Grand Theft (The Umbrella Academy)

CHAPTER TWENTY: Doll?

"Is Klaus back?" Fleur asked.

"Haven't seen him." Five shrugged.

"I'm gonna go look for him."

"Okay, I'll be in my room," Five stated. They parted ways, Fleur scoured the living room first and he went upstairs to his room. Five passed by Klaus's room and saw him with an old bullet wound scar on his shoulder and a new tattoo on his arm, along with a trail of bloody foot prints leading from the bathroom. "You okay?" Five questioned his brother.

"Hey," Klaus responded. "Yeah, I just... Long night."

Five chuckled. "More than one, from the looks of it." He inched his way into his room.

"Yeah." Klaus put on a shirt to cover up any sign of his disappearance.

"Don't remember the dog tags," Five prodded.

"Yeah, they belonged to a friend."

"How about that new tattoo?" He wanted to hear his brother admit it.

Klaus brushed it off. "You know, I don't totally remember even getting it. Like I said, it was a long night."

"You did it, didn't you?" he finally asked because Klaus wasn't gonna tell him himself.

"What are you talkin' about?" Klaus quizzed in a tired voice, trying to get him to drop it.

"You know, I can recognize the symptoms, Klaus."

"Symptoms of what?" He was growing slightly aggravated by Five's prying. He didn't want to think about it.

"The jet lag. Full body itch. Headache that feels like someone shoved a box of cotton up into your nose and through your brain." Klaus sighed. "You gonna tell me about it?"

Fleur's feet padded up the steps and to Klaus's room. "Hey Five, have you found—?" She stopped when she spotted Four's depressed slouch and hollow eyes. "Klaus, are you alright?" She sat down beside him on his bed and he rested his head on her shoulder. Fleur looked at Five with a concerned expression. "What happened?" she mouthed to the Boy.

"Your pals, when they broke into the house and couldn't find you, they took me hostage instead."

Fleur rubbed his back. "I'm so sorry. That must've been awful."

"And in return, you stole their briefcase." Five chuckled proudly.

"Yeah," Klaus exhaled. Fleur noticed his bullet wound and traced the scar. He sighed. "I thought there was money in it, or I could pawn it, you know, whatever. And then I opened it."

Five paced. "And the next thing you knew, you were... where?"

"When?" Fleur finished.

"What difference does it make?" Klaus scoffed.

"What diff—Uh—Okay, how long were you gone?" Five asked impatiently.

"Almost a year."

"A year?" Five and Fleur said together as she combed through his matted hair.