8 ○ Umbrella Academy

Exposed Truth

I woke up to someone's hand on my face, running their fingers over my scarred eye like tracing their way though a maze. "What the hell do you want?" I grumbled, still feeling Diego's arms around me as the hand retracted.

"Wakey, wakey," Klaus quietly cooed. "Aren't you two cute, all snuggled up?" I opened my eyes and glared at him, finding a wide smile on his lips and a bell in his hands, pinching the ringer to keep it from colliding with the side.

"What do you want, Klaus?" I repeated, shifting a bit. My neck was killing me, but that's what I get for falling asleep sitting up.

"Family breakfast," he supplied with a light bow. "I'll see you there." He looked over Diego a minute, debated ringing his bell, but decided to walk down the hall before doing so, moving to wake up Luther. With a sigh, I popped my neck a couple times before laying a hand over Diego's head and forcing his mind awake, not very surprised the bell didn't do the trick. He took a deep breath, arms automatically pulling him closer against my side, forehead pressed into my hip.

"Hey, get moving," I gently informed, running my hand over his head. "Klaus wants to have a meeting." Even now, I could hear him teasing Luther about his one night stand, deciding to focus on Diego rather than the exchange.

"What the hell did you give me?" he grumbled, slowly sitting himself up. As if only now realizing the grip he still held on me, he removed his arm from the top of my thighs and sat himself the rest of the way upright.

"A pain killer," I shrugged. He turned and gave me a knowing look so I nodded a bit before offering, "Which was also a sedative." His eyebrows lifted, surprised at the fact that I'd drugged him, and I shrugged again. "Needed to make sure you wouldn't go running off." I patted his back and stood from the bed, stretching as I made my way towards Five's room, a smile on my lips when I found him wearing the blue and white striped pajamas. "How you feeling?" I asked, leaning against his doorframe as he sat with Delores.

"Exhausted, where's the caffeine?" I chuckled and nodded him out of the room, slinging an arm around his shoulders as we went down to the kitchen.

"You know, I was always sure you'd outgrow me. Pretty glad we don't have to see that day," I chuckled, catching the smile he tried to hide as he removed my arm from his shoulders.

"I was taller than you, before my body reverted back to this," he informed, gesturing to himself.

"Won't believe it till I see it," I shrugged, ruffling his hair with a smug grin and loving the scowl on his face as we entered the kitchen. My grin only grew when Luther stumbled his heavy frame into the kitchen shortly after, hood pulled over his head and shielding his eyes from the bright light in the windows as he sat across from me. "Have fun last night?" I teased, loving the miserable, pleading look that came to his eyes when they met mine. He didn't even think it, really, but his expression was enough of a plea to get me to leave him alone.

"Here we go," Klaus sighed, leaning over the table to set a mug before Luther and pouring coffee into it. "This'll fix ya." Repeating the process for Five, Klaus turned to me with a light smile, pouring my coffee and doing so once more in the empty space beside me. I ran my hand over his head and smiled as well when I saw Ben sat beside me with his arms folded over his chest, looking like some Star Wars jedi ghost with a blue haze over him.

The image faded when Klaus moved from my reach, but it put me in a better mood, even just that brief glance of him was more comforting than simply hearing his voice. "Jesus, who do I have to kill to get a decent cup of coffee?" Five complained after only a sip. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was an old man, but in moments like these it was hard to believe he looked thirteen - he acted older than the old man, Reginald, himself.