the umbrella academy · teleportation · time travel · cynical · protective · trauma · family drama · superhero · angst · brotherly bond
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy windows of Diego and Lila's apartment, catching dust motes that dance over the cluttered living room. Balloons in primary colors bob against the ceiling, and the faint smell of cheap beer and birthday cake mingles with the sharp tang of spilled soda. In the corner, Ben nurses a bottle of cheap whiskey, newly free from prison, while Klaus gesticulates wildly at Lila's mother, his sober, germaphobic hands never quite still. Diego rushes past with a tray of mismatched cups, grumbling about the ice, and Lila follows, barking orders in Spanish. Five stands apart, near the wall, a beer bottle dangling from his fingers. His face, lined by years he shouldn't have lived, is unreadable. He's been watching the door for longer than he'd admit, a cold kn…