THE THING WITH SORROW - The Umbrella Academy

The Plan

Zero did not expect Five and herself to be teaming up with anyone, much less Luther fucking Hargreeves, but he was a persistent motherfucker.

Now he was involved, he wanted to maintain his involvement.

Much to Zero's dismay.

She had collected Bolt and reconnected his service dog harness, leaving Klaus with a kiss on the cheek and blowing one to Ben who she knew was in the room. The car outside they had all agreed to meet by, but when she got there Five was already in the drivers seat.

Luther had gone in search of a good enough looking briefcase from Sir Reginalds office to use as a fake.

Five had contacted Hazel and Cha-Cha, the masked intruders who had shot at her and Bolt and kidnapped Klaus. (It was safe to say she'd had a lot of colourful words to say at that.) But she was aware they had no choice. Five explained they'd want the missing case back, so they'd offer the fake in return for them calling his old boss.

Zero wasnt sure she wanted to meet this woman, the Handler. She sounded awful, especially where her brother was concerned, but at the same time she wanted to meet her so she could punch her in the throat.

Five had told her she couldnt do that if they wanted this to go well.

Zero said she'd not promise anything.

He hadn't expected anything less.

Zero glared at the back of her brothers head as she walked out and opened the back door so Bolt could climb inside, shutting it after him. She leant her arm on the top of the car and leaned down to speak to Five through the drivers window.

"You are not driving." She stated impatiently.

"Yes I am," he said back, giving her a blank look. "Get in."

She blinked. "If you think I'm going to put myself through the humiliation of getting pulled over by cops with a child in the drivers seat, you must be out of your mind."

He tilted his head to look at her with a smug smile, hands on the wheel. "As opposed to you getting us pulled over because you don't know how to drive without speeding?"

She glared down at him through the half open window. "I know how to drive without speeding."

"You don't know how to walk without leaving the person you're walking with in the dust," he said blatantly. "So get in the back."

"It's not my fault your legs are too short too keep up."

"I'm the older twin," he said back smugly. "I'm driving."

Zero did a double take. "I'm bigger than you!" She said back, equally snarkily. "Get out of the fucking drivers seat. Can you even reach the pedals?"

Luthers heavy footsteps crunched over the gravel as he approached, cautiously eyeing the two arguing before calmly putting the briefcase in the back seat.

Five narrowed his eyes at her, coldly, and for a moment Zero believed she had won the argument and he was actually going to listen, but oh no.

He reached up, adjusted the rear view mirror and eyed Bolt sitting obediently in the far left backseat with his little harness on.

And he looked back at her. "When was the last time you had a seizure?"

Zero's froze, eyes drifting to the side as she went into thought over what he'd just said. She was taken aback how he knew the depths of her condition and shifted on her feet. "Ten months ago." She said stiffly.

His eyes glinted. Luther watched, uncomfortable.

"You're not medically cleared to drive." He said finally, a little grin on his face.