THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY
fractured || five hargreeves x reader

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: WHEN DOES IT END?

Written By: peachyhxlland

°•.☆.•°

Five was pulled into your mind again, the same dark void as before, filled with thick red smoke swirling around his feet. The air was heavy, suffocating like the weight of a thousand whispered lies pressing down on him. His eyes scanned the emptiness until he spotted a familiar red door standing ominously in the distance.

"(Y/n)!" Five bolted toward the door, his heart hammering in his chest. But before he could reach it, something yanked him down, his body hitting the cold ground with a thud. His foot burned with an unnatural grip. Five gritted his teeth and glanced downward—tendrils of the crimson smoke had wrapped around his ankle, curling and twisting until they began to take shape.

The smoke solidified into a figure. It was you, but not you. The Other (Y/n).

She emerged from the swirling mist, her form solidifying into a cruel mirror of you. But this version was older, a version of what you would have become had Reginald never experimented on you in the first place, never stunted your aging.

But she bore the same burnt scar on her face.

"You are not getting to her!" Your other self snarled, her voice filled with fury as she crawled toward him. Her fingers dug into his leg, her grip cold and unrelenting, and her dark eyes burning with anger. "You are not going to ruin this for me! I've waited years! I'm getting my own world! My own timeline!"

Five's jaw clenched, guilt clawing at his insides, but he had no time to dwell on it. With a sharp movement, he kicked her square in the face, forcing her to release him. She reeled back with a sharp hiss, blood dripping from her lip, but the fury in her eyes only burned brighter. Scrambling to his feet, Five took a defensive stance, muscles tensed, ready for another attack. The Other (Y/n) wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand, glaring up at him as the whispers around them grew louder. Five's ears rang as the voices closed in.

"Weak!"

"You don't belong with them!"

"They don't love you. They changed!"

"Worthless!"

"Pathetic."

"You don't deserve them."

"You need a new world. They've abandoned you. You can create them more perfectly in your new world."

Five's brows furrowed as he turned his head, his sharp ears picking up every venomous whisper slithering through the darkness. He looked back at your other self, watching as her glare hardened, the weight of the voices pressing down on them both. His jaw clenched. "This is what you have been telling her?" Five demanded, his voice steady despite the fury bubbling beneath the surface. "All these... lies? Filling her head with poison of lies so she'd let her guard down? Just so you could take control?"

Your other self said nothing.

"You see me—all of us—through such a bitter, warped lens. You've been drowning in rage and revenge for so long that you don't even see what's true or not anymore. (Y/n), we've always loved you."

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Loved me?" she spat. "We were alone, Five. Alone for years. Your lives went on without us, and none of you even noticed. If we hadn't shown up at that stupid party, none of you would've even known we were still alive."

Five didn't respond.

She took a step closer, her fists clenching. "I want a world where everything is perfect," She whispered. "No pain. No loneliness. And I don't care if I have to end this one to get it. I want to be selfish for once—to have a world where I make the rules. Where no one leaves me. Where I have everything I want."

Five's grip on his stance loosened. His fingers uncurled slightly from their defensive position, his body language shifting from combat-ready to something softer. His brows furrowed as he studied her, really studied her.

And then, with quiet certainty, he spoke.

"Isn't that exactly what Reginald did?"

The moment the words left his mouth, something inside her shattered.

The Other (Y/n)'s breath hitched sharply, her pupils dilating as if he had just struck her. The red haze around them pulsed in reaction to her emotions, swirling violently before settling into an uneasy stillness.

Five held her gaze. "His world ended..." He continued, his voice low but cutting. "So he took control of this one. He played god. He stole our lives and molded them to fit his plan." He took a slow step forward, his expression unrelenting. "And you..." His words dragged, deliberate, giving her nowhere to escape. "You're becoming just like him."

"I'M NOT LIKE HIM!"

Her scream tore through the void like a shockwave, the sheer force of her fury shaking the space around them. The red mist curled violently, crackling with unstable energy.

"Don't you dare compare me to that bastard! I am NOTHING like him!" Her entire body trembled as she clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms so deeply that blood dripped between her fingers. "He was cruel! A monster! I'm trying to make a better world! For me! For all of us!"

Five remained eerily calm, his expression unreadable. "And if that world fails?" Five challenged, his voice quiet, almost pitying. "Are you going to end it and start over? Again and again, until it's perfect?"

The words hit her like a slap. She blinked, stunned into silence. Your other self's breathing hitched as she stared at him, her lips slightly parted. The weight of his question pressed down on her like an unbearable burden.

"When does it end?"

A single tear slipped down her cheek.

Then, as if something inside her finally snapped, she lunged.

"I HATE YOU!" She charged at him with everything she had, her movements fueled by pure, unfiltered rage.

Five didn't move. He flinched but didn't teleport away. He simply stood there, unmoving, as she charged at him with all the force of her rage. But before her attack could land, something stopped her. She froze mid-motion, her body paralyzed. Her eyes widened in shock. A force, invisible yet overwhelming, held her in place.

And standing between them was you.

Five's eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the real you—weak, battered, and bleeding, but you. His (Y/n). Your wrists were covered with deep cuts lining your skin from the struggle to break free from your shackles. Your body trembled from exhaustion, but your grip on your powers remained firm as you held your other self back.

The Other (Y/n) slowly turned her gaze toward the red door. It was wide open now, the chains and cuffs that once restrained you lying shattered on the ground. "How did you—?"

But you didn't answer her. You didn't even look at her. Your head turned slightly, just enough for Five to know your words were meant for him.

"Leave." Your voice was hoarse, weak—but there was no mistaking the command in it.

Five stiffened. "What?"

"I said leave, Five."

It wasn't a request nor a plea.

It was an order.

His fists clenched, his heart screaming at him to not leave you behind. He hated leaving you here and the thought of stepping away when he had just gotten to you. But the urgency in your voice told him there was no time to argue. He hesitated, clenching his jaw. Five swallowed back his protests. His fingers twitched at his sides, wanting—aching—to reach for you. But he couldn't.

He gave you one last look, burning the sight of you into his mind before squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them, he was back in the real world.

The sensation of weight on his chest was gone. He was no longer pinned down. Instead, he found himself on the ground, gasping for breath. And you—you—were no longer hovering over him in attack. You were curled on the floor, clutching your head, groaning in agony.

Five pushed himself up, his breath shaky as he watched you writhe in pain. His fingers twitched, instinct screaming at him to go to you, but he barely had the strength to move. Luther was suddenly beside him, gripping his arm to help him up. "Come on," Luther urged, his voice firm but laced with worry.

Your eyes snapped open, burning with an unnatural glow as red tears streaked down your cheeks. The veins around your eyes darkened like spreading ink, twisting beneath your skin. A sharp, searing pain lanced through your skull as if something inside you was tearing itself apart.

"Get out!"

The scream ripped from your throat, raw and desperate. Your hand curled into a fist before slamming against the side of your head. The impact sent a violent shockwave through your body, but the presence inside you clung on, unyielding.

You staggered forward, your breaths coming in ragged gasps. The red tears kept falling, staining the ground beneath you.

Then—

"What's going on?"

A gentle, familiar voice cut through the chaos. Just in time, Reginald and Abigail arrived.

Abigail's worried gaze landed on you first, eyes widening at the sight of your trembling frame. "Are you alright—"

You snapped your head and saw Reginald. Reginald Hargreeves. The man who was responsible for everything. Something inside you cracked. A scream tore from your lips, a primal sound filled with raw hatred and grief. "NO!"

Before anyone could react, a wave of psionic energy erupted from you, expanding outward in a violent, uncontrollable blast. The force ripped through the ground, sending shockwaves across what was left of the crumbling world. The Hargreeves siblings barely had time to react before they were thrown backward. Luther tackled Viktor out of the way. Diego shielded Lila with his body. Five barely managed to teleport a few feet back before being caught in the force.

Abigail's eyes widened, and in a split-second decision, she lunged—not away from the blast but toward Reginald. With a desperate push, she shoved him aside, out of the deadly path of destruction. And in doing so, she took the hit herself. Reginald watched—his breath catching in his throat, horror overtaking his features—as Abigail's body was consumed. Disintegrating into nothing. Her scream barely had time to leave her lips before her form turned to ash, vanishing into the void.

Reginald's trembling hands reached out—but it was too late. All that remained were the ashes drifting between his fingers. His throat tightened, his mind barely processing what had just happened. She was gone. Forever.

His greatest achievement—bringing her back, defying time and space to reunite with her—had just been undone in an instant. And this time, there was nothing he could do. No second chances. No backup plan. No timeline left to fix it.

The ground beneath them shook violently and the Hargreeves siblings clung onto whatever they could, struggling to stay on their feet as reality trembled. Then a cataclysmic blast erupted from the space between you, hurling both of you in opposite directions.

Back inside your mind, the battlefield of your mindscape was cracked and crumbling, jagged fractures splitting the ground beneath your feet. The air shimmered with psionic energy, a swirling storm of power that pulsed between you and your other self.

The impact knocked the breath from your lungs, and a sharp, searing pain shot through your arm as you hit the ground. A sharp, sickening crack resonated through the empty void as your elbow twisted at an unnatural angle. A cry of pure agony tore from your lips, your entire arm going numb with a burning pain that sent shockwaves through your nerves. A few feet away, your other self groaned in pain, her face pressed against the ground.

You clenched your teeth, forcing yourself to move. Your body protested with every motion, but you refused to stop. You gasped, sucking in the air, your vision swimming. A dull ringing filled your ears. Every breath felt heavy, weighted down by the sheer exhaustion of fighting yourself.

Across from you, your other self groaned. She lay sprawled across the fractured ground, her face half-buried in the dust. Blood trickled from a split in her lip. With a sharp exhale, she spat out a tooth, wiping the blood from her mouth. "I'm doing this for us!" She snapped, her eyes wild with frustration. "Why can't you understand?! All of this is for you! For us!"

You swallowed back the pain, cradling your dislocated arm as you forced yourself to your feet. Your body swayed, barely able to hold itself upright, but you refused to fall.

"You keep resisting," Your other self continued, taking a step forward. "Fighting me for control. Why? Why can't you trust me just this once?!"

You exhaled shakily, your entire frame trembling from exhaustion. "Because you're hurting our family." You noticed your other self's expression twisted in frustration, but you kept going. "I never wanted this," You said, your voice raw with emotion. "I was fine—I was content living in this world. Sure, I was alone. Sure, I was experimented on again, but at least we had our family back." You clenched your jaw, glaring at her. "And then you had to fuck it all up."

Her hands balled into fists. "You weren't happy!" She snapped. "Even when we had them back, you were still miserable! You know it. I know it."

"You make me miserable!" You shot back, voice breaking. "All these negative thoughts, the constant bickering inside my head—you! You're the reason I look down on myself. The reason I doubt myself. And the worst part?"

You let out a bitter, broken laugh.

"I made you. I created you. I bottled up every horrible feeling, every doubt, every shred of pain until you became something else entirely." Your eyes burned as fresh tears fell freely. "In the end, this—all of this—was me. I made myself so miserable that I ended the world."

Silence.

Your other self simply stared at you, her expression unreadable. "You fight so hard for a family that has already moved on from you. They don't need you anymore." She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "So why do you keep fighting for them? That's why I'm fixing it," She whispered. "I'm creating a world where they can't leave you again. Where they won't forget you. Where they'll always be here."

You stared at your other self, your chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. Her words echoed in your mind, gnawing at the deepest corners of your thoughts. Then something clicked. A sudden realization slammed into you like a tidal wave, cold and undeniable. Your breath hitched. Your fingers twitched at your sides as your gaze locked onto hers.

Your other self noticed the shift in your expression. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"No..." You whispered.

A flicker of uncertainty passed across her face. "What did you just say?"

Your lips parted, and this time, your voice was steady. "I know how to fix this."

Her entire posture stiffened. "And how exactly?" She asked, suspicion lacing her voice.

You didn't answer.

You just moved.

Back in the real world, Five and the others stood frozen, watching you stand eerily still in the center of the ruined world. Your arms hung limply at your sides, your posture unnaturally rigid, as if you were nothing more than an empty shell. The dull, lifeless look in your eyes sent a chill down Five's spine.

"What's going on?" Klaus whispered, his voice laced with unease and worry. "Is she okay?"

Ben furrowed his brows. "She's not moving. Should we... check on her?"

Luther took a cautious step forward, but before anyone could react, your body jolted. A violent shudder rippled through you like a marionette suddenly yanked by unseen strings. Your fingers twitched. Your head snapped back slightly as if something inside you had just clicked into place. Your eyelids fluttered. Your breath hitched.

Back in your mind, your other self stumbled, her breath shallow, her body shaking. She blinked rapidly, confusion flashing across her face. Then, her lips parted and a thick, crimson drop rolled down from the corner of her mouth. Her hands trembled as she clutched at her chest, her fingers weakly grasping at nothing. Slowly, her gaze lifted, meeting yours.

And that's when she saw it.

Her heart was in your outstretched hand, cradled in a swirling mass of psionic energy. It pulsed weakly, the final remnants of her existence slipping through your fingers. Your grip tightened ever so slightly around it. "I'm finishing what you started."

Your other self's breath came in ragged gasps, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her legs buckled beneath her, and she crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings severed. Her hands twitched weakly against the void, her fingers desperately clawing at nothing—grasping for a lifeline that wasn't there.

You watched, heart pounding, as cracks formed along her body like shattered porcelain. Wisps of crimson smoke curled up from the fractures, curling and twisting in the empty air, vanishing into the darkness around you. You watched in silence, your heart hammering in your chest as the remnants of her presence drifted away. In your hand, the heart that had once pulsed with power flickered for a moment before disappearing, leaving nothing but the lingering chill of what had transpired.

A sharp gasp tore from your throat as you were violently yanked back into the real world. The shock of it all sent you collapsing onto the ground, your body trembling from the overwhelming sensation of being here again. Your hands clawed at the dirt beneath you, grounding yourself as you stared up at the sky—crimson red, ominous, as if the world itself had been holding its breath. You raised your hands in front of you, fingers shaking.

"I'm... back," You whispered, barely able to believe it.

Your body ached—a deep, bone-weary exhaustion settling in as you slowly push yourself up. It was only then that you truly registered the pain. This body had fought. Hard. Against your family. Against Five.

You swallowed hard, your throat dry and tight as you looked around. From the corners of the battlefield, your family emerged one by one. Their expressions were wary at first, hesitant, as if afraid this was a trick. And when you met their eyes, your heart clenched painfully. "I..."

You barely got the word out before Five moved. He didn't hesitate—not for a second. In a blur, he was in front of you, sliding to his knees with a desperation that made your breath hitch. His hands cupped your face, his touch gentle despite the chaos that had come before. He didn't flinch at the burn scar marring half of your face; he didn't waver at the battle-worn exhaustion in your eyes. His thumb brushed over your cheek, smoothing away stray strands of hair.

Five let out a breathless whisper, his voice barely audible. "It's you..."

And then he kissed you.

The moment his lips met yours, it was as if the world finally steadied. The storm in your mind quieted, the suffocating weight of everything that had happened easing just enough to let you breathe. You melted into the kiss, your hands clutching at the front of his suit.

Five pulled away only when Luther's booming voice cut through the air. "(Y/n)'s back! We did it!" Luther's face lit up in pure relief, and before you could fully react, he scooped you up with ease, cradling you in his massive arms like a child. "Oh, (Y/n), how we've missed you!" He bellowed, holding you up slightly as if showing you off to the others.

You groaned. "Luther—put me down."

He did—though not before spinning you slightly for dramatic effect. Your feet barely touched the ground