Let it Rain (The Umbrella Academy)

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: One and Only

Luther, Five, and I walked into a bar decked out with Irish style where an jig was playing over the speakers. "Well, there I am." Five gestured to the old man sitting on a barstool.

"Thought you said you had coffee before missions too?" I watched as he drank down a beer.

"Well I was going through some shit so moving on." The three of us all locked eyes on the briefcase at his feet. "So, where are you exactly?" Five broke his stare and looked around for me.

"Not here yet," I simply answered.

"Why don't we just grab the briefcase and run?" Luther gestured to the box. I scoffed a laugh.

"Luther, I would never let that happen."

"Our training includes guarding those briefcases with our lives, so guid luck with that."

"Plus, it's the inherent paradox where this gets tricky. I'm endangering my existence just being in the room with myself. If the old me doesn't travel back to 2019 like he's supposed to, the whole thing unravels itself. I cease to exist."

"And me, well, if I don't do the job and get back to where I left off then the Commission will fry my nerves here and Vanya won't be here to revive me."

"So our best chance is to talk with him, to reason with him," Five announced. I snickered. "What? He'll understand. Trust me. I know myself better than, uh..."

"Better than ye know yourself?" I finished then lightly chuckled some more.

"Well, yeah." Five scratched his neck.

Luther pointed an accusing finger at his brother. "You just itched your neck. That's stage two of psychosis."

"No, I didn't. I didn't itch my neck."

"Denial is stage oneee," I chimed in silver-tone. "But he's gonna get it, there's no way around it. We both are eventually. It's juist handling it that we might need assistance with."

"I am fine, okay?" Five snapped, suddenly more irritated than usual.

"Grouchy." I laughed. "Let's just get back on track, shall we?"

"We shall," Five grumbled.

"Wait." Luther put an arm out in front of him. "Maybe one of us should go first."

"That, that's actually a guid idea." I nodded in agreement.

"Why?"

"Well, you'll freak him out. Bumping into your own tiny doppelgänger? He will lose his shit. Just let one of us break the ice."

Five huffed. "Okay."

I inhaled and puckered my face. "How... How would old Five react to seeing Bonnie?" I asked him with my focus on the white haired man. I still couldn't look him in the eye.

A smile tugged at the corner of Five's mouth. "He'd definitely love that."

I sighed. "Bonnie it is..." I looked around then turned the corner to change into my original deep red haired and chocolate eyed thirteen year old self. Five dopily grinned at me. I rolled my eyes then sat down beside the old man with Luther at his other side.

He spotted Luther first. "Five," Luther lowly spoke.

Old Five narrowed his eyes at him. "What'd you call me big man?"

Luther leaned closer. "It's me. Number One?"

Old Five sat up straight. "Luther. How did you...?"

"It's okay. Everything is fine. I can explain." One waved his hands in a soothing manner.

"But first, we need to introduce you to somebody," I told him as I flagged down a bartender.