Phoenix under the Umbrella (Umbrella Academy AU) Chapter 38: Safe Word

[Third Person's PoV] 


After Nathan and Five returned home, they decided to call it a night and head to their rooms. However, as Five sat in his, he pulled out the phone Nathan had given him.


Five searched for the department store Nathan had taught him to look up. Once he had the location, he blinked out of his room, appearing outside the house, and took off running.


Nathan, lying in bed while summoning Phoebe next to him, glanced to the side in confusion. "Where's he off to in such a hurry?"


He debated whether or not to follow Five, but since Five didn’t ask for help, Nathan decided to give him space.


Five ran through the streets, glancing at his phone for directions. After about 20 minutes, he arrived at his destination.


Standing in front of the closed department store, Five blinked inside. He scanned the area, then dashed deeper into the store. He came to a stop and let out a contented sigh, smiling as he approached a mannequin.


“Dolores, my love,” he said softly, “I’ve come for you…”


He went on his tiptoes, gently caressing her plastic face. Then, he lifted her from her display and cradled her in his arms, planting a kiss on her plastic lips. “Although we were apart for just a short while, I missed you…”


Happy with his reunion, Five blinked away, running back home with Dolores in his arms.



---


The next morning at the Manor:


Nathan knocked on Five’s door before entering. “Dude, breakfast is ready. We’re just wai—”


Nathan froze, his brain struggling to process what he was seeing. Five was lying under a blanket, naked. Next to him, equally exposed, was Dolores, and female clothing was scattered on the floor.


Five, startled by Nathan’s voice, woke up and quickly grabbed the blanket, covering Dolores’ "exposed" parts.


“I... I don’t even... Just wow. I don’t normally judge, but I’m judging the living hell out of you right now. Imma give you time to...sort that out. Breakfast is ready. The others are just waiting for you.” Nathan slowly closed the door.


As he walked away, he whispered, "What the actual f—" He sighed and shook his head, heading downstairs to join the others.


“Where’s Five?” Ben asked as Nathan walked in without their miniature brother.


“He’ll be down in a minute. He’s...getting ready,” Nathan replied, sitting in his usual seat.


Around the table sat Vanya, Phoebe, Ben, Jennifer, Luther, and Allison, with just Five missing.


“Should we expect Diego and Klaus?” Luther asked.


“Nah, Diego and Klaus left together. Klaus is probably hiding from me,” Nathan scoffed.


Grace entered, rolling a trolley with breakfast, setting everything down for the family.


Just before they began eating, Five blinked into his seat, placing Dolores next to him in one of the empty chairs. Everyone paused, staring at Five in disbelief.


“And...she is?” Allison asked in a teasing tone.


“This is my wife, Dolores. Dolores, these are my siblings I told you about. Some are missing, but you’ll meet them later.”


He turned to his family. “Dolores says hi, but she’s a bit shy meeting new faces, so don’t mind her.”


Vanya leaned in toward Nathan and whispered, “Is something wrong with him? Should we be worried?”


Nathan telepathically linked the group’s minds, except for Five’s. "The isolation in the apocalypse messed him up a bit. That’s the wife I told you all about."


A collective understanding dawned on the group. Luther was the first to speak. “Hey, Dolores,” he greeted awkwardly.


One by one, everyone joined in, greeting Dolores in their own uncomfortable way.



---


Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room:


“Where is he!?” Cha-Cha demanded, slapping Klaus hard across the face, sending a splatter of blood across the floor.


“He can teleport! How the hell am I supposed to know!?” Klaus retorted, tied to a chair, his face bruised and swollen. He smirked weakly. “Hey, I think the drugs you gave me are wearing off. Can I get another dose?”


Hazel groaned, rubbing his eyes. “What the hell is wrong with him?”


“Don’t make me beg~” Klaus sang, his voice annoyingly cheerful.


Fed up, Hazel took off his tie, wrapping it around his knuckles. He punched Klaus in the gut, sending him and the chair flying back with a crash.


“We told you to tell us where your brother is!” Hazel growled.


Klaus lay on the floor, coughing in pain, his body crumpled. As he struggled to breathe, something caught his eye—a briefcase tucked inside the vent in front of him.


He looked at the briefcase in confusion, but before he could react, Hazel grabbed Klaus by the shirt and started pummeling him. Blood splattered across the floor, walls, ceiling, and even Hazel’s face.


Cha-Cha placed a hand on Hazel's shoulder. "Wait... He's saying something."


Hazel paused, letting Klaus try to speak, but his words were slurred, barely coherent. "What?" Hazel asked, leaning in closer.


"My safe word... it's pineapple..." Klaus muttered before losing consciousness from the beating.


Hazel clicked his tongue in annoyance and tossed Klaus onto the floor.


*Clink.*


Both of them froze, glancing at each other. Hazel and Cha-Cha moved towards the bathroom, where Cha-Cha pressed a hidden section of the tile wall. A compartment slid open, revealing a chute with a metal container inside.


Hazel retrieved the container and opened it, handing the contents to Cha-Cha. It was a piece of paper.


Cha-Cha read it aloud. "Due to the delay in completing your mission objective, a 7% deduction will be applied to your pay. Further deductions will be made for every additional 24 hours of delay."


"Those corporate assholes! All they do is sit behind a desk! It's been one lousy day. They have no idea what it's like in the field!" Hazel fumed, tearing the note apart.


He unwrapped the tie from his hand and turned to Cha-Cha. "What are you gonna do?" she asked.


"I'm waking the guest up," Hazel replied. He closed the chute and motioned for Cha-Cha to step out before turning on the faucet, filling the tub.


A sudden scream echoed from outside the room. Startled, they rushed out to find a cleaning lady, frozen in fear at the sight of Klaus’s bloodied, unconscious body.


Without hesitation, Cha-Cha pulled out her pistol and shot the woman point-blank. "Get her inside before anyone sees," she ordered.


"Why do I always have to do the heavy lifting? You shot her," Hazel grumbled as he dragged the lifeless woman inside and locked the door.


He tossed her aside like trash and picked up Klaus, still unconscious in the chair. Placing the chair beside the now-filled tub, Hazel tipped Klaus over, submerging him in the water.


Klaus's eyes shot open as he began thrashing, trying to resurface. Cha-Cha stepped forward, pushing the chair back with her foot just enough to give Klaus some breathing room.


"One more time," she said slowly. "Where is Five?"


Klaus gasped for air, coughing as he caught his breath. "Did I tell you..." he wheezed, "he can teleport? I never know where he is. Funny, though... ever since we were kids, he's always been a bit... what's the word... jumpy. Couldn't sit still if his life depended on it—"


*Splash.*


Cha-Cha released the chair, sighing in frustration. "We’re getting nowhere."


Hazel rubbed his chin. "Maybe the other brother will be more cooperative."


"We got lucky with this one. Next time, who knows what we’re up against. We don’t even know how many siblings there are or what powers they have," Cha-Cha said, exasperated.


Hazel hauled Klaus out of the water again. "Now, tell us this... what’s your power?"


Klaus, gasping for breath, began to laugh as he saw the ghost of the cleaning lady standing beside him. If he could see her, that could only mean one thing. 


Looking up at Hazel and Cha-Cha with a battered face, Klaus smirked. "Well, looks like I’m completely sober now…" He chuckled, his voice eerily calm. "What a bummer."


Both Hazel and Cha-Cha's eyes widened as Klaus began to levitate, the chair rising with him, suspended by a ghostly green energy. His eyes glowed an unnatural shade of green, and the bindings around him unraveled as if by some unseen force.


Cha-Cha and Hazel instinctively drew their guns, but Klaus extended his hand, revealing his "Goodbye" tattoo. With a mere gesture, they were thrown against the wall, the impact knocking the wind out of them.


"You should’ve listened to my safe word," Klaus said, smirking as he swept his wet hair back from his face. His eyes continued to glow with the eerie green energy as he loomed over them.