8 ○ Umbrella Academy

Brotherly Love

I remember us competing with one another, seeing if any of us could be Daddy's favorite, if only for a day. The day everyone but Vanya got tattooed, the first time Diego retreated from Mom, the way our pain bound us to one other.

It's how I knew he felt it that day, not just my betrayal, not just my tears, but there was almost instantly a bruise over his left eye. I couldn't feel it right away because of the shock that had came over me from this one, tiny, impulsive action, but my vision turned red, and what started as a dull ache became a searing pain - as if he'd dipped his knives in lava. He knew what I felt that day, and he was getting to know it all over again.

One day. It had only taken one day for my family to break me down and need the silencers. I frowned at the footsteps that sounded through my room, stopping about halfway to the bed I laid on, but didn't open my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"So soon?" I scoffed, looking for the watch on my wrist I didn't have. "Have you apologized to Luther yet?" I opened my eyes at Diego's silence, sitting up and blinking to clear my vision. Had my damned eyes closed too long... "No, not have you, can you? Is it altogether possible?" His face grew hard and he opened his mouth to speak, hesitating as he tried to get it out, staring at my forehead. "Buddy, I'm about as high as Klaus, good luck reaching headquarters," I excused, then had to giggle at myself a moment before restoring my order.

"I-I-I'm sorry," he repeated, speaking with his eyes what he couldn't with his mind.

I snapped and pointed to him, standing and taking it in. "That, right there. If you can take that sincerity and practice it twenty more times, maybe I'll believe you." I didn't want to be bitter with him, it didn't want to be at odds with my lifelong best friend, but he wasn't giving me very many choices.

His face fell and he looked away, unable to face me or what he'd done to me as he mustered up his words. "Alright, then I'll see you in ten years, when Pogo dies," he sighed, turning to leave. After watching him pick his stuff up from the hall and turn for the stairs, I flopped back into my bed with a heavy sigh, my fingers running over the narrow scar going down my face.

"Adelaide, dear," Mom's voice called, pegging me to open my eyes once more to take in the small pill and glass of water she held. "For your head." I sighed with a soft smile, gently shaking my head.

"No thanks, Mom. I already got that covered." Confusion took hold of her expression a moment before her smile returned.

"Okay, then. Goodnight." My lips twitched up and I closed my eyes, taking a slow breath.

"Night, Mom," I replied before her footsteps got too far. Sinking further into my old bed, I relaxed at the quietness I never found in this house, thanking Klaus for his abundance of edible pilferables.

●

"Number Eight." My brown eyes shot to Dad, instantly standing from where I sat near Seven's room. The music was nice, and in a house with seven other children, it helped quiet things down. All Vanya thought about was the notes, and that was easy enough - as well as the rambunctious thoughts of the other seven-year-olds - to drown out with Vanya's violin. "Come along, we're going out."

I waited until he had turned around to follow, adjusting my skirt as I trailed behind our father. Where are you going? Diego's voice sounded in my head. Even near each other, he opted to speak to me like this; mental speech didn't allow for stutters, apparently. I tried for a moment to read the old man, narrowing my eyes at the back of his head to try and single out his voice, but there wasn't one. Nothing changed.

I don't know, I can't hear Dad. I don't think he expected it to change, I know I didn't, but I could still feel Diego's frustration. We'd hit the last of the stairs by the time I saw feet on the balcony, looking up and giving Diego a small smile. I'll see you soon. But he only frowned and watched us leave, his eyes boring into me until the door shut.