mindless (An Umbrella Academy Fanfiction)

one

Finley pressed her head against the door, listening for any movement outside her room. Sparrow was gently snoring in the bunk bed above hers, (both twins were afraid of heights, but Finley was Number Eight and Sparrow was Number Eight-Point-Five, therefore Finley got first choice), and Finley carefully opened the creaking door and slipped out. The hallways were still bright, and she tip-toed across the hall and knocked on the door. Klaus's bright green eyes gleamed and he squinted after suddenly seeing the brightly lit hallway compared to the dark ceiling he was staring at before.

"Lee?" he mumbled in a sleepy voice. "You okay?"

Finley whimpered in fear due to the nightmare she had before. Her bright blue eyes began to brim with tears and her thick eyelashes became more prominent as the tears wet them. Klaus wrapped a thin arm around her shoulders and led her into the room, where Ben was now sitting up in his top bunk and watching them. Before her head could even hit the pillow, Ben was snoring loudly again.

Klaus wiped away the first tear that slid down his four-year-old sister's face and tucked her into his bed instead of her own. He then sat on the edge of the mattress.

"One time," he began. "There was a dead king from ancient times who came to me." These stories often sent his sister to sleep, it distracted her from her own nightmares. Most of the time, the stories weren't true, but she was still young and naive. "He said one time a villager caught his wife, the dignified queen of this great nation in the past that every other country feared, stuffing her face with any kind of food she could find."

Finley giggled, her eyes already closing and her breath slowing. "Even grass?"

"Grass?"

"Grass is a cow's vegetable. And Mommy says to always eat our vegetables." Her speech began to slur with tiredness.

Klaus gently smiled and kissed his favorite sister's forehead. "Sure, grass. Now go to sleep, goofball." She was already asleep before he could finish the sentence. Klaus then climbed up the ladder to Ben's bed and shoved his brother over to make space for himself.

"Hey," Ben grunted. "You have your own bed!" Klaus held a finger up to his lips and shushed him. He then silently pointed downwards and both boys hung their heads upside-side down over the edge of the bed and they both watched their younger sister sleep peacefully. Ben sighed and gave up, moving himself over a few inches to allow Klaus to snuggle up in the blanket and the boys fell asleep squashed together in the top bunk.

•

Grace was dusting every visible surface in the living room when a scream rippled throughout the house. She didn't even panic, as this was the pattern nearly every night. Little toddler Sparrow often woke up to realize she was alone in her room, for her twin left for Klaus and Ben's room so Klaus would read her a story to clear her mind. Grace calmly set down her cleaning supplies and set off for Sparrow, picking her up and calming her down until she fell asleep once more.

Footsteps sounded as a sleepy Diego came stumbling down the hallway.

"Mommy?" Grace exited the room and pulled ten-year-old Diego into her arms. He only called her 'Mommy' in private. "What's wrong with Sparrow?"

Diego usually slept heavily and deeply, so it was no wonder to Grace that this was a new experience for him when it's been going on for almost a year now.

"She just got a bit lonely, sweetie," Grace smiled at the genuine concern in her son's face. He didn't usually display emotions for his siblings.

"She's lonely," he repeated to himself while Grace watched him lovingly. " Is she scared of being alone, Mommy? " Grace ruffled his hair.

"Maybe a bit," she said softly. "But it's not a problem anymore, she's asleep again. You should be too." She reached for her baby's hand and escorted him to his room.