I Hate You Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy)

15: They Might Be Giants

The brakes screeched as the car came to an abrupt stop in front of Griddy's. Five got out, but I didn't follow, instead making headway towards a phone booth to call a cab.

Five looked back to see that I wasn't behind him then softly groaned. He jogged up to me, grabbing my elbow and steering me back towards the doughnut shop.

"Five! Let me go." I jerked my elbow away and he put his arm around my waist and continued towards the shop.

"Will you just stop fighting me for one second and have a cup of coffee with me?" he groused.

"No." I stepped out of his hold.

Five growled and grabbed my arm yet again, then blinked us into Griddy's. "Too bad. I have been through hell and back to get here so I'm not going to let you run off to Chicago before I can even explain everything." Five tapped the bell.

"Why? As you claimed, it's been forty-five years your time. Why do you possibly need to talk to me?"

"I just do, okay? So will you please just talk to me." I sat down at his pleading tone. How he seemed so angry yet somehow desperate was an odd sight. Everything about him seemed to be tainted though. His features were set in stone, making him appear much older than he is. I suppose growing older only to stay in the body of a thirteen year old would do that though. Either that or he is a heck of a good actor.

The older waitress in a pink uniform clicked her pen. "Sorry, sink was clogged." She chuckled. "So, what'll it be?"

"A black coffee for me," I stated my order.

She scribbled it down then gestured to Five. "Can I get the kid a glass of milk or something?" I snickered.

"The kid wants coffee. Black," he answered. She glanced at me probably thinking that I surely wasn't going to allow my kid to have coffee at night.

"Cute kid," she said.

"Precious, ain't he?" I teasingly grinned at him and he scowled. Agnes walked away with our orders.

The air between us was still. I didn't know what to make of it. Should I say something? Should I let him have a second? "Don't remember this place being such a shithole," Five said, making that decision for me.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe that we were ever kids. Kids that used to sneak out here after practice." I smiled in reminiscence.

"Eat doughnuts till we puked." I chortled.

"I would of course race you to the front of the line."

"And most of the time I'd let you win." He grinned.

I scoffed a laugh. "Let me? Please."

"Okay, maybe not every time." We both snickered. Once our laughter died down, that quiet was back.

"So, um, what did you want to talk about?"

Five shrugged. "There's a lot I need to, but right now I'd take anything."

I drummed my fingers on my mug when Agnes brought us our coffees. "Okay, um... How did you know that stuff about me?"

"Vanya's book kinda sparked it. From there I just followed the trail. Your books are pretty good by the way."

I shook my head with a tenuous smile. "Sweet talker."

"It's true. You could make a good author if you would publish them. Why'd you choose psychiatry anyway?"

"To keep my mind busy mostly. I didn't know what to do after I graduated, so I took on another degree, more classes, less thinking about the things I don't want to think about."