𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ━ five hargreeves¹

4│LOOK WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN

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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙ. ʙ. ᴇꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴡʜᴏ's ʙᴀᴄᴋ,
ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ꒱　


❝ THERE'S A PRETTY BIG
DIFFERENCE, PAUL BUNYAN ❞

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Both Number Five and Number Eight— ten years old now— were in Five's room again, but this time both were curled up on the bed. The boy leaned against the girl's non-dominant side as she continued with her drawing. Her father had found out about her skill a few years ago and at first he'd been mad, but Pogo had convinced him that Eight— now Alexandra— could keep her talent by painting pictures for the house and their robotic caretaker, to which Sir Reginald had reluctantly agreed as long as it didn't interfere with her superhero-ing.

Alexa could now draw freely and not fear her father's wrath which was why she was relishing the moment. Five lay beside her as he watched the steady stroke of her pencil as an image was created before his eyes.

"Tell me about the future," Five said, almost a demand.

The girl smiled slightly; this wasn't an uncommon question. She was a fairly good storyteller (or so she thought) and she often enjoyed using her imagination while she drew to entertain the usually fidgety boy. While she couldn't actually see the future, Alexa enjoyed picturing what it would be like.

"Well," she started, "when we're eighteen, we'll leave."

This was generally how it always started and Five asked his customary follow up question, "we?"

The blonde nodded. "Yes. We'll leave together and go somewhere."

"The city?" he wondered, as was tradition.

She frowned and traced a line on the paper. "No. I think the country. A little cottage with yellow paint and flowers outside. You can always use your power to come back. I'll be an art teacher for little kids since that's what I'm good at. You could probably be a rocket scientist."

Five laughed softly. "There aren't any rocket scientists here."

Alexa grinned as she created curved lines in the shape of plants. "I guess not. You could be the first though." The boy nodded and she continued: "when we have enough money we can travel anywhere we want and I can make art all over the world. When we're done travelling we can return home."

"And get married?" Five asked. He smirked at how she blushed predictably.

"If you want," was her soft reply. She certainly didn't object, after all.

"What about our siblings?"

"We'll keep in touch, of course, but since we're travelling it'll be hard to see them often. Maybe when we come back," was her response as short spikes formed on the page.

They continued this way for some time, creating their future together with everything they planned to do. Their father hardly allowed for free time but when he was busy with the other Umbrella Academy members they were able to escape to Five's room and have their own time. Later, Pogo found the two of them curled up on the bed and requested them to come down for their studies. Five and Eight complied and the girl left behind her drawing of a yellow house surrounded by a white picket fence that enclosed a garden of flowers.

☂☂☂

Alexa stared at the drawing she'd made so many years ago. The yellow of her colored pencil had faded slightly but the drawing still sharp and clear as it hung on Five's wall. After their argument, she'd paid a visit to his room to. . . well, she didn't really know why, but she'd felt she had to. Now, looking around the tiny room, she remembered all the time they'd spent together here and her heart sank. Alexa had always believed Five would come back but it didn't change the fact that he'd left and was gone for years.