ZERO! the umbrella academy

trente-six

YOU HAVE ME

FIVE PACED BACK AND forth in front of the projector, the image of Reginald holding the umbrella on the grassy knoll still projected across his moving form. He scratched the back of his neck, his face contorted in a way that showed he was deep in thought.

"Of course Dad would be involved in the assassination." Diego sat atop a table nearby, his face expressionless and eyes glassy. "I should've known."

"No, you're jumping to conclusions," Five immediately shut him down.

Diego launched off of the table like a bullet. "What the hell else is he doing standing on the grassy knoll, holding an open black umbrella on a sunny day in Dallas the exact same moment the president gets shot?" he shouted in Five's face.

Five stopped pacing. "It doesn't look good, I admit."

"No," he shook his head, "he's the signalman for the whole goddamn thing."

"Easy, Diego." Five took a threatening step forward. "Seriously."

Diego held out a hand to stop him in his tracks. "No, it makes sense. This is what Hazel was obviously trying to tell you." His face was suddenly extremely grave. "We have to stop Dad from killing the president."

"Diego, calm down, alright?" Five snapped. "Dad was no Boy Scout, but presidential assassination? It's never been his thing."

"How would you know?" he challenged him. "You skipped out on his golden years."

Five quirked a brow at him. "Skipped out?" He took another step forward. "You think I had it easy, Diego?" He hissed in a voice so low I barely heard it, "I was alone for forty-five years."

Diego had the audacity to scoff in his face. "Yeah, I'm sure it was real difficult. Coming back after all these years and still having your little girlfriend right where you want her." He shot me a scathing look.

I pushed off of the counter I was leaning against. "Do you really want to do this right now?"

He didn't hesitate to continue. "He abandoned you, and you forgave him like it was nothing."

It was my turn to scoff now. "Like it was nothing?" I poked him in the chest repeatedly with my finger. "You have no idea what it was like, the pain that I went through. It took me a long time to learn how to trust him again, Diego. You have no idea," I spat.

He raised a brow. "No idea? You think I have no idea?"

"No, you don't." Five stepped in between us. "The biggest mistake of my life was leaving Lee on her own. I hate myself more and more each day knowing the suffering that I put her through. I'm going to spend the rest of my life hoping I somehow make it up to her."

He lowered his head, seemingly on the brink of tears. It was the closest I had seen him come to crying in a long time. I stood beside him and took his hand in mine. He looked up at me, his eyes wet with tears.