We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals
ii
"Oh, here we go
Feel it in my soul
Really mean it, mean it, so go
Gotta feel it, honey takes control
Really mean it, mean it"
- THE WALKER - The Fitz and the Tantrums
Seventeen Years Ago
"In five, four, three, two…"
THE CAPITAL WEST BANK WAS SURELY NOT THE PLACE TO BE THAT DAY. Despite the fact the situation inside was on the brink of boiling over, crowds of people gathered around the blocked off exterior entrance to the bank, trying to catch a glimpse of the action. Police and SWAT vehicles, news vans, and camera crews were scattered throughout the area, each and everyone trying to make sense of the situation that was breaking down inside.
"This is Jim Hellerman," A local reporter spoke to a camera, "Reporting live for Channel Two News, outside of the Capital West Bank at Main and Sixth. A group of heavily armed men stormed the bank not three hours ago and took an unknown number of hostages."
While onlookers and bystanders waited anxiously outside for any sort of sign from inside the bank, the attempted bank robbers tried to take control of the situation inside. A large number of hostages had been taken, anywhere from misfortunate bank goers to tellers and security themselves, and panic hovered in the air, uncertainty palpable. If the robbers didn't get what they wanted, what was going to happen to them?
"Hey, get them behind the counter!" A large man rounded a corner, clearly the leader of the rag tag thieves, as he gestured to his subordinates with his gun, a large phone pressed to his ear. The order was quickly executed, lest they further piss of their leader, and he lifted the phone to his ear, clearly in communication with the police, "Now you've put me in a position where I gotta do something I don't want to do. Hmm?" The man hung up the phone, clearly exasperated, and shouted in frustration, "Shit!" He shifted anxiously, a young African-American girl stepped up to him. She bounced on the balls of her heels innocently, watching as the other robbers rounded up the hostages.
The leader did a double take when the saw the girl, who looked so calm and collected, as she just stood there. His brows furrowed as he took in her appearance. She sported a neatly pressed school uniform, but it was the domino mask on her face that set off alarm bells in his head. Still, he treated her like any other hostage, "Hey, get back with the others."
The girl glanced up at him, a mischievous glint in her eye, "I heard a rumor."
"What?" The man looked annoyed, and her lips quirked upwards in a dangerous smirk, "What did you say?"
Allison tilted her head up as he leaned in closer to hear better. She cupped her hand over her mouth, almost as if she was telling him a secret, and with confidence she spoke again, "I heard a rumor… that you shot your friend in the foot." The scowl melted off of the man's face, a dazed look overtaking his features as his eyes shifted white. The robber lost any control over his own body, Allison's command the only thing registering in his mind, and he lifted his gun to one of his masked goons.
"Hey, dude." The other robber started, clearly confused as he noticed their leader point a gun at him. His gun cocked, "What the hell?" Shots were fired, the dazed man doing just what Allison had told him to do. His buddy fell to the ground in pain, his own gun going off and just missing the hostages that were cowering before him.
The leader looked at his gun in confusion as his mind refocused.
As the sound of gunfire reached the outside, people screamed and ducked. Police Officers tensed, clearly put off by the unknown of what was happening inside, "We just heard shots from inside the bank." The reporter from earlier spoke, voice appearing more frazzled, "It's uncertain if any hostages have been harmed in that."
"Up there!" A voice shouted, and all eyes turned to the top of the bank. A small figure darted across the roof, but no one could tell who- or what- it was.
"There's some movement on the roof," Jim spoke to the camera, "possibly law enforcement."
Glass shattered and rained down on the bank occupants below, Luther falling from the ceiling with ease. It startled everyone, and he landed right on top of another robber. Luther was quick to pull him and the gunman to their feet, using his super strength to bash the man's face into the counter before throwing him across the room. The robber's scream was petrifying as he was thrown from the bank, right through a window and into the outside world.
Bones shattering could be heard outside as he landed in an unconscious heap on the front steps, and the people outside startled from his surprising appearance, "Looks like one of the armed robbers as been thrown from the bank." Jim seemed perplexed at the scenario playing out before him, and the reporter in him needed to know just what was going on inside.
"Guns are for sissies!" Diego shouted as he raced into the room, two silver daggers poised and ready to throw in his hands, "Real men throw knives!" The daggers slipped from his grip as he let them loose, sailing towards the leader of the operation, who was still standing beside Allison. They curved at the last second, however, and impaled another baddie, who then slumped to the ground with a groan.
Juliet came running in behind Diego, slipping in front of the boy as a gunman directed his gun towards the two children. She lifted her arms into the air, and the armed man suddenly cried out as he was lifted into the air. With his gun slipping from his grip, it clattered uselessly to the ground, and he continued to flounder in the air. His back suddenly slammed against the ceiling, and with wide eyes he stared at the
drop that laid before him. The gunman's stomach dropped as Juliet's arms dropped to her side, and the man fell through the air. He landed harshly on the ground with a sickening crack, out for the count like the other's before him.
The main area of the bank was now down to one gunman and the leader, the two panic-stricken as their perfect plan fell apart before their very eyes.
A young Sioux girl stepped up to the last gunman, who was doing his best to keep the hostages in order. She bounced back and forth on her heels innocently, all the while sucking lazily on a dum-dum sucker, her hair neatly pulled into two braids. At noticing the young girl- who was sporting the same school uniform and domino masks as the kids who took out his comrades- his gun snapped to her.
He wasn't taking any chances.
Halyn barely flinched, however, as she stared up at him innocuously, pulling her cherry dum-dum sucker from her lips, "Don't you know guns are dangerous?"
The man didn't respond, and instead opened fire, barrel of his gun aimed straight at her head. A metallic sheen overtook the girl's young features, and the bullets bounced harmlessly off of her head, accompanied by little tink-ing noises as metal hit metal.
The gun clicked, a sign it was out of bullets, and the man stared, horrified at Halyn before him. Her face returned to normal, a sickly-sweet smile adorning her lips, and she still held that stupid dum-dum sucker.
"That tickled." The girl giggled childishly, the sound very out of place given the current situation. It unnerved the gunman, who took a step back from Halyn. Her sweet smile turned dark, crunching down on her sweet treat before tossing the stick to the side. Panic bubbled up within the goon, and she surged forward.
Metallic hands ripped the gun from the man's grip with ease, and he was surprised at the strength the small girl displayed. Halyn giggled again before snapping the gun with her bare hands, "There, danger thwarted!"
"What are you-" The man was clearly petrified of the small girl before him- as well as her comrades. He tried to step away from the young girl, but he backed into a hostage. The hostage obviously felt no pity for the masked man, and she shoved him forward.
The once gunman stumbled towards Halyn from the force, and the last thing he saw before his world went black was her metallic fist aimed right at his face. He slumped to the ground like a bag of potatoes, and Halyn shook her hand, obviously pleased with her work, as her hand returned back to normal flesh.
"I've been in many hostage situations like this, and it can escalate very quickly." Jim explained to the camera. The uncertainty outside the bank continued to rise, the crowd growing more and more anxious at each passing second.
The leader of the rag tag robbers climbed the teller counter in the middle of the room, his gun pointed at the schoolchildren before him fearfully. His hand shook as they swarmed him, and his gun bounced from kid to kid, "Get back, you freaks!"
"Hey, be careful up there, buddy!" Diego called out mockingly, a bright gin on his lips as the man shifted his attention to the knife-wielder, and Juliet leaned on his shoulder. Klaus beamed up at the man from the other side of his brother.
"Get back now!"
Halyn joined in on the taunting, voice light and fluttery, "Yeah, we wouldn't want you to get hurt now." Allison leaned up against her friend, her own taunting smile pulling at her lips.
"Get back!" The man cried out again.
"Or what?" A boy popped out from nowhere, sitting cross-legged on the counter behind the frazzled leader. A smug smile toyed on his lips, and the man whipped his attention to the school boy. Just as he opened fire, Five disappeared from view, but it didn't stop the gunman from unloading every last bullet into the spot he had just been.
"Oh, I think you missed him." Allison goaded, and the man blinked frantically at her. Juliet snickered at her friends side.
Whirling around, he tried to search for the teleporting boy, all the while keeping the freaks surrounding him at bay. The air rippled behind him, a light whooshing noise alerting him to a new presence, and the leader whirled around.
Five stood, arms crossed, behind him on the counter once more. Thinking he had the upper hand, the would-be robber whipped his hand around in an attempt to shoot the young boy. Instead of his handgun being in his grasp, a harmless stapler had taken its place.
The stapler clicked, the leader whimpering, and Five eyed the office supply with mock interest, "Oh, that's one badass stapler!" He mocked before slamming the stapler into the man's head. A large cut ripped across his bald head, and with a groan he twisted, falling off the counter and onto the floor unconscious.
"Although there's been no activity for a few minutes, we're gonna stay live on location to make sure we don't miss anything."
With the main gunmen- and leader- now down for the count, the group of kids gathered before the entryway to the vault. Ben shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as he looked at his family with uncertainty, "Do we really have to do this?"
Halyn had pulled out another dum-dum sucker, this one green apple in flavor, and Five gave her a weird look as she popped it in her mouth. She offered him a butterscotch one- one of his favorite flavors- but he turned it down, and she shrugged. His loss.
"Come on, Ben," Luther breathed out, "There's more guys in the vault."
Ben sighed heavily, ignoring the reassuring smile on Klaus's face, as he turned towards the glass down. Halyn made a mental note to offer him a strawberry dum-dum after- she always carried their favorite flavors on her- and watched as the young boy apprehensively reached for the door, "I didn't sign up for this." He muttered to no one in particular.
While Ben did his part, the hostages were freed by the rest of the kids. And as they frantically raced out of the Capital West Bank, screaming and obviously panicked, they were intercepted by police and EMS, who checked each and every one over, "Now we see the hostages. They- they're free." Jim observed, "They're scared, clearly, but they do seem to be unharmed."
Horrified and pained screams echoed from within the bank as the horror that was innocent Ben took out the remaining robbers. Halyn slowly followed after the rest of her friends as they circled the door to the vault, waiting for the horror to be over. Blood and bodies slammed up against the hazy glass, and Halyn was glad she couldn't see the gory sight within the vault.
The inhuman sounds and screeches made the Sioux girl's stomach churn, and she turned away from the gory scene before her. Suddenly losing her appetite for it, she tossed her half-eaten dum-dum sucker into the trash. Five glanced at Halyn, noting her nauseous expression, and pulled a hand from his pocket to lay it on her shoulder.
Halyn remained with her back turned away from the horrors behind her, doing what she could to tune the inhuman noises out, and she pulled Five's hand from her shoulder. She clutched it in her own hands, playing with his fingers ever so slightly and tracing the lines his hands held. Five didn't mind the touch, even finding it a bit comforting, and he knew it was just a distraction technique for the girl. Halyn had a rather weak stomach, and she didn't do well with excessive gore.
So, when Ben opened the door to vault, the horror inside him once more, Halyn had to swallow the bile that rose up in her throat at the sight of him covered in blood and chunks of the pour souls he demolished.
"Can we go home now?"
Halyn followed the rest of the siblings out of the bank, a bright smile on her face. She had looped her arms through Juliet's and Five's, her two friends each sporting matching smiles. They emerged to a crowd of mixed feelings, cheers and perplexed questions reaching their young ears, and Halyn could respect that.
After all, a punch of kids in school uniforms and domino masks is a strange site.
Five pulled away from Halyn to skip off ahead of the others. He slowed to a halt beside the man Luther had tossed from the building and kicked his leg. The man didn't move, and Halyn had to swallow her breakfast down at the vacant look and split skull the would-be robber had.
Juliet noticed her friend's suddenly woozy expression, and she steered Halyn away from the deceased man. She kept her arm fully linked with the Sioux girls, and when they stopped to stand before the press and police, Klaus slipped in between Halyn and Five. Various sizes of grins and expressions danced on their faces as reporters called out question after question to the group, but none answered.
The current members of the Umbrella Academy- now wearing matching pea-coats and scarves to protect against the cool, winter air- all stood proudly behind Sir Hargreeves. The eccentric man had joined his children on the steps of the bank, facing the press with a surprisingly gratified expression on his face. Though Halyn figured the look was more for him bringing together these weird children than it was for what they had just accomplished.
"Our world is changing," Sir Hargreeves declared matter-of-factly. Cameras flashed and snapped pictures of the delighted and unconventional family, and the children soaked up the attention as he continued to address the press, "Has changed. There are some among us; gifted with abilities far beyond the ordinary. I have adopted eight such children. I give you, the inaugural class of the Umbrella Academy!"
Sir Hargreeves stepped aside slightly, gesturing to the children behind him. Halyn felt her chest swell with pride, and her friends felt similarly as they posed for the press. Questions were launched the billionaire's way, and he nodded at a random reporter, accepting her question.
"Mister Hargreeves, Mister Hargreeves! Channel Nine News. What happened to their parents?"
Sir Hargreeves sniffed, appearing indifferent to the question, "They were suitably compensated." Halyn's beaming smile faltered at his response- two of them still had parents- but she shoved the ill-feeling away.
Now wasn't the time.
Realizing they weren't going to get anymore of a response, another reporter shouted out, "Are you concerned about the welfare of the children?"
"Of course." Sir Hargreeves firmly stated, "as I am for the fate of the world."
THE ENTIRETY OF THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY ALUMNI had fanned out, distancing themselves throughout the over sized building as much as they possibly could. Luther's accusation still hung over their heads like a loose threat, and their anger at their leader was still intense. Their spaceboy had a lot of apologizing to do if wanted to get in his family's good graces again.
Halyn had wandered into the courtyard after her talk with Luther, Diego having kicked her out of the living space when he found her in there by herself. She had feigned annoyance when she walked away and he plopped down on the couch, but in actuality, it was probably a good thing he kicked her out.
It was doing her mental state absolutely no good to just sit there and stare at Five's painting.
The past few months she had spent at home on the reservation- back with her true family- had lessened the pain his absence left within Halyn, but now that she was back in their childhood home, the pain was almost excruciating.
Despite the Umbrella Academy being located in the center of the City, the courtyard always smelled nice and fresh. It was like the smog of the city couldn't touch this place, and Halyn inhaled deeply as she strolled through it. There was a gazebo in the center of the courtyard, but the care for it over the past years had been lacking, and it was dilapidated, looking ready to collapse if someone just so looked at it wrong.
A cool breeze blew through the courtyard, a sharp reminder that it was March, and Halyn shivered. She tugged her jacket tighter around her body, feeling as if the cool and gloomy weather was a perfect setting for Sir Hargreeves funeral.
After all, he had been cool and gloomy their whole lives.
Halyn knew the courtyard like the back of her hand- as it had been one of her favorite places to go as a child- but she didn't get the same feeling of warmth and comfort being out here that she did as a child. The courtyard hadn't changed too much, but one of the biggest differences was the addition of a memorial to Ben- Number Seven.
Ben's death had hit the Umbrella Academy rather hard, Halyn had heard. Hard enough that it was the catalyst to them falling apart. Unlike her entrapment and Five's disappearance, Ben's death was more permanent. There was always hope Halyn and Five would return home one day and whelp, the former was here now.
But when you lose a third person- and one in such a gruesome way- it was hard to come back from that.
Stopping in front of his statue, Halyn peered up at Ben. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, and she smiled melancholically at his forever young face, "Hey, Ben. It's been a while, huh?" A thoughtful expression flitted across her face, and she shoved her hands deep in her pockets.
"Halyn, Halyn!" An out of breath Ben suddenly burst into the girl's bedroom, and she glanced up at him curiously from her bed, lazily chewing on a blue raspberry dum-dum, "Look what I've got!"
In an excited fashion, Ben held up high a new book. Halyn could barely read what the pristine cover said, as the young boy kept shaking it excitedly. Pulling herself up from her bed, she walked over to Ben to snatch the book.
It looked brand new, and even had that new book smell to it. The cover was an off-white, and a picture of a grumpy looking man sat on the cover. Halyn glanced at it curiously, sucker rolling from one side of her mouth to the other as she thumbed at the pages of the book.
The book was titled 'The Bet' and was a short story by Anton Chekhov. It had been translated from Russian to English and was apparently a discussion about whether death was better than life imprisonment. An ironic concept, an older Halyn would come to find, but at the time, she didn't pay it any mind.
"It's for book club!" Ben smiled brightly, and Halyn nodded, a small smile on her lips.
'Book Club' was an unofficial club Sir Hargreeves had allowed Ben, Halyn, and Juliet to start up. Halyn had wanted to include Vanya as well, but she was told the quiet girl didn't wish to partake- but that was words from the eccentric billionaire's mouth, and not Vanya's own, so she didn't exactly believe him.
Five had originally tried to get in on book club when the three children had told the others about it, as he liked to be in on everything, but he quickly found it to be beneath him. He would always claim he quit, but really, Halyn kicked him out as Five always tried to make the books about himself. Klaus was invited to take Five's place, but then he started making blunts from the pages in their books, and he was effectively booted.
And speaking of books, Sir Hargreeves made all their book choices for them. He'd occasionally allow them a bit of input, but only to choose between books written by people of Homer's stature. No, he would never allow his children to read stories from books such as 'The Magic Tree House', or- heaven forbid- 'Goosebumps'.
If his children had a desire to read, they were going to read properly.
Halyn flipped through the book, it wasn't very long and of course lacked pictures, before handing it back to Ben. He held it close to his heart, clearly excited for it, and his dark eyes twinkled, "You going to start?" She asked him with a small smile. Ben nodded enthusiastically.
Sir Hargreeves didn't believe in buying more than one copy of a book- so the children were forced to share exactly one copy amongst themselves. They tried their best to meet up to read together, but with their busy schedule and missions popping up at random, it proved fruitless sometimes. So instead, they rotated the book amongst themselves, each reading a chapter or two before passing it along to the next person. They got through books slower like this, but Halyn felt as if maybe this was purposeful on Sir Hargreeves part.
Later on, when they had finally finished 'The Bet', Ben had asked Halyn what she would have chosen: death, or life imprisoned.
At the time, her foolish self had chosen imprisonment, as she felt living was still worthwhile, but looking back on it, Halyn no longer thought that was the right answer.
Death.
Death was now her answer- but she didn't know if that'd be Ben's answer still. He, in a complete deviation from his normal naïve nature, had chosen death.
In the end, both had gotten the answers they chose.
And as Halyn stood before Ben's memorial, the irony wasn't lost on her. The one question on her mind, however, was: did Sir Hargreeves know what was going to happen to the two? The book seemed like an odd choice at the time, but now that the pieces had fallen in place, it seemed like some sick sense of foreshadowing.
"I miss you, Ben." A deep sigh left the girl's lips, and she shook her head. She reached out, placing a hand on his statue. With a deep breath, the cool material moved up her arm, Halyn admiring the shine for a moment, before she pulled her hand back, and everything was normal again.
After another few moments of silence by Ben's memorial, Halyn pulled herself away. The cold was finally starting to get to her, and she tucked in on herself as she made her way towards the back entryway.
Just before she reentered the academy, however, her eyes fell on the oak tree Luther claimed to be Sir Hargreeves favorite spot. Against her better judgement, Halyn stepped closer to it. The tree itself was rather scraggly and unkempt, looking somewhat overgrown in a few spots. The stone bench before it haunted Halyn's nightmares, and it was cracked in a few different locations, green moss growing up one side of it.
Something shiny in the mud caught her attention, and when Halyn caught sight of the shiny objects, her heart got caught in her throat.
Pennies.
They looked worn and weathered, some as if they had spent years in the outdoors- and Halyn was sure some of them had. She knelt down, pulling one from the mud and twisting it in her fingers. Halyn clutched it close and stood back up, mind unfocused.
A sudden wave of emotions hit the girl full force, nearly knocking the breath from her system, and she felt herself falling onto the stone bench. Halyn inhaled sharply, a pained memory ripping across her mind and she held her head.
The day was as ordinary as any other.
After a morning of group training, Sir Hargreeves had sent the other children off while he started some one-on-one training. These sessions were Halyn's least favorite, as she despised being alone with the eccentric man. She always got nervous being alone around him, and she was very intimidated by him.
To make matters worse, Sir Hargreeves had chosen today to work with Halyn- or Number Four, as he preferred to refer to her as. She had been slipping in training lately, and he could only attribute it to the loss of Number Five. But if she didn't learn to get her emotions under control, and put her powers first, then she could easily become a weak link in the Umbrella Academy.
And Sir Hargreeves would not allow that to happen.
"Number Four, you must focus your powers. Feel the material you wish to become and let it consume you." He was trying to get the girl to be fully consumed by a material, as Halyn had so far only shown the ability to shift various parts of her body into a material, but not her whole self.
Halyn- who looked no older than she did now in the present- glanced down at her hands as she sat on the stone bench besides the elder man. Her hands were shaking so bad, and she couldn't make them stop shaking. No matter how many times she tried to steady herself, she just couldn't. Her mental state had been severely compromised, and she didn't take to loss very well- especially as that loss took her best friend.
Stone creeped up her body, but with a sharp inhalation it suddenly dissipated, the billionaire frowning at the regression.
"Focus, Number Four." Sir Hargreeves chastised, "You must not let Five's disappearance rule your life. Don't make his mistake and let your powers get the better of you. Stay in control." He kept pushing her, and pushing her, Halyn's mind growing more and more frazzled as the seconds ticked by until-
Enough.
Halyn snapped her eyes shut, shoving the memory away and leaping to her feet. In her daze, she hadn't realized her body had begun to shift itself, that wretched stone replacing her tan skin as it moved up her body. It immediately retreated as Halyn tuned back into the world around her, but not without leaving a tight feeling in her chest.
The pennies glinted in the lowlight of the evening sky, almost tauntingly, and Halyn was so close to just screaming. There was no way she was going to let Sir Hargreeves continually fuck with her mental state from the grave. The man had damaged her enough for one lifetime, and she couldn't give him the satisfaction of still having that authority over her.
Glaring at the penny in her hands, she flipped it upwards before catching it, "Penny for your thoughts?" She voiced darkly to the open courtyard, a sarcastic chuckle escaping her lips, and she chucked the penny back into the earth.
An attempt was made on her part to walk back inside- she could suddenly hear the familiar beats of Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now"- but, as if answering her sardonic question, the world behind her ostentatiously erupted.
A blue hue bathed the courtyard, a harsh wind whipping through the small area and Halyn found her feet being knocked out from under her. She grunted as she landed roughly on the ground, hands grasping as the dirt, and a clap of thunder echoed in the empty space. The wind continued to howl, Halyn rolling over on the ground to stare up at the source of commotion.
Despite living a very abnormal life, Halyn's mouth still dropped as she took in the glowing blue vortex that swirled to life in the courtyard. A sudden hand was on her arm, and the Sioux girl looked up to see the rest of the Umbrella Academy alumni file out of the building, each wearing an equally shocked expression. Diego helped Halyn to her feet, pulling her away from the base of the ever growing maelstrom.
"What is it?" Vanya called out, hands curling around Halyn's arm as Diego moved to the front of the group.
"Don't get too close!" Allison warned her brother.
"Yeah, no shit." Diego sarcastically retorted but listed to his sister's concern regardless.
The anomaly continued to rage, warping, and twisting as it flickered in shades of blue. Electricity cracked loudly from within, and Halyn studied it intensely, a strange feeling of familiarity gnawing at the back of her mind. In the center of the vortex she could make out a scene of some sort, it consisting of a white picket fence and a parking lot, but the details were hazy still.
Attempting to get a closer look, she slipped from Vanya's grip. She couldn't get past Diego, however, who held an arm out to stop the younger girl. Halyn frowned up at him, but remained still as she clutched his arm.
"Looks like some sort of temporal anomaly," Luther shouted over the wind, finding himself at Diego's side, "Either that, or a miniature black hole. One of the two!"
"Pretty big difference there, Paul Bunyan!" Diego quipped. Luther glared at him but was interrupted by Klaus's shouting.
"Out of the way!"
The necromancer pushed his way between Luther and Diego, Halyn stumbling to the side, Juliet catching her, as Klaus rushed towards the portal like the hero- idiot- he was. A fire extinguisher was held tightly in his hands, and he held it outwards as if it was a weapon.
"What are you-" Luther tried to ask his brother, but instead shut his mouth as he figured he was not going to be getting an answer from the drunken man.
Ever the genius, Klaus took aim at the raging anomaly with his fire extinguisher. It sputtered to life for a moment before quickly dying, and the necromancer eyed it with irritation at his plan having been foiled. Without a second thought, however, he suddenly chucked the extinguisher at the portal. It was merely absorbed, and rather lackluster Halyn had to admit.
"What was that going to do?" Allison questioned her brother frantically.
Klaus sighed, genuinely unsure of things, "I don't know!" He threw his hands up in exasperation, "You got a better idea?"
The anomaly suddenly rippled dangerously, flashing brightly with electricity and Luther pulled Klaus back towards the group.
"Woah, woah, woah! Everybody get behind me." The oversized man ordered, herding Klaus and the other's behind him and holding an arm out before the gathered people.
Diego stepped forward as well, mirroring Number One's actions, "Yeah, get behind us." He emphasized the last word, and Halyn rolled her eyes at his petty behavior.
"I vote for running, come on!" Klaus exclaimed over the wind. He tried to grab Halyn's arm to drag her inside with him, but she tore away from the man as a figure suddenly appeared in the anomaly.
The figure's face was contorted in anguish, a silent cry being absorbed by the vortex. Halyn's eyes widened as she realized it was a man. Her jaw went slack as the man suddenly morphed into a teenager before their very eyes as he pushed through the vortex. Just as fast as the anomaly appeared, it dissipated, the world returning to normal.
The teenager once trapped in the vortex had been dropped unceremoniously to the ground, where he landed with a harsh thud. Halyn stood alongside the others, shock and curiosity etched across her features, and she leaned over Diego for a better look.
Their new companion shifted in the dirt, and Halyn felt her mouth go dry as a wave of familiarity washed over her- but did she dare get her hopes up? It seemed impossible that this figure could be him, but crazier things had happened, right?
All disbelief was pushed from her mind, however, as he stood to his full height, and as he swept his perplexed gaze over the gathered Umbrella Academy alumni, Halyn's breath hitched. She would recognize those green eyes anywhere.
It was him.
"Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me?" Klaus asked from the back, breaking the stunned silence.
"It's... it's him." Halyn breathed out a confirmation, the words helping cement in her mind that Five was in fact standing before them. If she weren't still holding onto Diego's arm, she was sure her legs would've given out from shock and disbelief.
He was back. He was back. He was back.
A wide variety of emotions swirled and battled in the pits of Halyn's stomach, and her mind struggled to make sense of these new conflicting emotions. The sentimental part of her wanted to rush forward and hug her missing best friend- hold him close to confirm that yes he was actually real, but the pragmatic part of her refrained from doing just that. Five wasn't the most affectionate person around, though he once let Halyn get away with it more than others when they were younger, but there was a darkness in his green eyes as he stood before the Hargreeves and co, and the Sioux girl wasn't even sure if he could even be considered her best friend still.
What Halyn was surprised to feel, however, was a sudden wave of anger. It crashed down on her like a tidal wave, sitting heavy in her mind as it consumed any happy feelings she once felt at Five's return. The relief in her had been corrupted, and as she stared at the perplexed boy before her, a sudden anxiety at the situation bubbled within her.
Things were bound to be different between the two, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that.
And he had left her- after promising not to. That thought still stung, and resentment tainted the joy she may have felt at his return.
Five's gaze flickered over his family and friends, taking in their older figures. They each still carried characteristics of their younger selves, and it wasn't hard for the teleporter to suss out who was who as they stared at him in mass confusion. What Five hadn't been prepared for, however, was Halyn, and his gaze lingered on her, taking in her younger form.
She looked the same as the day he disappeared, and his heart panged for the simpler times he had left behind all those years ago- and the future that could've been had he stayed.
Halyn met his lingering gaze, Five trying to decipher the clashing emotions that swam within her brown eyes, but she found herself unable to maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds. Swallowing thickly, she pulled her eyes from Five to stare intently at the ground. He frowned at the motion, but quickly replaced the expression with a more neutral look before Klaus's words clicked, and he looked down at his hands- his young hands.
The suit he was wearing was now at least two sizes too big, and it hung loosely off his lithe form, and Five was obviously not happy with his newfound youth.
"Shit."
After moving past the initial shock of Five's reappearance- well, the others may have moved past their initial shock, Halyn was still struggling make sense of her conflicting emotions- the long-lost teleporter had made a beeline for the kitchen, muttering something about how he was hungry and could use some coffee, and everyone was quick to chase after him, desperate for answers of any sort.
Halyn had somehow gotten placed in a chair closest to Five, and she fidgeted awkwardly as he placed a cutting board down on the end of the dining table. At the opposite end, Klaus sat on the table, with Allison and Diego flanking either side of him. Vanya and Luther were sat in chairs in front of their siblings, with Halyn besides Vanya and Juliet leaning on Diego's side.
They all watched Five expectantly, waiting for answers, but the teen didn't seem like he was in any rush to give his friends and family any sort of explanation.
"What's the date? The exact date?" He posed a question instead, walking towards the cabinet besides the fridge. Five grabbed a loaf of bread, pulling out a few slices and placing them on the cutting board as Vanya answered his question.
"The twenty-fourth."
"Of what?" Five's tone was a bit snappy.
"March." Juliet was the one to answer this time, arms folded over her chest.
Five nodded his head, looking momentarily contemplative, "Good."
"So, are we gonna talk about what just happened?" Luther voiced, only for Five to ignore him as he continued to make his sandwich. Halyn glanced over her shoulder, sharing a look with Vanya, and Luther clenched his fists, "It's been twelve and a half years." He climbed to his feet, towering well above his younger brother, who glanced up at him with a small sneer.
"It's been a lot longer than that." Five scoffed.
Without another word, he turned and teleported past Luther, who blinked at the sudden bright light, and Five reappeared behind him to rummage through another kitchen cabinet.
"I haven't missed that." The spaceman sarcastically muttered, and Halyn slumped further in her seat.
"Where'd you go?" Diego questioned, and Five pulled down a bag of marshmallows.
"The future." He reappeared at the head of the dining table, "It's shit by the way."
Klaus raised a finger, looking momentarily proud of himself, "Called it!" He looked around the room for proper recognition of his successful prediction, but he only got a slightly amused smile from Halyn. He accepted it as a reward anyways.
"I should've listened to the old man." Five relayed, sounding a bit exhausted. He pulled open the fridge door, finding a jar of peanut butter, before returning back to his sandwich making once more, "You know, jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice."
Halyn had no idea what Five was talking about but chose to not say anything. Instead, she watched as he methodically built a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich. Despite her conflicting emotions towards the teen, a fond smile etched itself across her lips as he worked on the weird combination, a warm memory dancing across her vision.
A ten-year-old Halyn stood at the head of the dining table, a large grin across her face. The table itself was a mess, slices of bread and stray marshmallows littered the tabletop, and Five stared at the girl with furrowed brows.
"What is that?"
"It's a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich!" The Sioux girl continued to beam, and Five shared a look with Vanya. The three had snuck out of their rooms for a late-night snack, and normally Juliet would be with them, but she was in the middle of snacking with Diego already- so that just left Halyn, Five, and Vanya.
Vanya shrugged, "It doesn't look bad."
"Well, it doesn't look good."
Halyn's shoulders sagged at Five's comment, smile falling away, and Vanya nudged the boy beside her. He shrugged his shoulders but looked uneasy at his friend's sudden change in attitude. She dropped her eyes to the table and flicked a marshmallow away.
"My parents used to make this for me whenever I was sad." Halyn admitted with a somber voice. Her eyes looked distant and her expression was cautious when she glanced back up at her two companions, "They couldn't always afford jelly, so they'd use marshmallows in its place." Her finger dragged unsurely across the tabletop, and for the first time in a while, Five regretted his words.
Grace had finally purchased some marshmallows for the Umbrella Academy members, as Halyn had literally been begging her for months to do so. A part of her had contemplated stealing the marshmallows from her home the next time she got to see her parents, but she knew her parents still didn't have a lot of money, and they'd use the marshmallows for her siblings, so Halyn just had to wait for Grace to get some.
And when she finally did, Halyn had been so so so excited to share her family's special treat with her friends, but now she was just feeling embarrassed about it.
"You guys don't have to try them if you don't want to." Halyn admitted, voice still sad. She eyed the three sandwiches before her, debating on what to do with them. Her own snack-y appetite had disappeared, but she was sure Klaus would eat one, and she knew Juliet would as well. Diego might if he was still with Juliet, but Halyn knew Allison wouldn't, and she definitely couldn't bring one to Luther. Ben was also up in the air, but she could probably guilt him with her puppy dog eyes to eat th-
A marshmallow dinked Halyn's nose suddenly, and the girl blinked before glancing up. Five looked innocently away, though a smirk was toying at the edges of his lips as he pointed accusingly at Vanya. The normally quiet girl shook her head, quickly pointing a finger back at her brother, and Halyn stared at the two unsurely.
There was a flash of blue and a familiar whooshing sound, and Five was suddenly behind Halyn. Before the girl had a chance to process this fact, a hailstorm of marshmallows suddenly rained down on her head.
"Five!" She whisper-laughed, whirling around to face the grinning boy. He held an empty bag of marshmallows in his hands, looking as far from sheepish as possible.
"Stop being sad." Five spoke, earning an eyeroll from Halyn. He reached forward and pulled a stray marshmallow from her hair, and she eyed him cautiously, only relaxing when he popped it in his mouth.
Vanya giggled at the duo's antics, watching as Halyn began to shimmy, a frown on her face, "Ah, there's marshmallows in places marshmallows shouldn't be." She shook out her pajama top to the best of her ability, a few stray marshmallows falling to the ground.
"That sounds like a you problem." Five snickered. This earned him a smack in the face with a slice of bread, and he eyed Halyn with wide eyes, "Did you just?"
"You just got grained."
Halyn squealed as Five jabbed a finger into her side, and she danced away from further assault to hide behind Vanya. She knew this move was probably futile- the boy could literally teleport- but it made her feel better having another body between her and Five.
Vanya didn't protest as Halyn clung to her shoulders, as she was simply happy to be included, and instead smiled at her brother and friend. Her stomach suddenly growled loudly, a light embarrassed blush dusting her cheek, and Halyn and Five chuckled.
"So, you guys will try them?" Halyn asked unsurely, moving out from behind Vanya. She gave Five the side-eye as she stepped closer to him, and he responded with a cheeky grin.
"Of course, Halyn." Five's voice was uncharacteristically soft, and Halyn felt her heart flutter. A bright smile tugged at her lips, and Five felt as though he could get lost in her happy eyes forever.
The Sioux girl was quick to shove a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich in each of her friend's hands before picking up her own. She watched with excited eyes as the two studied her concoction, Five just a little bit more apprehensive than Vanya was, before the two took tentative bites.
Vanya was the first to react, her eyes brightening, and through a mouthful of peanut butter and marshmallow, she spoke, "This is so good!" Though the words came out more flubbed than anything.
Happiness spread through Halyn's body, and she turned expectantly to Five. He was still chewing, seemingly taking his time, and when he finally swallowed, she prodded him, "Well?"
Five looked at her, "It's surprisingly not garbage." The jest was light, and his eyes were teasing.
Had anyone else said that to her, Halyn might've been offended, but this was Five- a boy who didn't always give straight forward compliments- and she knew him well enough to know when he was genuinely teasing. He liked the sandwich, and it made her heart happy.
And that's how the peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich became the three's signature snack.
"Nice dress."
Halyn blinked as the memory faded away, and she zoned back into the conversation that was carrying on around her. Five was currently looking at Klaus, who looked appreciative of the compliment as he flourished his- Allison's- skirt, "Oh, well, danke."
Five's gaze flickered over to Halyn, the duo making brief eye contact before she shifted her gaze to stare at her hands in her laps. A light frown tugged at Five's lips, but he pushed it away as Juliet spoke.
"Wait, how did you get back?"
"In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time." Five swirled a knife around the peanut butter jar, pulling up a glob of peanut butter before dropping it onto a slice of bread and spreading it around.
Halyn blinked at Five's nonchalance, and he clearly didn't care about the confused looks that sat upon his friends and family's faces as he continued with his mediocre task. She tried to make sense of what Five had just said to them, but physics and science and stuff hadn't always been her strongest subjects and thinking about it all was starting to give her a headache.
"That makes no sense." Diego muttered with a shake of his head.
"Well, it would if you were smarter."
The knife-wielder immediately jumped to his feet, ready to throw hands with his now little brother, but Juliet placed her hands on his shoulders, a silent 'stop' in her eyes. Diego scowled, but didn't move further and settled for glaring at Five. The teleporter wasn't off put by the look, however, and Luther carried on with the questioning.
"How long were you there?"
"Forty-two years, give or take."
Halyn felt her mouth go slightly slack, eyebrows shooting upwards at his revelation. The whole room seemed as confused as she was, and Luther fell back into his chair as he processed this new information.
"What are you saying? That you're fifty-eight?"
Five rolled his eyes, "Not quite. When my older consciousness merged with my younger consciousness, I believe the two roughly averaged themselves out, which-" He looked thoughtful for a moment, "puts me at probably around thirty-seven consciously. However, my body is apparently now sixteen again." Having finished with his explanation, he took a bite out of his peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, savoring the salty-sweet flavor.
Halyn's mouth went dry as she digested what Five had said. Basically, he was in the same predicament she was in- old consciousness, young body. What were the odds of that? The biggest difference being, it sounded like he went to hell and back to get placed in the predicament he was currently in. The thought lessened some of the anger she felt, as it was ebbed away with some sympathy for his experience- but it didn't fully extinguish it.
Five had a lot of explaining to do.
Vanya seemed to have a hard time wrapping her head around what Five was saying, and her brows furrowed, "Wait, how does that even work?" Halyn couldn't take the feeling of cotton mouth she had anymore, and as Five stepped away from the table, she got up and walked towards the fridge.
"Delores kept saying the equations were off. Eh." He took another bite of his sandwich, and Halyn frowned as she pulled a water bottle from the fridge, "Bet she's laughing now."
His statement only confused those gathered more, "Delores?" Halyn unintentionally questioned, fridge door slamming behind her.
Five eyed her, and for the first time since he had been back, she didn't look away from him. However, the teleporter didn't exactly answer her question, "I could've gotten that for you." He pointed his sandwich at her water bottle.
Halyn eyed the cool drink in her hand momentarily before staring back at Five. She suddenly forgot how to emotion as she processed the first words he had spoken directly to her since being back, and she flubbed, "Oh, I, uh… have working hands and… feet." She finished dumbly with a hesitant shrug.
Five quirked a brow, and she went back to ignoring his gaze, cheeks heated, as she shuffled around the table and back to her spot in front of Vanya. He shrugged and picked up a newspaper that sat on the table, "Guess I missed the funeral." He hummed.
"How'd you know about that?" Luther asked, immediately earning him an irked expression from his brother.
"What part of the future do you not understand?"
Luther's jaw clenched at the snide remark, and Juliet spoke in a warning tone, "Five." The boy shrugged and backed off some, but remained unapologetic, nonetheless.
"Heart failure, huh?"
"Yeah."
"No."
Halyn rolled her eyes as Luther glared over his shoulder at Diego, the two moments away from arguing. Juliet had slipped herself in between the two boys, acting as a blockade, and Five stared at them with mild amusement.
"Hmm." Five clicked his tongue, "Nice to see nothing's changed." He began to walk away, leaving the mess he made behind and taking his sandwich with him.
"That's it?" Allison called after her brother, and Halyn took a swig of her water, "That's all you have to say?"
"What else is there to say? The circle of life." Five dismissed with a wave of his hand as he walked out of the room.
A stuffy silence lingered in the air at Five's departure, and Luther huffed, "Well, that was interesting."
Halyn snorted at the burly man's comment before leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table, face buried in her hands. She rubbed her temples in an effort to ebb away some of the tension she felt from her headache, but it wasn't doing any good, and when she peered up at the Umbrella Academy alumni gathered around the table, she blinked.
"Uh, can I help you guys?" All six had their gaze focused on the Sioux teen, and she quirked a confused brow.
"Can you try and talk to him?" Allison asked softly.
"W-why me?" Halyn felt her nerves getting the better of her, palms going sweaty, at the thought of a one-on-one conversation with Five. Anxiety and anger battled in the pits of her stomach, and she suddenly felt nauseous.
Juliet eyed her friend with soft eyes, voice light with no ounce of teasing to it, "He's always had a soft spot for you, Halyn."
Swallowing thickly, Halyn pushed her chair back from the table. She stood up, grabbing her water bottle in the process, and she shook her head, "I'm sorry, I just- I don't think I'm ready to actually face him." Halyn could see the disappointed looks on her friends faces, and she tried her best to ignore them, "I'll… I'll see what I can do." She voiced lightly with some second thought.
Taking that as her opportunity to leave, Halyn quickly made her way towards the exit and slipped out of the kitchen, taking the stairs two by two as she made her way towards her old bedroom.
Five had been her closest friend- best friend even. When they were younger, she was always quick to tell him what was on her mind, whether it was good or bad, so why did the thought of talking to him now have her feeling so self-conscious?
"I thought it was pretty good, all things considered."
Halyn made her way down the main staircase, pausing momentarily near the bottom as Five's voice flittered upwards. She wasn't sure what he was talking about, or who he was talking to, but her curiosity got the better of her and she made her way towards the living space.
"Yeah, definitely ballsy, giving up the family secrets." Five's voice had a weird air to it, and Halyn leaned in the arched entryway as he spoke to Vanya, back turned towards the Sioux teen, "Sure that went over well."
"They hate me," Vanya's voice was low, a hint of sadness to it, and her eyes flickered momentarily to Halyn. A sympathetic smile quirked at the corners of Halyn's mouth, and the ordinary girl looked back at her brother, "Everyone but Halyn, at least."
This was true- Halyn didn't hate Vanya, but she was sure the others didn't really hate her either. But Halyn had never read Vanya's book in full, she had never been able to bring herself to do it, but she did remember snippets of it here and there when Sir Hargreeves would read to her when she was still trapped. He made it sound as if he had never read his daughter's book, but he most certainly had- and he read it to Halyn in the process.
At the mention of the girl's name, Five glanced over his shoulder, eyes falling on Halyn in the entryway. She met his gaze momentarily, her look darkening in the process, but she quickly directed it to Vanya, and he turned back around to face his sister, "Well, there are worse things that can happen." He hummed.
"You mean like what happened to Ben?" Vanya somberly spoke, and Halyn tensed.
Like her, Five hadn't been there for Ben's death, and even Halyn didn't have all the fine details about what happened to him- but she also didn't want to know. A stinging sensation filled her eyes as tears threatened to spill over at the mention of another close friend of hers, and she glanced at the floor before, clenching her eyes shut. Her throat felt tight.
After a few seconds hesitation, Five asked, "Was it bad?" Vanya's book never covered what happened to Ben either, the one thing she didn't feel comfortable revealing to the world.
Vanya spared Halyn a glance, noting how the girl had curled in on herself, and she could only bring herself to nod sadly, not enjoying the memories that were dredged up with the topic at hand. Her fists clenched at her sides, gaze moving to the floor before looking back at Five, "I'll, uh, I'll give you two a chance to talk."
Halyn's head snapped up at her friend's comment, and she ignored Five as his gaze fell to her. Vanya began to make her way out of the room but paused beside her brother. He turned towards her, curiosity in his eyes, and Vanya looked a bit torn. A part of her wanted to hug Five, but another part wasn't sure if he'd be okay with that.
"It's good to see you, Five." She spoke after a moment's hesitation. Five's eyes went soft.
"Yeah, you too, Vanya."
A small smile found its way onto Vanya's lips, and she turned to finish leaving the room.
An awkward and tense silence settled over the room after Vanya's departure, Five turning to face the Sioux teen with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Halyn was still pressed against the entry archway, looking at anywhere but Five, and she played absentmindedly with the hem of her jacket. Fury gnawed at the back of her mind, but she tried to stifle it.
Five furrowed his brows, and when it became painfully obvious Halyn wasn't going to be talking anytime soon, he broke the silence, "Didn't think you'd be here." His voice was gentle and even slightly hesitant, but his insinuation wasn't lost on the girl.
He fully expected her to still be trapped in the courtyard.
Halyn glanced up at him before, with a shrug, she went back to staring at her shoes. The tightness from earlier reappeared in her throat, a dryness accompanying it, and her mind wandered momentarily to the water bottle she left in her room.
The silence continued to linger between the duo, and Halyn struggled to even come up with a response. It frustrated the girl, as Five used to be someone she could so casually and wholesomely talk to, but now she felt as though she had to choose her words carefully, and his expectant gaze made things worse.
"Didn't exactly want to be." Was the only thing she could come up, voice clipped.
"You were right, you know. About time travelling that is." Five rolled his shoulders and chuckled ominously to himself, "You always were." Though there was an obvious air of annoyance to his voice, you could still make out a hint of affection. Halyn had often been his voice of reason, helping keeping him level over the years, and her voice followed him throughout his time in the apocalypse. She shook her head at the comment, glancing back down at her feet.
Halyn wasn't sure what Five was trying to get from her as the two stood in the living space, fire roaring in the background. She shifted her stance, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned on the entryway frame, "Anyone could've told you that." Her voice was tense, and she could sense Five's frustration at her remark before he even showed it.
"Halyn-" Something in her snapped at his tone, and she couldn't stop the word vomit that poured out of her mouth.
"Don't 'Halyn' me, Five." Her voice was laced with ire, a cautionary tone to it. Five didn't look off put by her sudden outburst, and instead quirked a single brow, hands still shoved deep in his pockets. His nonchalant attitude irked Halyn even more, and she ran a shaky hand through her dark locks, "Are you looking for an 'I told you so'? Because you're not going to get one from me." Halyn's gaze was dark as she glared at the boy, "Y-you left us…left me… Five, after promising you'd come back," She took in a shaky breath, "and you're back which is… which is great but you're so obviously hiding something and I just…" Halyn suddenly found words failing her, and as Five searched her tear-brimmed brown eyes, he found pain.
Five's eyes softened, a hint of guilt swimming in his green orbs. He wanted to tell her everything- from the impending apocalypse, to the fact he had found her dead body alongside the others, looking the same as she had the day he jumped time- but now just wasn't the time. The weight of the world felt like it sat on his shoulders, and Five wasn't sure if he was ready to share that burden with Halyn yet.
Five's voice was soft when he next spoke, "I promise I'll explain everything in due time but," He hesitantly reached out for the girl, and she eyed him with caution, but didn't pull away when he threaded his fingers with her own. The touch was almost comforting, as a sense of familiarity panged in Halyn's heart, "I need you to trust me, okay?"
The contact didn't last long, and Halyn pulled her hand away from the teleporter. Five frowned at her sudden distance, but she missed his expression. She shifted her body, wrapping her arms around herself in an almost protective manner, and shook her head, "How can I trust you, Five?" Halyn glanced up at him, eyes full of conflict, "When I feel like I don't even know yo-"
"There you kids are!" Halyn jumped as Klaus shuffled into the room, a lit joint in one hand, and two umbrellas in the other. He tossed a lazy arm around the Sioux teen, causing her to scowl at his smokey breath, and Five's eyes narrowed, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Halyn had forgotten how handsy Klaus truly was.
With a dark glare, Five flashed his brother a sarcastic smile, "It's not like we were having a private conversation or anything, Klaus."
"Oh, goodie! So I'm not interrupting." The sarcasm was lost on Klaus, and Halyn rolled her eyes as she swallowed her anger. Their annoyed silence continued to linger, and Klaus's inability to read a room was astounding, "Anyways, Luther says it's time to put the old man to rest."
Halyn pulled away from Klaus, his arm dropping, but he didn't seem bothered by it and instead took a drag on his joint. Five gestured to the contents of his other hand.
"What's with the umbrellas?"
Klaus shrugged, glancing at the two umbrellas before tossing a black one to Five. The teleporter caught it with ease, but his brows were furrowed as he stared at his brother, silently demanding an answer, "In some sick twist of irony," The remaining umbrella was opened, Klaus holding the transparent and pink-lined umbrella over his head, and Halyn had to duck away from him to avoid being hit in the face by it, "it's started to rain!" The necromancer laughed sarcastically, "Imagine that- a funeral, with rain."
"It's bad luck to open an umbrella inside, Klaus." Halyn deadpanned.
Klaus didn't give two shits, "Halyn, dear, my whole life is bad luck." And the girl rolled her eyes in response. He took another drag of his joint, breathing out the smoke slowly before pointing it Five's way, ash falling to the ground, "That's the last umbrella, kids. I'm sorry," He didn't seem apologetic in the slightest and Halyn frowned, "Figured you two were close enough that you could cud-"
Five's lips pressed together tightly in a firm but dark smile, and he cut off the rambling man, "We can share, Klaus, got it."
Halyn felt her face burn at the necromancer's insinuation, and she scowled. Their relationship was… complicated to put it simply, and the Sioux teen wasn't exactly happy with the idea of being so close to the teleporter. The umbrella Klaus was holding was meant for one person only, and she had half a mind to fight him for it.
He could share the umbrella with Five.
In the end, Halyn deflated and accepted her fate. Klaus wasn't one to easily be argued with, "Looks like I got your bad luck, Klaus."
Thunder rumbled in the distance, the sky a dreary gray and full of turmoil. Rain pounded the ground below, leaving the courtyard damp with a lingering mildew scent.
Luther lead the group towards the spot he had picked out, and Halyn shivered involuntarily as the cool air pierced her jacket. She shifted closer to Five out of habit, shoulder brushing his, but he didn't mind the contact as he held a black umbrella up to cover the duo, and Halyn did her best to push aside the nerves and mild anger she felt at their close proximity.
Halyn just wanted to get this whole thing over with as soon as possible. Why they were even doing something like this for a man who made their life hell, she wasn't sure, but the Umbrella Academy alumni- alongside Grace and Pogo- had all reconciled for Sir Hargreeves funeral, and she was here already so there was no point in fighting it.
"Did something happen?" A bright voice broke the somber silence, and Halyn glanced over to see Grace, who was sporting a cheery grin, look around at her gathered children. Halyn's nose crinkled in concern, and it was off-putting to see someone so cheery at a funeral.
Not that Grace was any normal someone.
"Dad died, remember?" Allison responded softly. Grace looked at her daughter with confused eyes, smile melting away to be replaced by a solemn look.
"Oh. Yes, of course."
Brows furrowed together in concern, Allison turned to Diego, who was standing dramatically in the rain with no umbrella, "Is mom okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, she's fine." Diego sounded rather unsure, and he found comfort in the hand Juliet placed on his shoulder, "She just needs to rest. You know, recharge." The gathered siblings didn't look too sure of his words, but no one spoke otherwise.
Halyn fidgeted, and Pogo walked up to the group, his cane pressing softly into the wet ground and an umbrella in his free hand. He looked to Luther with a heavy frown, "Whenever you are ready, dear boy."
Luther, who held his father's urn close, took in a deep breath. His eyes searched each of his family and friends faces, and Halyn wasn't quite sure what he was looking for from them. With a heavy heart and some slight reluctance, he removed the lid from the urn before turning it upside down.
The ashes of Sir Reginald Hargreeves landed unceremoniously in a lopsided pile on the ground, the lack of wind not carrying them off to who knows where. Halyn had half a mind to laugh at the pathetic display, but she knew now wasn't the time for it.
The others were mourning the loss of their father and she had to respect that- ill feelings of the deceased aside.
Luther glanced up, blinking a few times and looking rather sheepish, "Probably would've been better with some wind…" He grimaced at the lumpy ash pile on the ground.
Pogo broke the awkward silence that had accompanied the spilling of the ashes, glancing around at those gathered, "Does anyone wish to speak?" His gaze was solemn, and Halyn shifted her eyes to the muddy ground beneath her feet.
Oh, she had plenty to say- but this was neither the time nor the place to say it.
No one wished to speak ill of the dead, as Halyn was sure she wasn't the only one with some choice words for their Umbrella Academy leader. She felt Five shift beside her, and his free hand brushed up against her own hand. Halyn wasn't sure if this was purposeful or not, but she had half a mind to hold his hand as his pinky brushed her thumb.
But she refrained from doing just that. Instead she pulled her hand away, slipping it into her pocket as she shifted away from the teleporter, and she missed the light frown that touched his lips.
The silence continued to stretch on and Pogo fidgeted uncomfortably. He silently begged any of the siblings to speak, but he also knew of their mixed feelings for Sir Hargreeves. Finally, with a deep sigh, he cut the silence once more, "Very well, I wish to speak. In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt." Halyn could hear the quiver in Pogo's voice, and when she glanced up, she noticed the tears threatening to spill over in his eyes, "He was my master… and my friend, and I shall miss him very much."
Halyn had always had a soft spot for Pogo, and hearing his words made her heart ache for him. Sir Hargreeves most certainly did not deserve to have such a loyal friend like Pogo at his side, and it was one of the many reasons she was forever going to despise him.
With another shaky sigh, Pogo began to close his eulogy, "He leaves behind a complicated legacy-"
"He was a monster." Diego spoke lowly, and Klaus exhaled a few shaky chuckles at the dry comment, "He was a bad person and a worse father." The knife-wielders jaw clenched, "The world's better off without him."
"Diego." Allison warned harshly.
"My name is Number Two." Diego turned to glare at his sister, "You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had mom do it- besides for Halyn and Juliet at least. They were the lucky ones given names by their actual parents."
Still vexed from her conversation with Five earlier, wrath hit Halyn full force once again, "Lucky?" She sneered with a dark chuckle, and she stepped slightly out of the cover of Five's umbrella to glare at Diego, ignoring the rain as it dampened her hair, "Lucky would've been my parents not agreeing to let good ol' Reggie taking me in!" Her hands extended outwards in mocking before finding purchase on her hips, "Lucky would've never been a member of the Umbrella Academy."
Diego opened his mouth to offer a snide retort, but Grace cut in instead, "Would anyone like something to eat?" A cheery smile was back on her face, and Halyn felt Five lightly grab her wrist to pull her back under his umbrella.
"No, it's okay, mom." Vanya voiced softly, and Five continued to hold Halyn's wrist, rubbing gentle circles into her skin, something of which she used to do to him when they were younger, and he was stressed.
She didn't pull away and her breath evened out, some of her residual anger receeding.
Grace's smile faltered, "Oh, okay."
Turning back towards Halyn, Diego was prepared to finally respond, but Five wore a dark expression on his face, challenging his brother, and Juliet put herself in front of Diego. Her umbrella gave him momentary reprieve from the rain, and she placed a hand on his chest, "Diego, stop. This isn't the time."
Diego's tongue ran over his teeth, mouth contorted in a scowl, but he turned away from Halyn to cast his darkened gaze over the gathered adults, "Look, you wanna pay your respects? Go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was." The venom dripped from his voice, and Luther gritted his teeth.
"You should stop talking now."
Diego looked affronted at Luther's comment, and he sneered at him, "You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One." The last words were spoken with so much hatred and malice, and Halyn watched as the spaceman bristled.
"I am warning you-"
Klaus chewed on his thumb, fresh joint clasped between his fingers, and from the corner of her vision, Halyn watched Five give his brother a strange look as the skunk-y smell of weed hit the duo. The necromancer caught his brother's look, and just shrugged.
Meanwhile, Diego continued to taunt Luther, stepping closer to the burly man with each passing word, "After everything he did to you? He had to ship you a million miles away."
"Diego, stop talking." Luther managed to ground out through clenched teeth. Even Halyn could tell the knife-wielder was taking things too far, but no one stepped up to intervene. Juliet had tried to pull Diego back, but Allison had stopped the woman, and she dejectedly watched the scene unfold before them.
"That's how much he couldn't stand the sight of you!" Diego jabbed a harsh finger into his brother's chest, and it was the final catalyst that ultimately set Luther off.
With a wild swing at Diego, a fight erupted between the two boys. The former Number Two ducked under his brother's swing, counteracting with a swift punch to Luther's gut. The burly man didn't seem to feel the attack very much, however, and instead retaliated with a hard hit to Diego's face.
Punches were exchanged, and Halyn found herself being pulled backwards as Klaus tried to protect her and Five. The teleporter dropped Halyn's wrist to swat his brother's hand away, clearly annoyed at Klaus's attempted protection.
If only Klaus knew just how much he didn't need protection.
"Boys, stop this at once!" Pogo's demanding voice echoed through the courtyard, but it fell on deaf ears as Luther and Diego continued to go after one another.
"Come on, big boy!" Diego taunted his brother, a dangerous smirk on his lips. His fists were held up before him in a protective stance, and Luther charged at him.
"Stop it!" Juliet cried out desperately. She had half a mind to use her powers on the two- either to shift their gravity so they would float away from each other, or increase their gravity to press them into the earth- but they had an unspoken code of not using their powers on each other without permission, and it might make matters worse, so the African woman was forced to watch helplessly as Luther and Diego continued to pound each other.
"Hit him!" Klaus encouraged the two, "Hit him!"
Halyn watched with disgusted eyes as Diego nimbly avoided another punch, slipping around Luther before slamming his fists into the bigger man's back. At Klaus's comment, she reached in front of Five- who sported a mixed expression of amusement and annoyance- to punch the necromancer in the shoulder, "Don't encourage them!" As she pulled away, she slapped the joint out of his hands.
With wide eyes and a yelp, Klaus immediately dropped himself to the ground to pick up his precious drugs. As he stood fully upright, he flashed Halyn a glare, but she ignored him.
Unable to watch the scene before him any longer, Pogo sighed heavily before turning to walk away, shoulders slumped with disappointment. Halyn felt a pang of guilt as she watched their simian caretaker walk off. She knew he had a fondness for all of them, and it probably pained him greatly to watch the two boys go at each other.
Luther suddenly tossed Diego, the latter landing in a roll where Pogo had once stood. Halyn began to feel more and more anxious as the fight continued to rage on, and Five watched as her face began to shift into the dark, cloth material of her jacket subconsciously, a sign her emotions were beginning to overwhelm her.
Five's hand suddenly latched onto the Sioux girl's own, and she flashed her brown gaze towards him. Her face shifted back to normal as the contact grounded her, but her eyes were still wrought with concern as they focused on the fight once more.
Diego and Luther may not have been her favorite members of the Umbrella Academy, and they hadn't really been the closest, but she still cared deeply for the two. Watching them be so petty as to just fight each other- in the middle of a 'funeral' nonetheless- just set her on edge.
"Get off of me!" Diego's breath was ragged as he spoke, and he tore himself away from Luther, the two still ignoring the calls to end their fight from their friends and family. Halyn flinched as the knife-wielder got in a particularly rough hit on his brother's face.
Five sighed heavily in frustration, and Halyn glanced at him with a quirked brow, "We don't have time for this." He breathed out to no one in particular. The teleporter was still holding onto Halyn's hand, and she had been too distracted by the fight to actually comprehend her hand was still within his grasp, so when she found herself being suddenly tugged away, she was momentarily confused.
"Five?" His name hung in the air like a question, and he paused in his retreatment just as Diego shouted out, "Come here, big boy!"
Luther slammed his fist into Diego's gut, the latter doubling over in pain, and Five responded to Halyn's subtle question dismissively, "I have more important things to take care of." What he didn't say, however, was 'and I want you to come with me.'
There was no doubt their connection was still there, and Five seemed ready to slip back into the roles of their old friendship like nothing had changed. But that was the problem- everything had changed. Halyn found it hard to put her thoughts into words and explain her hesitation at being around him again, but as he stared at her so genuinely, she decided fuck it- she had waited long enough to be at his side once again, and she knew her anger towards him was a bit over-dramatic.
They didn't make it very far before the fight reached a cataclysmal stage. A sharp, metallic clang reverberated through the courtyard, and Halyn whirled around, pulling her hand from Five's grasp to cover her mouth in shock.
In almost slow motion, Ben's statue broke loose from its base before falling to the ground with a harsh thud, his head bouncing away from the force of the impact. Halyn felt her body go numb, a stunned silence filling the outdoor area, and Five tugged impatiently on her jacket sleeve.
The teleporter was brushed off, however, as Halyn stepped back towards the action, a lump in her throat. Her attention was now focused on the broken statue of Ben, heart shattering the same way it had when Vanya told her he was gone.
It may have just been a statue- but it was the statue of someone they all cared about and lost in a horrific way. Seeing it now decimated hurt almost as much as when she learned of his death.
Five watched with conflicted eyes as Halyn came to a slow halt beside Allison and Juliet before, with a shake of his head, he turned and made his way indoors- he'd catch up with her later.
Juliet turned to Halyn, voice somber as she spoke, "I'm so glad you're back." The implications of her comment were clear: had she still been trapped in the courtyard, there was a chance she could've been destroyed in Diego and Luther's fight. Halyn flashed the woman a tight-lipped smile, eyes watery.
Allison stared at the scene and placed a somber hand on Halyn's shoulder, "And there goes Ben's statue." The comment was aimed at Luther, and he watched as she flashed him a pointed look. With her hand still on Halyn's shoulder, and Juliet at her side, Allison steered the physically younger girl away from the demolished statue of her friend and towards the doors that led inside.
This funeral was certainly one for the memory books.
A/N: Thank you all for your continued support! Remember to leave a review!
-SnowWolf22