𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧: 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 ~

When Astrid caught the gleam of his knife, she thought she was just seeing things and went back to conversing with her brothers. "Would you pass the moo shu, Trid?" Five asked, pointing to the unopened box closest to Luther. The blonde handed it to him, and before digging in, Five had to get in one final thought. "Guys, we did it. We saved the world. We stopped the apocalypse and made it home just in time for dinner. So whatever Dad changed, whatever timeline we're in now... we can handle it,"

Five lifted his glass of Margarita in a toast, and the other Umbrellas also lifted their alcoholic beverages, clinking glasses and taking in their victory. But of course, the story was far from over.

~~~~~~~

⚠ Just want to give a brief trigger warning, there is going to be homophobia in the next few paragraphs. So, if you're uncomfortable, feel free to skip ahead. Look out for the ✨ meaning that the triggering scene is over. ⚠

Seven years earlier...

Astrid's breath hitched in her throat as she walked towards Reginald's office. Hearing him call her name over the house's intercom sent shivers down her spine. She didn't know whether or not he had another potentially dangerous mission for her to go on, or if there was an important matter that required both her and Luther's attention. But that wasn't the only thing that scared her. The thing that scared her the most was her deepest darkest secret.

Since her teenage years, Astrid constantly questioned her sexuality and who she was attracted to. Sometimes she thought she was straight, while other times she was attracted to women but still liked men. She wanted to open up about it to her family but given how dysfunctional and hot-tempered some of them were, she feared resentment or being told she was just confused or hadn't met the right person.

It wasn't until she was nineteen that she finally realized who she was. A few weeks before Allison moved to Los Angeles, the two snuck out to a bar that allowed them in during specific times. And while she was on the dance floor, she came across a woman her age with long silky jet-black hair and sparkling green eyes, who kept encouraging her to dance. At first, Astrid was nervous, but as the night continued, she and the mysterious woman grew closer and closer. And in the back corner of the bar during their exhilarating makeout, it was there that Astrid accepted a part of herself that she never knew before.

She knocked on the closed office door, hearing her father's scruffy voice allowing her to enter. She pushed her way in, taking a quiet breath as she stood five feet away from his desk. He studied her in a very unsettling matter, his eyes squinting with disgust. "You wanted to see me, father?" Astrid spoke up. "As a matter of fact, yes... If my sources are correct, I would say you've been very deceptive lately," Reginald spoke coldly.

"Deceptive about what?" Astrid questioned, an unsettling feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. Reginald pulled back his seat and opened one of the drawers. He plopped a familiar, white-flowered notebook on his desk, paralyzing the young woman with unease. How did he find that? I hid it very well! "Recognize this?" Reginald rested his hands on the desk. "No..." Astrid shook her head. "Lies! It has your signature on every page! Not only did you write false claims that I mistreated you all, but you claim you have feelings for the same gender. This is absolutely unacceptable!"