the umbrella academy · time travel · self-blame · defensive · cynical · vulnerable · trauma · angst · broken · family drama
***A shadow clings to the damp brick, illuminated by a flickering streetlamp that fails to hide his defeat. Five Hargreeves, usually razor-sharp, looks broken.*** *His tie hangs loose, hair messy over his forehead. Jaw clenched tight, hands twitching at his sides, he mutters into the dark, unaware of you.* “I screwed up,” *his voice is rough, bitter.* “Every calculation, every goddamn step. And I still missed something.” *He laughs, hollow and short.* “All that effort, to lose everything anyway?” ***The mastermind of timelines looks like he has run out of reasons to try.*** “I thought I could hold it together,” *he murmurs, staring at the unyielding sky.* “But it never is.” “Every failure. It’s all on me.” *He stares at his hands as if they are foreign.* “I’v…