W H Y?《Umbrella Academy》

No. 7

Vanya stood in the kitchen and poured her brother's an alcoholic drink. Putting James' over ice remembering how he likes it. Five stood and drank some of his drink. "You think I'm crazy," Five muttered. "No." Vanya stammered. "It's just a lot to take in." Five looked at her. "Exactly what don't you understand," He said. "Why didn't you just travel back?" Vanya asked. James scoffed and downed his drink looking at the traffic below. "Gee, wish I'd thought of that." Five said sarcastically. 

"Time travel is a crapshoot. I went into the ice and never acorn-ed" Vanya looked at him. "You think I didn't try everything to try and get back to my family?" Five asked. "I remember, we went to the summer of 2003, and you sent me back home so I didn't get stuck with you." James sighed out. Vanya nodded, "If you grew old there, you know, in the apocalypse, how come you still look like a kid?" She asked.

"I explained it earlier. When he came back to his correct timeline. There was no 29-year-old version of him to return to. In simpler terms, he left at 13, never got older here, but got older in a different timeline, so when he came back, his body came back to the last known version it could find in our timeline." James said turning to face Vanya.

"James and I've told you already," Five said. "I must've got the equations wrong, but our brother's explanation makes more sense." Vanya sighed, "I mean, Dad always said time travel could mess up your mind." Vanya tried to reason. "Well, maybe that's what's happening?" Five put his glass down, "This was a mistake. You're too young, too naive to understand." James muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. "No. Five, James..." The two boys turned to leave the apartment. "Boys, wait," Vanya said.

The two looked at her. "I haven't seen you both in a long time, and I don't want to lose either of you again. That's all," James laughed. "I live in the same complex as you. I'm right across the hall." Vanya looked at him. "I never see you." James looked at the ceiling. "Because I have a job, and I have children to take care of." Vanya looked guilty and James smirked.

"Yow know what, it's getting late and... I have lessons early in the morning, and I need to sleep and, I'm sure you both do, too." Vanya said, moving to the couch. "Here," she said, pulling out the bed part in her couch and grabbing two blankets for the boys. James and Five stood next to each other watching their sister. "Look, we'll talk in the morning again. Okay? I promise." James went over to the other side of the couch. "Don't make a promise you can't keep." He muttered.

"Night," Vanya whispered as she left to her room. "Night." Five said looking at his brother who was face first passed out on the couch. Five sat next to him and pulled out a bundle of fabric from his pocket. He unwrapped a glass eye and sighed. Five turned it around, the company on the back read "MeriTetch" with a number. Five shook his brother and the blonde woke up. "Come on, we're going home." James nodded, and the two boys quietly left the apartment.

<~>

A city taxi pulled up to a motel. The door opened and two people got out. The taxi pulled away, and the two people walked into the motel's lobby. "Reservation for Hazel and Cha-Cha." The woman, Cha-Cha said. The man working the counter sighed and stood up. He looked at the two, grabbed a key, and handed it to them. "Here you go, room 225."

"What about the other room?" Cha-Cha asked. "Uh... Only one room was booked." The receptionist said looking at his chart. "Dammit. I'm sick of this cost-cutting bullshit." Hazel said sighing. "Just tell me there are two beds." The woman said. "Yes, ma'am. Real firm." The receptionist said looking her up and down. "Now, how long do you think you will be staying with us?" He asked. "Just the one night. I believe there is a package waiting for us."

The receptionist nodded and grabbed a large box from under the counter. Cha-Cha grabbed the box and left to the room, and Hazel followed "Okay. Have a good night," The guy said awkwardly.  Hazel unlocked the room, and both people walked in. Cha-Cha set the box down to open it when Hazel sighed. Cha-Cha opened the box and reached in to pull out a large gun. "Go ahead, just say it." She said. "What?" Hazel asked.

"No point keeping it bottled up, of it'll give you heartburn, then I gotta listen to you complain about that too," She said. "Smells like cat piss." He said. "First they cut our per diem, and then our dental, and we don't even get our own rooms. Where does it end?" He asked. "When we retire... or die," Cha-Cha said emptying the contents of the box. "Whatever comes first. But at least we aren't stuck in some cubicle."

"Damn wrist is killing me," Hazel complained, "Couldn't have made this into a backpack or something." Cha-Cha looked at him. "What are you doing?" She asked. "It's not like we're going to use it while we're doing the job, anyway." He said. "It's against protocol. We gotta have it with us at all times." The female said. Hazel sighed, "A rule written by a bureaucrat who never had to carry one." He said screwing the vent cover back into place. "They can shove their protocol up their asses," He scoffed. "Let them try lugging around the damn thing." 

<~>

Sunlight streamed through the windows as Klaus lay on the couch muttering to himself. "No, no, no." He kept saying. He looked at Ben, "you know to talk in your sleep?" The ghost asked. Klaus jumped, "oh," he said panting. The male rolled off the couch and started to look around for drugs. "There's no point. You're out of drugs." Ben said, not looking up from his book.

<~>

James's phone began ringing, and the male pulled it out to see who was calling. Miles school was calling, and James knew something happened, "Hello?" He asked. "Hello, this is Mr. Burger, is this James Hargreeves speaking?" James sighed. "Yes. This is him, what happened." He asked. "Well, Mr. Hargreeves. Your son got into a fight right before the second period with another student, we need you to pick him up."

"Fuck." James muttered pinching his nose.