— ° —
FOURTEEN YEARS EARLIER
THEIR LATEST MISSION had the Hargreeves children sprinting around the house like mad men trying to gather their things. Alarms blared red, echoing throughout the house, screaming at the children to hurry up while Vanya's music completely juxtaposed the irritating noise with the soft melody playing from her violin.
"Coming through!" Allison shouted as she came down the stairs and jogged toward her room. "Come on, Luther!"
"How will the Umbrella Academy ever become an effective crime deterrent if we can't even leave the house on time for missions?" Their father shouted over the alarms, his disappointment not missed by anyone within a mile vicinity. "Come along, children! Come along!"
Minerva was no different as she struggled to get on her boots, hopping towards her door as she struggled to tie her laces. Next door, she heard Klaus jumping on his bed, laughing maniacally.
"Where's my knives!" Diego called.
"Should be on your desk!" Minerva called back as she finished her left boot, moving to the right.
"Boys will be boys," she heard her mother mumble as she neared her door. "Everything alright Minerva, dear?"
"Just...can't...get..." she kept hopping in place, trying to get the stupid boots on as quickly as she could.
"Here, try sitting next time," Grace said, bending down and finishing off the knot before standing and fixing her mask which had become tilted as she'd hopped around her room.
"Thanks mom!" Minerva said, kissing her mother's cheek before running out of the room, following Klaus downstairs.
°
"You need to be more careful! Who knows what could've happened if Luther hadn't gotten in there in time!" Five scolded.
"Well, it was either risk it or let that kid get crushed underneath a flaming pillar," Minerva countered.
"It wouldn't have mattered if you had gotten crushed too!"
She rolled her eyes, letting Grace finish wrapping the burn she'd gotten on her arm during this latest mission and listening to Five flip his lid over it. Yes, she'd impulsively run into a burning building — their mission being the evacuation of said building — after a child and would've gotten crushed by a pillar if it weren't for Luther pulling them out of the way. It was a calculated risk that she probably should've calculated a little more. In her defence, it worked out until the other beam holding the one that had it out for her had shattered.
"Five, please," Minerva said, "Dad and Luther have already given me the 'you're incredibly irresponsible' speech, I don't need it from you either."
He sighed, rubbing his temples. She could feel the stress rolling off of him in waves and guilt pooled in her chest, clogging her throat.
Yeah, it was dangerous, but that was their job right? To go into danger and risk it all, so when she could feel how upset her family was at her decision, it confused her. That's what they'd been raised to do. She wanted at least a "Hey, at least you saved the kid", but instead she just had to sit through the ridicule of not one, not two, but three people. Plus, why did he care so much? He'd never gotten this angry towards anyone since he found out Diego ate all of his marshmallows on a dare from Luther.
"You're all fixed up, dear. We'll just need to put some aloe on it tonight and in the meantime, make sure not to use it too much," Grace said, unbothered by the tense aura in the room.
Minerva mustered a smile and meekly thanked her before she scurried out of the room as fast as she could.
"Minerva!" Five called after her.
She ignored him at first, desperate to get away from what they'd created in their argument and didn't need to be berated anymore about how horrible she was.
It seemed like he didn't like her lack of response and reappeared in front of her, blocking her exit. "Don't ignore me."
Her jaw clenched, his own anger was stoking her rage like gasoline to a wildfire. "Please move, Five," she said, stepping to the right to pass him but he followed, keeping in her path.
"Not until you tell me what the hell you were thinking."
"What was I thinking?" She asked, sarcasm oozing from her tone as her annoyance got the best of her. "I was thinking that it's our job to help people! So what if I get hurt every now and again, it's worth it isn't it? I mean, that's what Dad always tells us: to have the least amount of casualties as possible."
"But you could've made Luther, you and the girl casualties!"
"So I was just supposed to let that little girl die? I felt how scared she was and there was a chance, Five, there was a chance that we could've gotten out of there with her alive."
"That chance isn't worth this family! It's not worth you!"
Minerva blinked away her tears, swallowing whoever fight she had left. She'd save it for later, make her anger useful seeing as that was the only thing she was worth at this point. "You got your answer," she said, faux calm becoming her exterior once again.
Five didn't move for a long time, just staring at her, his green eyes sharp as razors as they tore at her mask for any sign of an opening. She was tempted to use her power to just make him move, but she resisted knowing she'd never forgive herself for doing something like that while she was blinded by her own emotions. Her patience paid off when he disappeared with a scoff in a flash of blue.
Finally alone, she leaned against the wall for support. She felt so conflicted and confused. Maybe what she did was selfish, but what about the lives of those around them? Were they just supposed to be collateral damage? A broken laugh escaped her lips, her thoughts becoming too much as she covered her face with her hands. Their father always said she cared too much and blamed it on her lack of control over her powers. Her shoulders shrank and she caved in on herself, sinking onto the floor and curling into a ball, hugging her knees against her chest.
It was too much. They were all so angry at her and she was so confused and —
"Minnie?" A voice called.
Her head shot up and her blurry eyes could make out Vanya standing at the end of the hallway. She stood as her sister came closer, brushing off any dust or dirt that had gotten on her uniform.
"Hey, Vanya. How are you?" She asked casually, somewhat surprised that there was no shaking in her voice.
The brunette's lips pressed together and she offered her hand. Minerva hesitated, wondering if Vanya would be another who would scold her today.
"I was hoping I could get your opinion on a new piece," she said, smiling softly. Calm radiated from her like a fire after a blizzard, so Minerva took her outstretched hand and let Vanya lead her to her room. True to her word, Minerva listened to Vanya play her latest piece, offering advice before listening to whatever else she wanted to practice while she had company. Vanya never mentioned the incident from earlier that day and never asked about finding Minerva huddled on the hall.
Though the shouting and breakdown afterwards was a boulder off her chest, the shame of being under such a scrutinizing gaze by so many left a bitter taste in her mouth. She absentmindedly ran her fingers over the umbrella tattoo that signified her ties to this place.
"I got into a fight with Five," Minerva said suddenly, eyes glued on the ink, glaring at it so hard you'd think it would burrow under her skin to avoid her burning gaze.
Vanya paused her playing, taking her instrument off her shoulder.
"Was I wrong?" She asked, almost begging for an answer just to quiet the voices in her head that blamed her for it all.
"You saved the girl, right?" Vanya asked, somehow utterly calm.
Minerva didn't question how she knew but she nodded.
"Then that's it, you did well."
"But Luther, he..." she trailed off, unable to form the right words.
"They were just worried about you, Five especially." Minerva almost scoffed at the idea of their father actually worrying about her or the others. "Try not to let it get to you."
"Easier said than done," Minerva finally looked up with a small, joking smile.
Vanya mirrored it, giggling before continuing to play.
°
"Number Eight, Number Three, come downstairs for training," their father's voice echoed through the intercoms throughout the house.
It had been two weeks since Minerva's hiccup and she had yet to speak to Five. She was on better terms with Luther seeing as she apologized for three days straight until he finally gave in and told her it was fine, just be careful in the future.
Five, on the other hand, she avoided like the plague, not wanting to argue with him and risk him hating her though her mind had convinced itself some nights that he did, in fact, hate her guts. She kept telling herself, "I'll talk to him tomorrow" or "I'll find him after dinner and we'll talk it out", but she always chickened out at the last minute. She'd stop outside his door once she felt the negative emotions radiating from inside. Not wanting to dive into them and confirm her suspicions, she just assumed it was anger directed at her.
Minerva slipped on her shoes, already stressing about what their father had in store for the girls. She caught up with Allison and they walked down the main stairway together. They stopped at the bottom, facing their father with their hands folded behind their backs.
"Today, you two will face off against each other, powers only," he said, gesturing for the both of them to walk to either side of the room.
Minerva wanted to scowl at the man and scream at him. They all knew she could end this fight in a few seconds, but this was Reginald's way of making a point and he was using her sister against her to do it. He wanted to prove whether or not she'd fold under her adoration for her siblings or follow through with instructions. He'd already used her love for them against her when she was younger. Not that anyone else remembered it the way she did.
The walk to her side of the room felt longer than it should've been as she debated whether it was worth it to make Allison bend to her will and show her father that she could meet his expectations or let her sister win and deal with Reginald's disapproval until she left this godforsaken house. She steeled her eyes, back straightening as she faced her obviously nervous sister with her mind made up.
Allison swallowed thickly and made eye contact with Minerva who mouthed 'sorry' as their father focused on pulling out his pocket watch. Minerva's eyes caught onto the metal contraption and a horrible plan came to mind. She looked back to Allison, not wanting their father to catch onto what she was about to do.
"Begin!"
Allison opened her mouth, but her breath caught in her throat and sweat began to appear on her forehead. She could feel her heart start to speed up unnaturally and her breathing became harder by the second. This is fear, she thought.
Meanwhile, Minerva didn't move an inch, her eyes locked on Allison as the girl fell to her knees, clutching the area above her heart. She hated herself for this, but if her plan worked, Reginald would (hopefully) let them both off the hook. She counted the seconds as they passed.
Twenty-seven...twenty-eight...twenty-nine...
Their father scribbled down notes at the thirty second mark like he usually did whenever he tested Minerva and she took her opportunity. Slowly, she loosened her hold on her sister, allowing for her to breathe just enough for her to gather her bearings and look up at Minerva who cast her eyes on their father who busied himself with his notes. Only a few more seconds left before this got bad for Allison and Minerva would have to end this herself. Allison's eyes widened as she realized her sister's plan.
Minerva prayed she'd gotten the idea and forced another, lighter wave towards Allison that had the girl gasping to emphasize the time they were losing.
"Finish this, Number Eight," Reginald snapped as they neared the minute mark.
He was catching on that Minerva was doing something but his impatience was too predictable. She may have been influencing his restlessness as she released her hold on Allison, but it was subtle enough that he didn't notice in the slightest. She flinched at his words, her focus 'breaking' and Allison took advantage of this.
"I heard a rumor, you're asleep."
°
The first thing Minerva remembered was someone shaking her.
"Minnie, hey, wake up," the person shaking her said, finally stopping when she obliged, eyes flicking open before closing at the brightness of the room. "Oh, thank god you're finally up."
The brunette rubbed at her eyes, groaning at the headache that was making an appearance. "Huh?"
"You knocked your head really hard when you...fell," Allison swallowed and backed away, sitting on the chair in the corner of the room. Minerva's room.
She rubbed her temples as she sat up, leaning against her headboard and she slowly started to remember what had happened. Guilt punched her in the gut when it dawned on her what she'd done to Allison, her sister.
"I'm so so sorry, Allison. I didn't want to, I just didn't...I didn't see a way out and —"
Allison raised her hand and Minerva stopped her blubbering.
A kind smile rose on the girl's lips, "It's alright, I understand. You made the best out of a bad situation."
She was lying.
"What" — Minerva's voice shook as she tried to ignore that unease that radiated from her sister — "what happened? What about Dad?"
"Well, after you let me win Dad just walked off. I went and got Luther and he carried you here. You ended up sleeping through dinner and it's about twenty minutes until lights out," Allison said.
"Oh." No wonder she was hungry.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Allison stood up and held her hand out for Minerva. The brunette just stared at her, confused.
"C'mon, let's go get you something to eat before Mom or Dad call it for the night." Minerva watched her for a moment, waiting for her to say it was a joke. Surely, she wouldn't want to spend time with her, much less talk to her after all of that. "I'm sure you're hungry and I may or may not have a surprise," Allison beamed.
"Alright," Minerva nodded, smiling back at her sister "I'd love to."
And so the sisters snuck downstairs together where they found their mother setting out a plate at the table. She wordlessly put the plate and utensils down before kissing both girls on their heads and walking out.
Minerva's stomach gurgled in impatience and she wrapped her arms around herself as Allison giggled.
Just as usual, the food was perfect. One of the perks of having a robot mother. While Minerva ate, the sisters talked aimlessly about celebrities and some of the magazines Allison had been looking at recently. They agreed that one day, they needed to do a fashion show of sorts with some of the clothes Allison had gotten. They'd also decided that because Klaus had been helpful to Allison, they agreed he could also help Minerva pick out a new closet as well while trying on the merchandise himself.
Once Minerva had finished her food, Allison had shown off the fact that she'd snuck in hot chocolate despite their father's hatred of caffeine. They made cups for themselves and continued their talk until their cups were empty and their mother had told them it was time for bed.
"I want to be an actress when I get out of here," Allison said as they made their way upstairs.
"That'd be fun."
"Wouldn't it? What do you wanna do when we're older?"
"Not really sure yet," she shrugged, "but I think I want to study mythology, preferably Greek and Roman. Maybe be a professor or teacher some day. I definitely want a dog though, maybe three."
Allison hummed, but paused when they got to Five's door. She glanced at Minerva and pointed her thumb towards the door.
"Why have you been avoiding him?"
"You noticed?" Minerva asked, eyes widening.
"Of course I did," she said, then looked between the door and Minerva and then smiled at her sister.
"Is there something on my face?"
"You'll thank me later."
"Wha—"
Allison knocked on the door and sprinted down the hall.
Minerva froze like a deer in headlights as the door swung open revealing a very agitated boy.
"I swear on everything living and breathing Diego, if this is about —" Five stopped seeing her standing there. His hair was disheveled and there were dark circles appearing under his eyes.
She cleared her throat and gave him a tight lipped smile. "Hi."
"Hi."
A long pause of awkward silence.
"I'm sorry, I'm just gonna go —"
"No, wait," Five reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Look...can we talk for a second?"
Minerva hesitated at first but nodded and allowed him to pull her into his room where she stood in the middle, rocking on her heels. Her mind was moving a million miles an hour. She had been avoiding him, avoiding this conversation and she wasn't at all prepared. She hated confrontation and her anxiety was spiking.
"Close your eyes, will you? I have something for you," Five said after he closed the door.
"I thought we were talking?" She blurted out, closing them anyway.
"We are, be patient," he said as he brushed past her and started moving things around.
Eventually, it stopped and she flinched when he picked up her hand with her palm facing upward. It was cold and felt like plastic, but it was familiar.
"Open."
She did and she squealed when she saw what he had placed in her hand: four new cassette tapes for her Walkman.
Five's hand slapped over her mouth. "You're going to wake up the whole damn house, Min," he probably meant for it to come off as a warning but the slight upward tug on the corner of his lips just boosted her enthusiasm.
Minerva tapped his wrist and he let go. As soon as he did, she threw her arms around his shoulders, nearly making them topple over, luckily Five managed to catch himself and wrapped his arms around her waist to steady them.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She grinned, her chin resting on his shoulder, careful not to shout so close to his ear.
In truth, Five had been spending every second of his free time since their argument to get ahold of those tapes. He knew she'd been listening to the same nine tapes on repeat ever since she'd gotten her Walkman three years ago and never got the chance to go out and get more. It was the best gift he could think of that she'd keep even if she didn't accept his apology.
He gently pulled away, his hands still resting on her hips. She was beaming up at him, her eyes gleaming like the stars they used to map out when they were younger.
"You did the right thing, saving that kid." Her smile flickered as his guilt overtook the relief at her approval he'd felt a few moments ago. "Those," he gestured to the tapes, "are a gift."
The girl swallowed, cradling her gifts close to her chest like they were made of delicate glass.
"I love them," she said softly, smiling up at him.
"You haven't even listened to them," he countered.
"Don't have to, you got them for me," she grinned cheekily. Probably the cheesiest thing she could've said but she didn't care, the fact that he'd worked his ass off to get these for her meant more than anything.
It was then Five remembered how close they were and that odd feeling erupted in his stomach, racing up to his heart where it settled comfortably. This time, he didn't fight it and instead welcomed it. He smiled back, a real, natural smile and Minerva swore there was pink painting the tops of his ears.
— ° —
This account is a Reginald Hargreeves hate account :)
Please keep in mind that character development will happen for Minnie as this goes on & that her and Allison see their powers very differently for good reason considering Minnie can literally feel the effects.
What are the songs you think Five gave Minnie?