THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

CHAPTER FORTY: YOU NEVER LISTEN, DO YOU, FIVE?

Written By: peachyhxlland

°•.☆.•°

Before they went into battle, Five and Lila suggested a plan to keep the others safe. The best course of action was to use the subway to enter different timelines, where the chaos of the present wouldn't reach them. This was the only way to ensure their survival.

Five stood near the platform, silently watching as emotions ran high among their group. Lila's family tearfully bid their goodbyes, their words laced with sorrow and uncertainty. Allison struggled to let go of the family she had fought so hard to reclaim, her grip lingering on Claire as if she could somehow hold onto this reality. Klaus placed a gentle kiss on Claire's forehead before wrapping her in a tight embrace, whispering something only she could hear. Diego knelt and kissed each of his three children with Lila. Ben was hugging Jennifer tightly, struggling to let her go but he knew he had to for her own safety.

Among them, Five noticed Ethan standing with his fiancée, preparing to board. Despite everything, Five had made sure they got here safely. While Ethan was engaged in conversation with Luther, Five simply observed, taking in the moment. It felt surreal—this was the last time they would see each other, and there was no telling what would happen next.

Before Ethan could enter the train, he turned to Five and held something out to him. "Here," he said.

Five furrowed his brows as he took the object—a pair of earbuds resting in his palm. He studied them for a moment before glancing back up. "What is this?"

"I figured you and your family might need them," Ethan said with a small smile. "I'm not leaving you without giving you my final assistance."

Five let out a soft, breathy laugh, something rare for him. He smirked before pulling Ethan into a quick hug without hesitation. The moment took him by surprise. He had initiated it first. It was unfamiliar yet... not unpleasant. Having a best friend felt nice for once. It was cruelly ironic that the world was ending just as he finally had one.

Ethan, equally surprised, quickly recovered and hugged him back, patting Five's back in a way that was both reassuring and final.

A voice interrupted the moment.

"It's sad that Ms. Snowpeach won't be able to see her owner one last time."

Five turned to see Danielle approaching with the small feline cradled in her arms. Ms. Snowpeach's wide, curious eyes locked onto him, and for a brief second, Five felt something indescribable—an odd sense of connection, even though he had never fully bonded with the cat. Yet, because of his visions and the dreams that had haunted him, he felt closer to her than he should have. Reaching out, he let his fingers run gently over her soft fur. Her warmth against his hand, the way she instinctively leaned into his touch and purred, caused a strange tightness in his chest.

Danielle chuckled as she watched the interaction between Five and the cat. "Five..." She began hesitantly, drawing his gaze. Her voice wavered with something unspoken. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could do more. I want to get her back too, but..." She clutched Ms. Snowpeach a little tighter—enough to show her emotions but not enough to hurt the cat. "If only I had powers. If only I had known. If only—"

The ground suddenly trembled beneath them, cutting her off. A violent earthquake ripped through the station, sending tremors strong enough to make the walls groan under the pressure. The others cried out in alarm, grabbing onto each other or whatever stable structures they could find. Panic set in, but Five's siblings immediately sprang into action, working to calm them.

Danielle and Five locked eyes amidst the chaos. Without hesitation, Five placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "You've done plenty," He told her firmly. "I know you didn't notice the change in her, but you were there for her when we weren't. When I wasn't. You kept her company. You kept her sane—well, mostly."

Danielle let out a small laugh, shaking her head before sighing. "Still, it's nothing compared to you." Her voice softened. "She told me about you. That you spent your entire childhood with her, and then... you disappeared. And after all that time, you two have only really spent—what? Three weeks together since you came back?"

Five was surprised but didn't show it. He didn't even realize that.

The first timeline—ten days.
The second timeline—ten days.
The third? A handful of days, possibly ten as well.

It had all felt like a lifetime. And yet, in reality, it was barely a month for him.

Danielle sighed heavily, her grip on Ms. Snowpeach tightening ever so slightly. "You two..." She shook her head. "You really are meant for each other." She hesitated before finally saying, "I love her... but she loves you more." Danielle placed a gentle hand on his shoulder now, mirroring his earlier gesture. "She spent years yearning for you, even when she thought you were dead," She whispered. "She'll come back. And when she does, I know you'll find a way to reach her."

°•○●○•°

"Well..." Klaus gulped as he and Viktor stepped onto the open field, where Reginald's bodyguards claimed they had found you. He let out a shaky breath before forcing a smirk. "Let's just pretend this is like any other family reunion we've had."

"So... a disaster then..." Viktor muttered.

The silence followed was thick, stretching across the vast expanse of worn stone. The ruins of what's left of a mall surrounded them—cracked tiles littered with debris, broken pillars standing as relics of past battles. Dark red vines snaked through the wreckage, slowly reclaiming what had been left behind. Above, the sky was ablaze in deep reds and burnt oranges, as if the heavens themselves were bleeding. Clouds swirled, stirring like a brewing storm, and a person hovered at the center of it all. It was you. Your form was a jagged silhouette against the angry sky, your presence pressing down on them like an unseen weight.

They had spent so long strategizing, locked away in Reginald's mansion, that they hadn't realized how much of the world had already fallen apart. The ground was cracked and uneven, once-great structures reduced to mere skeletons of their former glory.

Klaus turned in a slow circle, unease settling deep in his bones. His fingers twitched at his sides as his eyes darted between the broken pillars and the swirling, storm-tinted sky. "How did she even find this place?" He whispered.

"The real question is..." Viktor murmured while his gaze locked on the sky. "How are we supposed to convince her?"

"She's been on a bit of a doomsday streak lately, and I don't think she's gonna snap out of it because we called dibs on an intervention."

"Well, we don't really have a choice, do we?"

Klaus gulped nervously, then cupped his hands around his mouth. "(Y/N)!" His voice rang out, bouncing off the ruins. "Hey, baby sis! Long time no see. Wanna, I don't know... not obliterate existence?"

Silence.

Viktor took a cautious step forward. "(Y/n), please," he called, voice softer but no less urgent. "We need to talk."

Still, no response.

Klaus frowned. "Okay, I don't think she's ignoring us on purpose. I think she's—"

Before he could finish, you were suddenly in front of them, moving faster than they could register. A shockwave burst outward, slamming into them. Klaus stumbled back, cursing, while Viktor barely managed to stay on his feet. Luther and Diego tensed from their hiding spot, ready to intervene, but Five's voice crackled through their earbuds. "No, not yet. Wait for Lila to take action."

You tilted your head, your glowing eyes cold and distant. "He sent you, didn't he? To talk some more sense into me?"

Klaus winced, brushing dust off his clothes, while Viktor's expression was pleading as he stepped forward again. "(Y/n), you don't have to do this."

You tilted your head, watching them. "I do."

"No, you don't," Viktor insisted, taking a step closer. "You think this is the only way, but it's not. There's still a chance to fix things, to save what's left."

You exhaled slowly, deliberately, the breath leaving your lips like a whisper of wind before a storm. "Save what?" Your voice cut through the air, sharper now, edged with something bitter. "It's already too late."

The world around you crackled with energy, the storm overhead swirling violently, mirroring your turmoil.

Klaus took a careful step forward, raising his hands in surrender. "Look, I get it. The whole world is a dumpster fire, and, honestly? If I had your kind of power, I also might be tempted to hit the big ol' reset button." His voice softened. "But you're not alone in this. You never were."

For the first time, something wavered in your expression. Your fingers twitched at your side, an unconscious movement—one neither Klaus nor Viktor missed.

Viktor seized the moment, stepping forward with quiet urgency. "We know you're hurting. We know how much you've lost. But if you go through with this..." His voice cracked slightly, the pain evident in his eyes. "Then what's left? What happens after?"

The air between you hung heavy with unspoken things, words neither of you had dared to say until now. Your breath hitched—just for a second. Klaus saw the flicker of doubt, the briefest crack in the wall you had built around yourself.

"Hey," He said, his voice softer now. "Remember when we were kids? The dumb things we used to do? The stupid pranks? The way we would gang up on Luther or Diego just to see if we could get a rise out of them?" Klaus chuckled, taking another step forward. "That was a lifetime ago, I know, but you were never just a part of this family. You are this family. And families don't give up on each other."

The storm around you wavered, its once violent energy flickering like a candle struggling against the wind. The swirling clouds above hesitated, the crimson sky pulsing in time with the uncertainty creeping into your mind.

Viktor pressed on, his voice almost a whisper. "Please," He pleaded, his words carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken emotions. "Come back to us."

Your fingers twitched, curled into a tight fist at your side. The air grew thick with tension, humming with unspent power. Then, your expression hardened. Once filled with a glimmer of doubt, your eyes sharpened into something cold and unyielding. Your gaze darkened, burning with an intensity that sent a chill through the air.

"You two talk too much."

With a flick of your wrist, an invisible force exploded outward, slamming into Klaus and Viktor like a shockwave. The impact sent them flying backward, their bodies crashing into the crumbling stone ruins behind them. Dust and debris scattered into the air, swirling around your feet as you took a slow, deliberate step forward.

"Show yourselves up!" Your voice rang out across the ruins, laced with mockery. "You're all too predictable—it's laughable at this point."

You barely had time to unleash another blast before a shimmering barrier erupted in front of Viktor and Klaus, shielding them just in time.

Lila.

Your eyes flicked to the side, quickly locking onto the woman crouched behind a broken pillar. She had mimicked Viktor's power, her hands glowing with the same energy that now held your attack at bay. Raising your hand, you redirected the surge of power toward her, hurling a crackling blast in her direction.

Lila barely had time to react. She dove to the side, the energy colliding with the stone where she had just been, sending chunks of debris flying in all directions. The impact left a scorched mark on the earth, sizzling with raw power. Before you could strike again, a flash of green streaked toward you—her lasers. You snapped up your own shield just in time, Lila's attack ricocheting off the shimmering barrier that now surrounded you. The moment the energy dissipated, you felt another presence closing in.

Luther and Diego came out of hiding and charged towards you. Your eyes moved to see the two men running towards you. Diego moved first. With a flick of his wrist, his knives whistled through the air, their polished blades gleaming as they cut toward you. Your hand shot up, forming a translucent shield in an instant. Most of the blades clashed against it, clattering harmlessly to the ground.

But one managed to slip through the cracks. A thin line of red bloomed against your skin. You narrowed your eyes, more annoyed than hurt. Before the knife could fall to the ground, you caught it midair, your fingers closing around the hilt effortlessly.

Then you looked up and saw Luther airborne, soaring toward you like a human wrecking ball, his fists clenched, ready to strike. The moment his fists made contact with your shield, the force of the blow sent shockwaves through the air. The sheer impact cracked the energy barrier, sending a tremor up your arms and forcing your feet to slide back against the stone beneath you.

Your balance wavered for a second. Gritting your teeth, you planted your feet firmly, drawing on the storm surrounding you. The fractures in your shield pulsed with light before sealing themselves, the energy reinforcing itself as you absorbed the impact.

Diego moved fast, weaving through the rubble like a shadow. His knives flashed under the blood-red sky as he hurled them toward you in rapid succession. The silver blades cut through the air, precise, deadly but not fast enough.

You turned sharply, flicking your wrist with practiced ease. A surge of energy burst from your palm, sending Luther hurtling backward. His massive frame crashed into a pile of broken stone, the impact sending dust and debris flying into the air.

Without missing a beat, you redirected your focus to Diego's incoming knives. The blades hovered, trembling slightly as you turned them with a flick of your fingers, their sharp tips now aimed back at their owner. Diego's reflexes kicked in instantly. He dove and twisted, narrowly avoiding the knives with one knife missing him by an inch. He then pushed himself off the ground and flipped to avoid more knives, executing a flawless backflip that landed him neatly on his feet.

He didn't see the last knife. The very one you had caught earlier. It sliced through the air, too fast for him to react.

Diego's eyes widened as the blade skimmed his leg, cutting through fabric and flesh. He let out a sharp yelp, stumbling down as pain shot up his thigh. His hand instinctively went to the wound, warm blood staining his fingertips.

Ben then ran towards you and unleashed his tentacles from his back. Before you could react, they lashed around you, coiling tightly around your body. You gasped as the pressure increased, the suffocating grip forcing the air from your lungs. The tendrils squeezed tighter, locking you in place and crushing you inch by inch. A sharp pain shot through your body. You gritted your teeth, thrashing against your restraints, but Ben was stronger than he looked.

Allison emerged from the shadows and moved slowly, cautiously, her hands trembling as she approached. "(Y/n)..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, laced with guilt, and hesitation. She knew the anger you harbored toward her, the resentment still carved deep into your heart for what she had done to you.

But she didn't stop. Her eyes burned with regret as she took another step forward. "I'm sorry," She whispered, voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, (Y/n)..."

Her began to glow, a haunting, golden-white light radiating from within them. Instantly, your own irises ignited with the same eerie luminance, the power latching onto your mind like invisible chains. A deep, suffocating pressure sank into your skull, like fingers digging into your consciousness, prying, twisting, and forcing.

You clenched your teeth, fighting against the compulsion, but the grip only tightened. Ben's tentacles held you firm, their slick, inky surface coiling tighter around your body. Every breath you took was a battle against the constriction. The more you struggled, the more his grip tightened, his inhuman strength crushing you inch by inch.

Your vision blurred. A sharp, familiar warmth trickled down from your nose—blood. A sign whenever someone tries to fight against Allison's powers.

Allison took another step forward; her expression was pained but resolute. She wanted to stop you, but she also wanted to save you. "(Y/n), please," She pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just stop."

Five came out of his hiding spot. His eyes flickered with calculation as he took in the scene—Ben restraining you, Allison forcing her power onto you. He shifted slightly, barely tilting his head toward Klaus. Klaus caught his meaning immediately and lifted a hand. A faint energy wrapped around Five's frame, lifting him into the air. Klaus sent Five soaring downward, right toward you. As soon as Five was close enough, his body vanished in a flash of purple light. He reappeared directly in front of you.

His expression was unreadable, but there was something behind his eyes—something desperate and aching. His hand shot forward, reaching for you. But just before his fingers could graze your wrist, a smirk formed on your lips.

In an instant, a violent burst of energy erupted from within you, a force so powerful that the very air around you seemed to shatter. Ben's tentacles were severed instantly, the dark appendages vanishing into wisps of nothingness as a shockwave exploded outward.

Ben was thrown backward, crashing into the remains of a crumbling wall. Allison let out a sharp gasp, the connection between your minds snapping like a frayed wire. The backlash sent her flying, her body colliding with the rubble-strewn ground.

For the briefest second, you saw the surprise flicker in Five's eyes before the blast took him too. His frame was hurled back like a ragdoll, disappearing into the dust and debris.

A heavy silence hung in the air, dust and debris swirling around the battlefield like ghosts of the past. Your pulse thrummed with power, your body still radiating energy from the explosion you had just unleashed.

Then you heard footsteps.

You caught the blur of movement just in time as Diego flung a barrage of knives in your direction. Without hesitation, you flicked your wrist, the air around you warping as you seized control of the weapons mid-flight. The blades stopped inches from your face, suspended in the air like a twisted constellation. Then, with a flick of your fingers, you redirected the knives back at him.

Luther acted fast. His hands grasped a chunk of broken concrete, hurling it into the air just in time to intercept the blades. Metal embedded itself deep into the rubble, and before Diego could even react, Luther let out a battle cry and charged. He swung with all his strength. Then you caught his punch with your powers and sent him flying towards Diego. Luther crashed into Diego with a force that sent both men tumbling across the ruins, limbs entangled in a heap of groans and debris.

You barely had time to revel in it before Viktor made his move. A powerful burst of energy erupted from his hands, the force sending cracks through the ground as it surged toward you. You planted your feet, raising a single hand, and stopped the blast. The energy coiled around your fingers; your grip tightened, twisting Viktor's power into something unstable. Then, with an