THE THING WITH SORROW - The Umbrella Academy

The Adrenaline

Five took a moment to register what she meant before he stared down at the dog who licked the side of his hand as he went to pet him.

Zero made a subtle movement with her hand, pointing at her brother and gesturing her hand flat and Bolt curled up against his side, resting himself on his lap and allowing himself to be pet.

Five let out a shaky breath as his fingers ran over the creatures soft fur and looked away, back out the window.

She felt warmth against her side and subtly tightened the jacket around her waist, hiding her wince. She stared at the side of his face for a moment as he kept himself quiet and found herself frowning deeply.

"You okay?"

She knew he wasn't and she also knew he wouldn't give her a clear, honest answer.

"Yeah. Fine." He muttered.

He was lying and they both knew it.

As he ran his hand over Bolts back, allowing himself to feel the soft comfort of his long fur, he released a shaky breath that he hoped his sister wouldn't catch.

"You're safe here, Five," she told him softly. He smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Tell me that when the world is fixed and I'm not being hunted by a lethal organisation that creates some of the best assassins you'll have ever seen." He said plainly.

"Im not letting anything happen to you." She said sincerely. And that was the entire truth; she would not let him out of her sight ever again and she would fight anyone that tried to get in the way of that. She'd kill them if she had to, because though she had grieved him while he was gone, she would not see him die at the hands of anything other than old age when they'd lived their lives and done all they needed to do. Because that was how it was meant to be.

"I don't need you defending me. I can do that myself." He said back sharply.

She narrowed her eyes. "Doesnt mean you should have to. I've got your back whether you like it or not, so you'd better learn to accept it, you stubborn fuck."

He almost smiled. Almost. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Ze." He said weakly, looking over at her.

"We're in this together." She said sternly. A half smile formed and she thought of a rare fond memory from their childhood. "Partners in crime just like the old days."

She catches his lip twitch upwards slightly. It quickly disappears and the seriousness of their situation settles over them once more.

"I don't want you getting hurt."

"You think I want you getting hurt, you asshole?" She asks quietly, narrowing her eyes coldly. "You think I'm going to just leave you alone to deal with all of this? It's too much. You shouldn't have to do it all by yourself."

He swallowed, regarding her softly. "Yeah, well," he says, looking down at his lap. "I'm not used to this."

She understood. All those years spent in the apocalypse he had no one to talk to, to have around him. All that time without the sound of someone's voice, scared to lose the memories he had of his childhood, wondering if he'd die on his own without having felt the physical contact of another human since he was a kid. It physically hurt her heart. It did.

"You're not alone anymore, Five. And whether you like it or not, I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again."

"I'm the older twin. Aren't I supposed to be the over-protective one?" He mused, trying to switch the tone so that he wasn't so uncomfortable showing his vulnerability. "Besides, you've got a funny way of showing it after punching me."