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Summary: Luther Hargreeves' life before the family reunion.
Warnings: Death mention and sadness, Luther needs a hug.
A/N: This is my first TUA one-shot/fanfic. English is not my first language so if you see any mistakes in the narration is because of that.
Word Count: 847
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He never imagined he'd end up alone.
The idea never crossed his mind, not even after Five's disappearance. But then Ben died and everything changed.
One by one, all his siblings started leaving the house until he was the only one left. Well, it was him along with his father, Pogo and mom. But that was almost like being completely alone.
He never stopped going on missions. He was Number One after all, if the others had decided to let go their responsibilities he wouldn't do the same.
Why was he there for if not to help people?
Besides his commitment to people, going on missions kept him from getting depressed thinking about the others.
Many times he entered his siblings' rooms and let himself be flooded with memories. Sometimes he saw Allison's extravagant accessories along with her magazines, on occasions he read the writings on Klaus' walls, and once in a while he looked through the books Ben used to read. He never moved anything from its place, not for so long. Everything remained the same way as always.
He kept going on missions... until he finally couldn't.
He didn't remember much of what had happened, only that he was there and suddenly didn't know himself anymore.
In the darkness, he wondered if he was dead. Would he meet with Ben? Would Five be with him too? He regretted not having spoken to Allison. The last thing he'd heard from her, besides her films, was that she'd married. He hadn't spoken to her in years, and she was his best friend and probably the person he trusted the most.
He felt that it was too long when he suddenly began to return. His eyelids weighed, his body felt shattered. Had it not been for the sight around him, he would've thought he'd really died.
It took him a while to regain consciousness, but when he did, he wished he hadn't.
It was...horrible. His body was bigger than normal, full of abominable hair, like a gorilla, like a monster.
He screamed.
He screamed and then when he was alone he cried.
Luther understood the decision his father had made, he'd saved him after all. However, seeing himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel disgust at himself.
Where was Number One? He'd been reduced, or rather amplified, into a terrifying yeti.
How would he go out into the street looking like that? How could he continue his missions? He was sure that, instead of helping, he would terrorize people.
At first, Luther tried by all means to return to his original body, or as closely as possible.
He'd tried everything, even shaving his body hair in an attempt to not look too grotesque. But it grew too quickly and his effort was no longer meaningful.
A long time passed before one day, after thinking about it for what seemed centuries, he decided to call Allison. If anyone could support him that was her, so, trying not to look anxious, he asked Pogo for her phone number.
But it was when he heard her voice that he understood it was all a mistake. He didn't say anything, just stood there, breathing until she got tired, accused him of being a perverted stalker, and hung up without knowing who it was.
Not knowing he really needed her.
What was he thinking?
He didn't want her to see him like that, like the lost King Kong twin he was now. He didn't want anyone to really see him like that. He preferred Allison to keep the memories she had of his former self.
Time passed and he continued with the same routine.
He would wake up, he would eat, he would exercise, and he would sleep.
He would wake up, he would eat, he would exercise, and he would sleep.
He would wake up, he would eat, he would exercise, and he would sleep, again and again until finally, his father had entrusted him with a mission that he could do without exposing himself.
And that was what had led him there, to end up alone on the moon.
Everything was quiet and peaceful. There was no one to see him, no one to be scared, just him and no one else.
His routine had soon fallen into monotony, but at least it was better than the one he'd at home.
The only thing that came to shake his world from time to time was when his father used to forget to send him food, on those occasions he'd to ration everything trying not to starve, which was almost impossible thanks to his metabolism.
At least one thing that made everything worthwhile was watching the sunrise every day. That was possibly the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed in a very long time.
He never imagined he'd end up alone, much less on the moon.
But at least there he could be himself, still be Number One.
There he had a purpose, after all.
Or at least that's what he used to say to himself every day.
