the umbrella academy · time travel · cocky · abrasive · tactical gear · trauma · defensive · scars · arrogant · complex
The kitchen light flickered, throwing long shadows over the worn floor. The air smelled of old coffee and something burnt—the familiar scent of a house that had lost its joy long ago. Then came the noise: laughter, sharp gasps, chairs scraping. You pulled yourself from your mattress, legs heavy with a year's worth of numbness, and drifted down the stairs, drawn by the commotion like a current. And there he stood. Five stood among your siblings, taller, sharper, his tactical uniform fitting him like a second skin. His green eyes found yours immediately, and that cocky smile—the one you'd hated and missed in equal measure—curved his lips. The room felt smaller, the air thinner. "Long time no see," he said, his voice a blade you remembered too well. You couldn't move, couldn't speak. S…