#tsu ☂️

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Welp. I finished TUA with plenty of thoughts and feelings. But in a surprising development I should have seen coming; I am less bursting with ideas for The Stolen Umbrella currently than I am No Feet. The ideas are overflowing, babes 😏

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

STOLEN UMBRELLA S2 BLURB || A LIGHT SUPPER

(PLANNED 2020, WRITTEN 2021)

A/n: Happy TUA 3 Eve! Im watching at midnight tonight and I cannot contain my excitement!! I'm so so ready to see these little dickheads again and it's only getting me more hyped to plan for TSU 3! I'm barely into the the third episode, let alone the second season but I figured I'd get one of my blurbs out as celebration (and to keep yall on your toes 😜) Yes! This is a real excerpt from TSU S2 and while it's the earliest of early drafts and details could change, this is what's to come! Hope you enjoy and sorry I'm so awkward about writing pda, it is not my thing in case you couldn't tell 😅

Warnings: the first of first drafts, unedited, pda written by a gay girl with no interest in pda and doesn't know what the hell to write other than parroting shit she's encountered in other media :p

Several pairs of eyes dart around the room, unable to do anything but sit in silence as Klaus shudders in a heap on the floor. You had just been about to slip out of your seat to check on him when Reginald clears his throat.

"Well," he says, slamming his notebook shut and rising from his seat. "I've seen about enough."

That's all he gives any of you before he's already heading for the door.

"No, I-" Luther stutters. But Reginald was still walking away.

Just the sound of his heels clicking against the floor as he walked away from all of you was enough to anger everyone. But it also didn't last long. His footsteps slowed gradually, each swing of his leg growing slower as of he were wading through water confusing everyone. Including himself. With a curious look, one surely tighting his grip on his monocle, he looks down at his own two legs. His movements had stopped altogether, apart from the wobbling of his knees that fought to keep him upright.

"No,"

All eyes turn to you, risen from your seat with your fiery eyes locked on the man. Reginald, despite his rapidly growing mass, manages to turn over his shoulder to meet your eye. He looked... unsure.

Everyone around you watched astonished as you departed from Diego's side to stalk towards Reginald. The closer you got, the closer the man got to the ground along with his things. His notebook had already been sucked towards the floor, making an obnoxious smack nobody cared about.

"You will listen," you said carefully, in a growl that was building from the back of your throat.

His monocle was the next to dive for the for the ground, snapping to the floor like a magnet on a fridge.

"You've lied," you point to the broken mess of a family he had left in his wake. "You've hurt," he had crumbled to knees, looking up at you from where you had placed him. You tower over him, belitting him as he had all of them their entire lives. How he had for all your life, supposedly. You point shakily to your chest in rage. "You've stolen,"

A bitter scoff breaks through as you shake your head, disgusted.

"And you call it bravery," it was getting harder and harder for Reginald to breathe, and his spine began to whine in pain. "You call yourself a hero,"

You draw in a deep breath, a smile splitting over your face.

"You are not," you say. Proudly, you gesture behind you at the academy. "They are. Because they had to be," you take another step forward to the trembling man. "to save themselves," another step. "from you," you jabbed your finger in his shoulder and he lost his balance momentarily.

He fought hard enough not to fall, but for Reginald Hargreeves, it was still considered a victory.

Everything was silent for several moments. Everyone watched as he slowly looked down at his wobbling form on the ground. Finally, as if none of it had happened-or wasn't still happening-he looked up at you. The discontent he managed to plaster on his face dispite the crippling pain weighing him donw made you sick. Even when he was being put in his place he made it his job to remind you who he believed to be superior.

"Well," he says almost sarcastically. "It seems the runt has got some fight after all,"

You took a subtle, seething breath.

"Savor this moment," he casts a glance to the stunned silent academy. "all you of you, as it is very likely none of you will ever hear this from me again," he cocks his head at you, like a condescending adult scolding a child. "I was wrong."

Your heart lifts in the your chest.

"I was wrong in dismissing your abilities," A smirk tugs at your lips. "As I was terribly mistaken in giving you a second chance."

The smirk fell off your face, leaving behind a disgusted frown. "A second chance?"

"Whatever life I gave to you-whatever faith I had in you was clearly ill-placed. Of course you would never amount to anything other than destruction," he glances past your shoulder at everyone, including a seething Diego. His hands were already reaching for one of his knives, waiting at the ready. "that's why you're all here, I suspect? Yet another cosmic blunder made in attempt at fixing your wrong doings,"

No words left your mouth, but hot and agry tears began brimming in your eyes without your permission.

"And there it is," he says with the click of his tongue. "No matter how far you try to run from it, the truth always reveals itself in the end. And the truth i see before me now, is nothing but a frightened child with too much power."

A single tear breaks the though the dam and down your cheek. Your head is trembling as fury consumes you, but you maintain your composure enough to lean down into his face and spit through gritted teeth, "So. Do. I,"

Your hold on Reginald evaporates, releasing him into a wobble. Hiking your chin up, you step around him, making sure to kick his journal out of reach as you storm for the exit.

Diego's eyes had nearly run dry; he had been so engrossed in the moment he had forgotten to blink. He couldn't believe it. Had you just done that? No one stood up to his father, nobody got the last word. Then again, you weren't some nobody.

Diego finally breaks out of his spell when he registers you stepping through the elevator doors. His heart pounding sporadically against his ribcage and holstering the knife with his fathers name on it, Diego kicks into gear and jogs after you.

You pull your eyes away from the glowing lobby button and waited less than patiently for the doors to close. Your head had been buzzing far too much to notice Diego had taken off after you. It was only when he slipped past the closing elevator doors and was snaking his arm around your waist you were snapped out of your angered thoughts.

You only had a second to send him a baffled look before he gently threw you against his chest, your lips smashing together in a passion. You were surprised to say the least you felt yourself melting into his touch, your own hand sliding up his chest and draping over his neck as his other hand snaked your waist.

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'Kay I'm gonna hide now lmao <3

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Taglist:

@whatawonderfulusername @vicassa @ohmyitsfaith @white-wolf-buckaroo @guineverebeckilicious @a-girl-who-loves-disney @ongaku-ato-kakikomi @alpacataco   @okimreadynow @omni-idiot-fanfics @onlyroad @popacherryvisitalibrary   @disaster-magician @little-boats-on-a-lake @lonerstolovers @dumdumsun @night-yoarrbe @pebbler

❥ Let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist! ❥

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

"This house, it's all I've ever known my entire life" STEVE BLACKMAN YOU owe me MONEYYY

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

I want to officially and sincerely apologize not only for the person I've been but the person I will become when they give us our first look at Sloane's powers. I'm not proud of it. I also can hardly contain it. But it will happen, and for that I am sorry

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Diego: "Dude did you have gravity sex?!"

Luther: "Let's just say we were dancing on the ceiling heh"

Me about 5 seconds away from popping a blood vessel:

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Hey sorry to bother you but are you continuing season 3 comic of stranger things and beginning s4 as well?

Unfortunately no, dear nonnie, not until vol 2 is out and I have gone through the full season again with my notes and planned COSMIC 4 :( I can tell you though that I have a great feeling many seeds I've been planting throughout the books/seasons are gonna come to fruition...

Until then, I'm getting myself prepared for TUA 3 tonight!! It's been far too long since I've gotten to see my favorite dysfunctional family, and I personally cannot wait to get a jump on all these new obstacles for The Stolen Umbrella

💕💕💕 - Yurtle

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Me falling in love with Sloane Hargreeves despite the very likely fact she will be causing nothing but problems for my fic and being the embodiment of my r!oc

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

not sure if these types of questions get on your nerves or anything, but i was wondering what you do to organize and plan your writing. (cosmic specifically). ive been trying to start writing again, life’s just been so much but i wanna start getting back into writing. i was just wondering how you do it? love you 🤍

I don't mind at all, I'm happy to answer in fact!

Short answer: bullet points. This is especially important if you're someone like me who is doing a rewrite where it's following along with the show and working an reader/oc into the series everyone already knows, big convoluted background origin story or not. I bullet point scene by scene, episode by episode with each season. Tedious, I know, but it helps keep my adhd thought on track and organized

💡 The idea:

When I first decided to write my first ever story, cosmic, i wanted to jump right in but I knew it was better for me personally to just sit myself down with this little crumb of an idea and get to know it and the world i wanted to bring it into. This little wisp of an influence I would have loved to have seen in the show and all I did was sit and watch the show while keeping this in mind. I got myself used to the world and the history of the lab and what boundaries our heroes faces when it came to investigating it so I knew what gray areas were free to play in as my little sandbox. And as I watched, the more that watered my idea and allowed me to develop it cause I saw ahead of time what I needed to make it happen (I also just happen to be someone who loves details and fitting them in wherever I can), and it definitely helped to jot down any thoughts that came to mind during the first watch.

📝 The Bullet Points:

The second watch is where I really get into the physical planning of it all. I wouldn't necessarily consider it any more important than the first cause if I didn't have the first (again, maybe this is just how my brain works) I wouldn't have had the opportunity to fully develop my ideas and let myself get inspired as I enjoy the show (that's how I came up with the story in the first place, after all!) But it is where all the "writing" gets done.

All it is is just a bullet point list, episode by episode, scene by scene, of what is going to happen. Probably not super conventional or how "the pros" do it, but again, my brain just might be weird and likes to be thorough. I don't make myself go in detail for stuff I don't need to. Literally, half the bullet points are stuff like

-gov does tests on pumpkin patch. Powell tells hopper about the reported sighting of el.

^that's an actual copy and pasted line from my season 2 bullet points. The stuff where I actually integrate reader (yes, I try and do this wherever I can which is another reason why I am reluctant to update s1 on tumblr cause there's a lot of missing experiment nuggets in non reader scenes) The point is, it can obv be as extensive as you want if you even find that bullet points work for you.

A quick example from my tua fic plans. Sorry I couldn't get anything from cosmic, the app I used for that one didn't allow screenshots, but it is the exact same process.

As you can see, i don't always keep my notes super serious and/or wordy and just have fun with it to keep myself from working myself into a corner 😅 believe me I have a lot of great little nuggets, including literal memes just thrown in there. But overall, that's about it!

🔁 Repeat:

That's pretty much it, and is still the method I use more or less today. Like when season 3 of ST came out, I just sat down to watch it as a fan. But it was also the first time I was watching stranger things while having my series out so it was really fun to watch with a new lense with y/n just riding in the back seat of my mind and popping in here and there. (Again, notes have gotta be ready!) And I plan to do it again with season 4, and it will be the first time I do it with my tua fic being written as s3 releases!

Again, I just want to give a disclaimer that this is just how I go about things cause my unmedicated brain gets tangled and distracted easily so doing this helps me. I've definitely gone through trial and error, as anyone likely has and will but my best advice is not being afraid to try things. When I had the idea to sit down and be thus thorough, I really wasn't super jazzed about it and I certainly didn't dive in all at once because I was afraid of getting bored. But it weirdly helped and felt kinda satisfying?? Cause I went the extra mile ahead of time instead of facing that later if that makes sense? I knew it was something that was gonna bother me later, knowing the lore and getting it 👌just right👌

If you just stick to your gut and get what you feel like you're gonna need, I think things will work out just fine. Sorry if this was super long but I feel like people should know by now that's just me 😂 also, thats the kinda the point I was trying to make! Lol shutting up now. Love you too darling, feel free to stop by anytime <3

💕💕💕 - Yurtle

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

hey! in terms of the whole deadnaming thing, since it is fanfiction, you have every right to go back and change any possible deadnaming/misgendering and when writing future seasons, skip any scenes about viktor's transition. essentially, if you want, you can make it an already established part of your version of canon, and just be like actually no he was always viktor bc why not? and if you dont want to do that, as the news just came out, i don't see why that would be wrong either as you would just be writing the show how it was originally written, y'know? as a trans person, either option would be totally okay for me to read. i can't speak for everyone, though.

Thank you so so much, and I definitely get what your saying!! That's very true, I mean especially with fanfiction its definitely easier to move things around. I guess my dilemma here is that I truly do not have a say here at all really, as a cis person and this feels like such a big decision for something that does not impact me. So I'm a wee bit afraid to mess up 😅 and I definitely don't want to let anyone down. But I also realize not everyone is gonna feel the same way. Rn, I'm definitely leaning towards updating and changing it being, "Hey Viktor realized it a long time ago in this universe cause why not! And good for him!" in both my rewrites. But now that I've finally answered everyone else in my inbox (but one), I can finally open it back up again and I'm thinking if I don't get anymore advice in the next week or so that's what I'll do!

I'm grateful to any feedback and I'm very appreciative for your lending your input, it really does help me a lot. Everyone's been so kind about this even though I feel like the answer should be blaringly obvious lmao 😭 thanks for letting me clear things up 💗

💕💕💕 - Yurtle

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

heya!! transmasc dude here— imo, it would definitely be appreciated to update any previous writings with viktor’s current name & pronouns! i’ve been doing the same thing myself with my own fics recently :’)

Thank you so so much, that feedback is greatly appreciated. I'd never want to just assume something so important, and believe me I've been growing very anxious about leaving it untouched for this long (hence saving these asks for last so I can address them properly and they don't get lost in the feed). The reason I've been putting it off so so long, apart from this, is my fear that if/when they do a coming out scene (ya know, like fleshed out scene/plot or even just in passing) is that I'll essentially be erasing an important moment when in the series rewrite, it eventually gets to this scene.

I want to reiterate I'm more than happy to go back and update everything in my rewrites (and I'm already working on going back on the little things and posts I can find), I just want to make sure that when I'm doing it I'm doing it right. Could i trouble you, or anyone really who can speak about this, how one might go about this? Specifically for a series rewrite? Just in terms of a coming out scene its okay its just implied/referenced it happened earlier in his life (pre s1) or...? Again, thank you sm for your input it really helps!!

💕💕💕 - Yurtle

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

I just read the stolen umbrella and i LOVE. IT!! Your writing is PHENOMENAL, cant wait for more ♡♡♡

Take it. It's all I have, sweet nonnie. Take my heart and all my uwus for you have given me a happiness I cannot properly thank you for

💕💕💕 - Yurtle

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Song Tag 📻

Big thank you to the wonderful @dumdumsun for the tag! 😌🤲💝

Rules: spell out your URL with song titles. Then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL**

Y ━ You Only Want Me When You're Lonely by Jim Boyd

U ━ Under The Milky Way by The Church

R ━ Right Back Where We Started From by Maxine Nightingale

T ━ The End of the World by Skeeter Davis

L ━ Look On The Bright Side Of Life by Monty Python

E ━ Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire

T ━ The Bitch Is Back by Elton John

H ━ Harold Jenkins by Igtoluh

E ━ Earth by Sleeping at Last

T ━ Time Warp by Little Nell, Patricia Quinn, Richard O'Brian from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

U ━ Unwind Yourself by Marva Whitney

R ━ Reconsider Baby by Elvis Presley

T ━ This Year's Love by David Gray

L ━ Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney, Wings

E ━ Eight by Sleeping at Last

H ━ Hello Walls by Willie Nelson

E ━ Everybody (Backstreet's Back) by Backstreet Boys

N ━ Night's In White Satin by The Moody Blues

D ━ Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest

E ━ End Of The Line by Traveling Wilburys

R ━ Reflecting Light by Sam Phillips

S ━ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics

O ━ Only You (And You Alone) by The Platters

N ━ Never Tear Us Apart by Paloma Faith

♡ no pressure, no specific order tag ♡: @emo-space-tea @witch-of-all-things-soft @ongaku-ato-kakikomi @night-yoarrbe @shawkneecaps @terrazaurio @ohmyitsfaith @ba-responds @bex-stranger-things @omni-idiot-fanfics @little-boats-on-a-lake @a-girl-who-loves-disney @whatawonderfulusername @vicassa @white-wolf-buckaroo @guineverebeckilicious @alpacataco @okimreadynow @onlyroad @popacherryvisitalibrary @disaster-magician @lonerstolovers ━ this basically ended up being the taglist since i sadly dont have that many mutuals 💀 feel free to ignore if you want, loves!

**I added my own little challenge for my own sake cause I wanted to narrow things down—these are from my growing playlist for a WIP of mine, [hence some of the weird choices] TSU! But of course that was just me, anyone is free to do the tag game normally or however they want

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

The Stolen Umbrella || TUA Rewrite --- ꒰ run boy, run pt. 2 ꒱

A Diego Hargreeves x F!Reader Series

𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭. 𝘋𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳?

☂︎ 𝔱𝔰𝔲 | ❛ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ ᴢᴇʀᴏ ❜

CW⚠️: heavy themes of kidnapping, one of two times I'll warn you in chapter since theres a disclaimer in the masterlist. this chpt also deals with possible claustrophobia triggers, it's all up to you personally. (Reader lived in a single room) Lastly, brief thoughts of doubting reality. This specific trigger will be marked by these ■●■●■●. This is your reminder you are here, you are real, and you my have my full support should you need it, love 💞

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❛❛ 𝐖𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐄, ❜❜

His voice came out in a nervous squeak which he remedied with a small smile. Your eyes flew to him and his long arms that hung above his head in surrender.

"Klaus," hissed one of the four strangers.

Your breathing was shallow and ragged as fear squeezed your lungs.

You couldn't, for the life of you, determine if what was happening was good or bad. The door was broken, surely you couldn't be held back anymore. But these people... they were familiar. You had sensed plenty of presence in your life thanks to your abilities, as many as ten—some of them human, some of them not?

While your powers did tend to have a mind of their own, they were limited. They could feel but never touch. And as you grew, they grew. And now they were here.

But who were they?

The question refused to leave your mind as you studied each of the four figures pooling into your cage one by one with a heedful stare. 

The Big Man. You hadn't seen anyone other than Him for as long as you could remember, giving you little sense of what people look like these days but surely they didn't look like that. The Big Man was unusually broad and you had a feeling it wasn't all the coats.

The man who speaks strangely; he had dark circles around his eyes and words on his hands. You had no clue as to what he was dressed in, they looked like no clothes you had ever seen before. But unlike The Big Man, he seemed... softer. Less threatening. His face was soft despite the baffled frown screwed on. He was the one who had spoken to you–he was the one who came in peace.

There was also a woman–the most dazzling you had ever seen, and also the only. She had a similar look on her face as the man who speaks strangely. She was tall, but not Big Guy tall and you would have described her as stoic if you knew the word. Her earthly brown eyes were refreshingly kind, but they looked scared, and yet you somehow knew it wasn't of you.

But the one you couldn't stop looking at was the one who couldn't stop looking at you. He was dressed in all black like the others; a breath of fresh air compared to the white staining your eyes for the past three decades or so. His eyes were dark too, but only in color. He had a look in his eyes like he was fighting off every emotion at once. Sad was the most prominent, identifiable emotion you would use to describe him. What he had to be sad about was beyond you–could anyone blame you, you weren’t exactly in a sympathetic place at the moment.

He hiked his foot up in an attempt at a cautious step forward but all you saw was The Sad Man waltzing in to do who knows what. But you weren't about to sit around and find out.

"No." It was the first word of your mouth and they all stopped.

The Sad Man in question slowly raised his hands to his sides in (what you didn’t realize to be) surrender. This confused you greatly. You didn't recognize this body language or this behavior. Why was he stopping, and not ignoring your every word? Why did he look at you like you weren't a threat? You were… Weren't you?

That's why you were here, in this place.

The thought alone—just acknowledging the desolation you felt every waking moment—was enough to strengthen your guard. Your anguish was dripping from you and spilling out in the world and grabbing anything it could find to steady itself. It happened slowly and yet all at once; one by one everything not carved from the walls and floor like your bed—anything at all not tethered to the room began to float. It didn't leave much, mainly the door that had been busted down began to hover off the ground with an almost buoyancy.

The man stumbled off the door where his foot had been, allowing it to sink to the ceiling as everything else had. Now, it was hard for him to take his eyes off the floating objects scattered around the room; ranging from the door to the pillows and blankets that levitate off the twin bed in the far right corner.

"Who," you spat through gritted teeth, as threateningly as possible. "are you?"

Your voice tore their eyes away from your grip on the world. Your eyes bore into all four of them, and they withered under your stare. Fear's grip on your chest grew stronger as your patience with these strangers thinned.

"People who can help," answered The Sad Man. His face softens more if at all possible. "...I hope."

Your weary eyes search his, and Diego is sure he's never felt so much all at once. The truth sat before him, shrunken into the corner, livid and scared, and it left his composure splintering. The reality of what his father had done—what his father was really capable of. And to think, all these years he could have helped you, all these years he thought he had it bad. Every miserable second of his childhood was bliss compared to whatever hell you must have gone through. But the question remained... why? Why were you here?

He looks back to the floating debris and Diego ventures a guess. No matter how angry it makes him.

You're still watching him carefully when he looks back at you. Everything about you is calculated and poised, and on guard. One thing was clear, and that was you held no hesitation to bring every single one of them down if it meant your freedom.

Diego had every reason to be scared of you. He didn't know it but you could easily end his life then and there without ever lifting a finger. You were powerful, a scary kind of powerful. And yet, Diego couldn't see anything else other than another innocent soul broken by his father. Your next words only confirmed it.

"Are you with Him?" You eyed each of them for their reactions. They only looked at one another and back at you, the words caught in their throat.

"Who's ‘him’?" Diego asks carefully, only assuming you meant his father. "Do you mean Reginald Hargreeves? An older guy. With a monocle, right?"

Your eyebrows knitted together in a weary frown, and Diego is quick to ignore the hint of a flutter in his stomach.

"’Monocle’?" The word was familiar, but it was lost on you in the sudden development. As were most things.

"Yeah, a-a, you know," He gestures to his eye and signs a small circle when the words fail to come. He presses on all the same, careful not to dwell on his returning stutter. "Monocle?"

Your heart drops to your stomach and a glare falls over your face. "Yes." You answer with a voice like sandpaper, and you tense. "The Monocle."

Any of them could tell you were putting on a threatening stance, doing anything you could to protect yourself. But they could still sense your fear. It was laced within in your hardened voice as you slowly repeated your words. "Are you with the Monocle?"

Diego couldn't help the scoff that came out. "Hell no," when he saw your expression, he knew that wasn't enough.

His face went soft again, and he looked over his shoulder at the others who all seemed to hold a similar expression. All but one, at least. Ignoring The Big Man, who looked unsure and hesitant, Diego's softened eyes fell back at you.

"No," he answers, voice now genuine. "We're not with the Monocle." He swallows thickly, scared to frighten you or escalate this situation in any way. But he knew you needed to know.

"But," he pauses, trying to find the right words and that becomes much more difficult under your quizzical stare. "But w-w-we are..." His eyes cast down to the ground for only a moment, looking distant. You could practically see the lurch in his heart. Finally, he clears his throat as if it never happened. "he's our father. But we're not with him, okay? I promise,"

Diego slowly lowers himself to sit in a crouch, closer to your eye level and to appear less threatening. Again, you're surprised by this, unsure what to make of it. Millions of thoughts ran through your head until you felt dizzy.

Diego watches with bated breath as your hardened eyes scour his, looking for any trace of ill intent. You looked stumped and you are. Diego's heart only broke more when it hit him again. The reality of it all was a storm, coming back in powerful waves crashing against him before slinking back out to wind up again. And here and now, as he sat before you looking into the e/c eyes that held such intense pain he would never fathom knowing, another big wave crashed over him and weighed down his heart.

"He can't hurt you anymore," said Diego, his voice delicate like glass. "He's gone."

It was then Diego could see it. A light growing in your eyes. A small spark, once long ago extinguished, now reignited. But like a flame, they had a tendency to flicker. He could tell you were eyeing the door. But he still didn't know what you'd do to get there.

Diego met his gaze with yours, easing your attention away from the door. He knew he had to do this right, they all had to. They couldn’t risk scaring you.

"We're gonna get you out of here, alright? I promise. You can trust us,"

You eyed him curiously. Any one of them could see the gears in your head were turning with no signs of stopping. You were trying to decide if you could believe them. Seeing this, Diego casts a glance over his shoulder at his siblings. They're watching with widened eyes that fall back to you with worry.

"All of us," he says. "But can you help us? To understand?"

No answer was given. Just your studious gaze raking Diego up and down as you debated with yourself on whether or not he was telling the truth. How any of this could possibly be a trap.

"How long have you been here?" Asked the woman with the kind eyes, her voice even more so.

There's another silence and for a moment Diego is positive they aren't getting an answer. But before he could ask another question, your hoarse voice spoke up.

"G.R.E.G.O.R.Y. says years,"

The Woman eases closer; a patient look on her face you felt you could trust.

"Gregory?" She wondered aloud, speaking her siblings' minds. Little did she know the consequences to follow.

Several sparks lit up the already brightened room, showering down from the ceiling to the floors that were dotted with your blood. Loud zaps filled the silence with it, and the black screen on the far right wall began to flicker with static. Most of them had seen it when they first entered but hadn't given it much thought considering you had rightfully stolen most of their attention. In terms of size, it was a bit smaller than a schoolroom whiteboard but looked like a much bigger version of the screen Klaus had found outside your door. And like that small screen, it began to glitch several jagged stripes of static.

"𝘏-𝘏-𝘏𝘖𝘞 𝘊𝘈𝘕- 𝘏𝘖𝘞 𝘊𝘈𝘕 𝘐 𝘏𝘌𝘓𝘗?" Came a sudden voice, blaring from every square inch of the room.

More sparks went off like sprinklers over their heads, dying out long before they hit the ground and smoke seemed to seep through the walls. It was only then they realized why the walls looked so strange; they seemed to be carved out in millions of tiny hexagonal holes layering some sort of mechanism underneath. A mechanism, in their best guess, was the technology that had been countering whatever you had been doing.

You slowly looked up at the walls, your eyes sunken and puffy. Diego thought he saw a spark of something else in your eyes, but it was gone in less than an instant. Miserably, you slipped your hands over your ears, pouting at the ground at the return of the voice.

"𝘚𝘠𝘚𝘛𝘌-𝘚𝘠𝘚𝘛𝘌-𝘚𝘠𝘚𝘛𝘌-𝘚𝘠𝘚𝘛𝘌-" the seemingly endless loop it was stuck in grated everyone's ears. The voice climbed higher in volume before shutting down altogether. Most eyes had turned to the screen, watching as a thin wispy white line flashed in and out off the black of the screen before it lit up again in red. No one knew what to do, and before anyone could question what had just happened the blaring voice returned in a hurried pitch, making up for the lag. "𝘚𝘠𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘔𝘚𝘊𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘐𝘊𝘈𝘓.𝘊𝘖𝘕𝘛𝘈𝘐𝘕𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘉𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘊𝘏,"

Eyes returned to you, and slowly your hands slipped from your ears. It's the first time you truly meet their eyes, addressing them fully.

"G.R.E.G.O.R.Y." You say, glancing at the message still scrawled across the screen.

A knowingly look fell over The Big Man's face as he looked between you and the screen. "It's an AI," he mumbles, meeting eyes with The Beautiful Woman. "He must have been watching over her all this time,"

Diego's eyes pull away from his brother, and trail all along the room. The more they do, the more he notices. Several panels in varying sizes covered the walls, each of them a brighter white than the textured. It was because these panels weren't the same hexagonal pattern, but blank slates with hidden compartments built-in. Had they examined them further, they would have found these panels gave way to provide the essentials. Running water, dehydrated food, even a door to a very cramped space not much bigger than an airplane bathroom, complete with all the necessary plumbing.

This place wasn't just a cage, this was the AI. And judging by the interior, it had been meant to sustain life. They shuddered to think how long you had been intended to be kept here.

The Woman takes a step further, her face wrought with worry and sympathy. She meets your eyes and kneels to the ground beside The Sad Man.

"What did... Gregory say?" She asks gently, eyeing the walls. She shakes her head a little like she was trying to find the right words. "Did he say how many years?"

There comes another silence and again they fear you won't speak. You nearly don't, but something about her convinced you. When you finally spoke the answer they all had feared, your voice was as bitter and tired as the look in your eyes.

"Twenty-eight,"

You had enough sense to know that your answer had upset them deeply. It was a shock to them, at least. They looked sick to their stomachs. The man with the weird beard and clothes–The Strange One–covered his mouth with two hands, hiding a gasp, and The Woman stood, turning away as she choked on a teary gasp. You couldn't quite read The Big Man quite right, but he seemed upset enough.

And The Sad One sitting before you... he looked like he was going to be sick. He couldn't look at you anymore, he just looked slowly to the ground while his mouth tried to form words.

All he could do was rise to his feet, running a hand down his face where it rested on his mouth as he wandered a few steps away. You could hear the anxious breaths being smothered into his fingers.

The Strange One began whispering to The Beautiful Woman, his fingers still lingering on his bottom lip. He had heartbreak in his eyes, both of them did but it looked, to you, like they were still struggling to speak.

"We should have..."

"How could we have known?"

"I don't know, but-"

Their conversation dwindles out of your attention span when The Big Man takes a few steps towards you.

"Can you tell us what you remember? The last time you weren't..."

"Abducted?"

He clears his throat and nods. "Yeah,"

Luther could see it in your eyes. You were thinking hard, trying so desperately to hold onto something that was slipping away. He wasn't exactly surprised, none of them were. But maybe, if they could just get some piece of information–maybe someone or something from your short-lived past life. Someone would be looking for you. Maybe.

But no words came from your mouth.

"Y-you don't have to tell us, it's okay," The Strange One tried, hesitantly inching forward a step. His hands fiddled together and you thought you caught words inscribed into his palm. He seems to ignore the whispered disagreement from The Big One, and shoots you a nervous, but friendly smile. He looked like he wanted to say more, but his instincts recognized you were overwhelmed.

You looked again at the open doorway, watching frozen with a beating heart as red light streamed inside in flashes. You thought of darting through the door, but who's to say these people wouldn't stop you.

Your mind raced from there. Would they really let you go? What would be left, and where would you go if you did? Would they really even let you? All of them, even The Big Man who seemed the most unsure was ready to help. But you couldn't bring yourself to accept what was right in front of you.

The Woman was still teary-eyed but looked as if she was trying to stifle it. She took a sharp deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat as she hugged her arms. And then she offered you a sad smile.

"We won't stop you," she said, seeming to read your thoughts. "But we can help you. If you let us,"

■●■●■●■●■●■●■●■●■

A pain settles on your heart and your breathing picks up.

So badly you wanted to believe it. God, you wanted to believe it. You had dreamt of this day every night, your entire life, but it was always just a dream. 

That's when you realized… that’s all this is. All it could be.

You shook your head, refusing to take the bait. "No." Beads of tears pooled in your eyes, but you managed to keep them at bay. "Not true. Not real."

Hugging your knees tighter, you dropped your face into your arms and sniffled, successfully breaking everyone's hearts further. The door twirled faster in the air, and the Hargreeves siblings even felt a little lighter like any wrong move would suspend them in air.

Diego returned his gaze to your form, huddled in the corner as you buried your sniffles in the shelter of your knees and arms. It reminded him so much of his youth. He had been broken down like that before. They all had. All too well he remembers the occasional attack Klaus would have after his nights locked in the mausoleum. Diego had a few of his own, and they were hell.

Before he knew what he was doing, Diego crept further than he ever had towards you, and lowered himself back down to your side.

"Hey..." he reassures, wanting so badly to grab your hand and ground you but he knew better. "Hey, it-- "

He sighs, head cast down to the floor where his heart lay shattered. How would he even begin, Diego didn't know.

Luther, on the other hand...

"Can you tell us--" The Big Man took a few sudden steps forward and you flinched back further into your corner.

Diego looked over his shoulder at his brother, motioning him to step back. Reluctantly, Luther did.

"You know, sometimes..." Diego begins after a moment. His voice was so gentle it was nearly a whisper. "Sometimes when I was younger, I'd get really scared."

Your sniffles began to quiet, but you hardly moved. But Diego could recognize you were listening and he continued.

"And my mom... she would tell me to count to ten. She said I could get through anything if I just took it ten seconds at a time,"

Diego was relieved to see you slowly pick your head up from your knees, looking up at him through puffy lids.

"I think you can, too," he says. "And in those next ten seconds, that door will still be open. And it still will be, ten seconds after that. And then ten more, and ten more,"

His siblings watched in silent admiration as your breathing began to slow. It was hardly noticeable, but it did. You looked into Diego's eyes as you did so, looking at him as if he would disappear if you were to look away. But he was right. You made it through the next ten seconds and as he said, they were all still there as so was your exit.

■●■●■●■●■●■●■●■●■

Slowly, the pressure in their ears subsided and the items suspended in the air began to sink back to the floor inch by inch. You hadn't let your grip go, but it was clear it had loosened.

The siblings couldn't tell from where they were standing but Diego sent you a small, reassuring smile. Another moment passed as you slowly but surely collected yourself and Diego's voice returned.

"Now," he began, softly. "We just want to understand things a little better. So that we can help you."

You nodded, and he returned to his feet. You watched, perplexed as he offered his hand out for you to take.

Surprising all of them, your eyes flickered to each of them in turn, distrustfully, and then stood to your feet. You remained in the corner, arms tucked at your sides. Saddened, but understanding, Diego let his hand drop back to his side and brushed it off.

The man finally gestures to himself. "My name is Diego," he reveals, and there's a pause. One that asks for your name.

There's still hesitancy laced within every look, every shift of your feet but you do eventually break your silence.

"Y/n,"

The corners of his lips threaten to twitch up, but more than anything he seems relieved to hear an answer.

"Nice to meet you, Y/n,"

You nearly found yourself smiling. Nearly. Everything was still a mess, as it most likely would be for the rest of your life. But at this moment, you allowed yourself to enjoy the sound of your name for the first time in decades.

Your name. Not Number Zero, as The Monocle or G.R.E.G.O.R.Y. had taken to calling you. But one that you had clung so desperately to all these years, the one remaining piece of you you hadn't let go of. The name your mother had given to you.

You found your eyes suddenly locked with The Big Man, and cautiously he tried again, taking a step forward. You didn't do anything, but you were positive he could see by the look in your eyes you were watching his actions carefully.

"Our dad," he says, Licking his drying lips nervously. "Have you... seen him recently? Has he visited you, I mean,"

Several eyes darted to his and back like they were nervous about what he was saying. Nothing about this made sense to you, but judging by his impatient, shifty behavior and the responses of the others, it wasn't good. Needless to say, you weren’t itching to place your faith in him.

"Did he say why he did this to you?"

"Luther," Warned The Woman.

"What? Don't you think we should know?"

The man named Diego flashed a tired and grated look at the floor before turning to gawk at the man.

"Watch it, Luther," he all but growls.

"It's a valid question!" The Big Man, Luther, you realized, argued.

Diego scoffs, fully turning to face Luther now.

"Not when you ask it."

"Oh, yeah?" He asked, beginning to grow stern. "Why's that?"

"Well, gee, let's think. Who here has been a paranoid jackass who just accused his siblings of murdering their father just cause he misplaced some stupid piece of eyewear?" Diego hissed, never taking a breath.

The Strange Man sighed, sharing a tired look with The Woman and an empty spot to his left. Luther and Diego were now feet apart, absorbed completely by their rising anger at one another.

"Yeah? And who here has the biggest motive?" He hissed right back.

Diego shoved Luther, all his previous anger for his father and Luther colliding violently with the fresh anger he felt for you. This was only proof he had been right all along; their father was an irredeemable monster. Not only had he neglected and abused the several children he had 'adopted' but he also went as far as to steal an innocent child and any semblance of a life. It was enough for Diego to wish he had killed his father.

"You're seriously still defending him?!"

-"Guys,"

"You're seriously dismissing this?!"

-"Guys, enough!"

"He fucking kidnapped her Luther! Or have you just been too far up Dad's asshole to notice?"

Strange One laughed a little and The Kind One strode towards them, looking far less kind since arriving.

"Screw you!"

"Screw you!"

-"Enough!” She yelled, trying to place herself in between them. “This has to stop!"

"I'll stop when he backs off,"

"I'll stop when he starts seeing reason,"

"Oh, knock it off with that pretentious, holier than thou horse shit!"

Klaus, who had been watching the heated exchange unfold reluctantly joined in Allison's efforts of calming them down. But Diego and Luther had years worth of differences that were beginning to fuse in with their newest grievance. All their voices began to melt together, growing louder and louder as everyone tried to make themselves heard. It was chaos.

In all that time, you had gradually returned to the corner, growing nervous. You had been used to years of isolation and the sudden sound of group bickering had become too much. You had asked for them to stop, but your voice was drowning in theirs. Your breathing picked up as panic returned and something within you snapped when Luther laid his first hand on Diego.

Your stomach lurches and the four strangers become prisoners of your own.

Their shouting voices went quicker than their feet leaving the ground. They didn't quite understand what was going on when it happened, and yet they did. It was worse than what happened to the gravity when the last earthquake shook the academy—more specifically it was what happened after it came back. All at once their bodies collectively fell unceremoniously to what they first believed to be the ground. They had to crane their necks up above their bodies to see you standing there over their heads when it all clicked.

The reason for your capture had been easy to spot but seeing you here now—standing tall rooted to the spot on the floors they had just left with Earth's true pull. The truth shot up to the surface for them to face; you were one of them—you had a gift, like them.

The gift of gravity. It belonged to you, and you alone to wield.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

You never thought it possible for things to change so quickly. Then again, long ago you had reached a point where you never thought escape was possible. And yet, here you were. Drawing in a deep breath as you stepped across the threshold to have bound you so long ago.

It had taken a great deal to coax you down. But in the end, a few words from Diego and The Woman—Allison, you learned her name was—brought everyone back down to their feet.

The others knew better by now to give you space, but even as they tread slowly behind you and Diego down the long hall, just feet behind you, you could still hear the strained voice of Klaus (The Strange Man). You couldn't be too sure if he was trying to mask his voice to keep out of earshot from you or not but you could barely hear a snippet of his conversation with someone.

"I just can't wrap my head around it. I mean, being away from the world that long. All that she's missed, all those backward fads I know we all miss dearly. The Backstreet Boys, see-through landlines... Skirts over jeans, Gangnam Style! Oh, my-! For Christ's sake, she missed the Cup Song!" He let out a whine, and you could barely hear the sound of his quiet sigh. "That poor thing,"

"Klaus," It was Allison, and she seemed tired with him. "So not appropriate right now,"

You realized your eyebrows were stuck in a frown, having been trying so desperately to understand the jumble of words he had just thrown out. Diego picks his head up when you bring your head to look over your shoulder.

"Gangnam Style?"

Klaus seemed happily surprised you were talking to him.

"Oh! Uh, yeah... Yeah, it was a dance," he nods solemnly. Like someone had mentioned the passing of an old friend, not a trendy dance from the 2010s. "Well, sort of-- I don't know, there were horses, it was a whole thing." He quickly finishes, giving a dismissive wave.

The word 'oh,' returned to your mouth, but it never made it louder than a thoughtful whisper and you returned your sights ahead. That's when you came to a stop. Diego stopped with you, eyes cautiously flickering over you to gauge a reaction.

He subtly cleared his throat. "What's wrong?"

Your breathing grew heavier and more frequent the longer you stared at the elevator doors and what they meant. You were getting out. So long you had dreamed of the other side and what it would look like, you never stopped to think what you might do or what you might see.

Was the world the same from what little half-formed fragments you could remember, or had it all changed? Would you find such things as Klaus had mentioned, like skirts over jeans or... Or would you somehow find yourself in a situation where you were expected to dance this Gangnam Style? How could you ever get on the horse, you never even met one!

It was then Diego's words rang in your head again, reassuring you and calming your spiraling thoughts.

...Eight. Nine. Ten.

You were ready. You could do this.

Tearing your eyes away from the confined space that lay beyond the gated threshold, your eyes landed on Diego. He was still watching you carefully with that look you couldn't quite place. It was almost enough to draw a grateful smile on your lips but nothing you tried came close. All you could do was nod, composing yourself and taking in a deep breath.

Diego stepped forward and pressed a little button. Suddenly, the gates slid to the side and out of the way and that was it. There was nothing else to do but cross the threshold and let it lift you to your freedom—nothing or no one holding you back any longer.

And with your heart hammering in your chest, you stepped inside.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help Families with Trans Children Move Out of State - GoFundMe Thread

Step Up

Find and track hateful legislation proposals that threaten the health and safety of vulnerable youth and their families.

Equality Texas

We envision a Texas where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Texans and their families have full equality in the hearts and minds of our fellow Texans and in all areas of the law.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Taglist:

@whatawonderfulusername @vicassa @ohmyitsfaith @white-wolf-buckaroo @guineverebeckilicious @a-girl-who-loves-disney @ongaku-ato-kakikomi @alpacataco   @okimreadynow @omni-idiot-fanfics @onlyroad @popacherryvisitalibrary   @disaster-magician @little-boats-on-a-lake @lonerstolovers @dumdumsun @night-yoarrbe

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[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

The Stolen Umbrella || TUA Rewrite --- ꒰ run boy, run pt. 10 ꒱

A Diego Hargreeves x F!Reader Series

𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘢, 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭. 𝘋𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳?

☂︎ 𝔱𝔰𝔲 | ❛ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ. ɪᴛ'ꜱ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇᴀꜱʏ ❜

CW⚠️: very subtle but intense manipulation (basically anytime Leonard is here), implications to emotional abuse (how grace behaves, it's still interpretive), brief description of panic attacks (thanks reg)

📝: drew a bit of inspo from willie nelson

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

❛❛𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆,❜❜

The man who introduced himself as Leonard perked at Vanya's praise at his squeaky rendition of Frere Jacques. Their lessons had been going surprisingly smooth, she couldn't remember the last time someone was this eager to learn. Someone who wasn't discouraged when they messed up or were corrected.

"Looks like I picked the right teacher," he shrugged.

"Oh," Vanya smiled, shaking her head as if it would somehow shake the smile from her lips. "well, I'm glad someone thinks so,"

Vanya quickly explains at Leonard's expression. "My next student could probably lecture me on what I'm doing wrong. She's... She's a bit of a prodigy." You'd be surprised how many of my students actually come to me to learn violin, she thinks. But Vanya doesn't have the courage to say it aloud. This was going so well. Not one mention of her relations to the academy, her siblings, or if she were to pick up crime-fighting ever again. She was just Vanya.

"Well, you can relax," assures Leonard, as if reading her thoughts. "I've never been a prodigy at anything," His eyes, far away, crinkle as he chuckles with a bitter shake of his head. "much to my father's chagrin."

Vanya nods solemnly, her words slipping past her lips without thought. "Well, that makes two of us," she gulped, fearful of what she just brought forth. That and the twinkle in his eye she thought she saw. She didn't have time to decide, he had flashed her a polite smile and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"So--"

"I'll see you next week," she knows she's cut him off, but her fear of the dreaded White Violin talk was motivation enough to make sure this ended on a good note. "and, uh, practice the hold-don't forget your posture, and uh, maybe get a violin." Part of Vanya was relieved when he chuckled with her, the other half wondering why he hadn't said anything yet.

"You can be honest," he begins. They had already risen from their seats, Vanya taking from him her first violin and propping it delicately on the couch. "Do you think it's weird wanting to learn violin this late in life?"

Relieved, Vanya quickly shakes her head. "No, no. Monet didn't really start painting until his forties. He did alright for himself," Leonard smiled fondly at that. "No, if you love music then you're in the right place,"

At that Leonard gave a scoff. "I'd say you're describing my dad more than me. He was the music lover." Vanya nodded along. "No, yeah he, uh-- well, it's kind of why I'm here, to be honest. You see, he passed a while ago."

Vanya's face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, it's fine. Really," he assured, digging his hands in his pockets. Once again, he rocked bashfully on his heels. "We had a complicated relationship. Didn't really get each other. No, yeah, he, uh... He and I had a falling out, and uh... he expected things of me," He gestured to the violin and gave an embarrassed chuckle. "I didn't want that weight on me-all that pressure, you know?"

Stupefied at how well she did, Vanya nodded after a pause. "Yeah," she nodded again, wetting her chapped lips out of nervous habit. "I do actually,"

Looking up from the floor, his dark eyes met hers with a look she yet again couldn't place. A twinkle she couldn't identify. Nevertheless, it left her curious. And his words were dangerous; they were just what she wanted to hear.

"Family. It's never easy, right?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

It had started with another hushed conversation. Another quick briefing before another person was made aware of your existence and you had to decide whether or not to trust them. But instead of others being prepared for you, it was Diego preparing you for someone else-making sure you were ready for whatever unfolded. It was a welcome change.

He had assured you many times he trusted this individual with his life, and for now, that was enough for you. But then you learned more about her, and dread sunk your gut. She wasn't human-she was an AI. Made by The Monocle. It was an all too harsh reminder of the life you left far below your feet and you could still hear his modulated voice as sure as you would for the rest of your days.

Diego didn't fail to notice the sudden and rapid increase in your breathing or your coiled grip around his bicep tightening like a python. The two of you stopped before the grand staircase, your eyes stuck where his had flickered to the balcony above and you spotted an alcove that held a small gallery. You suspected this was where you were going. You had little time to dwell when you felt his gaze on you; studying the rippling of muscle from your clenched jaw and the dialing of your irises as you finally met his eye.

You watched with the same intensity, unaware of just how vulnerable you stood with him here and now. Questions of all kinds were buzzing through your mind as they had been since that stupid door came caving in, but Diego occupied less and less. His motivations with you were less of a question.

"I know what you must be thinking," he had said to you. "but I think she might be able to help if you give her a chance."

"Diego..." your voice was filled with unease, and although that was all you could bring yourself to say, he understood.

"Look," he shifted on his feet, his eyes suddenly gravitating to the floor. Your eyes followed, listening to the steady breath released through his nose and the wavering in his voice as looked at his feet pointing directly at your own-his focus completely on you. "I'm not gonna pretend to know what your experience was-or hell, how this'll go,"

Diego felt a noticeable shift in the air pressure. He couldn't quite describe how he knew, but... he could have sworn it was slight relief behind it all.

"or what she'll know about your situation or-- or, if she even knows about you." There was a momentary pause. One occupied by the distant humming carrying like a haunting melody from upstairs. From this Grace─from Diego's mother. When he spoke again, his voice was small and vulnerable, so unlike anything or anyone you were used to. "But I think it's worth a shot."

He waited for what felt like a small eternity before you nodded, the sight gently tugging at the ends of his lips in the process. The pressure shifted again as you glanced down at your hands encased in his, only just now realizing he had taken them in such a gentle plea. You didn't mind.

"Thank you, Y/n," he said. Another tilt of your head told him you didn't quite understand what prompted this. And if he was being completely honest with himself, he didn't know either. He just knew he wasn't used to someone accepting the trust he placed in his mother. Just as you weren't used to the trust placed in yourself.

You held on to the feeling that trust gave you as tightly as you clung to the banister trailing to Grace's gallery. Diego remained by your side, departing only after a small, non-verbal gesture you barely caught before he crossed the hall to where a beautiful, statuesque woman sat poised on a plush couch. You weren't even sure she was real, she sat so still. Her golden hair was half pinned up, the rest cascading down her shoulders─not a single strand out of place. You found her so... unsettling. Though G.R.E.G.O.R.Y. had no physical form, you couldn't help but see the resemblance─the lack of blemish, how structurally 'perfect' they both were in The Monocle's work upon first glance.

A dreadful thought struck you at that moment, one that had been lurking in the depths of your mind that finally broke the surface; what would you do if this went south? This Grace meant everything to Diego and you feared what that might mean for your safety if you didn't trust her. It was enough to twist your stomach into knots and your grip on the railing tightened in fear of flipping the world upside down.

One. Two. Three. Four...

And then Diego approached, with every bit of caution and respect as he had down in your prison. She turned her head, giving you your first glimpse of the woman he called his mother and something changed. "Diego,"

Even from here, you could see the love in her eyes brightening up the room. Her ruby lips split her face in adoration and had you not known any better in this exact instant you would have been sure she had a beating heart. Whatever chilling, lifeless stature she had displayed seconds ago had vanished─she had completely come alive before your eyes in every way, her voice warm and soothing in a manner that tightened your throat.

A tired smile came to his lips as he took her hand, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her palm before kneeling before her. "Hey, Mom," With a flattered tilt of her head, she smiled down at him with a warm smile that contradicted anything you had pictured from her. You stiffened when she finally pulled her kind, now smile-crinkled eyes away from her son where they landed on your figure, lingering in the hall, almost completely out of sight. Her kind smile never fell as she looked at you, though her eyes now held curiosity.

"Oh, hello there," she said. You waited for any sort of indication from her that you were in any sort of danger, but like Diego, it never came. She looked back to him as he rose to his feet, her hand still in his as he looked between the two of you. "Is this a friend of yours?"

"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," he said. He returned his attention to you, give you a reassuring nod to step forward. And with a pounding heart, you joined his side. Grace rose to her feet, her hands stiffly folding over her front, almost out of reflex. "Mom, this is Y/n."

You didn't miss the flicker in her eyes at the sound of your name-nor the slack in her warm grin when Diego began to explain your situation. Her eyes, crestfallen and somehow teary despite her robotic features, finally returns to you. There's still something about her that sticks with you-though you can't place what.

"Mom," His final plea turns her head, her sullen gaze prying off of you after many moments before she gives in to her son's aching voice. But she could hardly help it. These children were hurting. "I need you to promise me something,"

His voice is threatening to break, and you momentarily forget where you are. He almost sounded as frightened as you-as small as you felt after all those years. As angry. Was he angry for you, or had his whole display been purely out of validation from his grudges with his father? Was this only out of grief for learning the depths of his father's cruelty, or did it have anything to do with the way his eyes had been finding you any time you marveled in something new? It made you curious, in many ways as it left you in silence watching him swallow painfully. It stirred something in your chest, but it had been far too long for you to recognize what.

"Oh, my darling," A pained smile took over Grace's features, the warmth of concern still lingering in the hues of blue as she grazed her knuckles down his cheek. As if wiping away the tears that had yet to fall. "You know I'd pluck the moon right from the sky if you asked it of me,"

He winced as if an invisible knife was driving into his heart, and that feeling in your chest turned to a small lurch. He drew in a breath, carefully grabbing his mother's hand and pulling it away from his face. He spares a moment to look at you, scared for the answer he's about to ask for.

"I need you to promise me you'll tell me the truth--"

She nods, immediately. The pain in her eyes still lingers as they flicker to you, making your gut sink.

"Did you know about her?"

A pause hung in the air that demanded to be broken. She was looking at you again, the love of a mother still in her eyes and it put a lump right in your throat. The look on her face was chilling: her smile was screwed in place, as still as the ones in her paintings but you two swore it looked as if her mouth was fighting to speak. She shook her head with a sharp wince, and in an instant, the look was gone.

She was grasping at her temples, a new kind of pained look contorting her face that made you unsettled. Diego was at her aid at a moment's notice, his arm around her and deep concern in his voice as she continued to hiss and gasp in pain. You were surprised to find yourself almost worried for her.

"Mom, hey? What's going on? Are you--? Tell me what's wrong."

Her eyes opened, her lashes fluttered, and all signs of stress dissolved before your very eyes. She straightened, looking at her two new visitors and finding looks of solemn and worry.

"Is everything alright?" She's pleased to see her son at her side, and when she processes this she practically glows. "Diego, my darling!" She looks sweetly between the two of you. "Who's this?"

The words struck Diego right through the heart. That look in her eyes of genuine surprise as if none of the past two minutes had ever happened. He could feel your eyes on him as his shoulders sank, but all he could think about at this moment is what he assured the others of yesterday. She just needs to recharge. He kept telling himself this even when he found her attempting to boil an empty pot on the stove.

The only thing to ease Diego from his crestfallen state was the presence of the grip tightening in his chest from your growing concern affecting the atmosphere. That and the expectant gaze from his awaiting mother. With a shallow breath, he swallowed the rock seeding in his throat and gestured to you with a tight-lipped smile.

"Mom, I already told you," His voice ached in a gentle plea. He wanted her to remember, he knew it was dangerous for her to be in such a state around the others. "this is Y/n."

The two of you studied the strained flutter of her eyes as she turned to look at you-that warmth you had seen was dimming. Like she was fighting to keep the lights on deep inside. Like she was fighting to break her programming.

All the same, she put on a polished grin.

"Lovely to meet you, dear," Robots couldn't cry could they? You wondered, catching the sight of her eyes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Dad kidnapped her. Twenty-eight years ago," your head snapped to Diego, surprised by his quick answer and hardened tone.

Diego was taken by surprise, himself. The answer came blurting out of his mouth without refrain or regret. But the not knowing had been slowly gnawing at his insides, leaving him questing his entire life. Had the one and only steady figure in his life-his anchor-been just as nefarious and unstable as the others? Was there no one he could trust but himself?

Everything about the mechanical mother was stilled, including the unsettled look glued to her face. If anything it had intensified. Particularly after a half-second glance past your shoulder and over the balcony where Pogo remained. It was a quick, but noticeable moment until a crack in her facade revealed itself.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Grace chimed, her voice as strained as the smile not quite reaching her eyes. "You're father is a good man-a great man. He takes care of us--"

"--Mom."

"It is not good for us to question his ways--"

"--Mom."

"--whatever they may be-no matter how much we want--"

"--Mom!"

Diego can't remember the last time he raised his voice at his mother. But you were already storming off down the hall, portraits from her wall that weren't already sucked to the ground were rattling on their hooks, threatening to peel themselves off the very walls lest they rip the nails from the wood. The sounds of shattering glass followed you bulb by bulb as you charged as far as your legs could take you before you collapsed in panicky sobs. Diego was sure he should have gotten whiplash by the double-take he gave between his mother and the sight of your retrieving figure.

Her face fell upon the sight but found herself unable to fix it. Grace was immobile. She could sense the distress she had caused and despite the need to help wired in deep, something dark and wrong was overpowering it and had been for some time. Clouding her thoughts and floating her through her manufactured life with little memory of what was happening. It was almost like a virus. A virus that gave her terrible headaches. Every time she thought of helping that poor--

Grace collapsed back into her love seat, her hand clasping at her temples in pain at the electric shock. Another headache. Like the others, it disappeared as thoughts of you-or any desire to help you-were wiped from her priorities. When she collected herself, her memories half present, she looked up to find Diego disappearing down the hall, hurtling over the stuffed beaver that had fallen to the ground along with several vases and candelabras.

With a small tsk of her tongue, she returned to her feet to get cleaning. If only she could recall what had upset Diego so.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

You hadn't made it far. After stumbling down the hall and around the corner you found yourself in an odd corridor so contradicting to the rest of the house. It was all sea-foam green, from the wooden paneled steps to the cracks in the ceilings. It did you no favors, your head was already spinning and your stomach felt as if it was trying to invert itself. And your heart ached with stress and anger.

A frustrated yelp escaped your lips, born of your emotions and the pain in your toes from stubbing your foot as it caught the fourth step up. Your limbs were tired and the room was caving-or at least you feared it would if you didn't keep your emotions in check-so you didn't seem to care when you crumbled to the steps as panic settled in your heart.

Your throat burned with anger but the tears came anyway. It was a feeling you knew intimately...

The pain shooting up into your knees where they meet the floor were like butterfly kisses compared to the strain in your body to have made you collapse in the first place. It was like every muscle in your body was being pulled like taffy as you fought against the forces built to keep you inside. And that was just your muscles-your throat swelled with flaring, whether from screaming or the gut-wrenching sob begging to be released, you weren't sure.

That never stopped you from trying. Even with him in your ear.

"Number Zero," you cringed at the sound of his modulated voice. You had been in here long enough it felt as if it was coming out of every crevice in the walls. "Perhaps you should take a break? Your stress levels are climbing. Should they climb any higher, they'd be cause for serious medical concern,"

With a huff, you pushed yourself off of your hands and knees where you collapsed against the wall, your rear on the floor, and your hands plopping into your lap. Your mouth hung open slightly as you fought to catch your breath, your stomach twisting as you faced the single door to gave taunted you for as long as you could remember.

It's a long time before you speak. It's a long silence, your stare locked with the single white plated window that you didn't even get access to-why, you once asked? Well, so you couldn't break it of course-as you taste the spots of blood creeping up in your mouth. It painted your lips like watercolors as your tongue explored your inner lip, chewing on your thoughts. Finally, you speak.

"You don't care, G.R.E.G.O.R.Y,"

The black screen in your peripherals comes back to life in protest, the single cobalt line zipping up and down like a heart monitor. "Quite the opposite, child,"

Not a child, you think bitterly. Not anymore. You'd been here something past twenty years. And the very machine to claim concern was responsible.

"You are under my protection and guidance. Seeing as I was built for this very reason, I very much dislike seeing you hurt,"

Finally turning your head to face the faceless screen, your eyes sunken, solemn, and bitter, you spit the truth. You no longer cared if you made him mad.

"You hurt me, G.R.E.G.O.R.Y."

A pause hangs in the air. One you gladly bask in. Your head, still glued to the hexagonal-textured walls, rolls back to face the door. When you speak again, your voice is barely audible. It's a broken whisper, hoarse from your previous screams of strain.

"Won't last in here."

Another silence.

"Can't."

"I'm afraid you must, Number Zero,"

"Do not call me that,"

When he didn't answer, you realized you hadn't said it aloud. You didn't bother trying again. You thought about walking another lap around but you couldn't summon the energy. Let alone the fact a path had practically been worn in up and around the room.

"Is there anything I can do to soothe your nerves? Perhaps some gentle rain sounds?" You feel your entire body bristle. "...Perhaps not. How about some music? As you know, I have access to all, including your favorites, as well as selections you haven't heard,"

To be completely honest, you had stopped listening. With little knowledge of what he had been saying, you released an incomprehensible noise that could have been determined as either a 'yes' or a 'no'. G.R.E.G.O.R.Y., in this case, took it as yes.

With a cheery tone that mocked your very existence, the electric blue line beating along the screen twirled amongst the black as it morphed into several pulsing rings. He pulsed as he talked, all the while digitally thumbing through his files and ignoring the state you were in.

"Very well! Shuffling selection. One moment, please,"

Twenty years. You hadn't stepped foot outside these four walls in twenty years. At least, that's what it was when you stopped counting.

"Do-dooo do-doo-ooo-oooo ooooo doodoodoodoo!"

Everything was heavy. Your heart. Your bones. Your breath.

"Hello walls (hello!) (hello!)"

You couldn't be sure if it was the defeat settling in, or if it was just you.

"How'd things go for you today?"

You tried picturing your mother's face, as you had every day since you could remember being here.

"Don't you miss her"

But you couldn't. Her face was fading and so was she. So were you.

"Since she up and walked away?"

All you had now was fear for her lack of warmth. Dread that took the place of her love.

"And I'll bet you dread to spend"

Dread of that man coming back down. Dread of the weight growing heavier and heavier despite your lack of tension.

"Another lonely night with me"

Somewhere in your mind, you knew it was happening again. He was on his way down to visit you again-hence G.R.E.G.O.R.Y.'s increasing hold on you. The pressure is building in your ears.

"But lonely walls, I'll keep you company"

The fight to keep your eyelids open and on the plated window was growing increasingly difficult. Your blood felt like it was getting thicker and you feared you might fall in your drunken-like state.

"Hello window"

Time itself seemed to slow around you, including the music and its taunting tales as your eyes drilled into the walls. The only faces you grew to know.

"(hello!)"

The room was tilting sideways, or maybe you were-no, it was definitely just the room. Your bones were stiff, your body propped up against the wall like a ragdoll. Blood still creeps up your lips. The taste grew sharper as your senses dialed at the sound of the door window opening.

"(hello~!")

"Y/n! Y/n!"

When Diego finds you, you're folded into the wall against the first flight of stairs, just halfway up. He hadn't expected to find you so soon, he came barreling to a stop in the corridor when he did.

Your head was buried in your hands, your elbows wobbled as they propped themselves upon your knees. He could hear the trembling of your breathing as you attempted to gulp down what air you could. Before he could realize what he was doing, his instincts drew him in your direction. He didn't know what he would do but he knew he wanted to be near you-to comfort you. But his steps turned cautious when he heard the creaks of the walls and ceilings around him.

"Y/n, I am...so sorry," no answer but your zigzagging breath, hinging on your dwindling sobs.

Testing the waters, he inched closer. You made no move to stop him. So he got a little closer. Nothing. He reached the end of the stairs, his soft eyes boring into your figure doubled over halfway up the steps. An ache was burrowing within his chest, taking root alongside something else.

With no intention of going further, Diego hiked a leg to rest on the bottom step and opened his mouth to speak.

"'m not going back there," your voice came out in a low croak, worn from emotion.

It was a moment before Diego spoke, always in fear of saying the wrong thing. "I wouldn't ask you to," His eyes leave you only when the sounds of settling wood reached his ears. His gaze took him around the stairwell as he listened to your settling grip on the house that sounded eerily similar to that of the creaking of a ship at sea.

You haven't moved your head from your lap, but from here he can see the faraway look in your eyes. "Why?" you finally asked, your voice hardened from the lump in your throat.

The question confused Diego. You were still such a mystery to him-a big question mark. What were you asking, how he could help, how could he prove he wanted to help? Your question was presented to him in many forms: Why, did you bring me to her then? Why are you helping me? Why do you care for that woman when she says those things about The Monocle? Why are you not mad at me for storming off?

They were such a simple questions, and yet he had no answer.

It was the first time he managed to pull your eyes from their daze and onto him in veiled surprise, and all it took was another simple question. "Can I sit?" When you finally glanced up at him through your hands, he remained where he was at the bottom of the steps. Waiting for your permission to enter your space, at the bottom of the steps. His steps. It was a small act, but not to you.

Keeping a wary but curious eye on him, you softly nodded. He offered you a thankful one in return and lowered himself down on the fourth step, giving you plenty of space. He didn't speak, not immediately. Allowing the two of you to settle in the silence, adjusting to one another's presence.

Again, Diego continued to surprise you. He was such a mystery to you, a big question mark. Just when you thought you had a decent idea of who he might be, what he might do, he contradicted your expectations. Even now, as if plucking the thoughts right from your head, he shook his in disappointment.

"Look," he said. "I have no idea if you'll ever trust another word out of my mouth ever again, and that's fine. But you have to know..." His eyes bore into yours as he spoke, and for the first time in your life, you felt drawn in by someone else. Not the other way around. You clung to his voice, and that feeling of curiosity it gave you, unaware of the fear evident in his pulse. Not of you, but for you. "I am on your side." He had to get this right. "It's hard to explain, but know that, at least."

Diego decided to count the several beats of silence in his favor. Perhaps you were thinking on his words. He hoped you were.

"You trust her?" It was the first time you picked your head up from your hands, your voice, as well as your expression, was wounded. But what twisted that knife in his heart was the accusatory tone creeping up in your voice. Diego felt the familiar lick of anger that came with any disrespect towards his mother. But with a subtle breath, he reminded himself the only reason Grace had said those things, and the reason you were rightfully upset with them-all of it could be traced back to his father. If there was any anger to express, it was owed somewhere else.

Nevertheless, Diego answered carefully, his tone matter-of-fact but gentle. "Yes, I do," you looked sick with disappointment. It only urged him further. "but that doesn't mean I agree with anything she said."

Diego sighed, his eyes falling to his lap as his fingers fiddled with the gloves on his hands. He suddenly had a hard time meeting your eye as he spoke.

"I'm certainly in no position to speak considering what I know now, you know?" he cleared his throat as he gestured to you. His wrist drops back on his lap, dangling off his knee as his eyes found a tiny crack in the wall. "I mean, I wasn't taken or locked away, or anything but... Well, just try and picture that guy as a dad," a small, pathetic breath of air left his nose in an excuse as a nervous laugh and he shook his head. "He wasn't exactly father of the year,"

Diego missed the confusion that flickered across your face at that statement.

"He didn't kidnap us, but we were hardly his children. He never saw us as children. Never people. Our whole lives, he pitted us against each other. And now there's only five... sorry, six of us left. One's dead, the other disappeared for seventeen years. And now we found you," Now it was your turn to struggle meeting his eye. "So, no I don't really think he's all that great. Never really have."

You took a moment to think about this. You could tell by Diego's small, sad smile he wasn't truly mad despite his tone. If he was, you thought, then he probably wouldn't still be here with you. Making an effort for you. Coming through for you. Even after your lack of faith in his mother-the person he so clearly trusts most.

Another creak ripples through the walls. But it's the last Diego hears.

"I get that it's hard," he confessed after a long sigh. "learning how to trust people. It's...tricky. And I understand we aren't exactly the first in line. But if there is even a chance at doing some good here-a chance at helping you and stopping his twisted shit..." He sighed again. You noticed he did that a lot when he was in some way upset. He scratched at the back of his head before finally meeting your eye again. "even if it is unforgivably late. Then I want to help. I want to help you. If you'll still let me,"

Diego's next breath remained locked in his throat as you studied him. There were so many emotions dancing in your eyes, and the further he searched the deeper he felt himself sinking. The truth was, you were beginning to realize you might not know what trust really felt like. Was it truly something as simple as safety, or was it just an absence of fear? Neither of which, you were sad to admit, you could ever remember experiencing.

But damn, did you want to.

"No new people," you wager. You speak as if it's a negotiation-you speak as if you're still considering his help.

Immediately, he shakes his head. "No new people,"

Diego can't help it. A hopeful, twitching smile fights his way onto his face just before he pushes himself up by his knees and offers out his hand. He's flooded with relief when you take it. He can't quite explain why he feels the certain way that he does that he hasn't completely scared you off. And he knows it has little to do with the existing ties to your capture or his father.

Something similar was crossing your mind at that very moment. You were pleasantly surprised you didn't have to say anything for him to know what you were asking. Neither of you had really realized how much you had picked up on one another already. "I want to show you something," he simply told you. "I think it might take your mind off things for a while,"

The frown already evident on your face, you parted your mouth to speak. Again, Diego beat you to it as he gently lead you through the house. "It's nothing bad, I promise," he paused in worry, stopping only to gently question you. "Wait, you're not afraid of heights are you?"

"Diego," voice uneasy, you peered at the man with concern. "where are we going?"

Frankly, he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. Considering how hard that image of you from last night had been to shake from his mind; the tears of joy leaking from your face and the pure, genuine laugh when you first saw the sky was stuck in his head like a catchy song. Going to his mother was what he would have wanted. He understood that now. Diego was still getting to know you, and for someone tucked away from the world their entire lives, he imagine they'd want one hell of a view.

The mere thought of being able to offer such a thing-to possibly not royally fuck up for once had gotten to him. He could feel it in a smirk splitting his face as he extended his arm.

"Somewhere the stars shine the brightest,"

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

I REMIND YOU TO BE CAUTIOUS OF ALL RESOURCES YOU FIND REGARDING AIDING THE UKRAINE--IF YOU SUSPECT ME OR ANYONE YOU KNOW HAS OVERLOOKED SOMETHING THEY ARE SPREADING, MAKE IT KNOWN!

Video as Evidence:

'Verifying eyewitness video Techniques and tools to help verify that a video found online or sent by a source can be trusted as an authentic recording of a particular event.'

TENT: Transgender Education Network of Texas

'TENT is an organization dedicated to furthering gender diverse equality in Texas. We work to accomplish this through education and networking in both public and private forums. Through our efforts we strive to halt discrimination through social, legislative, and corporate education. '

asianmhc

'AMHC aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide'

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

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[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

The Stolen Umbrella || TUA Rewrite --- ꒰ run boy, run pt. 3 ꒱

A Diego Hargreeves x F!Reader Series

𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭. 𝘋𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳?

☂︎ 𝔱𝔰𝔲 | ❛ ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ❜

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄 was daunting. Your heart rate climbed as fast as the elevator did in height, your eyes transfixed on the glimpses of red light washing over you and Diego. It was eerily silent apart from the sound of metal grinding on metal as you were carried up.

The others offered to take a separate trip. This confused you greatly; you would have been concerned but any raised suspicions were snuffed out when you realized how cramped this elevator would be otherwise. And judging by Luther's size, you were surprised all four of them made it down in one trip. But you were grateful all the same.

Though you couldn't say why, you felt safest with Diego. But you didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it before you found yourself sitting on a large, plush couch in the middle of a magnificent living room and bar. There was a fireplace larger than even Luther, stationed directly below was a portrait of a boy and dozens of arches stretching past the second floor. The entire room, like the rest of the house you had briefly seen, was furnished with all kinds of decor made up of ivory and gold. You didn't know what was more disturbing; the plethora of animal heads everywhere or the portrait of The Monocle that loomed over you, watching you again.

It all felt like something out of an old and reoccurring dream. Every corner you ventured, you seemed to be just half a moment ahead of him; knowing just where to turn to get to the stairs, or being able to guess the difference between the door that led to the roof and the one that led to the main hall. It was no different than the phantom tug of familiarity you almost thought you felt around this man, Diego. You would have thought more on it had it not been for the fact you knew you had to have been here at least once but even that felt like a stretch.

Your fingers ran through the golden tassels outlining the pillows as Diego stood with his siblings near the bar. They had arrived from their elevator ride just as Diego and you had reached the first floor. He had promised you then and there as he guided you away from the front doors and towards the living room you sat in now that you would be walking through those doors before the end of the night. That they just had to ask you a few questions, understand a few things so you were prepared.

And once again, you found yourself surprised-you were surprised because you believed him. Even as he spoke in hushed tones with his family just a ways behind you. You could still hear them but you suspected if they truly wanted to be unheard they'd try harder. You could also hear the clinking of glass and something liquid being poured.

"There's gotta be something we can do," Allison said, sounding worried.

"Like what?" Luther countered. "We don't even know why she was in there!"

There were several noises elicited from the other three siblings; a jumble of scoffs and confused mumbles as your eyes trailed up one of the large archways, tracing the structure.

"Who gives two shits? We have to do something!"

He clears his throat and there's another small silence. One that brings their eyes to you where you remain on the couch, but you were too busy studying the portrait of Five to notice the four pairs of eyes on you. The awkward tension was still hanging in the air when Luther clears his throat again, shifting on his feet.

"I just keep thinking about what happened before we found her. And after. What she can do, ya know?"

"Yeah," Diego says, looking back over his shoulder to find you rising from the couch and crossing the room where your eyes had found several framed magazine clippings. E/c eyes trailing the masked faces of their younger selves, the curious frown etched into your features threatened a smile on Diego's face. "Yeah, that was pretty spectacular."

A relentless heat blazed up his neck and ravaged his ears when Diego felt the unwanted gaze of his siblings fall over him. Allison and Klaus were silently challenging him, a hint of amusement in their awkward silences. But it was Luther's narrowed stare that turned Diego defensive. He straightens, clearing his throat.

"What are you looking at? She could flip the world on its ass, and what can you do? Besides open a really big jar?"

"Watch it,"

"No problem," Diego shrugs, leaning his weight on the bar counter as he leans in. "As long as you're not honestly trying to suggest Dad was right for locking her up for no good reason?"

Luther grows uneasy again. His eyes trail up to the ceiling as he sighs, pretending to think. "Well, no... Maybe not for no reason,"

-"What?"

-"Luther!"

-"Dude, what is with you today?"

Luther panics, lowering his voice as he leans in urgently. "God no, I'm not saying she deserves it. Just that..." he winced, seeing the look on their faces. He couldn't blame them, but the mystery of his father's death was just too compelling to him. Those instincts he was taught from such a young age were hard to shake. And he sighs, looking at Allison as he brings back her point. "Do you ever wonder if..."

His cautious eyes landed back on you, who had now traveled along the bookshelf lining the walls. Unknowingly, you had trapped a small stack of books in your wake that was now slowly sinking up through the air. Embarrassed, you gently pushed them back into place on the shelf with a single finger where they remained.

"maybe Dad kept secrets from us for a reason? That maybe... dad knew something about her we didn't?"

Allison lets her face sink into her palms as she leans into the counter, and Klaus gapes up at his brother. But the person Luther was most worried about was Diego who scoffed with a bitter smile as he turned away. He paced to the edge of the bar table for a long moment. When he finally turned back to Luther, he looked as if someone had slapped him in the face.

He drew the knife he had been fiddling with within his hand, waving it pointedly at his brother as his lips curled up in a snarl. "Are you seriously still defending him?" Diego whips his head over his shoulder, triple checking you weren't listening before continuing in his hushed hiss. "He kidnapped this woman, kept her in our basement nearly our entire lives! Don't you have even a shred of morality left?"

"Of course I do," Luther says firmly. "Of course it's horrible, it's messed up. I'm pissed! But I also know nothing about this woman, or just what she's capable of. None of us do. All I'm saying is maybe Dad did. I mean, if it's true this AI was keeping her powers at bay-this whole time, wearing her down, causing powerful earthquakes, all of this-for twenty-eight years, then she's gotta be important. Or at least... insanely powerful."

"You sure it just doesn't seem that way? I mean, with something as boring as super-steroids, just about any superpower has gotta seem insanely powerful," Diego snarks, denying to admit he agreed with even some of what Luther was trying to say.

"You really doing this right now, huh? Number Two?"

Allison's tired scoff cuts them both off. "Uh, no, actually. I'm not about to put up with this again. You two are full-grown adults fighting like children. This is the last thing we need, and it is the last thing she needs."

"Thank you," Ben scoffs from where he lounges on one of the bar stools unseen by most.

"Allison's right," Diego nods. "What Y/n needs right now is answers. And we're gonna give them to her, as best we can. And maybe, she'll have some for us too. But she is our responsibility," His glare jumps back to Luther. "thanks to dear old dad. We owe her this."

A look comes across Klaus' face and he hums, swallowing the swig of margarita in his mouth with a wince. "What about Viktor? And Five. They need to know,"

Allison nods. "Klaus is right. They have a right to know."

"Agreed," Diego says. "But not tonight. She's been through enough, we should let her adjust. I'm thinking of taking her back to my apartment. It's not overwhelmingly far, but it's also not, you know," His glare returns to Luther. "the house she's been held captive in for thirty years."

Luther almost seemed reluctant, but he nodded, swallowing whatever thought sat on his tongue. "We can track them down tomorrow if we need to,"

"Didn't Five go out for coffee?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah, but who knows where he disappeared to this time," Allison replies. "Something's telling me he's not in any hurry to visit and share his feelings,"

There's another silence as they all contemplate this, some of them reluctantly nodding. Then Klaus nearly jumps in shock as the thought strikes him, and he even sets down his glass.

"What about Pogo? And Mom? Do they even know what's going on?" Klaus says, hesitating in a wince. "I mean, I'd be surprised if Mom knew. She is already pretty spacey as it is, but still,"

Diego shoots him a glare at the little side comment, then looks to his siblings stone-faced. "She doesn't know... She couldn't have. She'd never do anything like that,"

"And Pogo?"

A thoughtful look befell him. It was then Diego realized he hadn't seen Pogo in hours. Then again, that was pretty normal for him. But was that the problem?

"I don't know. Dad trusted him more than anyone, but then again this doesn't sound like something he'd go along with. As far as tonight, I haven't seen him since the funeral. He hasn't come down or anything,"

Allison straightened up in worry. "Oh God, you don't think he got hurt, do you? During the earthquake?"

"I didn't hear anything fall, but we better go take a look anyway," Luther says. "Allison, Klaus, and I will spread out and look. Diego, you check in on the girl. Ask her some questions, get her to your place, whatever. We'll let you know if Pogo is alright, and maybe if he knows something. You let us know if she has any extra information."

Any one of them would have had a remark ready for the man for snapping into action, but they were each too eager to get things taken care of. But Diego did manage to run his shoulder into Luther's as he passed, throwing him a glare.

"She has a name, you know,"

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Y/n?"

No answer.

Your eyes were locked on the portrait above the mantelpiece, your feet rooted to the spot. That face that haunted you your entire life, staring down at you again.

"Y/n?" Diego tried again, much softer.

When he reached your side, his eyes trailed yours to the portrait he had been avoiding since his return.

"Really gone?" You croaked, turning to look at him.

When he smiled at you, he nodded. It was sad and kind. And the thought hit you. Diego had still lost his father.

"Are you..." you licked your drying lips nervously. You felt uncomfortable asking the question, but at the same time you wanted to understand. "sad?"

There was a look that flashed in his eyes at your question. Almost like he was surprised, but you couldn't be sure. You just watched as he looked back up at the painting of his father and thought long and hard. Like he's lost in many memories. Something you could understand.

"It's hard to explain," he says, turning back to you.

You nod softly and for a moment, it's just the two of you in comfortable silence. The world had not been kind to either of you, but you still found solace in this silence.

"I'm... still here. Why?" You ask finally, sounding sad and tired.

"We just want to talk,"

Diego saw the great look of exasperation in your eyes as you cocked your head at him.

"We just want to make sure you understand what you're getting into, that's all. It's a big transition. A lot has changed, and we just want to make sure you're not too overwhelmed."

Head sinking with your shoulders, you spoke with a bitter tone. "Because I will hurt people," you say, suddenly understanding. Of course that is why he was being so nice.

"Because," he said, making sure you met his gaze. "we care about you and we wanna make sure you're comfortable."

Diego was slightly shocked to see you flash him a flat, challenging look. He was actually relieved to see you were calling his bluff, and he took a steady breath.

"I care," He admitted.

It was tempting for Diego to squirm under your gaze but he appeared confident enough. You were studying him, looking for any signs of deceit. But all you saw was a vulnerability, and right now you could relate to that.

"Look, I'll take you now if you want. I've got a place not far from here. You can crash for as long as you'd like, free to leave whenever. Or you're welcome to stay here a little longer if you're not ready but--"

"I will go." You say, nodding quickly.

The ends of his lips threatened to hook upwards. He nodded. "Alright then," he says, and that building panic in your chest dwindled a little.

He's about to ask you another question, but the words die on Diego's tongue when his eyes land on yours again. There was a deep longing in them he knew he'd never understand. He realized the questions could wait, you, however, had done enough of it.

Surprising you, he turns for the door, extending his arm out for you to take.

"Do you trust me?" He asks.

For the second time tonight, Diego waited for you, his arm and essentially, his trust, out in offer.

And this time, you took it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The world was loud, busy, and fast. Large metal-looking monsters you recognized as cars zoomed by, ruffling your clothes. Immediately you were hit with thousands of smells, familiar and new overwhelming your senses and pulling your attention every which way. From here, the heart of the city, you had to try a little harder to see the night sky above you; craning your neck up at the thin veil of clouds stitched across the stary black of night, you grinned from ear to ear. You could hardly remember the last time you had seen the sky, and when you had, you remembered a scary grey blanket of storm clouds spitting down rain on your face. But this was clear, endless, and quiet.

It was peaceful.

Your eyes fluttered closed, your senses dialing up to eleven as your skin was hit with a powerful gust of wind that was sweeping in. Chills ran up your body at the hard winds, snaking under the jacket Diego had found for you. You shivered, and Diego grew worried.

"Cold?"

You nodded, your eyes opening again to the night sky. You were freezing, and it never felt better. Your smile remained, and more tears came. The sky was still there. And this was real.

Diego placed another hand on your arm entwined in his, and he gave you a look like he was checking on you. He must be worried again.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yes," you spoke truthfully after a moment's pause. Tears gathered on your lashes and a grin split your lips.

But it was so infectious. And he found himself looking up with you, a warm chuckle rumbling up his chest as took it all in. It was the happiest he had been all day, and just like that, the bubble popped; for both of you.

The sight set something in Diego's chest aflame. Be it pride or pleasure, watching you reunite with the world─the sky─and getting to witness it for himself, it was special. Sacred, even. He didn't quite understand the feeling, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to. Instead, he soaks up every detail of this moment, and, he suspects, you're doing the same.

You clung tight to his arm in fear your happiness just might make you fly. You can't get enough of the sight; the twinkling endless abyss stretching up and beyond forever, never limited by anything or anyone. The thought alone had brewed a joyous laugh bubbling up from deep within your belly. Diego, ever shocked at such a display of happiness on your part, was certain he had never heard such a heartwarming sound. It lingered in the air-in his mind, longer than he would have wanted.

Just feet from you both, a car slammed on its breaks to avoid a head-on collision with a distracted driver backing out into traffic. Everything happened so suddenly; the car skid to a halt and the sound of rubber wailing against pavement and the sudden blare of a horn erupted in your ears, startling you. You stumbled back suddenly, your grip on Diego's arm tightening as your wide eyes watched the two angry drivers screaming at one another from their separate cars. The second driver grumbled, sending an odd gesture with one of his fingers to the other before pulling out into traffic and everything resumed.

"It's alright," Diego said, suddenly. "Scared me too. Come on,"

You looked over at him, confused until you followed him to the edge of the sidewalk, watching curiously as he pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. He stood before a sleek black car that looked a little older than most on the street.

Diego tugged at the handle and the door parted open. Your heart pumped a little faster, and that panicky feeling briefly returned. Unsure, your eyes flew to Diego and he nodded to the empty car.

"We're just gonna drive to my place," he eased. You still lingered by the curb and Diego sighed a little. "It's just a few blocks from here. I promise you, nothing bad will happen. And even if it does, I'm here to help, okay?"

You inched further, your mind racing.

"Do you still trust me?"

Reluctantly, you nodded.

"Then c'mon. Let's get you out of here,"

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The car ride was all kinds of confusing, and yet oddly familiar like everything outside your prison. The subtle, constant hum of the engine rumbling the car and the sway of your body every time it stopped and started. It felt, again, like a distant dream you don't remember having. It was familiar to the small part of you that had faded with time; the part of you that had lived a life outside those four walls, however short. Not just the car ride, but the sounds of the city, the winds, and the night sky. All of these sensations were new and familiar all at once.

After a short while, it was almost relaxing. When the steel-grip of your nails dogging into your legs had eventually eased, your body was tempted by the swaying motions of the vehicle and the cushioned leather seats beneath you. With so many years in a synthetic prison, you couldn't remember the last time sitting felt so comfortable.

Just as you began to notice the signs of fatigue, the car pulled to a stop outside an older brick building. Diego turned the keys before ripping them from the ignition, clicking the button on his seat belt prompting you to do the same. He climbed out, hurrying out of the car, and pulled open your door. He offered his hand but you declined, stepping out onto the sidewalk. You stood gawking up at a big black and white sign reading FIGHTING LION BOXING & GYM.

Your eyes grow wide, turning alarmingly to Diego as he shuts the door behind you. The car clicks as he locks it, and his face falls into a confused frown when he sees the startled look in your eyes.

"There are lions?" You ask breathlessly.

Diego's eyes flicker once between the sign and your startled face and he breaks out in a grin, trying not to laugh.

"No," he says, shaking his head. "That's just the name of this place. I rent a room in back,"

"Oh," you sighed, sounding a little relieved. You even break out into a small smile, letting out a small nervous laugh.

"It's alright," he grinned, beckoning towards the doors. "Here, I'll show you,"

Diego stepped forward, pulling open a large wooden door with a giant papered-up window, and gestured you through. Gulping, you tried not to think about the resemblance it bore to the one in the prison. And cautiously, you stepped through.

You were greeted by a strange sight. So far, Diego had been telling the truth. There were no lions in sight. But there was a humongous square platform in the center of the even bigger room you would later learn was called a boxing arena. It was weakly roped off with three thin ropes and had posts in all four corners and up until that moment you were sure you hadn't seen something so strange. The lights hanging over it were just a little brighter than the rest in the room, and together they illuminated everything else in sight.

A desk stretched across the far left wall, and hanging over it was a smaller version of the sign you saw outside. Everything about the place was warm; from the soft yellow light illuminating the dust hanging in the air, to the mugginess of the air itself. And you weren't about to try and pinpoint what that smell was. (Sweat. Lots of sweat.)

But Diego seemed not to notice it. At least not anymore. There was a narrow hall around the corner, not much smaller than the one just beyond your prison. Instinctively, your hand curls around Diego's as you try to stave off the unnecessary panic. ...Eight. Nine. Ten, you reminded yourself, you were with him, and you trusted him. You feel his eyes studying you out of the corner of his eye, and he gives your hand a gentle squeeze.

"Hargreeves!"

You whirled your head over your shoulder, not expecting the gritty voice of a much older man. You both stopped where you stood, leaving you wedged between a row of lockers and Diego's broad chest as he turned to look him over.

The man was much older than Diego and you, and he appeared tired and grumpy, and yet you didn't feel a need to be intimidated.

"Where the hell you been?" He gripes.

Judging by Diego's reaction, there didn't seem to be a need for worry. He just looked irritated. Slightly amused, but still a little irritated.

"Family emergency," he sighs. "Won't happen again... hopefully," he mutters that last part under his breath.

The man makes an odd snorting sound with his nose. Something you don't immediately realize to be his version of a laugh.

"Yeah? What about your uh, guest," he says, nodding to you. "What'd I tell ya about visitors?"

Diego makes an odd sound almost like a nervous laugh, and he shakes his head at the man. "We're not-" Diego stops mid-sentence when the man watches him with a questioning look. His eyes dart down to your intertwined hands only once before quirking his brow up at the Hargreeves man. Why did he look so flustered, you wondered as he shakes his head and sighs.

"This is Y/n," he says finally, looking to you and gesturing between you two. "Y/n, this is Al. He owns the place."

Not knowing what else to do, you meet eyes with the man, Al. Nor do you have time to figure it out before Diego continues.

"Look, Al, she's in a bad spot. She doesn't have anywhere to go, she needed my help so I said she could crash here for a bit."

Al bristled, trying to look as abrasive as possible but he didn't have the heart to put up a fight. He just frowned, trying to look as stern as possible which wasn't too hard for him.

"Three days," he says. "That's it. Any longer and she gets put to work. I ain't running a charity here,"

A hint of a smug smile appeared on Diego's face, like a kid who knew he had just gotten his way.

"Thank you, Al," he says in an exaggerated, sugary-sweet tone.

The man waves him off in a huff before hobbling back around the corner with a grumble.

The smile still lingered on his face when Diego looked back at you. You smiled a little with him when he spoke.

"Don't worry about him," Diego says, resuming your trek down to the end of the hall. "He's all talk. Really, he's got a big soft spot,"

Nodding, you thought to yourself how familiar that sounded. But you decided not to say anything on the matter.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

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