Let it Rain (The Umbrella Academy)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: 7

Gill woke up to see me on my tippy-toes rummaging through the kitchen cabinets to find some coffee. "I like the shirt." He smirked. I dropped back down to the balls of my feet.

"Hey, Fishy. Aboot time you wake up," I teased. "And you threw mine away soo."

"Blood stained sweatshirts are so out of style." He chuckled. "Mine looks better on you anyway." I smizzed as I went back to looking for coffee grounds. My eyes lit up when I finally found a coffee container but when I popped the lid, it was empty.

"Who keeps empty coffee containers? It's the worst kind of false hope," I muttered under my breath.

"What time is it?" He stretched.

I glanced up at the clock. "11:45," I told him. I sighed then stopped my search. "You're out of coffee by the way."

"Yeahh. I've been meanin' to go to this new thing called a chain grocery store."

"Well then let's go." We shared a grin then I tossed him his keys. "What are you driving, anyway?"

"Do you remember that Rolls-Royce we 'borrowed' as kids 'cause we just finished the Great Gatsby?"

My face fell to bewilderment. "You're kidding!" I beamed a smile.

"Yup, I am. You think I can afford that hunk 'a metal?"

My excitement dropped. "Rude."

"Wanna see it? She's a beaut'." He jangled the keys.

"Aye, I guess." I sighed through a smile. We walked outside to see the Silver Ghost. "You did go back for it!"

"Oh come on, you should know me better than that. Of course I went back for it! Look at her!" We giggled.

My walk turned into a jog to beat him to the driver's seat. "I'm driving." I put my hand up for him to toss me back the keys.

"Nada. You're too young to drive."

"My consciousness is thirty!" I whined.

"Yeah well thanks to that future scar of yours, you, my Cameroonie, are stuck as a thirteen year old until you're healed up, and you're refusal to rest isn't gonna help."

"We were literally both born as two of the forty-three." I crossed my arms.

"Well I'm thirty-seven now. Still got seniority." He sarcastically grinned then stepped into the driver's side, closing the door in front of me.

I trudged around the car and plopped onto the leather passenger seat then roughly shut the door behind me. "I'm only letting you drive 'cause I dunno the way." I huffed.

"Sure, sure. Whatever you've gotta tell yourself, Maggie." His attention flickered to my face to see my reaction at the name then turned the wheel to pull out of the parking space.

"Pearl?" I grinned.

"Whoops," Gill said in reference to their first kiss but he didn't regret it in the least.

A goofy smile tugged at my mouth and I looked away to hide it. "So, I never did ask what you've been doing all these years."

He sighed. "Well, I showed up in 1917. I knew I couldn't stop the war 'cause 'a the timeline 'n all. Heck, we were the ones to assassinate the archduke after all. We couldn't sleep for two weeks straight. 'Member that?"

I sadly nodded. "Aye, yeah Ah do." I sighed. "A lotta late night talks." A brief half-smile fell on our lips at the memory.

"Sure were." Gill reached for my hand. "That, uh, couldn't stop me from participating. Maybe ease my conscience a bit. It didn't seem fair for me not to with my ability. I figured if I could just save a few lives." His voice wavered on the last line and his knuckles turned white at his sudden tight grip on the steering wheel.