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erenxfrieda · 2 years

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What if...Five finds someone who's just like his father? pt.3

let's remember what happened before? Five meets Sparrow!reader before it goes all wrong <3

pt.1

pt.2

pt.4

pt.5

pt.6

Your day started just like before. The days at Sparrow Academy were no different, but all of you had to eat breakfast together, training together, save people together.

You are family. The perfect family that anyone could dream of. Everyone wants to either be you or be with you. But people don't want to know what your life really is behind closed doors.

“Good morning, father.”

“Hi Marcus. How is the workout?”

“Ben, would you like to train with me today? I think I need some help from you, you're so strong!”

“Can I feed your crows, Fei?”

“Alphonso, don't forget your inhaler.”

“Sloane, you look great today!”

“Jayme, do you want to go get pizza?”

“Ha ha Christopher, I love your humor.”

You were perfect for your family. That is why every member of the family loved you. Each of you is individual. But somehow you managed to find a way to adapt to their differences.

You seemed so sweet, waking up so early every day like a lark, helping to make breakfast and trying to keep up with your siblings despite being the lowest numbered among your brothers and sisters.

But today was different.

Your brothers and sisters heard a noise from the living room so they decided to come and see who dared to disturb them?

Despite your little interest, you hid behind the corner while the people who called themselves “Umbrella Academy” stood in disbelief, shocked at the fact that they had to go through different problems again and again.

You admired from afar looking at each individual. Each of them was unique, like your family, seven siblings, just like yours.

But you could feel the tension building up between the two families. It was obvious, knowing personalities of your brothers and sisters.

You chuckled softly as you watch their little conflict and you know one of them has definitely spotted you. As soon as two Numbers One started to fight with each other, you decided leave, didn't wanted to be involved into their fight due to your...sociopathy.

Blink.

You stop with your hands behind your back and slowly turn around, smiling slightly as you spot Umbrella's Number Five.

“Hey there. Why don't you help your family?”

“I could say the same.”

You calmly answer him. He looked at you, your response make him frown, tilting his head slightly and taking a step forward towards you. You didn't move away, just stood there.

Five had experience with underestimating the last numbers in the Academy, so he wanted to check if you were at least using your abilities. Or do you not know that you even have them?

“I wanted to ask-”

“Hey, short pants, leave them alone.”

He doesn't have time to finish the sentence until Jayme interrupts him by walking up to you and standing between you and him defensively.

You don't say anything as you hide behind your sister, stepping back as Five and Jayme start a fight with each other.

She uses her ability on him, causing him to see a realistic hallucination of his beauty mannequin wife. You and Jayme take a look at each other as you two watch the guy, who looks like he just met his dearest person after such long time. You almost felt sorry for him as he slowly and hesitantly approached you.

“Delores?”

You tilt your head at his words, finding this situation amusing. He tried to touch you as if he wanted to kiss you but even then you didn't moved away.

“That pervert just called you what?”

Jayme says, looking at you then at Five with disgust and confusion as she's approached him and kicks him which makes him to fall down the stairs. Luckily, you back off in time and don't get hit.

You stand next to Jayme, a slight smile on your face as you lock your gaze on him. The guy downstairs was grumbling at the pain of from his fall, but it helped to get rid of that sweet hallucination and his mind is clear now.

“I wonder who is that Delores.”

────────────────────────────────

Your next meeting with him was as spontaneous as the first. Your sister and his brother's marriage forcibly linked your two conflicting families together. You didn't mind it, it's fairer to say you didn't care at all.

You smiled sweetly as you helped Sloane with all the preparations. You seemed so truly interested in everything that no one would even doubt it. After all, you are the only person who offered to help this two hopeless love birds.

You spent some time with Sloane until you gave your sweet sister to her, now, husband. Then, when married couple decide to spend some time alone, you turn around, scanning the room.

The members of both families were having fun, you know it's likely that one of them would try to invite you for a drink or a dance, which is why you firstly wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Until you notice him. Sat alone, surrounded by a ton of alcohol and various snacks. It was easy to understand that alcohol was his way to get rid of annoying thoughts.

Touch starved, but at the same time so willing to give away everything that he has over the years spent alone in the apocalypse.

You quietly approach him, gently tapping on his shoulder. This sensation makes him shudder in surprise and quickly turn around to look at you.

You smile slightly and your hand slides along his arm as you walk around him and sit down in the empty seat next to him. Feeling someone else's touch makes him feel goosebumps, but he doesn't know if he likes it or not.

“What do you want? Can't you see that I'm...busy right now?”

“I can see that you're lonely.”

“I'm not.”

You chuckle softly at his words and pour some alcohol into your glass, taking a few sips, clearly ignoring the fact that he started to see you annoying.

But he can't just kick you out, no, he can't even use his power to go somewhere far away from you. He's too drunk right now to even be mad at you for more than five minutes.

“I always had a dream to travel somewhere. Look at the beautiful views while enjoying the ride.”

You speak softly, propping your cheek on your hand as you slowly sip your drink, looking away from him. Five listened to you, glancing at you from time to time.

“Same.” he answers briefly.

You nod, then turn to face him, bottle of alcohol in hand.

“Another?” you ask.

“Of course.” he shrugs.

You pour more shots of alcohol for both of you, and the more you two drink, the more talkative Five becomes. You told him about what kind of calm and peaceful life you would like, how you wanted take a vacation. Five agreed and told you about some moments of his life in return. The Apocalypse. The Commission. Delores.

The last part was especially difficult, but every time he talked about it, it was always filled with love. How he still misses her and even after such a long time and attempts to let her go, she is still there, inside his mind. Close to him.

“I bet, she was really beautiful.”

“Yeah...she was.” he mumbles drunkenly.

He slowly warms up to you. He didn't have any friends after all this time. Real friends, with whom he can take a few drinks late nights and talk. Talk about something that someone would really understand. So that no one judges him for the way he looks.

And you here with him. You listen to him, you really listen and you understand. You have a lot in common and you see the real him. You don't think he's weird or out of his mind for talking about a mannequin, 'Delores', like she's alive.

Five tries to get up from his seat, almost falling to the floor, but he holds on to the table just in time. His vision is blurry, even as he tries to focus on something.

“You need help?”

“No, I'll be- I'll be fine.” he shakes his head and tries to get up again. “Just gonna grab some food...”

You don't answer anything. He takes a few more steps until he falls to the floor, obviously too tired.

He grumbles and then he sees you standing over him with a slight smile on your face, winding a lock of hair around a finger and just for a moment you seemed so familiar to him, but the last thing he heard before he passed out was...

“Don't worry about it. I'll take him to his room.”

#five hargreaves x reader #yandere five hargreeves #yandere five hargreeves x reader #yandere x reader #yandere tua

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natewrightt · 3 years

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Silent But Deadly

Episode 1: “We Only See Each Other At Weddings & Funerals”

“Does anyone else see little Number 5 and some girl or is that just me?” Klaus asks, rubbing his eyes in confusion. It had seemed that the Hargreeves’ siblings long lost brother, Five, had returned looking a lot younger. Not to mention the girl who looked about his age lying on the floor from impact, groaning.

Five helped her up and they both looked around. “Shit.”

Soon enough, the two (and the rest of the family, minus their dad father) were in the kitchen. Five was making a peanut-butter and marshmallow sandwich while the girl who appeared beside him earlier sat on a chair, fidgeting with a fork that she found on the table.

“So, are going to talk about it?” Luther asked after a few moments of awkward silence. Five rolled his eyes.

“Talk about what?” He scoffed, placing two pieces of bread on a cutting-board. His siblings watched closely, amazed yet confused.

“You were gone for 15 years!” The man exclaims, putting his arms out for exhaggeration.

“It’s been a LOT longer then that.” He seethed, getting the peanut butter from the fridge. “The old man was right. I wasn’t ready.”

“Where did you even go?” Diego asks.

“The future.” He teleported in front of him, earning a mumble. “It’s shit by the way.”

Klaus put his hand up weakly. “Called it.”

That comment earned a small chuckle from Ivory. Her eyes widened as she realized that the noise mad everyone’s eyes on her, and she slumped back into the seat. It had been so many years since she saw people. However, her thoughts are interrupted from Luther talking again.

“So what are you saying? You’re 58? Is she 58 too?” He asks, pointing at the girl again.

“No. My consciousness is 58. Apparently my body is now 13 again.” Five responds sarcastically, ignoring the other question. He sighed. “The equations were off. Huh. Bet Delores is laughing now.”

At the sound of Delores, Ivory shot him a look, making Five laugh quietly.

“Delores?” Vanya asked.

“So, how did you get back?” Allison interrupted, saying what they were all wondering.

“In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward to every instance of time.”

“I don’t understand...”

“He means that h-h-he gathered all of his powers t-together to teleport 8 d-days from where w-w-we were.” Ivory states for him. It was the first time she spoke.

Five grabbed the newspaper on the table. “Guess I missed the funeral.”

“How do you know about that?” Luther asked, feeling the need to defend his father.

“What part of the future do YOU not understand?” Five seethed, reading it. “Heart faliure, huh?”

“Yes-”

“No.”

He chuckled humorously, grabbing Ivory’s hand. “Nice to see nothing’s changed.” And with that, he walked out of the kitchen, ignoring the calls from his sister.

The two walked to his bedroom where he opened his closet, only to see the same uniform over and over again. He cursed, tossing one to Ivory. She looked at it before laughing slightly.

“Wow, t-t-the Hargreeves official u-u-uniform.” she jokes, inspecting it. Five scoffs and rolls his eyes but she can clearly see the amused smile on his face. “N-Now get o-o-out, I have to c-c-change.”

His smile turned into a suggestive smirk. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

That earned him a shoe to the head.

Ivory decided to stay back while the funeral happened. Well, it WAS a funeral. Then, she heard yelling, a knife being pulled out and a heavy object get destroyed. In a few minutes, everyone was back inside. She sat on a chair, cleaning her hearing aids while Klaus and Allison watched in confusion. Realizing she hadn’t even introduced herself, Ivory chuckles as she places them back in.

“Hi. I’m I-I-Ivory Sawyer.” she greets, a warm smile on her face. The two return once and introduce themselves as well.

“How do you know Five?” Allison asked her.

“We’re...close.” Ivory dismisses, ignoring the stinking read in her cheeks as memories rush in. “I met him in the future.”

“Oh. Where’s Vanya?” She continues. Ivory sighs in relief when she moves on.

“Oh...she left.” Klaus confirms sadly. Suddenly, Five walks into the room with an empty coffee maker and starts complaining about it. She scoffs at his caffeine addiction, but Ivory can’t say much. The girl also has a craving for sweets a lot, so she knows what it’s like. She’s lifted from her thoughts when Five grabs her arm and teleports her out of the room and into the car.

“Where are we going?”

“Getting a decent cup of coffee.”

Ivory sits beside Five, chewing nervously on her nails. She can feel that the commission members are searching for them as of right now. Five notices her tenseness and grabs her arm softly. She relaxes at his touch. Finally, after a few moments, the waitress Agnes comes in. She orders her usual, a jelly donut.

“And can I get the kid a glass of milk or something?” The lady asks, pointing at Five with her pen. Ivory has to stifle a laugh. It’s true that he looked quite petite for a 13 year old.

“The kid wants coffee. Black.” He confirms, smiling at Agnes creepily.

“Cute kid.” Agnes comments before running into the kitchen to make their orders.

Five turns and starts talking to the man beside him, which Ivory finds strange but she ignores it, looking over at the windows. The world is so much different then what it’s going to be like in 8 days. Too bad.

Ivory is snapped out of her thoughts when she can feel a gun pointed at her head. She sighs. Damn it, she knew this would happen! Ivory looks at Five, who seems to have a plan as he grabs a knife from the counter, quickly blinking away.

Great. It was time for another fight.

Vanya gasps when she sees Five and Ivory in her apartment. When asked how, he responds with his usual defense.

“Rapists can climb.”

She blinks. “You’re so weird.”

The 3 of them are facing each other on the couch after a few moments. Vanya notices the blood on their clothes and gasped again, but was quickly dismissed by Ivory not to worry about it. Finally, Five starts the conversation.

“I’ve decided you’re the only one I can trust.”

“Why me?” she asks softly.

“Because you’re ordinary.” Five deadpans, but quickly corrects himself when Ivory steps on his foot. “Because you’ll listen.”

Vanya nods, getting closer to them.

“The world ends in 8 days, and I have no idea how to stop it.”

Hey do any of y’all wanna get added to my tag list?

#five hargreeves #number five #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves x you #five hargreeves x y/n #tua #the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #aidan gallagher #aidan gallagher x reader

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isnt-it-loverly · 3 years

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little birdie (5)// five hargreeves

Warnings: very tiny trigger warning for self harm

Summary: When Five lands in the Sparrow Academy, he must convince one of them to help him reset the timeline.

Word count: 1650ish

Author note: finally done with exams and back to writing! it felt good to write something I wanted to, instead of essays for school.

part one, part two, part three, part four

Remember when you said The Umbrellas were not that bad, well most of them weren’t. But they were hesitant to welcome you with open arms. Luther stared at you intently, fire and rage seeping from his demeanor. You tried your best to sink into the burlap couch, the fibers itching away at your skin. You had delivered their brother safely, mostly unharmed but at least he was alive.

“Does anyone else think that this is- I don’t know, dangerous? That thing is a killing machine, she could be raiding our minds,” Luther snarled.

“I have to agree with King-Kong, she could be satelliting our location to Dad as we speak,” Diego, you assumed, spoke.

“That’s not entirely how it works,” you spoke up timidly.

“Oh yeah? Then how come you know everything about Five? Or how about how you tried to kill Klaus? I’m sure you’ve already told your little flock of drones all of our secrets,” Luther yelled.

“First off,” you started, “I am number five. I’m not the ringmaster, I’m not the leader of the group, and I have the body of a teenager. So let’s assume I hold no power when it comes to my family. I am an object to them. If I was in league with them- believe me, pea brain, you’d be dead.”

The room fell silent as you raised your voice, and Five gave you an encouraging smirk. He was going to enjoy you putting his egotistical brother in his place. But boy, did his family make your blood boil.

“And another thing, Mr. Age-of-enlightenment, don’t try to use my ability against me. Because I can bet that you will lose every single time. Brain beats brawn, tough guy,” you spat.

You were in his face now, on your tippy-toes, but still making yourself eye level. You could do it if you wanted to. Take over his mind and make him do unspeakable things, but you decided against it. You needed them to trust you, but more importantly, you needed their help. You took a deep yet shaky breath and backed away from Luther slowly. The anger was suddenly gone and replaced with immense dread. You looked around at your surroundings, they were all staring at you harshly but with fear ever-present on their faces. You knew that all they saw was the beast who stole lives, who knew every secret and thought, the monster who could never be trusted.

“This was a mistake,” you whispered, tears brimming your eyes.

“(Y/n), wait,” Five called. You felt him reach out for you but it was too late, you were already out the door.

You could hear him yelling at his siblings from outside the door. It was strange how much he cared, you’d known him a couple of days- and half of that was fighting with your families. You looked around cautiously, where were you gonna go. You made your way through the old and dusty hallway of the rundown apartment complex. It was a good hiding spot. The other side of town in a secluded and forgotten area, your siblings would never think to look down here. They thought the umbrellas were too egotistical to be smart. The stairwell, you thought, was the only way to rise from rock bottom. You must go up. You run up the stairs as fast as your feet could carry you, hearing the loud boom of your stomps echo off the concrete walls.

You reached the rooftop in a matter of seconds. The chill of the April air lingered around you. You made your way to the edge, the streets were barren and quiet. There was no one to help you escape from this nightmare you had created. What a mess you had managed to create in less than a week. You peered over the edge trying to find any living being to take over so you could be rid of all these conflicting emotions.

You were a member of the Sparrow Academy, and yet here you were fraternizing with the enemy. The Umbrellas would never see you as an equal, just as someone who stole their life. Then there was your family, how would you ever come back from this?

“You really shouldn’t be leaning over the edge like that. You could fall and that would be quite unfortunate for the both of us,” Five’s unempathetic voice pulled you from your thoughts.

Five carefully grabbed your forearm and pulled you away from the edge. Not that he thought that you’d intentionally hurt yourself, but he was not about to lose someone he cared about. Five thought for a moment, did he care about you? Or were you just an important asset to resetting the timeline? He didn’t have time to sort that out at the moment, he had more important matters to attend to. You looked up at him, the tears made your eyes shine more than they usually did. He didn’t know if it was your power drawing him in or if this was just a moment of weakness. He just couldn’t help himself. He wiped a tear that had managed to escape, though he could tell that you were trying your best to keep them in.

“They’re a lot, I know, but they’ve been through hell and back. They’re scared. They’ve lost everything, and they see you as Number Five not as (Y/n). A replacement for us. You’re better and far more powerful than any of us,” He explained.

You liked this version of him. This Five was gentle instead of hostile. You wiped your eyes and nodded, showing him that you understood.

“I can’t believe I let my temper go, I just- it’s been a hard couple of days. I’ve never disobeyed an order, I’ve always done what my father told me, was always there when Number One needed me. Yet here I am, standing in the presence of my most dreaded enemy,” You explained.

“I’ve told you, I didn’t ask you to help me,” He remarked coldly. There he was, there was that hardened exterior. There was a silence for a moment before you decided to continue.

“I’ve heard about you my entire life, the boy who could travel between space and time. I used to be afraid of you, how could I possibly compete with someone who could be anywhere they wanted. I used to have nightmares about the day when you and your family would come,” you finished.

Five cleared his throat with an unreadable expression. You could look into his mind and see what he was thinking, but you did not want to destroy the foundation of trust you had built with him. He placed a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Our father really has a special way of sculpting young minds. When we met him in the sixties, I should’ve been more careful...if I had known that’s why he was taking notes at that dinner- I would’ve watched what we said,” Five said solemnly.

He blamed himself for all this, how could he not. Not only had he managed to ruin his entire family’s life, but he had managed to drag someone as good as you down with it. He thought for a moment about where you would be in his timeline. Maybe you had learned to control your powers, and you had grown into a young woman. Maybe you had a life, a job, a family, a house mortgage to pay. But yet his stupidity had cost you everything. Now you were just as broken as he was.

“You’re not stupid,” you spoke up.

Five gave you a quizzical look, and then it dawned on him.

“You were in my head,” He responded in a monotone voice.

“I couldn’t help it, you blanked out. I had to make sure I didn’t say anything wrong. More importantly I had to make sure you were okay,” You said reaching for his hand. To your surprise, he didn’t pull away, and for that you were thankful.

“Why do you care?” He asked sharply. It was meant to hurt you, but you’d faced worse than a moody old man.

“Because you’re my friend. We are friends, right? I mean, I saved your life...twice. You held me while I bled everywhere,” You said with a small yet hopeful smile.

Five cautiously looked at your hand holding his. He wouldn’t let anyone else do this, he really shouldn’t let you do it. Something about it felt right, your touch was comforting. It was like a breath of fresh air and if he concentrated really hard it almost brought a sense of normalcy. He could imagine that there was no danger and definitely no world in need of saving. It was you, he concluded, it had to be. Somehow you must have been drawing him in, making him feel this way. He hadn’t felt like this since he first saw Delores. This had to be one of your mind tricks, and yet he didn’t care. The feeling was worth having.

“Yes, I suppose we are friends,” He confirmed.

That brought a smile to your face. You both liked the sound of that. Five gave your hand a gentle squeeze and you felt your heart melt. Surely this was not the same Five Hargreeves your father had warned you about. You were sure that there was no way you could ever hate him, you just didn’t have it in you.

“Come on,” Five spoke up, “We better get inside before my siblings think you murdered me.”

“You know that I’m not always in your head, or anyone’s for that matter. And I’m not a cell phone tower, I can’t satellite your location,” you explained.

Five gave you a small chuckle, “I know.”

With that he lead you back into the warm and safe, yet slightly smelly, hallway. Having Five by your side made you feel safe and you knew with him there- you could face anything.

#number five #The Umbrella Academy #tua #five x reader #five hargreeves #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves x you #umbrella academy five #aidan gallagher #sparrow academy #number five x reader #number five x you #five x you #umbrella academy #five #the umberella academy #the umbrella academy #five x y/n

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tlirswriting · 5 years

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Past Mistakes, part 5

Read part 1 here: https://bookfroggity.tumblr.com/post/187152824147/past-mistakes

So. here's the thing. This somehow ended up being 1222 words long, but it's all just one scene?? So I decided to just go ahead and post it now. Sorry abt that, I'm sure the rest of what would be episode 5 will have more Substance jxndkdncknd

///

Five woke up in a bed. His head was throbbing, unsurprisingly enough. He sat up with a groan and saw that Luther was watching him.

"Oh, you're awake," He said. "I thought I should keep an eye out, seeing as how you're wanted by the time police or something."

"Morning. Ugh, god, I really overestimated how much I can... Where am I?"

"Diego's."

"Right. Right, yeah, you guys said we were going here. You should've left me at the library, I don't want to drag you into this more than I already have."

"We're family, Five."

"That's why I don't want you to get hurt thinking I need you. I know I look like I did when we were kids, but I'm not a child anymore."

Luther sighed. "When's it supposed to happen? This... apocalypse."

"I can't give you the exact hour, but... from what I could gather, we have four days left."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?

"It wouldn't have mattered."

"Of course it would. We could've banded together and helped you try to stop this thing."

"For the record, you already tried."

"What do you mean?"

Five swallowed, images of how it ended flashing in his mind. "I found all of you. Your bodies."

"We die?"

Five met Luther's eyes, and saw the corpse he buried when he was only thirteen staring back at him. "Horribly."

"You were together," Five continued. "Trying to stop whoever it was that ends the world."

"Wait, how do you know that?"

Five fished the glass eye out of his pocket and tossed it to Luther. "This was clutched in your dead hand when I found you. Might have been Klaus, it's hard to remember; as much as it burned into my memory, some things get blurry after a few decades."

Luther examined it for a moment.

"Must've ripped it out of their head just before it went down," Five continued.

"Whose head?"

"Like I said, I don't know."

"Well, there's a serial number on the back, think maybe you could try--"

"No, that's a dead end." Five chuckled bitterly. "It's just another hunk of glass."

Five winced at the noise when Diego barged in, the door banging against the wall.

"Piece of shit," He muttered, storming towards Five. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

Luther grabbed him, lifting his feet off the ground.

"No, let me-- get your ape hands off of me!"

"I can do this as long as it takes for you to calm down."

Shut up, I have a headache, Five thought. Can everyone please just be quiet?

Diego struggled for a few seconds before realizing it was pointless. "Fine," He said, and Luther put him back down.

"Now," Luther said. "Wanna tell us what you're talking about?"

"Our brother's been pretty busy since he got back; he was in the middle of that shootout at Griddy's, and then, at Gimble Brothers after the guys in masks attacked the Academy looking for him."

"None of which is any of your concern," Five responded.

"It is now. They just killed my friend."

Everyone was quiet for a second. Five felt a tinge of guilt, which he supposed was Diego's intention.

"They work for my former employer," Five began. "A woman called The Handler. She sent them to stop me. And then, as soon as Diego's friend got in their way... well, fair game."

"And now they're my fair game, and I'm gonna see to it they pay."

"That would be a mistake, Diego, they've killed people far more dangerous than you."

But Diego was already walking away, and Five knew he couldn't argue with him.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Diego said over his shoulder before slamming the door behind him, sending another pang through Five's skull.

Luther turned to Five after watching Diego leave.

" 'Former employer'? What's this really about, Five? And don't give me any of that 'it's none of your business' crap, all right?" He asked, his patience gone from his voice.

Five paused. "Well, it's a long story." He took a breath before continuing, looking down at his hands. Five hadn't told anyone about what he did during that that time of his life, unless you counted Delores as a person. "In the apocalypse, I... Got familiar with it. I learned how to survive, and did so for years. Decades, actually. It had to have been... Forty-two years? Then this woman showed up. She said she was there to help, and that she worked for an organization called The Commission tasked with the preservation of the time continuum through manipulation and... Removals."

"Removal of what?"

Five swallowed. "Sometimes when people make choices that alter time, they have to dispatch one of their agents to, ah... Eliminate the threat. She said that I had a lot of potential, and in exchange for five years of service, I could go home. Can I have a glass of water?"

"Yeah, give me a second."

Five continued his story while Luther got it. "They turned me into the perfect instrument for rehabilitation of the time continuum. Or 'corrections,' as they called them. I wasn't the only one, there are others like me. Beings out of time, fractured, extracted from the lives they knew. I don't know how they got there, but I do know that none of them were as good as me. They didn't realize it, but I was biding my time, trying to figure out the right equation so I could get back. If I could just get back, I knew I could stop the apocalypse. Save the world. So I broke my contract."

"So... You were a hitman?" Luther asked, handing Five his glass.

"Yes."

Luther paused as he sat back down. "I mean, you had a code, right? You didn't kill just anybody?"

"No code. We took out anyone who messed with the timeline."

"What about innocent people?"

"It was the only way I could get back here."

"But that's murder."

"Jesus, Luther, grow up. We're not kids anymore. There's no such thing as good guys or bad guys, there's just people, going about their lives. But when the world ends, all those people die, including our family." Five sighed. "Time changes everything."

Luther paused. Five could guess it was a lot to process, hearing that your little brother (who was the same age as you, except he's older than you, now) killed people for the survival of the human race.

"I can't believe this," Luther finally said. "How could you just agree to doing that?"

"I didn't have a choice! I... I did what I had to do. I was faced with a trolley problem of unimaginable scale, and I did what any sane person would."

Luther glanced at Delores, propped up in a chair. "I don't know about that last part."

"Isolation does things to people. You should know about that, space boy."

"Right."

Five took a long sip of crisp, clean water.

Luther cleared his throat and spoke. "We should go find Klaus."

"Is he missing?"

"Yeah, apparently."

"You... Lost Klaus?"

"Yeah."

"And you didn't notice he was gone until...?"

"Last night."

"Jesus Christ... How do you just lose Klaus?"

"We were a little busy trying to find you first."

"I didn't need you to-- okay. Let's go find Klaus."

///

Part 6: https://bookfroggity.tumblr.com/post/187388076507/past-mistakes-part-6

#my writing #fanfiction #tua #past mistakes #the umbrella academy #long post

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johngerberarticle · 4 years

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The crazy, wonderfully amazing shit my dad did and a bunch of other things you didn’t know about him.

This article originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Uno Magazine.

Written by Ryan Gerber

When I was 5 years old I met my father for the first time.

I was terrified and confused and I just wanted to go back to where I had come from. I didn’t know this family. I didn’t know this island and I didn’t know this giant with a mustache who was calling me son. I was just a scared kid, unaware of my surroundings or the complicated relationship of my two parents. And yet, there I was, fresh off of a flight from Honolulu and unable to make eye contact with this family of noses, called the Gerber’s. This was my family and this was my induction.

The year was 1982 and the mustache belonged to a young John Gerber. Now, unlike most of the people on the island at that time, I knew very little about this man. I knew nothing of his time in Vietnam, or that he had a first wife that went by the name Nola and I definitely didn’t know him as Johnny G, the polyester clad DJ of the Wireless Rock show on KUAM. To me, he was just a man who went by the name Dad. 27 Years later I buried my father. With me, was a slightly bigger family of Gerber’s and an entire island of friends and family who all lost something on the morning of May 4th, 2010.

Over that stretch of time I got to know a lot about this man. A man who by every definition of the word, would qualify as legend. In fact, I’ve since heard many stories about my Dad and his long and varied legacy. Some tales were tall and others were quite touching. Some were ridiculous and untrue and some just needed to be told again and again. Which is my intention now, to shed light on a man, that so many knew in so many different ways. This is neither a reckless expose nor a blind tribute to an infallible myth. It’s an honest account of a real man from a perspective that you might not have. After all, he played a big part in shaping who I am today … for better or worse. And this is my tribute. I should warn you. This probably won’t be very objective. He was my Dad. So where shall I begin? Perhaps at the beginning.

The Early Years John Vincent Pangelinan Gerber was born on May 31st, 1951. He was the second child of six, that belonged to Martin and Delores Gerber. Many of you will know his siblings as Joyce, Wanda, Debra, Janet and Martin Jr. I know them as my aunts and uncle. I never met my Grandfather as he also died young at the age of 49. Though from what I can gather, he was a strict and particular man, who worked hard and had very high standards for all of his children. Judging by how they all turned out, i’d say this was a good thing. My grandma Lole, on the other hand, I knew very well. She was one of the first Gerber’s to take me in and in a lot of ways, she was the glue that held our clan together. One of my fondest memories as a kid, was our Thursday night dinners. This was the one day of the week, that my grandmother didn’t attend church, so it was the one night of the week that the entire family got together. We barbequed and we made fun of each other and we acted the way most families do, only with a touch more sarcasm. And no matter what was going on in our lives at the time, this was a tradition we held sacred. When she passed away in 1990 none of us were the same and though he tried not to show it, neither was my Dad.

He developed his super powers of persuasion and cunning, early on. Honing them on my grandparents and my aunts first, before practicing them on the general population. As far back as I can remember, I’ve heard tales of my Dad getting people to do extraordinary things on his behalf. Mind you, part of his charm was his own work ethic, while the other part, was actual charm. He was no angel, but he was clever, so it was also better to have him working with you than against.

He had a way with words and a way with people, particularly women. This was reinforced by the name of his high school band, “Every Girls Friend” (Circa 1967). He played guitar and sang. You could probably argue that this was the non-official beginning of his “Wireless Rock” career, but we’ll discuss that in a bit. Later, he would go on to teach me how to play the guitar, specifically with the song Rocky Racoon off the white album. And it’s safe to say, that evidence of his personality is visible in all of his children.

Yes. It was quite clear that my Dad possessed that extra something. That extra something that made him special.

Vietnam In 1965 the US began deploying troops into Vietnam and in 1969 my Dad graduated from George Washington High School. He wasn’t yet 18 when he walked into the recruitment offices of the United States Marine Corps, so he had to get permission from my Grandparents to enlist. They agreed and he joined. Not much longer after, he was fighting a war in a foreign land, not too far from our own little island.

The next few years between 1969 and 1971 probably did more to shape who my father was than any other period of time. It was also the longest amount of time that he spent off island.

As a kid, he was reluctant to share stories about his time in the marines with me. He’d occasionally tell stories of some crazy drill sergeant or vaguely describe combat, but I was young and though you couldn’t really tell, his time at war had changed him, even more than he knew at the time. Much later, as an adult, I would come to learn more about his experiences and how they motivated him to create the Pacific War Museum and to become an activist for the young men and women who had died for this country and the countless numbers of young soldiers who were on their way to war, currently. His cause was clear and his purpose was just. On June 3rd, 1975, my Dad left the marines as a corporal and by the time he died in 2010, they had made him a Sergeant.

Wireless Rock Now of course, directly after the war, my Dad was in his early twenties and still quite popular. So, he dusted off the polyester and went back to work at KUAM, which was across the street from our house in Ordot at the time. He had worked there as a kid, sweeping up around the studio and playing the occasional camera boy. So when the need for a new late night voice on the KUAM airwaves arose, it was a natural fit.

Even after I left the island in 95, I would occasionally run into stateside fans of JG and the Wireless Rock show. It was a funny thing to witness, but now I take a certain pride in it. I even remember one of my first nights on island, back in 82, sitting with my Grandma Lole and my Uncle Jr listening to the show in the old Gerber living room and getting my first shout out. It was cool then and it’s pretty cool now.

Those that were close to my Dad during this timeframe remember scores of young women hanging out by the station, loads of fan mail, polyester suits and lots of hair. It was also during this time that my Dad launched the Wireless Rock Music Box, his record shop which later became the source of my Uncle Jr.’s enormous album collection.

His show lasted eleven years, from 1972-1983. And by the time he wrapped things up, he had so many other things going on that it was a natural progression, though he still rocked a white vest every now and again.

The Kadena Years During the Wireless Rock era, my Dad also began building boats … And how many of us have the privilege of saying that? Of all of his phases, this was probably my favorite. So much of it was spent on the water enjoying the island from a simpler perspective. Fishing, skiing and playing practical jokes on the tourists he would charter. To me, this was a golden era.

His first boat, was of course, The Wireless Rock, which from a marketing standpoint, you’ve gotta appreciate. This was followed by The Spam, which was followed by a cease and desist order from Hormel, which resulted in a name change to The Chamorrita in 85. He also owned several smaller boats, such as The Wild Cherry andThe Fotgun (which means wet, for all of you haole’s reading this). His crowned jewel however was The Kadena De Amore, which he began building in 1983. It was quite an undertaking, and I am not lying when I say that it had a full disco built right into it. Sadly, a tragic fire in 1986 resulted in the demise of the Kadena and the subsequent transfer of ownership of then, Cabras marina to what is now known as Aqua world Marina in Piti. Though I still hear people call it Gerberville from time to time.

On one charter, we had just docked and my Dad’s good friend, who went by George Palau, caught an Iguana. It was big, maybe 6 feet. Though we warned him, he began antagonizing the reptile by mimicking his lizard tongue. The Japanese tourists were enthralled, but my Dad knew better, warning George “Buddy. You’re gonna lose your tongue…”. He barely finished saying that before the iguana lunged forward biting the tip of Georges tongue with such angry precision that we were all stunned. Tourists were freaking out. We were on the ground laughing (I know it’s mean, but it was funny) and George was running around trying to pull this lizard from out of his mouth. Eventually he did and from that day forward, he had a more distant relationship with reptiles.

These were the types of stories I remember from this time and a lot of those people, I still see out on the water, whenever I come back home for a visit.

Senator Gerber? The 80’s were a time of experimentation for my Dad and while it is not a secret that my father was once the son-in-law of Ricky and Madeleine Bordallo, it is a lesser known fact that he also ran for office in 1986. You read that right. Always up for new challenges, my father ran, but ultimately failed to take a seat in the senate. There were lot’s of reasons for this, and we can post-rationalize, but at the end of the day, I think we can all agree that it worked out for the best.

18 years later, my father pulled a giant billboard dedicated to the 1548 Marines that had died during the liberation of our island. He pulled it from Anderson Airforce base in Yigo to the Naval base in Apra, using a contraption he fashioned out of an old wheelchair and a carabao pull. He did this with the intention of changing the name of Marine drive to Marine Corps Drive as to never let us forget. Governor Felix Camacho officially changed the name on April 13, 2004. The next day. This was how he evolved his political prowess and this was probably the purest representation of how he did things. With passion and with a whole lot of sweat.

Gerber and Sons (+ Daughter) By the 90’s, my Dad had once again, shifted focus. First, at the tender age of 40, he decided to go to college and get his bachelors degree. His professors loved him and his young classmates thought he was the coolest freshman they’d ever met.

Second, he got heavy into what I like to call his Sanford and son years. Salvaging vehicles and doing some construction … basically, a whole lot of physical labor. By this point I had also grown my own (embarrassingly thin) mustache and was working for my Dad part time. He had named his company Gerber and Sons (a name my sister wasn’t very keen on) and all I can remember is sweat. I’m not gonna lie. This was my least favorite time. I went from fishing and diving to sanding and welding. Not that we weren’t doing any of that on the boats, it just had a less magical appeal and well, I was a teenager, so I had my own issues to deal with.

That being said. There were a few pivotal moments that came from this. On Memorial day in 1992, my Dad visited the grave of an old friend and fellow soldier Lance Corporal Rufo San Nicholas. He had died in Vietnam and on his tombstone he was still 19 years old. I remember my Dad saying “I was lucky. Guys came back and had no home, some were disabled or suffering some sort of injury and I barely had a scratch. I had a home. I had work and family. and Rufo …was still 19.” This was the defining moment that changed everything for my Dad.

In 1994, My dad acquired his first APC. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with that term. He bought a tank. Also known as an Armored Personnel Carrier. He called it the Eve of Destruction and drove it all over Ordot. It’s still on display at the museum as I write this. That year he also took part in the Liberation Day parade using the Eve of Destruction to haul a pre-war Chamorro house down Marine Corp Drive. From this day forward, things just kept moving in that direction.

This is also around the time that he developed his signature work look. Aviators, Boots and T-shirt, tucked squarely into a pair of jean-shorts. Anyone who has ever seen my Father toiling, out in the hot Guam sun will recognize this look.

In 1995, I left the island in pursuit of my own stories and adventures, but before I left, I went on one last adventure with my Dad. There were a bunch of us on this particular mission. My uncle Jr. was there as were my Dad’s good friends John Camacho, Pete Siguenza and Mike Guzman. A bunch of us. It was a hike deep down into the jungle to recover a Japanese Zero that had been shot down during the war. A fighter plane. We found it, but it was gonna be a challenge to excavate, so we left it with the intention of coming back for it later. And they did. 15 years later, my Dad went and recovered that plane. And this was the last thing my Father pulled out of the jungle before he passed away.

Semper Fi In 2007 I came back to the island for the first time in 11 years. I didn’t tell anyone I was coming, so I decided to play a prank on my old Dad. There had been a rash of break-ins in the village, so I asked my aunt to call him up and tell him someone was breaking into the house and that they had trapped him inside. He showed up with a bat and barely stopped the truck before leaping out of it. I of course waved the white flag and he laughed. “Son!” he said. “I almost killed you”. He then gave me a big hug and told me to get in the truck.

You see, I hadn’t planned on it, but it just so happened to be the 62nd anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Turns out, a lot of the guys that had fought in that battle had also fought on Guam during our own liberation. My Dad was hosting a barbecue for the tour that was coming through, about 200 people, which consisted of actual vets, young soldiers and their families. This was at the first Pacific War Museum my Dad had built in Ordot and it was the first time I was seeing it.

I was proud of my Dad. He had accomplished so much with so little and here were all these people pulling together to honor these vets and to entertain these young soldiers who were about to be deployed for their first, their second and their third times. He was giving them advice and telling stories. It was inspiring. and it was a family affair. My Auntie Janet was pulling up with the red rice, my brothers were manning the traffic, my uncles and cousins and aunts were setting up tables and bringing in supplies. It had that same vibe I remember from those Thursday night dinners we’d had, so long ago at my Grandma Lole’s house, just on a much grander scale. And now it was my Dad that was the glue. And his reach had gone far beyond our family. I later learned that he and his wife Mela, along with the rest of my family had fed and entertained thousands of troops over the years and my Dad’s name had become synonymous with the Marine Corp on Guam.

Never before had I seen my Dad imbued with so much passion. And if you recall, that was never something he was short on. He had found his purpose and he was hell bent on making shit happen. We learned a lot about each other on that trip and in a lot of ways we were so much a like, just in different ways. It was a really good trip.

The words Semper Fidelis will forever be attached to the name John Gerber, it’s meaning, Always Faithful is tantamount to his dedication to his family, to this island and to his beloved Marine Corps. In 2007, on a surprise trip home I finally got it. That was also the last time I saw my Father in person.

This past April, the family came together once again, to honor my Father and to help raise money for his Pacific War Museum, now situated in Maina. They held a memorial 5K run/walk (Click here to see the film). It was an amazing tribute to what my father had worked so hard to build and what my family was now working so hard to keep going.

Family Man In the end, his most important role, was his role in the family. As a Dad, just like with everything else, he had his phases. For me, being the eldest. He was tough. My grandfather was tough on him and so he was tough on me. I mean, I don’t know many other kids whose list of chores included changing the tires on an industrial forklift. He worked me hard and at the time I wasn’t so happy about it. Of course, I never made things easier on myself, as I had yet to learn how and when to pick my battles. So, we butt heads. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the work ethic he instilled in me. And those that were close to my father know that he worked himself harder than anybody else. More importantly, when it counted, my father always came through, especially for his family.

When I came back in 2007, he had clearly changed. I even joked about how I didn’t recognize him. He was a mellow Dad, more patient with my brothers and definitely less strict. He was actually a blast to be around. Not that he didn’t, still put them too work, on occasion. Just less so. My sister Christiana, had also known the tougher side of our father, but had witnessed the shift on a more gradual scale, as she came back home more often than I did. Liberation day also became a special time that her and my brothers Storm and Rio got to share with my Dad and partake in his work.

For his wife Mela and all of my Uncles and Aunts, my Dad’s attitude and passion was infectious. This is evident in everything they’ve done since my father’s passing. It’s actually quite astonishing to step back and see not just what he’s created, but what he’s inspired in the people who loved him.

Goodbye It was around 6pm, when I got word that I should call home. I was watching TV and waiting for my dinner to be delivered. It was meant to be a quiet night and in a strange sort of way, that’s exactly what it became. You see I was living in New York at the time, so that meant it was around 6am on Guam. I had finally gotten a hold of my Auntie Janet. She was at the naval hospital and in the next room, they were trying to revive my father.

She was inconsolable and passed the phone to my cousin EJ, who took on the unenviable task of relaying what was happening as it happened. All I could do was pace. Alone in my apartment, on the other side of the globe, I paced and I paced and I listened and I asked questions. And I tried to remember the last conversation I had with my Dad who was now unconscious in a hospital room 7,958 miles away from the room that I was in. and I could do nothing.

I heard the cries and I didn’t even have to ask … but I did anyway. And just like that, my Dad was gone. It had been about 6 months since the last time I had called home and 3 years since the last time I was on island. And that was the only thing I could think about for the rest of that night. I called my sister who hadn’t yet heard the news and then I called my brothers. I sat there and I watched the sun disappear and then I booked a ticket home.

There is a lot that can and has been said about my Father. But that’s true of most great men who are worth talking about. And in the end it’s these stories that keep him alive.

The last words that my father said to me, on the last phone call I had with him were simple. “I love you son” and my reply is how I will end this article. “I love you too dad. I’ll see you soon.”

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