The Umbrella Academy is not mine.

Run Boy Run

iii

"Be my friend, hold me

Wrap me up, enfold me

I am small and needy

Warm me up and breath me."

- BREATHE ME - Sia

BACK AT THE ACADEMY, Allison exited the surveillance room. Despite the sadness she had been feeling earlier, a warm and fuzzy feeling now sat in the pit of her stomach as she tore through the 'home videos' Pogo had been so kind as to show her. It was weird, granted, to watch their younger selves run around, not knowing they were being filmed, but it also served as a reminder to Allison of the good times she had with her family and friends.

After watching the footage for about an hour or so, Allison had decided to go grab something to drink and see if Grace had made those cookies she had mentioned earlier.

Allison had just made it to the bottom of the stairs to the main foyer when the front door slowly opened. The woman watched as Halyn slid in quietly, looking like a hot mess, "Halyn?" She gasped at the disheveled appearance of the Sioux teen, "Oh my god, are you alright?"

Halyn startled slightly, almost as if she hadn't been expecting to run into anyone, and she glanced over Allison. She stared at her, but it was almost as if she was looking right through the woman and not fully registering her presence, "H-have you seen Five?" The Sioux teen ignored her friend's concern.

Allison's brows furrowed, "No, I thought he'd be with you?"

Halyn nodded numbly at this information, though her mind didn't seem to want to fully digest it. Her body began to shake, breath shortening once more as a familiar tightness spread through her chest, "I'm just g-gonna go—" Her voice cracked, and Allison watched as the Sioux teens hands began to tremble, "—l-look for him."

The dejected expression that flittered across Halyn's face nearly shattered Allison's heart, and she reached out for the teen as she tried to pass her, "Halyn, what's going on?" She tried to keep her voice soft, recognizing the fragile state the Sioux teen appeared to be in, and not wishing to further upset her.

The hand on Halyn's shoulder was meant to be comforting to some degree, but it was anything sort for the teen. She jerked herself out of Allison's grasp, shaking slightly, and she stepped away from her friend, "N-nothing." She was barely able to speak as the panicked feeling from earlier slowly consumed her once more.

Halyn needed to find Five.

Her body felt like it was on pins and needles and she was slowly disintegrating into a blubbering mess. Halyn felt as though the walls around her were closing in on her, and her lungs screamed for oxygen, despite the Sioux teen taking in as deep of breaths as she possibly could.

Pain tore through her arms as her powers flared up, limbs taking on the pink denim material of her overalls, but Halyn couldn't stop them. She was dissociating, and whenever she dissociated, her powers would fluctuate like mad. It didn't matter that she had just spent a solid chunk of time using her powers, and her body was therefore wiped, these new feelings of panic had ignited her energy once more.

But boy did it hurt.

"Woah, woah, woah. Halyn. Halyn!" It was clear the girl was lying to Allison, but that was something she could deal with later. At this given moment, she needed to help ground Halyn, "Breathe, come on." She grasped Halyn by the shoulders, and the woman was relieved to see the teen's limbs return to normal at the contact.

Halyn stared up at Allison, but her gaze was spacey and distant. Her chest continued to heave, eyes brimmed red, and Allison began to rub soothing circles into the teens skin. Panic attacks were a rather common occurrence at the Umbrella Academy, and as such, they had each learned coping mechanisms and how to help others through a panic attack.

"F-Five I-I n-ne-" Halyn attempted to blubber out a sentence, but the only thing Allison could really make out was Five. She wasn't sure what that meant, or how he factored into the Sioux teen's panic attack, but it was obvious something had gone down between Halyn and her brother.

"Let's sit down, okay?" Allison made sure her voice was as level as possible. Despite feeling her own heart rate beginning to raise at seeing her friend in such a distraught state, the woman knew that it was vital for her to stay calm.

A numb nod was the only response she got from Halyn, and Allison gently steered the girl into the nearby living space. They sat on the couch, and Allison pulled the Sioux teen's hands into her lap. She rubbed soothing circles into the back of Halyn's hands, hoping to help further ground her friend.

Halyn's breathing had begun to even out, and she could feel her mind starting to clear some. Her heart still hammered harshly in her chest, but as Allison matched her breathing to Halyn's to help her focus, she felt she was moving away from deep waters.

"Feeling better some?"

Halyn's voice was lost, so she could only offer her friend a nod.

"Good." Allison smiled softly, but she could tell Halyn wasn't fully out of the water yet, "Remember the 5-4-3-2-1 technique Anisa taught us?" Another nod, "Okay, so what are five items you can see?"

Halyn sucked in another deep breath, and this time her lungs didn't scream at her. Her mind homed in on Allison's question as she glanced around the living space, focusing on different objects before finding her voice to speak.

"Pillow. Iguana. Curtain. F-F-F-Fi—"

Halyn dissolved into a stuttering mess once more, glossy gaze focused on an object just over Allison's shoulder. As her breathing became ragged and shallow, Allison turned her head to follow the Sioux teen's gaze. When it landed on the object of her friend's attention, she cursed under her breath, "Shit."

Five's portrait stared down at the two, and Halyn stared right back up at it, unable to pull her attention away from it. Any progress she had made at calming down was wrecked, and a queasiness churned in her stomach as her chest tightened once more.

Allison turned back to Halyn, "Okay, so, that was my fault. I'm sorry, Halyn. How about we switch places and try that again?"

After finally getting Halyn's breathing levelled out and her mind calmed some, Allison had suggested they go down to the kitchen for some much-needed snacks and beverages. Thankfully, Grace had made cookies, and a fresh batch of chocolate chip were waiting for the two. Getting some food into the Sioux teen seemed to help, and Allison managed to get some more of the story out of the girl.

Five had disappeared on her.

Halyn had glossed over why she looked like she had just gotten out of a fight, but Allison didn't push the teen for more information. She was—relatively at least—okay, and that's what mattered in that given moment.

Once overly full of chocolate chip cookies, Allison had dragged Halyn upstairs to her bedroom to get her cleaned up. The wound on her shoulder was angry and inflamed, looking like it was borderline infected, and after some persuasion, the Sioux teen had allowed Grace to come take a look at it, and she cleaned it up properly in the process. Halyn hadn't been able to make eye contact with the two, and she stayed mostly silent as Grace fussed over her injuries.

'What on Earth, Halyn, did you get up to?'

Allison didn't want to push the teen too far, as she still seemed shaky and ready to break down once more at any given moment. The mother in her wanted—no, needed—to know just what had happened with Halyn, and she assumed with Five as well, but she knew from experience that pushing Halyn was a surefire way to get her to further shut down.

Though the teen liked being a listening ear for those she cared about, she had a hard time herself opening up to anyone else.

Once she was cleaned up, Halyn pulled on an oversized sweatshirt Allison had stolen from Luther's closet. It was definitely more like a dress on the lithe teen than anything else, and it practically swallowed her whole. She might've complained about who it belonged to, but she was too tired, and it looked too comfy for her to actually care.

Now nice and— mostly—clean, Halyn faced her friend, "Thank you, Allison, for everything." Her voice was barely a whisper and laced with fatigue.

"Of course," She smiled at her friend. Her gaze flickered away momentarily before returning to the teen, "Halyn, I—"

The Sioux teen cut the woman off. "There's nothing to talk about, Allison." There was a bit of an edge to her tone, but just barely; Halyn sounded more exhausted than anything.

Allison chuckled, "I was going to say, I want to show you something."

Halyn's brows furrowed, "Oh." She didn't apologize for her comment, "Uh, okay?"

With some slight hesitation, Halyn followed Allison out of her bedroom. Though her curiosity was piqued, her exhaustion level was also at an all time high and the teen was more than ready for bed. On the flipside, Halyn also knew her mind wouldn't let her sleep not knowing where Five was.

She hoped he was okay.

She hoped he'd come back.

She hoped he—

At the mere thought of Five, Halyn felt her heartrate spike as her chest started to heave once more. The familiar tightness from earlier threatened to return, and just as the Sioux teen felt as though she was going to dissolve into panic once more, she slammed her eyes shut. Focusing on her breathing, Halyn did her best to shove the thought of Five out of her mind.

Five—despite his outwards physical appearance—was an adult, and one that survived an apocalyptic future, nonetheless.

This was well out of her hands now, as she had no control—or idea—where Five could be, and she had no way of finding him. Though her mind wanted nothing more than to overthink about his potential whereabouts—or time abouts—, it was going to do nothing more than send her spirally down into a never-ending panic attack once more.

Allison had just helped her work through one, and Halyn didn't think her body had it in itself to dissolve into another one. So, for the time being, she shoved the thoughts of her best friend out of her mind.

Five would return—he had to.

"Uh, where are we, Allison?"

Allison had led Halyn through the house and to a room the teen had never been in before—and it was one she didn't recall ever seeing before growing up either. The woman she was following pushed the door open, revealing a dimly lit small room. It would've been a rather inconspicuous room, if it weren't for the dozens of old televisions stacked on top of each other. Some of them played nothing but static, and on others, flashes of young children danced across the screens.

Upon closer inspection, Halyn realized just who were on those screens, "Is that?" Her voice was soft, full of disbelief, as she glanced over at Allison.

"It is." The woman nodded. She gestured to the two seats before the screens, and the duo sat in them, "Pogo showed this to me a little bit ago." Shouts and laughter called out from hidden speakers, Halyn watching their younger selves running around on screen as Allison explained with a bittersweet smile, "Apparently dad—" Halyn didn't have the energy to correct her, "—had surveillance cameras all over the house."

Halyn scoffed lightly, a warm feeling blossoming in her chest as she watched her younger self chase after a floating Juliet, who was taunting her about a certain someone. With where she was at in life—a thirty-year old in a sixteen-year-old body—she often forgot that she had some truly good times at the academy. She cared deeply about the people she grew up with, as you know, trauma and shared experiences brought people together.

"This is just—" Halyn breathed out, finding herself at a loss for words as she watched her younger self tackle Klaus for stealing from her hidden candy stash.

Allison chuckled, "Kind of amazing?"

"That's one word for it."

One of the screens flickered, a new scene starting, and Halyn's attention was caught by it. She watched as her, Ben and Juliet all crowded around a book in the living room, reading together. Ben held the book, reading it out loud to his companions, until it suddenly disappeared from his hands.

Five appeared, sitting on the table in front of them, holding the stolen book in his hands. It was a common occurrence for Five to interrupt their book club's reading, as they excluded him from the small group for always trying to take over their discussions.

Halyn snorted as a fond smile graced her lips, mind wandering back to the moment playing out. It had been one of the last good moments she had with the three before their life suddenly took a turn for the worst.

On screen, an annoyed Juliet glared at Five, who kept holding the book out of arm's reach, and Halyn heard her curse at him. It would've been easy enough for Juliet to use her powers on him, but that wouldn't stop Five from teleporting away again—which is exactly what he did when Ben made a wild swipe for his treasured reading material.

When he reappeared just behind the coffee table, a young Halyn dove across the table. Five hadn't been prepared for her choice of action, and the two fell haphazardly onto the other couch in a tangle of limbs. Halyn had landed on top of him and quickly shifted so she was pinning him down. If Five chose to teleport again, he'd be taking her with him.

Five, who was clearly caught off-guard, looked visibly flustered as Halyn practically sat on top of him. He did his best to keep the book out of her reach, but a clearly amused Juliet was able to snag it from his grasp when Halyn suddenly leaned down, their noses pressed together and lips hovering a mere few inches apart. The moment was rather intimate, and as Halyn watched the scene play out before her on the TV, she couldn't help but cover her face with her hands, mildly flustered by her younger self's bold actions.

Once upon a time, things had been much simpler—and Halyn could easily ignore the idea that she had romantic feelings for the teleporter.

The sudden loss of the book from his hands was enough to snap Five back reality, and he was quick to shove Halyn off of him, though if one looked very closely, one could make out the faint blush that dusted his cheeks. He did his best to look pissed, but the expression quickly faded away as Halyn tossed her legs over his lap, making herself comfy. As Juliet handed the book back to Ben, and he resumed their reading, Five made himself comfy on the couch as well, Halyn's head resting against his when he leaned back against the couch cushions.

"He's always had a soft spot for you."

Halyn blinked, pulling her gaze away from the screen to peer over at Allison, "Who?" She knew the answer, but she chose to feign ignorance, cheeks heating ever so slightly.

"Five." Allison scoffed lightly with a subtle eyeroll, and Halyn shrugged.

"We're best friends, that's all." She murmured her response, though she wasn't sure she quite believed her own words. Feelings were complicated, even more so when they involved your best friend, and Halyn didn't think she had the energy to even think about the complex feelings she felt towards Five.

Allison didn't prod the girl any further, watching as Halyn instead returned her attention to the television screens before them. Various events played out across the screens; Diego and Halyn arguing about something decades forgotten, Juliet and Klaus thinking they're being sneaky on one of their midnight snack runs, their attempts to play hide-n-seek, that only ever dissolved into heated games of tag and strong accusations of cheating.

One of the bottom screens showed Vanya playing the violin in the living room, all by herself until Halyn strolled up and sat on the ground before her, listening intently. The ordinary girl didn't appear to be in much of the footage that played before them, but in the videos she did appear, Halyn was either always nearby, or would make an appearance.

"You were the one person that always included her." Allison spoke softly, almost regretfully, "Well, you and Juliet at least."

Halyn nodded her head, "Yeah, well, I knew what it felt like to be an outsider as well." Her heart ached at the thought of the ordinary woman, as she was still a bit upset with Vanya, and she kept her words vague.

"I don't understand," Allison's brows furrowed, "you were always included in everything?"

Halyn shrugged, gaze watching as her, Allison, and Juliet played with each other's hair during one of the few 'sleepover's' Sir Hargreeves allowed them to have in the living room. Vanya, however, was missing, "I know, but you all grew up with each other since infancy. I came in when I was six. You guys already had these… bonds established, and it's not like you guys took too kindly to me at first."

Allison nodded her head but stayed silent as she processed the teens words. She had nearly forgotten how Halyn had been treated by them all when she first arrived at the Umbrella Academy. It wasn't that they necessarily treated her bad per se, but they also weren't the most inclusive of her at the start. They had all been set in their ways—and numbered a particular way since they were babies—and when Halyn showed up, she shook things up, taking over the Number Four along the way.

Six-year-old's could be crueler than you'd think, and Halyn had been on the receiving end of that cruelty upon her arrival. It was nothing more than them refusing to share their toys or include her in their playtime, all relatively innocent things, but to a six-year-old, it was devastating.

Juliet had reached out to the newcomer first, having been the most receptive to her at the start, but her friendship proved little to convince the others to let Halyn in. Though she had been there from the start like the others, Juliet came with her mother, and that made her a bit of an outsider as well.

Everything changed when a young Halyn had somehow managed to befriend a young Five, who had been the most reclusive of the lot of them. He didn't take kindly to his siblings' treatment of the Sioux girl, and was quick to shut their exclusion behavior of her down. Of course, as soon as one sibling seemed to accept the outsider, the others were relatively quick to follow.

"Halyn, I'm—"

Halyn shook her head, "We were children, Allison, there's nothing to apologize for."

"Still—"

"Okay, so what's next?"

Wanting to chance the topic, Halyn quickly spoke over her friend. She felt a little bit bad about it, especially at the crestfallen look that flickered across Allison's face, but she ignored it as best she could. There was a time and place for conversations about childhood trauma, and though, in a security room surrounded by footage of their childhood felt as though it was a good place, Halyn would disagree.

Halyn glanced over at a stack of VHS tapes that sat neatly on the table before them. Her gaze flickered over each tape, reading the scratchy writing carefully and taking a mental note of the ones that piqued her interest the most. Her gaze paused, however, as she spotted a lone VHS tape. It was sat on top of one of the TV's, but pushed slightly backwards as if it was meant to be hidden. Whoever had tried to hide it did a poor job, of course, and it felt almost purposefully placed—like someone wanted it found.

Reaching for it, the Sioux teen grabbed the VHS before flipping it around in her hands. The label was haphazardly torn off, and the remaining words were completely unreadable. It was suspicious, to say the least, and Halyn found her interest piqued.

"What about this one?" She held it up for Allison to see.

The woman quirked a brow at the mysterious VHS, "Uh, sure."

Halyn nodded before popping it into the VHS player. A screen flickered to life as the tape started to play back, and the two watched it with wide, horrified eyes, "Oh, god." Allison gasped out, "Dad."

After watching the shocking footage of Sir Hargreeves death a few more times to ensure their eyes were, in fact, not lying to them, Allison had declared they needed to find Luther. Had she had more energy, Halyn may have protested this—she didn't want to further fuel Luther's conspiracies—but she supposed they needed to tell someone about the footage. She had suggested Pogo, but Allison had insisted on finding the Umbrella Academy's own Number One first.

So, just before he could slip away into his bedroom, the duo caught Luther, "There you are." Allison breathed out, and the bulky man turned around, confusion evident on his face, "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Luther's brows furrowed together, "What are you doing here? I thought you were gone?" His eyes trailed over to Halyn, who was drowning in one of his old sweatshirts. His gaze fell on her jaw, "And what happened to you, Halyn? Who hurt you?"

Under other circumstances, Halyn might've been comforted by the spaceman's concern, but she instead curled further in on herself.

Allison shook her head, curls swinging with the motion, "Don't worry about it, Luther." She placed a hand on the Sioux teen's shoulder before directing the conversation, "And I was going to go, but then Pogo showed me this—"

"Well, listen," Luther cut the woman off, and she looked mildly affronted, "I was wrong about dad's death." Halyn quirked a brow, but stayed silent, and Allison looked confused.

"What?"

"Yeah, I was wrong about Diego." He sighed, "You know, to accuse my own brother of that is just—"

"Wrong? Horrible? Rude?" Halyn snarked, only for Allison to knock her shoulder. The look her friend gave her told her now was not the time, and Halyn shrugged her shoulders before glancing down at the ground. Luther eyed the teen, opening his mouth to defend himself but Allison beat him to the punch.

"No," She nodded her head and attempted to explain to Luther what her and Halyn had stumbled upon, "I—I know, I get it—"

The two continued to speak over each other, and Luther interrupted once more, "Seeing all of you and being back here, I should be the one who's trying to bring us back together, not tear us apart."

Finally, having enough of their conversation going nowhere, Allison snapped, "Would you shut up?"

"W-what?"

"We have something important to tell you, Spaceman." Halyn answered.

"Well, show you." Allison nudged the teen once more, "You were right about dad. Now come on, we'll show you." Luther looked between the two, clearly confused, but Allison gently grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Halyn rolled her eyes, hands shoved deep in her pockets, and turned away from the two. She led the way back towards the surveillance room, running a shaky hand through her messy locks.

Maybe I should just go to bed.

"Five?"

At the sound of her once-missing best friend's name, Halyn immediately whirled around. Standing at the top of the stairs was Five, looking as disheveled as Halyn had been when she had returned to the academy. Relief immediately flooded her body, and the Sioux teen pushed past Allison and Luther to stand by his side.

Five shifted away from the girl, a sharp pang jolting through her heart, and Allison frowned as she glanced between the two teens. Halyn hadn't revealed just what she had gone through but considering the fact Five was returning home looking just as messed up as the Sioux teen had, the actress could only assume they had been together when whatever happened to them.

Maybe Five would give her the answers Halyn wouldn't.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Bleeding arm, torn clothes, and tousled locks aside, Five looked broken. There were tears in his eyes and his shoulders sagged, and Allison felt her heart ache at the look. Growing up, Five had been one of the strongest members of the academy, and was the last one to show any sort of emotion that would make him see weak. It was one of his greatest flaws and seeing him so crest-fallen was cause for concern.

As his sister studied him, Five continued to ignore Halyn's concerned looks.

"Are you okay?" Luther was the one to speak this time, Halyn still eying her best friend with a concerned gaze, and he kept his tone soft as Five maintained silence. He attempted to place a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Can we help?"

The move seemed to snap Five out of whatever daze he had been in, and before Luther could get close to touching him, he latched onto the spaceman's arm harshly, "There's nothing you can do." He pushed away any emotion he had been showing, voice dropping dangerously low, and Five finally made eye contact with Halyn, "There's nothing any of you can do."

Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over at any given moment, and her heart shattered at the comment. Halyn attempted to brush the comment off, knowing Five was hurting as well, but it still stung. She wanted nothing more than to comfort the dejected teen before her, but she hung back for her own emotional protection.

Five let go of Luther's arm, harshly shoving it away from him. He spared Halyn one last glance, regretting it immediately as a pang of guilt tore through him at the broken expression that tainted her pretty features. Five shoved that feeling away, however, and spun on his heel, storming off towards his bedroom to wallow in self pity by himself.

He was better off alone.

Halyn stared after Five longingly, anguish tormenting her heart, and Allison placed a hand on the Sioux teen's shoulder, "Halyn—" She tried to comfort the girl but was promptly brushed off when Halyn took off after Five, defiantness in her steps.

Halyn was stubborn, and there was no way in hell she was going to let Five push her away without a fight—especially since she had just gotten him back. It was clear to her now he felt pushing her away was for her own good, and that it was solely his job to stop the apocalypse, and Halyn was dead set on proving him otherwise.

She wasn't going down without a fight.

Halyn stared down the door to Five's bedroom, gaze defiant and burning. The door was locked, which she had expected upon arrival, but that little fact wasn't going to stop her from getting to her best friend. The door was just a mild hindrance, as an apocalyptic future had once sat between Halyn and Five, but here they were, so it meant nothing to her in terms of barriers.

Her knuckles wrapped against the hard wood, "Five, I know you're in there." She attempted to keep her voice soft and level, but in her exhausted state, her patience was wearing thin and it was obvious in her tone, "I will find a way in. You can't just shut me out."

Silence greeted her once more, but only for a brief moment, "Go away, Halyn." Though his voice was muffled by the barrier between them, she could make out the coldness and brokenness that lace his voice. Her heart ached.

"Fat chance, Five." She called back; voice more threatening than prior. Halyn wanted—no needed—an explanation for why he tried to abandon her, and why he felt he had to bare the weight of the world on his shoulders alone. It pained her that Five was shoving her away, despite being so quick to drag her back in in the first place.

A heavy silence shrouded the two as Five neglected to respond, and Halyn's vague threat hung in the air almost challengingly. Unlike her best friend, her powers didn't grant her ease of travel, and she couldn't just blip in and out of rooms like the teleporter could. Thus, she was forced to get creative. Halyn briefly toyed with the idea of just breaking down his door, but that would draw the attention of his siblings most likely, and she needed privacy with him.

Inhaling deeply, Halyn focused on her hand. Mentally and physically exhausted, it took every last ounce of her concentration to shift her lower arm into the very air that surrounded her. Her nose crinkled as pain from over usage shot up her arm, and it flickered between a solid and gaseous stage.

Halyn grimaced and put her all into maintaining her airy form. The shifting between states ceased, arm maintaining an airy form, and she quickly reached forward. Her shifted arm slipped easily into the keyhole on Five's door, and once her arm was in, she reached up for the lock.

Halyn wasn't sure how long she could hold this form, but the fear of what would happen if her arm shifted back in the keyhole kept her going. A searing pain ripped through her arm once more, stalling in her fingers as she focused on them returning to normal so she could grasp the lock.

There was a soft click, an audible sign of victory on Halyn's hand, and she yanked her arm back before it returned to normal flesh. A dull ache settled in the limb she had shifted, and the Sioux teen rubbed her arm, panting ever so slightly. Using her powers like that, on such low energy, was incredibly taxing, and Halyn felt as if she could pass out right then and there.

But she couldn't—she needed answers.

Halyn threw open Five's door, and the teleporter leapt to his feet as she stormed into his room. He seemed vaguely surprised at her intrusion, but it was quickly masked with irritation and displeasure. She hardly flinched at his glare and instead levelled it with one of her own.

"Get out." His teeth were gritted together, voice low, and Halyn shook her head.

"No."

Five looked like a caged animal as he played out his options in his mind. The Sioux teen was stood in front of the door, which blocked him his main exit. That, and the dull ache in the back of his mind was a painful reminder of his own exhaustion, and the fact his powers needed a good recharge—so blipping away wasn't an option. Halyn seemed to know this, which irritated him even more. Couldn't she just take a hint?

You knew Halyn wasn't going to give up so easily.

A voice rolled through his head, and Five blinked. It wasn't his own, but it was one that had helped keep him—semi—sane in the apocalypse. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Delores, whose head just barely poked out of the duffel he had shoved her in. She may have just been a projection of his own consciousness, but she was always right—just like Halyn.

"Stay out of this."

Though his harsh words were directed at Delores, Halyn felt them in her heart like a knife, "Why are you pushing me away, Five?"

"Because my business doesn't concern you." Five sniffed with a shrug before sitting back down on his desk chair to resume what he had been previously doing before her intrusion. As he turned his back to his best friend, he hoped that maybe ignoring her would make her go away.

You know she won't.

Delores goaded at him, but Five ignored her as well. Instead, he focused on the first aide kit that he had sat on his desk, and he dug through it, pulling out a few supplies to clean his arm. He had been caught emotionally off guard at Gimbel Brothers, and that recklessness had allowed a bullet to knick him as he fled with Halyn.

Halyn took this chance to take a good look at the teleporter, noting how he was curled in on himself in front of his desk. His blazer and vest had long been discarded, hanging lazily over the back of his chair, leaving him in just a plain white—sweat stained— tank top. The hand that held a poorly sanitized needle and thread were shaky at best, and he flinched as the cold sting of peroxide rolled down his wounded arm.

Halyn's mind screamed at her to help him, and she attempted to do just that, "Five, please can you just, talk to me?" She stepped towards him, arms out to signal she meant no harm, and the boy turned another cold shoulder to her, voice falling on deaf ears.

Fury and irritation tore through Halyn's body at his indifference, and she felt her semi-composed façade begin to crumble. Anger swelled in her chest, shoving aside the exhaustion that had been gnawing at her since she arrived back at the academy. Nostrils flaring, her fists clenched and unclenched at her side. Who was he to ignore her like that? Who was he to decide how useful she was and wasn't? Five had thrown himself back into her life like a wrecking ball, leaving the walls she had attempted to build back up shattered, and now he decided he was done with her?

No, not going to happen.

"Goddamn it, Five. You can't just shut me out!" The Sioux teen snapped, inching closer to the boy with each passing word, "You said you needed my help, needed me, but now you suddenly don't? Why?" Her tone had turned desperate as Five's back continued to face her, and he continued to maintain his silence. It was heartbreaking to say the least, and each of Halyn's words stung; a cruel reminder of the danger that now followed his every move.

Five did need Halyn- but he needed her alive.

All he needed to do was stop the apocalypse, and then their life could return to normal, and Five could welcome Halyn back into his life with open arms. But things were too dangerous- he was too dangerous. If she died on his watch, well, then he'd never forget himself.

"You just- you left me in that alley, and then I couldn't find you anywhere. And I... and I..." Halyn trailed off momentarily as she lost her voice in a choked sob, one of her hands coming up to curl in her messy hair haphazardly, "I thought I had lost you again." Her voice was barely a whisper, and it cracked at the end, the sound piercing the boys heart as it began to hammer.

All this time, Five had thought he was protecting Halyn, but really, he was protecting his own feelings. Not once did he think of the repercussions of his actions, so intently focused on keeping his best friend out of harm, and he was doing exactly what he didn't want to do- hurt her.

God, were they fucked up. Sir Hargreeves sure did a number on their capacity for proper emotional expression.

A tear trickled down Halyn's cheek as she continued to be greeted by silence and she hastily wiped it away, "Why, Five, why are you doing this?"

That was the final straw, the catalyst of his unwinding, and he whirled around abruptly, "Because you keep getting hurt, and it's my fault!" Five finally erupted, all the pent-up feelings he had shoved down these passed few days boiling over at once. His eyes were wide, pupils blown, and Halyn's own eyes widened at the explosive confession, "All I've done since returning is put you in danger, Halyn, and it's not fair!"

Outbursts from Five like this were incredibly rare—rare enough that Halyn could count on one hand the number of times she had seem him erupt like this. Wearing his emotions so desperately, looking as distraught as one could be, was the exact opposite of how Five typically presented himself. The shear intensity of his emotions on display was enough to cause Halyn to stumble backwards, and she fumbled for the right words to say. How could she even respond to that?

"F-Five-"

Just as soon as Five's expressive display had started, it ended; the boy closing himself off and masking his features in an unreadable expression. The sudden one-eighty was enough to make Halyn's head spin, but she wasn't one to be easily deterred. His outburst didn't explain why he was so intent on shoving her away, and she wasn't going to stand for it. Just as she opened her mouth to say as such, the teleporter's dejected voice wafted through the air, soft enough for the Sioux teen to almost miss.

"I can't have your blood on my hands as well."

The statement itself came from a broken man, and it cut Halyn deeply. In her euphoria of having Five back in her life, she had shoved away the fact that this Five wasn't exactly the same one she had lost all those years ago. This Five had quite literally been to hell and back, and he was tightlipped about just what- or who- he went through while there. And though she was borderline pissed, it dawned on her that he was trying to look out for her- that this was all some façade because she just so happened to get injured during their last two battles.

Five was just being his protective self again- even if that meant hurting each other in the process.

To Five, keeping Halyn at an arm's length was the best way to keep her safe. But to Halyn, this was the exact opposite of what she wanted.

"I don't think that's your choice to make, Five." The teleporter looked to his friend, brows furrowed and lips parted to protest, but Halyn kept speaking, "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but it's my choice to stay by your side, Five. This isn't the apocalypse, you're not alone anymore. You can't ask me for my help one day and then turn around and shut me out the next, okay?"

Five pinched his eyes shut, steeling his emotions for a moment. His breathing had evened out when he next opened his eyes, "I lost you- and everyone else- once before. I just don't think I could go through that again, okay?" The lightness of Five's voice had Halyn's heart fluttering, as she couldn't remember the last time he had been so emotionally open with her. Five tried to put up the whole 'I'm a strong independent man who doesn't need anyone' front, but it was cracking, and Halyn could easily see through it.

Halyn dropped to her knees before the teleporter, and he glanced up at her through his bangs. Though his expression was mostly emotionless, she could make out the conflicting emotions that swam in his green orbs. She hesitantly reached out for him, pausing as he momentarily flinched away from her, before continuing her path and moving to cradle his cheek. She ignored the electrifying feeling she felt at the touch of his skin. Five allowed the contact, though he looked ready to pull back at any given moment.

As her thumb caressed his cheek, she kept her voice light, the tiniest of smiles gracing her lips, "You know you can't get rid of me that easily, Five." The jest was light, but also her reminder that her stubbornness wouldn't be so easily swayed. Halyn was like a rock- metaphorically and almost literally- speaking; an immoveable object who's strength was support. Five knew this fact, as he had often relied on her when they were younger, and her memory served as emotional support during his time in isolation in the apocalypse as well.

"Don't I know it." A breathy chuckle slipped past his lips, but it quickly melted into a dejected sigh, "but Halyn, I-"

"Believe it or not, Five, I am technically an adult. Meaning, I can make my own damn decisions." She knew he was going to protest her proximity to him once more for her own safety, and Halyn just wasn't having it. Five had always had her back growing up, and the Sioux teen felt as if she had let Five down when she couldn't have his back for over forty years. He was back now, and she had a lot of 'back having' to catch up on- and she'd be damned if she let him run around trying to save the world on his own.

If her life- and all of humanity- was going to end in seven days regardless, then she'd rather die at his side, knowing she tried her best to stop an apocalypse, than on the sidelines, tail between her legs just because Five demanded she not put herself in harm's way.

"No convincing you otherwise?"

"No convincing me otherwise."

Five sighed, and it almost sounded like one of relief. Truth be told, he didn't want to shove Halyn away- in fact, that was the last thing he ever wanted- but he had panicked upon seeing her injured once more. In his emotionally crippled state, his mind had told him to run; to leave Halyn behind to protect her, and because he was just better off on his own.

The apocalypse had done a great many things to him, but the one thing it couldn't do was sever his bond with Halyn; despite it's best efforts to.

"I'm sorry, Halyn."

"I can take care of myself, Halyn." Five quipped with a groan, but there was an underlying fondness in his tone. Halyn wasn't naïve to Five's independence- after all, he had been the most independent of the lot of them in their youth- but that fact was neither here nor there; he wasn't alone now.

Five was back with his family, with his friends- with her.

There was no need for him to do everything on his own.

Halyn was unfazed by his words, and instead met his fond gaze with a teasing one of her own, "I know, Five." Her tone was soft, the comment pulling a small grin from the boy, and she easily grabbed the needle and thread from his grasp. The wound had already mostly stopped bleeding, and the area had already mostly been cleaned before the Sioux teen had interrupted Five. Still, Halyn's stomach churned at the site of the gash, but she did her best to swallow the feeling and set to work stitching her best friend up.

The air around them was now lighter, and a comfortable silence lingered over the duo as Halyn slowly worked on patching up Five's arm. She had expressed some concern about the pain he'd feel while she stabbed him with a tiny needle over and over again, but in true Five fashion, he had instantly brushed her off. Her mind had wandered back to when she helped cut the tracker out of his arm the previous night, and the fact he hadn't even flinched in pain then. Halyn wasn't sure if this was some tough guy façade he was putting on for her, or if the future had just fucked Five up so much that he had become all but immune to pain.

Despite her best efforts to be as gentle as possible, every now and then, Five would grimace when Halyn would pull semi-hard on a thread to keep it taut. The expression of pain on his face was always quickly erased when they made eye contact and she did her best to finish up as quickly and carefully as possible.

Setting her needle and thread down on his desk, Halyn couldn't help the laugh that slipped past her lips and Five peered up at her curiously, "What's so funny?"

Turning towards Five, a mischievous glint in her eye, she held out two boxes of bandages for him to pick from, "Billy the Choo-Choo, or Misty the Magical Pony?"

Five scowled. Did this house not have any normal bandages?

"Give me the stupid train." He finally sighed out after a moments contemplation. Halyn snickered, amusement only growing at the glare he levelled her with, and she pulled a bandage from the chosen box.

Five quickly rolled the bandage over his wound, tossing his best friend a shut up as she began to laugh at the absurdity once more. The teleporter was quick to grab his dress shirt, slipping it on and swiftly doing up the button's, choo-choo bandage now hidden beneath the garment.

Halyn still wore an amused smirk, and Five not-so-gently flicked her forehead as he reached for his sweater vest. She pouted up at him and rubbed her forehead, "Rude."

The sweater vest was pulled over his head, Five rolling his shoulders as he adjusted it, and he shrugged, "You shouldn't make fun of my choices." He faced Halyn, a light smirk on his lips, and his heart fluttered at the smile she responded with. His eyes trailed from her lips to her bruised jaw, and the same dreaded feeling from earlier twisted his gut once more, "You should put some ice on that." Five swallowed the feeling down.

Halyn blinked before her hand reached up to gently caress her injured face, "Oh, uhm, yeah, Grace said that as well." She didn't elaborate any more, nor did she make any attempt to leave his room to take care of herself, and Five rolled his eyes.

In the blink of an eye and a flash of blue light, Five disappeared from the room. Almost immediately, Halyn felt her heart lurch into her throat, her panicked feelings from earlier threatening to consume her once more. His name left her lips in a desperate plea, but before she could dissolve any further, Five reappeared, an ice pack in his hands. The relief she felt could not be measured.

Five blinked at Halyn's wide-eyed and panicked stare before realization dawned on him, "Shit, Halyn, I'm sorry." He quickly stepped towards her, one hand coming up to cradle her cheek while the other gently pressed the ice pack to her bruised jaw. The touch immediately soothed the Sioux teen, as it meant Five was actually there and she shook her head.

"It's fine, Five."

The genuine smile she flashed him eased Five's concerns some, and his stomach fluttered when she covered his hands with her own. The ice pack was shifted into Halyn's own hand and, in a moment of boldness, the teleporter's arms dropped to her waist as he pulled her in closer. The hand Halyn wasn't using to hold the ice pack wrapped around Five's neck, and his breath fanned against her face as she stared up at him, brown eyes wide.

The intimacy of the position wasn't lost on the two of them, nor was it really paid all that much mind. When you were as close with someone as the two were with each other, there came with a natural sense of comfortability at being so close in proximity- so to them, this was nothing new. What was new, however, was the strange spark that lingered in the air as the two maintained eye contact.

Halyn felt her breath hitch at the intensity in Five's eyes, and her heart immediately began to pound when she realized just how close their faces had become. The hammering in her heart was joined by a flurry of butterflies in her stomach, and the Sioux teen wasn't sure why she was suddenly feeling so flustered being so close to her best friend. 'You love him~' Juliet's teasing voice suddenly played in the back of Halyn's mind, and her face immediately heated at the mental insinuation.

There was a gentleness in Five's eyes as he continued to stare down at Halyn, and she felt her lips part as his approached hers. Just before any contact could be made, the Sioux teen snapped back to reality- Five is your best friend, nothing more-, her face twisting away so she was staring over Five's shoulder. She kept her gaze focused on his door, missing the confused and conflicted expression that danced across the teleporter's features, and she covered her fumble with a cough.

"We should... I should-" Halyn cleared her throat and pulled herself out of Five's grip, "Uhm, get some sleep." Her heart was still racing in her chest, fast enough that she could hear the thundering in her ears, and she refused to make eye contact with her best friend. Five's own face had turned a deep shade of red as well, though he maintained better composure than the girl before him.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he angled his body towards his bed as he urged his face to cool down, "That's probably a good idea." He sighed through his nose. Five wasn't sure what had just come over him, and he silently cursed himself for coming so close to potentially ruining the- arguably- best relationship he had with a single person on this damned planet.

A rejection from Halyn would certainly hurt worse than actually losing her, Five tried to convince himself.

Halyn stood awkwardly behind the teleporter, unsure if she should take this moment to flee or if she should stay. As if sensing her hesitation, Five faced his friend once more. Though he found himself unable to voice the words himself, his eyes told her everything; stay- so Halyn did just that.

Now settled in Five's almost too small bed, the two laid side-by-side, shoulder to shoulder. They stared up at his ceiling, sleep gnawing at the fringes of their minds, threatening to consume them, but taking its sweet time to do so. Halyn's eyes traced over a glow-in-the-dark constellation- Lyra- that sat on Five's ceiling, which was one of many star formations that were stuck to the ceiling. The teleporter had protested Halyn placing a bunch of glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling when they were younger, but she claimed she had run out of space on her own ceiling, and he had easily caved when she practically begged him to use his blank ceiling.

And so, Five had watched her happily decorate his ceiling with constellation's one afternoon, while he pretended to work on his time-travel equations.

"Five, tell me." Halyn's soft voice broke the silence of the room, and he noted some hesitation in her tone. Under the covers, she reached for his hand, and he allowed her to intertwine her fingers with his own. The simple touch seemed to give her the courage she needed to finish he question, "Did you ever look for us?"

There was a pause. And then, a heart shattering revelation.

"I found you all... dead."

A/N: Okay so uh, this chapter may have gotten away from me a smidge and I am so sorry for how rushed the ending might be and the OOCness of Five- I don't know why it took me so long to finish this chapter, but hey, episode two is done! I have some ideas I'm super excited for for these next few episodes sooooo, yeah~! Bare with me, but it might be another week until I can get the start of episode 3 up! I have not started writing it. It should be quicker to write though, just because of the places I'm putting Halyn in, so quicker updates afterwards hopefully!

I've recently fallen back into Attack on Titan hell so my mind has been a bit preoccupied with a potential OC and ANOTHER story because you know, I have zero self control- BUT I do want to actually finish this story in full and do a s2 eventually! I have so many ideas and Halyn has easily become one of my favorite OCs. I've not done much outside of the DC/Young Justice fandom before, so it feels really good to do just that!

ALSO I tried my best with depicting a panic attack above and tried to do a lot of research into accurately writing one, as I've never personally experienced one. I looked a lot into how to not help someone through one and tried to be as accurate and appropriate with it as I could. If I did anything wrong or anyone has concerns about it, please don't hesitate to let me know! It's not my intention to potentially upset anyone, so I'm super open to feedback!

Anyways, Happy- belated- New Year guys! Hope 2021 is going well for ya'll! Thanks again for all of your love and support and remember to leave a review! It makes me really happy to hear from you guys!

Until next time,

Rawwwrchel