Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

His emotions backfire on him sometimes.

All Five wanted to do was to be trusted by his father, to be thought of as the adult that his thirteen year old self practically was, and supported as he experimented with time travel.

But that’s not how the Umbrella Academy works. All he gets is a story about acorns that doesn’t even make sense.

In that moment, all Five saw was red. He was angry, hurt, and tired of being treated like he didn’t know what he was doing. It was his own goddamn power.

He looked across the table to see Vanya’s face filled with warning. Back off, her eyes told him.

He trusted Vanya, but proving Dad wrong was higher on his priority list.

So he stormed out of the house.

And it worked.

Suddenly the air was brighter. Summertime probably, judging by the humidity that suddenly whacked him in the face. It was suffocating in his itchy wool uniform but he couldn’t care less because he just time travelled.

Holy shit. Acorns be damned, he did it.

“Not ready my ass” he growled.

In his joy, he pulled on time again and was met with a snow storm. He looked around himself with glee, still not feeling real. This was the most fun he’s had in his entire life, apart from the time Ben scared Klaus by placing a spider in his bed.

After looking around for a few moments, he pulled again.

And was met with nothing.

Frustrated, he pulled again. Only a blue shimmer occurred that quickly spluttered out and disappeared. Shit. He tried again and again but his arms simply got sore and his head started hurting.

This was bad. This was really really bad. Five didn’t know what year it was, and had no way of going back.

He started panicking, harsh breathes that felt even worse because of the absolutely frigid air that clung to his skin.

He’d do anything to be stuck back in the humidity because he could at least take off his blazer and vest. In this cold, snowy air his knees were exposed because Dad insisted on stupid boy shorts and skirts to make the Umbrella Academy seem even younger, therefore more humiliating to the people they defeated.

Just like his emotions, Dad’s decision was biting him in the ass as he could practically feel his legs turning blue.

Five was starting to get looks from the people around him so he shoved his panic attack down. Perhaps not the recommended way to handle it but he had more pressing matters at hand.

Alright, first item of business: find out what year it was.

He walked down the sidewalk as casually as he could. As unfortunate and gloomy as the situation was, the fact that he needed to figure out what year it was because he just time travelled was an exhilarating feeling.

Screw Dad, he knew what he was doing—mostly. It’s his first time, just haven’t smoothed out the kinks yet. This minor hiccup will be figured out in no time. Pretty soon he’ll waltz back into the mansion, not a second going by in their time but he’ll emerge covered in snow with a newspaper from the future.

Finally he found what he was looking for and snatched the top paper in the stack. His eyes scanned a boring headline about some celebrity but then he found the date.

October 16, 2006

Oh wow. He’d jumped four years into the future. His siblings have just turned seventeen. Five’s a little intimidated by that and hopes he doesn’t meet them before he figures out how to get back.

He’s able to steal a pen from a woman that dropped all her things. He’d helped gather everything up—he wasn’t a monster—but slyly pocketed a pen on the process. He grimaced at the Thank you so much honey! that she threw his way and assured her that yes, he’s not far from home and is headed there now.

Not true at all, he wouldn’t dare go there out of fear of getting caught by Dad, but his home is close, on the same street they’re currently standing on.

He eventually makes his way to the library and finds a quiet corner where no one else is.

A few hours and an equation-covered newspaper later, the building is closing. Five quickly blinks to the mother’s lounge as an employee checks the area. Soon enough the lights are off and he settles in for the night.

Thanks to Dad’s rigid schedule, his body naturally wakes up early before anyone could enter to find him asleep in the recliner.

He blinks to an empty alley and then strolls nonchalantly out, finding a run-down coffee shop open at the early hour to bunker down in while he continues to formulate a plan.

The tired high schooler on their early morning shift thankfully paid him no mind so Five was left to panic in peace.

He had time travelled, yes. But he was four years into the future and homeless in the middle of an early winter. His equations have drawn a blank and it’s not like Dad would welcome him with open arms.

By the end of the day he had switched locations about a dozen times to avoid suspicion, filled three more newspapers with math, and was so hungry he was considering begging an old grandma for food.

He really was not cut out for this. He just wanted to go back home to his thirteen year old siblings.

Five was on his way back to the library for another pitiful slumber when he overheard someone say the name of the academy. Curious, he leaned down to fake tie his shoes, straining to hear the conversation.

“-heart hurts so much for those kids. So sad, poor baby was so young”

“How did he die?”

“Their last mission went wrong somehow. It’s all hush hush you know. He’s a billionaire, doesn’t want anyone poking around”

Five’s heart starts pounding. Dead? Who was dead? A sickening feeling started pooling in his gut. Numbness not just from the cold was seeping into his bones and the shoelaces slipped from his shaking fingers.

“Well I’ve always said that academy was wrong. From the moment it started I knew it was dangerous”

“Mm-hmm. First the little one disappeared, now another is dead. Wouldn’t be surprised if the little one died too and they covered it up”

Bile starts rising in Five’s throat. He hadn’t really processed that the time travel meant he’s been missing for years. It’s fine. It’s fine. He’ll just time travel back. He’ll get the right equation, travel back and his sibling won’t have to die. It’ll all work out. It has to.

“I forget what his power was again, didn’t really like to keep tabs on them. Hurt too much to think of those poor things being forced to fight”

“Yeah I know. His nickname was The Horror I think? The octopus monster thing from his stomach”

Five didn’t hear the rest of their conversation. Blood rushed through his ears. It felt like someone ripped out his insides and threw him off a plane.

Ben.

Ben is dead.

His vision blacked out and suddenly he was violently retching onto the pavement. It hurt, but a little pain was nothing compared to Ben who’s currently six feet underground.

Dead. Because he wasn’t there. Because he thought he was so smart and knew what he was doing.

And now he’s paying the price. A dead brother and he can’t even get the equations right to go back home. Maybe this is what Dad meant by acorns.

Suddenly Five registers a hand on his forehead. What? He tries to open his eyes but it’s so difficult and the lack of food is really getting to him. Attempting time travel on an empty stomach before he even ate his dinner was the wrong move.

He focuses on breathing for a few seconds and it starts working, more of the world is coming back to his senses.

He’s lying flat on his back in the snow. His knees are frozen, probably from leaning on them while he puked. Someone is stroking his hair and holding his hands.

“-hat’s him!” he hears as the pulsing in his ears starts to lessen.

“-one that went missing!”

Five cracks open his eyes and is met with two concerned faces directly above him. A blonde woman that had her hand in his hair is now stroking his face and cupping his cheek.

“Can you hear me sweetheart?”

Disoriented, he nods.

“Honey I’m gonna ask you something. Are you Five Hargreeves?”

The past day and a half has been so confusing and jarring and he hasn’t eaten anything, hiding everywhere to escape his father and now his brother is dead. He’s four years into the future, doesn’t know how to get back, and now strangers are surrounding him and they know who he is.

They’re gonna tell Dad.

Everything is too much and his emotions again betray him as he starts to cry.

The faces above him contort in pity but he doesn’t know what to do as he squeezes his eyes shut and big fat alligator tears slide down his temples to land in his hair and the snow below him.

He hears a lot of voices and can’t understand them. He’s probably drawn quite the crowd. Missing Umbrella Academy member shows up out of thin air, pukes, passes out, and starts bawling up a storm.

As he continues to drown in his thoughts someone lifts his upper body up and tucks him into a hug.

He doesn’t know who this person is but they’re warm and he thinks this is what the loving parent he’s never had is supposed to do so he leans into it. His hair is being stroked again and he grabs the front of their jacket in his fists and sobs more. He’s just a kid dammit, he doesn’t know what else to do.

A kiss is pressed to the top of his head and he wonders if he can stay with this person until he finally gets the right equation to go back and save Ben.

“-exactly the same as before. How is that possible?”

“I don’t know but the poor thing is terrified. He’s definitely not seventeen. What the hell happened?”

Five opens his eyes again to see that the blonde woman is holding him, he’s now fully on her lap with his knees drawn up close to his chin.

God he must look pathetic right now. He hates it but at the same time his brother is dead because of him so he doesn’t deserve to feel pity for himself. At least he’s alive to feel emotions.

The other woman is kneeling in front of him, deep sympathy covering her features. 

“Five? Sweetheart can you tell me how old you are?”

He draws in a big breath but his chin is quivering so it’s all blubbery. If Dad could see him now.

Five clears his throat, willing himself to calm down. “Th-thir-thirteen. I’m thirteen”

The woman’s eyebrows skyrocket and gasps of shock weave throughout the crowd.

“I time travelled. It’s the other part of my power”

The woman in front of him opens her mouth, about to say something else but is interrupted.

A tall, imposing figure steps in front of his vision, a cane shooing her out of the way.

Polished black shoes, pressed black slacks and a long, thick gray trench coat greet his eyes.

Five looks up to see a well manicured mustache and monocle.

“Hello Number Five”

He gulps, and the pit in his stomach returns. Dread fills every inch of his body and he tightens his grip on the blonde woman.

“Now, how about the two of us go home?”

Chapter Text

Reginald groans. Number Six’s funeral was yesterday and the rest of the Umbrella Academy is still moping around.

Humans, especially teenagers, are so ineffective at everything.

First Number Five left, no great loss. The sheer amount of arrogance and disrespect in that boy was always going to lead him into trouble. If he wasn't drug down by anger, there was unparalleled potential with his powers.

Unfortunately, the effect of his disappearance on the rest of academy was less than ideal, they kept asking questions about his whereabouts. Number Seven was affected the most, but luckily is not a part of the team so there were no changes to the team’s fighting.

And now Number Six is gone. It seems this second loss has hit the children even harder, more than their tiny brains can handle. Dismal, really.

Reginald sighs, stands up from his desk and travels downstairs. He’ll take a walk, he decides. Clear his head.

Strolling down the street is not an easy task, since his path is blocked by a crowd after only a few minutes. He fights his way through to find two women and a child in the middle of the circle. He moves forward for a better view and understands the cause of the ruckus.

The child is Number Five.

Clearly he has just arrived from his emotional departure from dinner four years ago, still in the Umbrella Academy uniform and no difference in the length of his hair. The time travel actually worked.

He strides forward and looks down upon his disappointment for a son. He’s latched onto the woman holding him like she’s his mother, and useless tears are cascading down his face, a true embarrassment to the Umbrella Academy. Reginald decides to put an end to it.

“Hello Number Five"

The boy looks up at him and grimaces. Serves him right for disobeying him.

“Now, how about the two of us go home?”  

Five simply continues staring at him with a pained expression. The woman holding him speaks up first. “Sir, do you have to leave right now? Can you wait a few minutes?”

“Why not now? He is my son. Let go of him or I will press charges against you for attempted kidnapping.”

The woman scoffs. Why can’t she just let this go? “He’s crying! I don’t know what’s happened but apparently he time travelled here. He needs a moment to breathe, he’s clearly frightened. Look, you can leave in a few minutes but we were just talking with him and—”

Reginald grasps Five’s upper right arm and hauls him to his unsteady feet. “I am leaving with my son and we are going home. He is my responsibility and I know how best to handle him. Anyone else care to get in the way?” The woman’s gaze darkens and she hesitantly reaches her hands out before slowly lowering them.

Reginald turns on his heel and walks back to the mansion. The crowd quickly moves out of the way, whispering as they pass by. Five’s gait is awkward and he slips on the snow and ice often but the steady grip on his arm keeps him upright. He’s being hauled along like a cat that doesn’t want to go on a walk. Reginald had forgotten just how much his son makes everything difficult. Eventually they reach the front gate and he stops, turning to Five.

His son continues facing forward, seemingly not quite processing everything. Young humans and their emotions. He snaps his fingers in his line of sight. “Up here, my boy! Pay attention!” Five’s gaze finally meets his. “Teleport us to the laundry room, now”

Five lazily blinks but nods. He closes his eyes and tenses in concentration and the next moment they’re standing next to the drying rack layered with the fighting suits. Five sways where he stands but soon gets his bearings.

“Wait here” Reginald says. He opens the door to the hallway and looks out. Nobody is present except for Grace. He steps out and closes the door behind him.

“Grace, where are the children?” She stops dusting behind a potted plant on the table and looks up before smiling in her artificial way.

“Why hello, sir. The children are all upstairs finishing their studies for the night. Do you need me to fetch them?”

“No, that will not be necessary” He ignores her goodbye as she leaves to go upstairs, and opens the laundry door to find Five still standing in the exact spot he left him in. “Come here” he huffs as he grabs his upper arm again and yanks him into the hallway.

They walk down and Reginald gets out his key for the door that leads to the elevator. Once he’s hit the button for the desired floor he sighs. “So, Number Five. This is where you’ve been, waiting for me all this time. I warned you that time travel is risky, that it is like submerging into freezing water and emerging as an acorn. Yet you did not believe me. You thought you knew better”

Five continues to stare straight ahead, the tears have started to again slide down his face. “Ah. Perhaps you know that Number Six has died. Did you know that?”

A sniffle is all he gets as a reaction.

“Hmm. Now you know what I meant. Your decision has caused devastating consequences. You shall be kept down here until I am satisfied that you will not disobey me again. Is that understood?”

Five nods slightly. “Y-yes sir”

“Good. We’re on the same page. How long has it been since you time travelled here?”

“Yesterday” he croaks out.

“Ah. That was Number Six’s funeral. Such a pity he died in the winter. All the more difficult to dig a grave in the frozen ground” The elevator dings and they walk down to the desired room.

It’s another holding container quite like Number Seven’s except one of the walls is nearly all a double sided mirror. He picked this room because not only is it specifically designed for Five, but he also wants to leave the other room empty in case Seven requires supervision again.

Reginald cranks open the door and looks at his son. “Well, go on!” he motions him to move inside. “In you go” Five hesitantly moves his feet forward but stumbles on the high step inside so Reginald pushes him the rest of the way in.

“You have a bed to sleep on. Now, the rule is that you are to remain here until I can entrust you to be on your own. You will receive meals by either me or Grace. As punishment for your actions you will not eat tonight.” Five seems to deflate, hunching in on himself.

“And do not think about trying any spatial jumps. This room is specially equipped to prevent it. Your powers are quite fascinating, Number Five. I enjoy studying them.” He gestures to the corner of the room. “Bathroom is right there. Rest up, we will discuss the time travel tomorrow. In the meantime why don't you think about the consequences of your actions that brought you here” he then departs, cranking the door shut.

Before retreating back up the elevator, Reginald pauses at the mirror. Five has been quiet since he found him, unlike his usual self. Perhaps he is in shock at the news of time travel and Six’s death. Reginald likes this meek version better. No talk back—at least not yet.

Five shuffles over to the bed and collapses on it. He curls in on himself, tucking his legs up to his chin. We’ll see how this experiment goes,  Reginald thinks before turning to exit back to the main levels.

The rest of the night is relatively quiet. As he’s headed upstairs to record some notes, he nearly runs into Number Seven, who hastily apologizes and moves out of the way.

Seven has been acting differently recently, requesting to be called Viktor. Reginald honestly doesn’t think of Seven too much nor uses the human names so it doesn’t bother him. A few weeks later Seven had timidly asked to wear pants instead of a skirt. He had approved it. What the children do on their own time doesn’t matter. He’s frankly more concerned with Seven’s emotional state tied to his powers and if this makes him happy, then so be it.

This day was long and the past few hours had been rather eye opening. Number Five had figured out time travel. Not very successfully, it appears that he can’t go back, but the deed had been accomplished. This opens up new possibilities and he can’t help the smirk that spreads across his face.

He’s excited for what Five’s training will bring in the coming weeks.

A few hours later he’s wrapping up and finishes the journal entry for Five. Reginald glances at the top of the section for the boy. Scanning his cursive letting that spells out Number Five, and next to it the name he had been given. The only name that Reginald would have used instead of the numbers.

It’s always puzzled Reginald as to why Five rejected it. Humans were fascinating and over focused on the smallest of details. The naming ceremonies had been private, so none of the other children were aware of what it was.

He shrugs and closes the journal. Three days ago he had lost a son and today, gained one back. 

This son has the most potential to change the world. He has emotional problems that are currently in the way but that's nothing a little breaking can't fix. Once Five is effectively controlled—however long it takes—his time travel abilities will be Reginald's greatest asset. 

It's a shame that Number Five rejected his name, it suited him. Perhaps once he's controlled it can be reintroduced and he'll be more accepting.

But anyway. Tomorrow will be eventful. And oh how much Reginald looks forward to it.

Viktor stares at his reflection in the mirror. The grief that looks back at him is heavy. He’s now lost two brothers and Dad doesn’t even care. Five’s disappearance was discussed merely as a warning for what happens when the rules are broken. Ben’s death a few days ago has provided an opportunity for more scalding words and blame. It’s their fault he’s gone, the message their loving father has managed to pound into their heads.

As if the departure of Viktor’s siblings wasn’t something that left an immense hole in their lives. Something that scraped out his heart and chipped away at the ability to feel any positive emotion. He can’t bear looking at his haunted eyes anymore so he flicks off the light.

Viktor is looking forward to sleeping as soon as possible, but that plan is thwarted as he opens the door to his room to discover Klaus bent underneath his bed. “What are you doing?”

Klaus snaps up, loudly hitting his head on the bedframe. Ouch, sounds like it'll leave a bump. Klaus mutters curses as he shimmies himself out and stands, hands clasped behind his back.

“Viktory! Didn’t see ya there buddy.” Viktor widens his eyes in an attempt to get Klaus to explain himself. When nothing happens he gestures to Klaus’ hands.

“What are you hiding?”

Klaus scoffs, dramatically pouting. “As if! I would never hide anything from family!” He tries to sidestep him on the way out. “Now if you’ll just excuse me I'll be on my way. It’s been a very tiring day, not that you asked—“

Viktor’s had quite enough of the circus show and quickly grabs his skinny wrist.

“Hey stop! You can’t—“ Pills go flying, scattering across the floor and disappearing into places that will take forever to find.

Viktor freezes, hand still grasping his wrist. 

What?

How did he even know?

“Klaus—I… what ?”

His brother throws his hands in the air. “Fine! You caught me. I’m sorry Viktor, but you weren’t using them and they’re free and definitely better than the other drugs I was taking”

Viktor is still confused. “How did you know I stopped taking the anxiety meds?”

“You’d down a couple whenever you were stressed and the past few days have certainly contained a lot of it. I never saw you take them so I did some investigating. Put myself in your shoes, thought where you’d hide them. And voilà! Under the bed”

Viktor feels frustration bubble up but instead he deflates. He wants to talk to someone else about this instead of keeping it all inside. “Okay. I stopped taking them. When I started to feel more like myself I thought maybe getting off the meds would help. And it has, I feel more alert and alive than ever”

Klaus smiles. “I’m so happy for you”

“It was already crazy enough that Dad accepted me and allowed me to wear pants so I wasn’t gonna ask him to stop my medication." Viktor still can't comprehend that Dad was okay with it. It had taken forever to build the confidence to ask for a wardrobe change. After it had been approved he collapsed in the hallway and it took an hour for his hands to stop shaking. "I’ve kept the stash under there ever since”

Klaus tilts his head. “Why didn’t you just flush them down the toilet?”

Viktor pauses, embarrassment flushing his face. “I—I don’t know. I’m paranoid it’ll clog at some point and the pills will rise up and they’ll find out. It’s stupid I know I just—“

Klaus gently reaches out and grasps Viktor’s upper arms. “Hey, hey stop there. It’s not stupid. Our lives aren’t normal and you’re okay for being cautious”

That’s a relief. Viktor sighs, tension that’s been building up for the past few weeks releasing. Nice to have that load off his back.

Klaus raises his eyebrows and slowly shrugs. “If you don’t mind…could I ‘take care’ of them for you?”

Viktor blinks, not processing what he means at first. Once he does he takes a step back. “No! If you think I’m gonna enable you I swear—“

“You won’t be doing any enabling! You’ll actually help me! If I take your anxiety pills I won’t take the harder drugs. Win for you to have them off your back, win for me in taking care of my body”

“Abusing my prescription isn’t what I’d call taking care of yourself”

Klaus throws his hands in the air again. “Come on. You know I only drink and stuff to quiet the ghosts! Yeah it’s your prescription but it’s miles better than what I’ve had before. Plus we’re family! Our bodies are similar”

“First off we’re not blood related and second of all that still doesn’t even work!!”

Klaus just pouts in return. He puts on his best kicked puppy dog expression.

Viktor sighs and massages his temples. He doesn't know what to do. His heart breaks for Klaus, he know that his brother uses humor to cover up the immense pain he carries with him everywhere. Viktor can't imagine having ghosts screaming in his ears 24/7 with no way to turn it off besides...the solution he's come up with.

There must be another way to control his power, to keep the dead silent. One has to exist but Viktor has no experience with powers at all so he wouldn't be any help. This is too much for his brain to handle and he just wants this day to end.

A voice in the back of his head is telling him that he's about to make a terrible decision. That this is definitely not how you're supposed to help someone with an addiction. But on the other hand a fully grown adult definitely shouldn't be locking his terrified young son in a mausoleum overnight. A real father would actually help his son in training, be sympathetic to the struggles with his powers and do more than scoff when he gets back from rehab. Viktor blows out a steady, shaky breath, and decides to go for it.

“Fine. Whatever. Have them. And don’t you dare take any other drugs. Mixing them is bad”

Klaus claps his hands. “Yay!! You’ve earned the spot as my favorite brother!” He dives back underneath the bed to get the rest.

Before he can leave Viktor grabs his arm. “Don’t take any other kind of drugs”

Suddenly the atmosphere around them tenses. Viktor is truly very serious in this moment. He doesn’t want another brother to die. The decision he just made probably isn’t the best move but hey, it’s a better option than allowing him to get questionable drugs from strangers.

He stares into Klaus’ eyes and Viktor swears the air around them seems to move. He could almost feel his bangs fluttering against his forehead. A thrumming, powerful feeling emanates throughout his body.

Klaus’ mouth gapes like a fish, no sound coming out. Viktor only tightens his grip, trying to relay how serious he is. He faintly registers that his desk has started shaking but pays it no mind.

“Okay—yes I won’t take any others”

Viktor releases him. “Good. You got a big stash so please don't come back here soon. I don't want you hurt. Not after..."

He can't say it. After losing two brothers he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to say it. "...you know what I mean. I still think this is crazy so don't mess this up. 'Night Klaus”

Klaus snaps his head back as if he was in a trance and stumbles out the room, tripping as he walks to his own door.

Viktor steps back, releasing a big breath. The items on his desk stop rattling. Huh, must’ve been a big truck going by or something. The tension in the air clears up and he shakily laughs. Getting off that medication really was the right thing to do (maybe not so much what he's just done with said medication but it's fine).

His emotions are dialed up to an eleven and instead of a mind numbing fog he can finally think and breathe and feel. The rest of his siblings have felt this alive their whole lives? Well sign Viktor up, he could get used to it.

He settles in for the night, gently lulled to sleep by the powerful snowstorm that had suddenly picked up in the last few minutes.

Chapter Text

Another sharp pain jabbed throughout Five's stomach. He'd groan or cry a little bit more if he had any energy left to do so. He was completely exhausted but had been laying on this stiff mattress for hours because his brain just wouldn't shut off.

Five's mind was going a million miles a minute and the hunger was nearly driving him up the wall. He'd love to be welcomed by blissful sleep, no matter how terrible it may be but he's just so goddamn scared he can't do it. His father had just kidnapped him, thrown him inside a cage, and he can't even use his powers. Not that he'd even have the energy for it, based on how blinking to the laundry room with Dad nearly sent him sprawling and puking once again.

He was completely defenseless. And he hated it. Hated that this stupid cage somehow prevented him from using his powers, hated that he was ripped from the arms of that kind woman, and hated that he was in the same building as his siblings but had no way of reaching them.

But most of all, he hated that he proved Dad right.

He really was the arrogant, self-absorbed, power hungry child that Dad said he was. A tantrum had gotten him into this mess and he was paying more than the price for it. What hurt the most was that Ben paid for it too. Five would willingly endure 40 years in this rot of a cell if that meant Ben hadn't died. As much as Five's siblings annoyed the hell out of him, he didn't mean to drag any of them down with him. They didn't deserve that. Ben certainly didn't. But here he was.

Laying helplessly on a dingy mattress, too cried out to move. 

Five thinks back to the women that tried to help him. It had felt nice to be hugged, had someone support him, instead of say he's too young to understand and end the conversation. He wanted more of it. He wanted to stay with the blonde woman but then the one person Five can admit he's afraid of showed up to ruin everything. His father had yanked him to his feet, the feeling of the blonde woman's hands being ripped from his own was painful. He didn't even know her name. Yet she had tried to defend him, to advocate for him despite only having met a few minutes prior.

Perhaps it was pity because he certainly looked every part of a defenseless child crying in her arms but he likes to think that she cared for him. But then again, none of that mattered now. He was in a cage in the basement of the Umbrella Academy mansion with only dear old Dad knowing it.

And it's chilly down here, living in the lowest level of the house plus the snowstorm outside is not a good mix. The flimsy blanket he has to cover himself smells like dust and barely gives him any warmth. It's scratchy but it's all he has so he tightens it around his aching body.

Eventually Five manages to fall asleep in the cool cell, though if he's being honest with himself it's more like he passed out. But the last thought that entered his mind was that maybe something will happen from all the people on the street who saw him.

"—mber Five!" 

A voice was calling for him but he couldn't find the strength to move. His head was pounding, the pain radiating throughout his skull was nearly unbearable combined with his empty stomach. Not only that but his breath smelt like death after having not brushed for a few days plus the puking.

"Number Five wake up this instant!"

A jolt of fear went through his body as to what would happen if he didn't obey so he cracked open his eyes and focused intently on forcing himself to stand. 

His father stared at him plainly, carrying a notebook and whistle. Despite his agony, Five smiled since it reminded him of Vanya's old job to be the whistler in their group trainings. He missed Vanya and it killed him that he was so close but could do nothing about it. He ignored the thought in his head that said he wouldn't know if she even did that anymore in trainings because they’ve grown four years older without him.

"Today we will be testing your ability to time travel. Follow me"

Five trailed behind him out of the cell and into a wide open room just down the hall. "Now, I want you to explain how you made the calculations to arrive here. Go over every detail"

Five explained his math, Dad jotting down notes and asking questions throughout the process. Five realized as they spoke that his powers were also tied to his emotions. He barely had a grasp on time travel, he only got here in the first place because he was acting on pure guesses that turned out to be right.

Lucky him.

But the further he went and more years he tried to cover in one jump, the more complex it became. He traveled to the future riding on speculation and joy, only to be smacked in the face with the reality of getting stuck without a backup plan. One of the reasons he couldn't go back—besides running out of energy—is the fact that rewinding time is trickier. 

The thing about Time is that it doesn't like to be messed with. Time created a perfect system and doesn't appreciate when people like him interfere. So Time made travel back more difficult in order to dissuade the past from being meddled with.

Five takes unique pride at the fact that his stunning ability to make those around him annoyed also applies to goddamn Time itself.

After the math was out of the way—including some jabs about his sheer stupidity to attempt time travel on a whim that Five actually found himself agreeing with—they start on the physical aspects of his power.

Dad wants to start off small, easing him into it so they start with basic jumps around the room. Five braces himself, blinking to the corner and thinks about his next destination to...the ground?

Yes, he's lying on his stomach on the ground, right arm pinned underneath his chest at an awkward angle. He blinks—not a spatial jump, just his eyes this time—and finds that moving his eyelids is about the only thing he can do.

Five feels like he's been hit by a truck, pain pouring in like waves. Like one of those full body chills that take over for a moment but instead it's pain and it isn't going away.

He distantly hears Dad's footsteps approaching him. He leans down and rolls Five's body over until he's flat on his back. "Number Five, when was the last time you ate?"

Five opens his mouth, dry throat scraping the words as they're spoken. "L-lunch back in 2002"

Dad's eyes widen and then close in exasperation. "Can you stand at all, boy?" Five honestly shakes his head, feeling sluggish. The longer it's been since he blinked across the room the harder it is to concentrate. His hearing and vision is burring together in a confusing mass and he can barely hear Dad mutter, "This will delay our testing!" His father groans, and then slides his arms underneath Five's back and knees, picking him up from off the ground.

Even in Five's disoriented state he can't fathom as to how Dad is able to bear his weight. Yes, Five is rather small for his age but Dad is like 60 years old and pretty thin himself. Maybe the lack of energy is affecting his critical thinking, but it doesn't make sense. Besides the power of being the worst parent, perhaps Dad has superpowers himself and that's why he adopted them all.

Maybe he has superstrength and that's why Luther is his favorite. But...that particular thought sounds really stupid so maybe his condition is getting to him a little bit. However, Dad's potential powers is worth thinking on later when his skull isn't experiencing a mini earthquake.

Dad carries him back to his special room, and Five remembers that the limit on his powers only applies in here. During their trainings he can blink upstairs and notify his siblings, or the police. He also stores that thought in the back of his mind for later and then realizes that Dad is speaking to him.

Huh, Five hadn't heard anything since he was picked up. If only the ability to tune his father out worked all the time. Wouldn't that be the day. Five tries to respond but is pretty sure he only succeeds in voicing an "auuaggghhhhh" that does nothing to prove his defense that yes, he's ready for anything.

Suddenly he's falling and rather abruptly lands on the shabby mattress, Dad no doubt having unceremoniously dropped him without care or love. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, no one can say he's not a consistent man.

After a few minutes of nothing happening at all, Five is almost ready to believe that his father has left him here to die. That theory is squashed, however, when a gentle hand is placed on his head, softly running down his cheek. Then two strong hands firmly pull his torso up until he's sitting upright. Something is placed at his lips and he opens his mouth to discover it's a spoon.

And shit Five has almost forgotten how amazing food tastes. Some type of soup is being fed to him and it's amazing. He leans forward in an attempt to eat faster and is frustrated when he's pushed back. Ah-ah, he hears a voice say. Need to go slow. 

He pouts and the voice laughs. Slowly, the wonderful soup is finished and then he’s fed a slice of delicious buttered toast. He’s almost in a food coma when a glass of ice water is offered. Everything he’s eaten so far tastes like it came straight from heaven and the water is no exception, it tastes as if it was just gathered from a crisp waterfall. Five almost greedily gulps it down quickly, but continues to go slow after remembering the warning from earlier. 

Sooner than he’d like the glass is pulled away and he’s tugged out of the academy blazer. Afterwards he's motioned to lay more fully on his back. The person moves close and whispers directly in his ear I’m going to put in an IV now, okay? Five nods and through the haze recognizes it as Grace’s voice.

It says a lot about Five’s current state that that he didn’t immediately connect the dots that it was Grace, but he’s just so happy that she’s here.

Mom, he thinks.

As recent as two days ago back in 2002 Five had never gotten himself to think of her as their mother. But now, locked up in the academy without mercy, he doesn’t care about any pride or whatever other stunted emotions he definitely has that prevented him from recognizing her as his mom.

He tries to say her name and thinks he actually succeeds this time because he feels her squeeze his hand and say Hello honey. A few moments later he can barely register the prick of the needle over the other pain currently assaulting him.

He wonders what’s in the IV, probably some type of fluid with nutrients. Diego pops into his mind and how he’d pass out immediately if he saw that needle going in. The happy memory turns sour when Five again remembers that even though he’s in the same house as Diego, his brother has no idea he’s here. Diego probably has no idea he’s even alive.

His melancholy thoughts are stopped as his head starts swirling. “Whaaaa” is all he manages to get out before all sensation cuts off.

Five comes to a few hours later. Or, what he assumes is a few hours. At this rate maybe another four years have passed by and none of his siblings are around anymore to hopefully find him. They’d be 21 at that point and Klaus would finally not have to be sneaky about obtaining alcohol. 

Klaus. Five misses him. His weird, unpredictable brother that manages to be able to insult and compliment you in the same sentence.

He misses all his siblings, even Luther. Five thinks that if there’s ever a day that Luther would lose loyalty to Dad, it’d be the reveal of his own current situation, held captive in the basement.

Five really hopes that when he gets better he’s able to engage the plan of blinking upstairs during training. Speaking of getting better, he should probably open his eyes to see if his vision has come back.

Five open his crusty eyelids to find that yes, his vision is back to normal. His head and stomach don’t hurt anymore, though that could be due to the drugs that are still flowing through his system. He hadn’t expected Mom to knock him out with whatever she injected him with. Regardless, he feels well rested and fed. 

He’s still in his personal hellhole, both Mom and Dad gone. His gaze catches the IV in his right arm and follows the tube up to the bag hanging above him. He’s grateful for the small mercy of it being in his non dominant arm.

Five had appendicitis two years ago and the IV was placed in his left since it had the better vein. The sensation annoyed him so much and the day after the surgery it was unpleasant to wear the tight blazer that brushed the crook of his arm where the IV was. If he’s gonna be forced to use his powers, plus a potential escape, at least he’s able to use his dominant arm without discomfort.

Five hears the cranking of the door, caught off guard by it because the stupid double sided mirror doesn’t allow him to see anything outside this room. There’s no other windows in here and it’s starting to feel like the walls are caving in on him.

A small part of him irrationally hoped that one of his siblings was behind that door but of course it was only Dad. They spend a few minutes in silence taking out the IV, wrapping up his arm and putting the blazer back on. Five tentatively stands, no dizziness interrupting him this time. Finally. He looks up and decides to break the quiet with a question.

“How’d you get here as soon as I woke up?”

Dad only gestures to a camera recording everything in the corner. “Now then. Grace has informed me that you are well enough to use your powers. You should have told me you hadn’t eaten anything in days.”

As much as Five wants to roll his eyes, it’s too risky. He needs to stay healthy enough in order to escape, intentionally egging on his father that kidnapped him will not lead anywhere good. Nothing happens for a few moments and Five realizes that he was lost in thought and tuned the world out for a second. Dad is standing there looking rather disappointed.

Five’s about to laugh at the fact that a disappointed face on his father is more common than a smile when suddenly his head snaps to the side. Pain flares up on his cheek and he stumbles, almost falling backwards on his bed with the force of the slap. He has no time to register what just happened before Dad grabs his right wrist in a tight grip.

”Things will go a lot smoother around here for the both of us if you pay attention to me for once in your life”

Blood rushes to Five’s face, passing over his still stinging cheek. His heart starts beating in overdrive.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

The bones in his wrist are twisting underneath Dad’s incredibly strong hold. They’ll surely break if anymore pressure is placed on it. Five's breathes pick up and his chest heaves up and down. He’s wheezing noisily and Dad can clearly see how much this is affecting him. It also seems that sleep and recharging have brought back the ability to cry, tears quickly brimming in his eyes.

Five is terrified.

He’s more scared than he’s ever been in his life because if anything happens absolutely no one will know. Mom will be programmed to say nothing and Dad will simply dispose of his body.

Dad could kill him at any point if he wanted to and no one would know.

Five supposes that he’s meant to respond, so he fights past the lump in his throat and whispers, “Yes sir”

His father nods and lets go. 

Five feels like a puppet who‘s strings have been cut. He crumples to the floor and wants nothing more than to continue lying there until his heart stops pounding, but instead quickly scrambles to his feet.

It wouldn’t go over well to do that. 

Dad starts walking to the exit and Five follows on shaky legs that feel like jello. The tears from earlier spill over and slide down his face. They’re fresh and warm, a contrast to the cool air of the basement.

He’s rubbing his tender wrist that nearly just got split in two when Dad suddenly halts, jolting Five who accidentally runs into his back. His father doesn’t even turn around, just speaks very calmly, voice laced with venom.

”I am only going to say this once. As foolish as you are sometimes Number Five, you are my son; you are not stupid. I know you have figured out that you can simply spatial jump out of here as soon as we leave this room”

Five’s breath catches in his throat, and his heart that had slightly recovered from a few moments ago picks up pace again, about to burst out of his chest.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

”You were unwell as we trained earlier, thanks to Grace you are at full strength again. It’s up to you if you want to escape my boy, I certainly will not stop you."

Dad brings his fist up and slams it against the heavy metal of the door, the loud noise echoing throughout the room. Five jumps, stepping back. He imagines that hand crushing his wrist or connecting with his face.

"But just know this”

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

Dad still hasn’t turned around and Five thinks that’s the creepiest thing because it forces him to focus on the tone of his voice.

It’s dark, heavy, and threatening.

Ba-dum

Ba-dum

Ba-dum

It’s worse than any criminal Five has fought.

He braces himself for the next words to come out of his father’s mouth.

”I will kill Number Seven if you leave”

Chapter Text

Ever since Ben died, Klaus has started racking up some serious secrets. 

Number one (not Luther): Once poor Benerino bit the dust he decided to stick by his side like a gnat on flypaper. Klaus is not exactly positive if that could be counted a secret because he's pretty sure if he says anything about it to his siblings they won't believe him. But still, it's a pretty significant detail to not speak of to his family that's still mourning his death two months ago.

Number two (again, not Diego): Viktor willingly gave him full access to his anxiety medication. Wrote up a contract and Klaus signed a big fat John Hancock on that baby. He still can't comprehend it actually happened. He had been 94.9876% sure that Viktor would turn him down, but then he went and surprised him by saying yes. Not that Klaus is complaining, is very grateful indeed, but it threw him for a loop. 

Number Three (nope, not Allison): If he's being honest Klaus actually doesn't remember there being a third big secret, so scratch that. 

However...there is the whole thing that happened after Viktor gave him the pills.

His brother had grabbed his arm to make sure that he didn't go and do something dumb like mix drugs again. Klaus was grateful that Viktor was looking out for him. He was.

But that doesn't explain what happened to the air.

Maybe it was his body acting weird because the alcohol he drank earlier was wearing off. Maybe it was the creepy ghosts messing with him that were coming back due to the rapidly approaching sobriety. But no explanation he comes up with can describe why the air rippled with tension.

All the air got sucked out and the only noise he could hear was Viktor's voice, and the items on his desk rattling. Klaus could almost convince himself that his brother's skin was changing color, looking pale and dead. Perhaps that was his own trauma processing that Ben's body was currently decaying and changing color six feet underground.

Speaking of Ben, the punk had decided then of all moments to ditch Klaus because he didn't want to watch him steal drugs from their brother. Klaus couldn't even ask him if he saw the same thing.

It unnerved him. A lot.

But that feeling was tucked away with all the other things that he couldn't explain about this household, which are endless and certainly go much higher than the seven numbers in the Umbrella Academy.

If you asked Ben, dying sucked but at least he had a brother that could commune with the dead.

Focus on the positives, right?

Sure, he was just brutally murdered soon after his seventeenth birthday but at least he can be with his family. His family (besides the aforementioned séance) that no matter how close he gets to them, they can't see him. They don't know he's right there and pass right through him.

It hurts. It hurts a lot.

The thing is that although it's painful to stay here, and as much as Ben wants to pass through to the other side, he knows there's unfinished business on Earth.

Right before Klaus conjured him post-funeral, the Light beckoned to him. It emanated warmth and he felt a pull towards it.

He accepted his death and was smiling as his body floated towards it but when he got close, his heart dropped in his chest. Ben felt in his soul that going into the Light was wrong. His stomach sank and negative feelings spread throughout his entire body. 

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

In his confusion he waited a moment and received another impression.

Not yet.

He's not sure exactly how he knows, but he just does. From the tip of his head to his feet. There is a mission for him to accomplish here on Earth. He doesn't know what the mission entails or how long it'll take, but he's determined to find out.

Ben has a duty to complete and it feels important, more important than any bullshit Dad filled their heads with.

All he can do is wait around for something to happen. Is he here for Klaus? His other siblings? Mom? Pogo? Dad? Some random person outside?

He doesn't know.

Ben was rather surprised that when he was conjured he looked like his normal self before...what happened. He's certainly not complaining because if he manifested in the appearance of his death he wouldn't even be able to stand. His body was mangled almost beyond the point of recognition.

It was traumatic enough to him, and it's heartbreaking that it happened in front of his siblings. They got a front row seat to his brutal death and they can't even go to anyone for therapy about it. Therapy is for "useless individuals who cannot handle the stresses of life without having a breakdown" as Dad called it.

Oh well. Maybe whatever his mission is will help his family. At least he hopes.

The first night after Klaus conjured him, he didn't know what to do with himself. He clearly didn't need sleep and came to the decision to wander around the city. 

It's peaceful, to walk around the mostly empty streets he'd never gotten a chance to explore while alive. Ben's favorite spot is beyond the city up on a hill. It overlooks the river and the city lights reflecting against the water is calming. Sometimes it snows and the peaceful fluttering of snowflakes relaxes him.

The inability to feel temperature comes in handy when you sit outside in the cold all night long. Ben sits and watches the sunrises; beautiful oranges, yellows, pinks, and reds stretching across the sky as they chase away the black of night.

In the Umbrella Academy, you don't have a life. You're alive, yes, but are not given the opportunity to properly live and experience more of the world. Ben's death flushed his chance down the drain but not yet for his siblings. They deserve a chance.

Five deserved a chance.

The city lights become blurry in Ben's vision as he thinks about his long-lost brother. No one knew what happened and they still don't. It's a mystery to this day.

He sits there for a few moments, lost in thoughts about Five until an idea pops into his mind. Ben has been dead for two months now and had explored some of the mansion. It's quite exciting, honestly. Exploring places he'd never seen before, the ability to phase through walls was incredible. The biggest perk of death, in Ben's opinion.

However there's a room he hasn't entered in yet.

A room that no one has been allowed in for four years. Only Mom is permitted entry for intermittent dusting.

Ben stands up, taking one last look at the sunrise peeking up on the horizon and sprints back to the mansion. He doesn't know why it's suddenly so important to go there now, but just has a feeling that this can't wait.

There's something about that room.

Something he needs to learn from it.

He reaches the academy and rushes to the stairwell in the west wing, following it to his missing brother's bedroom. Ben's heart didn't actually pump blood anymore but it still felt like it was pounding in his chest. He takes in a shaky breath (still can't believe it's technically possible to do that) and phased through the door. 

The room that greets him is exactly how he remembered. It's been awhile but everything is still there.

The comic posters, robots, and toy cars.

A pair of uniform shorts is folded over the back of his desk chair, and a complicated math book lies open on the table. Ben may have grown older than the thirteen year old Five that read it in his spare time, but the math is still too intense to wrap his brain around.

A domino mask lies haphazardly on the floor. Mom was ordered to only dust, not disturb anything so that it would be the same for when he'd come back. Ben can imagine the mask falling as Five grabbed something else on his desk before rushing downstairs for dinner. Perhaps Five absentmindedly thought that he'd pick it up later, not realizing he'd never return.

No one expected that. Five had mentioned running away, yes. But it was always as a group effort, never alone. Ben misses him terribly.

Five did not intentionally abandon them, he would never do that. Something happened that prevented him from coming back. Five did rave on about time travel just before he left but the concept seems too tricky for even his smart brain to get right at such a young age. It had to be something else.

He wonders if Five is waiting for him on the other side of the Light.

Maybe Ben's mission is to recover his body, to solve the mystery of his death (murder?) and finally bring closure to their broken family.

Maybe Five is the one telling him to stay.

Shit.

That was a depressing thought. Ben wishes he could erase the last ten seconds from his mind but it does make sense. He hates how plausible it seems. It's a thought he doesn't want, would rather the mission be anything else, but it feels somehow right. He doesn't want to face a reality of discovering that Five has been dead this whole time.

Five's disappearance is something that left a massive hole in their lives. Dad didn't even know what happened. It's been a big mystery for the past four years as to what the hell happened to him, and now suddenly that Ben dies he has a mission before he can cross to the other side?

Could this be it?

He almost starts hyperventilating. Well, as close as he can get to it. He's able to breathe in order to speak and what not but panic attacks aren't possible for a corpse. However, he feels damn near close to one thinking about how he may be the key to solving his vanished brother's possible murder.

Why the hell does it have to be a dead person to solve it? What fucked up shit happened to Five? It must be pretty bad if this is the solution. Ben already died rather horrifically, he can only hope that Five was spared from something that graphic.

Ben crouches down and hovers his hand over the domino mask, itching to have the ability pick it up, to feel close to Five. He thinks about how he's suddenly come up with this insane theory in the past few minutes as to why he's still here.

It can't possibly be true, that's jumping to wayyyy too many conclusions and theories too fast.

But...standing in Five's untouched bedroom, hand over his fighting mask, it just feels right. 

After two months he has figured out a lead.

His mission has to do with Five. 

Whether it's to solve his murder, or save him? It's directly tied to him.

Chapter Text

Allison was conflicted.

She wanted to leave home, to leave the environment that took two of her brothers from her. She could technically leave now, her popularity and the benefits of her rumors would definitely make living on her own possible.

But Ben had died two months ago and she didn't think she could deal with that stress as well as all the responsibility of living alone. 

October 14th started out as a normal day. Filled with studies, meals, training, and free time that was cut short by a mission. A mission that was as standard as anything else. 

There was a hiccup of Klaus being drunk but he sobered up pretty quickly after Dad had a quick "chat" that left Klaus with puffy eyes and a red mark on his cheek. Ben didn't want to go and Viktor was ready to take his place but of course that didn't happen, it would never be allowed. The Umbrella Academy needed its "full force" and Viktor was never a part of it.

Ben had sighed, his attempt at rebellion squashed but hey, it's just a few hours and they'll be back soon.

That's what they all thought.

Viktor waited for Ben at home, to see how the mission turned out.

But what they didn't expect was the eldritch horror inside Ben's stomach to turn against him.

Something had went wrong. The new, experimental substance the criminals were smuggling had crashed to the ground in the fight, releasing into the air. Ben had been standing right there, and some of it landed directly onto the monster he was burdened to bear.

No matter how many times Allison tried to forget, the screams never left her mind as she tried to sleep. 

The horror had screeched; a horrifying, otherworldly, frightening wail. And then it started writhing around. Fast, jerky movements. The tentacles would shrink into themselves, burst forth as if trying to detach itself from Ben's body, and flail around helplessly. Over and over and over. Again and again. Forever, it seemed.

It hurt Ben. All he could do was stand there as the tentacles fought against his own body.

Through her tears, Allison tried to rumor the monster but it was supernatural; from a different planet, a different dimension so it didn't work. Her shouts and continued ramblings were useless.

I heard a rumor you left Ben and went back to your dimension

I heard a rumor you stopped existing

I heard a rumor left my brother alone

I heard a rumor you died

Commands of death, spontaneous combustion, or disappearance had zero effect. Eventually she couldn't hear her voice anymore, drowned out by the horror's wails and Ben's screams.

He screamed like somebody was cutting him open with a chainsaw, and Allison didn't doubt that's how it actually felt. The confusing mass of monster decided to up its frenzy, the drugs really getting to it now. To everyone's shock, the horror started to attack Ben. The tentacles grabbed onto pieces of his body with its suckers and pulled.

It continued until her brother could no longer scream, until Ben, and the eldritch monster both collapsed to the floor.

Ben was completely still, looking up with empty dead eyes. Parts of his body lay around the room, blood coating Allison and her other brothers. The horror lay in mangled pieces strewn around, tentacles twitching and spasming in its first moments of death.

The ear-shattering screams filling the air now belonged to the remaining Hargreeves siblings.

And Allison knew she would never be the same.

Two days later his funeral was held in the biting cold. She couldn't stop herself from holding back tears as she stared at Ben's picture on the casket, slowly being covered by snowflakes. Because that's not the face that gazed up at her with vacant eyes on the dirty, blood coated floor. The picture on his casket was what Ben normally looked like, and his face in death was so much worse because of what Dad forced them to do. What he had trained them to do since birth, since he gifted them knives for their fifth birthday.

So, yeah. Allison couldn't handle washing her own dishes without breaking down crying. As much as she wanted to leave the place that got them into this mess, it would only cause more problems. And as broken as her family was right now, they needed each other.

Allison didn't know how to properly show that love, she was pretty shit at it actually. Would rumor her siblings, fight for attention, and revel in the fame. Not that she was alone in her attention seeking, the only siblings to not do that were Ben who doesn't count anymore, and Viktor who's never actually been given a seat at the table.

They were a weird family. Their insane father, robot mom, and chimp butler or whatever Pogo was weren't exactly the best examples. But she did care about them. She loved them, excluding one obvious person. And they needed to be together, no matter how uncomfortable the silence was.

Today had gone relatively boring. It was Christmas two days ago and Mom had given them gifts, Pogo later sneaking them trinkets he knew they'd like. It was too cold for her liking to go outside, and studies and training were monotonous. Though language study was nice, French is always a great challenge to tackle.

She's walking upstairs to spend some time on the balcony when she spots a door open. Normally that wouldn't arouse any suspicion but this is a door that's been locked her entire life. A door that Dad has been seen entering multiple times. A door that was currently open and looked empty.

It would be stupid to enter. Dad would kill her if he found out. But it was even stupider for her to walk over to the wall of TV screens and start looking at everything.

Which to be clear, she was only doing out of curiosity. Yes, it did kill the cat but it's also Dad's responsibility to shut the door if he doesn't want snooping, so really it's his fault, not hers.

The room was basic, cluttered with random things apart from rows of small TVs stacked on top of each other, all displaying current surveillance footage throughout the mansion. Each were labelled at the base of the screen with its location. She could see the top floor, main rooms, lower level with their rooms, and so on. Allison knew they were being recorded, she obviously could see the cameras but the image of the TVs all laid out for viewing made her uneasy.

She swallowed down some rising nausea and looked at the live footage. Luther of course was spending his free time working out. Diego was practicing knife throwing (in his words what a real man does) and edging Luther on by flinging them closer and closer to his body. She rolled her eyes at her brother's squabbles and continued on. Viktor was reading a book in the library with Pogo and Klaus was talking with Mom as she folded laundry.

She almost started searching for Ben when her heart sank. He's not on this footage anymore.

Allison was about to leave because she had spent enough time in here and didn't want to potentially be caught by Dad at any moment. She really was trying to leave.

But...something caught her eye. 

A TV screen that wasn't part of the group. Off to the side, facing away where she could only see the light emanating from it dance across the table.

Allison shouldn't.

She really shouldn't.

But she reached over with a shaky hand anyway and turned it around. 

Five doesn't know how long he's been down here, he can really only guess on what time of day it is based upon the meals he's given. He'd kept count in the beginning but lost track of the days one time and since then it's been too difficult to retrace his steps—or in this case, days. All he knows is that it's been somewhere between a month or a million years. Give or take.

Dad's threat to kill his favorite sibling has effectively kept him in line.

Dad explained that he'd implanted chips into their brains to monitor brain activity and study their powers. But a more sinister reason was that with the click of a button, can make the chip go ka-boom. 

Yeah. Kidnapping isn't out of character.

Five's rather irritated that his father recognized his weakness and exploited it. He wouldn't really care if an escape attempt earned him more training, because fatigue and over-exertion has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember.

He wouldn't really care if it meant he died, at least he'd see his siblings one last time.

Death.

It was a topic that has been creeping into Five's mind more recently. Rotting in a cell with no chance of escape is not a life. The only other way he can somewhat keep track of time is the progression and healing of his bruises. He'd stopped caring about his wellbeing and life and couldn't exactly pinpoint when the switch was flipped. 

The first time Dad's slaps turned into punches? When Five "talked back" once and was left in the room with no visits for (what he guesses is) a few days to teach him a lesson? The beatings aren't new to Five—his smart mouth had resulted in many backhands before the time travel—but they've become more frequent.

There's no one else around to stop Dad and Five supposes this is his true nature.

Threats against Five himself didn't work anymore (it seems the beatings are more for Dad's pleasure which unnerved him). But bring his siblings into the mix and that's a whole different story. He's already gotten one sibling killed, Five's not interested in being responsible for the death of another one. 

If only he could find the device that spontaneously murders them. But fighting his father that is much bigger and stronger than him is too risky. One mistake and his siblings are dead. And even if he does manage to find the controller, Dad could have others. The only way he can stop it is to kill him, and Five knows it's too risky and he's not skilled enough for that.

So, enduring the pain is his only option.

The ironic thing is that for the monster that he was, his father has actually been remarkably good at improving his powers. Five's spatial jumps no longer require focused concentration or his fists stiffly balled up at his sides. He's able to blink with ease, second nature by now.

And his grasp on time travel has also been enhanced. He doesn’t try to jump years into the future, instead finds success with only a few seconds at a time. Forwards and backwards, and forwards again. Five wanted to train more but Dad has forbade him until the foreseeable future, ending the conversation by saying he’s not “trustworthy” yet.

But now, after however long Five has been holed up down here, it seems that there's nothing else to work on. His spatial jumps need no more improvement, and time travel is on pause. Five doesn't know how much longer Dad will keep him here before snapping. He doesn't know how much of a "good boy" he has to be to qualify for freedom. Or, however much freedom he can get in the Umbrella Academy.

If food wasn't tied to his powers Five knows that Dad would certainly refrain from feeding him as punishment—aside from the incident of Five's backtalk. Luckily Dad has no choice, and the time Five spends with Mom when she brings him meals are treasured. He can almost convince himself when he's with her that he's simply sick with the flu and she's tending to him. That he's alone in his room until he gets better, away from his siblings as to not infect them.

It's something that he repeats to himself at night when no one is around to see his tears. Five has turned into more of a crier recently, he wasn't really one before but being abducted isn't the recommended lifestyle for anyone, not to mention a teenager who can't even grow facial hair yet.

His time in here has introduced him to the worst parts of Dad. He's been able to see an increase in all of Dad's attributes. Everything has been amplified, good and bad. An increase in results from training that have certainly blessed his powers (the only good part about Dad) but also an increase in his anger and frustration. It's beginning to wear him down. The only people he can talk to about this is the one who's hitting him, and Mom who's programmed to not speak about it at all.

One week into his captivity, Five confessed to her that Dad nearly broke his wrist. Her grip on the dinner plate had tightened, and a frightened emotion flickered across her face before being replaced with an artificial laugh. "Now honey, I cannot speak about this with you," she spoke, the words slipping out of her strained smile.

If Five could just say the right thing her programming could be—

Mom abruptly stood up and stared down at him. She spoke in a low voice, malice curling around every word. "Your father loves you very much. He only wants what's best for you. He only did that because you were being difficult." Five's breaths picked up and his stomach turned sour.

"You know the rules Number Five. Behave and you don't suffer the consequences."

The betrayal cut through Five like a blade.

He knows he can't blame Mom, he knows that. But he could still feel how Dad's fingers wrapped around his wrist and Mom was standing there, saying to his face that it's okay. That it's a form of love. 

She sounded exactly like Dad. Mom never used "number" when addressing him. It felt formal, cold, and scripted.

Tears started to blur his vision, a lump forming in his throat. His mouth opens in an attempt to say something but his mind is blank so he sits there gaping like a fish. His father is hurting him, threatening to kill his family, and his mother is unable to help.

It felt like someone stabbed him and simply stood there, watching him bleed out.

There is no escaping this. Unless he becomes Dad's toy. A pliant, obedient shell of a person that obeys his every order. 

And Five would rather die than become that, to become Reginald 2.0

The only hope he has is his siblings. That somehow, someway, they'll find him.

Follow Dad on his path to the elevator.

Find his notes.

Realize that no, he is not dead. He is so close to them and all they need to do is go downstairs.

A wail burst out of Five's throat as he started crying. He covered his face with his hands and bent forward onto his knees covered by the thin, scratchy blanket. He's completely powerless. Literally and figuratively. He's vulnerable and exposed to every one of Dad's emotions.

There is no way out.

Everything came crashing down upon him again.

The door had opened right after that and Dad forced Mom out of the room, taking the half eaten dinner with him. 

Allison slowly moves the TV around and forces herself to look at the screen. Blood rushes to her face and her cheeks feel hot.

What.

The.

Fuck.

It can't be real.

This isn't happening.

This is just a replay, it's years old. It's impossible to be live footage.

Her eyes are playing tricks. There's no way that's Dad and...

But deep down, Allison knows it's current. It's her nightmare and her biggest dream come true, in the worst way possible. This is playing out in real time and she has accidentally stumbled upon the truth.

She brings her still trembling fingers up to the label at the bottom of the TV.

Basement level, lowest floor

Overtime, Five's willpower has worn down. 

He doesn't speak to Mom about Dad's treatment of him anymore, only remains on the "safe" subjects. Or doesn't talk at all. Words seem meaningless to him now. Just being in Mom's presence is comfort enough. He doesn't dare try to initiate a hug, who knows how that will go over.

But he does grab her hand. Tightly. She doesn't have fragile bones so he can grasp her hand until his knuckles turn white and his hand shakes, drawing strength from it.

One day, something unexpected happens. 

They're training, and Five is actually doing quite well. Today it's not spatial jumps, rather object displacement. Dad has a chair and a 50 lbs weight in front of him. Five breathes out slowly, focuses on the folds of space, and concentrates.

The chair and weight swap places.

Five smiles. He'd only discovered this ability a week before their first mission, making sure to test it out by swapping a robber's gun with a stapler. Until recently he ran out of energy quickly after using it, spatial jumps were more natural to him verses spatial displacement. But now he's getting more training than ever before so it's greatly improved.

It's a very useful skill, a substantial benefit for missions.

If he ever went on another mission again. Five still doesn't know exactly what will happen when Dad decides that he's "ready" to leave. Will it be after his siblings have left? Will Dad let him see them again? There's too many unknowns so instead he just focuses on the task at hand.

"Again" his father says. Five moves them back to their original spots.

"Now move the weight to your hands"

He blinks the objects around the room in varying locations, the chair behind Dad to sit on, the weight on top of the chair, swapping the chair and his bed back in his cell and so on. Five can only blink items to different places if he's seen them before, a change from his spatial jump power. He has to imagine the place in his mind and determine what he wants to move. And he can only blink people if he's physically touching them.

It's complicated yet very fascinating, no wonder Dad is interested in his powers so much. Who knows what else there is to be explored with time travel. 

The training continues for a long time, and Five's energy is draining him. Sweats drips down his face and neck, dampening his collar. He'd taken the blazer and vest off awhile ago. Mom hasn't cut his hair so it's curling at the nape of his neck and falling into his eyes.

"Move the weight again, boy. Almost done"

Five eyes sting, salty sweat entering so he brings a shaky hand up to slick his long bangs back and focuses. The weight doesn't budge. 

"Concentrate!"

The weight shakes but still doesn't move. 

"Blink it to your hands now!"

Five yells and just thinks about moving it. He half-asses the math, too tired to finish the equations.

And

the

weight

falls

on 

Dad's

feet

It lands with a thud on his left shoe, sliding to the floor as Dad leaps back. Five lands hard on his knees, too exhausted and terrified as to what just happened to stand.

He can't believe it. He just dropped a 50 lbs weight onto Dad's foot. The monocle that's always perfectly perched on his face fell as he jumped back, now swinging back and forth wildly from his vest. 

Dad looks down at Five with death in his eyes. 

Five's whole body starts shaking, he can't believe he just did that and now Dad's looking at him like he wants to kill him and—

Dad rushes forward and pulls Five up by his collar, leaving his feet dangling in the air.

"How dare you do that to me?" he growls

"I—It was an accident!"

"An ACCIDENT?"

"We've been training for a long time! I'm tired and couldn't do the math!"

"So it just conveniently lands on my foot? Of all places?"

Five splutters, frantically searching for the right thing to say to make him believe him. "I di-didn't k-know okay?"

"Excuses, Number Five, that's nothing but an excuse!"

"But it's the truth!"

Dad strides to the wall and slams him into it, knocking the breath out of his lungs. He whirls his fist back and it connects with Five's face with a sickening crack

"Excuses!"

another punch

"No son of mine"

Five's head snaps again to the other side

"will be a liar!"

Five loses track of time, all he knows is that he's dropped to the floor in Dad's rage. He curls himself into a ball in an attempt to shield the never ending blows and kicks raining down. His screams echo throughout the room and Dad's threats blur into something incomprehensible. At some point Dad grabs the weight and begins ramming it down, each hit landing on his right arm.

His arm aches, burns, caves in, and crunches. That earns a high pitched scream that arches his back painfully, choking him until all he feels is white hot pain.

He's going to die.

Dad will kill him right now and his siblings will never see him again. He's already dead to them anyway, this is just completing what they already assumed.

But...

now there's another person in the room

Dad's strikes with the weight halt, and Five uncurls himself, groaning at the aching all over his body. His right arm is bent inward—the white bone showing—which results in nausea building up in his throat. His nose also hurts terribly and a cut on his forehead gushing blood blocks most of his vision. 

Trembling, he swipes his left hand across his eyes and places it on his browbone as if he's blocking out the sun, in order to prevent more blood from spilling down.

He forces his eyelids open to see Allison standing in the doorway.

She's years older but holy fuck that's his sister, he'd never forget what she looks like.

A look of horror crosses her face, and she blinks a few times, as if not believing the scene in front of her.

"FIVE???"

Chapter Text

Basement level, lowest floor

Allison was speechless. In front of her on the screen, was Dad with Five.

Her brother who mysteriously vanished four years ago. 

The thought again ran through her mind that this was a replay, but that's the purple suit Dad wore today, and Five's hair is longer than Dad ever allowed. 

On the TV, Five is blinking objects around the room, it looks like they're training.

What?

How? 

Why??????

How long has he been there? The whole time?? Why is this a secret? What is Dad doing to him, and for what purpose?

A million more questions flow through her mind but they don't matter, because she can't help Five if she's just standing here

The idea to grab at least one of her siblings never crosses her mind as she hobbles out of the room, zooming down the stairs to the lowest level she knows of.

As she exits the room she misses the weight falling on Dad's shoes.

Allison bounds down the stairs seemingly ten steps at a time, only taking a few strides to travel the hallways down to their rooms. She tries each and every door she finds. Doors in the kitchen lead to pantries, and dusty closets filled with old uniforms and random junk she's never seen. Some closets also have other doors which also turn out to be dead ends.

AC units, storage, plumbing, everything but her brother.

By this time it's been minutes since she discovered the surveillance footage and she's frightened of what's happened since then. She's scared that Dad will have gotten upstairs by now and she won't see exactly where in the house he emerged from.

Her movements are progressively getting more sluggish and her entire body is shaking, barely able to keep her upright. It feels like she's walking through quicksand, like this is a dream and no matter how fast she runs, Five will always be out of reach because she's too slow.

The door inside the laundry room is occupied by a mop and mildewy clothes, another dead end. Frustrated, she searches the hallways for any other doors.

There's one at the end of the hallway, a black one she's always tuned out because they'd just simply never gone in there. 

Or maybe she has? A faint memory from a long time ago is rising but she doesn't have time to think on it right now.

She trips over there and jiggles the handle.

Locked.

Allison howls, and stomps over to her room, grabbing her lockpicking kit. They'd been trained for missions and although Klaus was the best at this, she still knew what she was doing. After a few agonizing moments, she's not sure how long, it clicks and opens.

She throws open the door and finds a short entryway to an elevator. She slams the button with such force her palm hurts. The pain is ignored as she taps her foot in frustration, waiting for it to arrive.

God damnit get here already.

After an eternity the lift arrives and she has a split second of fear imagining Dad is in there before the sliding doors part to reveal an empty space.

Allison leaps in and selects the lowest level, taking in big, gasping breathes as she sinks deeper and deeper into the house.

This is really happening. Five is alive and she's finally going to see him again.

As her journey continues down, sounds reach her ears. Allison can't quite make out what it is but after a few moments it becomes clear.

Screams.

Blood curdling, heart wrenching screams.

It sounds like someone is being murdered.

It sounds like Ben  as his body was ripped apart in front of her.

Allison is not allowing another brother to die so when the doors open she sprints towards the direction of the shrieks of pain. 

The sight that greets her eyes will haunt her for the rest of her life.

It's something that the Umbrella Academy would be sent to prevent.

Dad is crouched over Five's crumpled body on the floor, swinging a heavy weight again and again at his body.

The reality of the situation fully catches up to her, and it feels like someone has clutched her throat, cutting off her oxygen supply.

She blinks, squeezing her eyes shut as if it would make it go away. Make Dad stop hurting Five, and god he's going to kill him.

Dad suddenly stops, probably having heard her rushed entrance and heavy footsteps.

He turns to look at her with eyes that could burn galaxies with its rage.

Rage that Five has been on the receiving end of, curled up in a ball on the floor, blood coating his face.

"FIVE????" she yells, still not processing that this is real. This is real, Five is being beaten near to death by Dad and she's just walked in on them alone. Alone because she didn't even think to grab one of her siblings to come with her.

Idiot, she thinks. If only she had just brought someone else this would go a lot better. She's not prepared for this. She doesn't know what she's doing but god damnit Five deserves to have someone stick up for him right now so Allison swallows her fear and blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Dad simply stands there, the fucking weight still in his hand. "Nothing that concerns you, Number Three"

A frightened laugh bubbles out of her at the audacity of his statement. "Bullshit! You're killing Five! Stop it!"

Dad scoffs, eerily calm now. "You break the rules, come down here without permission, and expect to order me around?"

"Me? Breaking the rules?" she gestures to Five, whose eyes are glazed over and is blankly staring at her, mutilated arm loose at his side. "Has he been here the whole time?"

Dad is about to say something else but the topic of their conversation, Five, tries to stand despite his condition. "Alli-" he manages to get out before slipping on the blood that's now pooling on the floor, landing hard on his back. His mouth opens in a silent scream, the pain overwhelming him so much he can't even speak.

Allison rushes to him and shouts his name, Dad be damned. She doesn't care if she's beaten or taken prisoner herself, Five needs her.

Her plan is halted by Dad, who swoops down and snatches Five up by his collar.

"I heard a rumor you let him go"

Allison spoke the words quicker than she ever has in her life, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She'd never dared rumor Dad before but has no other option.

The rippling sound waves that accompany her power float towards his face.

And bounce off, dissipating into nothing.

Allison stops, bewildered. "I—I heard a rumor you let me take Five"

Again, it doesn't have any effect. His eyes do not turn white and glaze over with the command, instead they crinkle at the edges with a smile.

"I heard a rumor you killed yourself"

A devilish chuckle escapes Dad's lips. "My my, Number Three. What on Earth has made you feel that way about me?"

"You—you can't, I..."

"Speak up Number Three. I cannot have more than one child turning into a spluttering mess who cannot form words"

And then it hit her.

The rumors did not work on the Horror.

They bounced off the tentacles of the appalling monster as it killed her brother, the same as they are now, to the monster standing in front her threatening another brother.

Her rumors only work on humans.

Which Dad is clearly not.

He senses the realization in her eyes, and turns his head to look at Five clutched in his arms. "My boy, your sister has just figured out I am not human. Took her long enough, don't you think?" He playfully slaps Five's cheek, blood smearing across his hand.

He points a finger towards her, crimson dripping off the tip to join the rest on the floor.

"Number Five is here in the first place because he disobeyed me. He time travelled from dinner to the day of Ben's funeral. I found him and we've been training ever since"

Allison takes a step back. Ben's funeral? That was two months ago. Two months he's been trapped down here, none of them knowing. And shit, that means he's just barely thirteen years old. She looks at his face, really looks for the first time since discovering him. Beneath the blood, slightly longer hair, terror, and half conscious expression, he's young. Has only just become a teenager, baby fat still clinging to his cheeks.

He's so young, and has been horrifically abused by their father all by himself, with no one knowing. 

Tears gather in her eyes, spilling over her cheeks. It's not fair. It's not fair that this is their lives.

It's not fair that Dad kidnapping his own child doesn't surprise her.

"Crying. Such a useless emotion. Crying won't save your brother, it won't stop the fact that he time travelled here. I've kept him here because he defied me. And here you are now too. Disobeying me and interrupting an important lesson."

"Lesson? Look at his arm Dad, you split it in two! Why?" the tears don't stop, they blur her vision and choke up her throat. "WHY?"

Dad looks down at her brother, considering the bone peeking out of his arm. The heavy weight lays on the floor, blood splattered and a solid reminder of what’s happened. Five watches through half-lidded eyes, not having any strength to do otherwise.

"Bones can heal. Lessons learned will stay forever"

A growl Allison didn't think herself capable of escapes her throat as she rushes towards Dad. Ben's dead because of him. Five's being kept prisoner like an animal because of him.

She wants to punch him until his face isn't recognizable. She wants to take the weight and bash his limbs in. She wants to watch him bleed out and die, to feel even a fraction of the suffering he's inflicted upon them.

She tries to punch Dad's face but he easily slaps it away. A roundhouse kick is caught in his hand and he twists her leg around, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Allison attempts to grab the weight but Dad snatches it first. A swipe at his feet is missed as he leaps back, one handed grip still firmly on Five. This continues for a bit, punches and kicks and attempts to maim, to wipe that smug smirk off his face and all avoided, all expertly dodged at the last second.

He really is not human.

Allison is laying on the ground, sweat beading up on her forehead and panting heavily. "I. Hate. You." she grits out painfully, hot tears falling down even faster because she can't win this war. She's been raised to save people, to use her rumors and fighting skills to be of service. Her younger brother is in danger and everything she knows how to do isn't working.

She's failed. There's nothing she can do to help Five. Absolutely nothing.

"Number Three, as much as this amuses me your time is up. It is getting late and you must return to bed"

"Like hell I am! I'm not letting this go" She pushes herself off the ground and onto her feet. She eyes the doorway, maybe she can outrun him fast enough to close the elevator doors before he gets there, alerting her siblings once she reaches the top—

A strange sound interrupts her thoughts. Allison whips her gaze back to Dad, whose arm is—shit—his arm is turning into some sort of sharp instrument, fingers and fleshy arm rippling and turning into metal, glinting in the dim lighting of the room. Dad presses his arm that is now a weapon against Five's throat.

"My dear, I wouldn't do that if I were you"

She simply stares at what used to be his arm, confused at the outward display of his abilities. Of his alien form.

"Can't have anyone else knowing about this. Not until Number Five is ready. Not until he becomes what he is destined and was named to be."

"The hell?" she grunts, still out of breath from the pitiful one sided fight.

Dad rolls his eyes and grins with an intense, satisfied expression.

"Rumor yourself"

Allison takes a step back, tripping over her feet and back hitting the wall. "W—What?"

Dad presses the sword—his arm—tighter against Five's throat, who doesn't react beyond eyes widening in fear.

"There is a mirror in Number Five's room. Look into it and rumor yourself to forget your time here"

This can't be happening. She just found Five. He's suffering down here, getting beat to a pulp and now Dad expects her to just make herself forget? She can't do that. She won't.

"No" she whispers, voice barely audible.

Dad only presses the weapon closer to Five's neck, now drawing blood. If he places anymore pressure on it his vocal chords will be damaged, or he'll bleed out.

She can't help him if he's dead.

The never ending stream of tears continues, and the hopelessness of the situation catches up to her. She either follows Dad's orders or Five will die. 

"I hate you" she murmurs again, squeezing her eyes shut. Fucking shit, she hates Dad with such a passion she wants to rip apart every particle of his body and toss his alien form in a blender. "Okay," she says bitterly. "I'll do it"

They walk slowly over to Five's "room", Dad trailing beside her with the sword stubbornly still in place.

Allison frantically formulates a plan. Well not really a plan, per se, more of an act of desperation that she can only contribute one sentence to. It's risky, she's not even sure if her powers work like that, has never tried something like it before. But it's all she can do so she executes it without a second thought.

"What's that room over there?" she asks, pointing to the heavy duty looking cell ahead of them.

"If anyone attempts to intrude upon the academy that is where I will put them" Dad says. He makes a few comments about how he trained all the children in there once their powers first manifested; unsure of the intensity, needing a safe room in case one of them accidentally blew something up.

While Dad drones on, Allison quietly says underneath her breath, in a voice she can barely hear herself. "I heard a rumor you do not give up and discover a way out of here" 

The rippling sound waves are hardly visible as they snake towards Five's face, turning his droopy eyes white. Dad was distracted, pointing towards the cell and describing how the door is even too strong for Luther to tear off.

A moment later they're in Five's cell. It's bare, with only a mattress and a small toilet in the corner. So this is where he's been kept. It's crushing her soul that she'll forget soon but she still has hope. Allison found him once, it can happen again. Hopefully her rumor helps Five come up with some theories.

She's not sure how Dad has prevented him from blinking upstairs, but doesn't doubt he found a way.

He is an alien.

The alien interrupts her thoughts, barking out a command. "Before you rumor yourself, tell me how you found us. Lie and I'll slit his throat. Yours too."

Allison swallows, gut filling with dread at the threat. "Your surveillance room door was open. I found the TV of you training"

Dad closes his eyes in dismay and Allison can't help but feel pride at outsmarting him.

"A mistake on my part that will not repeated” he groans. He tells her the exact phrase for the rumor and she approaches the mirror.

Allison takes a deep breath. "I hate you" she repeats yet again to Dad's sickeningly sweet smile. She glances at Five one last time.

He's completely limp in Dad’s hold, the bent and ripped arm lazily dripping blood and starting to swell. If it's even able to be fixed it won't ever work properly. Five is in so much pain and it's torture that she can't even touch him.

That's her brother right there, her younger brother. Who she thought for years was dead in a ditch somewhere or had been kidnapped. He's only thirteen years old and shouldn't be dealing with this. Allison is incredibly grateful that he's alive but disgusted that it came at such a high cost. He had been kidnapped, by their own father, living underneath the same roof no less. He'd time travelled, and it backfired. 

It's okay, though. It's okay.

That's a lie and she knows it. Even if the plan works and he's rescued, Five will never be the same.

But Allison doesn't care because she hasn't been the same either since the Horror tore apart Ben's body.

They can be broken together.

"I love you, Five. So much" she says, putting every emotion she can into her eyes to show him how much she cares. She won't remember this and soon Five will be alone, but at least he'll know that she loves him. That she'll stop at nothing to find him again. She did it once and can do it again.

"Love you Allie" comes a faint, hoarse voice from his lips. It sounds exhausted, no doubt having taken all his strength to say it.

She smiles, and tears her gaze from him to the mirror.

"I heard a rumor...."

The rumor that Reginald gave to Three commanded her to travel directly up to her room and fall asleep. She was not permitted to say anything as she did so. The past hour was wiped from her memory the second she closed her eyes.

Once she turned around to travel upstairs, Reginald changed his arm back to appear human and tossed Five onto the ground, ignoring him in favor of following his daughter up the elevator and to her room, verifying none of the other children found out.

Afterwards, he immediately went to the surveillance room and locked the door. 

That was too close. The entire plan was almost turned on its head.

Luckily, having a child with mind altering powers comes in handy.

He would use them against Five like he did with Seven, but his own methods will work better in the long run. Seven just needed to forget powers, Five needs to be dedicated to their project, wholeheartedly believing in it.

Reginald records the near disaster in his notebook and fetches Grace to asses Five's condition, especially his right arm.

It had been a few hours since Reginald had left him there, taking notes and theorizing how to move forward took longer than anticipated. However Five was still in the same position he was left in, unfortunately having landed on the arm in question, damaging it further. He was completely unconscious, which boded well for the examination.

Grace diagnoses him with a broken nose and cracked ribs. She sets the nose and takes a look at the heavily swollen arm, moving it around gently as she silently thinks about what to do.

She gathers his crumpled form in her arms, and with care places him on the bed, arranging his limbs in comfortable positions. She finishes by stroking his hair affectionately and turns to Reginald. "Sir, since we cannot take him upstairs I will need to bring supplies down here. A lot of them."

"What is to be done?"

Grace sighs, placing hands on her hips. She looks back at Five with compassion in her eyes.

"I will need to amputate the arm"

After a few hours, the operation is a success. It is not ideal that his arm is now gone, Reginald had let his anger get the best of him. It was not without warrant, the boy certainly deserved to be taught a lesson after pulling a stunt like that. But the combination of Three walking in on them and Five being left for hours without care, has led to major surgery and the removal of a limb.

It will push back training for a while, and Reginald is not looking forward to Five's reaction once he wakes up to discover his missing arm. But perhaps this could help Five fully understand the gravity of the situation. What will happen if he does not obey, and how there is only one way out.

Reginald smiles, confident that with time, Five will become better once he matures. He will finally understand and the two of them will work together to control the world that is so beneath them. His son's time travelling abilities are substantial, he is itching to get started.

Reginald has already decided on a name for the agency they will create.

The Commission

When the brat time travelled to the future, the hope for the agency was affected since his powers were no longer around to be studied. Reginald had started to build his own time travelling devices, aided by his previous research on Five's powers. He'd found some success but it was moving slowly. With Five back—having achieved time travel—the future is bright. The Commission is close to being established.

He joyfully rides the elevator back with Grace, retiring to his bedroom.

However, he did not see the figure in the shadows as they exited the black door to the basement.

The individual walks over, opening the door with the lock picking kit that is still on the ground. The devices had flung to the floor in Allison’s haste to go downstairs and luckily the alien did not notice them.

They travel down the familiar elevator, walking the same hallway to find young Master Five asleep in the room specially designed for him, bruises coating his face and missing an arm.

Pogo has helped Reginald harm the children before, and he is not about to let it happen again.

Chapter Text

Fireworks boom outside, joined by loud shouts and hollers by those crowding the streets.

"Happy New Year!" they cry, sparklers and party favors clutched in their hands, champagne dripping down glasses and coating their fingers.

Viktor stands at his bedroom window, looking at the drunken couples that are sloppily making out. They all look so happy that it makes him sick.

Giggles and carefree laughter erupt out of the many teenagers and young adults that are twirling around and dancing animatedly. An older couple next to a streetlamp is calmer, slowly moving around in a tranquil waltz. Their arms are wrapped around each other in love and deep devotion; a tender kiss is exchanged and they smile in the harsh light splayed across their forms.

Viktor can't bear it. He can't bear it because he doesn't know if he's capable of that love. He doesn't know how to function as a normal person and fears he never will because of this environment. He doesn't know how he's going to be able to take care of himself, get a job, and possibly attend school when they turn eighteen. 

He could try the orchestra, move his way up in that and make a living doing what he enjoys. The one thing that brings him true happiness here. Viktor doesn't know how the relationship with his siblings will be after that. Ben's dead and Five probably is too. Luther made it clear that he'll stay, for the rest of them Dad has made it clear he wants them to leave. 

Viktor is worried about Klaus. He's stressed and doesn't know what to do, afraid of him living on the streets and what will happen because of his addiction. There's so many unknowns in his life and it's too much for him to bear.

The older couple's dancing is interrupted by a little girl who runs up and throws her arms around their knees. "Granny and Pops!" she shrieks. What is she doing up so late? It seems strange that a child as young as her is up at midnight and it cuts Viktor to the core even more at the freedom she has. The couple smiles and the man picks her up, swinging her around, and she leans her head back and laughs, golden curls swinging wildly around her face. The girl's parents arrive as well and they walk down the street hand in hand. The group soon disappears as they turn around a building and Viktor immediately shuts the blinds. 

The wood pieces shake at the abrupt closing, and he nearly rips his curtains as he shoves them over, to block the view of the people out there that are so happy.

Although it doesn't stop their noise. 

He collapses on his bed. Viktor grabs his pillow and shoves it over his ears, trying to drown them out like a scared puppy's first New Years.

He wishes he could be embraced by his family like that little girl. He wishes his father wasn't insane. He wishes his mother wasn't a robot controlled by his father and that he can just feel normal.

He cries himself to sleep, pillow pressed against ears trying to shut the world out.

The morning is the same as any other. It's January 1, 2007 and nothing has changed. It is a new year, supposed to be filled with new possibilities and everything stays the same.

Be dressed early. Rush to the table when Mom rings the bell and stand at attention behind your seat until Dad arrives and sits down first. 

Viktor stares at the oatmeal in front of him, twirling his spoon around the sliced almonds and apples. Dad sits at the head of the table opposite him, Luther at his right with Diego next to him, and Allison at his left with Klaus next to her.

Two empty seats separate Viktor from the rest of his siblings.

He is at the other end of the table, seat never having changed.

Four years ago, Five left dinner in anger and never returned.

His seat has remained empty since then as a painful reminder.

Nearly three months ago Ben was murdered by the monster in his stomach, leaving another vacant chair.

Both spaces were forbidden to be seated by anyone else, and now Viktor sits alone. Its funny that it should end up that way, mimicking life perfectly. 

It's funny that isolation is what he knows best and it's funny that pain, betrayal, hurt, and anger is what he feels everyday and is not allowed to express it.

It's so funny.

It's so funny that it's heartbreaking and all he wants to do is just disappear. To discover where Five is, and stay with him forever. Viktor could be a professional violinist and Five could be a world renowned mathematician. They could just enjoy each other's company like old times and just be happy siblings together. Heal from their father's trauma and figure out how to navigate life. 

Viktor could settle on a farm with his true love, perhaps some woman that will accept him and offer a life that is the opposite of his current situation. A calm countryside instead of a bustling city, a cute domestic home instead of a cold, unforgiving mansion he gets lost and forgotten in. Five would be a great brother-in-law, fixing things around the house and cracking jokes like he used to.

But Viktor knows this is a fantasy because in it, his brother is alive. 

He sighs, and swallows down his oatmeal as well as the rising negative emotions.

The day continues to be painfully normal, and when he tries to find Mom to ask for some more rosin for the violin, he sees the set up in the living room.

His remaining siblings are there, including Dad, Mom, and a photographer. Their hair is neatly done and uniforms pressed. A seemingly picture perfect family. 

A family that doesn't include him. 

"On one, two, three!" the photographer says and snaps a photo. The flash from the camera feels like a bullet tearing through his gut.

"Can't bear to have the world know about my existence, huh Dad?" he spits out. It's very forward and unlike what he'd normally say when things like this happen but everything he's ever felt in his life is boiling up inside him. Getting off the medication has helped him truly feel his emotions and express them instead of staying silent and obedient.

"This is for the newspaper on a piece for the Umbrella Academy. Of which you are not a part of, Number Seven" Dad sighs, straitening his monocle. Awkward glances are exchanged between his siblings and the poor photographer looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Dad's response prompts a laugh to bubble out of him. "What about Number Five, Dad? Why isn't he here? Go and dig up Number Six's coffin and drag it in. I know you'd tolerate that more than having me in the picture. Get all your children together, dead or alive, except for the failure you'd rather pretend doesn't exist"

His father's eyes narrow and that would normally send fear coursing through him except all he can feel is white hot fury.

Luther growls and steps forward, fists clenched at his sides. "That was uncalled for. Don't say things like that to Dad"

Viktor laughs, each chuckle scraping his throat as they escape his chest. He motions to Luther and claps. “Number One, everybody! I wondered how long it would take until you butted in”

That comment prompts Luther’s eyes to appear as if they're trying to detach from his face, and Dad places his hand on his chest to stop him. “I will not tolerate this any longer. Leave the room at once”

Viktor bows mockingly. “With pleasure”

When he rises back up, he stares at the expressions of everyone in the room. The photographer is mortified, Dad looks bored, Mom’s fake happy, Luther’s enraged, Diego’s amused, Allison looks pained, and Klaus is...he has an expression the Viktor can’t quite place but it looks sad. Sorrowful. Filled with despair.

The joy and satisfaction from stepping up to Dad immediately dissipates, replaced with guilt. It twists his gut and leaves him feeling like Dad’s the one who actually won. Viktor slinks away, embarrassment enveloping him like a thick blanket. 

He doesn’t think about where he’s going and stumbles up the stairs, trembling hand squeaking on the polished wood of the railing and setting his teeth on edge. His footsteps blend together and he keeps knocking into the clutter in the hallway. Viktor eventually approaches a bathroom, swinging the door open and falling in. His cheek bangs against the cabinet as he lands painfully on his elbow and he twists his leg around to slam the door shut.

His fingers slide on the porcelain sink as he hoists himself up.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Why did he do that? His nerves are on fire and the guilt feels like someone's revealed his darkest secrets in front of an arena filled of people.

Viktor's hands shake and he nervously brushes his hair with his fingers, frantically shoving them back as they keep falling down on his forehead in a way that feels wrong. He can feel the line on his socks irritating his toes, his pants cling awkwardly to his skin and his collar is suffocating him. Everything is too tight and touching him painfully.

He yells and heavily snaps the faucet on and splashes an obscene amount of water onto his face, repeatedly shoving his fists against his skull.

Worthless, worthless, worthless

Viktor just wants these feelings to end. To stop the tremors in his body, be overtaken with a peaceful numbness.

He craves the anxiety pills.

It wouldn’t take that long to go down to their rooms, find them under the bed & down a couple—

NO

Viktor wants the pills but also doesn’t at the same time. They take away the anxiety but inhibit his emotions, keep him the pliant thing Dad wants him to be.

He should work through these feelings on his own. He needs to. But he has no support system and wouldn’t be allowed a therapist. Different medication that isn’t as strong would probably be better but he’s scared to ask.

With the pills he’s too empty and without them he’s uncontrollable and lashes out at Dad like an idiot.

And oh god the impact of what he just did overwhelms him again and it’s too much.

What’s Dad going to do?

Uncertainty fills him like a poison, sending painful static throughout his body. The only thing that seems right is to continue to splash water over his hair that feels too close to his skin, slamming hands against his skull.

Five’s gone, Ben’s dead, what’s gonna happen to Viktor now that he pulled a stunt like that?

It's too much. He slams his hands on his head again and again and again.

Viktor squeezes his eyes shut. He can't deal with this. He can't. He's just a kid and doesn't deserve to live in fear like this.

It's too much it'stoomuchit'stoomuch

A loud knock sounds at the door, startling him from the consuming panic.

"Viktor? Are you alright?"

He opens his eyes to answer the door, but immediately halts.

The water

The water

The water is...still in the air?

It surrounds him completely, in the shape of some sort of protective shield, like it was pulsed away from his body but stopped mid-air.

His bangs are floating around his head, beads of water that would normally drop onto the floor are drifting in slow motion.

"Viktor?" the voice repeats

The sudden noise interrupts the moment and the water obeys gravity once again, splashing onto the sink, counter, his body, and the floor.

What the fuck.

"I wanted to check up on you, dear. Do you need anything?"

Through the haze of what in the hell just happened, he registers Mom's voice.

His voice comes out gravely, and much quieter than he intends. "N-no Mom. Thanks"

"Okay. Let me know if you ever do. Bye sweetie."

Viktor forms the word bye with his mouth but nothing comes out. He listens to Mom's retreating footsteps and meets his bloodshot eyes in the mirror.

Okay. That just happened.

He has...he has powers

It doesn't make sense. Viktor isn't special.

He never has been, that's why he's not a part of the Umbrella Academy. That's been rammed into him his entire life.

And then it hits him.

He's been told he's not special...by Dad.

Dad, who is a monster and has no problem locking Klaus in a mausoleum all night. Who twists and fucks with Luther's mind so much that even though Dad forces him to lift increasingly heavier weights until he collapses, Luther still loves him.

Viktor doesn't trust a goddamn word Dad has said and ever will say anymore. Dad knew he had powers the entire time and hid the truth. His father is many things, a terrible person is bolded at the top of the list, but dumb is not one of them. He knows.

How he hid them and for what purpose Viktor doesn't know, but these are clearly very intense powers.

He intends to find out exactly what they are.

It takes a few days filled with lots of frustration for the powers to manifest again. Consumed by paranoia that Dad somehow knows he's figured out the truth, Viktor hasn't spoken a word to anyone in the house, falling back into his old patterns of blending into the background.

Playing the violin grounds him and he gets lost in the flow of the music, repeating the fuzzy feeling that accompanied his powers earlier in the week.

Viktor isn't exactly sure what triggers it, but suddenly all the noises become heightened. He can hear the pads of his fingers brushing the G, D, A, and E strings, the air circulating through the vent, and the freezing gusts outside pressing against his window.

Energy flows through the sound waves of the violin and moves the items in his room around. The desk shakes and rattles the items on top. His hair and clothes sway from side to side.

It startles him so much that he abruptly stops after a few seconds, the energy finishing with a huge shockwave, nearly knocking his desk over and the violin bow flies out of his hand to slam against the wall. Thankfully it didn't break, instruments are damn expensive and even though money isn't a problem Dad only has so much patience with him.

After a mini breakdown filled with thoughts such as what the hell is going on and that was so fucking cool mixing together in a confused mass, he tries again. For hours, focusing on a specific sound, channeling energy and feeling it flow through him. It's insane. It still feels like an elaborate joke even though he knows that's not true.

Odd things here and there since he got off the medication are adding up. His desk rattling and atmosphere changing when he told Klaus not to mix drugs. Becoming hyperaware and sensitive to sounds when he focuses. The heightened emotions and powerful, alive feeling that pulsates through him now.

All because Dad drugged him up for a mysterious reason and has been lying his whole goddamn life. 

It makes him furious. He wants to confront Dad right now, to demand some real answers, but that's not the best course of action to take. Whatever the reason is for the secrecy it's pretty substantial and not saying anything is the only way to protect himself.

It feels nice, to have the upper hand on Dad now, at least somewhat. He acts all high and mighty, the all knowing father figure and now Viktor knows his dirty little secret.

At least one of them. Viktor's sure that every single room in this mansion could be filled with the skeletons in Dad's closet. He now knows one, perhaps more is to be learned down the line.

At dinner that night, he’s famished and it takes nearly every fiber of his being to not shove everything in his mouth at once. 

Dad’s gaze lingers on him when he requests seconds from Mom, but besides that it looks like no one suspects anything.

After a few more days of training his powers by himself, Viktor has another panic attack. Another downside to going cold turkey on anxiety meds he’s grown up with and no therapy to help him out.

It started because he walked by Ben’s room and tried to open the door. But it’s now locked. Locked just like Five’s door, keeping their memories, everything that made them humans and his brothers, untouchable. 

Nothing hit him right away, but after a few numb, confusing moments it did. He’s never going to casually hang out in Ben’s room again, listening to the plot of the newest book he’s currently nose deep in. Never going to gently hold his brother close as he cleans the remaining dried blood from his nail beds after a mission, humming a soft melody as Ben silently takes in gasping breathes.

The Hargreeves children hadn’t been too close in the past few years, but were there for each other when it was needed.

Until one of them disappears and never comes back.

Until one of them is horrifically murdered.

And now that Viktor knows he’s had powers the whole damn time, Ben’s death could have been prevented.

Even without the whole ordeal of his powers, Ben wasn't gonna go in the first place on that mission. Viktor was. And he didn't have the guts to stand up for himself, all Dad had to say was one thing and he folded immediately.

And now with his abilities that are insanely powerful, definitely more so than his siblings, Ben wouldn't have died if he was on that mission.

Viktor knows it isn't his fault—it's Dad's—but the missed opportunity is what cuts him to the core. If only he'd gotten off the pills before this. If only Dad never lied and he'd been a part of the family, part of the team.

If only

If only

Viktor stumbles into his room, tearing at his hair and collapsing on the floor.

"Edward squeezed me gently. 'I'm here.'
I drew in a deep breath.
That was true. Edward was here, with his arms around me.
I could face anything as long as that was true.
I squared my shoulders and walked forward to meet my fate, with my destiny solidly at my side"

Klaus closes the cover of the book. "And that's the end of New Moon"

Ben stands up. "What? When is Bella ever gonna turn into a vampire? The Volturi will kill her if she doesn't; Edward won't do it, and now she's grounded"

"Guess we'll find out once she writes the next book" Klaus grins.

"Do you know where Stephenie Meyers lives? Maybe I can sneak in and see her notes. New Moon was published in August so she must have something written by now"

Klaus clicks his tongue. "Breaking and entering, Ben? You certainly have changed now that you've popped your clogs"

"First off I'd walk through the walls, no breaking necessary. Second of all, what do clogs have to do with anything?"

"It's a British-ism that means you died Ben, get with the times!"

"I'm Korean not English you human Ouija board"

Klaus raises his hands in surrender. “No need to get your ghost panties in a twist”

Ben’s about to reply when shaking interrupts them from next door. From Viktor’s room.

They both turn in confusion.

”The hell is he doing?” Klaus wonders aloud. “Giving the boombox steroids?”

Ben shrugs and they both go to the hallway, Klaus knocking and asking if he’s okay. Ben could technically phase through the wall, but to respect privacy it's saved for emergencies. Like any facts about the next Twilight book.

The shaking increases, making the door rattle as well as Ben’s gut.

”Something’s wrong” he grits out.

”Screw it, I’m goin in” Klaus says as he turns the unlocked doorknob.

It's not anything either of them could have guessed in a million years.

Their brother is curled up in a ball on the floor, fists in his hair. Which is concerning but not entirely out of left field, if it weren't for everything flying around him.

Everything that was once on his desk is floating; scissors, notebooks, sheet music, pens, hell even his pillow is whirling around his head.

The air is intense, powerful, nearly sending Klaus flying back into the hallway.

Ben quickly shuts the door.

Well, tries to anyway. In his confusion about the situation he sharply turns around to slam it shut so no one can see...this and falls to the floor because his hand just phases through it.

Being a ghost is strange. He can lean on things, sit down, lay across things and what not but the moment he tries to physically move objects he just phases through them. Like when he phases through walls. It confuses him to end. Ghost life seems contradictory and really just gives him a fake headache.

But now here Ben is, flat on his ass on the floor and Klaus is just staring dumbly at the hurricane machine that is now their brother.

"Klaus!" he yells. He's grateful that no one else can hear him but it's ironic that the one person who can, is doing a good job at being deaf right now. He screams his name, getting up from the floor. Ben's successful this time, snapping Klaus' attention back to him, green eyes wild with panic. "Shut the door so no one else can see!" His brother nods mutely, clicking it shut and they both stare at the picture in front of them.

Viktor's skin is white, deathly pale like Ben's old body. 

"So I wasn't just crazy before. His skin did change color because he has powers. Shit" Klaus mutters.

Ben turns to him, incredulous. "YOU SAW THIS BEFORE?"

"Hey I didn't see him levitating half his room but awhile ago he got all serious after I stole his drugs and his skin started turning that same color. I thought I was hallucinating okay?"

Ben's eyes bulge out of their sockets. "Of all the moments I chose to leave your ass—" but he stops himself. "Shut up we need to focus on him right now"

Klaus nods, and tries to get Viktor's attention but has to dodge the scissors. He yells but that only results in Viktor starting to wail, and his music stand joins the tornado, the heavy metal dangerously swinging around, as if telling them to back off.

"The hell do we do?" Ben blurts out above the noise that's steadily rising, anxiety telling him this can only go on for so long before someone notices.

"One second he's timid little Viktor and the next he's Hurricane Katrina! I don't know! I don't know how to deal with his powers!" Klaus grabs his face with his hands, breathes coming out harsh and painful sounding. "I'm not sober enough for this shit"

Ben decides he's had enough of this. Viktor needs help and he's gonna try everything he can, weird ghost powers be damned. "Screw it!" he screams, and belly dives for Viktor.

Instead of landing on his brother like he suspected—well actually he doesn't really know what he thought would happen, but certainly not this—he's inside a wide and empty room. The flying objects and pulsating air is gone. 

Ben looks up to see...the fancy S shaped things on a violin on the ceiling? He's inside a violin? What the hell are Viktor's powers?

Speaking of his brother he frantically searches the room apartment sized violin, gaze finally landing on him in the corner. Still in the crumbled up position. He sprints over, slipping on the smooth floor.

"Viktor!" he shouts. There's no reaction so he gently moves forward and repeats his name in a whisper, hoping the calm pierces through.

It remarkably does, and Viktor's trembling face snaps up to his. And oh god it feels nice to be seen. Really, truly seen by someone else, not vaguely passed over as they looked at something beyond him.

Viktor's brow furrows. "Ben?" he croaks.

"Hey buddy" he says. "It's me"

"Am I dead? What is this?"

"No man, you're not dead. I am. I don't know how this works, but you're freaking the fuck out and making everything fly in your room. I'm dead so it can't hurt me, and now I guess I'm in your mind?"

It's the strangest sentence Ben has ever spoken in his life.

"I—" Viktor starts, but then his gaze drops back to his lap and he brings his legs back up, rocking back and forth. "I'm sorry you died because of me. Now your memory is haunting me. This isn't real. I'm insane, I can't believe this holy sh—"

"Hey no stop that" Ben interrupts, cutting him off. "I'm really here. Klaus manifests the dead, remember? I've been here since I died. Maybe a part of the reason I'm still here is to help you right now. And no, if anyone is responsible for my death it's Dad" Viktor doesn't look up but has stopped rocking, shoulders still shaking.

Ben swallows and continues, hoping he can calm the literal storm happening outside this strange subconscious. "I know it's crazy but just listen to me. Apparently you have powers, pretty strong ones at that. I know it's overwhelming right now and you don't know what to do. But..."

This line worked for Bella, maybe it can for Viktor. "But...I'm here. Even though nothing else makes sense, I love you. I love you and I'm here. That will never change even if everything else crumbles."

They sit there for a few moments, Ben biting his tongue, afraid to say anything else in fear of ruining it.

Viktor's limbs stop shuddering, short jerky movements coming up every once in awhile in the aftershocks of crying. He brings his head back up, big brown eyes wet with tears.

Filled with love. 

"You're here. Can I..." he murmurs, opening his arms.

Ben's not sure but he goes for it anyway, enveloping him in a hug. Oh shit, he forgot how amazing it feels. Viktor is pressed up against him, skinny arms digging into his back, and it's never felt better. He clutches the Umbrella Academy blazer, as if with a blink this moment will be over.

It's entirely possible, he's not sure exactly how he’s here, how long it’ll last.

He lets Viktor’s hug wash over him, to warm his cold, dead soul.

After some time, Viktor pulls back and stares him in the eyes, tear tracks having covered his entire face.

They both laugh and it heals his heart. To have this moment with another sibling when he thought it would never happen again.

”What happens next?” Viktor mumbles as he wipes his eyes.

”I don’t know, exactly. Maybe now that you’re calm it’ll go back to normal?”

"I dunno" he shrugs. "Thank you"

"You're welcome"

And the moment is gone. One second they're in the violin and the next they're back in his room. 

Everything that was flying around is hitting the floor, landing with loud crashes. The air is back to normal.

Klaus straightens up from his frantic pacing. "You did it! Thank god I had no clue what was going on. Not that that's anything new, but you know" He quickly moves to Viktor, stepping over the music stand and grasping his arm to lift him up.

"Thanks" Viktor says, patting his clothes down in an attempt to calm his nerves. "Ben helped me out"

Klaus' hands freeze from where he's smoothing down Viktor's hair. "Y—you actually saw him?" 

"Mmhmm. He helped me"

Klaus' gaze turns to Ben, who's standing there with such a peaceful look in his eyes. "Nicely done Benerino, knew you had it in you." He raises his hands in exasperation. "Well there goes that secret. I didn't know if you'd be believe me. I'm glad it worked out in your favor"

"Yeah," Viktor smiles "It did." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "So...now you know I have powers"

"Holy hell, Viktory. Those are pretty impressive! I wish I had yours and wasn't saddled with ole sourpuss over here" he dodges the punch that comes his way, even though it would just phase through him. "How long have you known?"

"About a week or so? After the whole picture fiasco thing"

Klaus' eyes widen. "Oh...that's why you've been avoiding us"

Viktor quirks the corner of his mouth up. "I was a little paranoid you'd find out. The medication Dad always gave me is what dulled them. It's been building since I stopped taking it"

Ben and Klaus exchange looks. "Oh wow that's pretty convenient" Klaus says. Viktor only stares at him. "Wait hold on" he paces again around the room. "Do you think Dad did that on purpose?" 

A curt nod confirms the suspicion.

"Shit" Ben and Klaus both say.

"Yeahhhhh" 

Klaus squats on the ground, holding his head in his hands. "That's um. Quite the news. That's gonna take some time to sink in. Jean Grey powers, and Dad manipulating you like you're about to go full Dark Phoenix mode. What are you gonna do?"

Viktor shrugs, ignoring the comic book jargon he has no clue about. "Pretend everything's normal for now. Take it one step at a time"

Ben leans against the empty desk as the two of them rattle off ideas and try to figure out how to move forward. 

Maybe...

Perhaps he could help again. He survived Viktor's strange violin subconscious, another crazy step and realization that he still has a purpose here. Trying to figure it out on his own isn't exactly working. He needs new ideas, other perspectives.

"Klaus" he starts, prompting him to look over.

Viktor smiles, finally knowing who the ghost is that he's talking to, and directs his gaze to where Klaus is staring. He waves, and Ben does back.

"He says hi" Klaus interprets.

The joy of the moment warms Ben's soul again. He gulps, preparing himself.

"There's something I need to tell you. Now that a few secrets are out, it's time for you to know mine"

Klaus sightly flinches back in disbelief, clearly not expecting this.

"It's about Five"

Chapter Text

Pogo stitches back up Grace’s synthetic skin. It’s best to change her programming in her neck or wrist, the wires take much less time to reconfigure. 

But Master Hargreeves must not know about this, so he took the long way through her stomach, where it’s not seen easily.

He wipes away the brown sludge from her skin, setting the tools on top of a rag.

Grace pulls down her blouse, straightening it with a smile. “I have been lying and not interfering because Reginald told me to. I must keep up appearances but now I can help at least a little bit”

Pogo places the wrapped up tools in his pocket. The meddling with whatever Master Hargreeves has planned will take a while—which is unfortunate for poor Master Five—but they must take their time to ensure it works.

“Let us begin”

Awareness comes back to him in fragments. Small increments here and there.

The beeping of a monitor that’s clearly connected to him. The mattress underneath him & a thin blanket on top.

The complete lack of pain despite the beating he took earlier.

Five cracks open his heavy eyes and after a few moments registers the dimly lit room.

It’s his stupid cell of course, because where else would he be.

He’s hooked up to a bunch of machines, which makes sense because Dad nearly killed him.

Five thinks back, the memories just out of reach currently. He knows he did something to anger Dad and got beat up. What happened after that he’s not sure.

A fuzzy sensation surrounds him, like his body is filled with stuffing. He tries to lift his head but that only results in the world spinning so releases the energy and flops back onto the pillow.

Five drifts in an out of consciousness. Sometimes Mom is there, fingers gently brushing his forehead. Dad was present once but he was only awake for about three seconds that time—thankfully.

Five’s had enough of not understanding the passage of time. His stay down here, and especially now that he’s drugged to the gills has prevented his full understanding of it.

Even though travel through time wasn’t successful until recently, he’s always had some sort of awareness of it because of his power. Something that’s been cut off since he got spat out in 2006.

Maybe it’s Time throwing a fit and teaching him a lesson. Leave it up to Five to have domestic squabbles with TIME of all things.

Or maybe it’s because captivity is too much for his feeble little brain to handle and he’s slowly going insane. First he looses the connection with Time, next his mind.

He wants to know how long he’s been laying in this bed. He drags his eyes open, morphine be damned.

The dim lightning greets him again, perhaps a little more in focus. Doesn’t feel like he’s stuffed to the brim with cotton anymore.

There’s less machines around him, and after a few moments registers the sensation of something under his nose.

He brings his arm up—a very loose arm that feels heavy and staticky like it’s fallen asleep—to feel plastic. A nasal cannula, he processes as his eyes catch the tube running over to the side of his bed.

His nose also feels larger than normal, like it’s swollen. Was it damaged by Dad? Probably.

Could be worse, all things considered.

Dad didn’t kill him, although he wouldn’t be too upset if that was successful. Five’s more concerned with drastic permanent injuries than death, and he’s escaped that.

If he died he could see Ben again. He wouldn’t be suffering and maybe his brother could forgive him for abandoning them. For not being there when Ben needed him.

He’s sitting there and mildly processing everything when his dominant arm starts getting itchy. The IV in it is bugging him like nothing else. It’s strange that Mom stuck his left after using his right when he passed out after first arriving here.

It was probably damaged too much for an IV though, a faint memory is rising of Dad slamming something heavy continually against it. He’d rather that particular part not come back, it’s pretty horrific.

He knows he shouldn’t scratch an IV but give him a break—he deserves one. He absentmindedly scratches the crook of his elbow.

Rather, he tries to.

His right arm won't budge.

Maybe he’s been sleeping on it? That doesn’t make sense, it’d be kinda difficult to do that and Mom would put a stop to it.

His left is weird with disuse so it’s probably a combination of that and damage taken by the weight.

Five looks down to see how injured the arm is.

And his world stops.

If he could still feel Time it would definitely disconnect from him right now.

His arm isn’t there.

His right arm isn’t fucking there.

There’s just empty space. The wrinkled white bedsheet underneath him lies empty, void of the limb that should be resting there.

He snaps his head down further and sees bulky gauze and bandages wrapped around his shoulder.

His arm is gone.
His entire arm is gone.

It feels like his heart leaps into his throat and chokes him, leaving painful poison in its wake.

A strange feeling—like dread and confusion but worse—envelops him. It’s like his body was just thrown in a river of pain and he’s drowning.

Every part of him is drowning.
Everything but his right arm that is.

His breathes come out shallow and quick. No matter how many times he gasps it’s not enough. He can’t take a deep breath, it’s physically not possible right now. He keeps trying and trying but it also results in the panic building even more and lightheadedness begins to obstruct his vision.

This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.

The door suddenly heaves open and Dad steps into the room. Five slinks back, remaining arm and feet slipping against the mattress, getting tangled with the tubes and sheets.

Dad brings his hands up. “Calm down, son”

Five barks out what would’ve been a harsh laugh if he had the lungs for it. Turns out be a half second whine instead, and he falls hard on his back as his left hand slips, the IV getting tugged.

“Ge—g—go w’y” he rasps.

“Now there, do not panic” Dad speaks eerily as he steps even closer.

He looks annoyed.

He’s annoyed that Five’s reacting to the fact that his arm is gone, and the person responsible for it is alone in the room with him.

“Y—you-I—you” he mutters, gasping for breath still. Coughs rise in his throat, cutting through the already limited supply of oxygen.

“You are only making this worse, Number Five” he says, thankfully at least having stopped his movements by now.

Five continues to panic and black spots swarm his vision. They gradually increase until his entire line of sight is overtaken and all sensation cuts off.

He comes to very soon after. Mom is sitting on the right side of his bed—she has room for it—and is holding his left hand in hers.

Dad is nowhere to be found.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. I was unable to come down when you needed me”

She brings a cup of water to his lips and he sips from the straw, coating his parched throat.

A sob escapes, breaking the dam on his emotions. Tears cascade down his cheeks, dripping over the bump of the cannula.

He doesn’t know what to say, so he doesn’t. Five just leans forward and grasps Mom tight. She wraps her strong arms around him, placing enough pressure to give comfort but not hurt him.

Dad be damned. He wants a hug from his Mom.

He continues to cry, thinking about all that has happened. Mom gently cards a hand through his long hair, soothing him and whispering sweet nothings to relax him.

They stay like that for a long time, much longer than Five ever thought possible.

“Mom I…”

She kisses his forehead. “I know honey. We’ll get through this together. I know it hurts but you’re my dear sweet boy”

It pains him to hear that when he abandoned her without hesitation. Not a single thought given to his family. If the time travel went wrong—which it did—how it would affect them. How it would affect the team. How it affected Ben’s fate on a mission.

Five is selfish.

He really does take after Dad.

“I’m sorry for you leaving you” he confesses.

He feels her shake her head against his own. “That is not your fault. I knew you would come back. I never doubted you, it was only a question of when”

Five knows it’s a lie.

Dad is surprisingly not taking over and interrupting like he did before, there’s no sudden departure from the hug and harsh words. Maybe he deems it necessary for his survival so begrudgingly allows it.

But Five feels that this is almost as worse, if not more because he doesn’t deserve it. Mom is giving him all this love, sharing affection and telling him he’s a good person when he knows he’s anything but.

Out of all his siblings, he deserves to be here the most.

Five holds no pretenses as to what kind of person he is. He’s not even a man yet, which makes it worse because he’ll only grow into this sick mindset even more as time continues.

Maybe he deserved to have his arm removed.

Ben lost his life. It’s only fitting that the person responsible loses something too, even if it’s only something so insignificant as a limb.

Five pulls back, disgusted with himself. His appearance only cements the conclusion he’s come to.

Face streaked with tears, wetting his hospital gown and Mom’s blouse. The nasal cannula isn’t even able to do its job anymore since it’s covered in snot, like a messy toddler throwing a tantrum.

He scowls, and Mom smiles. She takes the cannula out, tugging it loose from his ears. “Now I don’t think you need that anymore” She pulls a rag out of thin air like the mother she is and tenderly wipes his face.

He doesn’t deserve it.

His cheeks flame up again, turning his face and neck red as more tears slip down. Mom gently wipes them away with her thumbs, cradling his face.

“I have to leave now. But I will be back” Five wants to look away but like the selfish child he is, he doesn’t break eye contact. Gains comfort from her gaze and soft eyes filled with love. He can’t help it.

Five can’t say anything as his throat is clogged so he tightly nods, grasping her hand with his own remaining palm.

Mom soon departs, sparing him one last glance before shutting the door.

Five’s lost in his thoughts, pointedly not looking at his lack of an arm.

After some time, his stomach growls. It reminds him of when he first arrived in 2006, starving.

And he suddenly has a realization. Five is sitting here now, injured this extensively because he accidentally spatial blinked the weight onto Dad’s foot.

Blinked it. Blinked the object.

When he time traveled here, he could have blinked food over to his hands.

He was starving, not in a right mind to focus on equations because of it and let the solution slip his mind.

It was right in front of him

Dad was able to snatch him off the street because he was so delirious and weak. Because he was an idiot.

How many bakeries and stores did he pass by? It was as easy as keeping his hands—now hand—in his pockets, and blink something into his palms.

It was so easy yet he didn’t do it.

He’s not cut out for this. Dad’s right. He disobeyed him, time traveled without a backup plan, and continued to put himself at risk by not eating. It’s his own goddamn power and he didn’t even use it.

No wonder Dad’s kept him down here. He can’t be trusted on his own. Five is thirteen years old and has fooled himself into believing he’s a man.

He curls into himself, careful of his injuries. He can feel twinges in his ribs from the kicks, his nose is starting to throb, and his right arm is twinging. It’s not there anymore, yet he can still feel it.

Doing things his own way is clearly not working. It never has. Ben’s death and his current situation proves that.

It’s time to try things Dad’s way.

Hours pass before the door is opened again, forcing Five to stew in his thoughts endlessly. He hasn't made much progress in the way of remembering everything that happened before passing out and waking up with no arm.

He remembers spatial blinking the weight, chair, and other things (the thought of his failure to blink food as he starved still feels like a gunshot to his heart) and Dad hitting him with said weight after he accidentally blinked it to fall on his foot.

After that...it's still foggy. Five wonders if the memories will ever come back. Maybe he trauma blocked it because seeing his arm so messed up was too painful to remember.

Maybe it's for the best that whatever happened stays hidden.

He is lost in his thoughts, or dozes off, not really sure anymore because of the strong drugs but after some time the loud ringing of the cell door opening snaps his attention back to the world.

Dad steps into the room once again, and Five...sees him in a different light.

Five's powers have drastically improved since being down here, since foolishly travelling to the future on a whim. Dad could have left him on the streets, alone to starve to death because he's too much of an idiot to properly use his power. 

But no, Dad didn't do that. Dad took him in. Dad has helped him with his powers, has fed him, given good advice, and allowed Mom to visit as well because she comforts him (no matter how much her last visit make his stomach flip).

Maybe Dad isn't so bad after all.

Five isn't that pleasant of a person to tolerate, just ask his siblings, Pogo, Mom, or fucking TIME. Which, to be honest are the only people he's basically ever talked to besides reporters after missions and the women who tried to help him on the street before he came here.

Vanya likes him, sweet, kind, timid little Vanya who cries when Diego steps on ants. But Vanya probably only likes liked him because no one else paid too much attention to her. Of course she'd latch onto someone who spends time with her—no matter their character—so that relationship doesn't prove he’s a good person.

Klaus and him had an interesting relationship. Five thought they were friends, although he started to experiment with drugs when Five abandoned them so Klaus probably wasn't too aware of anything and would've had a friendship with a wall if given the chance. Which he'd actually caught him doing many times, Klaus' ghost friends were apparently very interesting when they weren't scaring him half to death.

Five's only other friend out of his siblings was Ben, though Ben was too kind for his own good and probably lied to Five that he wanted to spend time with him to make him feel better. Probably didn't have the heart to tell him to shut up. And now he's dead because of him, fat lot of good being his friend brought people.

Five, he concludes about himself, is a know-it-all brat that thrives on attention and a superiority complex. He's brash, arrogant, and most of all, too stupid for his own good.

Dad's been trying everything to raise him right, and Five's done nothing but give him a hard time. Sloppy with powers, stunted social skills with a fiery hot temper and low self-esteem that's only raised when he puts others down.

This is where his life choices have led him. Living secretly in a basement and missing an arm because he can't be trusted to function normally.

He sighs, and decides to yield to Dad's whim. To give in and see where following his orders takes him.

Dad closes the door and steps over to him, stopping at the end of his bed. He stands there, legs far apart and arms crossed, a menacing figure with eyes are piercing as his blunt personality.

Five stares back, letting his emotions show on his face. Dread, anxiety, fear, uncertainty...and remorse.

Regret.

Guilt. 

Dad raises his eyebrows and calmly pulls out his pocket square to clean the monocle.

It's then that all the frankly confusing emotions manifest themselves in tears again, since he's become such a crybaby recently. Five has been thrown a curveball in life and doesn't understand what's happening anymore. He hates himself, and self-loathing has become a default emotion since he's started living down here.

Nothing makes sense except doing what Dad wants. It feels right but at the same time it doesn't.

He shouldn't feel like this. Dad has kidnapped him, done terrible things to him—not just now but also growing up—but he feels a responsibility to do what he says. That Dad is right, no matter how insane it sounds.

And Five is tired. He's tired of games, emotions, and pain. He'd been fighting for a long time with no one on his side. Five is the only consistent factor in the failures of his life. He's tired of making decisions. He wants to give up, to give that responsibility to someone else.

So he does.

Five breaks.

The tears spill over and he leans forward with his sobs. 

"D—do what you want, Dad. I'll do whatever you want. P-please, please just love me. I'll do anything you ask. I won't fight. I'll be good. I'll be good I promise"

Nothing happens for quite some time. Five supposes that Dad is shocked, and trying to decide if he's telling the truth. Five certainly would be hesitant if he were in his position, but his pathetic pleadings, shaky voice and childish tears must reveal the truth because Dad slowly moves over to him.

Five is still crying, wetting his hospital gown with his arm limp at his side. His knees are raised, trembling and shaking as he weakly sobs. His breathes come in high pitched fast gasps and he licks his lips, salty tears coating his tongue.

Cautiously, like a lion stalking its prey, Dad sits on the bed. He raises his arms and takes Five's shoulders in his hands, leaning him back to look him in the eyes.

Five tries to convey his thoughts in his eyes, his devotion to becoming a good son. To believe in whatever cause he will be a part of.

It must be convincing because Dad cups his face, thumbs wiping away tears. 

"My boy," he whispers. "My sweet boy"

Dad pulls him forward, enveloping him in a hug. He's tugged onto his lap and Five wraps his legs around his torso, arm gripping Dad's back as he weeps into his chest.

"Good boy" Dad speaks into his hair, petting it softly.

It hurts.

It cuts Five to his core to hear that because he should hate Dad but he can't help it. It's what he's wanted to hear his entire life. It's everything he's ever hoped for. The hotheadedness, showing off, and power games with his siblings boil down to his need for validation from his father.

Five couldn't be happier in this moment; held, rocked, protected in his father’s arms.

"I'm sorry, Dad"

Chapter Text

Klaus has decided that his life would make a banger reality show.

Seriously. His dead brother just told him that the afterlife is pushing him to solve the mystery of their presumed dead brother’s disappearance, right after his other brother (alive) revealed he’s had dormant superpowers their whole lives.

It’s very odd, made even more so by the fact that it isn’t that far out of left field.

Just a regular Tuesday in the Umbrella Academy.

Anyway, it’s been a few hours since Ben dropped the ball and they have no clue as to how to move forward.

Is Five dead? Alive? Do they go out and search for him? What the hell do they do?

The afterlife—and presumably God—really should’ve given them more info to build upon. Why tell Ben something so goddamn important but give him nothing more than a feeling? Not even a place to start, anything. Klaus isn’t much of a detective, can barely function as is on missions.

And now this mission has higher stakes than ever before and is more personal. Klaus actually gives a rat’s itchy bootyhole about it.

Whether Five’s alive or not, it’s looking like they’re gonna get some damn answers. He’s tired of not knowing what happened. Why he’s never come back.

Dad scolded them to not answer any questions about Five’s disappearance post-missions, but all Klaus wanted to do was grab a reporter's microphone and scream for someone to actually look for him.

The police had shown up one night not long after the incident because Dad pointedly avoided all questions about Five’s absence.

Apparently many people were highly suspicious about the Umbrella Academy in the first place, and the whole situation with Five just fanned the flame.

Klaus and his siblings didn’t know about that, obviously. Dad controlled every aspect of their lives and nothing they heard about the outside world wasn’t incredibly filtered.

They only knew about the photoshoots, brand deals, and teen magazines dying for a scoop to grace their cover.

They thought everyone loved them, when in reality the ones up close and personal, anyone they interacted with, were in the tight-knit community of wealth.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves the billionaire, and incredibly successful brands stuck to each other like glue, perpetuating the cycle of money, feeding off each other’s success like leeches, leaving nothing for anyone else.

They controlled the media with their influence and power, squashing out the majority voices.

The crowds that loved them so much were heavily screened, no one was allowed in that could potentially cause a problem or protest.

Dad is a monster, and cultivated the picture perfect “everything is fine” facade, playing them all like a fiddle.

Klaus only learned the truth when in rehab. His fellow sojourners—being just like him—had no filter and filled him in. It was very refreshing.

When Five disappeared, no amount of power could snuff out the voices of concerned parents. Worried mothers, especially those who were suspicious from the start and were tired of having their opinion snuffed out.

The police showed up and Dad talked to them for a very long time. Hours. When they left, they were grinning maniacally and Dad patted them on the back appreciatively.

He had turned around with a shit eating grin that shouted I’m used to getting everything I want.

No doubt he’d paid them off.

Five was accepted immediately after as a runaway.

He was always flighty, the media said. Very smart, intelligent, and most of all—a loner. Wanted to figure things out himself. His powers tied directly to his nature, the desire to leave, to go somewhere better. Five Hargreeves obviously teleported to an undisclosed location on the earth and is living out his best life.

No need to be worried, he may be thirteen years old but is an old soul.

He can take care of himself.

It’s not a big deal, really. Sir Reginald himself has meticulously trained them all to be capable, responsible citizens. If Five Hargreeves can take down bad guys single handedly and defend the innocents, he can be trusted to live on his own.

It’s not a problem, really.

Oh how Klaus wanted to wring the necks of every publisher that plastered that story around the world. Who painted the world with their lies.

Lies that originated with Dad.

Something was always off. Five and Dad…had a strained relationship. Five was hotheaded and never backed down from what he believed. It both infuriated and inspired Klaus.

Dad, well. He reacted more to Five than anyone else. Which is quite the feat to be honest, taking first place over the continual praise showered upon Luther and shame and mind games beat down upon Viktor.

It always seemed like it was…personal. That there’s something else going on. Maybe Five knew what it was, but it’s more likely that he didn’t. Five was (is?) a genius but he was also just a child. Never got past thirteen(?). He couldn’t have cracked the code on Dad, no matter how smart he was.

Whatever it is was between the two of them, Dad consistently was frustrated. At the directions Five was taking his powers, his temper, and his leadership. Moreso than anyone else.

It’s almost as if Dad had a picture perfect plan created for Five, and was getting upset that he didn’t fit the mold.

And then he went and fucking disappeared and no one was allowed to talk about it.

Viktor was devastated. His best friend and entire world was taken from him. And Dad got annoyed when he showed anything resembling you know, normal human emotions in regards to grieving the disappearance of a family member?

Dad grew so impatient he ordered them to not talk about it anymore to him. If they did, it would only lead to arguments which is exactly what happened that dreadful day at the dinner table.

Look where that got Five. Do you want to end up like him?

The stupid painting was placed above the mantelpiece in 2002—the one that didn’t get Five’s eyes right—and his bedroom door was locked.

Never to be spoken of again.

And now here they are, in 2007, still trying to solve the mystery.

The questions don't stop, and after a week of dead ideas, Ben disappeared for a bit and then came back saying that he followed Dad into his study room.

Dad was writing in a thick notebook about all their trainings. He was writing some boring facts about Luther's strength but maybe...maybe something about Five is written in there too. Ben stayed for awhile, but Dad never flipped to any other pages, closing the book and leaving the room. Ben would pick up the book if he was able to be corporeal, and Klaus would pick the lock to the room if it wasn't highly sophisticated. There's also the fact that if Dad caught him trying to break into his office he'd probably leave him to die in the mausoleum. 

A few days later, Klaus has an idea, and offers it up to Ben.

"So, you know our problem with the whole notebook thing?"

Ben turns his head from where he's lying flat on the ground, arms crossed. "Course"

Klaus pushes imaginary glasses back up his nose. "Crazy thought here, but there is a frankly amazing idea that popped into my head"

"Quite an accomplishment really, I never thought I'd see the day"

"Well you certainly never lived  to see the day"

"Sock off before I punch you"

Klaus sits straight up on the bed. "That's the plan!" Ben narrows his eyes. "No actually, listen to me. My powers are about the dead. I haven't tried experimenting with them too much because they freak me the fuck out. What if there's a way to make you corporeal?"

"...Elaborate"

"Viktor is training his powers more and more everyday. What if I did too?"

That thought prompts Ben to sit up himself. "And if it works...I could phase into his office, become corporeal, and read the book"

Klaus smiles. "Bingo"

Reginald smiles, he can't help it. Number Five is progressing beautifully. 

He has been broken, allowing everything to move forward at an alarming rate. Five helps with the equations now, hurdling over stumbling blocks that would have taken Reginald months or years to solve. Five is a genius, he almost wants to pinch himself to check if this is truly happening. He is finally growing into the person Reginald knew he could be, the other children be damned. It was more of a test run anyway, gathering as many of the superpowered children as he could, searching for the One.

The One who turned out to be Five.

The foundation for the Commission is being laid everyday. The two of them are currently working in the cell that originally trained Number Three when he was figuring out her powers. A disappointment, that one. But her abilities did come in handy when she stumbled upon them. Reginald can only be grateful it was her out of all the others, with her powers being able to save the day with no repercussions. A saving grace.

"No Dad, you don't want to do that. Place it one centimeter over like this, there you go"

Reginald places the wire in the spot he was directed to, and clamps it in place. "What would happen if you didn't catch my mistake?"

His son grins up at him, scrunching his nose in mischievousness. "Well lets just say...you don't want a repeat of the Hindenburg" he makes an explosion effect with his hand.

"Kaboom" Reginald finishes, and Five nods. He pats him strongly on the back. "Thank you for the saving the day again my dear boy"

"My pleasure" 

After about another thirty minutes, they complete their work. They take the project into Number Seven's cell, as it is the most suited to handle any potential disaster.

"What was this room built for?" Five asks. 

"For Number Seven. He has strong, uncontrollable powers that are easily swayed by his emotions. I had Number Three rumor him to forget when you were four years old, as Seven could easily destroy the world."

Five stops in his tracks. "Why are you calling Vanya a he?" 

Oh, right. He doesn't know. Out of the two big reveals about Number Seven he just uttered that's the one he's focusing on. "In the time you were gone Number Seven decided that he feels comfortable dressing and being referred to as a boy, and the children call him Viktor".

Five stares off into the distance, thoughts clearly swarming quickly in his head. Eventually he smiles. "Oh, okay" they continue walking into the cell and he can hear Five repeat slowly under his breath, Viktor.

The experiment is placed on a table that Reginald had dragged in earlier, and he lifts his hand to dial the controls properly. "Repeat to me again how this will work, my boy"

Five clears his throat. "The briefcase was designed to jump backwards in time by two years. The device attached to it will release the stress ball once it arrives, and the robotic fingers will turn the controls properly to arrive here, five seconds after it originally left."

"You are positive?"

"100%, sir"

Reginald smiles widely, earning an equally large one in return. "Marvelous! Let's get started then!" He sets the controls while Five steps in the hallway, and then he runs back, closing the door. Reginald steps behind his son, gripping his shoulders in excitement. Five brings his left hand up to hold his, and Reginald gently squeezes the right shoulder that still has bandages on it.

"Three, two, one" they repeat together. 

The briefcase starts glowing a piercing, vibrant blue, the same as Five's powers. The colors dance across his monocle, and he looks down to see it reflected in Five's eyes.

The color overtakes the room, and all at once stops.

There is no briefcase anymore.

Reginald holds in his breath, expecting and anticipating anything but holding out hope for success.

It feels like forever, but eventually, the light returns, opening a portal with lightning-like emanations. The briefcase is spit out, looking damaged but intact. It will take some more testing and prototypes but it worked.

He opens the door, and narrows in on an object resting on the floor that wasn't there before. He picks up the stress ball, covered in a layer of dust that accumulated over two years, proving the theory of time manipulation in the past.

He tosses the ball to Five who catches it. "Mission success" his son beams.

"Mission success" Reginald repeats before he steps over and lifts him into a hug, laughing loudly.

The future is bright, and it belongs to them.

Chapter Text

This is getting ridiculous. It’s been two weeks since the following has occurred:

1) Viktor revealed he's had powers their entire lives

2) Klaus revealed Ben's ghost has been here since he died back in October

3) Ben also revealed they all have a part in solving Five's disappearance

And nothing has come out of it so far.

Well, not exactly. Viktor has been surprisingly good at training his powers and was able to levitate Klaus for two minutes yesterday. It's still strange—Viktor's powers. Everything that has happened with him recently is unexpected. Two years ago Allison wouldn't have thought they'd be working themselves towards being friends, bonding and helping him with training his powers.

They've managed to hide it from Dad (at least to the best of their knowledge) and still haven't told Luther or Diego. It feels wrong to keep these three mind blowing things a secret from their own siblings but they didn't know what else to do.

Luther would no doubt blab to Dad and Diego would probably be so full of himself since he'd be trusted over Luther he'd unintentionally act suspicious.

Maybe Klaus, Ben, and herself are overreacting and being unfair but they don't know what else to do. There's no handbook for situations like this.

It hurts. Every time Luther stares at the empty chairs at the table, or Diego tries the locked door handles to Ben and Five's rooms, it feels like a betrayal to keep her mouth shut. But she swallows down her pain and continues forward because she's scared of it all backfiring horribly if they change anything else.

All the hiding and secret meetings are making Allison antsy. So far they have come up with zero ideas on how to move forward. Pretty pathetic if you ask her. Five could be alive and they've done jack squat.

She's tired of feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. She's tired of feeling like Five's life is in her hands, and every day they do nothing feels like a ticking time bomb.

Like Five is a pile of sand and he's slowly slipping through her fingers, blowing away in the wind to never be seen again.

It all came to a head when she was in the living room. She was wiping lingering water from her hands against her itchy skirt after using the bathroom when Ben's statue in the courtyard caught her eye.

Allison moved closer to it, watching as a bird landed on his head. Another bird flies ahead and shits, white droppings landing on Ben's eye. She then turns her gaze to Five's painting over the mantelpiece.

If he's not already dead there's no way she's going to allow him to end up like Ben. Bird poop slowly drying over a statue made after the image of a dead teenager.

She quickly turns on her heel and marches down to their rooms. She's had enough. They're figuring something out today.

Allison hears voices in Viktor's room so she opens the door.

Viktor and Klaus are standing in the middle of the room, Klaus’ hands clutched at his side in fists and glowing blue. He’s sweating and grunting in frustration, and Viktor is speaking to him.

"—on Ben. Focus on how much you want him to appear. Until that's all you want to happen, let the emotion wash over you"

“What’s going on?” she asks.

”Training my powers!” Klaus says breathlessly. He releases the tension in his hands and sits heavily on the bed. “Trying to, at least. Ben said he followed Dad into his office and he was writing notes about all our trainings. I thought that if I could train my powers, maybe I can make him corporeal and he can pick up the book and read it. Maybe there’s something about Five.”

Allison thinks for a moment while Viktor gives Klaus a glass of water. “That's a great idea Klaus. If he is writing notes about Five that means he knows something that’s going on. Ben was the one the afterlife told so there's obviously something his ghost stuff needs to help with.” she turns her gaze to the desk, where she assumes Ben is. “Why don’t you just follow Dad around for a day? See where he goes?”

Klaus pauses, glass raised halfway to his lips. He points to an empty space next to him on the bed. “Ben’s actually right here…but shit Allison that’s a good idea. Why the hell have none of us thought about that?”

“Well this is kind of a crazy situation to begin with so it’s understandable. You said Dad’s book was in his study, right?”

”Bye Ben!” Klaus smiles as his gaze tracks the bed to the door. “He shot up so fast and practically floated through that door like the majestic phantom he is. He’s off to find Dad. But yeah, the book's in his office. Why do you ask?”

”I'm gonna break in there”

Fear flashes across Viktor’s eyes. “Allison, that’s really dangerous. If he catches you…”

She shakes her head. “Five needs us. I can’t let Dad get in our way. I’ll rumor him if I have to” She starts to exit the room but stops. “It's been long enough, we need to actually do something"

"That doesn't mean you have to put yourself in harm’s way like that. Let's just wait until Ben comes back, maybe we can get a better picture of where to start—"

Allison places a hand on his shoulder. "I need to do this, I'm going crazy doing nothing." she takes in a deep breath and stares him in the eyes. "Thanks for training Klaus. I’m glad we’re working together now”

Viktor smiles at her, and she uses it as courage to follow through with her plan.

Step one: Grab the lock picking kit. 

"Don't die Alligator, I don't want anyone else but Ben haunting me" Klaus leaves as a departing farewell.

Allison suppresses a snort and crosses over to her room, her hand freezing over where the kit should be.

Where the hell is it? She hasn’t used it in a bit but she’s never moved it. No one else (Klaus) would have grabbed it since they all have their own. 

It’s confusing but not suspicious, and she’s determined to break into Dad’s study so she's leaving her room to grab Klaus' kit when something catches her eye.

There’s something on her desk.

She shuffles over to get a better look and picks it up.

“And that is how the two of us will rule. Headquarters will be established out of the way where no one else can find us. No one has abilities like you my child.”

Five smiles at Dad, albeit a little nervously. Existing in a pocket dimension? That is hard, heavy math. He doesn’t know if he can do it. "That definitely guarantees nobody bothers us. How did you even think of that?"

"Ever since I found out you could time travel. This is your destiny. I've always intended upon creating the Commission even before you were born. Even while I was with—" Dad pauses, staring off into the distance. It looks like he's getting choked up, and it's strange to see that on his face. To see an emotion other than the extremes of anger and happiness. He soon looks back down, clamping Five's left upper arm and continues. "I knew that one of you children could help me with your abilities. I'm just so glad that I found you."

Five gulps, his breathing shaky. "That's really difficult math, Dad. I don't know if I can do it"

His father gets closer to him, bending down on his knees so their eyes are level. "I believe in you. My son, you teleported on the very first night I collected all you children. You scared the nanny half to death. Until you controlled your abilities more when you were three or four, you would quickly blink everywhere, dodging the nanny when she'd try to change you or put you in time out. I had to get another nanny, one just for you since the first couldn't handle all of you children at once."

Five flinches back, not quite believing it. "Really?"

Dad smirks. "Really. You were always special, Number Five. That is why I named you what I did."

Oh right. He'd forgotten about that. Five had been so angry when Dad told him. Him and his siblings were so excited the night they were given their names. Mom had picked them out, researching their backgrounds and names from the countries they were born in. Five was from Ireland, names like Cillian, Fionn, Seamus, or Rónán were floating through his head as possibilities, ones that he liked from a book in the library.

Except when he walked into the study, Mom didn't give him a name. Dad did.

"Would you like to go by that name now, Number Five?" Dad says in the present, snapping him from his thoughts.

He doesn't. He really doesn't. But...Dad is showing him love. Dad isn't hurting him anymore. He's given hugs, better meals, and treated with respect. Dad is a monster that Five can't help but love back. The anger he felt when he heard the name before has slipped away, leaving numbness in its place.

"Yes" he says, the word slipping past his mouth like a lie.

This whole idea—The Commission—Five doesn’t quite understand it. Why Dad is so motivated to create it. It’s been nice, working alongside him, feeling important. Feeling supported. Feeling loved.

It made so much sense in the beginning, when he first decided to follow Dad. Fueled by self-hatred (that still exists and grows by the day) and the lack of other options, he did what he did. Hugged and apologized to Dad. He may be questioning it now but he doesn’t regret the apology. Five is a piece of shit that nobody deserves to be stuck with.

But over time, every equation he completes, every smile Dad throws his way, it feels like someone’s tossing a pile of dirt over his grave.

He missed Ben’s funeral and now he’s next.

Five has buried himself. Made his bed and lied in it. And now every decision afterwards is covering him up. The dirt pouring over him, sealing him off from the outside world. From the rest of his family.

He chose Dad over them. Dad, who has hurt them so much, again and again and again. And Five willingly—of his own accord—chose to follow him. He betrayed his siblings. Kissed them like Judas, gaining thirty pieces of silver for the price of losing everything else.

There’s a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. That something’s off. Something’s wrong. That his disloyalty only leads down a dark path. That his future is not as hopeful as Dad says it is.

Five feels pulled in two separate directions. 

One towards Dad, and one towards his siblings and Mom.

Mom has continued to visit him for meals. She’s kept trying to comfort him, to be a shining light in his life but he shoves her away. He reacts coldly. Doesn’t answer her questions. Sees the hope in her eyes diminish. He can tell that she wants him out of here.

And Five…part of him wants out too. But he’s in this too deep. He’s already crossed the line, working with Dad. 

Even if somehow he’s able to find his siblings, they certainly won’t want him. Not after what he’s done. They’ve moved on, anyway. 

Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Ben and…Viktor.

A surge of love bursts forth from Five’s chest. He loves Viktor so goddamn much and it kills him that he’s missed this big development in his life. Both his powers and his new self, he hasn't been there for either of them. The two of them were inseparable, Five and Seven. Now, Viktor probably views them a strangers.

He missed four years with the first jump, and he’s missed who knows how long since being down here. It’s probably 2007 by now.

And he’s still in this fucking basement. Hasn’t seen the light of day in months. Fed meals like a child. Shits in a toilet connected to the room that removes his ability to teleport. His favorite sibling will be murdered if he tries to escape. 

And yet here he is, directly helping the person that put him here.

His siblings definitely wouldn’t want to see him ever again.

Luther may be on a leash for Dad, his little pet, but Five is the leash. Dad has told him continuously how much he adores him. That he’s the only one out of the siblings Dad actually loves. That he respects. The others are disposable to him.

Five is Dad’s entire world and he both loves and abhors it.

He knows it’s wrong yet he's attached to him anyway. And that has changed the color of his blood. Filled him with poison. He’s nothing but an empty, hollow husk.

Five’s story will not have a happy ending. He doesn’t deserve one. 

But his siblings deserve to know. Viktor deserves to know he didn't intentionally abandon them (at least not in the beginning, it feels like he's doing that now).

He needs to fucking tell them somehow. Dad’s been buttered up and trusts him completely—especially since he's going by his original name now—but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid. Five won’t be allowed upstairs. 

They work together on the equations some more, Five’s brain literally being scraped raw with the complexity. He scribbles down a few more numbers, and an idea pops into his head.

They’re done for the day and packing up. Instead of leaving the pen on the table, he slips it into his pocket and rests his hand behind his back. Dad is gathering together the papers, and Five blinks one of them at the bottom of the pile to his hand. He quickly shoves it into the back of his shorts.

They walk back, Dad leaving him with an “All my love, son” before cranking the door shut. Five is left staring at his reflection in the two way mirror. 

His skin is pale, eyes bloodshot with purple bags underneath, and greasy hair matted to his forehead that’s awkwardly long. It's just shy of not being long enough to tuck behind his ears and the back annoyingly brushes his neck. The short sleeve of his t-shirt lies empty on his right side.

Since he lost the arm, he hasn’t been given the button downs anymore, not being able to fasten them by himself and he refuses to be dressed like a child by Mom.

His disability frustrates him. He has bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and soap (also a toothbrush/toothpaste) that lie on the tiny sink next to the toilet, which he uses to cleanse himself. 

It was easier before Dad took his arm. Wetting his hair, washing it, and cleaning his pits with the soap was much easier with two hands. Now he only has one and even struggles opening the damn bottles. 

Recently he hasn't even mustered up the courage to cleanse himself anymore because of that, and his stringy, greasy hair and body that reeks is reflective of his emotional state. 

He can see it in Mom’s eyes when she visits. She can see his spiral into madness. He knows it disgusts her. That all she wants to do is recoil from him, her disappointment of a "son".

He’s not worth saving.

He’s a pathetic excuse of a human being, and doesn’t understand what Dad sees in him. Why the hell he’s so attached to a person who doesn’t even bathe himself properly is beyond him.

His right arm starts hurting again as he stares at his reflection, a burning sensation overtaking him.

He gasps in a breath, sinking to the floor and clutching his right shoulder. There’s nothing there. It was cut clean off yet he can still feel it. 

Five is so insane that he can’t even lose a limb properly. His skin is on fire and all he wants to do is massage it and apply pressure but there’s nothing to grab.

The tears come back, and he slinks over to his bed, burying his childishness in his pillow. 

Eventually the pain subsides, the tears having dried tracks onto his disgustingly dirty face he hasn’t washed in probably a week. 

He’s exhausted, and falls into a stressful sleep. The dream that awaits him is not what he expected. 

The memory he’s been chasing has finally been dug up.

"FIVE????”

Allison stands there, bewilderment in her eyes.

His sister. Holy crap his sister is standing there. 

Her and Dad exchange a few words that he can't make out. He tries to say her name but slips on the blood that coats the floor. 

His blood. 

Spilt by Dad.

It’s gushing down his face and leaking from his right arm. His head is getting light, and pain radiates throughout his arm, head, nose, everything, only intensified by his fall.

Allison and Dad are arguing, but he can’t hear them over the pain. It’s clouding all his senses, the only thing he can see.

Red, red, red. Thick blood running out of him, filling up the room.

He’s suddenly being moved around very jerkily. He manages to slit open his eyes, and can see that Allison is attempting to grab him.

Dad is not letting her. He’s dodging every move and damn is it making the black abyss of unconsciousness sound appealing.

He wants nothing more than to give in but he can’t. Allison is right here and he can’t leave her. 

A few moments pass, and Dad is holding some sort of knife against his throat. His eyes are open but it’s very blurry and the blood from the gash on his forehead is still blocking his vision so he can’t really see anything. How the hell Dad managed to grab a knife is beyond him.

They start walking, and the pressure of the weapon never releases from his throat.

Suddenly his sensations are overtaken. Something cuts through the pain and overrides his body.

“I heard a rumor you do not give up and discover a way out of here" 

Five jolts awake. Sweat covers him, sticking to his skin and making him hot and uncomfortable. A pounding headache pulses in his skull.

Allison.

Allison was here.

She found a way down here. To him.

She cares about him.

She loves him.

The rest of his memory comes back. After the rumor, it was easier to focus. Dad demanded she tell him how she discovered them and she revealed there’s a surveillance room somewhere in the house. It lead her down here. 

She then promptly looked into the mirror and rumored herself to forget. 

But not before telling Five she loved him.

And he told her that he loved her back. Because that’s his sister.

He loves her more than he could ever love Dad.

Dad has been abusing them. Hurting them. Their entire lives. Dad hurt him so much that his arm had to be amputated. Yet Five still wanted to help him.

Has hugged him multiple times and has helped him create time travelling devices and equations to build a pocket in the universe for them to live and control Time.

He’s believed Dad when he told him he loves him. And Dad does, in a sick, twisted way. And Five is sick for playing along with his games. 

But Allison…loves him anyway. Allison doesn’t know what level he’s stooped down to since she last saw him. Doesn’t know that he’s betrayed them all. But his gut tells him that the girl he saw trying to physically fight Dad to save him would still love him, even now. 

Five doesn’t think he deserves it. How could he? But the fact still remains that Allison, his only sister, would do anything for him. Tear apart the world for him. She loves him. Love that is stronger, and more pure than any love Dad has for him.

He doesn’t think he’s worthy of it.

But he trusts her. 

He uncaps the pen in the darkness of the room underneath his blanket (away from the view of the camera that probably has nighttime vision) and pulls the crumpled sheet of paper out of his shorts. 

His plan from earlier is now being completed. Five realizes that the rumor Allison gave him helped him create it, even though he didn’t remember until just a few minutes ago. It was working this whole time, rising past the swelling artificial devotion to Dad.

He writes a letter addressed to her, and waits.

Morning comes. Five musters up the energy to wash his hair, face, and armpit. He brushes his teeth. It’s difficult and takes awhile, but he has hope now.

It’s a long time before Dad comes, it always is. As much as Dad has made it clear that his priority is their work together, he still has an entire other life and must keep up appearances for his siblings. Allison once knew but she forgot. And now with Five’s plan, she’ll know again.

Mom brings in a meal. Five is still reeling from the realization last night and is so paranoid that his plan won’t work so he doesn’t say anything.

She notices that he actually cleaned himself, he could see the joy in her eyes. 

Five shakily eats the scrambled eggs on toast she brought, gulping it down with orange juice she silently held in her hand the entire time.

Just before she gets up to leave, he grabs her hand. He wants to tell her something, anything, but she’s programmed to tell Dad so he keeps his mouth shut.

Instead, he leans forward and hugs her. He wraps his arm around her back and squeezes tightly. Surprised, she hugs him back. 

This time it feels good. 

He pulls back, and can tell that Mom notices something’s different. He’s not hopeless anymore. She cups his face with her hand.

”You’re starting to get a mustache, my dear sweet boy. My, my, how you’ve grown”

Mom stands up and Five quickly brings his hand to his upper lip to discover that yes, there’s some facial hair there now.

”Good luck” she says under her breath before leaving.

His heart pounds violently in his chest. Maybe Mom isn’t as controlled as he thought. She knows he has something planned and just encouraged it. 

He’s left to stew thinking about that particular realization until the door cranks open again, Dad stepping through. 

Five plasters a smile on his face. “Good morning, Dad”

"Good morning, Reginald" Dad says.

They walk to Viktor’s cell to test their latest briefcase prototype and on the way, Five finishes his plan.

Out of his own cell, his powers are back.

Instead of teleporting himself, he just blinks an object.

Five can spatial blink objects to any location, as long as he’s seen it before. 

He blinks the letter straight onto Allison’s desk. 

Chapter Text

Ben again finds an empty room for what feels like the hundredth time. Damn. Allison was right. He should’ve followed Dad earlier. This would go a lot smoother if he started in the morning at breakfast when Dad was in his line of sight. He should’ve thought about that.

He’s been trusted by the afterlife with this mission and he’s so stupid he can’t even—

No

Throwing a pity party won’t help Five. It won’t solve the mystery. All Ben needs to do is swallow his pride and continue searching for Dad. Dragging himself down won’t do any good.

Plus it’s not good for his self-esteem. As much self-esteem as he can afford as a ghost. Can dead people get depressed?

Anyway

He’s on the highest level of the house by now, there’s not that many rooms left. Dad is still nowhere to be found. 

Well, if he’s not here the only place left to check is the hallway where their rooms are (sans Five’s whose room is on the complete opposite end of the house that he’s already cleared). It didn’t even occur to Ben to check their rooms when he started searching.

Dad could be giving Luther a lollipop or whatever it is that makes him a gullible ass to be so blindly devoted to him. If Dad’s not there either; well, he must’ve gone out because once that’s checked the whole house will have been searched.

He walks through the wall to the next room, finding nothing again. He’s about to leave when he makes an important observation.

The room may be empty of Dad…but it’s not empty of information.

On a desk in the cluttered room, there’s lines of TVs stacked on top of each other, surveillance footage splayed across the screens.

Bingo.

Now he can easily find Dad, especially if he’s switched rooms while Ben was searching. This house is too gooddamn big. Ben imagines the mansion in the board game Clue was modeled after their own.

Ben walks closer to the screens, spotting Pogo and Mom talking in the downstairs kitchen, and the rest of his siblings close by in their rooms. Luther’s journaling, Diego’s napping, and Allison, Klaus, and Viktor have moved from Klaus’ room to Allison’s.

Where the hell is Dad? He’s not on any of the TVs.

If Ben’s heart still pumped blood it’d be noticeably pounding against his chest right now.

He punches the wall in frustration, nearly falling as his fist phases through. He manages to get his footing before plummeting flat on his face though, which he appreciates. Klaus isn’t here to tease him, thank god.

As Ben stands up again, his position is different and another TV off to the side catches his attention.

A label is placed at the base of the screen.

Basement level, lowest floor

“Where’d you buy that dress? My goodness Caroline, you’ve got impeccable taste. 1778 had some fashion tragedies but not you. Do ya think I’d look good in it?”

Viktor has learned to tune out Klaus’ ghost talk over the years and his conversation right now is no exception. 

He’s more concerned with his sister that just walked out of the room to break into Dad’s study, fully intent on single-handedly fighting their father if she has to. 

Nope, that’s not happening. Viktor has insanely strong powers (even if they’re nowhere near controlled yet) and will use them against Dad if needed. He grabs Klaus’ hand, pulling him towards the door. “Goodbye Caroline, me and Klaus have important work to do”

”Heyyyyy” Klaus whines. “I’ve never seen her before and was trying to get the juicy gossip on the American Revolution. It’d be hilarious if George Washington was only like 5’6”. Also what fabric she used when she handmade that dress”

”You can do that later. Now we need to stop Allison from a suicide mission. She can’t do it alone”

”Oh is that all” he sighs. “Fine, count me in. I’m the best at picking locks and if Dad catches us, my kung fu moves are nothing to be trifled with”

They reach Allison’s room and Viktor opens the door, hoping they haven’t missed her.

Luckily they haven’t, she’s standing at her desk reading a piece of paper. 

“Hey sis, you were right. We’re working together now so I can’t let you go alone. All three of us are breaking into that office”

No response.

She continues to stand there motionless, face tilted down at the paper. Viktor can only make out her eyes, and they’re frantically running all over the page. 

“You-hoo! Allison?” Klaus snaps his fingers in front of her face.

She jerks her head up and with a loud gasp. Her eyes are wild, with a horrified expression. She’s breathing fast, fist clutching the paper in a death grip.

”What’s going on?” Viktor asks in a gentle, low tone. Something’s clearly wrong. Whatever she read can’t be good news and it’s clearly negatively affecting her. 

“I—I don’t..” she starts, before gasping for breath. “I just—“ She tries to move forward but trips over a jacket laying on the floor, almost face planting.

”Hey, hey. Sit down Alley-cat before you pass out” Klaus gently takes her arms, guiding her to sit on the desk chair. He strokes her hair softly as he bends down to her level. “Deep breathes. Do them with me. In, out. In, out.” 

Allison breathes steadily with him, some tension easing out of her stiff frame. Fortunately it calms her down.

”Good” Klaus murmurs. “There you go, back with us again. Now, can you tell me what’s on that paper? If you can’t find the words just show me so we know how to help you, okay?”

Allison nods, taking in another steady breath before slowly releasing it.

“It’s Five,” she says. “This paper was written by Five. He’s alive and Dad has been hiding him in the basement”

what

the

absolute

fuck

Viktor’s mouth gapes open, probably doing a great impression of a fish. There’s no way she just said that.

The afterlife may have told Ben that they need to figure out what happened to Five but obviously it didn’t mean he’s been right under their noses for years. There’s no way this could be true. It’s impossible.

”Are you shitting me?” Klaus yells. He recoils back as if he was slapped, and then yanks the paper from her hand. “There’s no way in hell Five’s been downstairs this whole time. That’s a fucking lie and it’s not funny Allison”

Instead of reacting with anger to the harsh words, she gestures to the page with her still shaking fingers. “Read it for yourself then”

Viktor moves next to Klaus’ side, kneeling down to look at the jagged, messy handwriting covering the wrinkled sheet of paper.

Allie

This is 5. I time travelled from dinner to the day Ben died. I’m still 13. Dad found me & locked me in the basement

He wants to make a time agency that controls the world & is using my powers to do it. We’ve already made a time travelling device disguised as a briefcase so destroy any one that you find. We’ve started on equations to build the agency in a pocket universe in the space time continuum

I can’t stall the math or he’ll suspect me so you need to stop him. You’ve tried to before. Awhile ago you found a surveillance room in the house & saw me in the tapes. You found your way down here & tried to stop Dad. He forced you to rumor yourself in front of a mirror to forget what happened. Idk if it’ll work but it’s worth trying to rumor yourself to remember

Dad said when we were 4 he made you rumor Viktor to forget his powers because they could end the world. He’s scared of what Viktor can do

Dad was able to beat you before but that’s because you were alone. If you all team up there’s a chance you can stop him. Mom is the only other one who knows about me. Idk if she’s programmed to help Dad or not so be careful

Dad trusts me now. That’s how I know about Viktor & his powers. I’m helping Dad & I’m sorry. Please forgive me I had no other choice. If I didn’t help him he was gonna kill me. I have to go along with what he says

I’m sorry for leaving you all. If you don’t believe me I ripped off the bottom of this page & I’ll blink it to your desk after this one so you know it’s me. I just hope you’ll be in the room to see it. I’m writing this in the dark so the camera doesn’t see me & I hope it’s legible

Stop Dad or the world is in danger

-5

“This—this can’t be…” Klaus stammers. He takes in a deep breath, looking up with tear filled eyes. “I want this to be true,” he whispers “so bad. But I’m afraid of this being a trap or sick game. I can’t have my heart ripped out again, I can’t get my hopes up. We need to be sure before believing anything”

Allison nods, placing her head in her hands. “I don’t even know if that’s his handwriting. I don’t remember what it looked like and can barely read the note anyway since it was apparently written in the dark.” She flaps her hands in front of her, as if trying to shove away the confusion. “I can try rumoring myself to remember finding him“

“Do your powers even work like that?” Viktor asks. Klaus follows it up with another question.

“And if nothing happens does that mean it’s a lie or your earlier rumor trumps any attempts to remember?”

“I don’t know!” she exclaims, standing abruptly. “All I can do is try” she grasps the mirror on her desk and stares into it. “Here goes nothing”

A motion on her desk interrupts her.

A torn bit of paper appears out of thin air on top of the polished wood.

All of them hold their breathes, and then another pops into existence next to it.

Holy shit.

It’s Five.

He’s alive and he wrote that note.

”There’s only one person who can do that” Viktor says under his breath. Tears rise in his eyes and his throat starts choking up. After more than four years, he finally knows. Five’s alive. It’s amazing to see his powers being used again but it cuts him to his core thinking about him being trapped downstairs.

Dad’s using his powers to control time??? This raises more questions than answers.

“So…he’s still a little baby?” Klaus questions as he wipes his eyes; half laughing, half crying.

They gets them all to laugh, trying to process the weight and impact of what they just read.

Klaus is overjoyed. Five is alive. Of course there’s the fact that he’s being held captive by their insane father and Klaus has no clue if they’re capable of stopping him, but he’s alive. When he sees Five—his brother he’s missed every day for four years—he’ll actually be able to touch him. He won’t phase through him.

They won’t be finding a corpse. They’ll be finding a live body, a scrawny little thirteen year old one at that.

And oh fuck, he’s still so young. Too young to be going through this. All of them are, really. It’s not fair, but that’s the lot they drew in life.

Suddenly Ben flies into the room through the wall, landing halfway phased in Viktor’s body. He quickly notices and frantically moves to the side out of the way.

Klaus gets a good look at Ben’s face, and he sort of looks like Allison earlier.

Scratch that, he looks exactly like Allison when she found the note. Klaus supposes they all have the same expression now; disbelief and horrified, horrified betrayal. The look on Ben’s face means he must have found Dad or Five. Maybe both.

Ben opens his mouth, speaking gibberish for a few seconds until the words become coherent. ”Five’s alive and he’s in the basement. I found a surveillance room. I saw him on a live tape with Dad”

Dread fills Klaus’ soul as he thinks on the implications of that discovery. Yes, Five’s alive. But there won’t be a police station to pick him up in. It won’t be all happy smiles and hugging as soon as they see him.

They have to rescue him themselves. And it won’t be a mission against bank robbers.

They’ll possibly be fighting to the death with their own father.

Each word Ben spoke felt like a stab in Klaus’ gut. Blood is curling in his stomach and rising in his throat. When he opens his mouth to speak, he’s surprised words spill out instead of crimson.

”Ben found the surveillance room from the letter. Five’s in the basement with Dad right now”

Allison and Viktor stare at him with blank expressions; they were talking to each other and had no idea Ben came back.

”Guys, he’s down there RIGHT NOW with Five. Right this fucking second. We need to tell Luther and Diego. They deserve to know and what we do next should be a family decision. No more secrets”

His siblings still don’t say anything. Are they serious right now?? They’re standing there as if he’s doing a failed comedy bit, not telling them the location of their kidnapped brother.

Klaus claps his hands angrily, palms slamming against each other which hurts a little bit. “Say something you idiots! Every second we waste Five could die!”

That gets the desired outcome and they finally show some emotion. Both their faces contort into ugly expressions of annoyance.

“Excuse me for taking a moment to process this!”

“Don’t say it like that Klaus, don’t put the blame on us!”

“Well it’s true!” he yells back. “It’s not our fault it happened but we need to act now so move your asses!”

They shout at each other for a few moments, being consumed by rage and fear. Ben tries to intervene but only Klaus can hear him and it just fans the flame.

A knock at the door silences them, even Ben stops talking. They all freeze, nobody moving to open it.

Shit. Dad could’ve come back upstairs and heard every word they’ve shouted.

No no no no no

Another knock pierces the air.

Why did he have to yell incriminating sentences about Five’s abduction inside the house where said kidnapper lives? Why is he such an idiot?

Allison breaks out of her trance and moves to open the door. “Surprised you didn’t move your ass first you moron” she directs at Klaus.

“Shut up and open the damn door” he snaps back.

Allison turns the knob, finding Mom and Pogo on the other side.

“Hello children, we heard noises.” Pogo says evenly, a blank expression concealing his emotions.

Klaus gulps. Shit.

“We have a few questions for you, and would like to share some information we’ve held back for long enough” Mom finishes. “May we gather Luther and Diego and come in?”

Gathering Luther and Diego was proving to be very difficult.

“I was sleeping you jackass, thanks for waking me up from a nap” Diego splutters at Klaus who waves him off.

“What is going on” Luther speaks calmly, his cool exterior making everyone nervous.

Pogo and Mom are standing by the door, looking at the children in front of them. Klaus, Luther, and Diego are sitting in various positions on the bed (Ben cross legged on the floor), Viktor’s quietly pacing in the corner of the room with Allison back at her desk holding the letter tightly, reminding her that this is real.

Mom speaks first.

“Pogo and I are aware of a situation that has been going on for some time. We were unsure of how to move forward, and it was a while before I myself could even do anything about it. We just heard you three” gesturing to Allison, Viktor, and Klaus “—talking about it and now we must break our silence. We must work together and combine our knowledge”

“The hell does that mean?”
“What’s going on”
“What do you know?”
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
“How long have you known about Five?”

The children all speak together in a nearly indecipherable mass of voices but Luther and Diego catch onto the name.

“Five??”

“Mom stop being cryptic and just tell us. Does this have to do with Five?”

She nods, a pained look on her face. “Your brother is alive”

A thousand emotions flash across Diego’s face before settling on hurt. He looks back to Viktor who had said Five’s name.

“How did you know?” Viktor stops pacing and he catches his gaze, tears gathering in his eyes. “Where is he? Why is this so secretive? When did you find out? Why did no one tell me?”

Both Diego and Luther rattle off more questions, giving Allison a headache. She cuts them off, moving to the front of her room.

“I only just found out for sure” she waves the letter in her hand “Five wrote a letter and blinked it onto my desk a few minutes ago. Me, Viktor and Klaus just read it and were going to tell you guys”

Klaus rolls his eyes and points to Ben on the floor. “By the way, Ben’s right there and has been with me since he died. The afterlife told him he had a mission to save Five. Five is still thirteen because he time travelled when he left dinner and is now being held hostage by Dad in the basement so he can control the world using his time travelling powers. Oh, and Viktor has powers and when we were kids Dad forced Allison to rumor him to forget. The pills Dad had him on dampened his powers but he stopped taking them”

Well then.

There was a massive pregnant pause in the room.

Luther closes his eyes. “That’s a lot of information to get in 30 seconds”

Five’s alive? And still thirteen? Time travel? Viktor has powers? Allison rumored him to forget? Ben’s here? And Dad… is holding Five hostage?

Diego is yelling up a storm which doesn’t help so he punches his shoulder to shut him up. He forces his eyelids back open and stares at Pogo.

“Is any of that true?” he asks, voice breaking.

Pogo’s eyes widen. “I must say I did not know about Master Ben. But, it is true that Miss Allison rumored Master Viktor and he has powers”

A choked sound escapes Allison, and Luther momentarily glances back. She looks guiltily at Viktor who has a calculated, calm expression on his face. He mouths the word later

Luther turns back to Pogo. “Dad wouldn’t…do that to Five. Klaus is lying. Pogo, he’s a drug addict and he’s lying. Tell me it’s not true”

He ignores the feigned gasp next to him from his druggie brother and his dramatic “Well I’ll be”

Pogo’s eyes soften right as Luther tenses. He stands up from the bed and slowly moves closer, towering over the monkey. The animal stands his ground and doesn’t look scared, which ticks him off.

“Tell me” he grits with barely restrained fury.

“Master Klaus is correct” he says, hands serenely folded over each other on his chest. “Master Five is downstairs. Sir Hargreeves found him the day after Ben’s funeral and has kept him a secret in the basement since then”

Pogo is telling the truth. Luther can only detect honesty in his eyes, besides what would he gain by lying? It would easily be disproven.

But lying still makes more sense than Dad…doing that.

There’s no way.

There—there must be a reason. Five was always breaking the rules growing up. Apparently he time travelled, and the last thing Dad said to him was the dangers of it. The effects on his mind, his body.

Something must have happened to him that warranted this drastic action. Dad loves them, even Five.

He wouldn’t want to control the world. Klaus clearly misunderstood something, however it was he found out about that. The afterlife?

Luther wants to scream, to tear his hair out and break something. He clenches his fists, willing himself to not break the wall.

He was chosen as Number One and must be a good example. He’s the leader and acting out in anger won’t accomplish anything.

Still looking at Pogo, he holds his right hand out towards Allison, palm facing up.

“Give me the letter and I’ll read it myself”

Luther ends up reading it aloud, as only half of them knew what it said, and they wanted to re-read it anyway.

After he’s done, he sighs. His jaw is clenched so hard he might’ve damaged muscles in his neck. Stay calm stay calm stay calm

“Pogo, Mom, you have seen Five, yes?” They both nod.

He looks over to where Klaus pointed earlier. “Ben, you saw Five on the surveillance footage?”

Klaus snorts and gestures next to him. “He’s not there anymore, right here instead but he says yeah”

Luther bites back an insult and lowers his hands, the sound of the wrinkled paper filling his ears. If this is to be believed, it changes everything. As much as the idea repulses him, it feels true.

So many things have been revealed in the past five minutes and to be honest he’s forgotten half of them. But they’re all connecting into a bigger picture that is too intricate to be a lie. Too many stories are being woven together meticulously in a way that makes sense the more he thinks about it.

Him and his siblings are all too young, too dumb to accomplish this and would have no motivation to say these things unless they fully believe it’s true. Pogo and Mom too.

But the story can be true, but also not be precisely what the others think it means. Even if Dad is “using time travel to control the world”, Five just doesn’t understand why and jumped to the conclusion that it’s for nefarious reasons.

…Right?

Right. Dad loves them. Dad is a billionaire philanthropist who is smarter than anyone else and is ten steps ahead of them.

Dad’s didn’t coldheartedly kidnap Five because he’s a monster. He had a reason, and it’s time for them to intervene and deduce what it is.

But they still need to gather all the facts of the situation before deciding anything.

“Allison, rumor yourself to remember”

Chapter Text

“Concentrate, Reginald” Hargreeves says.

His son is standing in front of a chalkboard, brows furrowed with a piece of chalk in his hand as he thinks on the equation.

Reginald previously had zero confidence in his ability to create the pocket dimension where they’ll live, but has made great progress.

Yet again, he is reminded of how lucky he was to obtain “Number Five”

Hargreeves thought it would take months once they officially started but they’ve already completed a state of the art time traveling briefcase and paved major headway on the other equations.

All it took was a little breaking and fear.

Losing that arm was the best thing that ever happened to Reginald.

Hargreeves thought it was an unfortunate mistake in letting his anger take control but it turned out to be the push Reginald needed.

Once their work is done here, they’ll live in peace in the pocket dimension.

Them and Abigail.

He focuses back on the boy to see he is still standing there, not having moved.

“You can do it my son” he presses. It’s been a difficult morning for him, and Hargreeves is getting a little impatient.

When he first came downstairs, Reginald looked well. He’d cleaned himself up and looked happier. It was about time honestly, the past week or so he’d been unnecessarily “down in the dumps” as humans would say.

The work had not been affected and their relationship certainly didn’t take a hit but his overall mood was tainted. Hargreeves doesn’t understand why, he provides everything his son needs and yet it’s not enough for him.

Reginald has a roof over his head, three meals a day, a bed, and free rein to work on his powers to his heart’s content.

Growing up Reginald feasted upon math, pouring over textbooks and taking training very seriously.

But now it apparently isn’t enough for his son, and it’s beginning to bother him. What else is there to need in life?

This morning he was happy with a fire behind his eyes, but it was quickly diminished as he attempted to solve the complex math.

“Why is this taking so long? It has not been this slow for you before”

Reginald sighs, bringing his hand up to clutch his head. His chalk covered fingers leave white residue on his dark hair. “I’m sorry Dad” he mutters

“It’s just that the math gets more delicate the further we continue. Time doesn’t like to be messed with and she’s pushing back. It was a challenge before but not something I couldn’t handle. Now,” he tilts his head to release pops and cracks in his neck “it’s…tangled. I have to picture all the different wires and individually connect them”

Hargreeves sighs at the explanation. It’s a dismal situation and makes sense, but he’s still antsy to get it over with. Before he had patience but now it’s so close. He just wants to be with his wife and son away from all the chaos of this pathetic world.

Reginald made enormous progress after a little fear before, perhaps he needs more now. Checkpoints, to help the work move forward at a fluid pace.

“Well do it faster” he says as he backhands his face.

The chalk goes flying from Reginald’s fingers and breaks in two on the floor as his head snaps to the side.

The boy takes a few moments after regaining his footing, staring down at the ground as if that’ll do anything.

When he looks up, it’s with tear filled eyes and a betrayed, heavy expression. He really needs to get over himself. A red mark is slowly darkening his face and blood trickles down his nose onto his upper lip.

Tears.

So useless.

“Pick up the chalk and do better”

“Yes sir”

“I heard a rumor I remember what happened the night I rumored myself to forget Five”

Allison’s eyes fog over, turning milky white before she closes them.

Everyone else in the room stays silent, waiting for her to turn back to them. Seconds pass by and she doesn’t, standing still.

“So…is it working?” Klaus questions, speaking everyone’s minds.

“It appears so” Pogo responds.

“Mom?” Viktor pipes up while they wait. “Five said you knew about him. How did you interact with him? Did Dad tell you?”

“I have known about him, and Pogo too, although your father does not know that. Two days after Ben’s funeral he pulled me aside. He said that I was not to tell anyone about our business downstairs which imprinted itself into my coding, so I was unable to ask for help until Pogo recently changed it”

She pauses, glancing over to Allison at the mirror. “Five was malnourished and had passed out after attempting his powers. I fed him, inserted an IV, and he got better after a bit. After that I would give him meals and try to comfort him to the best of my ability; though he was not doing well, physically or emotionally”

Viktor is taken aback by all the information Mom just said. Again it hits him just how long Five has been trapped here. It feels like forever ago that Ben died, and so much has happened in his own life since then.

Getting off the medication, wondering why he felt better, discovering exactly the reason why, and now all the shit with Five.

It’s too much and not at all what he wants to deal with at only seventeen years old, but there’s no other choice but to move forward. To do everything he can to save Five, using the recent developments in his life to help him.

“What do you mean he’s not doing well physically?” he asks, fearing the answer and hoping it’s not true.

Mom hesitates, a pained look in her eyes as a crease forms between them.

“No” he says, bringing his hands up to his mouth. “No”

She only nods. “Your father has hurt him a lot. He injured him so severely that Five…” Mom stops, gripping her skirt tightly before continuing,

“—after that he broke and helped your father with the time traveling. He couldn’t handle it and wanted the physical abuse to stop. And it has”

No.

Viktor can’t bear the thought of Five suffering so intensely for so long while alone. Dad has abused them all and Viktor knew he hit the others during training, but nothing too serious.

But this…it’s too much. Dad clearly had taken it further and there was nobody Five could talk to. Mom could only do so much.

Luther splutters at the front of the room. “Dad—he—wouldn’t”

Diego beelines over to him, shoving at his chest enraged. “Dude, Mom said Dad’s been hurting Five and you’re saying she’s lying? When will you get your head out of your ass and realize Dad’s not a good person?”

Luther’s face crumples, turning red. “Stop saying that!” he shouts.

”What kind of sick bastard are you? What’s next, you gonna join Dad and hit Five yourself?”

”SHUT UP!”

”You think he deserves it? Huh? Stop pretending and go down there to be Reginald 2.0!”

”I’M WARNING YOU!”

“Boys!” Pogo buts in.

The two of them pay no mind, shoving each other heavily, growing more aggressive, and hurtling insults.

”Stop it!” Viktor yells to no avail.

This is exactly why we didn’t tell you he thinks. He looks around the room to see Mom and Pogo standing stiffly—not knowing what to do, Klaus covering his ears, and Allison still frozen at the mirror.

His idiot brothers are just getting worse. While they’re standing here arguing Five is still vulnerable downstairs. At least when he was arguing with Allison and Klaus earlier they didn’t resort to a physical fight.

Diego snatches a knife from underneath his vest, twirling it around his fingers.

“You better watch out Mr. Perfect!” he spits out.

Viktor closes his eyes, concentrating on the noise of the knife.

Swish, swish

In, out, in, out he breathes

Diego throws the knife 

…and it pauses mid-air

The shouting and screams halt immediately as the room starts shaking.

Luther is lifted off his feet, shoes dangling before seizing up, not able to move.

Diego’s shoved to the ground and kept there, helplessly watching as the knife slowly turns around before flying back and burying itself harmlessly in the wall behind them.

Everyone’s gazes focus on him as Viktor strides over to them. “This ends now” he speaks plainly.

“Regardless of what you think Luther, Dad’s been hurting Five and we need to stop him. Fighting only delays our help and it’s not what Number One would do. Understood?”

Luther nods animatedly, genuine fear in his eyes. “Y-yes”

“Good” Viktor closes his eyes again, releasing his brothers.

Klaus laughs loudly. “Holy crapping crap!! Viktor you’re a menace!” He gestures towards his face, “your new white look is very chic I must add”

Confused, he peers over at the mirror to see that his skin has turned white, pupils appearing as frosted ice. He blinks rapidly, not believing his eyes— literally.

The white slowly dissipates and his body returns to its normal colors as he feels the power draining.

“Woah. Didn’t know I could do that” he exhales shakily.

Diego grins, slightly trembling from being on the receiving end of his powers. “I didn’t either man! That was amazing! Total shut down of sourpuss over here”

He points to Luther with a thumb, who is standing there embarrassed. He definitely wants to respond with an insult of his own but is holding back.

Good.

Viktor knows Luther’s own abuse is manifesting itself as devotion and he can’t process the truth of what Dad’s done, but that doesn’t make him any less annoying. And the bonus fact that they literally don’t have time for his mental breakdown now.

Viktor turns to Mom. “What did you mean about Five earlier? What did Dad do to make him break?”

Mom opens her mouth to respond but Allison, who they all forgot about suddenly jerks back.

She stumbles, falling against her bedpost and Klaus steadies her. “Whoa there Al, you okay?”

Everyone moves over, heavily concerned.

“I—I wow” she stammers. “Five…Dad was beating the crap out of him with a fucking weight. His arm—” she covers her mouth with her hand, tears spilling over “It was so bad. Mom?” she asks, peeping over Luther’s form to look her in the eyes. “What happened to his arm?”

She looks at Allison, the previous pained look coming back.

“I had to amputate it”

It’s as if all the air got sucked out of the room again, and not because of Viktor’s powers.

Horrified, Viktor steps back as Allison cries out, stumbling over to collapse in Mom’s arms. “He’s so young” she sobs “he’s so young Mom, he doesn’t deserve it. He told me he loves me before I left. He wants out Mom, he needs us”

Gasps spread throughout the room. Viktor stares dumbly at the wall, trying to process…well, everything.

Dad is a monster that Viktor wants to kill slowly. He wants to repeatedly shove him off the tallest building in the world and listen to his screams of terror.

“I’m gonna kill him” Diego growls. He turns to the side to shove Luther’s chest, albeit softer than earlier. “What about you, Number One? Do ya think Allison’s lying?”

Luther stands there, breathing heavily. His eyes are pink, wet with tears. There’s no longer any anger in his expression, only confliction. He looks like the rug of everything he thought he knew was pulled out from underneath him. 

Which to be fair, is true.

Before something can escalate, Viktor speaks up. “Mom? Pogo? What do we do now?”

The two of them look to each other, tilting their heads and shrugging. “What do you think is best, children?” Pogo asks. “Now? Or later?”

Klaus straightens next to him. “Five lost his arm. We can’t wait and let anything else happen” he says resolutely.

Nods ripple throughout the room, even an unsure one from Luther.

“It is decided then. We go now”

Chapter Text

Five adds a number to the equation in front of him. His vision is so blurry from tears that he can barely see it, and his hand is shaking so much it comes out sloppy, the screech of the chalk on the board grating his ears.

He can’t believe it.

He can’t fucking believe it.

He’s done everything he can. After his father beat him so bad that his arm had to be removed, he’d gone insane and became attached to him. He’s lived like a slave down here, taking whatever abuse and fucked up love he can get, doing whatever he wants, and yet his father still beats him.

It’s not enough.

It never will be enough.

The “love” that abusers promise if you just behave never lasts. They crave a fantasy that doesn’t exist. Five isn’t living up to what Dad wants him to be—the Reginald he thinks he is.

He knows that if their plan is successful (and it probably will be if his siblings don’t come to save him) Dad will still live by his side as rulers of their new world. He won’t throw him aside or kill him, but the abuse will never end.

Dad will continue to hit him for as long as he lives. No matter how “perfect” Five tries to live, no matter if Five breaks again and falls back into the delusion that he owes Dad (although he’s still partially in that headspace) he will still be treated as less than.

And that makes him miserable.

It cuts him to his core and makes him so terrified that it feels like he’s drowning in a lake of dirty water. He’s constantly swimming and going nowhere, eventually his arms get tired and he slows down, the contaminated water filling his lungs yet not killing him. He’s doomed to float helplessly in the filthy water alone, with no one to rescue him.

Five takes a few deep breathes but he can’t get the imagery of drowning out of his mind so it feels like he’s suffocating. All the emotions surround him, feeling as if they’re pressing against him like a busy New York street.

He drops the chalk again and crumples to the floor, grasping at his chest.

Five is sure that Dad’s shouting his name and demanding to know what’s wrong but he just simply can’t hear it.

Blood pulses through his ears

He is more than four years out of time

His brother is dead

His father has kidnapped him

If he follows along with what his father wants, people will die as they become their own “Gods” of the universe.

If he doesn’t, the rest of his siblings will be needlessly killed by his father before they continue down the same “God” path.

Five can’t do it.

He’s paralyzed with fear, and doesn’t know what to do anymore.

He’s dissociating for who knows how long before something cuts into his subconscious.

Something strange.

It’s only ever been him, Dad, and Mom down here (besides the brief stint with Allison) so why is it suddenly so loud?

Five doesn’t want to leave this frozen-with-terror headspace he’s entered. As awful as all the intensified emotions he’s currently experiencing are, he’s too tired to go back to the reality of doing Dad’s murder equations.

He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to open his eyes and be met with the same hell he’s been living for the past few months.

But there’s a chance that something’s different.

Maybe, just maybe his siblings found the letter and have come to save him.

It could very well be that he’s fully gone insane and imagined that something will be different, and Dad will be waiting with his fist raised high to teach him a lesson.

But there’s also a possibility that his plan fueled by Allison’s rumor has worked.

Five’s life has never been conventional, so he’s willing to find out.

He slowly works his way back to consciousness, limbs kicking and pushing their way through the mucky water, and breaks the surface.

Five opens his eyes

And is met with chaos

“Come on, this is the ONLY place out of the entire house I didn’t check and it’s exactly where the entrance to the basement is?”

Klaus smirks, looking over at Ben.

“Your fault man. When you went to check the house for Dad you were literally right here in the same hallway and didn’t think to look?”

“Shut up Klaus, I was gonna get to it eventually and even if I did try it first I hadn’t seen the surveillance room and wouldn’t know this is where he’d be”

“Are you talking to Ben?” Diego interrupts, looking at Klaus with longing in his eyes.

Klaus smiles awkwardly, feeling guilty at only telling his siblings about Ben when their situation warranted his involvement “Yeah…I am”

A lovesick expression that Klaus has only seen on Diego when he’s staring at mom blossoms over his face. “Hey Ben”

“Hey Diego” Ben says back, with a matching expression on his face.

It’s a tender moment, it really is. Which is why he wants to have some fun.

“Good thing you aren’t stuck with him haunting you, all he talks about is when the afterlife told him about Five, giving him the super secret mission to save him”

“I still have no clue what that means. Who in the afterlife told you, Ben?”

Ben starts yapping about the Light again, but Klaus cuts him off.

“God”

“I didn’t say it was God” Ben asserts.

Diego’s face contorts in confusion. “God? What the hell? He can’t be serious?”

“Klaus I never said it was God stop spreading lies!”

“Ben told me specifically it was God; insisted upon it actually so I don’t know what to tell ya, Diego. He won’t go into detail though so it’ll forever remain a mystery”

“Children, please focus” Mom presses, shutting them up.

Klaus refocuses to hear that the rest of them are discussing what to do, and Pogo is picking the lock on the door.

“—rumors don’t work on Dad. Oh hey my lock picking kit!” Allison says, surprised. “I used that the first time I went down here, how’d you get it?”

“I was suspicious of Master Hargreeves ever since he started spending more time alone. I thought he was in his study but then I saw him enter this door. Eventually I saw him leaving one time, with Grace. It was the same night you went down there—your kit was on the floor, so I used it to find out what he was doing. After I saw the truth I changed Grace’s programming so she could tell me everything”

Once the door was unlocked, they all piled in the elevator, and Mom pressed the button, Klaus started to sweat.

The reality of the situation was starting to set in. In a few moments Five’s life will be in their hands.

“Hey guys? I’m starting to get real fucking nervous here, we all need to come up with something we can immediately do the second we see him alright?”

Viktor nods. “I don’t have full control of my powers yet but I can try to hold Dad still”

“Um, Dad’s really old? I can…try to knock him out” Luther says tentatively.

“That’s actually a great step forward for you buddy” Klaus says “I’ll try to conjure Ben”

“I have about twenty knives strapped onto me right now”

“That’s really weird Diego, anyway my best bet is to grab Five and get him to safety because I found out last time I was here that Dad’s an alien so that’s why my rumors don’t work on him.”

A frankly headache inducing conversation started afterwards about how Dad has the ability to morph his body into random objects.

It strangely fits that Dad has been an alien this entire time. What even is his true form? Klaus doesn’t want to find out.

Too soon, the elevator reaches the bottom floor and Klaus thinks he may have shit his pants a little.

He was all for immediately going downstairs to save Five but didn’t process that it meant they’d be facing Dad only a few minutes later.

“You can do this, children. We’ll be fighting right next to you” Mom says in her loving, warm tone. She always has found a way to comfort him and he’d love it if he could truly appreciate that right now but he can’t. Nothing has ever prepared him for this moment. Honestly nothing ever could.

Klaus releases a shaky breath, doing it too fast and now his lips tingle. He aggressively scratches them with his teeth, picking at them and then drawing blood. It’s a painful distraction that he tries to focus on as they all take a few steps out of the elevator.

“Just get up my boy my God! What is wrong with you? Snap out of it!”

There’s his loving father.

Klaus looks at Viktor who looks at Allison who looks at Luther who looks at Diego.

Klaus looks at Ben too for good measure, and they all immediately break into a run.

Mom leads the way since she knows this eerie basement more than the rest of them.

They approach the room, which holds a chalkboard covered in math and a very angry looking Dad shouting at Five, who is curled up fetal position on the floor, rocking back and forth with an arm clutching his head.

Klaus wishes he had more time to truly let it sink in that he’s staring at Five, plus the added factor of his lack of an arm but they have to deal with Dad first.

Dad immediately snaps his head up to stare at them, taking in the probably very surprisingly picture of Mom, Pogo, and his children bursting into the previously very well kept secret of a basement torture room.

He doesn’t even get a chance to speak before the room starts shaking and he’s raised into the air.

Thanks Viktor

Luther rushes over to Five, beating Allison, and scoops him off the floor. He holds him tight to his chest, booking it past Klaus out of the room.

“What do we do!?!” Klaus shouts. Adrenaline courses through his veins. Defeating Dad can’t be this easy, right?

“I don’t know” Diego says next to him, knives clutched in each hand and in a fighting stance.

“Where are you going?” Allison yells behind him to Luther.

“Out of here!!” is the response.

Suddenly white hot pain erupts in his skull. Klaus drops to the floor and is dimly aware his siblings doing the same.

What happened?

He tries to blink through the pain, and sees a blurry Dad standing on his feet again, arm raised like he’s holding something. Dad’s speaking but the biting words he’s no doubt saying leave no mark because he literally can’t hear anything but a high pitched whirring. The pain echoes throughout his skull, taking over all his senses.

Suddenly Dad’s arm…quickly lengthens? It comically shoots out like Pinocchio's nose.

Oh right. Dad’s an alien. Allison warned them about that. Is one of his powers the ability to electrocute all their brains? Klaus doesn’t know.

What he does know is that someone heavily falls next to him.

A warm substance gathers against his cheek that’s pressed against the floor.

Sensations come back and he recognizes it’s blood. And the person next to him isn’t a person, they’re covered in fur.

Pogo.

Shit, Pogo. Blood. Dad’s alien arm.

Klaus pushes himself onto his knees, swinging his throbbing head back, blinking stars out of his vision to see a massive red hole in Pogo’s chest and a vacant expression in his eyes.

“N—no” he manages to say

“Oh, I’m afraid I quite had to, Number Four” Dad says.

Dad…he just killed Pogo.

They can’t possibly fight against him, they were foolish to believe they could just waltz down here and have everything turn out fine. They’re just kids.

A chuckle escapes Dad. “You come down here, attempt to kidnap Reginald, and call me the bad guy?”

Klaus’ head still throbs and he pauses, confused. Why is he talking about himself in the third person?

At his puzzled expression Dad continues, “Number Five never told you his true name. You see, I chose to name him Reginald when you all were ten years old but he rejected it. His abilities are marvelous, Number Four, and he has accepted the name now, a suitable one for the man he will grow into.”

“Cut it with the speech” Allison groans, trying to pick herself up too.

“Where’s Mom?” Diego questions.

“A certain monkey messed with her programming so the two of them have received their just reward” Dad says, gesturing to a spot on the floor.

Klaus stands up to his full height and can see Mom laid supine on the ground, a matching hole in her own chest. Her face is twitching, smoke rising from it.

Diego cries out from behind him, and Klaus can hear him stumble and fall back to the floor.

Klaus only stares at the bodies on the floor. He’s not in the basement of the Umbrella Academy anymore, he’s in a secret drug warehouse, covered in the blood of his brother who lays in pieces on the dirty cement.

“Why leave us alive?” he asks, trying to distract himself from the flashback.

Dad pauses, tilting his head to the side, twirling a small device in his hand. It looks like a remote. Is that what’s controlling them? What made their heads practically explode?

“Number Four, although you imagine me as cruel, I have grown quite fond of you over the years. You are my children after all, even if you’re not as useful as Reginald”

“Stop calling him that!” Allison buts in, leaning against the wall.

Dad continues on, ignoring her comment. “I want a proper send off before I kill you. It’ll be quite simple really. Number Seven has uncontrollable powers. The media will greatly mourn the tragedy that resulted in all of your deaths. I will make it out, barely alive”

Dad is insane. He’s announcing out loud how he’s going to kill them.

“I’ve always known I needed a back up plan in case any of your powers got out of control. Which is why I implanted chips in your heads to monitor brain waves for study purposes, and to keep you in line. Obviously, it came in handy today” Dad finishes, waving the device in his hand.

There’s no way Klaus is just gonna let him kill them all. He looks around to his siblings, pointedly ignoring the dead bodies of his caregivers. Allison and Diego are panting heavily, trying to stand. Viktor is still laying on the ground, the effects of the shock having a greater impact on him.

“Klaus!!” a voice says next to him. “Klaus!!” Begrudgingly he turns his head to see Ben next to him, a wide eyed expression on his face. “Conjure me! He can’t press a button to control me”

Holy shit Ben’s a genius.

“Be quick and catch him off guard so he drops the remote since he can still control me” Klaus whispers.

Ben nods and Klaus prepares himself, waiting until Dad has his back to him. He’s leaving the room to go get Five, who’s probably still zoned out in the hallway after Luther no doubt dropped him.

Klaus is in no state to use his powers, especially not to the extent of conjuring someone. He’s never even been able to do that before, but he has something he’s never had before.

He’s fighting for the lives of himself and the rest of his siblings. He’s not about to let them end up like Pogo and Mom.

He lets that feeling build in his chest. He’s never been angrier in his entire life. He lets it rise until it’s all he can think about and then pushes.

His fists clench at his sides, glowing blue.

Ben appears next to him.

Really appears, glowing blue himself like a hologram.

Diego and Allison gasp, and Ben smiles.

He runs to the hallway and lifts his shirt.

The eldtrich tentacles burst forth, screeching their awful tune. The sound has haunted Klaus’ nightmares the past few months but now it’s as if it was trumpets welcoming him to heaven.

Klaus stumbles into the hallway, his siblings following suit (sans Viktor who’s still unconscious), and he crushes the remote that Dad dropped with his shoe.

Five opens his eyes to see his father above him in the air, large tentacles wrapped around his body as he screams.

It’s not exactly what he expected to see after emerging from his panic attack on steroids, and he half expects to still be in it, hallucinating. His head hurts something awful right now. But he blinks a few times and the image remains.

Five follows the blue tentacles down until he sees their source: Ben.

His dead brother is standing there, yelling as the creature in his stomach throws their father around the room.

What?? Ben is dead, and Five is even more confused than before until his gaze lands on Klaus, who wears a concentrated look on his face with fists at his sides, glowing blue. Five looks back to Ben, whose whole body is also blue, and he finally realizes that Klaus is conjuring him somehow.

His siblings have come to save him. His plan worked.

Five isn’t able to dwell on that thought as suddenly something shoots out to pierce Klaus in the stomach.

His brother groans, momentarily being lifted up in the air by the object—a giant crab claw—before it retracts and he collapses to the floor dead, blood spilling from his stomach and mouth.

Ben’s image and the Horror flicker, glitching momentarily until fading from view completely.

Screams erupt in the room, raw, horrid, and fearful sounding. They’re shouting his brother Klaus’ name. His brother who is now dead. Two of his siblings are dead because of him.

Dad lands back on his feet with a loud clomp, and he retracts the claw until it’s the length of a normal human arm.

Five doesn’t even have to time to think about how in the world that’s possible before Diego yells and throws knife after knife at Dad.

The weapons cut through the air, cleanly sailing straight towards him before every one curves away and buries themselves to the hilt in the wall.

“What the—“ Diego says before Luther pounces on Dad, landing blows all over his body.

Allison and Diego join the fight, getting in whatever hit they can.

Dad tries to parry their moves, effectively throwing them off him one by one by turning his arms into different shapes and weapons, ones that Five doesn’t even recognize.

His siblings are launched across the room, smacking against the walls before landing in a heap on the floor.

Luther grunts painfully, and Dad scoffs, turning his arms into something that resembles a Swiss Army knife. Luther is impaled by one of them and lifted into the air, Allison and Diego both by the other. Horrified, Five stares at his siblings that now look like they’re pieces of meat on a kebab.

Dad twirls around, his siblings spinning on the world’s worst carousel until they slide off, piling on the ground dead.

Satisfied, the monster he calls Dad reverts his arms back to human flesh and wipes them against his front, staining his pressed three piece suit scarlet. He turns around to lock eyes with him. “Ah, there you are Reginald”

Five hastily scrambles back, shoes and elbow sliding across the ground as Dad draws near, raising his hands up in surrender. The very hands that are still covered in the blood of his deceased siblings.

Dead because of him.

“Son, don’t be alarmed—“

“Get away from him” a voice says from behind Dad, and Five strains to see Viktor standing there.

He almost doesn’t recognize him, four years later, in pants and with short hair, but there’s no forgetting his face.

His brother is perfectly calm, with a steady look in his eyes before raising his arms.

Viktor’s skin and eyes turn white as Dad is lifted into the air. The ground shakes, and the cells around them rattle. The large two-way mirror on his own room suddenly shatters, bits of glass flying everywhere.

Five looks up to see Dad’s limbs flailing in an attempt to get away, but his body stays firmly in place.

“Kill him!” he shouts above the noise. “Do it, now!”

Five rushes over to Viktor but stops before he can fully reach him.

Viktor’s Umbrella Academy uniform is slowly turning white, spreading from his chest until it encompasses everything, even turning his hair the same color.

“Just kill him and end it!”

Viktor pays him no mind, it’s as if he’s in a trance.

Five's feet start sliding back and it becomes difficult to stay in place, Viktor’s powers are shoving him back.

”Hey this is Five, just listen—“

Suddenly a bright white beam shoots out of Viktor’s chest, latching itself onto Dad.

Five is thrown back, all sense of direction fading as he lands against the floor.

Wait no…the ceiling? Everything is upside down. He’s being held tightly against the seam where the wall and ceiling connect. It slowly becomes more of a struggle to stay conscious, and it feels as if every particle in his body is being drained.

Viktor’s powers have something to do with energy, and they’re insanely strong. He is powerful, no wonder Dad was nervous. And since he didn’t have any training, he’s out of control and unaware of what he’s doing.

“V—Vik…” he tries to say before running out of strength.

Five’s eyes close of their own accord, but not a moment goes by before he’s suddenly dropping through the air again, landing on the ground, hard. He dimly feels that something snapped, he definitely broke a bone.

He opens his eyes again for what feels like the millionth time in the past few minutes to see Dad hunched over, barely standing. He’s breathing heavily, and cradling his extra long crab arm.

Five turns his exhausted eyeballs over to see Viktor collapsed on the floor, though not dead. The energy beam in his chest is now flowing into the ceiling, a jagged, torn path leading from Dad’s body to where it’s currently focused directly above him.

“L..let’s go son. Let’s regroup…get back to the equations”

Oh like hell they are.

Five is absolutely exhausted; he was just physically drained somehow by Viktor’s powers, broke a bone as he fell from the ceiling, fresh off a mental breakdown, has been a prisoner for months, hasn’t seen the sun in that same amount of time, and just watched nearly all his siblings get murdered by his father.

He just wants to close his eyes and be enveloped by darkness and not have to do anything.

But Dad is creeping towards him, intent on continuing his insane plan to control the world.

And Five is done letting him get his way. He’s fed up and wants him to stop.

These thoughts consume Five’s mind until it’s all he can think of. Tears slip his eyes as a result of the emotional rollercoaster and personal hell he’s been subjected to for months without a break, really his whole life if he’s being honest.

He closes his eyes and concentrates; trying to do something, anything in his battered body. Five feels energy ripple through his closed fist, and then it suddenly shoots out in a massive tidal wave.

After that he’s met with silence.

And absolute stillness.

Viktor’s energy warps are no longer shaking the room. Five can no longer hear the strange beam from his chest melting the ceiling.

Dad’s footsteps and harsh breaths no longer fill the air.

There’s silence.

Five opens his eyes to see that Time has stopped.

Surprised and absolutely shocked, he slowly pulls himself up until he’s half leaned against the wall.

Fire erupts in his lower body, he’s pretty sure he broke his pelvis in the fall. The pain is blinding and chokes up his throat, but he tries to breathe evenly through it.

Dad is in front of him, foot frozen in the air as he walked towards him. The monocle attached to his blood stained vest is shattered, and is stopped mid-swing in the air. Bruises and cuts litter his face, no doubt from Luther. His nose is bleeding, a stream of blood trails from his nose to past his chin, not quite making it to the floor before Five froze Time.

Viktor is still in a heap in the floor, pristine white outfit, hair, and body looking out of place in the red soaked room.

If the situation wasn’t so dire and confusing, Five would have laughed at the paused energy beam, it looks quite silly.

Five tries to understand how in the hell he managed to goddamn STOP TIME, but shoves down another panic attack since he fears losing control of his emotions will result in the spell being broken. In Time resuming, and his father coming to take him away. Again.

Five is tired of being a teenager, even though he hasn’t been one for very long. His emotions betray him all the damn time, and they brought him to this mess and 2006 in the first place. 

It’s in the midst of this confusing new situation that Five hears something.

In this moment in Time, where everything is frozen, there’s a loud warping sound and a blue light emanating from the room he was just doing the equations in.

Five desperately wants to investigate, but he literally can’t stand due to the broken pelvis. A few moments pass and the blue light stops, as well as the warping sound.

Since he stopped Time and nothing else is moving, it’s easy to hear the slightest of sounds.

There’s his own ragged breaths, rapid heartbeat that pulses in his ears, and a set of feet moving in the room over there.

The footfalls draw closer, and a figure emerges.

It walks towards him, and Five strains to get a good look. The person moves closer, stepping over the bodies of his siblings, and finally Five can get a good look.

It’s a man, and he’s illuminated by the bright light from Viktor’s funny looking frozen energy beam.

The strange man is old, sporting a gray beard with gray hair on top, and normal non-distinct black clothing that fit pretty loosely on his frame.

He chuckles at Five’s expense, which only enrages him because what kind of asshole finds enjoyment in laughing at the broken and bleeding body of a thirteen year old kid?

The man’s smile and overall appearance is strangely familiar to him, though he can’t put a finger on why.

He ponders what the hell that means as he absentmindedly scratches his neck, and the mystery is solved when the man opens his mouth and speaks.

“Hello Five, we don’t have much time so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Number Five Hargreeves, Reginald if you go by what our father named us. I don’t like how my life turned out, and have some changes I want you to implement so you don’t end up like me. Okay?”

Chapter Text

Five stares at the other Five in front of him.

He was smaller than he remembered, though if he’s being honest with himself he didn’t grow all that much after puberty.

He’s laying heavily against the wall, the broken pelvis creasing his face with pain. And shit, Five remembers how much that hurt. It took ages for it to heal. If Viktor hadn’t died soon after he would’ve had a chat about putting in sibling immunity to his powers.

Little Five scratches his neck with his remaining left hand at the same time that he does, which serves as a reminder of the complete lack of time they have together before homicidal rage sets in.

Right, get a move on. He clears his throat. “Yes, it’s really me—your future self—no you’re not still hallucinating from your panic attack earlier. I’m what you’ll turn into if you don’t do exactly as I say”

Little Five nods slowly, eyes bugging out of his head. Older Five sighs, it’ll be difficult to explain the past 50 years of his life in a few minutes, but it needs to happen.

“Okay quick story time. Two versions of a person aren’t supposed to exist at the same time together which is why you’re scratching your neck, it’s a symptom telling you to leave my presence before a paradox occurs. We don’t have long before we’ll want to kill each other. It’s the last step of paradox psychosis, that TIME!” he yells, pointing a finger in the air and looking heavenward “so GRACIOUSLY created!”

Time is a petty bitch that Five both loves and detests. Much like his siblings, though he hasn’t spoken to them in decades since they died right here in this room. Now, he just aches to see them again.

“I didn’t scratch my neck” Little Five insists.

“Denial is another symptom. Anyway, what’ll happen soon is that you lose control of your hold on stopping Time. Not your fault, it’s your first time doing it so don’t blame yourself. You’re so exhausted from stopping Time and from your injuries, that Dad grabs you after you pass out and continues the experiments.

“But spoiler alert: Viktor’s funny looking energy beam destroys the moon and it hurtles towards earth and causes the apocalypse, ending humanity for good. Dad sees moon chunks flying down so he grabs you and travels back in time with a briefcase. He keeps you drugged up while he builds another cage to control your powers.”

“Wouldn’t put it…past him” Little Five sighs, head starting to tilt forward.

Five immediately kneels down and slaps his face. “HEY! Wake up, if you go to sleep everyone here will remain dead”

That gets his younger self’s attention. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean you need to listen to me and stay awake. If you lose control you can’t change anything”

“Why can’t you just stop Time then” he snaps.

Five hesitates. He’s ashamed at the lack of power he can contribute to the situation. He’s had 50 years to prepare for this moment but now he’s just a weak old man.

“It took everything in me to get here. I’m dying and don’t have enough juice to use my powers. Just like when we arrived in 2006, and it’ll happen again if you don’t LISTEN TO ME!”

Little Five flinches back, waving at him to stop. “Fine jeez I’m listening you asshole”

Five takes in a deep breath. “Okay, quick rundown. After you heal in the past and are controlled by Dad, you finish the equation. You, Dad, and his alien wife Abigail live in the pocket dimension. It’s complete hell, and you create the Commission.

“Dad had the technology to create a new species, his wife was the key component. He needed a woman’s blood that was the same race as him, but she had died. Dad used your powers to go back in time, snatch her from their planet before getting sick, and live healthily with you. Dad used Viktor’s apocalypse to his advantage. Many centuries in the future, his new species lives on Earth since no one else does.

“That’s what the Commission took care of, making sure all the events lined up so the apocalypse happened. Dad originally was gonna release some poison to kill the population but Viktor took care of it for him”

Little Five laughs out loud at the crazy villainous plan. “Dad wants to be the God of New Earth with me and his wife by his side in the future, using the Commission to make sure everyone dies in Viktor’s apocalypse, got it.”

He raises his left arm in the air, gesturing to Dad. “He talked all the time about being Gods but never fully explained it. Always was a deranged bastard…hey can I get a glass of water even though I froze Time?”

Five gulps. Stage three. He needs to hurry up.

“No. Moving on, Dad’s favorite thing to say about the apocalypse was: ‘It’s not the end of everything, just the end of something’

“Something, was the human race. Once they were gone his new species lived on with him as ruler. The Commission is actually employed by the species. They’re more durable than humans, live longer, and instead of drinking water, drink this sparkly liquid. It’s kinda like Dad’s version of the blue milk in Star Wars. 

“Our powers came from Dad. He released a bunch of particles into this world from his planet and it entered our mom, creating us. The particles were the rough draft of creating the new species. In the pocket dimension, he perfected the formula and created the new race, completely alien and not half alien/half human like we are.”

Little Five looks overwhelmed but is trying to follow along. It is a lot of information at once. His eyes are staying open but they’re getting more bleary as Five continues talking. Fuck, he needs to piss. He shoves down that feeling and finishes his story.

“Dad collected the seven of us to study his project and luckily discovered our time travelling abilities. He knew that was the key. When we disappeared from dinner it threw a wrench in the plan but he already had a bunch of research from our training. He was gonna base all his experiments upon that. Then we came back and Dad didn’t want to risk us leaving again so he stashed us in the basement, ensuring his plan worked.

“So there you have it. After this Dad takes you, controls you, creates the pocket dimension, gets his wife, create the new species, and employs the Commission”

Little Five wipes sweat off his brow. “But what if I lose control right now??? Dad will kill me and subject me to your life! I don’t wanna turn out like you, all sad and old! It won’t work!”

God, teenagers were annoying, made even worse by acute paranoia. “Just calm down. Take even breaths and that won’t happen.” Although the kid is new to stopping Time, so he could lose his grasp on it any moment and everything he’s worked for will be for nothing…

Five shakes his head, clearing away the paranoia. That’s the psychosis talking. He shoves a thick binder at his younger self. “Take this, it’s my life’s work. All the equations I made, all for you without any effort on your part”

The heat in the room increases dramatically thanks to Time’s little trick, so he removes his jacket and shoves it on top of Dad’s face. He turns back to find Little Five staring intensely at the first page of the binder, which holds the equation to rewind Time. The kid looks back up and notices his right arm. “Cool prosthetic” he comments.

Five looks down at the chrome colored limb. “Dad’s version of Earth was awful but hey, the technology was amazing. But listen, you need to go. Use that first equation to rewind back to when our siblings came down here, before they all died”

“Okay okay fine I’ll do it.” He wipes sweat off his brow again and smacks his lips. “I really want that glass of water. But first I wanna know why you’re dying”

Jerk.

Why does he need to know this? “It’s personal okay? Just leave already and I won’t exist when you pop back out”

Little Five sits up, his face crumpling in anger. He doesn’t look intimidating, he looks kinda…cute. He’s just a little guy.

The cuteness factor disappears when he opens his dumb mouth. “I deserve to know you asshole!” He shouts as he passes gas. Five snorts at the symptom which only enrages his younger self more. “It’s my life too! Just tell me you old bastard!”

Frustrated, he stands up, pacing around Dad’s body and pointing at him.

“Dad improved the chip in our brain, okay? He had to control me even more since he didn’t have Viktor dying as a threat anymore. I couldn’t do much to disobey him but over my lifetime I secretly created all these equations, got a Commission agent to remove the chip from my brain, killed Dad, and went back in Time to you.

“I could’ve used a briefcase but Abigail destroyed them all when she saw me kill Dad. My brain can’t handle not having that chip anymore so it’s shutting down. I barely had enough energy to travel here. Just rewind Time and go down a different path so I’ll stop existing and you can live a free life”

“Fine” Little Five spits out. “I’ll rewind Time. But you’re coming with me. As much as I hate you right now, you deserve a proper goodbye to everyone before you die”

Oh.

Five hadn’t thought of that.

He could finally see his siblings again? That was…sweet of him to offer that. Hopefully his body shuts down before Little Five is overcome with homicidal rage, although it would kinda be fitting to be murdered by another version of himself.

They’ve been talking too long, they need to go. Five bends down and scoops up his younger self, who immediately starts squirming like an angry toddler.

“Fucking ASSHOLE! Put me down or I’ll—”

“Or you’ll what, fart on me? You can't walk because of the broken pelvis. Don’t worry, it’ll be healed once you rewind Time. I’m doing you a favor. I can’t do the equation but I can carry you, you weigh practically nothing. Now do it before we reach the final stage and start killing each other you fool”

The kid glares at him before huffing. “Wanna kill you now”

Five boops his nose. “Don’t have it in you. Now do it already!”

Little Five runs his finger over the equation, mumbling it aloud. He clenches his hand into a fist, and it starts glowing blue.

Five is going to meet his siblings again. He’ll finally get a proper goodbye.

The vibrant blue ripples throughout the room and things start rewinding. Dad takes a few steps back, and Viktor suddenly rises from his position on the floor.

The two Fives move through Time, and Time allows it. He can feel that she’s happy this plan worked, she’s glad he finally gets his happy ending. Despite their complicated relationship, she cares about him.

She won’t be rid of Five Hargreeves just yet, as his thirteen year old self still has a long life left to live, but Time is closing the chapter on this version of Five.

He watches for the second time—decades later—as his siblings are murdered in front of him. But this time, Dad’s weapons don’t go towards them, they go away from them. The wounds heal.

Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, even Mom and Pogo. Their deaths are reversed. He even sees Ben for a few moments between the time Klaus died and he manifested him.

Five smiles. His story is finally ending. All they have left to do is kill Dad.

They reach the end of the line, and pop back into the regular flow of Time.

Chapter Text

Viktor is nervous to approach Dad. His abilities are powerful, yes, but he’s only been training by himself, and not for that long. Dad’s apparently an alien? And he’s brainwashed and kept Five prisoner down here for months, Viktor’s not going up against your typical run-of-the-mill criminal.

He’s spiraling in these thoughts and even though the air is getting cooler the further the elevator goes down, his body temperature is rising and his clothes are feeling sticky on his skin.

Focus, he thinks. Five needs you

His thirteen year old brother needs him, and Viktor must have a clear head in order for this plan to work. Five deserves it, after everything he’s been through.

The elevator finally descends to the lowest floor, and they pile out. The air is strained, and Viktor’s pulse races in his ears. Klaus is practically vibrating with tension next to him.

“Just get up my boy my God! What is wrong with you? Snap out of it!”

All of the children stare at each other for a moment. Here it goes. There’s no going back. Viktor shoves down his panic and they all break into a run towards Dad’s voice. They enter the room, and it isn’t what he expected.

Dad is there, yes, and so is Five. Dad is—shoving a jacket off his face??

Five is still scrawny, still almost exactly as he remembered him, but now with longer hair, a slight mustache, and no right arm. Love swells in Viktor’s chest at the sight of his long lost brother, but is quickly replaced with confusion at the other man in the room.

He’s old, with a gray beard and a shiny silver metal arm. Viktor has never seen this man before, and neither Allison, Mom, or Pogo mentioned him.

The mystery man suddenly punches Dad in the face with his prosthetic, shocking them all. Before Viktor has any time to process this, the man scrambles over to him, grasps his shoulders, and looks at him with a piercing gaze.

The man’s expression is wild, with fury in his eyes and sweat dripping down his face. He looks like a rabid dog, and Viktor normally wouldn’t trust someone like this but then again, he did punch Dad so he should hear him out.

Before the man can speak, Dad morphs his arm into something odd—like Allison said he would. The stranger whirls around, blocking the object with his silver arm and shouts at Luther to attack Dad.

Surprisingly, Luther doesn’t hesitate but Viktor doesn't get a chance to see how he fairs against Dad because the man grasps his shoulders again. He starts speaking very quickly and to the point, panic lacing his tone.

“Viktor listen to me very closely. I’m Five from the future and you need to hold Dad still with your powers and kill him quickly or else everyone on Earth will die”

Viktor nods dumbly, seeing Five’s features in the face of the old man. Logging that revelation away to think on later (end of the world??), he immediately jerks his chin up, lifting Dad in the air—Luther moving away—and focuses on making him still.

Energy ripples throughout his body, pulsating and directing towards Dad. Viktor isn’t focusing on a sound this time to channel his power, he’s focusing on hatred. His father has kept his little brother down here like a slave. A secret, hidden away in the dark.

The blood trickling down Five’s face didn’t escape Viktor’s notice. His lack of a right arm and the existence of future Five’s prosthetic fills him with rage. Dad caused that. Dad has hurt them all so much and clearly something so terrible happens that future Five chose to time travel back to stop it.

Dad doesn’t deserve to live.

He deserves to suffer, and Viktor is going to make sure that he does.

Viktor lets the emotions wash over him until all he can feel is pure malice. Abhorrence, loathing, detestation. It sits hot and heavy in his chest, slowly spreading throughout his body like molasses. Dad is writhing in the air in front of him, limbs flailing desperately but Viktor doesn’t let him do anything beyond that.

The bitter taste of revenge coats his tongue, slides down his throat, and gathers in his belly. He’s gonna make him pay.

We’ve been through this Number Seven, there’s just nothing special about you

Take that mask off, you look ridiculous!

Why are you crying for Number Five? Don’t let your emotions control you, you’ll end up just like him

If you were special, Number Six would not have died

Number Two, never speak at conferences. I don’t want to embarrass the academy with your stutter

If Number Four died of an overdose, there’d be a lot of paperwork but the missions would go smoother without him present

Charm the media with your smile, Number Three. It’s all you’re good for

Number One, don’t mess up on a mission again. I’ll remove your ranking if you do

An energy beam shoots out of his chest and latches onto Dad. He can feel the strength and fight draining from his body, providing Viktor with even more vigor. His own feet lift off the floor, and he can feel every inch of his body being consumed with power. It feels…good. Like he’s stepping into who he’s always meant to be. Getting off that medication was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Viktor smiles.

Everything is going to be okay.

The world starts dimming around him, and sensations apart from his powers are fading, the outside world dripping away.

It’s gonna be alright, a calm, collected voice whispers in his head. It’s Viktor’s own voice, but stronger.

This is what he deserves, now let me give him hell

It’s a nice voice. It’s asking for control, begging to take the reins. Viktor trusts himself, so he’s letting himself slip away, to take a nap until it’s all over.

He feels numbness overtaking his body, enveloping him until suddenly a hand grabs his. A voice—a different voice this time—is speaking, muffled. He doesn't want to pay it any attention, but his other hand is grabbed as well, and the voice is very persistent. Annoyed, Viktor trudges out of the peaceful state he’d submerged himself in, to find both Fives at his sides.

Both Fives are holding his hands, telling him to stay with them. They’re begging Viktor to end it, to kill Dad, and let go of his power.

Silly boys, they don't understand.

Dad deserves to suffer, he deserves to face the wrath of his powers fully unleashed; for raising them in a hellish environment, for everything he did to Five—to them—and for drugging and lying to Viktor his entire life.

Dad needs to suffer for a long time, and doing it himself will heal Viktor.

Why don’t they understand?

See? the voice echoes in his skull. They don’t think we can do it. They want to do it themselves, and shove us away like they always do. Your siblings don’t care about us, just like Dad. It’s time to prove them wrong and step up so they finally respect us

Thirteen year old Five lets go of his hand, and launches himself onto Viktor. His legs wrap around his waist and he throws his arm around his shoulder, hugging him. Five leans close to his ear and whispers,

“I love you. End this and come back to me”

Five’s arm feels like home wrapped around him. And Viktor wants to hug him in return, to go back to laughing and joking with his favorite brother, to finally share a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich with him again.

His stronger voice is still ever present, enticing him with whispers of let me take over but he pays it no mind.

He cares about Five more.

Viktor squeezes his fist, and the energy beam disappears.

It’s time to kill Dad once and for all.

Diego’s twenty knives fly out of their various positions strapped to his body, and embed themselves in Dad’s chest. All the windows to the cells in the basement shatter, the fractured glass traveling at record speed and finding their landing over every inch of his skin.

Dad’s spine breaks into a million pieces and his skull erupts in chunks.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves collapses to the floor dead, blood coating every pore and pieces of his alien body strewn about the room.

Viktor drops to the ground as well, and finds himself wrapped up in the arms of his brother(s). Plural? It’s only one of his brothers but two versions of the same person. Well, whatever the confusion, it’s his brother. His brother that convinced him to regain control of himself. “Thank you for stopping me. I’ve missed you” Viktor murmurs, clutching their arms.

“Me too” they both say. Young Five looks up from his spot leaning against his chest, and smiles. It’s a true smile that reaches his eyes and crinkles his nose, dimple appearing on his cheek.

Viktor takes in a deep breath and releases it, finally at peace.

The moment is disturbed as he takes a look around the rest of the room, and sees hundreds of bodies littering the floor.

a few minutes earlier

Allison enters the room along with everyone else, and stares blankly at the picture in front of her.

She doesn’t know who the fuck that old man is.

Normally she would immediately start asking questions, but killing Dad and saving Five is their top priority. Before anyone can do anything, the strange old man blocks a punch from Dad’s alien arm and demands Luther to start fighting him.

Luther obeys, and Allison rushes to Five to get him out of here. What she doesn’t expect is for him to slap her hands off angrily and focus instead on Viktor. Momentarily stunned, a sharp pang of hurt strikes deep into her heart, but then she realizes she might be interrupting some sort of plan.

It appears that Five knows this random guest, as he trusts him enough to allow him to speak to Viktor. Suddenly her brother raises his chin and uses his levitation/energy/whatever powers against Dad.

Luther thankfully is relieved of fighting him, and shuffles back over to Allison to watch the show, blood trickling down his arms from where he blocked punches. There’s something clutched in his hand.

“What’s that?” she asks.

Luther looks down at the device. “It looks like some sort of remote, Dad was gonna press the button so I took it from him” He crushes it in his grip, wires and springs falling to the ground. “Best not to wait and see what it does”

Allison nods. “Good idea” she looks back to Dad and pauses, still thrown off by how insanely powerful Viktor is. She looks behind her and locks eyes with Diego, who shrugs.

“Kill the bastard!” Diego yells as he claps his hands.

“Yeah, get him!” Klaus joins in, whistling loudly.

The clapping and gleeful mood is dimmed as Viktor’s clothes and hair start turning white and a strange beam bursts out of his chest.

…What the hell is happening?

That hasn’t happened before. His skin has turned white, yes, but not his clothes and there’s never been an energy tentacle before. What even is the extent of his powers? Should they be worried? “Uh...” Allison starts to say before the room turns blue, with whirring and zapping noises filling the air.

The siblings that aren’t Viktor and Five whip their heads around to see countless adults teleporting into the basement. They’re arriving in groups of two, each pair clutching a briefcase. They’re dressed in navy blue suits, with strange animal masks encasing their heads. Their teleports look suspiciously like Five’s powers, even down to the same shade of blue.

“What the hell?” Klaus questions.

Allison quickly looks back to see if Five can fill them in on what’s going on but all hopes are dashed as she sees Five and the stranger holding Viktor’s hands as he’s levitating? The two of them are shouting at him to calm down, no doubt from the energy tentacle and clothing manipulation. What purpose does changing his clothes serve? It actually looks kinda cool, but that’s besides the point.

Well, clearly the two groups have their own shit to deal with.

She looks back at the intruders just in time to see them level guns at her family, ready to shoot. The person closest to them, in a pink dog mask with long black ears, speaks up.

“Kill everyone except King Hargreeves and the young Prince Reginald. Ensure the True Timeline is intact!”

The army lowers their fingers on the triggers, and a rumor is on the tip of Allison’s tongue when the countless bullets that erupt from the chambers stop immediately in front of them. They’re completely frozen in the air, not moving.

Allison is confused, and looks over to see if Viktor’s already done with Dad and helping them when she spots Diego next to her with his hands raised out protectively, groaning in concentration.

Diego is stopping the bullets??

Before she can think on that more, Diego shoves his hands forward and the bullets fly back, landing instead in the bodies of the assassins who fired them.

“Holy shit!” Luther exclaims as Diego collapses to the ground.

The excitement doesn’t last long as many more of the masked assassins come running, stepping over the bodies of their fallen teammates. They're spilling into the room from the hallway, and there’s so many of them. They keep pouring in and don’t stop, more still lined up outside the room.

Allison has no idea who they are, how they got here, or what they’re doing but she does know they’re here to kill them. And she just got her family back. Like hell she’s gonna allow it to be destroyed.

She’s about to rumor them when she remembers what happened with Ben’s Horror, and Dad. There’s a very real possibility these people are aliens. Switching tactics at the last second, she changes her rumor to not affect the assassins, but the environment.

“I heard a rumor the guns unloaded their clips into the hearts of those holding them”

Time seems to slow as the wispy tendrils of her rumor swirls towards them. The guns slip out of their grasps, hovering in the air as they flip around and aim at their chests. Some try to run away or grab the guns back, but the rifles quickly dodge their attempts, or follow them. With a bunch of screams, the weapons fire into their hearts, triggers pressing down of their own accord, releasing every bullet in their clips.

The hundreds of remaining assassins immediately drop heavily to the floor, the guns that killed them clattering onto the cement.

Allison, Luther, Klaus, Mom, and Pogo are left breathing heavily where they stand, plus Diego who’s still on the floor. She just…killed them all, and didn’t even know her rumors worked that way. Including Diego’s trajectory manipulation. She guesses under extreme danger they’re learning further aspects of their powers.

They were so close to death in the past few minutes, and now suddenly their attackers are dead, and there’s not an inch of the floor visible as it’s covered by bodies, briefcases, and guns.

Allison is feeling a little dizzy after rumoring so many people into spontaneous death at once (from inanimate objects no less), so Klaus steadies her. “Easy there, soldier. That was impressive.” After a moment he adds, “Ben says you’re a badass”

“Damn” Pogo says to her, and that’s the first time Allison has ever heard him swear. It sounds strange, coming from his lips, in his posh accent and it nearly makes her burst out laughing in shock.

Blinking away static in her vision, she remembers the whole reason why they’re down here in the first place. She clutches Klaus’ hands as she looks back to the other group again.

“Guys…” she speaks breathlessly, pointing to the sight. They’re just in time to see Viktor brutally and graphically murder Dad, Diego’s knives and shattered glass joining in on the kill.

After it’s done, Viktor collapses to the ground, piled in a heap with Five and the stranger.

“My God” Pogo whispers breathlessly.

It’s over.

It’s finally over.

Dad is dead, and Five is back with them.

Allison sighs in relief, years of stress lifting off her shoulders. He’s dead and can’t hurt us anymore

She’s looking lovingly at Five and Viktor when she realizes she still doesn’t know who the old man is so she barges over there and yanks the stranger away. He yelps, clearly thrown off by the unexpected reaction.

Allison slaps him, hard, across his cheek as her siblings shout in shock. “Who are you??” she yells. “You told Luther to hurt our Dad which I have to thank you for but there better be some explanations. How does Five know you?”

The man’s eyes—there’s something familiar about them—are blown wide to comic proportions, and he stutters, at a loss for words. Mom tells her to back off, saying something like can’t you see who he is?

She pays no attention, only intent on keeping them safe. This man could’ve played with Five’s emotions and is trying to take him away again. He might have an agenda; killing Dad gains trust and removes a big obstacle. She’s done losing her family and is not taking any chances.

“Tell me!” she orders. “I came down here to save my brother and if you’re here to hurt him too I won’t hesitate to rumor you to kill yourself! Look around this room, you’ll end up just like them if you don’t tell me who you are!”

She’s dimly aware of Viktor scrambling to his feet, arms full of Five. “Allison wait—” His plea is cut short by the man who starts laughing. He’s laughing his ass off at her which only enrages her further.

“This is the best reunion I could’ve hoped for” he chuckles, clutching his stomach. “Thank you for that Allison.”

Reunion?? He knows her name?

The man looks around the room, taking in the sight of her siblings and Mom and Pogo. There’s longing in his eyes. He levels his gaze back to her. “It’s me, Allie. It’s Five. I’m 64 years old and from the future but it’s still me”

He speaks with such reverence and deep devotion, it strikes a chord within her. Allison takes a step back, releasing her grip on his shirt, as a few gasps come out of her siblings. Her mind blanks as she processes the millionth shock that’s happened in the past five minutes. Dad’s dead, Five’s safe, hundreds of random assassins tried to kill them, and now this strange man is Five from the future?

But as she looks closer, maybe he’s not so strange after all. The thick, expressive brows, the green eyes, and yes, the frantic expression. And oh...the poor boy won’t be growing at all after puberty.

The man, Five, walks over to Viktor and pulls Five, the younger Five from his grasp. Young Five squirms, kicking his legs uselessly into the air, swearing up a storm and demanding himself? to let himself go. Old Five pays no mind, keeping eye contact with Allison.

“Please” he begs. “I haven’t seen you in 51 years and the little one needs comfort too. Can you hug us?”

Allison hesitates for half a second before barreling into them. Both Fives laugh as they wrap their arms around her. She doesn’t know why the two of them are literally sweating buckets which makes them extremely unpleasant to touch, but nothing could stop her from hugging them. She’s waited for years to see Five again and now she gets two.

Allison feels other bodies join the hug, someone’s boney ribcage pressed up close against her. Klaus, she deduces.

“How?” Diego asks, his voice trembling.

“You all died the first time” Old Five sighs. “Dad killed you all and made my life hell so when I killed him in the future I had to travel back and reverse your deaths”

It doesn’t make a lick of sense and she has so many questions but she can think on that later.

“I knew it was you,” Mom says to Old Five, who tightens his grip on her. “I’d recognize my son anywhere”

“Hey buddy” Klaus says, love curling around his words as he ruffles Young Five’s stringy hair. “I’m so happy you’re alive”

Young Five’s face crumples and he tries to speak but can’t as tears run down his cheeks. Allison cups his face gently with her hand, rubbing her thumb along the drying blood that trickled out his nose, trying to remove the trace of Dad’s abuse.

“I’m glad my rumor worked. You did it Five, we got your letter and I remember. We came here for you. You’re safe and no one will ever hurt you again” If Allison thought she couldn’t cry harder, she’s proven wrong by how he turns his face into her hand and melts into her touch, whimpering.

The moment was perfect.

Which is why something else had to ruin it.

“Hello Number Five you persistent hemorrhoid”

Allison looks up to see a tall, slender woman with a machine gun clutched in her hands. She’s dressed to the nines, wearing a tight, blood red dress with a matching garden hat that’s perched atop her platinum blonde bob.

“Nice to see you too. You always know how to make me feel like I’m getting a root canal” Old Five says, a smirk adorning his lips. Good to know the sass never goes away.

“You almost got away with it” the woman huffs condescendingly. “The Commission field agents may have been unsuccessful in their orders, but you know me, Number Five. I stop at nothing. Now give me what I want. Your frankly adorable little self is coming with me”

“I don’t want to suffocate from the stench of your hair dye” Young Five shoots back. Klaus gives him a high five.

The woman laughs. “Smack talk…you’ll soon learn to obey me”

“Okay I’ve had enough of this” Klaus interrupts. “Let’s go Benerino!”

Ben flickers into existence and pulls up his shirt. The tentacles zoom towards the woman, but before they can reach her she’s dead.

One second she was standing with a gun in her hands, alive, and the next she was completely toppled on the floor with blood streaming out of bullet holes that are rippled along her back and skull. It was as if a glitch happened, there was no time in between her two positions, no sound or visual of the gunshots.

Part of that glitch also was the sudden appearance of a large man standing behind where the woman was, a smoking gun clutched in one hand and some sort of device in the other.

Klaus flinches back in surprise, and Ben’s tentacles freeze, before retracting back into his stomach. He groans and whines, “I’m tired of this shit, how many people are gonna show up?”

The mystery man raises his hands in the air defensively, tossing his gun to the floor. “I mean you no harm! I swear I’m the last one, I made sure no one else is coming to get you”

“Hazel!!!” Old Five yells happily as he scratches his neck. “You came!” He turns to all of them, patting Allison and Viktor’s shoulders comfortingly with his sweaty palms.

“He means us no harm. He saved my life, he removed a chip in my brain that Dad controlled me with, making my time travel back to this moment possible” Old Five focuses his attention back to the man. “Hazel, I take it the Commission has no way to get back to us?”

Hazel nods as he lowers his hands. “Correct. You bombed the briefcase room which destroyed all chances of time travel. I blew up headquarters and the infinite switchboard just to make sure. Abigail is dead, though not before her and the Handler sent orders for all agents in the field to arrive here with their briefcases. Old timer, you and I are the only people left from that future, and I intend to keep it that way.”

Hazel gestures over to Ben, who is still corporal, standing there with his arms crossed and looking annoyed.

“Hey kid, your powers are cool and would’ve worked but she stopped Time right before your tentacles reached her. She was gonna fire bullets at all your heads but I have a Time stopping device myself and killed her before she could do anything”

He smiles and walks closer to their group. Even though Allison doesn’t know him or understand anything of what he just said (Commission? Infinite Switchboard? Abigail? Handler? It must correlate to Five’s letter about Dad wanting to control Time), the man has a kind aura about him. She trusts him.

Hazel finishes his speech, crouching in front of them. “It’s over. It’s finally over. Five, you can die peacefully knowing this future will never be written again”

At that, Old Five hunches in on himself, expression going slack. It seems as if he’s been holding himself together when he didn’t have the strength, and can finally rest now. “It’s done” he breathes out, eyes fluttering shut.

Of all the craziness that’s happened, Allison didn’t expect another version of Five to appear for a few minutes and then DIE immediately.

“Wait Five are you dying?” she asks loudly, trying to rouse him back to alertness. His pupils move underneath his eyelids but besides that there’s no other reaction.

“Huh?” Klaus and Ben question, tilting their heads in the same direction in their confusion.

“He is” Young Five speaks calmly. Her little brother is not doing well. His skin is flushed and deathly pale, with eye bags that shouldn’t exist on a child as young as him. He’s sweating profusely, and his face is twitching every few seconds. Five looks at all of them and speaks with such respect and serenity, a sharp contrast to his appearance.

“He lived the last 50 years of his life in captivity and came back here to save us, even though it would kill him. He returned to save the Earth from death, and save me from his life. And now he’s paying the price, he’s dying”

A somber mood settles over the room. After years of missing their brother, they got back two of them at once, but now they’re losing one of them all over again, this time for good.

Mom speaks up. “We need to give him a proper send off then” She sits down, and with her considerable strength, pulls his limp form into her lap to lean against her torso. She gestures to them. “Come say goodbye, children”

They all close in, hugging him. Even Ben, kudos to Klaus for keeping him corporeal for so long. Murmurs of I love you ripple throughout the group. Old Five notices their presence, and looks at them through glazed over, half-lidded eyes. He smiles lazily, slurring his words. “Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, mini me, Ben, Viktor, Mom, Pogo. Y’re all here. Y—y’re alive”

He coughs loudly, a harsh rattle that definitely doesn’t sound good escaping his lips. “I did it”

Mom brushes his sweaty hair back from his forehead. “Yes you did, my dear sweet boy. You saved us” She leans down and kisses his temple. “You can rest now, my love”

Young Five squeezes his hand, the two of them sharing a look. “Thank you, you old asshole”

“Don’t waste y’r life, kid. Y’ve a bright future ahead of you now” Old Five rasps. He takes one last look at them, drinking in the picture of their family, intact and alive. “I love you all”

They all repeat it back, earning another soft smile from him. One more gasping, heavy breath is released. His chest falls with the exhale, and doesn’t rise again.

Allison waits, still clinging onto him even though she knows he’s gone.

They all do.

After a bit, Ben flickers away and Klaus sags out of the group hug. “That’s my cue to take a nap”

“Not just yet” Pogo injects. “There’s more than 200 dead bodies in this basement, including your father and a future version of Master Five, and we need to sort this out. It reeks of death in here. Everybody, out”

Pogo has a point. Allison has splatters of blood and Dad’s brain matter on her clothes. She has no clue how they’re going to explain this to the police and the media. Not to mention the time travelling devices, and Hazel who she’s pretty sure shouldn’t even exist yet.

They stand, Mom gently closing Old Five’s eyes and laying his head softly on the floor.

“But first!” Klaus yells, “We need to hug our cutest baby brother!!” He scoops Five’s body into his arms, squeezing tight. Instead of shoving him away and swearing like he used to, Five giggles and hugs him back.

Like before, they all pile in again, making one huge giant mess of tears, laughs, and hugs. Diego makes fun of Five’s mustache, Luther delivers a bone crushing hug as he apologizes for giving Dad excuses, and Viktor promises to fill him up with fluffernutters tonight.

They make their way upstairs, stepping over all the bodies. Five is practically glued to Viktor’s side with Klaus running his hand all over his back, most likely reminding himself that he’s alive and not a ghost. Once they step out of the elevator, Five’s body is shaking so bad and he can’t hold himself up anymore.

“Ca—can I go outside?”

Oh right. He hasn’t seen the sun since October.

“Of course, honey” Mom reassures. He nods, and takes a step forward. He would have fallen flat on his face if Viktor and Klaus weren't supporting his weight. Five groans, nearly sobbing again in frustration. “Luther can you?”

Luther silently steps forward and picks him up into a bridal carry. Five hooks his arm around his shoulder, clutching onto his collar. Wanting to avoid any interactions with people on the street, Luther enters the courtyard instead. That would be quite the sight if they exited the front door though, the blood covered Umbrella Academy standing on the porch with their missing brother who hasn’t aged in four years.

As their group steps into the courtyard, Five takes in a deep breath when the sun hits his skin. Allison does too, letting the natural air enter her lungs, cleansing her from the inside out. They have a chance to begin anew, to start fresh, free from underneath Dad’s thumb.

They have a few, quiet moments, drinking it in before Klaus suddenly snorts. “Five I just want to let you know that Ben tried to hug you but forgot he’s not corporeal so he’s currently standing phased inside your body right now”

Five is jerked out of his trance of breathing the crisp air, turning slowly to Klaus. Ever so slightly, his expression morphs into a smile before he throws his head back and laughs.

It’s adorable and everything Allison’s wanted to see since he left dinner all those years ago. She almost wants to pinch herself, this moment is so good. Five’s high pitched giggles and smile are too infectious, and everyone joins in.

More tears fall from Allison’s eyes. Five is alive, and laughing. He’s still only thirteen and has racked up enough trauma and scars that he’ll never be the same, but he’s here.

He’s in Luther’s arms, surrounded by and reunited with his family, never to be separated again. They’re gonna take care of him, they’ll heal together now that Dad’s gone.

It’s all gonna be okay.

Chapter Text

Billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves Murdered by Mafia, Also Found Guilty of Kidnapping and Abusing Own Son

Presumed Dead Umbrella Academy Member Found Alive…Held Hostage by Reginald Hargreeves Himself

Murder, Mafia, and Kidnapping, Oh My! Dark Secrets of the Umbrella Academy

Death of Reginald Hargreeves: The Fall of a Hero…or a Villain?

Why Was the Umbrella Academy allowed? Exclusive Look Into the Manipulation and Weaponization of the Hargreeves Children

Abuse, Neglect, Child Soldiers: The Treatment of the Hargreeves Children by Their Late Father Sir Reginald

Time Travel is Possible: Witness Statements and Photo Evidence of “The Boy” Who Disappeared Years Ago…and Is Still 13

Five flings the latest newspaper into the corner of his tent. The headlines are never ending, and so is the press. It’s funny, for his entire life Dad’s connections kept up a good public appearance and now the media has flipped a 180.

They love to talk about how the Umbrella Academy was dysfunctional from the beginning and shouldn’t have been allowed, but where was that attitude years ago?

Why did it take Dad dying for people to speak their minds? If they truly believed it was wrong, why did no one help them? All of them are still minors, and should have warranted further investigation into the academy.

Five’s eyes twitch down to where his right arm used to be, but they quickly flick back up. A pit of dread always settles in his stomach, a cold hand squeezing his heart when he thinks about it.

What Dad did to him.

And how everyone is up in arms—no pun intended—about supporting them.

But it’s too late.

He was tortured and abused continually for months, plus his entire life leading up to that point and no one did anything until recently. When Dad was gone. When it was too late.

Five scoffs, recognizing the spiraling that he’s currently embarking on. It’s been a month since he was rescued by his family and his future self. He’s beyond happy that he’s free now, of course he is. But…his old self told him he has a bright future ahead of him.

All he can see are nightmares, a haunted past, and claustrophobia. Not exactly the “happy” life he was promised.

He’s been sleeping inside a tent in the courtyard ever since traveling up from the basement. Months of not being allowed outside and only experiencing the musty, controlled environment of the basement really did a number on him—again, no pun intended.

His siblings camped out with him for the first two weeks, having sleepovers every night and talking about nothing. Popcorn, fluffernutters, and Dr. Pepper were their snacks of choice.

Five appreciated the company, he did. He craved it, and was very grateful that his family loved him enough to be there for him at any moment of the day.

It’s not that he didn’t want them near him, Five’s heart would pound into overdrive and he would have a panic attack if he didn’t see anyone for over 30 minutes during the day.

But, he didn’t appreciate their company as he slept. Nightmares accompanied him, refusing to even let him rest properly.

When he was in the basement, the fear was all consuming and became his new normal. When he had nightmares, there wasn't a change between his daily life and dreaming.

Now, the sharp contrast between his new normal life and his dreams is enough to startle him into an anxiety attack.

The fear grips his heart, making him think the rescue was a big hoax, that his siblings—along with the entire world—are dead and he’s living with Dad in the pocket dimension, heading down the path that his older self took.

He half expects the chip in his head to be creating this reality, and when he opens his eyes he won’t be met with the courtyard, but The Commission and Dad’s terrible future society.

In the present moment—at least what he thinks it is—Five wakes up drenched in a cold sweat that makes his skin shiver while also being overheated at the same time. He frantically looks around, expecting to find Dad sitting next to him with the dark figure of Abigail, face blurry since he never got to see what she looked like.

His siblings had informed him that when he wakes up in the dark it makes him even more confused, so they made it a habit to leave a light on in the courtyard.

It’s a parallel that makes Five’s stomach churn. Viktor told him he used to leave the lights on for him at night when he was missing. It was a message of hope, letting Five know that he was still thinking of him and making sure he wouldn’t lose his way.

Now? Now leaving the lights on is mandatory so that he doesn’t cry his eyes out and work himself into an incoherent mess. A far cry from the person he used to be. Five isn’t too sure what Viktor thinks of having such a sensitive brother.

Five is nothing like the person he once was. The person he is now, is not the spoiled brat that stormed away from dinner. He’s something far worse, a useless, delicate crybaby that folds under the smallest amount of pressure.

He doesn’t know how to be the person his siblings want him to be. He thought that being saved would get rid of his problem, rather it’s making everything sink in on him, and he drowns in the emotions and fears.

This particular night, after searching for Dad and Abigail, he’d shot up in bed, swinging his arms out at an imaginary attacker. The sweat was clinging to his skin, an uncomfortable sticky film all over his body.

Sharp, harsh breaths squeezed out of his lungs, his heart pounding out a quick rhythm.

He’s still stuck in the past, feeling the crushing force of the weight as Dad hit it against his arm; again, and again, and again.

The sound of his bone snapping fills his ears. Pain radiates throughout his arm, choking up his throat and locking all his other joints up until he’s paralyzed, lying on his cot completely still.

The fibers of his bone grinded together

The weight connected with his limb, a horrific slam echoing in the room

His own screams pierced the air, the high pitched shrill hurting his ears

“Excuses! No son of mine will be a liar!”

Allison entered the room, wide eyed and terrified

“FIVE???”

“-ive!”

The feeling of something sharp pressed against his neck, drawing blood

“-out of it please!”

He was left lying on the floor, arm pinned underneath his body as it swelled, creating a painful numbness

“Please, Five!”

Pain

In his arm

His broken nose

The hatred in Dad’s furious eyes

The feel of Dad’s vice-like grip wrapped around his wrist, sending a warning of what would happen if he disobeyed. What did eventually happen

Amidst the heightened emotions assaulting him, Five registers a gentle touch on his left hand and shoulder.

He takes a few shaky deep breaths, heart rate lessening slightly. Dad’s voice is still ringing in his ears but it’s becoming easier to focus on the present. An additional hand is placed on his head, soft fingers carding through his hair that effectively calm him down.

The flashback fades into the background as more of reality sinks in. Five decides to take a chance and open his eyes.

He’s met with the sight of two of his brothers, Klaus touching his shoulder and hand, with Viktor petting his hair.

Five jerks back as if their contact burned him, and in a way it did. He falls off his cot, ignoring their shouts of concern and shuffles to the corner of the tent, bare feet and hand scrambling on the cold ground.

In his fear, he unintentionally blinks around the tent a few times, zapping around quickly and filling the air with the blue of his powers.

He quickly blinks (with his eyes) away the image of their father from his mind, instead focusing on the surprised—and pitied—looks from his brothers.

“I-I’m alright” he mutters, wiping snot and tears from his face. Like a fucking child. Everyone knows what he just said is a blatant lie but Five at least appreciates they don’t point it out.

Klaus’ eyes flicker off to the side—where no one is—looking annoyed before the expression is steeled back into concern as he regains eye contact with Five. Ah. Scratch that, no one alive commented on his lie. Ben certainly had a few words to say.

Five takes in a deep breath, hoping to get this over with so he can go back to dealing with his stupid emotional turmoil alone. “How’d you hear my nightmare?”

Klaus sighs as he rubs his tired eyes with his black painted nails. “Ben patrols the academy at night. Making sure no one breaks in, keeping us safe so we don’t end up like him. It’s quite creepy if I say so myself, but also touching and sweet?” Klaus looks over to the same spot he was glancing at before, a smile adorning his face as he makes heart hands. “Benny boosy-woosers heard you and quickly grabbed me”

Five raises his eyebrows at Viktor, who looks confused for a second before he understands. “Oh, and Klaus isn’t exactly quiet when he’s woken up at 3am. The cons of our rooms sharing a wall”

Five nods. It makes sense. Even in a house as big as this, he can’t so much as sneeze without a few of his endless siblings knowing about it. “Well here I am. I was dreaming about Dad, surprise!” he speaks with mock enthusiasm, although his tone of voice and expression are flat, devoid of any emotion.

Viktor chews his bottom lip, scratching his arms uncomfortably. “Wanna talk about it?” he asks in that awkward way of his.

“About how he beat me within an inch of my life?” Five scoffs, turning to the side and grabbing the right sleeve of his t-shirt, exposing the still healing stitches where his growth plate used to be. “I was reliving the sounds of my bone crunching into powder, and everytime he’d slap me around silly. Do you really think I wanna talk about that, Viktor?”

His brothers gulp, and he can see the hope disappearing in their eyes. Five’s not the little boy they once knew. He’s something far worse.

“Or how about the times when I gave in, and apologized to him? HUH??? Dad really knows how to pick them, doesn’t he? Dad nearly killed me, and the first thing I did was cry like a baby and say I’m sorry! He came down to my little cell I was trapped in like an animal, and I thanked him for it! Daddy hugged me and I hugged him back! He told me he loved me, and for the first time in my life I believed it! I helped him with the equations after that, dooming my future self to live the rest of his life in hell! Because of ME!!”

All his energy drained, Five slouches back against the tent, a wooden post digging into his back. Splittle had flung onto his chin and he wipes it off, feeling just how hot his skin had become as he shouted at them. Way to go Five, now everyone in the house is awake.

“Five you can’t blame yourself—”

“—Oh I think I can” he interrupts, laughing bitterly. “Our dear old Daddy knew right from the start what sort of twisted fuck I am. You remember our naming ceremonies?”

The two of them nod, and exchange a quick look. They surely don’t know where this is going, and no amount of guessing on their part will even remotely come close to the truth.

“They were private, you see. Mom picked our names, special and unique to the countries we were stolen from like lab rats. But lo and behold, when I walked in there, Dad declared he picked out my name himself!” Five curls his lips into a smile that he’s sure is unsettling.

“A name fit for a true man” he spoke, imitating Dad’s accent. “The bastard named me Reginald. He knew I was destined for great things, and had a good successful future ahead of me. He’s always known what I am, the events of the past few months just fulfilled it”

Five finishes his speech, reveling in the bomb he just dropped in their laps. Confusion marrs their features, as well as raw, classic horror.

“Five that’s-”

“That wretch had no right…Viktor if you hadn’t already killed him I’d like to take a go at him myself”

“You already did” Five buts in, matter of factly. Klaus just blinks at him. “Take a go at him, I mean. Remember what Old Five said about you dying? It wasn’t just him that saw it, I experienced that too. I rewound Time myself because I watched you all fight Dad with my own eyes. It didn’t end well”

Five explains the events leading up to him meeting his future self. Them all dying, one by one, sans Viktor who eventually died a few minutes later along with everyone else from the moon chunk impact. He tells them about Dad’s plan, finally going into the details. He hadn’t before, wanting to stray away from those topics for his own sanity. But everything’s spilling out now.

The poison that Five had drunk the moment he stepped foot in that basement was finally evaporating. The black sludge was exiting his body through his own words, as he told them about what Dad had done.

The emotions that lead to Five running away in the first place, his refusal to listen to Viktor’s look of warning. His day and a half long escape act in 2006, running around the city and trying to scrape together a plan to travel back even though his powers were depleted.

The overheard conversation about Ben’s death. The kindness from the two women, especially the blonde one who had held him close, showing motherly affection he couldn’t help but return.

How Dad found him on the street and dragged him away from all the spectators, a tight and painful grip on his right arm. Quite the foreshadowing, huh?

Passing out after using his powers on a two day long empty stomach, and Mom nourishing him back to health. The first time Dad was physically abusive (at least while being kidnapped, certainly not the first time ever) with the iron grip on Five’s wrist, nearly snapping his bones after backhanding his face. Five’s confession to Mom about the abuse, and her cold dismissal.

And then, finally, assisting Dad in the equations after his arm was removed and Allison had rumored herself to forget. Helping him to create the briefcase, and believing in his plan. Everything was spilling out, and he wasn’t finished until light crept along the horizon, bathing the sky in soft orange.

“I just wanted it to stop,” he confesses, grabbing his still long hair in his left hand, rocking back and forth. The wood continues to dig into his shoulder blade, but it had become a grounding presence in the past while sitting here, a good thing to focus on. “Please believe me, I-I didn’t really want to do it. I still don’t know why I helped him…it’s just that I wanted it to stop”

His eyes were squeezed shut, tears no longer forming as they’d dried out a long time ago. “Five.” Viktor speaks plainly, with a surprising amount of sternness in his voice. “Five, look at me.” He cracks his eyelids open, squinting over at his brother’s blurry form that sits stiffly on the floor. As he’s staring at him, Viktor stands up, knees cracking as he moves closer. Five slinks further into the wood, prompting him to raise his hands in surrender.

“I know that wasn’t easy for you to tell us those things, reliving it must have been painful” Viktor says gently, sitting a comfortable distance away, but still close. “Dad hurt you a lot and you didn’t deserve any of it”

“Damn right” Klaus chimes in. Five snorts, a small dejected smile reaching his eyes.

“I’m gonna tell you something, Five” Viktor presses, grabbing his attention again. There’s clear determination in his eyes. His brother takes in a deep breath, rubbing his forehead in anticipation for whatever it is he’s gonna say. Unlike dinner back in 2002, Five is gonna listen to him this time. “I don’t expect you to believe me, because it takes a long time to see lies for what they truly are, especially if they’ve been disguised as the truth.

“Dad kept me drugged up my entire life. I’ve only recently been off that medication, and I still have moments where I’m content to just fade into the background and not interact with any of you. When I found out Allison rumored me to forget I had powers, I was extremely pissed off at her.”

Viktor sighs again, nervously cracking the knuckles in his fingers. He quickly swipes a few tears away from his cheeks. “You dropped that bomb on us in your letter, and I couldn’t truly focus on it for a bit because we immediately had the fight with Dad after that…well, at least the successful version of it. Thanks again for rewinding Time and saving our asses” Five quirks the sides of his mouth up as a half hearted response.

Viktor continues his spiel, looking forward off into the distance. “I avoided Allison as much as I could after that for about a week, I don’t know if you noticed. The only time I could tolerate being next to her was our sleepovers, that was for your sake. I know it hurt her, but I couldn’t help but feel betrayed every time I saw her. She remembered rumoring me. She remembered saying the words and it didn’t even occur to her that it connected to my supposed lack of powers. Dad’s exclusion of me has affected every aspect of my life and it only got worse once you disappeared.”

Viktor runs a hand through his hair and connects their gazes again, boring holes into Five’s eyes. “But then I came to my senses. I understood that Allison was just as much of a victim as me in that situation. We were four years old, for Christ's sake. Of course she was gonna believe Dad, and do whatever he told her.”

He reaches over and grasps Five’s hand in his own. Five strains hard to hold back a flinch, still caught off guard by the gentle touches; a sharp contrast from Dad’s intentions to hurt, to cause pain.

“You arrived in 2006 with no way to go back, found out Ben died, and immediately was locked away in a cage by our own father. You were, and still are, a child. Dad was an adult and supposed to treat us well, to treat you well. You had no contact with us, or hope for escape. Dad was your main form of contact, and he hurt you so bad. I’m no therapist, but I know who Dad was. He gave you no other choice, and everything he did was aimed at brainwashing you”

“I—” Five tries to say, but it’s choked off by a dry sob. His throat is so tight, not allowing for anything to come out. The walls were caving in around him again. No, no, no, no. Viktor’s words seem comforting, but they’re removing the blame that so rightfully belongs on his shoulders. It’s his fault, it’s his fault. Future Five suffered because of him. He helped Dad of his own free will. Whether or not that timeline was erased, the fact still remains that the entire population of the Earth was destroyed because he helped Dad.

Five’s spiraling, he knows he is, and nothing’s registering in his brain. He lets go of Viktor’s hand to grasp at his head, and tucks his legs up even closer to his body. Voices filter down, but they’re murky and indecipherable. Suddenly two cold hands grasp his face, and the shock results in him opening his eyes.

Ben’s blue face greets him.

Oh. he wasn’t expecting that. “Do you think you deserved what Dad did to you?” Ben asks.

That’s a complicated question. On one hand, he doesn’t think that. He doesn’t think anyone should have to experience what he did. But on the other hand, he can’t just magically remove the feelings and thoughts he had when he was on Dad’s side. He had fully believed that the removal of his arm was necessary, that his sharp tongue growing up needed clipping. He helped his father out of guilt, and “loved” him in a way that made sense at the time.

Dad was offering him love and comfort, the opposite of what he’d been dishing out during his captivity so he latched onto it. Five was eventually able to snap out of that headspace and blink the letter to his siblings that led to the rescue, but he still thought those things. He still had believed them for a time.

And now there’s just a giant puddle at his feet, composed of complex emotions and guilt that he hasn’t been in the right frame of mind to clean up yet, or address. He’s just been slipping in it, letting the sludge slowly stain his clothes.

Five’s hesitation to answer the question has Ben lowering his gaze and biting his lip. “Fuck” he murmurs.

“It’s not what you think” Five blurts out, not knowing where he’s going with this. He sighs, trying to put his jumbled state of mind into words.

“Okay listen, I don’t think I deserved it anymore. But there was a time that I did. I was able to snap out of it and see Dad for the piece of shit he was again, but…it still happened. Did I help him? Yes. Did Dad manipulate me into doing that? Yes. But I just can’t stop thinking about my thoughts during that time. I can’t let that Five go. The pathetic Five that thought I deserved to have my arm removed, and lapped up anything he said like it was gold. I wasn’t like that for very long but he’s still a part of me.”

Ben’s expression breaks.

“Now…I don’t know who I am. I’m not the Five you once knew, I-I’ll never be him again. I don’t know how I fit into this family anymore and I’m scared. I’m scared of my thoughts that tell me I’m worthless and deserved everything, but I can’t help but agree with them somewhat. And that scares me shitless, because Dad’s not even around to whisper that in my ear anymore so it makes me feel like I’m just broken. I hated myself while living down there and the only thing that stopped me from killing myself was Dad’s threat of harming you guys. I’m away from Dad now, but…thoughts like that still remain. My older self said I had a bright future ahead of me, but I don’t know how that’s possible”

Five runs out of energy, exhausted from the lack of sleep and the pouring out of his entire soul and darkest secrets. He slumps forward and leans his head against Ben’s chest. It’s cold, and feels quite nice.

“Oh Fivey” Klaus says as Ben cards his hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell us?” He shrugs, not trusting himself to say anything else. It was too painful to say it before and he could barely get it out now.

“Five, buddy?” Ben questions as he continues to stroke his hair. Five grunts. “You went through a lot of shit and it’s gonna take time to work through it. It’s okay that you have these…feelings. But the thoughts themselves aren’t okay. And we’re gonna be by your side as you figure them out. We’re gonna get you the best therapist ever, and you know what the best part of it will be?”

Five shakes his head. “What?”

“Dad’s gonna pay for it”

That earns another half hearted chuckle, and Ben continues talking. “I realized I still haven’t told you something. We knew there was something fishy going on with you before you even blinked that letter to us.”

“How?”

“Well, being dead has some secret superpowers. When I died, I wanted to go towards the Light that was above me. It beckoned to me, and I knew it was the next step to…whatever it is that comes after this life. I was all excited and ready to go, but as I got closer I knew that it was wrong. I knew there was something left unfinished here, a mission for me to complete. I didn’t know what that was, so I just hung out with Klaus for awhile, trying my best to figure it out”

Puzzled, Five picked his head off Ben’s chest and stared at him as he explained. The afterlife? Telling him something? Very strange, but then again the Commission and Dad’s futuristic alien society is also weird so this shouldn’t be all that far fetched. Five stands up since he’s had enough of the floor and wants to go back to his bed.

Ben stands up with him and together they walk over as he finishes the story. How he got the urge to explore his room, and then the overwhelming conviction his “mission” had to do with him.

Five’s expression crumples as he listens to Ben’s confession. He’s not worth it. Heat rises to his cheeks and he ducks his head down. “I can barely function Ben, I…I don’t think I was worth it”

“Hey, hey” Ben counters, leaning down to catch his gaze. “Can you look at me?” Five keeps his head down. I’m not a fucking child he thinks.

“Well okay then” Ben says, looking over at his siblings with a look that screams “help”. Viktor and Klaus shrug, with painful looks on their faces.

“Listen up. I don’t know how much longer Klaus’ll be able to keep me corporeal and it won’t seem as sincere with him translating for me if he runs outta juice….what I’m trying to say is that the afterlife would not have prevented me from leaving Earth for no reason. I know now that it was meant to save you, to stop that future from being written” he runs his hand over Five’s hair again, ruffling it and inhaling the peach shampoo Mom buys.

“He’s right” Viktor says, coming over and sitting on the bed too. “Whether you believe it or not. Ben’s knowledge about you helped prepare us to save you. For a while, after stopping the meds I kept my powers all to myself, and one time they got out of hand. Just like you saw down in that basement. Ben stopped me, he was able to calm me down. That was only possible because he was dead and could enter my mind”

“Huh?” Five asks, the confusion of that last sentence stopping his self deprecating thoughts.

Viktor laughs. “Yeah I don't understand it either. Point is, only ghost Ben could’ve stopped me, because the afterlife kept him down here. I was levitating everything around me which prevented Klaus from holding my hand like you did. We want you with us, Five. You are worth it, and I’ll be here to remind you of that as long as it takes for you to believe me”

Five swallows thickly. Alright. He’ll give it a try. It seems that the afterlife and Time worked together. The afterlife with Ben, and Time with Five, both versions of him. Whatever Creator is up there certainly wanted this to be the way life played out.

And his siblings seem so sure about their love and faith in him, never hesitating to show him how much they care. There’s no “catches” in their relationships. If Five says something hurtful, which he has many times since being freed, they haven’t backhanded him. He’s insulted them with jabs meant to harm, to get under their skin like Dad has done.

And everytime it doesn’t go how he expects it to. Loud, punishing reactions is what he’d been conditioned to expect, but they haven’t done that. A few days ago Luther entered the kitchen when Five was lost in a flashback, and his genuine concern and question of “Are you alright?” with a touch on his shoulder set his teeth on edge.

Five was overstimulated, panicked, and confused so he slapped his hand away and blurted out “Stop touching me! You gonna take my other arm too? Huh? Just like Dad? I know you still love him, maybe he should’ve called you Reginald instead!”

It was childish, hurtful, and purposefully meant to cut deep. Five knew that Luther’s relationship with Dad was complicated, that the sudden discovery of him being held hostage downstairs flipped his entire worldview upside down in a matter of minutes. Plus he was forced to fight him soon after, and that was no doubt painful to do, physically and emotionally. Luther also didn’t even know that Five’s human name was Reginald so it didn’t land as well as he hoped.

After screaming that, Five watched hurt flash across Luther’s face before settling into something worse: compassion. Luther knew Five was damaged and felt sorry for him, which only enraged him further so he started smashing every dish he could get his hand on while screaming at the top of his lungs. Multiple plates and cups shattered all over the floor before he was held back by Luther himself, locked in a restraining hold not only to protect the dishes but also his cut up feet that had stepped on the shards covering the floor.

He had simply lost all energy at that point, slumping in his arms after squirming for just a few moments. They sat there, breathing heavily and ignoring the awkward shuffles out of the room from the rest of their family. Five squeezed his eyes shut, not able to bear any more humiliation.

He then turned around and hugged Luther fiercely, an apology without saying any words. Luther’s acceptance of it came in the form of carrying him into the bathroom and bandaging up his bleeding feet.

Five’s emotions have been up and down, all over the place in the month he’s been free, and he’s refused to see a therapist. After this conversation, one seems like a good idea. He’s tired of bottling everything up and taking it out on his siblings that just want to help. He’s tired of not being able to see happiness in his future. He wants to believe some exists.

But there’s still something in his mind that he needs to get rid of in order for that healing to take place. It’s the last bit of himself that he’s afraid of sharing with his family, having been too unsure of their reactions to say it before. Five takes in a deep breath, steeling himself in order to say it.

“I…want to say something. Or I have to, really” he glances up at Klaus before flickering his eyes away.

“I miss Dad” he confesses.

Silence.

Five can clearly hear the cars honking on the street, and loud laughing from drunk teenagers. He looks down again, picking at his sheets. Maybe he should’ve kept that thought for therapy.

“Oh Fivey” Klaus says. Five wants to get mad at the nickname, to say that it’s babying him, but he can’t be angry. Not when he thought for so long he’d never see his brother again.

“It’s okay you feel that way, he really messed us up” he says gently, sitting on the bed as well and placing his hand close to him on the sheets. “In what way do you miss him?”

“I dunno. I just—I don’t want to miss him but like I said earlier I was attached to him for a while. And he was our dad, no matter how fucked up he was. I don’t ever want to go back but a part of me feels like something’s missing. I liked it when he said he was proud of me. I liked it when he’d hug me and call me son. I crave that but it also makes me sick at the same time” he shakes his head, disgusted at the thought of being so attached to that monster.

Klaus hums, and makes a clicking sound with his tongue. “Hey little bro, can you look up at me please?” Five continues to stare at the sheets. “Come on…let me see those peepers.”

That amuses him, so Five obliges, looking up at his brother to see his loving face. “There ya go. We have the same green eyes, ever noticed that? Maybe we’re actually blood brothers, ya never know. We should look into that, though I doubt you’re related to Ben am I right?”

Klaus’ eyes glaze over for a second before he shakes his head. “Wow, getting woozy from keeping Benerino visible. I’ll get to the point then. Alright, what you said makes sense. I hate Dad too but you described how much you liked it when he showed you love. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course you miss it when he treated you well. Are you missing the times when he hurt you?”

Five shakes his head vehemently, shoving away the memory of the weight slamming against his arm.

“Didn’t think so. Five, there’s nothing wrong with missing him like that. We’re all human and crave love. It’s no surprise you miss that, it was…” he hesitates, clearly getting choked up and emotional.

“It was the only comfort you had for months. Coming from someone who’s crazy, I know crazy when I see it and you’re not part of the club. You know that when he hurt you it was wrong. We’ve just gotta up our game and continue to show you how much we love you, so you’ll miss him less when you see how much better at it we are. You don’t have to “act good” in order to avoid us hitting you. That’s never gonna happen again” He furrows his brows, expression turning very serious. “Never again. Never again you hear me?”

Five nods. Maybe he can talk to Luther about his feelings regarding Dad, they appear to be in the same boat right now.

“Good” he says, making jazz hands. “Okay, can we do a group hug? I’ve got about ten seconds left before Ben is gone-zo for at least 24 hours”

Laughing, Five nods and they fall into yet another hug pile as the sun rises.

“You’re sure this is her?” Five asks for the millionth time.

“Yes dear. I called her and she is expecting us at this address” Mom replies. He nods, a bit nervous for what’s to come. This has been on his mind for quite a while, and he thinks it will give them both some closure.

He’s been in therapy for three months now, and Dr. Beaumont suggested this after he told her about the events leading up to his capture. “Just a thought” she had said, raising her hands in the air. She’s a good therapist, specializing in traumatized and abused children.

She especially had helped after they found Dad’s journal in his study and his unfiltered thoughts on all of them were revealed. As well as working through Five’s guilt over Ben’s death, about time travelling to the day of his funeral and blaming himself for it. And his lingering suicidal ideations.

Dr. Beaumont lost her foot due to a car accident when she was 18, so they were also able to discuss and relate to each other about the trauma of losing a body part. Phantom pains were Five’s biggest hurdle, they always sent him in a bad mood.

Therapy with the doctors had helped, they’d used a method with a mirror that tricked his brain into thinking he still had his right arm which lessened the pain. They offered fitting him for a custom prosthetic of their design but Five had turned them down for the next little while.

The binder Old Five had given him didn’t just contain equations. It listed every single detail of the futuristic arm prosthetic, complete with blueprint graphs. The technology behind it was so advanced, they had to remove it from his dead body before calling the police and reporting Dad’s death.

That and Hazel getting the hell out of there. He’s made a living for himself in the present moment, and they see him every so often when they get donuts at Griddy’s since he’s struck up a romance with the owner.

The final touches on removing any suspicion surrounding Dad’s death was to hide all the briefcases, and Allison rumored the cops into believing the Commission was a mafia group with long running ties to Dad, who got their revenge by blowing him up with a bomb (she also prevented them from doing any autopsies that would reveal their alien origin).

Five was greatly amused at that fact, and pleased that everything worked out so smoothly.

He feels that he finally, truly has a bright future ahead of him. In his own time, he’ll design the prosthetic, as well as all the other inventions that Old Five decided to provide him with. He’s quite looking forward to college and wants to become an inventor, interested in engineering and mathematics. Dad has unintentionally given him these gifts, and he’s going to use them.

Five smiles, and looks around at his family that surrounds him on the doorstep. Mom, Pogo, Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, a spot next to him where Ben is, and Viktor.

They’re all here, and supporting him.

He grasps Mom’s hand, giving a squeeze before knocking on the door.

It opens immediately, as if she was waiting for it.

Waiting for him.

The blonde woman from so long ago, that had held him and tried to protect him from Dad that dreaded day on the street, looks back at him.

She had been one of the key witnesses for the police after the shitshow. She had seen him, still young and thirteen, confessing to time travel, before getting whisked away rather roughly and unwillingly by Dad. Mom had tracked her down from the newspaper, and set up the meeting after he’d taken up Dr. Beaumont’s offer of reuniting.

“Hello Dolores” Five says, beaming up at his savior that brought him hope so soon after arriving in the future.

She smiles in that motherly way of hers and tugs him into her arms once again.