𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 ━ five hargreeves

17│A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST

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❛ ᴡᴀsᴛᴇʟᴀɴᴅs ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴀ ɢʟɪᴍᴘsᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ
ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ ꒱


❝ I HAVE HATED THE WORDS
& I HAVE LOVED THEM ❞
— Liesel, The Book Thief

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If one were to compare members of The Umbrella Academy to characters in The Book Thief, Reginald Hargreeves would be equitable to the mayor of Molching. Pogo Hargreeves, on the other hand would fill in the spot of Frau Herman (at least in this instance.)

Routines were something that Pogo Hargreeves had grown fond of as he got older. They were predictable and dependable. He could always figure out what to do next because it was the same thing he'd done the day before and the day before and the day before. Back in what he would call 'the good old days' when children filled the large house, his schedule had been both routine and yet filled with enough variation that he had been surprised whenever the next event occurred.

While the children had never been a very rambunctious bunch as Reginald Hargreeves would never allow that, Pogo missed the presence each individual had that had filled up the otherwise large, empty space. He missed Number One's eagerness to please and lead. He missed Number Two's sullen silences, sparks of aggression towards his siblings and seeing Grace with a constant companion. He even missed Number Three's self-centeredness and manipulation. He missed Number Four's tornado-like presence that left a path of destruction in his wake (Grace missed cleaning up after him.) He missed Number Five's intelligence and argumentativeness. He missed Number Six's quiet support and surprisingly snarky remarks. And finally, he missed Number Seven's ability to listen and her beautiful violin music.

The children had been gone for years now, off into the world to live their own lives. Pogo understood why they left and why none of them deigned to return to the Academy. Even Luther, who had stayed the longest out of all of them, had eventually been sent on a goose-chase moon mission once he was no longer of use to Reginald. While Pogo considered the master of the house a close friend and someone he was indebted to, there were still things he privately disagreed on with the man which included the raising of his children.

While the adults knew that what they were training for was larger than themselves, the children didn't understand and held their tough lives against their father. Pogo often advocated for Reginald to be more open and share the necessary details about the future but the man promptly shut him down every time. Even once they left, all he'd said was they'll be back and had left it at that. Eventually, the chimpanzee had learned not to push the matter and chose to help out the frustrated children whenever he could before it was too late. Even with his minimal efforts, he was unsuccessful.

Once Luther had left, Pogo's life had turned into the routine he had grown to expect. There were no new missions, no training, no learning and no fights to put a stop to. Instead, he spent hours alone in the sitting room as he read through the myriad of books Reginald kept in the house. Every other hour, he'd go down to the kitchen to replenish his cup of tea. At twelve o'clock, he'd have lunch. After that he would check in on Reginald, though the man didn't usually need anything. He sometimes helped Grace with her cleaning and then he would return to the sitting room and pick up where he left off in his book. As he got older, sleep came to him less easily and he would often spend the nights roaming the empty house as he remembered the events that had taken place in certain rooms or think of the children— now adults.

It was on one of these late-night explorations that he first saw the book thief.

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