ZERO! the umbrella academy

treize

BURN THE WORLD DOWN

TRACKS MADE UP OF blood and dirt lead to Klaus's childhood room in the shape of footprints. Five and I peeked our heads into the room to see Klaus shirtless, looking like even more of a mess than usual, if that were possible. He had dark bags under his eyes, and his brown hair was greasy and matted.

Five rapped his knuckles against the wood of the door, drawing Klaus's attention to him. "You okay?"

"Hey." Klaus's voice was oddly soft. "Yeah, I was just... long night."

It was clear he was lying, and Five could see it, too. "More than one, from the looks of it," he remarked.

"Yeah." Klaus pulled a shirt on over his head, and a chain of dog tags around his neck rattled as he did so.

"Don't remember the dog tags." Five leaned in the doorway.

"Yeah, they belong to a friend." Klaus held them between his fingers and stared down at the letters engraved into the metal. There was a look of sorrow in his eyes.

"How about that new tattoo?" he pointed out, and my gaze shifted to the skull and crossbones inked into his bicep.

"You know, I don't totally remember even getting it." He shrugged. "Like I said, it was a long night."

The corners of Five's lips curled into a smirk. "You did it, didn't you?"

Klaus sat down on his bed. His movements were slow and languid. "What are you talking about?"

Five meandered further into his room, and I followed close behind him. "You know, I can recognize the symptoms, Klaus."

"Symptoms of what?"

"The jet lag, full body itch, headache that feels like someone shoved a box of cotton up into your nose and through your brain," he listed off. He looked down at Klaus expectantly. "You gonna tell me about it?"

"Your pals, when they broke into the house and they couldn't find you," he looked up at Five and met his eyes, "they took me hostage instead."

"And in return, you stole their briefcase," Five finished for him, laughing in amusement.

"Yeah. I thought there was money in it, or I could pawn it, you know, whatever." He bit the inside of his cheek. "And then I opened it."

"And the next thing you know, you were where?" Five paced back and forth. "Or should I say when?"

"What difference does it make?"

Five stopped. "What diff..." he began, but he trailed off, seething with frustration. "Okay, how long were you gone?"

Klaus's green eyes were wide with disbelief. "Almost a year."

"A year?" Five was taken aback. "Do you know what this means?"