— 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀；𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆
— 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗋：𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗉 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗈𝗇𝖾

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝗻 𝗠𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗻
𝖻𝗒：𝖪𝖺𝗇𝗌𝖺𝗌
" 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯．𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯．𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘪 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯，𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸．"

KLAUS HARGREEVES AND GEMINI HARGREEVES, got along too quickly for most of the umbrella academy's liking. And by most of the umbrella academy that meant Diego and Five.

While Five had gone to look at what they were serving for breakfast, Klaus decided to ask Gemini a favor.

"Last night, you mentioned tracking down our birth parents. And since I've been meaning to do that I decided to take your advice." Klaus said, turning towards the girl.

"That's great! When are you leaving?" Gemini asked.

"Today, but I wanted to ask you if you would tag along with me?"

Gemini paused for a moment to let a bright smile come upon her face.

"Of course I can come with you, I'll be your emotional support." She agreed.

Klaus let out a small huff, "Thank you for agreeing to do this with me."

"It's nothing really."

"Alright, now I'm going to ask Five but I'm not going to tell him what I'm really doing." Klaus elaborated.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, he doesn't really look like a person that wants to be lied to." Gemini asked unsurely.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, besides I'm going to tell him when we're about halfway there."

"Okay, I'll meet you both at the car." Gemini said, as she and Cleo stood up.

☂︎︎

Being kidnapped by the sparrows was not how Luther's day was supposed to go.

But there he was, in the sparrows academy with no idea what was about to happen.

After Grace finished checking him, he got up from the cot and grabbed a stray mop and walked out of the room ready to defend himself.

"Ah, there he is." Alphonso called out, catching everyone's attention.

Luther was many things but at that moment he was confused.

"Please, join us." Fei invited, motioning to a seat next to her.

"It's okay. Nobody's gonna hurt you." Ben reassured him.

"Smoothie?" Sloane asked, standing by him holding up a glass.

"Oh, yeah thanks." He replied, with a growing smile on his face as he brought down the broom, and gave it to Sloane.

"You must be starving." Fei stated, as a question more or less.

"No, I... I probably shouldn't." Luther started out cautiously, till he saw what was sitting on the table.

"Is that cashew butter?" he asked as his attention was redirected.

"Cashew butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, tahini, Brazil nut." Sloane listed out.

"Wow. You know what? Now that you mention it I am feeling a little bit, uh, peckish, actually."

"Help yourself." Alphonso told Luther while he was currently enjoying some yogurt.

"Thanks!"

Sitting down Luther got himself situated with the sparrows as he began to eat.

"So, we know you're Number One but we haven't been formally introduced yet. I'm Ben, Number Two."

"It is so good to see you again, buddy."

"Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?" Ben asked, as he was beginning to get annoyed, again.

"Because you've been dead for 15 years." Luther reminisced.

"Dead. What do you mean, dead?" Ben asked quite agitatedly.

And all the sparrows looked to Luther for answers.

"Kind of a long story." Luther stated trying to move on from the subject, which Fei picked up on.

"Anyways, I'm Fei, Number Three."

"Alphonso, cuatro."

"Sloane. Five. Hey."

"Hey" Luther said back.

"I'm Jayme, Six."

"That's Christopher of course, Seven." Ben finished.

Then Christopher started to speak to the group.

"Oh, don't mind him. He's in a bit of a saucy mood today." Ben joked.

Making the sparrows laugh lightly.

"He wouldn't get it." Alphonso said towards Ben.

"It's just so–" Sloane laughed.

Wanting to be included and not left out even if he didn't know what was going on Luther laughed with the group as well.

"Wait uh, what about Number one?" Luther asked, making everyone look in his direction.

"What about him?" Fei asked, suspiciously.

"Where is he?"

Taking a butter knife, Ben stabbed into the table making Luther jump.

"That's what we'd like to know."

Cluelessly Luther asked, "Are we playing a game?"

"Whatever game the umbrellas are playing, you're gonna lose." Ben threatened.

"You took our Number One, so we took you." Ben accused.

"Wait, we took Marcus? Why would we do that?" Luther asked.

"Act of war. Death wish." Jayme announced.

"The last time we saw him, he was with your sister." Sloane explained.

"Which one?"

"The little one with big powers." Fei stated.

"Vanya? Huh. Well, I gotta say, it does not sound like Vanya to go and kidnap anybody. You know, having said that I am usually the last to know about these kinda things." Luther shared with the sparrows.

"You're their Number One. Shouldn't you know everything?" Ben asked.

"I know. You'd think so, Ben. Discipline has never really been our strong suit. It's pretty much a free–for–all over there."

"So listen, this sounds like an easy fix. I'll head back. I mean, my family's probably worried sick about me, to be honest. And if they have your guy, I'll send him back without a scratch. Alright, no harm, no foul." Luther said, as he ate his food.

"How does that sound? Good?" He asked as he looked around the room for any objections.

"Great." Luther decided, as he tried to get up but was sat back down by one of Ben's tentacles.

"What's the rush? Stick around till Marcus is back." Ben quizzically stated.

While Christopher floated over and threatened Luther.

"My family will come for me."

"Wonderful. In the meantime, make yourself at home." Ben said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Oh, and uh... before I forget, if you try to escape, Fei's birds will peck your eyes out and make a nest inside your skull. Ben shared with Luther in a threatening manner.

And as Luther looked over in Fei's direction she smiled maliciously.

Before all the sparrows could leave, Luther decided to ask his own question.

"Don't you want to know about Gemini and Cleo, your Number Zero."

"This is a regular thing for them to do, they'll be back when they want to come home." Sloane informed Luther, as he nodded his head.

"So, what do you like to do for fun?" She asked, with a kind smile.

☂︎︎

"I still don't understand why I had to tag along, I would have been perfectly fine back at the hotel?" Cleo asked, as she was sitting beside Gemini in the back seat of the car with Klaus and Five.

"My point exactly, those two didn't have to come with us Klaus." Five added.

"Nobody asked you to speak, Five." Cleo pointed out as she was quite annoyed with the boy's presents.

"Because Klaus wanted us to come along, you already know this Cleo." Gemini told her double.

"Yeah, but I still would like to not be in his presence." Cleo stated, as she kicked the back on his seat.

Making Five huff, "Besides these two being here, this actually isn't so terrible."

"See, told yah." Klaus agreed.

"Come to think of it, my whole life I've been under the gun."

"I wish you stayed under it." Cleo whispered under her breath, as Gemini elbowed her side.

"–Missions for Dad, working for the commission, trying to survive the apocalypse. I was always looking round every corner, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's nice to just breathe." Five continued to say.

"Enjoy that breath while you still can." Cleo threatened once again.

"Good for you, man. Retirement is suiting you." Klaus said, trying to derail Cleo's threats.

"Oh! Uh... All right! So I've circled all the roadside attractions along the way. We have the Brownsville Big Nickel." Five started to list.

"He doesn't know what we're truly doing out here does he?" Cleo asked Gemini as she began to laugh.

"No he does not." Gemini replied with a sly smile on her face.

"I'm not sure we're gonna have time for all that..." Klaus began to say.

"Oh, Ricky's Bakery has award–winning pies–"

"If you just let me explain for like two seconds." Klaus tried to interrupt Five.

"Or there's this Cow Henge." Five trailed off as he looked to his brother.

"Alright, listen to me. Just shut up for two seconds, okay? Just two seconds? All right?" Klaus said, as he finally got Five's attention.

While Cleo watched Five's happy smile disappear from his face, which brought a smile to hers.

"Okay, I'm all ears." Five said, slightly turning to his brother as he folded his map up.

"Oh here it comes." Gemini whispered excitedly, watching the scene unfold in front of her eyes.

"We are going to Pennsylvania to find my birth mother. Yay!" Klaus tried to celebrate, but saw the look on his brother's face.

"I'm sorry, okay. I'm sorry. I just need somebody to come with me for emotional support." Klaus explained.

"Oh emotional support, like a Schnauzer?" Five stated angrily.

"Yeah, and I knew you wouldn't come if I told you, so what was I supposed to do?"

"You're goddamn right I wouldn't have come, Klaus. You know why? Because I am supposed to be retired."

"And besides you asked Gemini and Cleo to come, why do you need me?" He asked, wanting an answer.

"Because you're my brother." Klaus stated sweetly, making Five roll his eyes and slump back in his seat.

"This was supposed to be a carefree road trip."

"Well it still can be, babe."

Looking out through his window, Five saw a big sign stating "Ball of Twine" next left.

"Ball of Twine? Klaus, turn! Ball of twine! Turn!" Five shouted excitedly as he took over the steering wheel and drove the car himself, alarming Klaus.

"What? Five! Five!"

"It is one of the best ones! Come on!"

"Five, we're gonna die! Whoo!" Klaus shouted as he just missed an oncoming car.

"I don't care! Let's go!"

"Wooohooo! That's what I'm talking about ROAD TRIP!" Cleo shouted, joining in on the chaos.

"You know what? No twine, no birth mother!"

☂︎︎

Actually making it without crashing the car, Cleo, Gemini, Klaus and Five now stood in front of the "Ball of Twine".

"Yeah, you know. I don't know why, but I thought it'd be a lot bigger." Klaus shared with the group.

"Seems pretty big to me." Five stated, admiring the ball.

"That's because you're short." Cleo said, taking a dig at Five.

"You're one to talk. What are you 5'4." Five estimated seeing as he was taller than her.

"Yeah, well at least my ego is a lot bigger." She seethed.

Ignoring her previous statement, Five asked his brother a question.

"How do you know your birth mother is in Pennsylvania?" He asked, turning towards him.

"Well, because I was on the ass end of a two–week bender, and I can't tell you the exact date because we were boofing Xanax and the whole business, but Amy Winehouse was at the top of the charts. So that puts us somewhere, where? In the mid to late aughts."

"I helped myself into Dad's office, looking for the key to his safe 'cause he had Pogo lock up all the stealables. But instead I found a treasure trove of our family history told in expired check stubs. I was too messed to uh, do anything about it. Too scared to look her up. But always in the back of my mind I wondered why she sold me off for three grand. I mean, come on, she couldn't have held out for five? Six?" Klaus explained thinking back to the night he found the receipts.

"You see anything about my mother?" Five asked.

"No, sorry."

"Why now?"

"Well Gemini reminded me and because Dad disowns us, Grace isn't Grace. Ben's gone. Now it just felt like a good time as any to find out who I could've been if I didn't grow up in this stupid family." Klaus shared.

"Well, can you really call what we had a family?" Five asked.

"No. It's more like a –"

"Institute for Snarky Delinquents. And you know not a good one at that." Five said, finishing Klaus's sentence.

"But what is family? What is it? It's like some kind of giant... ball of twine that could never be untangled."

"Giant ball of obligation I've been pushing uphill my entire life."

"And the older you get, the bigger it gets. And the more you try to untangle it..."

"You watch it roll down a hill..."

Klaus and Five began to state at the same time but ended up reaching the same conclusion.

"And what's the point?"

"Hey, I'm glad you came along. You're a good brother." Klaus said.

Causing a brief pause in between the two.

"Oi, are you two done sharing your feelings because if you are I would like to get going now!" Cleo called out from the car.

"All right, all right. You say nice things about me now." Klaus tried to oblige Five.

"Let's go find your stupid mother." Five stated, as he turned around to walk back to the car.

Hearing his brother's statement Klaus smiled as he too ran back to the car. "Love you too, tiny dancer."

And with that the road trip was back on, and the group was now on their way to Klaus's mother.

Five and Cleo are so much alike, that it's really hard for them to get along.