TimmyT

Five grew out of the love he had for you.

And trust, it hurt.

How he could lie to your face and attempt to hide the fact he cheated on you with his brother's wife astonished you. Insane. You didn't even know who he was anymore.

He'd grown too comfortable in the peace he had now, apparently. Apparently, six years and working for the CIA was too cushy for him. Apparently, Diego couldn't give Lila what she wanted. Apparently, you couldn't give Five what he wanted.

A television rests over the counter area that Loose Necktie Five and Humble Coffee Five watch over, playing out the newest addition to the apocalypses. It was only a matter of minutes until Original Five stumbled upon the diner.

As you stare at Five, seeing him and Diego shouting over each other in the department store, you can't help but try and stab him as hard as he did when you found out what he did. In no universe he'd understand how much that crumbled you. He lied. He didn't give a shit about saving you or his siblings. He only cared about Lila.

He preferred the name Five, knowing any name Grace gave him wouldn't erase the torture or abuse he'd have to endure at the Umbrella Academy. He ordered you, strictly, to never call him Max. He warned you in case his siblings ever did to try and get back at him, that way you were up to date on their childish antics.

Inside, it hurt him. He hated a normal name because he'd never be normal, he'd never feel normal. He didn't want to be known as Max because he'd never amount to be someone normal like that, he couldn't be normal enough for a normal name.

"Hey, Max!" You shout, eyebrows furrowed, eyes translucent to show the anger boiling inside you.

Five snaps his head toward you, seeing you approaching with clenched fists. "What the hell did you just call me?"

You lunge on him with a shout just as he teleports, blipping you both into the subway. You quickly scramble to your feet, frantically looking around. His sigh is mixed with a groan. He pulls himself up to his feet, brushing his dumbass tuxedo off.

"Where are we?" you ask, adrenaline pumping through your veins, your voice hushed.

"The subway" Five answers.

You slowly deadpan at him, the most evil, angered glare on your face. "Oh, where you and Lila got trapped for nearly a decade?"

Five grumbles, looking around, wondering what could've led him here this time. Maybe an answer to stop the end for good. You quickly hop onto the train, wanting to get away from your now ex-lover.

"Hey! What are you doing?" he questions.

"Trying to find an answer" you reply, waving goodbye as the doors begin to slowly shut.

He grumbles again, jumping into the train. Just your luck.

You roll your eyes, sitting as far away from him as possible as you cross multiple timelines. You immediately rush off as the train halts to a stop, screeching filling your ears. The doors create an airy hiss as they reopen, allowing you back to freedom.

You hop off, looking around to see that this station looked relatively the same as you'd left the other. You raise an eyebrow, looking back at Five for an explanation as he'd become a pro on this random time-travel-subway shit.

"Takes us to the same moment in another timeline" Five answers your silent question. "Timelines where I never joined the Handler, timelines where we don't get our powers back..." he drones, seeing that you'd gotten the point as you walk toward the stairs.

He raises an eyebrow himself as he follows you through the dimly lit station, seeing that the stairs that usually went up now go down. You quickly jog down the steps, your shoes clicking and clacking on the linoleum stairs, your fingers trailing over the black stair handle.

A warm light illuminates your path off to the side. Looking up, you're met with a neon sign reading 'Max's Delicatessen'. The light creates a light in your eyes that you hadn't had in a long time now, resembling happiness.

You look back at Five, silently urging his old ass to hurry up. He rolls his eyes, picking up the pace as you hold the door open for him.

The inside homes countless other Five's.

How this was even possible was beyond you, but you just hoped that these other Five's weren't as much of dicks as yours. The other Five's don't lay an eye on 'your' Five, but rest their eyes upon you.

You awkwardly look around, following Five to a table, where he's greeted by Humble Coffee Five. He slides into the booth, leaving no space for you.

You give him a look as Humble Coffee Five slides some brisket over to him. Humble Coffee Five looks between Original you and Original Five, trying to piece together the situation. He furrows his brows.

"Did something happen between you two?"

"Something happened with him and Lila, that's for fucking sure" you quickly reply, a dirty look piercing into Original Five's skull.

"So you're not together?"

"I'd hope the hell not"

"Y/n-"

"That's our cue!" Waiter Five exclaims with a smile, "Dibs on Y/n!"

Your head quickly snaps up, seeing Waiter Five flirtatiously wave at you with an adoring smile.

Brisket Five scoffs, slightly shoving Waiter Five over the counter. "Fuck you, Waiter Five! They're mine"

"Fuck you too, Brisket Five! They're mine first!"

Loose Necktie blinks, looking between you and Original Five and Brisket Five and Waiter Five. "Not if I got them first!"

"Oh no you don't!"

You and Original Five slowly look back at Humble Coffee Five, wondering what was happening here. Humble Coffee Five sighs, using his outside voice to calm the other Five's.

"Fives!" he shouts. "Calm down. You're scaring them."

The other Fives quickly hush themselves, not wanting to make you fear them, hopping back to their jobs or beverages respectfully. They're mostly hushed though, listening to the conversation between you, Original Five, and Humble Coffee Five.

"What is this place?"

"A sanctuary for us. Fives from every other timeline"

You quickly jump in, having many of questions already. "What do you mean every other timeline? Every other timeline where the apocalypse happens?"

Coffee Five shakes his head. "Every other timeline. The apocalypse is unavoidable. There's only supposed to be one original timeline, but shit shattered long ago."

"Okay, so..." Original Five inquires. "What shattered the original timeline?"

"Not what. Who," Humble Coffee Five corrects, setting his mug on the table, brushing his hair away from his face. "I'll give you three guesses to figure it out."

Brisket Five speaks up from the counter, dinging the little bell so Waiter Five could serve Newspaper Five. "We did!"

Humble Coffee Five sighs, looking over at Brisket Five. "Why do you always have to wreck shit, Brisket Five?"

Brisket Five cheekily smiles with a shrug, waving to you from across the room, his heart beating out of his chest when you return the gesture. Wow. These Fives seem more in love with you than your Five ever did. What the fuck?

Original Five blinks, looking up at the paintings plastered all over the walls, like a trail that lead itself around the establishment. "What're all of those?"

"The apocalypses," Humble Coffee Five answers. "Every apocalypse from every timeline. One's that you and apparently the only Y/n left haven't even endured yourselves."

"The only Y/n left?" You question, eyebrows furrowed as you look around, realizing there were no other Y/n's here.

Humble Coffee Five nods. "You died in every other timeline. Every Five here, including myself, lost you in some way. Take me for example, a horrific accident." he nods to the side. "I shot you myself."

Your eyes slightly widen upon learning that information.

"Again, an accident," he continues. "We were battling some guy in comic villain attire in the Time Museum, and you moved just as I pulled the trigger. I shot you in the back of the head... at least you didn't suffer."

Your face grows soft, feeling awful for Humble Coffee Five. "I'm so sorry..."

"No, I'm sorry. I killed you."

You slightly smile, trying to raise his spirits. "Well, I don't blame you. At least... this version of myself."

He slightly nods, biting his tongue.

You turn your head to listen to Brisket Five's words, listening to his story.

"You died in a ritualistic sacrifice. You gave up yourself to find a cure to the apocalypse for no reason. I didn't get to be there with you in the end," he speaks, handing another plate over to Waiter Five. "My greatest mistake in life was not being there with you in your end."

Newspaper Five nods, his miserable look apparent. He was cursed to reread your death on that newspaper day in and day out. It was like he'd been banished to Hell here. "You had Durango in my timeline, I had Marigold. You know how that ends."

"Fuck..." you mutter, looking over the establishment, realizing all these Fives had lost you in some freak accident, some sacrifice, some push by fate. They all lost you and they wanted you back oh-so desperately. You wished Original Five felt that way.

"Screw you fuckers," Waiter Five sighs, wrapping an arm around you comfortably. "I called dibs!"

Original Five and Humble Coffee Five watch silently as the other Fives begin to fight over you again.

"No dibs! We already agreed that if we ever got to see Y/n again that we'd let them pick!"

"Y/n is indecisive, don't you remember, Brisket Five?"

"You're one to speak, Loose Necktie Five. You couldn't pick between your career and Y/n."

"Oh, too soon."

As a crowd of Fives surround you, Humble Coffee Five takes a sip of his beverage and sets it back down on the table. He stands up, pushing on the table for support.

"Gotta say, I'm going with them. I'm not allowing them to die alone again. I want one more chance to make shit right with my love."

Original Five raises an eyebrow. "What? Again?"

"It's the only way." Humble Coffee Five speaks firmly. "You wouldn't die by their side. You want to be by Lila's. You're staying here by your lonesome, grandpa."

"What?" Original Five quickly stands up but is shoved down by Fryer Five.

He glares down at Original Five, "You don't deserve them. You fucked up, pal. You don't get to come back from that. Enjoy fading away in this shitty restaurant with Owner Five, yeah?"

Original Five looks back at the counter, seeing Old-Man Five, aka Owner Five, rolling his eyes. Once a sassy brat, always a sassy brat. He looks up at you, waiting for an interjection.

You shrug. "They're right. Have fun."

"What the shit?"

With a handful of other-timeline Fives at your side, you return to the Hargreeves mansion, a wide, slightly fake smile upon your face as you magically appear. You had Waiter Five to thank for getting you all back safe and sound.

The Hargreeves and Lila look back at you, surrounded by about fifteen different versions of Five, except the one that belonged here. Confused and bewildered expressions are shared.

Waiter Five, Brisket Five, Humble Coffee Five, and Loose Necktie Five stand in the front, inches behind you. Behind them stand Newspaper Five, Fryer Five, Busser Five, Drunk Five (not Loose Necktie Five), and Sad Guitar Five. Behind them stands Hater Five, Trenchcoat Five, a Clocked-Out Fryer Five, Cursed Five, and Typewriter Five.

"What the hell is happening right now?" Allison asks.

"Paradox psychosis," Waiter Five answers, scratching the back of his neck urgently.

"To the max," Brisket Five shivers, "Pun intended," he winks at you. In his timeline, you freely called him Max, though, you didn't know. You weren't his Y/n.

"Where is Five?" Luther asks, which compels all the Fives to raise their hands. "Our Five," he corrects, their hands all falling to their sides.

You shrug. "Abandoned. He's not gonna be here for our suicide ritual to reset the universe and save time and the world itself."

Five sat on the empty train, riding round in aimless circles. He had no intention of ever stopping. Perhaps he would die here, if death was even possible in this endless void. There was no reason for him to continue, they were out of options.

All he wanted to do was save his family, save you, but he couldn't even do that. At least this way he could escape having to witness the end of their lives.

He couldn't help but feel as if this was all his fault, if only he had listened to Reginald when he told him never to time travel. So much pain, so many lost lives, it never would have happened.

Five looked out the window, he didn't know what exactly for. Everything looked the same. Round and Round again, each identical station feels more hopeless than the last.

After an immeasurable amount of time, days? years? who knows. Something caught Five's eye.

He jumped up from his seat, following the dark figure out into the station.

Was that? No.

"Hey, wait!" Five shouted, chasing him down a staircase.

He rounded a corner, seeing a dimly lit cafe filled with all too familiar faces. The place was filled with several alternate versions of Five himself. It was an odd feeling for him to see himself this way.

Nonetheless, he took a seat across from the Five he had followed.

No more than ten seconds later, another Five served up two pastrami sandwiches. Five number two began to complain about the amount of sauerkraut on his sandwich, staring intently at the meal.

"What is this place?" Five asked, reaching for the cup of hot coffee next to him.

"It's a gas station. What the hell does it look like? It's a Deli." He could see that the alternate Five share his love of sarcasm.

He went on to explain how this was a place where all of the Five's from alternate timelines end up while trying to fix the "broken timeline" issue.

"Okay, so what shattered the original timeline?" Five asked.

"Not what. Who? I'll give you three guesses." Alternate Five held up three fingers.

"We did!" Another Five yelled.

Five wasn't surprised, everything always seemed to be caused by him.

"By we, do you mean my siblings?" Five asked.

"Yep, the morons."

Five rolled his eyes.

"When we come into existence, the timeline is shattered, and then we're stuck trying to save the world. How many times was it again?"

"145,412."

The number seemed almost impossible to fathom, but the more alternate realities, the more opportunity for the world to end. Alternate Five pointed at the wall, which was filled with every possible way the world had ended. Viktor's attempt at blowing up the moon was front and center. Seeing it gave Five an unpleasant sense of nostalgia.

Five came to realize that the commission was created by an alternate Five in an attempt to fix the timeline, but it was never successful since the Hargreeves siblings were the root of the problem.

"I have to get back." Five turned, rushing out the door. He heard the alternate versions of himself begin to speak, but his overwhelming thoughts drowned it out.

Five ran as fast as he could, getting back on the train and returning to his rightful place. With his family.

As Five entered the abandoned shell of his former home, the room's occupants turned to look at him.

The first person he noticed was you. You watched him with sad eyes, eyes he thought he would never have to gaze into again. Yet here he was, and undeniably, he had a plan.

You watched Five scan the room. Dark hair hung in front of his eyes, his chest heaved from running, or perhaps from anxiety.

"I didn't think you'd be back." You purse your lips, giving him a sour look. '

Facing your bitterness was the hardest part of all this for Five. Of course you had every right to feel that way, he had just up and left you. Although, in his mind that was better than having to watch you die.

"Yeah, neither did I." Five muttered.

Everyone looked at him, obviously awaiting an explanation.

"We caused this." Five began.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alison sighed.

You stared at Five intently, wondering what had changed since he decided to ditch you and everyone else.

"The marigold that infected our mothers bringing forth our births had a side effect, it fractured the timeline, bringing forth the end of the world."

Five looked from person to person, attempting to read everyone's emotions. They were unreadable.

"Extracting the marigold from our bodies is the only way to stop the cleanse, and in short, fix the timeline."

Silence settled over the room. You weren't born with marigold as the Hargreeves were, but due to Ben's antics, this now concerns you too.

"Okay, but how exactly do we do that?" Diego asked.

Five looked over to Viktor.

"Viktor, you can use your powers to extract the Marigold from our bodies. Unfortunately Ben and Jennifer are too far gone to be saved, but their sacrifice will have been for the greater good."

Viktor let out an elongated sigh, and with little to no hesitation, he agreed.

"Okay, let's get moving before it's too late." Viktor said, speeding out of the room.

You followed closely behind, trying your hardest to avoid Five's gaze.

"Y/N, I-" You cut him off, this was not the time to be talking about all the mistakes he had made. Even if those mistakes led to the answer for all your troubles, they were still mistakes.

"We can talk about this later, if there is one."

Five sighed and watched you exit the room, not even bothering to look his way. He had fucked up big time.

You watched Viktor head towards the monster that was Ben and Jennifer. The creature growled, as it hurdled towards your group.

You turned back as you felt someone grab your arm, Five was standing behind you. You saw something in him that you had only seen a few times before, fear.

"Please. If we don't make it through this I want to make sure we're okay." Five begged for your forgiveness.

In any other circumstance you would not have given in this easily, but the dire situation has just begun to settle in. This could be it.

Neither of you wanted to leave this world with so many words unsaid.

Your gaze softened, and you followed Five away from the other Hargreeve's.

"I know what I did was wrong. With every bone in my body I feel that it was wrong."

He spoke loudly enough to drown out the oncoming chaos, but softly enough to omit any sort of aggression.

Five reached for your hands, and you reluctantly let him take them.

Five paused for a moment, trying to find the words that would mean the most, considering he was dealing with limited time.

"My worst fear is to see you suffer, and at the time, running away seemed like my only escape. I feel like I've already caused so much hardship in your life, and the thought of any more terrified me." His eyes stayed glued to you.

Five was the whole reason you had joined The Commission to begin with. He helped you to believe in a cause that you otherwise wouldn't have, and the two of you hadn't left each other's side since.

You didn't regret it per say, but you couldn't deny that you often wished for a different life. You would never blame any of your circumstances on Five though, and you hated how he always chose to blame himself.

"Nothing that has happened to me, or to anyone, is your fault. I think all of us share some responsibility, but blaming yourself is just wrong." You squeezed Five's clammy hands.

Five let out a sigh of relief as he was able to recognize forgiveness in your eyes.

"I love you." He said, fighting the tears that began to form in the corners of his eyes. The phrase was reserved only for you, as it is a concept that has always been hard for five.

Growing up with Reginald as a father, and a family that could win an Olympic gold medal in dysfunctionality, Five didn't exactly have a positive outlook on love.

"I love you too. We've been through worse, we'll get through this too."

Five pulled you into a tight hug, breathing you in as if it was the last chance he would ever get to hold you. The two of you were versed in the end of the world, this was not the first final hug you had shared. Five placed a soft kiss on the top of your head, and he didn't miss the small cry that escaped your lips.

You rarely cried, and when you did it was always around Five. He was the only person you felt comfortable enough with to show vulnerability. It was the perfect moment, and the past few days had worn down your patience. You reluctantly let a few tears slip loose.

"Get your asses over here love birds, Ben is here." Diego called from the other side of the room.

You and Five exchanged a look before running over to the center of the room and rejoining your family.

Ben growled ferociously, the red goo that dripped from his body falling around the room.

"Just so you guys know, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. So if we all die, I apologize in advance." Viktor said, clenching his fists on either side.

His newly improved orange power began to swirl around his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, clearly focusing on the task at hand.

You reached for Five's hand, interlocking your fingers with his. If these were to be your last moments, you wanted to make sure he was with you.

Five gripped your hand with everything he had in him, every bit of strength was to remind you of his presence.

With each moment that passed, the colorful plume of Viktor's powers grew, encasing not only Ben and Jennifer, but all of you.

You and Five watched as the all too familiar gold marigold specks began to float through the air. It felt odd, it didn't hurt, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling. It was like your whole body was being poked by a prickly cactus.

The air turned cold, and all other sounds were overcome by the rumbling of Viktor's power.

An unbearable wave of exhaustion washed over you, and it became hard for you to keep your eyes open.

You looked over at Five, making eye contact with him one last time. He gave you his signature smirk, funny how in spite of everything he could still be himself.

The last thing you saw was Ben falling to the floor, the marigold protruding from him filling the whole room with a deep yellow glow.

And just like that, the world turned black.

· · ─────── ·☂· ─────── · ☂ · ─────── ·☂· ─────── · ·

Five opened his eyes, the bright light of day overwhelming his vision. The ground beneath him was soft, the tall grass tickling his fingertips.

Five sat up slowly, his eyes adjusting to the sun. He looked over next to him, and there you were. Just as you had always been, right by his side. Your chest rose slowly, a thankful sign that you were still alive.

Five looked beyond you, to see his siblings all scattered around the lawn. They were all exactly where they had been before the blackout. The empty patch of grass, of course, was where the Hargreeve's mansion used to stand.

Without the existence of their powers, The Umbrella Academy was never formed. It was strange, to know that what Five remembered, no one else did. It was like waking up from a strange dream.

However, one thing was missing, Ben. And of course Jennifer. Five wasn't surprised that they hadn't made it, considering how their bodies were overtaken.

Five watched as his siblings slowly began to rise from their temporary comas, their eyes heavy and glazed over.

Five nudged you slightly. Unable to wait for you to wake, wanting to share this beautiful moment with you.

You opened your eyes and felt as if you had awoken from a decades long slumber. The first thing you saw was Five next to you, a genuine smile on his face. That was something you had missed.

"Are we in heaven?" Klaus mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Well if this was heaven, I'd be awfully disappointed." Lila replied.

You laughed to yourself, and stood up on wobbly legs.

You all had done it.

"Viktor. I think you might have just saved the world." Luther announced.

Viktor smiled and looked down, maybe eventually he'd let himself take the credit.

You began to take in your surroundings. The sound of traffic in the distance, the wind stinging your cheek, the smell of spring air. It was all so normal.

"Guys, where's Ben?" Klaus asked, and your heart dropped.

"Klaus...we all knew he probably wouldn't make it.." Alison said sadly.

Just then, something caught your eye. Something yellow that stuck out in the patch of green.

"Guys, look!" You pointed at the unique plant.

"Marigolds." Five said softly, and you felt his hand close around yours.

Two beautiful yellow flowers sprouted from the earth, a reminder of what was sacrificed. A reminder of what had to happen for all of this to exist, and a symbol of hope.

~~ Two Years Later ~~

You awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside your window, a song that was often your wake-up call. You rolled over to see Five sleeping peacefully next to you. You weren't surprised. He always slept late, after all, he was an old man at heart.

It had been two years of living freely in the new timeline. You and Five now share an apartment next to Lila and Diego and their three kids.

Life wasn't without its challenges, but compared to everything else the two of you had been through this was paradise.

Viktor had started his own Cafe, a small shop on a street corner that had quickly become a local favorite.

Alison had landed a big movie role not long after everything returned to normal. Ever since it hit the big screen, she had no problem with job offers. She didn't even miss her power of persuasion.

Klaus still lives with Alison. He doesn't really do anything specific, he often refers to himself as 'self-employed'. But he was happy, and that was all that really mattered.

Luther had somehow reconnected with Sloane, who had re-appeared after the timeline was fixed. Of course she didn't remember anything, but it must've been fate because they got to fall in love all over again.

Diego decided to put his skills acquired from his power to use and now taught axe throwing classes.

Lila had decided to help people who had ended up in a mental hospital, similar to how she had. She was working on getting her degree in psychology.

As for you and Five. Five kept his CIA job, and you decided to join him in his career. As the two of you had always done everything together, why not this too?

You felt Five stir next to you, letting out a series of groans. He slowly opened his eyes, a smile spreading across his face the moment he saw you.

"Good morning, beautiful." His morning voice is thick and deep.

"I love you." You whispered, pushing his messy hair out of his eyes.

Five leaned up to kiss you but you counteracted it by jumping out of bed. You pulled the blanket off of him and he whined in protest.

"Time to get up, Gramps, Lila wants us to drive the kids to school today."

Five rolled his eyes at the nickname. You snickered and kissed him on the cheek before heading to the bathroom to get ready.

After the two of you grabbed breakfast, you met Lila outside, Grace and the twins behind her.

"Thank you again for helping us out with this, I don't know how I'd ever get to work on time without you." Lila gave you a quick hug.

"Of course, whatever you need." You ushered her away, signaling that you could take it from here.

You were used to driving the kids places, and they always said you were their favorite aunt. Five however, could not surpass Klaus for favorite uncle.

"Alright guys, who's ready for school?" You said as you jumped in the driver's seat.

There was a chorus of enthusiastic cheers from the back, and you laughed.

"I was never that excited about school when I was your age." The kids had no idea how long ago that actually was for you.

You made sure to put on some kid friendly music, anything but Baby Shark. You dropped the kids off and made sure they all got inside safely.

"Anything else on the schedule for today?" Five asked you.

"Nope, we're both off today so I think the rest of our day is free."

"Great, we should do absolutely nothing." Five's eyes lit up with excitement.

You nodded in agreement and drove towards your home.

Once you arrived, the both of you threw on pajamas and cuddled up in bed. Five flung his arms around you and rested his head on your shoulder, simultaneously letting out a big sigh.

"I love you." He mumbled in your ear.

Even after all these years he still made you blush every time he said those three little words.

"I love you more." You pressed a kiss to Five's nose and he scrunched it up before responding with a chaste kiss to your lips.

After breaking apart you and Five settled into each other's arms, excited to spend a calm day together.

He reached for the remote and flicked on the TV. The small kiss he placed on your forehead didn't go unnoticed.

As Five settled into this new life, he found it hard not to expect a new life altering crisis to pop up at any moment. But it never did.

As the day dragged on, nothing out of the ordinary happened; and you could almost say that it was an ordinary day.