8 ○ Umbrella Academy

Quality Time

Once completing a search of the house, which took a while with only four people, we congregated on the balcony overlooking the front doors. "No sign of Vanya," Five sighed, he and I walking alongside Diego.

"She's not in any of the rooms," Diego chimed in.

"She's not downstairs either," Klaus informed.

"I checked all her old hiding spots," I shrugged, just as empty handed.

"Well, I'm out," Diego quickly decided, patting Klaus' shoulder as he went. I sighed and folded my arms over my chest; it seems whatever I do, I put us at some sort of odds.

"Wait, what?" Klaus whined, disbelief dripping from his voice.

"Where are you going?" Five asked. I merely just watched him with curiosity, I still held no ground to challenge him. "Vanya's still out there and so are Hazel and Cha-Cha."

"I know," Diego nodded, turning back to look at us. "I'm gunna get my things and then I'm outta here. I've got some unfinished business with those fools." I released a deep breath when he walked away, Klaus' wide eyes rounding on me when I made no move to stop him. I could only shrug and lean against the railing beside him.

"Hey, did Dad say anything about the apocalypse when you spoke to him?" Five asked, starting to believe in Klaus' credibility, if only slightly. "Any clues as to how it happened?"

"No, no clues. Truly terrific shave," he commented, pegging me to run a thumb over his jaw. Hm, ghost Dad did a better job shaving him than me. "But no clues." Five held his stare a moment before sighing and heading downstairs. "Let's get back to knitting that blanket," he decided happily. My brows raised in confusion, the one line he made maybe long enough to be the wide end of a scarf.

I shook my head so he took to chasing Five down the stairs, uttering more nonsense about his conjure trip, making my way down the hall to Diego's room. I would've lingered when I saw him moving around his room, but he'd built up brick walls in his mind so I decided it might be best to give him some space for a while.

Luther was still watching over Allison, had been since Mom stopped the blood transfusion, but all the times since then that I'd offered to stand by, he insisted he needed to be the one with her. Honestly, I didn't have the strength emotionally to pull him away from her, so I mimicked the trail my brothers' made downstairs, following the sounds of a blender coming from the lounge. "Margarita?" Five offered as I made my way to the bar. I came around the far side, grabbing the glass container and pouring myself a fair amount of the pale green slushed liquid.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I tempted as he fiddled with the little umbrella in the margarita he'd set before Delores.

"Klaus called me an addict." I shrugged and caught the way his eyes shot to mine, grinning as I brought my glass to my lips. "It's not funny, Ada," he growled.

"You're right," I chuckled. "Sorry." He glared at me and toyed with Delores' sleeve instead. "You lived it for forty plus years, Five," I breathed, leaning on my elbows across the bar from him. "You came back with enough time to stop it, and now that it's been stopped, you don't know what to do with yourself. It's understandable."

"That's exactly what Klaus said," he grumbled, sticking the silly straw in his mouth as he drank his own margarita.

"Sorry, that probably didn't help." I had to drink to keep myself from chuckling at his head shake. "Alright, how 'bout this," I sighed, bringing his eyes back to mine. "I poked my fun at ya, without really trying even, you get one free question, I'll answer honestly." I could see the gears in his mind mulling it over. "You game?"