”

Klaus considered this, his gaze flicking to the rearview mirror. Her face was serene, her eyes soft but unyielding as they met his. He felt that familiar tug in his chest, that strange mix of comfort and unease she always brought with her.

“Maybe,” he murmured. “But it’s not like I can ask her, is it? She’s not exactly chatty.”

Diego scoffed. “When has that ever stopped you from talking to ghosts?”

Klaus smiled faintly, his fingers drumming on his knee. “True. But this feels…different. Like she’s here for me, not the other way around.”

Diego shot him a skeptical look. “You’re sure you’re not just projecting? Making her into something she’s not because you’re too scared to deal with your own crap?”

Klaus flinched, but his grin stayed firmly in place. “Oh, Diego. Always so quick to psychoanalyze me. It’s adorable, really.” He leaned back in his seat, his voice taking on a teasing lilt. “But I promise, this one’s not just in my head. She’s real. And she’s not going anywhere.”

Diego shook his head, muttering under his breath. “Of course she’s not. Why would anything in your life be simple?”

Klaus laughed, the sound light and genuine for once. “Exactly, brother. Chaos is my brand.”

Despite his words, his gaze lingered on her reflection in the mirror. She met his eyes, her expression calm and unwavering, and for a moment, Klaus felt a strange sense of peace.

Whatever her reason for being there, he wasn’t alone. Not really. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

---

[incorrectklaus]

Klaus: Hey Five, have you ever thought about using your time-traveling abilities to become a famous historical figure?

Five: I don't think that's a good idea, Klaus.

Klaus: Fine, we'll just use our powers for more practical things. Like winning the lottery and buying matching jet skis

[superspookyjanelle]

UPCOMING OC: Vanya Cross

fic: The Ballad of The Archer

fandoms: Arrowverse (dc) & Percy Jackson

TAGGING: @witchofinterest @fiercefray @sweetenemyfire @eddysocs @arrthurpendragon @bookstorebunny @roseygirl203 @brokenhardies ( let me know if you any to be added or removed from my tag list )