2143 . . .
The rest of the year passed by in a blur. Five ended up spending almost a week in the hospital and was on antibiotics and breathing treatments for the rest of November. He also carried an inhaler everywhere. He got away with not visiting the school until January, given his health condition, and instead every two weeks his councillor visited him to chat, see where he was on his schoolwork and let him vent about whatever might be bothering him. December passed, and Five had his first proper Christmas. It had been overwhelming for him, never having celebrated the holiday properly the way the Shannon's did. The one Christmas he had with Lila and Diego, they had gotten gifts for Jemma and each other, but hadn't had a dinner or anything like it. The Shannon's all got presents, Five included, and he had been so overwhelmed he's gone to his and Josh's room after they opened presents and just, looked at all of the gifts he'd been given - a bracelet from Maddy, a watch from Jim (it had belonged to Jason) new clothes from Elisabeth and a sketch book and pencils from Josh. Josh's thirteenth birthday came five days after Christmas, and they celebrated it with more presents. Josh's friends Connor and Kara came over, and they all played video games in the living room and Five got to know Josh's good friends.
chicago, illinois . . .
january / february / march / april . . .
2144 . . .
Five was officially diagnosed with COPD, Anxiety and Paranoid CPTSD at the start of the year. It had settled something with Jim and Elisabeth, knowing now how they could help their oldest child. Drawing helped Five sort out his memories, but he didn't let anyone other than Jim and Elisabeth look, since some of the images he drew were too graphic for young eyes. By January Five had finished all of his grade level course work and was working through the next level, and according to his advisor if he finished it all by June he could graduate and start his Freshman year in September. By the end of January Zoe was five months old, and she was more attuned to their emotional states than they knew. Five sang to her when she was upset, and it always calmed her down.
Maddy's eleventh birthday came around, and Maddy had a friend over for the day. Five knew the younger girl wasn't very popular, preferring to spend time on her own reading or learning. Five was similar, that's why they got along so well. So, after talking to Josh, they asked Kara and Connor to come over, and they spent the afternoon playing monopoly and scrabble. When Jane, Connor and Kara left, Maddy hugged her brothers, thanking them for making her birthday fun. Five presented Maddy with a small fabric bracelet he'd woven out of an old t-shirt, with a small moon charm in the middle. She never took it off.
March and April passed without much fanfare. Five, Maddy and Josh were preparing for exams and tests, Five going into the school twice a week to speak to teachers. They were confident he would pass all of his AP level classes, which would cut down how many credits he would need to graduate when it came to that time. And, sure enough, Five passed with the highest marks, much to the excitement of every member of the family. It made Five blush, unused to such praise and love from family.
The first time Five called Elisabeth 'mom' or rather, the Irish version of Mother, Máthair, was after a nightmare. Jim was on a night shift and Josh was having a sleepover, so it was just Zoe, Maddy and Elisabeth in the house. Five had awoken with a gasp, Elisabeth sitting on the edge of his bed with a hand on his shoulder, steadying him.
"Are you okay, honey?" Elisabeth asked softly.
"I keep seeing them." He whimpered, pressing his hands over his eyes. "Why won't it stop?"
"Remember what your therapist said. It's going to take time, honey." Elisabeth soothed.
"I know." Five looked at Elisabeth, tears in his eyes. "But I don't want to see my family dead anymore, Máthair." [ Irish ; Mother ]
"I know, honey." Elisabeth moved forward and pulled Five into a hug, who tucked his head into the crook of her neck, tears falling. She rubbed his back, humming gently. "You're okay, I promise. We'll get through it together. As a family." As Elisabeth lulled her oldest back to sleep, Five couldn't stop thinking about how lucky he was to have gained such an amazing family.
september / october . . .
2144 . . .
His first week of Freshman Year, Five had to attend all of his classes in person. He met all of his teachers, who were more than happy to accommodate his needs and requirements. He decided at the end of that week that kids were immature and annoying, so he kept to himself and did most of his work at home. Zoe, now one, had latched onto him pretty hard, and it wasn't uncommon for one to be seem with the other. Zoe reminded Five so much of his niece, so he was happy to spend time with her. She even came to school with him a few times when he needed to speak to teachers or his councillor in person and Jim and Elisabeth were at work.
His fifteenth birthday passed and Five got presents again. He was coming to terms with the fact that that was what parents did, get their kids gifts. Maddy had decided that he needed a constant reminder he was a member of the family and made them all bracelets. They were made from thin thread, braided together. Five added it to the other bracelet he wore, knotting it so it couldn't come off. Josh and Maddy did the same, but they made Zoe's loose so she would grow into it. Elisabeth insisted on taking a picture, so the four siblings held their wrists together and Elisabeth look the photo, grinning.
Five's nightmares, while still happened, were happening with less frequency. Josh would still climb in beside Five whenever he had one, or Zoe would insist on staying with Five whenever he had a particularly bad day, and Five would spend hours with his head buried in either his schoolwork or his sketchpad when he had a bad day. But they would always be there when he needed them, and it warmed his heart to know he had a family who truly loved him. Who chose to love him, not because they had too.
date written : 23 / 07 / 2023
date published : 23 / 07 / 2023
edited : yes
word count : 1126
YOU ARE READING
1 | thrown into the future | | terra nova, the umbrella academy
Fanfiction" what are you doing? " " what does it look like, joshua. i'm sharpening my knives and reading history books. " " has anybody told you that you're scary? " " many times. " five hargreeves wakes up in 2142 with no idea how he got there, in a world on...
