The Umbrella Academy is not mine.
Run Boy Run
i
"Tomorrow is another day.
And when the night fades away,
You'll be a man, boy!
But for now it's time to run, it's time to run!"
- RUN BOY RUN - Woodkid
SOFT HEELS CLACKED AGAINST THE WOODEN FLOOR, Grace Hargreeves humming softly under her breath as she lovingly set the table for lunch for the nine children of the Umbrella Academy, and their fearless leader. Anisa Lane, Juliet's mother, walked over to a record player in the back of the room as Grace placed ten plates of hot food on a long, mahogany table.
Anisa gently placed a record chosen by Reginald Hargreeves onto the machine, moving the needle into place. "During extreme weather conditions, a climber must possess the wisdom to determine," The record droned on as it began to move. Grace smiled brightly at Anisa, the other woman offering a smaller smile in response, and the android mother picked up a shiny silver bell, "when evacuation is necessary."
Grace raised a delicate hand, Anisa folding her arms before her, and the bell chimed. A sudden flurry of noise sounded from the staircase, a frenzy of footsteps blurring together as nine teenagers bounded down the stairs. They pushed their way through the main foyer, footsteps growing in volume as the unruly teens entered the dining room.
Halyn jokingly pushed herself into Five, knocking shoulders with her friend as they passed through the room's arches. The teleporter turned towards Halyn, a tight-lipped smile on his face, one that didn't reach his eyes, and she frowned at the expression. His eyes were dark, and where normally he'd knock into her in retaliation, or make some snide quip, he snapped his gaze forward and rounded the table without further interaction.
A feeling of unease spread throughout Halyn's body, and she cautiously followed the boy around the table and to their designated spots. She gripped the back of her chair as she stood behind it, eyeing Five beside her out of the corner of her eyes. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, posture tense, and he glared at the hot food on the table.
Juliet gave her mother a quick hug, the older woman pressing a soft kiss to her daughter's temple, before ushering her to her designated spot at the mahogany table. The nine teenagers all stood around the table, waiting patiently for Sir Hargreeves to arrive so they could take their seats.
Vanya stood at one end of the table, directly across from where Sir Hargreeves would be sat, and the rest of the teenagers filled in the rest of the seats. The two chairs immediately besides the Umbrella Academy's founder were empty, with Juliet, Luther, Halyn, and Five all sat on one side of the table. Across from them, respectively, sat Diego, Allison, Klaus, and Ben. How Sir Hargreeves came to this seating arrangement was a bit beyond Halyn, but, seeing as she was seated beside Five, she wasn't going to complain.
That didn't stop Luther from complaining though- who loathed being placed in the middle of Juliet and Halyn.
After another few moments of waiting, Sir Hargreeves strolled into the dining room with purpose. He stood behind his seat at the head of the table and eyed the teenagers before him, "Sit." The man gestured to the chairs, and the teenagers slipped into their designated spots.
Everyone at the table dug into their food, the record droning on in the background as those gathered ate in silence. As the mealtime progressed, Luther and Allision kept stealing glances at one another. Diego was using his knife to carve the arm of his chair, though he kept glancing up to flash Juliet annoyed looks as she kicked him from under the table. She kept looking away when he'd glance at her, face innocent, and the knife-wielder rolled his eyes each time.
Klaus was rolling a joint, Ben quietly reading 'The Bet', the chosen book for his, Halyn, and Juliet's book club for the month. Vanya, at the very end of the table, continued to eat her lunch, eyes downcast.
Meanwhile, Halyn kept stealing concerned looks at Five. She had attempted to eat her lunch, but one look at the boy's tense posture had her appetite fading away. If it weren't for Sir Hargreeves stupid 'no talking during mealtimes' rule, she'd have shoved a penny in her best friend's face to get him to tell her what was on his mind, as it was obvious he wasn't focused on his lunch either.
Five hadn't touched his food either, eyes dark and he turned. His jaw clenched as he glared down the table at Sir Hargreeves, holding onto a butter knife with such a tight grip his knuckles were white. As Herr Carlson continued to speak, the only noise besides for happy munching, the tension that had been building up within Five finally snapped and he stabbed his knife into the table.
Halyn startled at the sudden noise, eyes wide as she turned to her best friend. She wasn't the only one caught off guard by his sudden outburst, and everyone's heads snapped towards the teleporter.
"Number Five?" Sir Hargreeves didn't bother looking up from his food as he addressed his adopted son. Halyn kept her focus on Five, while the others shifted their attention back to the food before them.
"I have a question." Five stated firmly.
"Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules: no talking during mealtimes. You are interrupting Herr Carlson."
Five's jaw ticked, and he shoved his plate away harshly in defiance. Halyn placed a hand on his knee, the touch meant to be a calming one, "I want to time travel." Dread washed over the Sioux girl at his words, and her grip on his knee tightened, but the teleporter continued to ignore her touch.
She knew where this was going.
"No."
"But I'm ready!" The teleporter persisted, standing up from his seat roughly, and Halyn's hand fell from his leg, "I've been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said!" His fists clenched at his side in concentration, and in a flash of blue light, he disappeared from his place next to Halyn and reappeared on the other side of his father.
Sir Hargreeves didn't even blink as Five stared at him expectantly, seeking any ounce of approval from his father, "See?"
"A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel." The Umbrella Academy founder responded shortly, voice insipid, as he continued to eat his meal, "One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn."
Five rolled his shoulders, jaw clenched, "Well, I don't get it."
"Hence the reason you are not ready." Sir Hargreeves lifted his glass.
Meal long since forgotten, Halyn dropped her fork onto the table as she listened intently to the conversation happening before her. The other teens around her had returned their attention to their food, though they'd sneak occasional glances at Five as he stewed in annoyance besides his father. Vanya was the only other one paying apt attention, and when the teleporter turned his gaze in Halyn and Vanya's direction, the two shook their heads.
As Five continued to seethe from his spot beside his father, Halyn's heart thundered loudly in her ears. She knew this conversation all to well, as she had had similar ones with him in the past, but whereas the Sioux teen could talk him down, Sir Hargreeves responses were only riling him up more. An air of stubbornness had surrounded the irked teleporter, and Halyn could see in his eyes that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"I'm not afraid." Five's eyes lingered on Halyn, and she silently pleaded with him to sit back down. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled his gaze from the Sioux girl to glare down at his father.
"Fear isn't the issue," Sir Hargreeves responded, voice level, "The effects it may have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable." He threw down his silverware in obvious irritation, finally glancing up at his adopted son, monocle glinting in the low light of the room, "Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore!"
A defiant snarl darkened Five's young features, and the expression sent shivers down Halyn's spine. Sir Hargreeves picked up his previously discarded utensils, a clear sign the conversation was over, but Five wasn't having it.
With hands shoved deep into his pockets, Five spared Halyn one last look- the last time he'd get to see her face so clearly- and he did his best to ignore the fear that had etched its way onto her soft features, before spinning on his heels without another word. The Sioux teen immediately froze in her spot, eyes wide, and Sir Hargreeves snapped, "Number Five! You haven't been excused. Come back here!"
The man's words were futile, however, falling on deaf ears as Five burst through the front doors of the Umbrella Academy. And as the front doors slammed shut behind him, Halyn broke free from her stupor.
Without another thought, she stood up from her chair, the force of her sudden movement causing her chair to topple backwards, but she paid it no mind. All eyes snapped to the girl, but Halyn ignored their concerned glances. She bolted around the table, determination in her step, as she rushed after her best friend, praying to whoever that he hadn't done anything stupid.
"Number Four! You have also not been excused. Number Four!"
Halyn knew she had little time, and with each passing second the odds of Five being gone grew tenfold, so she ignored the warning words of Sir Hargreeves. She tore out of the room, heart pounding and mind racing. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as fear gnawed at her heart, and she pushed herself harder than she had ever done so before.
The front doors of the Umbrella Academy slammed open with such force that a loud bang reverberated through the rest of the academy. The sound was mute to Halyn, however, who practically flew down the steps of the academy in a mad frenzy. Strangers and passersby's flashed the Sioux girl harsh looks as she shoved through them, but their irritation with her was the least of her concerns.
She had to find Five.
"Five!" Halyn cried out, voice desperate and cracking at the end, "Five!" She tried again when she got no response. She shoved through a couple, the two stumbling to the side from the force, and hope blossomed in Halyn's chest as she spotted the back of a familiar blue blazer.
A ripple of blue energy had surrounded Five, and if Halyn's heart pounded any faster, she was sure it was going to beat out of her chest. The rippling energy hummed softly, growing brighter in intensity, and she knew her time was almost gone, "F-Five!" His name tore from her lips like a forlorn wish, one final desperate attempt to call her best friend back to her.
And it didn't work.
Five, with his back still towards the girl, disappeared from Halyn's world in a flash of blue light. It was unclear if her voice ever reached him, or if he chose to ignore her for once, but watching her best friend disappear completely caused a gut-wrenching sob to tear through Halyn.
The dam broke, and the tears she had refused to spill earlier poured down her cheeks like a torrential rainfall. Halyn's chest ached as another sob reverberated through her body, and she crashed to her knees. The flesh tore as she collided harshly with the concrete ground, but the Sioux girl barely registered this new pain, as her heartbreak so wholly consumed her.
Halyn tried to focus on the promise he had made her- the one where he said he'd always come back- but the fact he hadn't returned yet shattered her heart further, and she cried out for him. If only she had been faster. If only she had been more insistent about him not time travelling.
A million ifs battled in Halyn's mind as the girl broke down on the sidewalk, but one stuck out more than all the others combined.
If only she had told him she loved him.
"Five!"
Halyn's voice faded from existence as the world around Five shifted into one he had yet to discover, one that was many years away from his old life. This world was vibrant and bright, people bustling around him, but any excitement he felt at the fact he succeeded in time traveling was dampened by the desperate cry of his best friend.
Five stood on the sidewalk, staring back where he imagined Halyn had once been standing. Just down the block he could make out the front steps to the Umbrella Academy, and a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him to turn back and return to his family.
And the voice sounded suspiciously like Halyn's.
Swallowing thickly, Five shook his head. He received weird looks from pedestrians as he stood in the middle of the sidewalk, uniform sticking out like a sore thumb, but he could care less about them.
The frantic cry from Halyn echoed in his mind, and a deep frown quirked his lips downwards. Five knew her thoughts on time traveling, but she also knew his desire to do so. They had never managed to find a happy medium, and before the topic could escalate into a full-blown argument, it was shifted away to more trivial subjects. And though she never would view herself as such, Halyn was always the winner of those conversations.
Five never time travelled.
But now here he was.
He wasn't sure exactly how far in the future he had travelled, but it was obvious he had succeeded. The thought empowered him, but the fearful expression on Halyn's face at the dining table- the last good look he got of her- humbled this feeling to some degree. Five still wanted to see how far he could go.
There was so much the future had to offer.
Besides, he promised Halyn he'd return.
And he wasn't about to break that promise. He'd just return after doing some harmless time traveling.
Halyn sat on the steps of the Umbrella Academy. Night had begun to set, the sky shifting shades of gray, and the streetlights flickered to life.
Her tears had long since dried up, but every now and then a stray sob would cause a tear to streak down her cheeks. They were stained, and her nose was red from all her sniffling. An umbrella was held loosely in her hands, as the sky had opened up as if it were mourning with her.
A tray of food sat beside the sullen girl, but it was untouched and cold, Juliet having snuck it out for Halyn a few hours ago. Sir Hargreeves had commanded her to come back in, to return to lunch and their scheduled training, but she refused vehemently.
Halyn wasn't going to return to the academy until Five came back.
Of course, this mentality wasn't a sound one, but she didn't care at that moment. If she entered the building without Five, then that meant he was truly gone, and she wasn't ready to accept this fact yet. Life would resume in his absence, and that thought alone further shattered Halyn's already fragile mental state.
A cold seeped deep into her bones, and Halyn curled in further on herself as another sob ripped through her body. Fresh tears found their way down her cheeks just when she thought her tear ducts were empty, and her eyes burned from the constant watery flow. Harsh sobs attacked her chest one after another until the Sioux girl melted into a hiccupping mess.
Five was gone. Five was gone. Five was gone.
Like a mantra in her mind, all she could focus on were those three little words. Juliet had already helped her through a panic attack earlier, and she would've stayed longer at Halyn's side had Sir Hargreeves not threatened her and her mother's standing at the academy.
The door behind Halyn creaked open, and if it was Sir Hargreeves telling her to come inside once again, she was sure she was going to snap. She shifted, curling more inwards on herself in an attempt to seem more closed off, but instead of the eccentric billionaire, a young body slipped into the vacant spot besides Halyn.
A plate of familiar sandwiches entered the Sioux girl's field of vision, and she frowned, "What are-"
"I made three of them." A soft voice spoke, referring to the peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches on the plate, and Halyn glanced up into the pained eyes of Vanya. They were tinged red, and occasionally she would sniffle, a sure sign she had been crying as well. When the Sioux girl didn't respond, Vanya carried on, "They're his favorite and- and-"
The shy girl found herself unable to continue speaking, a sob wracking her body, and it was then Halyn truly registered the fact that she was not the only one gravely impacted by Five's disappearance. He was cared for by all of them, and Halyn didn't have to mourn for his loss by herself.
She shifted closer to Vanya, who continued to sniffle, and a fresh wave of tears greeted Halyn once more. The umbrella was now covering the two girls, and the sky opened up once more, the sound of pounding rain drowning out the sorrow that filled their hearts.
Their trio was now a duo, and Halyn wasn't sure if she was ready for a world without Five.
Five had gone too far.
The world he now found himself in was a desolate husk of the one he once knew. Fires raged across the remnants of the city he called home, and an eerie silence lingered in the air. There wasn't a single sign of life anywhere, the ruins barren, and Five's heart began to race.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Terror filled every fiber of his being, his mind going slack as he attempted to process the world around him. The thought of his family and friends- of Halyn- hit his mind like a semi-truck, and he spun on his heels.
Sprinting desperately back to the place he once called home, Five felt his mentality begin to crumble as he took in the decimated wreckage of the Umbrella Academy. The once grand building was no longer standing, having collapsed in on itself, and was nothing more than an empty pile of rubble.
"Halyn! Vanya! Juliet!" Five's voice was laced with anguish as he cried out for his family and firends, and tears flooded his eyes, "Dad! Anyone!" He tried to enter the ruins laid before him but found himself hesitating on the front steps, unable to cross the threshold. Five wasn't sure what- or who- he'd find if he entered, so he resigned himself to standing outside the remains of his home, watching with pained eyes as a fire blazed within.
In one last act of desperation, Five tore his gaze from the rubble. He turned around, fists held upwards, and he concentrated on his powers.
If he got himself into the future, he could surely get himself back to the past.
The familiar blue glow of his powers rippled around his fists, whooshing to life, and for a moment Five allowed hope to ease away some of his terror. All too soon the hope was consumed, and his powers whirred and flickered, "Come on, come on!" He practically begged them, voice growing increasingly more desperate with every passing syllable.
This had to work. He had to get back. To his friends. To his family.
To Halyn.
"Shit."
When the world around him remained broken and desolate, powers flickering tauntingly, Five dropped his hands to his sides. His chest heaved with anguish as he looked around at his fate, and when he faced the devastated Umbrella Academy once more, he dropped to his knees.
A feeling of powerlessness and helplessness clashed with his feelings of panic. A knot formed in the pit of Five's stomach as the severity of his grave mistake hit him full force, and a stray tear trekked down his cheek. This was the end of mankind- the apocalypse.
And it was Five's new present.
The thought had him choked up, and he buried his head in his hands as he let his emotions so wholly consume him. Crying was such a foreign feeling to Five, and he decided it was his least favorite feeling, yet in that moment, it was all he could do.
Sorrow and regret creeped their way into his heart, further amplifying the tears that were already cascading down his cheeks in waves. Guilt tried to wiggle its way in as well, but Five was already feeling so many conflicting emotions, that he barely recognized its presence. Instead, he continued to mourn.
For the new life he found himself stuck in.
For everything he left behind.
For everyone he left behind.
Five had only ever broken one promise in his entire life- and it sure was one hell of one to break.
"I survived on scraps." Five spoke lowly, a fresh cup of steaming coffee in his hands. If the scorching liquid burned him, he didn't say, as his mind was still distant with memories of his time in the apocalypse, "Canned food, cockroaches, anything I could find."
Halyn grimaced at the idea of eating bugs, but he had to survive somehow. The sound of Five chuckling threw her off, and she glanced at him curiously, "You know that rumor that Twinkies have an endless shelf life? Well, it's total bullshit."
Halyn would've snorted at his comment if the gravity of the situation wasn't apparent, and Vanya swallowed thickly, "I can't even imagine."
Five shook his head, sparing Halyn a quick glance as she squeezed his knee in reassurance, "You do whatever it takes to survive, or you die. So, we adapted. Whatever the world threw at us, we found a way to overcome it."
"We?" Halyn question, her curiosity piqued, "Delores?" She spoke the name slowly, remembering he had mentioned the woman earlier, and the Sioux teen wanted to know more. It wasn't jealousy that prompted her to ask, but rather genuine intrigue. To know Five had at least one person in the apocalypse made her feel a bit relieved.
After all, Halyn couldn't imagine the toll spending forty-two years alone would have on a person.
The softest of smiles tweaked Five's lips at the mention of Delores, but he disregarded his best friend's question, instead holding up his now empty cup, "You got anything stronger?" Halyn frowned at his avoidance, and Vanya nodded.
"Uh, yeah." The ordinary woman stood up from her chair, crossing her small living room and entering the kitchen. She dug into a cabinet by the fridge, pulling out a bottle of whiskey that was still neatly wrapped with a red bow. It must've been a gift, and Vanya poured some into a small glass.
Five had stood up from the couch, Halyn's hand falling from his knee, and she followed him. He was handed the glass, and Vanya offered some of the harsh liquor to the Sioux girl. Her nose scrunched at the idea of drinking the whiskey, stomach flip-flopping, and Halyn politely declined.
Nursing his alcohol, Five swallowed a small sip, relishing the burning- yet satisfying- feeling it left in his throat. Halyn stood at his side, and he noted her furrowed brows as she processed the information he had relayed. She was taking it better than he thought she would, but then again, the Sioux girl had always been more than willing to stand by his side.
It was one of the many reasons why she made such a great best friend.
Vanya, on the other hand, looked a bit less than convinced. A look of disbelief graced her pretty features, and Five scoffed at the look, "You think I'm crazy." An annoyed feeling knotted in the pit of his stomach, swirling with his consumed alcohol, and he frowned at his sister.
"No." Vanya denied with a deep breath, "It's just… it's a lot to take in, Five."
Halyn could relate to this thought. She was having a hard time soaking up the information Five had revealed, and though she was more than inclined to believe him- why would he lie about all this?- the idea the world was ending in eight days just didn't sit well with her.
"Exactly what don't you understand?" Five prodded his sister, voice taking on a harsh tone.
"Why didn't you just time travel back?"
Five's jaw tensed and he huffed, growing more and more agitated with Vanya's growing disbelief, "Gee, wish I'd thought of that." He snapped sardonically, and Halyn nudged him gently. His tone didn't waver, however, as he continued to speak, "Time travel is a crapshoot. I went into the ice and never acorn-ed. You think I didn't try everything to get back to my family?" Five stole a glance at Halyn from the corner of his eye, "To my friends?"
To Halyn.
Not liking Five's tone or the budding hostility in the room, Halyn reached out for Five's hand. He allowed her to take it, his fingers threading with hers, and she murmured his name as a soft warning. The teleporter deflated some at the contact, anger mellowing out to a degree, but his eyes were still laced with ire.
Despite growing up in the Umbrella Academy, Vanya lived an ordinary life. Gifted with no special abilities, she grew up differently than her superpowered friends and family, and this left her with blinders on in regard to the extraordinary. Had Halyn not trapped herself in stone for over a decade, she might not have been so quick to accept Five's words as well.
But she was a thirty-year old in a sixteen-year old body.
The apocalypse, therefore, wasn't such a far-fetched idea.
Five squeezed Halyn's hand, green eyes gazing intently into brown, and he sighed, "Travelling forward in time was one thing, but travelling back in time was a whole other can of worms, and something I could never quite figure out." The hostility from his tone had lessened, but there was still a cautionary air to his voice as he faced the ordinary woman.
Vanya nodded, taking in his words before asking another question, "If you grew old there, you know, in the apocalypse, then how come you still look like a teenager? Like Halyn?"
A sour feeling twisted her gut, and Vanya had to admit, seeing her two closest friends still looking like teenagers stung- a lot. Don't get her wrong, she was incredibly grateful to have them back- have them both back- but now that she was physically the oldest of the bunch, it made her heart ache for the years she never got with either of them.
They had been her closest friends at the academy. And they each had left her.
Five scoffed once more, dropping Halyn's hand as he moved around his sister to pour himself another glass of whiskey, "I told you already, I must have gotten the equations wrong." His teeth clenched tightly, and Vanya mulled his words over.
"I mean, dad always used to say that…" She trailed off for a moment, licking her lips before continuing on, "time travel could mess up your mind. Well, maybe that's what's happening?" Her tone became hopeful, as this was the only explanation Vanya could come up with that made some sense of whatever Five was talking about.
Five stiffened by the kitchen counter, knuckles going white as his grip increased dangerously on his glass of liquor. Halyn didn't like Vanya's insinuation, and it was obvious it didn't sit with the boy well either. He had put himself out of his comfort zone to include his sister in the devasting news he had to bear, and this is all she could come up with?
That he was crazy?
"Vanya," Halyn's voice was soft as she spoke, and the ordinary woman cringed at the sadness that laid within her friend's eyes, "Five's your brother, our friend. What does he have to gain by lying about all of this?"
Though it stung knowing his sister didn't seem to believe him, Five didn't feel completely hopeless knowing that he seemed to have Halyn's belief. Had his best friend not been on his side, well, the boy wasn't sure what he'd do.
With a shrug, Vanya sighed, "I'm not saying he's lying," She defended, "all I'm saying is that, maybe this is all just in his mind? I mean, when's the last time you had a good night's sleep, Five?"
"That's irrelevant."
"See?" Vanya gestured to Five as she refaced Halyn, and the Sioux girl folded her arms over her chest, not liking the accusatory look that tainted her friend's face, "I thought you of all people would've been more level-headed, Halyn. I understand you two have this… this bond, but you don't always have to follow him so blindly."
Halyn bristled at Vanya's words, a deadly silence filling the air. It had always been painfully obvious just how close Halyn and Five had been, but she had always considered herself her own person, not just someone who followed him around like a lost puppy. They were a team, close friends, and nothing more. To hear Vanya insinuate anything less hurt, and she suddenly wanted to get as far from the apartment as possible.
Five watched as anger and hurt flashed in Halyn's eyes, but before she could say a single thing to her friend, he pushed off the counter. Glass clattering roughly in the sink, two sets of eyes snapped to the boy, "This was a mistake." His words were bitter, and Vanya flinched at the tone, "You're too young- too naïve to understand."
Five walked around his sister, a gentle hand curling around Halyn's wrist despite the anger he was feeling, and he moved towards the door. Vanya glanced frantically between the two, regret etched into her features, as the teens made their departure.
"No. Five, Five, wait. Halyn, please." She practically begged. The desperation in her voice stopped Five in his trek, and therefore Halyn as well, but the Sioux teen was still hurt by her friend's words, so she tried to continue on.
The grip on her wrist tightened, and Halyn had no choice but to stop just shy of the apartment door. She kept her back towards Vanya- and Five as well-, glaring darkly at the peeling paint on the walls.
Vanya felt relief as she took in their paused forms. She had waited so so long to have her best friends back together, and here she was ruining the reunion, "I haven't seen you in a long time, Five, and I don't want to lose you again. This is the first time all three of us have been together in over a decade, and I don't know what I'd do if you left. That's- that's all."
Halyn's teeth unclenched and she swallowed thickly at Vanya's admonishment. She slowly began to turn around, gaze falling on Five first. His posture was tense, eyes now boring into Halyn's own, and when it was obvious neither teen was going to speak, Vanya filled the silence with more rambling.
"And you know what, it's getting late, and I have lessons in the morning," She moved to the couch, Halyn's eyes shifting to the ordinary woman as she bustled about, "and I need to sleep, and I'm sure you two do, too." Vanya continued to ramble as her friend and brother stayed silent, and she pulled some blankets off the back of her couch, spreading them out in a make-shift bed, "I'm sorry it's not something more, but uh, there are more blankets by the chair if one of you wants to sleep on the floor?"
"It's fine, Vanya." Halyn finally responded. Her voice was brisk, a tone she didn't use very often, and Vanya flinched.
"Okay, yeah, uhm, so we'll talk in the morning?" Five offered his sister a curt nod in response to her hopeful offer, and an unsure smile danced on Vanya's lips, "I promise."
Five released his grip on the Sioux girl's wrist and shoved his hands in his pockets as Vanya moved to her bedroom, "Night." He muttered with a sigh. His sister didn't say anything more, nodding in response before she disappeared into her room, door softly clicking shut behind her.
"I'm not staying here." Halyn's voice was terse when she spoke as soon as Vanya was out of earshot, tone low and she brushed off Five's invitation to sit on the couch, "You can if you want, but I'm leaving."
Vanya's insinuation sat heavy in her mind, and for the first time all day, the Sioux girl actually wanted to get away from Five. Realistically speaking, she knew he did nothing wrong and no true anger was directed towards him, but what if Vanya had been right? What if, because she had been so desperate to have her best friend back, her judgement was clouded?
What if the apocalypse was just in his mind?
Five arched a brow, not getting to speak a word before Halyn opened the apartment door. Despite the irritation she felt, she managed to shut the door softly behind her, blocking out any response her best friend may have had. She stormed down the nearest set of stairs, not caring this time how loud she was being.
Just as she reached the bottom of the steps, the world in front of her warped in a blue haze, and suddenly Five was standing before her.
Though his sudden appearance did nothing to startle Halyn, he had inserted himself directly into her path, and having been mid-step at the time of his arrival, the Sioux girl crashed right into his chest. The force of the impact knocked her off balance some, and when she stepped backwards to right herself, Halyn's foot stumbled on a step. Her hands immediately latched onto Five's blazer in an attempt to steady herself, and his own hands found purchase on her shoulders.
Their noses were practically pressed together, and Halyn glared up at him, not fazed by their close proximity, "Five." She grumbled.
"You left in a hurry."
Halyn pulled herself from Five's grasp and brushed past him, "Yep." She popped the 'p' and offered no sort of explanation.
Unsure why she was suddenly being so short with him, Five's brows furrowed before he quickly chased after his best friend. He easily caught up with her, tucking his hands into his pockets and matching his pace to Halyn's, almost as if they were having a casual stroll in the park, "And where are you going?"
"I don't know… back to the academy?" The Sioux girl scoffed and ran a hand through her tousled hair, "I need some sleep." Halyn paused, sucking in a deep breath and relishing in the cool night air. It did little to help clear her mind, "And I'm sure you could use some as well."
A sly grin split Five's lips, "Vanya did offer us a nice couch to sleep on."
Halyn sneered at the mention of her friend's name, "Yeah, well, Vanya also insinuated I follow you around like a lost puppy."
"Not sure I see the problem." Five rolled his shoulders.
His comment caused Halyn to glare over at him, and she shook her head, "It's a problem because… because…" The Sioux girl faltered for a moment, and Five eyed her expectantly, "because what if Vanya's right and I'm letting my feelings for you cloud my judgement?"
"Feelings for me, huh?"
Halyn's frown morphed into a dark scowl at the shit-eating smirk that danced on Five's lips, and she harshly punched his shoulder. "Platonic feelings, idiot. You're my best friend."
Truth be told, Halyn wasn't quite sure what her feelings for the teleporter were.
After Five's disappearance had devastated her, Juliet had insinuated that maybe Halyn's feelings for him had been more than platonic, which was why she had been so mentally crippled when he never came back. It made sense at the time, but that didn't stop her from being in denial all those years ago, and who knows, maybe she was still in denial.
But it didn't much matter right now- she had more important things to worry about.
Like a supposed apocalypse.
Five's jaw clenched at Halyn's words, his smirk melting into a tense frown, and he glanced at the ground with a shake of his head. A searing pang tore through his heart like it was nothing more than a flimsy sheet of paper, before it sat heavily in the pit of his stomach. Her words echoed almost painfully in his head, each ricochet hitting harder than the last.
Best friend. Best friend. Best friend.
The feeling was unfounded and came at Five from left field. He attempted to shove it down, push it back into the depths of wherever it came from, but the latent disappointment that tore through him at her words begged for his attention. Five fidgeted, licking his lips before allowing irritation, coupled with some slight hurt, to consume his feelings and to push away whatever foreign feeling that had just torn through him.
"So, you don't believe me either?"
Halyn opened her mouth to retort before snapping it shut when she found no words. She could see the anger that flashed in Five's green eyes, and her heart ached knowing that she was the source of his anger. It was understandable, and she should've known that any ounce of disbelief in his tales of the apocalypse she may have would hurt him so.
Five's fists clenched in his pockets, and he bounced on the balls of his heels as he waited for Halyn to respond. His gaze would flicker to Halyn, where it would linger momentarily, before he'd snap it away, only to repeat it a few seconds later as she mulled her thoughts over. With each passing second his irritation melted into sadness as the familiar feeling of aloneness threatened to consume every fiber of his being.
Five had thought going back in time to his friends and family would decimate the feeling of aloneness that had haunted him for decades. But now, mere inches away from his best friend, he was feeling more alone than ever before.
"It's not… it's not that I don't believe you…" Halyn was fumbling now, faltering as she attempted to make some sense of the mess that was her thoughts. Vanya's insinuation had thrown her threw a loop, and now she was questioning everything. And combined with the conflicted emotions that had tormented her since Five's arrival, her head was having a hard time processing things.
"Then what is it, Halyn?"
She didn't like the desperation and hopelessness that underlaid the anger in his voice. It hit her like a ton of bricks and instantly filled her body with guilt at doubting him. Halyn wanted so desperately to take her words back, to shove away any doubt that she had, but the damage was done.
Her true feelings were out there, and she had to face the consequences.
The Sioux teen steeled herself, sucking in a deep breath to calm her racing heart and closing her eyes for a brief moment of concentration. When she opened her eyes again, conflicted brown met a desperate green, "It's a lot to process, Five; the apocalypse and whatnot." Halyn was surprised at how steady her voice sounded, and just as her best friend went to respond, she quickly spoke once more, cutting him off, "We only have your word to go on, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't believe you, because I trust you. But you did just show back up after being gone for twelve years, looking the same as the day you left, and now you drop an apocalypse bomb? That's- that's a lot to take in." Her voice was getting shaky again as her mind raced once more, and Halyn stole a moment to gather herself.
When she spoke again, her voice was soft, "What am I supposed to think, Five? You've not given me time to process-"
Though Halyn had meant her initial words to be soothing, they were anything but to Five, "My word?" The teleporter scoffed, and a dark look flashed across his features as he cut her off. A lot of interrupting was happening tonight and the Sioux teen didn't like it one bit. "My word should be enough. I should be enough. The apocalypse has no mercy. Everyone dies. You die. You're supposed to think that-"
Anger continued to flood Five's body, his words growing harsher and more frantic with each passing second and Halyn couldn't take it anymore. She pushed forward, firmly grasping Five by his upper arms.
"Five, stop."
A dark glare was levelled at the Sioux teen, but she wasn't fazed by it and stared defiantly up at him. Anger radiated off him in waves, and it was almost contagious, as Halyn felt her own feelings slowly giving into his wrath.
Their conversation was clouded by their feelings, and it was getting them nowhere. Neither was fully listening to the other, each missing the other's points, and they were headed down a slippery slope. Halyn had just gotten Five back, but she already felt as if she was losing him once more- and she was not going to allow that to happen.
The irony was though, that the angrier Five got at her disbelief, the more she actually did believe him. Five had always been a rational person, and delusions of grandeur such as an impending apocalypse just weren't his thing- so for him to be so adamant about an upcoming apocalypse meant that there had to have some truth to it.
"You're not listening to me, Five. I just got my life back, forgive me if I'm a bit hesitant to accept the fact it's about to end once more. You've had over forty years to accept that an apocalypse happened. I've had less than a day. There's just a lot going on in my mind right now, and Vanya's words didn't help, okay? But that does not mean I'm going to abandon you." Her expression had turned almost pleading as she finished pouring her heart out to the boy, and she suddenly felt as though she couldn't get enough oxygen into her system.
Five's fury seemed to diminish at her admonishment. Though maybe he didn't have her full belief yet, he at least had her by his side, and that was all that really mattered in that moment. Halyn felt his shoulders relax under her grip, and she dropped her hands to her sides. The two maintained eye contact, though the look lacked the heat it once did, and she watched his anger melt into sorrow and some other indiscernible emotion.
"I… I could really just use your help, Halyn." Five's voice was so uncharacteristically soft and he sounded so small, desperate even. She reached forward for his hands, heart shattering at the look on his face, and she did her best to look reassuring as their fingers knotted together.
"And you've got it, Five, you always have."
After their heated conversation in the street outside Vanya's apartment, Halyn and Five had made their way back to the Umbrella Academy after agreeing they did not want to sleep on their ordinary friends couch. On their way home—Halyn drove so the two would make it safely—Five had revealed a prosthetic eye he had apparently been carrying around with him for decades. After moving past her initial disgust at the fact he had someone's eye constantly in his pocket, the teleporter had been able to explain his theory about how it was linked to whoever caused the apocalypse, and his only lead thus far.
Halyn had been less than inclined to believe him—how could a prosthetic eye have any connections to the end of the world?—but her doubts were her own, and therefore she kept them to herself, lest she further feel as if she was letting her best friend down.
There was apparently enough stress on his shoulders—and she hated that she had even added a little bit of that stress to them.
With a game plan in mind for the next day—one that was one-hundred percent made up by Five with little input from Halyn—the two had gone their separate ways when they had gotten back to the academy. It felt weird to suddenly be alone, when in the past twenty-four hours she had been nothing but. Regardless, the Sioux teen savored the aloneness, as she felt as had a moment to properly collect herself and reflect on the events that had just transpired over the past few hours.
Her shoulder was a cruel reminder of the shoot-out she been involved in, and Halyn wasn't quite sure how she could explain the injury to her friends and family, so she figured her best bet was to just cover it up at all times until it healed.
The silene of Halyn's bedroom was deafening, and the girl took a chance to glance around it. Though it had only been a mere months since she was last in here, nothing much had changed—and when she had awoken from her statue-esque slumber all those months ago, her room had still been the same, despite her being gone a decade.
Pogo had explained that Grace took care to keep everyone's rooms in order, as if none of them had ever left.
Halyn's fingers dipped into a bowl of pennies that sat on her vanity, and a somber smile quirked at her lips. Her pockets had been constantly jingling—with pennies and other miscellaneous items—when she was younger, and the pennies had been one of her gimmicks.
'Penny for your thoughts?'
She pulled a penny out, noticing the age changes that had corrupted its shine, and with little thought, her hand began to take on a coppery sheen. It slipped up her wrist, creeping fast up her arm, and just as it reached her injured shoulder, she hissed in pain and Halyn's limb returned to normal.
Frowning to herself, she dropped the penny back into the bowl and glanced at her shoulder. The Sioux teen pulled down her shirt some, revealing the haphazardly done up gauze and bandages that wrapped the bullet wound. It was sore, stiff even, but Halyn was relieved to see no new blood seeping through the bandages.
Moving on from her vanity in her little 'reminiscing trip', Halyn spotted her polaroid camera on top of her dresser. It had been a gift from her parents for her sixteenth birthday all those years ago after months of being for one. Photography had been a hobby that she desperately wanted to get into, but one that crash and burned a little over a month later.
As once Five had disappeared, her passions had disappeared as well.
So, for thirteen years, her polaroid camera had sat abandoned on the top of her dresser. Halyn was honestly a bit surprised Klaus hadn't pawned it off or something, but she supposed Grace and Pogo had kept an eye on their things.
The polaroid camera had gotten a bit of use in the month before her life came crashing down, as was evident by the polaroid's that were littered on top of her dresser. Much to her parents mild ire, Halyn had gone through about a dozen packs of film in that short time frame. Whenever she could, she'd snap photos of anyone and everyone, wanting to remember the good times they had at the academy, as the good times almost outweighed the bad.
Everyone looked so young in the photos, and it was a painful reminder of the time Halyn had lost with them all. Even Diego and Luther were smiling in her photos, but a few other photos stuck out to Halyn the most.
She picked up the nearest photos, lips quirking in a fond smile, as she bright faces of young Juliet, Allison, Vanya and Halyn stared back at her. It had been the Sioux teen's first attempt at a 'selfie' of sorts, and half of her face had been cut out, but that didn't mean she disliked the picture any less. It was one of the few that had Vanya in it, and though she might've been currently upset with her friend, Halyn still had plenty of fond memories with her whenever she could get her included.
Another photo was of her, Ben, and Juliet. This time, Halyn had persuaded Five to take the photo of the three. They were each grinning madly, and they each had a hand on 'The Bet', which had been the last book the three ever read for their little book club. A sour feeling twisted her gut at the thought of the book, but the Sioux teen pushed it aside as she stared at the picture a little longer.
It was the last picture that was ever taken of Ben.
Setting it down and ignoring the burning feeling in her eyes, Halyn picked up another photo. Her heart immediately melted at the sight, and she ran a thumb over the photo. It was a picture of her and Five, about a week before he disappeared, and one of their last good moments together.
Halyn hadn't been the one to take the photo—it had been Juliet.
Juliet would often borrow Halyn's camera, not that the Sioux teen minded, and when she wasn't snapping close up photos of Diego's face, she liked to use her powers to sneak around and snap more candid photos of Umbrella Academy members, like she did this one.
Halyn and Five were outdoors in the courtyard, sitting on the very bench Halyn would spend thirteen years on, and the two were each sporting fond smiles. Their bodies were naturally angled towards one another, faces gravitating closer together, and Halyn wished for the life of her that she could remember whatever the hell their conversation had been about.
All she could remember from it was a feeling— a feeling that caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach and a warmth to blossom in her heart. A feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time.
Just as Halyn went to place the picture back down where it belonged, a familiar blue glow lit up her dimly lit room. Holding the picture close to her heart, she turned around to face Five. She noted how the teleporter was curled in on himself, looking rather sheepish and like a kicked puppy as he stood in the middle of her room. His body language concerned the Sioux teen, but she didn't get a chance to ask him about it before he spoke.
"You're still up."
"So are you."
Five rolled his shoulders at her quick response, an uncharacteristically shy expression tainting his young features, "I, uh, couldn't sleep." He hastily responded, purposefully choosing to leave out a few choice details as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Initially, the idea of sleeping in his own been had been mildly exciting to Five, for it meant that he was actually home. As soon as his head had hit his pillow, and his eyes had slipped shut, his world was suddenly in ruins, and he was back in the apocalyptic future he had been forced to grow up in. The terror he therefore felt every time he close his eyes was real, and he quickly realized he was not going to be getting any sleep like this- so he sought out the one person who helped make his life better.
Halyn studied Five for a few seconds, noticing his tense posture and the bags that had suddenly appeared under his eyes. Though he hadn't been inclined as to explain himself further, his body posture said more than words ever could.
Growing up together and being so close meant that the Sioux teen could generally read Five pretty well, and he need not say in words that it was the apocalypse that was preventing him from getting a goodnight's sleep.
"You're always welcome here, Five." She murmured softly, and the anxiety Five had been feeling began to recede.
"Thanks, Hay."
The nickname felt a bit foreign on Five's tongue, having not spoken it in decades, but it felt right at the moment. Honestly, nicknames weren't really his thing, and Halyn was the only person in the world he used one for—and though it was relatively simple, it was still special to him.
A silence lingered between the duo, and Five wasn't quite sure if it was awkward or not. Halyn had gone back to staring at the stuff on her dresser, and the teleporter made note of her polaroid camera sitting there with a fine layer of dust on it.
Stepping towards the girl, his eyes caught sight of the photo currently in her hands and his stomach did a flip flop. Nodding his head towards it as nonchalantly as he could, Five asked, "What's that?"
"This?" Halyn held the polaroid up, giving the boy a clear view of the image, and she held it out for him, "I'm just looking through some old photos."
"I don't remember this photo."
Those five words were a lie, and not a particularly good one at that. Five knew this photo like the back of his hand, as a copy of it was currently sitting in his jacket pocket.
Miraculously, it had survived whatever event had transpired that wiped out the world, and Five had managed to pull it relatively unscathed from the ruins of the academy when he attempted a search for his friends and family. Since then, it had easily become one of his most treasured possessions—and it was one of the few items that constantly reminded him why he was trying so damn hard to save the world.
It was also one of the only pieces of Halyn he had during his decades of aloneness.
Whereas the photo currently in his hand was nearly pristine—it was aged slightly and a bit dusty but relatively unscathed—the photo that laid heavy in his pocket was anything but. It was singed and brittle, tainted by old age and nearly falling apart. The bottom half of the photo had torn off ages ago, and the faces had been nearly warped to time, but whenever Five looked at it, he could clearly make out Halyn's face.
And that was all that had mattered to him.
"Juliet took it when we weren't paying attention." Halyn gently pulled the photo back from Five, and it took every ounce of his being to not snatch it right back from her, "You hadn't been very happy with her." She snorted and glanced up at him with a soft smile.
Five shrugged. Though he didn't really consider himself the clingy type, he liked his moments alone with Halyn to be just that—theirs.
"Yeah, well, she shouldn't have been sneaking around like that." His response was vague, but it was the only thing he could come up with. In all honesty, a part of him wanted to thank Juliet for sneaking the photo—which had easily become his most prized possession—but that was never going to happen and he kept the thought to himself.
Carefully placing the photo back on top of her dresser, Halyn glanced towards Five almost knowingly. She watched as his eyes darted from her and back towards the photo, where they lingered for a few seconds too long, before he caught her eye once more, "What?" The boy questioned when he caught her staring.
She shrugged nonchalantly, "Noth-" A sudden yawn interrupted her words, and Five chuckled softly at her scrunched face.
"Perhaps we should go to bed?"
With some slight hesitation and a bit of awkwardness, Five nodded his head towards Halyn's bed. Though the suggestion was innocent enough, the Sioux teen couldn't help the butterflies that erupted in her stomach. A light blush dusted her cheeks, and she quickly turned away from her best friend, grateful for the dim light in the room that could hide her red-hued cheeks.
"Oh, uhm… y-yeah." Halyn's voice cracked at the end, and she hastily pulled back the covers of her bed, knocking off a pillow in the process. Five eyed her with a curious look, purposefully ignoring his own nerves that had begun to creep up on him, instead watching as his best friend fumbled around some.
Shoving away whatever weird feelings that had sprouted in Halyn's mind, she dove face-first into the bed, hoping to lighten up the awkward tension that lingered in the air. Her and Five had shared a bed numerous times before life drove them apart, and she wasn't sure why she was feeling some sort of way this time. This wasn't the fist time they had innocently shared a bed, and it was most likely not going to be their last.
Five couldn't help but chuckle as Halyn's face crash landed in her pillow, and she relished in the soft feeling of the sheets on her skin. Grace must've been keeping up with changing her bedding. Despite her bed not having been used in over a decade, the sheets and blankets smelled fresh and not like old mothballs, and they were nice and soft, versus stiff.
"Are you going to share?"
Halyn cracked an eye open as Five nudged her leg, and with a faux pout, she rolled over. A space was made for the teleporter, as her back pressed against the wall, and he slipped into the now empty space. A wide gap sat between the duo, as each found themselves laying on opposite sides of the bed, but neither of them said anything.
As if her bed was seeping her energy out of her, Halyn suddenly found herself unable to keep her eyes open for much longer. She shifted slightly as Five tossed the covers over the duo, snuggling into the soft covers, and she relished in their warmth. Halyn did her best to keep her eyes open, hoping that maybe the subtle intimateness of their given situation would entice Five to open up to her again. But as soon her body recognized the explicit comfort of her bed, her eyes slipped shut and she was out like a light.
A soft snore left the Sioux teen's mouth, and a fond smile danced on the corners of Five's lips. He gently reached forward, only hesitating for a brief moment, before he brushed a stray hair out of Halyn's face. He was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to pull the slumbering girl into his arms and hold her close, but he quickly shoved that feeling away as he pulled his hand back.
The events of the day weighed heavily on Five's mind, and though he could feel exhaustion threatening to consume every fiber of his being, he just couldn't bring himself to sleep just yet. His mind wouldn't let him. It was running in a thousand and one different directions, and though having Halyn near helped curb some of his nauseating anxiety, his mind was refusing to settle.
Five found it hard to believe that he was actually home—and that Halyn was curled up not even a foot away from him. For decades he had wanted this so badly, and he had sacrificed so much to get here, yet a nagging disbelief lingered in the back of his mind. Despite knowing—and feeling—that his body needed sleep, the teleporter just couldn't bring himself to close his eyes and give in.
Five feared that if he did give in and let sleep consume him, he'd wake up to find that this had all been some crazy, hyper realistic dream, and that he was still stuck in the apocalypse.
And without Halyn once more.
When Halyn awoke the next morning, her bed was empty. The side Five had slept on was cold, meaning that he had been gone for a while. A sticky-note sat on the pillow he had used, a time and meeting place hastily scrawled upon it. She took note of the time, and with a quick glance at the clock hung up on her wall, she realized she only had forty-five minutes before she was due to meet Five.
Knowing how the teleporter was particularly keen on punctuality and would be irked if she were to be tardy, Halyn slowly climbed out of bed. And as she made her way to the showers, fully prepared to take her time getting ready, she failed to realize that a certain photo was missing from the top of her dresser.
"Shut your pie hole, Ben."
Halyn paused in the doorframe to the living space, freshly cleaned and ready to leave to meet Five. Her brow quirked and she watched as her eccentric friend dug through a pile of random items on the floor. Concern flooded her body, as she recognized the signs of withdrawal, and as he made kissing noises at the chair sitting just underneath Five's painting, she cleared her throat.
"Uh, Klaus?"
The wild-eyed man whirled around, face splitting into a wide grin, "Oh, Halyn!"
She stepped into the room, and upon taking in his almost naked- sans a pair of rainbow-colored underwear- Halyn looked at anywhere but him, "Uhm, are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah." Klaus brushed her off, digging through his discarded stuff once more. Halyn ducked as a stray sock flew past her head, and she frowned. The necromancer found a joint from somewhere in the mess, and as he stood up, he stuck it between his lips before lighting it, "Just, you know, figuring out what to have for breakfast!" Klau's gaze snapped to the empty chair once more, and Halyn glanced at him in confusion, "Can't smoke eggs." He suddenly grumbled at the empty before standing up.
Klaus patted Halyn's hair lovingly as he passed by her, and she swatted his hand away as his smokey breath greeted her nose, "I worry about you sometimes, Klaus." She admitted.
Making his way towards the cabinet pressed against the far wall, Klaus deflected from her comment, clearly in his own world now, "One of these has gotta be gold-plated, right?" The cabinet door creaked as he pulled it open, and he immediately began searching the trinkets that laid inside.
Pogo stepped up beside Halyn as Klaus's head remained buried in the cabinet. The kind old chimpanzee acknowledged the Sioux teen with a gentle nod, hands firmly clasped around his cane, before he directed his attention toa certain addict, "Ahem." He cleared his throat.
Klaus jumped, and Halyn rolled her eyes, "Christ on a cracker!" His voice shook, and a ghost of a smirk danced on Pogo's lips, "Pogo?"
"My apologies, Master Klaus." Pogo pursed his lips, "I have a query for you."
"Oh?"
"Items from your father's office have gone missing. In particular, an ornate box with a pearl inlay." Their old caretaker's voice was accusatory, and a flash of guilt tore through Halyn as she remembered not stopping Klaus when he took off with a box of that exact description.
"Really?" Klaus leaned on the back of a couch, doing his best to look innocent. He took a drag of his joint, "You don't say."
Pogo looked unamused, and when he glanced up at Halyn, she had to look away. As she chewed on the inside of her cheek, he spoke once more, "Have either of you any idea where it went?"
The Sioux girl swallowed thickly, rubbing the back of her neck, and Klaus looked distant for a moment. Pogo's eyes flickered between the two, and he wasn't daft to their guilt, but he thought better of them and hoped to pull a confession from one of them.
"No, no, no. No idea." Klaus denied with a dismissive wave of his hand, very obviously lying, "Drop dead." Halyn frowned as the necromancer glared down at the couch, "Would you shut up."
Pogo looked offended, his cane shifting, "Excuse me?"
"Pogo, I didn't mean you, I just… I-"
Halyn snorted, shaking her head and Pogo began to walk away, "Oh, Klaus."
"You know, there's been a lot of stuff I've been dealing with." Klaus rounded the couch, continuing to fumble with his words, and Halyn followed after Pogo, "Just a lot of memories coming up. All those good times." His voice dropped, sounding more somber, "Well, not so much good times as…"
"Really awful, terrible, and depressing times?" Halyn finished for the necromancer, amusement underlying her voice.
Klaus pointed his joint at her, "Exactly!"
Pogo brushed off the two with a shake of his head and stepped up to the necromancer, "The contents of that box are priceless." Klaus took another drag of his joint, words barely registering in his mind, and Halyn had half a mind to knock it from his hands, "Were they to find their way back to the office, whoever took it- or aided its taking- would be absolved of any blame or consequences."
Halyn had the decency to look guilty, but Klaus didn't seem phased, "Oh, well, lucky bastard." He drawled.
The chimpanzee clicked his tongue, "Indeed." Pogo studied Klaus with an inquisitive eye, the look borderline accusatory. He flinched under the look, nonchalant appearance fading some and the necromancer stole a look at Halyn. She had turned her gaze to the floor, doing anything to avoid eye contact with either present parties.
When it was obvious, he wasn't getting a confession, but that his words had registered fully with the two, Pogo bid them a quick farewell. He exited the living space, Halyn watching him closely, and when he disappeared down a branching hallway, she turned harshly towards Klaus.
"Okay, where is that box, Klaus?"
"What box?"
The necromancer shrugged his shoulders, taking another hit of his joint. Halyn scowled at his dismissive remark and she reached forward. Klaus yelped as his precious drugs were suddenly knocked from his hands. They landed the heap of clothing on the ground, and he immediately dove after them.
"Halyn, that's a fire hazard!"
With arms now folded over her chest, the Sioux teen rolled her eyes, ignoring his statement, "Where's the box, Klaus?" She questioned once more, tone harsher and eyes narrowed.
Klaus glanced up at her from his place on the ground, "Oh, you know, around." He waved his hand.
"Klaus."
"Fine, fine." The necromancer lifted himself up from the ground, joint hanging loosely from his lips as he held his hands up in a mock surrender, "You win. I sold it." The way he said those three little words made it sound like that was the most obvious thing in the world for him to do. And, in retrospect, Halyn honestly should've known that was the boxes fate.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, "And why would you do that?" The question was really rhetorical- she honestly knew why- but that didn't stop Klaus from answering it.
"Drugs aren't going to buy themselves, honey."
Halyn sighed heavily, "What about the contents, Klaus, did you sell those too?"
"Of course not!" His tone was bright, and Halyn felt a bit of hope that just maybe they wouldn't further disappoint Pogo, "but they were worthless, so I put them where they belong." Klaus took another hit of his joint, inhaling slowly, and the Sioux teen's hope fizzled at his dismissive tone. A silence lingered over the duo, Halyn bristling as Klaus purposefully took his time in responding. Finally, after what felt like forever, he finally spoke, "In the trash!" The necromancer barked out a laugh at his own joke, exhaling a cloud of smoke from his mouth in the process.
There was a moment of silence, and then Klaus glanced behind him at an empty chair, "Oh will you shut up."
Halyn's nose crinkled, lips quirked in a deep scowl, "Klaus." She groaned out and her teeth clenched, and she ignored his words, "You better find the contents of that box."
"And why would I do that?" Klaus waved dismissively as he faced the irked teen.
"So Pogo doesn't think we're disappointments?"
That drew a guffaw from the necromancer, "Oh, Halyn, that ship has long since sailed!"
Halyn's jaw ticked, "I'm serious, Klaus. Find those contents!" Her tone was exasperated by now, and with another annoyed glanced at the empty chair- the Sioux teen made a mental note to figure out what that was all about later when she didn't want to murder him- he relented.
"Fine, but I'm only doing it because I want to!"
"You're late."
Five's body shifted in annoyance as Halyn casually strolled up to him. A bright grin sat on her lips, and she looked properly refreshed and cheery despite the impending doom Five was doing his best to prevent- and despite her encounter with Klaus before she left.
Halyn's hair was neatly pulled back into her signature twin braids, the same ones she constantly sported when she was younger. A wave of nostalgia hit Five like a tidal wave, his heart aching for their younger years, but he pushed it down with an irritated frown.
"And you brought coffee." His voice was unamused, deadpan even, but that didn't stop him from accepting the steaming cup of black coffee Halyn had been so kind as to bring for him.
The Sioux girl wasn't fazed by her best friend's attitude, and instead took a sip from her own beverage. It was an iced vanilla latte with extra whipped cream, and based on the look on Five's face, he clearly didn't approve of her beverage of choice. Halyn didn't care of course, as this had been a common point of disagreement when they were young.
Five liked his coffee straightforward- plain, black- while Halyn liked hers with more flavor- sugary, fru-fru.
Neither could stomach the others chosen caffeinated beverage, but that was probably why they made such good friends. Opposites did tend to attract, after all.
"Saw a coffee shop, decided to stop. Zero regrets."
Five rolled his eyes but savored the taste of the bitter liquid as it rolled down his throat, "Whatever. You're here now and we have an investigation to do."
Meritech Prosthetics poised itself as a high-class and innovative company. The interior lobby Halyn and Five found themselves in was lavish, with marble coating the floors and all the way up to the ceiling. Opposite of the elevators sat floor to ceiling windows, basking the pristine lobby in natural light and offering them a fine view of the city.
Glass took the place of office walls, giving the prosthetics company an open and inviting aura, but despite their openness, Five knew the answers he was seeking were hidden somewhere in the building- and he was determined to find them.
"Uh, can I help you?" A middle-aged man entered the lobby. The lab coat he wore insinuated some semblance of importance, and he was mildly confused by the presence of the two teens.
Five turned towards the man, lazily taking another sip of his coffee. With a nonchalant tone, he spoke, forgoing any formalities, "I need to know who this belongs to." He held up the prosthetic eye for the doctor to see.
"Where did you get that?"
"What do you care?" Five's tone was defensive, and obviously not the correct response. The doctor and receptionist raised their brows, and Halyn immediately stepped forward, looping her arm with Five's and plastering on the fakest smile she could muster.
"We found it!" Her voice was too high-pitched, a clear sign she was lying through her teeth, and she cleared her throat. Halyn glanced up at Five, the teleporter looking down at her with a quirked brow, and she somehow managed to form a coherent sentence, "At a, uh, park! When we were on a date." She leaned herself into Five's side, going as far as to rest her head on his shoulder and did her best to look as sincere as possible.
It was therefore ironic how insincere she actually looked.
Five rolled his eyes at her obvious half-assed excuse, but went on with it, nonetheless. Plastering on his own smile- and looking much more sincere than his best friend- he faced the doctor once more, "Yeah, it must have just," He clicked his tongue, "popped out. We just want to return it to its rightful owner."
"Aw," The receptionist gushed with a bright smile, "what a thoughtful young couple."
Five flashed her a sarcastic smile, and Halyn's grip on his arm lessened some, "Yeah, would you look up the name for me?"
The doctor- who still looked as confused as ever- shared a look with his receptionist, "Uh, I'm sorry, but patient records are confidential," He stared down the two teens with a tight smile, looking far from apologetic, "That means I can't-"
"Yeah, I know what it means." Five rolled his eyes.
Unphased by the slightly hostile attitude being presented to him by the teleporter, the doctor pointed to the prosthetic eye in his grasp, "But, I'll tell you want I can do. I can take the eye off your hands and return it to the owner. I'm sure he- or she- will be very grateful." Halyn didn't like the man's tone, and eyed him skeptically as he reached for the prosthetic eye, "so if I can just-"
Five pulled his hand just out of the doctor's reach, slipping it and the prosthetic eye into the safety of his pockets. A dark glare tainted his young features, causing the man to fidget uncomfortably under the look, "Yeah, you're not touching this eye."
Whereas he had once been unphased by Five's dark tone, it was obvious the doctor was starting to get a bit rattled. He rolled his shoulders, and when he caught Halyn's eye, he was silently pleading with her to control her boyfriend. The Sioux teen shrugged, arm still curled lazily around Five's own, and she silently sipped her iced coffee.
Maybe she should've stepped in, but this was Five's investigation- and boy was he determined to find the owner of that eye. Not even Halyn could get in the way of that, so she figured her best route of action was to stay silent and play support.
Realizing the boy's supposed girlfriend was going to be of zero assistance, the doctor squared his shoulders. He cleared his throat and attempted to speak in an authoritative manner, "Now, you listen here, young man-"
Before the poor man could even react, Five had surged forward.
Halyn stumbled slightly as Five's arm was yanked from her grasp, and his discarded cup of coffee landed roughly on the ground. The lid popped off, the caffeinated remnants pooling onto the floor in a puddle, but it was paid no mind. The doctor looked panic-stricken as the teleporter firmly grabbed his collar, dragging the man down to his height and practically pressing their noses together.
"No! You listen to me, asshole." Five seethed.
After regaining her balance, Halyn figured now was the best time for her to intervene.
Before Five could cause the poor doctor to pee his pants in fear, she slipped between the two. Placing a firm hand on the boy's chest, she murmured his name softly, "Five, calm down."
He glanced down at the sound of his name, eyes wild and full of hostility. The look sent a shiver down Halyn's spine, as she had never seen him look so… chaotic before, but she had to brush that feeling off. Holding her ground, she maintained level eye contact, all the while fully aware of the trembling doctor behind her.
After what felt like minutes- but was really just seconds- Five relented. He released his grip on the doctor's jacket, stepping backwards and straightening out his own jacket with a huff.
His eyes still held some hostility and annoyance, words still dark when he spoke next, "I've come a long way for this, through some shit your pea brain couldn't even comprehend, so just give me the information I need, and I'll be on my merry way!" A twisted smile quirked his lips upwards, the doctor stumbling backwards into the receptionist's desk as Five stepped forward menacingly, sidestepping around Halyn, who sighed heavily in exasperation.
She tried.
If it was possible, the teleporter's tone darkened even more as he spoke through clenched teeth "And if you call me 'young man' one more time, I'm gonna put your head through that damn wall." Five nodded his head towards the wall to his right for emphasis.
"Oh, dear." The receptionist muttered in concern.
Shifting his gaze from the glaring boy and the now mortified girl, the doctor stammered, "C-call security."
Not needing to be told twice, the woman nodded her head and picked up the phone, "Yeah."
"Oh my god." Disbelief was the first feeling to greet Halyn at Five's threat, and she was quick to pull him away from the doctor, steering him around the coffee mess he had made, "I am so sorry."
"Don't apologize to him, Halyn." Five fumed through clenched teeth, still glaring daggers at the doctor, "He's obviously hiding something." The man fidgeted at the accusation.
Halyn turned the boy around, directing him away from the poor man and muttering, "He's probably just following protocol, Five. You shouldn't antagonize him."
They retreated to the elevators, the Sioux girl all too aware of the lingering eyes from the doctor and receptionist. She impatiently pressed the down button repeatedly, continuing to do so until Five slapped her hand away out of annoyance. Of course the elevator was going to be extra slow today.
"Protocol doesn't get me my damn answers."
The elevator finally dinged, signaling its arrival, and Halyn all but shoved Five into it once the doors were open.
"Neither does losing your cool."
"I'm breaking up with you."
An air of irritation hung over Five's head as he stormed down the stairs of Meritech Prosthetics, Halyn on his heels. Despite this ire he was feeling, his words were spoken with a subtle nonchalance, and they held no actual heat. This caught the girl off-guard, and as Five continued on down the steps, she paused at the top to stare after him with wide eyes.
"W-wait, you can't break up with me!" Halyn bolted down the stairs after him, words tinged in disbelief and laughter.
Five paused in his retreat, turning back to face the Sioux teen as she caught up with him, "It's too late, it's done." He rolled his shoulders, lips quirked up in a slightly teasing smile, though it failed to fully reach his eyes, "We're broken up."
Halyn tried to laugh at his words and revel in his joking tone, but something about his words caused a jolt to shoot through her, and she didn't like it. They had been 'fake' dating—if you could even call those two seconds of pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend dating—yet hearing Five say 'I'm breaking up with you', even nonchalantly, hurt her heart.
And she wasn't quite sure she liked the reason why.
Choosing to change the topic as Five eyed her weirdly, she questioned, "So, what's the new plan?"
Immediately, frustration overtook his young features once more, and he glared up at the prosthetics building, silently hoping the doctor could sense his ire, "Since apparently the good doctor thinks we're children, we'll need to come back with our parents." Halyn quirked a brow as Five faced her, "And since dear old dad is dead, guess I'll just have to use one of my siblings."
Turning on his heel, he began to walk off in the direction of the academy, fully expecting Halyn to be at his side. She didn't say anything more for a few moments, until she fell back in step with him and opened her mouth.
"I think Klaus is the only one at the academy right now."
Five stopped, body visibly deflating as he sighed, "I guess he'll make do." He didn't sound very convinced, and the Sioux teen snorted.
"I don't think you have much of a choice, Five."
Nose crinkling in annoyance, Five rolled his eyes before proceeding onwards, "Let's just get this over with." The teleporter had half a mind to just spatial jump back into the prosthetics building, but he had no idea where he'd even start looking for the information he desired. And though he didn't really care if people saw him using his powers, Five figured spatial jumping around an office building was a surefire way to get his answers put on a tighter lockdown.
So, that left his desired information in the fate of one Klaus Hargreeves.
Another deep sigh shakily leaving his lips, Five slipped a hand out of his pocket. It immediately sought out Halyn's own, looking for any small sign of comfort things were going to be semi-okay, but the girl pulled away as soon as his fingers touched hers.
Looking perplexed, Five glanced over at his best friend, frown quirking his lips downwards at the mischievous smile that graced her lips. Normally Halyn was quick to seek out innocent touches, or accept his, and for her to not was just strange. He didn't get a chance to ask her anything before she started to speak, brown eyes laced with amusement.
"Ah ah ah, you broke up with me. No hand holding for you."
Five had half a mind to argue with her, but at the same time, he didn't want to seem like he was needy. Instead, he glowered at her for a moment, but she didn't cave and her smile didn't waver. With a defeated eye roll, he turned forward once more.
But that didn't stop Five from keeping his hand out of his pocket, where it hung beside Halyn's own as they made their way back to the Umbrella Academy.
Occasionally—and maybe even a bit intentionally—Five's fingers would brush against the back of Halyn's hand, and she didn't protest the contact.
A/N: So I'm ALMOST done with writing this episode so I figured I'd give ya'll an update! I have enough written that I can update next Sunday as well! I'm going to try and have Sunday's as my update days, since I never work on Sundays and typically have the day to myself to edit and stuff!
This chapter is shorter than I wanted, but the next scene isn't fully written as I've decided to fully write it out versus the kind of summary thing I had initially written? So I need to fine tune that before posting.
Thank you all so much! Halyn's been a lot of fun to write and I honestly love writing for a fandom that's not DC! The Umbrella world is just so unique and there's a lot of cool opportunities and things to explore~
Hopefully ya'll will stick with me! And hopefully I get my shit together and keep a better updating schedule xD
Last note before I bounce- but it was kind of important for me to touch on Halyn's feelings in regards to Five's return and his news of the apocalypse. Not knocking any fics out there, but I've seen a lot of Five/OC stories where the OC just kind of immediately accepts Five's news of the apocalypse and rolls along with it? And it's not the most realistic? I just wanted to show here that, for Halyn, she's more so helping Five because she trusts him and knows that like, this isn't something he'd make up? She'll always be there for him-
Anyways, if you made it to the bottom of this note, please leave a review! I welcome any and all feedback, and let me know if there's any specific things you guys would like to see more of!
-Rawwwrchel22