neuronary:

captainkirkk:

AU where Five becomes America’s most famous milk carton kid

The Hargreeves’s first ever act of rebellion is after Five goes missing. They can’t really look for him themselves because of Reginald’s control, so they ask the public for their help.

Whenever they can, they sneak away from Reginald at missions and talk to reporters about Five. It gets them in a lot of trouble, but they keep at it. For their brother.

And soon the whole country knows about the missing Umbrella Academy child. Years later, when she’s a celebrity, Allison still gets asked about him. Even though she’s notorious for avoiding questions about her childhood, she’s always willing to talk about Five. It’s been over a decade. Theyve basically given up hope. But Allison still can’t shake the image of her brother, forever 13yo, escaping out the front door. Especially after she becomes a mum.

So after Five crashes their dad’s funeral, he finds out that oops he’s kind of famous? And he HATES IT. Do you have any idea how hard it is to stop an apocalypse, never mind trying to do so as a famous, missing, superpowered child? He’s going to maul the next well-meaning person that tries to stop him in the street and tell him how his family is worried, how they miss him, won’t he just go home?

It’s annoying and it hurts. Five doesn’t know how to handle it. And he’s not touched that his family kept up the search after all those years, shut UP Dolores

“And in other news,” the radio blared from its haphazard position in the back seat of Five’s stolen van, “the missing ‘Five Hargreeves’, who first disappeared over sixteen years ago, has been spotted around central New York City, reviving a years long search for one of America’s most famous milk carton kids.”

What.

Five turned the volume up, ignoring Dolores’ look.

“The shocking part of all this,” a different reporter continued, “is that little Five looks no older than the day he vanished. It has been over a decade since that fateful day, but in case anyone listening has any information as to the whereabouts of this young man, here’s an old interview on the topic from his siblings.”

Five reached out for Dolores’ hand, needing something solid to grip onto. He felt dizzy, like he’d spent too long choking on ash except there was no ash, just a news report on the radio about him.

“Our brother, Five, went missing last week.” It was Klaus’ voice, but not the new, homeless junkie Klaus that Five was still getting used to. It was his Klaus, the one that made stupidly loud jokes as soon as Dad left the room, the one that he’d thought he might actually be able to help, one day. “We don’t know where he is, and we can’t find him on our own, so please, if anyone has seen him, please contact the NYPD.”

“And, Five” - Ben, his Ben, the one he couldn’t find, the one he couldn’t save, sounding more familiar than anything else in this future-that-was-the-past, and Five couldn’t breathe - “if you’re out there, if you’re hearing this… please come home. We miss you.”

Crying is a waste of water, Dolores reminded him gently.

“I know,” he forced out, pressing his palms into his eyes hard enough to leave bruises. “I’m not gonna–” he had to cut himself off, breathing harshly around a lump in his throat that hadn’t been there earlier. “It’s fine.”

Try not to breathe too deeply, you might choke.

“I know.”

“Allison Hargreeves, the movie star, never gave up on her brother, mentioning him and asking for any information in almost every one of her interviews, including her most recent, just a few weeks ago.”

“So, Allison, your brother, Five,” said yet another reporter. “You mention him often. Why is that?”

“It’s silly,” and at least it was the strange, grown-up Allison from now, rather than the bitter, cynical little girl from his memories, “but there’s a part of me that thinks he might hear this. Like, if I say it enough, he’ll come back. I just want to know he’s okay.”

There was a payphone across the street. He could call the academy. It would be a waste of time. He might miss something. He might start crying because of his stupid thirteen-year-old body that had forgotten how to properly preserve water.

It wouldn’t take that long.

“How long?”

Maybe five minutes. Less.

“Aren’t you supposed to be keeping me sensible?”

Possibly.

“You really think…”

You’ll be more distracted for longer if you don’t.

“…Fine. Keep an eye on everything for me.”

He found almost three dollars in quarters in the dashboard of the stolen van. The jump was easy. He still had the academy’s phone number memorised from the first time he’d looked like this. It had seemed important, and then it just stuck.

The phone rang for three cycles before someone picked up.

“Hello?”

“Allison?”

“Five! Oh, thank God, guys, it’s Five! Are you okay?”

They’d been worried about him?

“I’m– Yeah,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You sound… look, where are you? We need to talk. Vanya, wait! Five is okay.”

“What do we need to talk about?”

“Well… it’ll be easier to explain in person, and… I think we’d all like to know you’re okay.”

He didn’t have time for this. He really didn’t.

Please come home. We miss you.

I just want to know he’s okay.

“I’m outside the MeriTech building, at a payphone.” He rattled off the adress despite himself. “Don’t draw attention to yourselves. You’ll blow my cover.”

He’d probably already blown his own cover, but it was fine.

Dolores laughed at him when he got back in the car, but that was fine too.