Chaotic Good | the umbrella academy

EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT
' WHY ARE YOU ALL STUPID? '

"Wait, so-" Stan shook his head, dropping it into his hands.

Eddie watched him in silence from where they sat opposite each other at a table. One of her legs was pulled to her chest, arms wrapping around it. "Take a look at the plug again, Stanley," she replied calmly.

"It doesn't make sense!"

"It will, in time, but it won't come by staring into your palms. Unless you're a chirologist, of course."

He looked at her before moving his gaze back to the plug.

"Now," she continued. "Where does the brown wire go?"

Stan was quiet for a moment. "Brown is like the mud," he repeated her previous words. "Live?"

Eddie nodded. "Correct. So get the screwdriver and screw it into place."

"Won't it shock me?"

She stared at him for a long moment. "Stanley, it's not connected to any power supply. You'll be fine."

"Oi, Stan, I have a job for you."

The duo looked up at Diego and Luther as they approached.

"We're in the middle of something here, Diego," Eddie replied, looking back at the plug.

"Doing what?" Luther asked.

"She's teaching me how to make a bomb," Stanley replied, using the screwdriver to secure the wire.

"Okay, absolutely not." Diego grabbed his arm and hauled him from the booth they sat in. "Come on, let me show you a better job."

Eddie slumped in her seat, sighing heavily, after she pulled the plug towards her. Luther glanced as Diego dragged his son away before falling into Stanley's spot.

"Are you, uhh, are you okay?"

Her eyes flickered up to him, emotionless for a moment before she nodded. "Yeah," she replied, securing the other wires in their spaces. "Are you?"

"Me? Oh, yeah, I'm good, great, actually."

Eddie smiled before raising an eyebrow. "Which one were they?"

"The gravity one."

"The gravity one," she repeated before she hummed. "I liked her."

"You did?"

"Yeah, she seemed... sweet."

Diego appeared, dragging a chair to sit at the end of the booth. "Those guys had gravity sex," he added.

"Good for them. Why did you want to get Stan away so quickly?" Eddie threw the finished bomb on the table, and her brothers looked at it.

"Well, I don't want him to know how to make a bomb, firstly."

"Too late. He already knows how to make a pipe bomb."

Diego sighed, but before he could say anything more, Luther spoke up, "This whole, uh, Viktor thing."

He stopped, and Diego prompted, "Yeah?"

"Well, it's a pretty big deal, right?"

Eddie hummed in agreement. "I think so," she replied.

"I guess, for him," Diego replied. "It's whatever."

Luther shifted. "Well, should we say something? You know? I mean, make a formal gesture? Welcome him as brothers."

"God, no," Diego shook his head. "Just roll with it, man. Don't say anything, and don't be weird."

"Okay. But not saying something feels weird, right? I mean... Shouldn't we, I don't know... mark the occasion somehow?"

Eddie raised her eyebrow. "Luther, do you want to throw a party?"

"Of course, you want to throw a party," Diego groaned.

"Why do you hate tiny sandwiches?" Luther protested.

"Actually," Eddie sat up. "I want to have a party now. I love the cucumber ones."

"Hey, what's up?" Viktor appeared, and Eddie waved.

"Luther and Eddie want to throw you a big, stupid party so you feel loved," Diego deadpanned.

Their brother chuckled awkwardly in reply. "Oh."

"With the little triangle sandwiches!" Eddie added.

"Do you feel loved?" Diego asked.

"Yeah, I... I do."

Diego gave him a small smile. "Good. You are." He turned back to the others. "Can we all get back to saving the world now?"

"I, uh..." Luther intervened. "I really like the hair. Is that a number ten?"

Viktor nodded, shifting on his feet.

"Yeah, that's a good choice. Really... frames your face."

"Thanks." He smiled at them before stepping back. "I'll see you later."

\_|_/\_|_/\_|_/

"So, what's the plan?"

Eddie looked up at Luther, eyebrows pulling into a furrow. "What?"

"What do we do when the Sparrows get here?" he elaborated.

"Since when were the Sparrows coming here? Why are the Sparrows coming here?" Eddie got to her feet. "Why are you all so stupid?"

"It's okay," Luther reassured. "They're not getting here until- Oh shit. They're early."

Eddie cursed under her breath, following behind her siblings, bar Five. She remained at the back, leaning against the chair, feeling the fatigue plainly and wholly again.

"Well, thanks for coming," Luther began.

"Where are the rest of you?" Ben asked.

"Are you taking attendance?" Diego shot back. "They'll be here."

"Where's the briefcase?" Allison asked.

"Where's our brother?"

"Maybe we should try this again," she continued. "before I lose my temper."

"Allison-" Diego hissed.

"-I got this." She turned back to the Sparrows.

Eddie gripped the chair more firmly, her legs seeming to turn to jelly. She tried to keep attentive, but the room began to swirl, and she felt sweat build up around her collar and forehead.

"Stanley! Not now."

Her eyes flickered up just in time to see Stanley throw the bomb at the Sparrows. Her eyes widened, mouth parting as she watched it explode in the space between the two families.

The cube hovered in the air as the smoke cleared, and the shrill noise stabbed Eddie through the head. She fell to her knees, clamping down on her ears and squeezing her eyes shut as her brain seemed to be thrown back against her skull. She gritted her teeth, trying to stop any outburst threatening to escape.

Everything crawled up her throat before she let out a scream, and she felt a huge wave of energy erupt from her body. Her hands balled against her chest, and she curled forward.

Something launched into her and propelled her back. Eddie's back collided with a pillar, and she fell onto her front. The noise suddenly stopped, and she watched through a filter of fogginess and ringing. She lay limply, drooping eyes flickering to pick out figures through the smoke and chaos. Nothing registered, and everything suddenly turned back.