Chapter Text
Alex
He tried to resist the urge to investigate Five. Really, he did. Snooping around had only ever gotten him into trouble before.
But he couldn’t just let it go. The chance that Five could be — hell, he didn’t even want to articulate it in his mind — was miniscule, but Alex didn’t want to take any chances.
“Googling someone isn’t weird,” he told himself as he opened up his web browser. “Especially if you’re only just getting to know them.”
But to his surprise, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing . How was that even possible in the Internet Age? There wasn’t even a Facebook for Fievel Hargrove . On impulse, he also searched for Klaus Hargrove, Diego Hargrove, and Luther Hargrove . Nada. There was a Luther Hargreeves , but that was it.
Then it occurred to him that Five might go by his nickname on social media, and he typed Five Hargrove into the search bar. Bingo. Only it wasn’t Hargrove , but… Hargreeves . Again. Alex frowned and searched for Diego Hargreeves . Nothing. There wasn’t anything except hometown on Five’s profile page, either — no posts, no likes, not even a profile picture.
There was definitely something sketchy going on with Five’s family.
Returning to Google, Alex searched for Five Hargreeves . His eyes widened at the array of articles and news stories that popped up in response to the surname. Clicking the first one, he began to read.
Sketchy didn’t even begin to cover it. Insane might be more accurate. Six superpowered , crime-fighting siblings? And Luther, Diego, and Klaus were three of them? Even weirder, so was “Ben,” except apparently “Ben” was dead and had been since 2006, so how could he have been laughing at Diego in the park? (Unless one of the brothers could talk to the dead — which, come to think of it, didn’t sound that far-fetched, considering that Klaus had been dubbed “The Seance.”) At least Alex learned the names of the two sisters, Allison and Vanya. Assuming that Ben was actually dead, the articles matched up with what Five had said about his family: three brothers, two sisters, all adopted.
What made it strange (well, even stranger) was the fact that Five didn’t show up in any of the news reports about “The Umbrella Academy,” though there was a brief mention in a speculative article of a sixth, unnamed boy who’d disappeared from Academy appearances in late 2002. That made no sense . All of the Umbrella Academy members were close in age, so clearly this missing boy wasn’t Five. And yet there was no mention of any former member of the Academy adopting a child — the only child in the family, Claire, was Allison's daughter biologically.
Not that there were very many recent mentions of the Academy at all. It seemed the Umbrella Academy had gone out of business sometime in the past two decades. The last official Academy appearance was dated 2009, and the members had scattered to live their lives: Vanya playing professional violin, Allison going into showbiz, Luther researching with NASA, Diego becoming a private investigator and working with Klaus as police consultants.
And nowhere, not once, was there mention of a “Fievel Hargreeves.”
He thought about confronting the boy about it on Monday, but his paranoia suddenly flared when Five gave him a curious look in calculus. When the bell rang for lunch, Alex stammered out something about going to the school library and made a hasty escape.
There was no evidence, after all, that Five didn’t have ulterior motives. Alex still knew nothing about his past, and until he did, he would remain vigilant.
~.~+~.~
Five
“Is he still acting weird, Five?”
Five switched his phone to his other hand so he could open his locker. “If anything, he’s gotten more squirrelly.”
“Maybe you should ask him what’s wrong.”
Five grinned, shark-like. “But I enjoy making him squirm, Vanya.”
“ Five . He’s your friend. Friends trust each other.”
Five sneered. “And you’d know so much about that —” He cut himself off at Vanya’s sharp intake of breath, realizing what he’d done. “Shit, Vanya, I — I didn’t mean that.”
Silence. Five wondered if she’d hung up, but then she said, quietly, “I know you didn’t. But would you at least try to be nice, Five? For me?”
For Vanya, Five would do nearly anything.
~.~+~.~
Alex
Five was trying to talk to him.
Five was trying to talk to him.
Alex was starting to think his paranoia was justified, because Fievel Hargrove (Hargreeves, whatever) did not like to talk . Alex was the one who started all their conversations, but now all of a sudden Five seemed to pop up everywhere looking for a chat.
The timing was too perfect for comfort.
Maybe Alex’s paranoia was showing. Sabina commented on it when they walked home that Friday. Maybe Five was just concerned and reaching out for once.
But Sabina knew Alex better than anyone else — they lived together, after all. Alex was very good at hiding his emotions and controlling his expressions. A kid he’d known for a month shouldn’t be able to see through his masks.
Unless they’ve had training , whispered his traitorous mind. Unless they have experience.
Alex was finding it harder and harder to dismiss it.
Then one day Alex arrived home to see Five sitting at the kitchen table.
Every muscle in his body tensed. Was this it? But Five only shot him a bemused look and took a sip from the mug in his hands. “Well, don’t just stand there. Come sit.”
Alex didn’t move. “How and why are you in my house?”
“Because I invited him,” Sabina answered, appearing in the doorway. She put her hands on her hips. “You two have been dancing around each other all week and it’s getting ridiculous.”
“ Dancing ?” Five looked offended.
“Sabina,” Alex hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the neighboring room. “What were you thinking ?”
“You looked like you needed an intervention,” she replied. She sighed. “You’re acting the way you did when you moved from London. You’re worrying me, Alex.”
“Sabina, he could be like me,” Alex said lowly, eyes flicking around to make sure Five wasn’t anywhere near. “You heard about what he did in phys ed.”
“Being good at dodgeball doesn’t make someone a spy, Alex.”
Alex shook his head. “There’s something about him that’s put me on edge from day one. He’s hiding something.”
To his surprise, Sabina’s face brightened. “Oh, I know. That’s why he’s here!” At Alex’s dumbfounded look, she giggled. “He approached me during school, Alex. He wanted me to pass on a message, said he had something important to tell you but you were avoiding him. I figured you’d be more comfortable on familiar ground, so I invited him here.” She leaned in and added in a whisper, “Don’t think I don’t know about the knives you have stashed around the house.”
When Alex didn’t reply, still too shocked, she tsk-ed and pulled him back to the kitchen. “Now sit and talk. I’ll be doing homework in the living room if you need me.”
Five watched her leave, then turned his gaze on Alex. Alex resisted the urge to squirm. The awkward silence stretched until Five took another long sip from his mug and said irritably, “Would you relax? I’m not going to kill you.”
If anything, Alex’s instincts went into overdrive. “What makes you say that?” he asked, trying and failing to achieve a casual tone.
“You’ve been jumpy ever since the dodgeball thing.” Five tapped his fingers on the mug’s handle and eyed Alex assessingly. “How much have you figured out?”
“Enough. You…” Alex hesitated. “You lied to me.”
Five scoffed. “Well, yeah , Alex, I did. I lied to everyone with my own damn name.”
An awkward silence fell at Five’s blunt admission. Alex swallowed and reluctantly broke the ice. “The Umbrella Academy.” Five inclined his head and made a go on gesture, and Alex cautiously obliged. “Your siblings were part of it.”
“ Are .” Five’s lips curled up into a tiny smile at Alex’s confusion. “Just because we don’t fight crime anymore doesn’t mean the Academy’s gone. Though Diego keeps insisting on calling us Team Zero , which is frankly a ridiculous name.”
Alex didn’t miss how Five included himself in the Academy/Team Zero. “So you were… are… part of it?”
“Isn’t that what I said, Alex?”
“But you weren’t in any news reports or articles.”
Five sipped from his mug. “No, I don’t suppose I would be.”
Alex waited, but Five didn’t elaborate. Fine. “There were only six members of the Academy, seven siblings. Five are still alive, two are dead.”
“Five siblings alive, two gone ,” Five corrected.
“Semantics,” Alex snapped.
Five rolled his eyes. “So you haven’t read Vanya’s book.”
Alex scowled. “I read the synopsis. Stop dodging the question!”
“You haven’t asked one,” Five said, amusement in his eyes. The little bastard was enjoying watching Alex struggle! Alex took a deep breath to fight down his irritation.
“Fine, then. Who are you?”
A moment of silence. Five leaned back, becoming serious. “Well, that’s a rather broad question, isn’t it?”
“You’re not in any articles,” Alex bit out. “You also have no Internet presence, no social media, which is practically impossible in the modern age. None of the Hargreeveses have any adopted children. And you —” Alex cut himself off before he could say you have the reflexes of a spy and the skills of an assassin .
Too late. Five seized on the slip. “You what? What else about me has confused you? Do go on.” Alex didn’t answer. Five sighed. “You have all the pieces, Alex. Put them together.” And with that he stood, slinging his backpack onto his shoulders and heading for the door.
Alex blinked, then jumped up. “You’re leaving?”
“Wouldn’t want to take the fun out of it,” Five tossed over his shoulder. “Come find me once you figure it out.” The door closed. Alex stood there dumbly for a moment, then he lunged for the handle, fully intent on making Five explain himself. But when he opened the door, there was no one there.
“So how’d it go?” Sabina asked from behind him.
Alex stared at the empty street. “I don’t know.”
~.~+~.~
Five
“And then you just… left?”
“Yes, Ben, that’s what I said,” Five snarked, then slurped up a noodle.
Vanya picked at her own plate of spaghetti. “I think what Ben is trying to say is it probably wasn’t nice to leave him hanging.”
“I was nice,” Five said obstinately. “I didn’t insult his intelligence.”
“Ahh, our little boy, growing up,” Klaus sighed, wiping an imaginary tear. “First he makes a friend, then he doesn’t insult his friend, next thing you’ll know he’ll be an actual, well-adjusted teenager!”
Ben chortled, and Five glared. “Don’t push it, you two.”
If Five left a copy of Extra Ordinary in Alex’s locker the next day, well… he’d never tell.