THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY
fraught || five hargreeves x reader

CHAPTER FIVE: YOU PROMISED

Written By: peachyhxlland

°•.☆.•°

You took a quick shower, changed into some new clothes, and left the hotel while Five was in the sauna (and even taking a bath). Five needed to spend some time by himself, as you had wanted. You were the one who suggested he take a relaxing sauna session as well. In 20 days, he had to deal with two apocalypses, and he never had a chance to rest properly. He deserves to have a break.

The moon was as bright as ever as the sun had already set. You held onto Nico's blue baseball cap tightly and summoned a cab to take you to his house. You peered out the window to observe any potential alterations that might have occurred after the timeline was changed.

There was not much besides the large signs and billboards advertising the Sparrow Academy. You were reminded of the fame the Hargreeves siblings and you had as members of the Umbrella Academy when you were young. The fame was too much in your opinion. You didn't want to be popular or be forced to become a superhero. As boring as it may have appeared and sounded, you wanted to be normal and live an ordinary life. You didn't want to possess powers that could possibly be harmful if your emotions get the better of you.

After leaving the Academy, you made an effort to live a normal life. You earned your degree, got a comfortable job, and lived in a simple apartment.

You wanted to be ordinary. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

Soon, you arrived at the Russell residence. Once the driver had been paid, you exited the cab and stood outside while gazing at your grandfather's home. It felt as though you had already done this with each step you took as you moved forward. You're afraid of how the man you admire and cherish will react when he sees you as you walk to his house.

"In 2019. I'll try to stay alive so we could meet again then you return that cap back to me."

You stood in front of your grandfather's house, hesitating on whether to press the doorbell just beside the door. 'Oh screw it.' You pressed the doorbell twice and waited for anyone to answer.

"Hold on!" You heard someone from inside.

You waited patiently and looked at the streets. It was a busy night for the people and sometimes you wish you could be like them now that you're stuck with a teenager body. As you waited for the door to open, your thoughts wandered back to the day you had made the decision to visit Nico before.

"Am I dreaming or is that you, (Y/n)?"

"Please don't have a heart attack. Yes, it's me. Apparently, I'm stuck on my 15-year-old body."

"You were raised with children who have powers like you by a billionaire, (Y/n). Nothing seems to surprise me anymore when it's about you. But I do want to know why you're back in 15. Come on inside."

As soon as you heard the door open, you sighed and turned around. On the other side, where you had anticipated seeing your grandfather, there was someone else, much to your surprise. An unknown woman opened her door and looked down to see you. "May I help you?"

You stammered for words. "I—um, I'm here for Nicholas Russell."

The woman gasped. "Oh, the kind old man? I... well, he's..."

As you awaited the woman's clear answer, your heart began to beat rapidly. 'What happened to him? Did he move out? Am I ever going to see him again?'

"Do you want to come inside, sweetie?" The woman kindly offered. "I have some heavy news to tell you."

You took a deep breath and walked cautiously inside the home where you once lived. Compared to the previous time you had visited the place, it had changed. You didn't feel any better at all because of it. You took a quick look at the photos and saw that they were different. Your anxiety was increased by how different everything was. "I'm Aneira, by the way." The woman introduced herself. "Please, have a seat."

You took a seat on the couch while the woman, Aneira, went to the other room. "Who are you to Nicholas Russell?" You heard her ask.

"I'm his granddaughter." You replied as you anxiously rubbed your fingers on Nico's baseball cap. "Um... how about you?"

"Up until I moved into this house years ago, dear, I've known him for a little while." Aneira came back with a box and placed it on the center table. "This box is filled with your grandfather's belongings. I was unsure of where to place them and didn't want to throw them out."

You put the baseball cap to the side and shakily opened the box to reveal Nicholas' belongings, including pictures and clothing. "I was hoping that a member of his family or someone else would come and take them," Aneira added.

You picked up a framed photograph of Nico and his wife, your grandmother. Your eyes started to well up with tears as you stared at Nico's joyful smile and his loving gaze on his wife.

"I ain't having a girlfriend. No one likes me."

'Lying bastard.' You stifled a laugh before placing the picture down and seeing another picture of him with his sister Lenora, the sister whom he wished to have protected even more.

"I'm sorry for being protective towards you even if we know each other for only a few days. You just remind me so much of my Lenora. But no matter what your decisions are, I'll support you. At these times, we need to have each other."

In an effort to control your sobs, you put the photo down and covered your mouth with your hand. Aneira sighed as she lowered her gaze to her hands. "I'm so sorry..."

"When did he...?"

"I believe it was in or around 1990."

More tears started to come out of the corners of your eyes as you closed your eyes. Your hair concealed the pained look on your face when from the kind lady, and you lowered your head. Your heart clenched at the thought of Nico and the promise you two made for each other. It had been more than fifty years for Nico. It was just a couple of hours for you.

"Oh, sweetie, do you want some water or tea?" You shook your head in response to Aneira's concerned question. "No, but thank you." You replied politely.

You continued searching for additional items up until you felt frozen in place when you came across an image of him with Elliott Gussman. Elliott's face flashed back before your eyes and remembered his death at the hands of the Swedes. 'He didn't deserve to die like that...'

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion when you saw a familiar picture. It was you, Nico, and Elliott back in the 1960s. You and Elliott meant so much to Nico that he decided to keep it. As you hurriedly set the picture down, you let out a stifled sob. "Why..." You quietly sobbed as you kept your gaze low. "Why did you two have to go?" You whispered.

With your eyes all red and swollen, you raised your head and turned to face Aneira. "Where is he buried?"

°•○●○•°

While maintaining your hold on the box containing Nico's personal items, you stumbled around the graveyard. You considered yourself fortunate that there were no people nearby when you discovered that you were the only person at the cemetery. When you finally found Nico's gravestone, it was next to that of his wife, which you had been searching for. You dropped to your knees and began to read the headstones of your grandparents.

Maree Russell (née Jones)
1945 - 1989
To our beacon of hope,
You'll always be in our hearts.
We'll always love you.

Nicholas Russell
1945 - 1990
A Caring Son and Brother,
A Loyal Husband and Father,
Gone, but not forgotten,
One day, we will meet again.

Although you never had the chance to meet your grandmother in person, from the stories Nico had related to you when you were younger, he said she was the kindest and most caring person he had ever known. Despite how much she loved Nico, she didn't give a damn about his dark past.

Maree passed away in the original timeline before you were even born, thus you both missed the chance to get to know one another. Nico was extremely upset and unable to move on from the death of his wife until the day you were born on October 1st, 1989. Nico considered you a blessing and believed that he now had another purpose to live. You recalled Nico telling you previously that the instant he caught a glimpse of your eyes, he felt as though Maree had returned to him.

"You always have your grandmother's eyes."

You could say that Nico's heart was crushed when he discovered that Sir Reginald Hargreeves had obtained you from his daughter, who was also your biological mother. He was initially relieved that you had remembered him and had continued to pay him visits whenever you had the opportunity. Nico was grateful that you were there for him, despite the fact that his daughter passed away after delivering you to Reginald.

And even in 1963, you and Nico had each other's backs.

"You promised." As you gently placed your hand on your grandfather's gravestone, you smiled wistfully. "I'm sure you really tried." You could feel a knot building in your throat and heart, but you restrained yourself from crying. The need to scream and cry out in anguish was too intense, but you resisted the urge. All you wanted to do was vanish.

"I, um..." You were unable to stare at the gravestone so you forced a large swallow as you looked down at your knees. "I'll keep your things for now." You said. "I-I want—I need something to remember you by. Because if I ever lose my memories again, I don't want to forget you and lose the connection we share."

You picked up his baseball cap, which you had earlier put inside the box, and you just stared at it. "I know I promised that I will return this to you... but can I keep it for now?" You smiled weakly at the cap as a tear fell from your eye. "Out of all things, this is only the closest thing I have of you. And I don't want to lose that."

A few tears finally started to fall as you moved nearer to the gravestone and leaned your head against it. "Even though you were unaware of the fact that I was your granddaughter in 1963, Nico, you are the best grandfather a girl could ask for. And no one can change that." You shakily exhaled. You wanted to hug his gravestone along with your grandmother's. You missed them both so much.

As you gripped his gravestone and began to cry out of pain and grief, you felt the weight on your shoulders increase. You screamed in agony, setting off yet another massive blast all around you that destroyed a few plants. You didn't stop crying as you wished you could go back in time and stay with Nico. Or at least bring him along in the present to keep him alive.

"Thank you for everything." You mumbled while gasping for air and your eyes were closed as tears were falling continuously. "Wherever you are with grandma, I hope you're doing well, Papa. I love you."

-•-°-•-°-☆

I don't know if any of you have realized, but in the first book, it was Chapter Five when Nico was first introduced! The fact that Chapter Five of this book is about Nico's passing was unintentional, and I just noticed it after writing this chapter 😭

Fun fact—or maybe sad fact—is that Nico was originally intended to live for a while before passing away in later chapters. But after finishing season 3, I made the decision to change that.

p.s. guess who's playing Maree Russell. It's in her first name already.