I quickly got dressed, letting my hair fall loose as I slipped into my pants, a blue top, and blue flats. I headed to the kitchen, where the atmosphere was buzzing with tension and the smell of breakfast. Luther was at the stove, cooking eggs with his usual concentration, while Diego was talking animatedly about the men who had attacked him at the gala. I settled into a chair with Sushi curled up in my lap, purring contentedly.

Five was already at the table, his gaze fixed on the conversation with an intensity that was both focused and distant. I could tell he was processing everything that was being said, his mind working through the implications of our situation.

"I don't understand. They keep following me," Diego was saying, frustration evident in his voice.

"Wait, who?" Luther asked, still standing by the stove and flipping eggs with practiced ease.

"Those sociopaths," Diego replied.

"I think they're Swedish," I interjected, correcting Diego. "I heard them speaking Swedish when we were at the gala."

"Hired guns paid to eradicate us before we do any more damage to this timeline," Five said, his tone serious.

"Yeah, but why now?" Diego snapped his fingers, which caused Sushi to twitch in my lap. "I mean, I was fine for three months until you showed up."

"Yeah, I was here for a year and no one messed with me," Luther said, joining us at the table with a bowl of eggs. He sat down in the seat next to me, his expression thoughtful.

"Even if it was my fault, which it wasn't, we only have six days before the end of the world, and the closest anyone's gotten to Dad was that driveway at the consulate," Five said, his voice tinged with urgency.

"Six days!" I exclaimed, turning to Five, hoping for some reassurance or clarity.

"Well... what you said, Five... that's not exactly true," Luther spoke up again.

"What do you mean?" Diego asked, his tone sharp.

"I saw Dad," Luther said, breaking the news with a resigned sigh.

We all turned to Luther, awaiting more details. He went on to recount how he had gone out to find their father and how, despite his efforts, their father had not recognized him and had been dismissive and cold. He finished his story with a shrug, returning to his eggs.

"That's pathetic," Diego said, his frustration evident.

"Yeah, well, at least he didn't spank my ass," Luther shot back, his tone a mix of defensiveness and dry humor.

I chuckled softly at Diego's quip to Luther. The way these guys bantered was unlike anything I'd ever experienced—like watching a dysfunctional family sitcom unfold in real life. As the laughter died down, I turned to Luther, and something caught my eye that made me do a double take. He was wearing my dad's bathrobe.

"Is that my dad's bathrobe?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I pointed at the robe.

Luther glanced down at himself, the guilt flashing across his face as he tried to come up with an excuse. "...No," he blurted out, clearly lying. His awkwardness would've been funny if it weren't so weird.

I didn't get the chance to call him out on it because my dad walked into the room at that moment, looking just as puzzled as I was. His eyes darted from Luther in the bathrobe to the rest of us as if trying to piece together what kind of strange gathering he had just walked into. Before anyone could say anything, Five, ever the sharp one, jumped in.

"Look, who cares what he shanked? He knows about time travel," Five said, his tone impatient as if this whole conversation was beneath him.

My dad latched onto that bit of information like it was a lifeline. "Um... wait, why don't you just do your thing and, uh, time travel us out?" he asked, his voice tinged with desperation. Five rubbed his head, clearly overwhelmed by everything that was happening. I could see the disbelief in his eyes, as if he couldn't even believe he was asking something so outlandish.

I rubbed my own head in response, feeling a headache coming on. Time travel? Sure, Five had mentioned it before, but this was real life. And here was my dad, of all people, seriously suggesting it. I glanced at Five, expecting him to be just as exasperated as I was, and I wasn't wrong. His face was set in a hard, irritated expression, the kind that told me he was losing patience fast.

"Anyone care to explain?" Five asked as he moved toward the coffee pot, his voice laced with a mix of curiosity and frustration. He seemed to be grasping at straws, trying to make sense of this insane situation.

Diego didn't miss a beat. "First time he tried, he got lost in the apocalypse," he said, his tone casual like getting lost in the apocalypse was no big deal.

"Second time, he ended up without hair on his balls," Diego added with a smirk, clearly enjoying the shock value of his words. I choked on coffee. Did Diego really just say that? They were seriously comfortable talking about this stuff like it was nothing.

Five sighed, rolling his eyes as if this was all routine for him. "Last time I tried, I scattered my family across three years in Dallas, Texas, possibly triggering a doomsday," he explained, his voice calm and matter-of-fact. He finished pouring himself a cup of coffee, turning to my dad with a look that dared him to ask more questions. "Any more questions, Elliot?"

Dad shook his head, clearly at a loss for words. I could see the gears turning in his head, but there was no way he could process everything that was being thrown at him.

Five, satisfied with the silence, took his seat again, sipping his coffee like this was just another day for him.

But Diego wasn't done stirring the pot. "You're missing the big picture here. Dad is the ringleader of a sinister cabal that's planning to kill the president," he said, leaning forward and placing his thumb on the table for emphasis. H

"Look, the way I see it, we only have one option," Five said, cutting through the tension with his usual bluntness.

"Which is?" I asked, my voice soft as I continued to absentmindedly pet Sushi. My cat, for her part, was blissfully unaware of the chaos around her, content to stay curled up in my lap. Her warmth was the only thing grounding me at the moment.

"It's time to get the Umbrella Academy back together," Five declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. He said it with such certainty, like it was the only logical step forward.

I blinked, confused. "What Academy?" I muttered to myself.

"Hell yeah, family meeting," Diego said with a grin, clearly excited by the idea.

"Okay, then one of you two get Allison, please?" Luther mumbled, his words muffled by the eggs he was stuffing into his mouth.

Diego shot him a questioning look. "You two still a thing?" he asked, clearly more interested in the gossip than in the actual plan. But I tuned out the rest of their conversation, too distracted by the term "family meeting" to care about the details.

Leaning in closer to Five, I whispered, "Who's Allison?"

"Our sister," he whispered back without missing a beat. I nodded slowly, trying to process what he had just said. Sister. That word echoed in my mind, making everything feel even more surreal. I mean, a sister? It was one thing to have these strangers living in my house, but to suddenly have them talking about time travel, doomsday, and now siblings? It was all starting to feel like some kind of fever dream I couldn't wake up from.

What the hell?

"No, she's married," Luther mumbled, his voice carrying a weight of disappointment that made me pause. Even though the idea of him having feelings for his own sister was strange, I couldn't help but feel bad for the guy.

I watched him for a moment, the sadness in his eyes evident despite his attempts to hide it. Feeling a wave of sympathy, I reached down and picked up Sushi from my lap. Holding her gently, I extended her toward Luther, giving him a look that said, "Here, maybe this will help." Luther stared at me, surprised by the gesture, before his gaze shifted to Sushi. For a second, I thought he might decline, but then he reached out and began to gently rub her head. His touch was careful, almost hesitant, as if he was afraid he might do something wrong. But Sushi, surprisingly, didn't mind. She even closed her eyes, leaning into his hand slightly, which made me smile a little. I knew how therapeutic it could be to have something soft and warm to hold onto when you were feeling down.

"Whoa, dude, that's rough," Diego said, breaking the moment with his usual bluntness.

"I can handle it," Luther replied, his tone firm, though his eyes told a different story. He quickly shoveled another spoonful of eggs into his mouth.

Five, always the practical one, set his coffee cup down with a soft clink and stood up, clearly ready to move on. "I'll get her. Can you get Vanya without, uh, squeezing her to death?" he asked Luther, his voice laced with both sarcasm and genuine concern.

"I'll try," Luther replied, his tone matching Five's dry humor.

Five then turned his attention to me, his sharp eyes studying my face for a moment. "You coming?" he asked, his tone more of a suggestion than a command.

I shook my head, offering him a small smile. "It's okay. I'm gonna stay with your brothers, make sure they don't kill my dad."

Diego and Luther both turned to me, their expressions a mix of surprise and something else I couldn't quite place. Luther, with a bit of egg still clinging to the corner of his mouth, looked especially taken aback. A piece of that egg even fell off his face as he stared at me, and I had to bite back a laugh at the absurdity of it all. These guys were supposed to be world-saving superheroes, yet here we were, dealing with scrambled eggs and awkward silences.

Five just nodded, accepting my decision without argument. "Okay, I'll be back," he said simply, and with that, he blinked away, leaving the three of us alone in the room.

For a moment, the room fell into an uncomfortable silence, the kind that felt heavy with unspoken thoughts and lingering tension. I glanced down at Sushi, who was still curled up contentedly on my lap, her soft purring the only sound breaking the quiet. The warmth of her body against mine was reassuring, a small comfort amidst the chaos swirling around me.

Luther and Diego exchanged a look, their expressions complicated.

"So, uh, how about we not traumatize my dad any further?" I suggested, trying to lighten the mood as I stroked Sushi's fur.

Luther gave a small, sheepish nod, wiping the rest of the egg from his face, while Diego chuckled, his usual smirk returning. "Yeah, I think we can manage that," Diego replied, though the mischievous glint in his eyes told me he wasn't entirely opposed to causing a bit more trouble.

"I appreciate that," I said with a half-smile, feeling the tension in the room start to ease just a little. At least for now, things were calm, and I could only hope that Five's plan would help keep it that way.

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I was lying on my bed, notebook open in front of me as I tried to focus on writing some notes for school. But no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept drifting back to the chaos of the past few days. My mind was all over the place, unable to concentrate on anything academic. Instead, I found myself thinking about Five—specifically, what would happen if he went back to his timeline. What would happen to us?

It wasn't like we had anything official going on, but it felt like something. That kiss we shared, the way he'd rest his forehead against mine—it made me blush just thinking about it. And yet, I couldn't shake the dread that filled me every time I considered what would happen if he succeeded in stopping the apocalypse. Would he leave? Would he go back to his time and leave me behind? The thought made my stomach twist in knots. I tried to push it out of my mind, but it kept creeping back in.

The shrill ring of the kitchen phone broke through my spiraling thoughts, making me jump. I sighed, closing my notebook with a thud. I needed a break anyway. Getting up from my bed, I made my way out of my room and down the hall to the kitchen. The phone kept ringing, echoing through the empty house, and I wondered for a moment who it could be. Maybe Five, or one of Five's siblings. But when I finally picked it up, I was surprised to hear a familiar voice on the other end.

"Y/n?" Bri's voice came through the line.

"Bri? Hi. What's up?" I asked, trying to sound normal.

"What's up? You didn't come to school today, and Daven said he's been trying to get a hold of you for days. What's going on?" she asked, her concern evident. I could almost picture her frowning on the other end of the line.

I sighed, leaning against the kitchen wall and glancing out into the living room. Luther was sitting on the floor, playing with Sushi and speaking to her in a ridiculous baby voice, while Diego was lounging on the couch, casually sharpening a knife like it was the most normal thing in the world. I smiled slightly at the sight but then turned my attention back to the phone. "Sorry, Bri. It's just been crazy at my house the last couple of days..." I trailed off, not sure how to even begin to explain the reality of what was happening.

"Did your dad think he caught another one of those sky people again?" she asked, her tone light but with an edge of disbelief. She never really believed my dad's stories about "sky people," just like the rest of the town.

I glanced back into the living room, watching Luther try to coax a purr out of Sushi while Diego twirled his knife absentmindedly. "Yeah... something like that," I replied, the words heavy on my tongue. I hated lying to her, but how could I possibly tell her the truth?

"Y/n, seriously, you need to get out of that place," Bri said, her voice dropping to a more serious tone. She'd always been protective of me, especially when it came to the weirdness surrounding my dad.

"I can't, Bri. My dad needs me right now," I said, my voice soft but firm. I knew she was just worried, but leaving wasn't an option—not with everything that is happening.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, followed by a sigh. "Okay, I get it. It's just... I feel like you're not telling me stuff anymore."

"Bri..." I started, feeling a pang of guilt twist in my chest. "We've been friends for since first grade. I wouldn't just stop telling you things or lose contact." I tried to keep my voice light, but I could hear the strain in it. It was true—we'd been inseparable for as long as I could remember. The last thing I wanted was to drive a wedge between us.

She let out a small laugh, and I could practically see her rolling her eyes on the other end of the line. "Yeah, that's true."

I smiled, feeling a little of the tension ease out of me. "I promise, nothing's changing between us."

"Me too," she said softly. There was a brief pause, and then her voice brightened a bit. "How about we get milkshakes next week?"

"You know I would never say no to that offer," I giggled, feeling a bit of the weight lift off my shoulders. It was nice to think about something normal, something that had nothing to do with apocalypses or time travel or mysterious boys.

"Okay, I need to go. Call me, okay?" she said, her voice gentle but with a hint of insistence.

"I will, Bri. Love you, bye," I said softly, not wanting to hang up but knowing I had to.

"Love you too," she replied before the line went dead.

I hung up the phone and sighed, the weight of everything pressing down on me again. I hated lying to her, keeping her in the dark about what was really going on. But how could I possibly tell her about the world-ending chaos happening right in my own home? How could I explain that the guy I was starting to fall for might disappear at any moment, leaving nothing but a memory behind? I couldn't. So, for now, I'd keep the secrets, hoping that when all this was over, we could go back to milkshakes and normalcy. But deep down, I knew that things might never be the same again.

———

It had been an hour since we gathered in the living room, and now, Diego, Luther, and I now were joined by their sister, Vanya. My dad was still in the kitchen, the sounds of him making something to eat echoing faintly through the house. The smell of whatever he was cooking wafted into the room, but it did nothing to ease the strange tension hanging in the air.

The siblings had caught me up on everything—this whole apocalypse mess, how Vanya blew up the moon, which had been a pretty shocking revelation. They told me about how they'd all ended up here, scattered across different years in Dallas, Texas. And then there was the story of their adoption, how they were all brought together by their father, Reginald Hargreeves. That explained why they didn't really look like a "normal" family—no shared features, no obvious connections aside from the bond they seemed to have, however strained it might be.

It was surreal hearing all of this, like something straight out of a comic book. But as crazy as it all sounded, I wasn't as surprised as I might have been a few days ago. After everything I'd seen and heard since Five showed up, it almost made sense in a weird, twisted way.

They also shared their powers with me—abilities that were both incredible and terrifying. Luther's super strength, Diego's uncanny knife-throwing skills, Vanya's... well, destructive potential, and Five's time travel. And then there was their father, Reginald, who seemed like some kind of cold, calculating mastermind. The way they talked about him, it was clear they had complicated feelings—respect mixed with bitterness, admiration tainted by resentment.

And then there was Grace, the robot who had raised them. A robot mom? That one was hard to wrap my head around, but at this point, I was rolling with it. It was a lot to take in, but the more they told me, the more it all seemed to fit together. Their odd behaviors, the way they interacted with each other—it all made sense now, in the strangest way possible.

Now, though, we were all sitting in silence. It was a quiet that felt heavy, kind of awkward. There was so much left unsaid, hanging in the air between us, but no one seemed ready to break the silence. Luther was still petting Sushi, his massive hands surprisingly gentle as he stroked her fur. Vanya was watching him.

Diego, meanwhile, was playing with his knives, flipping them skillfully between his fingers in a way that made me nervous, though he seemed completely at ease. The sharp blades caught the light every now and then, reflecting tiny slivers of brightness across the room. He didn't look up, his focus entirely on the knives, but I could tell he was aware of everything going on around him. He had that vibe, like nothing could catch him off guard.

I shifted a little in my seat, the quiet getting to me. It wasn't uncomfortable exactly, but it was heavy, loaded with everything that had been said—and maybe more with what hadn't. I wasn't sure what to say next, or even if I should say anything at all. It wasn't like I could really relate to what they were going through, but at the same time, I felt like I was being pulled into their world, like I was becoming part of this strange, dysfunctional family whether I wanted to or not.

Finally, I cleared my throat, trying to ease the tension. "So... is it always like this with you guys? The whole saving-the-world thing?"

Diego glanced up at me, smirking slightly as he caught one of his knives mid-spin. "Pretty much. It's kind of our thing."

Vanya's smile faded a little as she looked down at her hands. "It wasn't always like this. We used to just be... well, not normal, but less apocalyptic."

Luther let out a soft sigh, still petting Sushi, who had now fully relaxed in his lap. "Yeah, things got complicated."

I nodded slowly, trying to process everything. Complicated seemed like an understatement, but I didn't push it. They clearly had a lot of history—history I was only just starting to understand.

"Well," I said, trying to lighten the mood a bit, "at least you've got each other, right?"

That seemed to catch them off guard. Luther paused mid-pet, Vanya looked up at me with a surprised expression, and even Diego's smirk faltered for a moment.

"Yeah," Vanya said softly, almost to herself. "We do."

The quiet settled over us again, but this time it didn't feel as heavy. There was a sense of understanding, maybe even a little bit of comfort in the shared silence. We didn't need to fill it with words—at least not right now. For now, it was enough to just be here, together, waiting to see what came next.

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