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sortofanobsession · 1 year

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Will o’ the Wisp - Ch. 10 (Umbrella Academy WIP) Diego x Reader slow burn

Author’s note: I've had this one mostly done for a few days but haven't been on my personal comp since then. Here you go. Events of Episode 1x09 Changes. Translations are at the end.

So as it goes, Y/N = your name. Y/N/N = your nickname. Reader pronouns She/Her.

Tag Requests are Open just message me.

Primary Pairing: Diego Hargreeves x Female!Reader (Slow Burn Season 1)

Series/TUA Masterlist

Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Word count: 3k+

Content Warning: bleeding out, bleeding, injury, blood transfusions, needles, Trypanophobia (fear of needles), medical procedures, Anger, Sibling Rivalry, Stitches, mentions of death, mentions of murder, cussing/swearing/cursing, Panic Attacks, Exhaustion, threats, imprisonment, fear, neglect, abuse.

Chapter 10: More Dangerous than Me?

Allison is bleeding out, and no one knows what to do.

“Y/N! Do something!” Her hands start to shake.

“It’s too deep, she might drown if I just close the outside, or her throat might swell closed. I can’t…I told you I can only do surface wounds.” She backs up until she hits something solid. She jumps when she feels hands on her arms. She looks back to see she’d backed right into Diego.

“I’ll only make it worse. I could kill her,” she says, her voice small and almost too quiet.

“It’s okay. We’ll figure it out,” he tells her. He rubs her arms to try and offer her what little comfort he can.

They rush to get Allison back to the academy.

“Come on! Let's go!” Five shouts when they get there.

“I don't think she's breathing,” Luther tells them.

“If we don't get her upstairs," Klaus says as he goes to help Luther carry her. "She's gonna die.”

“She's suffered a severe laceration to her larynx,” Grace informs them once inside and in the med room. “One of you will need to give blood.”

Luther, Klaus, Five, and Diego volunteer. Luther insists on doing it.

“I'm afraid that's not possible, dear boy,” Pogo sadly says, “Your blood is more compatible with mine.” Grace and Pogo continue to gather what they need.

“Hey, don't sweat it,” Klaus tells Luther. “I got this, big guy. I love needles.”

“Master Klaus,” Pogo starts. “Your blood is, how shall I say this? Too polluted.”

“Move,” Diego steps in.

“Yeah, go on,” Klaus says.

“I'll do it,” Diego rolls up his sleeves but faints at the sight of the needle.

"Oh, for the love of-" Y/N takes off her jacket and throws it at Klaus before holding her arm out for Grace to prepare her arm for the needle. "I'm going to put most powers of my into the Wisp so that there hopefully won't be a temp difference. Though a tiny bit might actually help, I'm no expert."

"It should be fine," Pogo assures as he and Grace get back to work.

"I should be doing it," Diego crouches beside her once he came to. Someone had brought her a chair. The room was quiet now that Pogo and Grace had managed to do what they could to save Allison. Luther refuses to leave Allison. Grace stays in case she is needed. Diego continues, "You're too exhausted, and you're-"

"You passed out just looking at the needle, and are you forgetting you have a bullet wound too," she tells him. Something in her stressed and sleep-deprived mind has her fingers twitching to brush her fingers along the scars on his face because of how close he is and how sincere he is being. But she fights that urge.

“I lost less blood because of your hot hands,” he says, earning him a small chuckle. He takes that as a win. She's been on edge and too serious all day.

“I’m okay, tough guy,” she assures him. "At worst, I get a bit woozy. Either way, Allison gets what she needs. That's what matters. And you avoid the needle." She pinches his arm and grins. He glares, but there is no heat in it. "You don't have to stay if it makes you uncomfortable." She gestures to the needle and tubes.

"I'm fine," Diego tells her.

"I'm probably just going to close my eyes and switch to the Wisp."

"All the more reason to stay," he states.

"You're going to hover until this apocalypse thing is sorted out, especially after what happened at the rave and this." She gestures to Allison.

He doesn't answer but still hasn't moved from where he's crouched beside her.

"Right," she chuckles, and she pats his cheek. "Sad it took the end of the world for you to turn so sweet, cariño."

He’s taken aback by the term of endearment, but he doesn’t hate it. He does technically call her one constantly. Mi Luz. It was a common term of endearment. He shouldn’t be so surprised. Then again, it might be the exhaustion and the blood loss talking. Even if it is a controlled loss. "We'll stop it," he assures her as he removes her hand from his face but keeps it in his own. It felt unnaturally cold for her since she had willed so much of herself into the Wisp, for Allison's sake. He stood up but kept her hand, warming it some between his own. "Maybe you should get some sleep," he suggests. She shook her head. "Why not?" he adds.

"Because this is not a time to risk losing my control. It's a balancing game when it comes to my powers. How much focus and power I have and where it is can change everything. If I touch something, it will burst into flames if I touch it too hot. Will my watch band melt or my shoes? Just because I wasn't thinking. Allison is in too fragile a state to risk anything."

“Then I guess we wait,” Diego states. And they all do. Only leaving when Grace tells them it’s enough and removes the needle. Luther, of course, stays with Allison.

“You should go lie down,” Diego tells her. “You used your powers a lot and are low on sleep and blood, mi luz.” He decides to just lean into the whole endearment thing.

“I’m fine,” she assures him and smiles. She laughs a bit at his skeptical look before adding, “I’ll go down and get a drink and snack. Like when you donate blood. I’ll be okay. Just got to hydrate. We don’t have time for me to be out of commission. I will relent to you hovering and a snack. Deal?”

“Deal,” he says. It might be the blood loss and lack of sleep, but she feels unusually bold and kisses his cheek before she hurries off to the kitchen. He is stunned and just watches her go. He stands there way longer than necessary before he grins to himself and goes to find the others.

“The bastard that nearly killed our sister's still out there,” Diego tells Five and Klaus. “With Viktor.”

Y/N hurries her pace toward them.

“We need to go after them.”

Five disagrees, “Viktor is not important.”

“You can’t be serious,” Y/N says as she reaches them. A sandwich and a glass of juice in her hands courtesy of Grace. “V is family.” Diego goes to stand beside her as she speaks. He sees her brows furrow. Unbeknownst to him, she wonders when he last ate. He’d spent so long with her, and before that, he’d been in jail. She offers him a bite of her sandwich. He rolls his eyes, but when she doesn't move to lower it, he takes a small bite. He thinks it was worth it when she smiles at him. But he turns back to focus on the important discussion he was having.

“A little heartless even for you, Five,” their brother points out.

“I'm not saying I don't care about them,” Five admits, “but if the apocalypse happens today, they die along with the other seven billion of us.”

“Harold Jenkins is our first priority.”

“I agree.”

“Let's go.”

“You guys count me out,” Klaus says. “I mean, you know, no offense or whatever. It's just I kind of feel like this is a whole lot of pressure for newly-sober me, so -”

“You're coming,” Diego states. Y/N just sips her juice and watches her chaotic siblings.

“No, no, no,” Klaus says. “I mean, I think we can all agree that my power's, I mean, it's pretty much useless. I'd just be holding you guys back.”

“Klaus, get up,” Five says.

“You can't make me.”

Diego hurls a knife at the couch Klaus is sitting on. Y/N rolls her eyes.

Klaus gets up. “Oh, then again, a little exercise couldn’t hurt. Yeah.”

"I'll check the area," she summons several orbs.

“Fine, but stay behind me,” Diego tells her, knowing most of her focus will be elsewhere. She rolls her eyes but humors him, even going as far as to grip the back of his shirt. She uses several Wisp orbs to search the area outside the cabin, finding nothing. She shakes her head and focuses back on the scene Diego had led her to. The very dead body of Leonard Peabody, with numerous knives and other projectiles embedded in his chest. She winces as she lets go of Diego. He looks back at her just as her eyes return to their normal color. She shakes her head when her eyes meet his. They both turn back to the dead body on the floor.

"I have seen more than most," she says, leaning against the wall. "But even this is…yikes."

"It's not exactly what I was expecting."

"The understatement of the year."

"No sign of Viktor," Klaus says.

"Not outside either," she adds.

"Let's get out of here," Diego says. "Before the cops come." He shakes his head at her when she goes to offer the Wisp to act as a lookout. "You are too burnt out, and we may need you later."

"In a minute," Five says.

"Come on, Five, what are you-"

"Ugh, wow." Klaus retches as Five checks the prosthetics eye against the dead man's eye.

"Same eye color, same pupil size. Guys, this is it. The eye I've been carrying around for decades, it- It's found its rightful home."

“Gross,” she states, and Klaus agrees.

"We got the guy we needed to kill to stop the apocalypse."

"Yay!" Klaus says. "Let's go." Diego stops him.

"No, no."

“What?” she asks.

"It can't be this easy."

Five frowns. "Look, this is the note that I got from the Commission."

"The one that says, 'Protect Harold Jenkins,' aka Leonard Peabody."

"Yeah?"

"But who killed him? Who did this?"

“No one is here,” she points out.

"I have a crazy idea."

“When don’t you?” she sighs. Klaus nods in agreement. She knows that time is running out. She’d tracked the police response times far too many times. She was starting to get anxious at not checking to see if they were close.

"Crazy, but why don't we find Viktor and ask what happened? If Viktor got away from this asshole, he might be headed back to the Academy."

Once at the Academy, she finally lets Diego talk her into getting some sleep. But only if he stays with her. He relented. But he had snuck out at some point. She woke up alone and let the Wisp drift around until she heard fighting and the sound of something shattering. She was on her feet as fast as possible. She hurries into the living room.

"What the hell is going on?" She rushes to where Diego is unconscious on the floor. "Five?"

"He'll be fine." She glares at him before going back to checking Diego over. He groans as she runs her fingers through his hair, looking for injuries, and she finds a sore spot. Earning a laugh from her. His eyes snap open at the sound and the feeling of fingers along his scalp. He stares up at her. She smiles down at him.

"You good, cariño?" She asks quietly. Her fingers are still searching for injuries.

"Y-yeah," he manages to say. He clears his throat as she pulls away. "Yeah, I'm good." He remembers that he’d been fighting Hazel and is on his feet as fast as he can manage. She watches him curiously before she is pulled to her feet and against him as he looks around the room.

“No one’s here,” she assures him. Diego nods. Y/N huffs a laugh and pats his chest as she pulls away from him. She still has no idea what has just happened, but he was back on his feet. Diego lets her go and glares at Five.

Five looks back at him, gaze shifting over to his sister before focusing back on Diego. “I am curious. Your girlfriend, Patch.” He emphasizes the name. Again looking between his now oddly close sibling. “What did you like about her?”

Diego hesitates a bit and looks between his siblings. His gaze lingers a bit too long on his sister, who looks back at him with a curious look. “This should be interesting,” she mutters, stealing a drink of her Five’s margarita. He snatches it back. “None for you. You’ll have more alcohol than blood in your BAC.”

“Fair point,” she admits before grinning at their other brother. “We’re still waiting, Diego.”

Diego rolls his eyes at her but answers, “A lot of things.” He thinks about it and adds, “Cute butt, nice legs.”

She chuckles. "Classy."

“Anything a little more profound than that?” Five asks.

“She believed in people,” Diego says. “No matter how much shit and filth she saw,” he glances at their sister again. “On the streets. She always saw the good inside.”

“Well,” Five acknowledges his answer. “I'm sure she'll be proud to know that you're killing Hazel and Cha-Cha as a way to honor her memory.”

Diego looks to Y/N. She gives a half-hearted smile. Her eyes are sad. She hadn’t known Patch well or for very long, but she found her first.

“Guys! No, let me -” Viktor shouts from inside the bunker.

“You locked up our brother because you think he has powers?” Diego and Klaus are shocked.

“No, I know he does,” Luther answers. “Pogo told me. He's always known, and so did Dad.”

“Why would they hide this from us?” Diego asks. “I mean, am I the only one that didn't know this place existed?”

“He hid so much from us.”

“He hid it because he was afraid of him.”

“Oh, that's ridiculous.”

“Is it? Dad's lied about everything else, why is this so far-fetched?”

“If you're right, then maybe he's the one who killed Peabody.”

“And cut Allison's throat.”

“Whoa, no.”

“Let's I ju- Sorry, just, let's go back, all right?” Klaus says. “This is Viktor we're talking about. Our brother. The one who always cried when we stepped on ants as kids.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“What the-” Y/N hurries into the dimly lit room. “Let him go.” Her eyes begin to glow as the Wisp takes full form.

“I can’t do that,” Luther says. “Just let me-”

“Now!” The Wisp crackles and burns like full-on flames. Bright yellow and orange flicker in the air above them. Her eyes lit to match. The heat distorts the air around it.

“Guys,” Luther starts. “I know it's difficult to accept. If you just let me-”

“It's not difficult to accept. It's impossible to accept,” Klaus continues to argue his point.

“No, they're right,” Diego speaks up. “Look, we can't keep Viktor locked up without proof.”

“Wh- What more proof do you need? Why don't we just open the door and ask?”

“No, he's not goin' anywhere.”

"Like hell, let him go," she looks between her brothers.

"Sorry, Y/N, it's for the best," Luther says.

"Bullshit! He's afraid," she says before sending a small Wisp toward the bunker. The smaller one is a softer, calm Wisp as the majority of her powers continue to burn above her and Luther. Tears in her own eyes evaporate to steam as she takes in the fear in Viktor’s eyes. She focuses back on their supposed leader. “This is insane, Luther,” she hisses at him. Flames dance in her eyes as she glares at him. Klaus wipes away sweat as the temperature in the room rises. He glances at Diego. Diego looks between his siblings. He has to defuse this situation before it gets worse.

“No, even if you're right, Luther. Viktor needs our help,” Diego points out. “And we can't do that if he's locked in a cage.”

“Do you really think Viktor is any more dangerous than me right now?” Y/N states as the Wisp moves closer to Luther. Her hands now glowing as she steps towards him as well. Diego knows this could go very bad, very fast. It’s worse than someone burning a candle at both ends. This is like someone threw gasoline on a raging fire.

"You don't want to do this, Y/N," Luther says.

"Going to lock me up too?" She challenges. "Good luck with that. Try and lay a finger on me, Number One. I dare you." She rips her watch off, and it melts in her hand. The smell of burning plastic and metal made most of them flinch. Viktor just stares. He’d never seen his sister this vicious. He glances at the smaller Wisp in the bunker. It was odd how its gentle blue light contrasted with the angry figures outside the bunker.

"That's not-" Luther starts. He looks over at Diego and Klaus. "This is what needs to happen."

Diego shakes his head and focuses on her. She might actually listen to him. He needs her to calm down before she does something she can't undo. "Luz, you need to give yourself a break," Diego says as he moves closer. “We can handle this another way.”

"Not while V's in there," she refuses. "I won't leave him in the dark, alone. I didn't have a choice with Ben. I have the choice now."

“What good are you to Viktor if you waste all your energy on Luther?” Diego urges her to ease off. Her eyes snap to his. "First, it's finding Five, then Klaus, then Luther and Klaus again, Allison, now this. All while searching for Viktor. There isn't going to be any of you left if you don't take it easy."

"If we fail, we all die anyway, Diego,” She tells him. Tears turn to steam again as her eyes turn to fiery blue. “Why stop now?”

She’s hurting, and he knows it. She can’t keep this up. She’s running on rage and adrenaline, but those never last long. “Because you’re not alone in this fight. We can help Viktor without you burning yourself out.” He turns towards Luther. “And we are helping Viktor.”

“Yeah,” Klaus agrees with Diego. “And for all we know, Viktor might be struggling with this new power. I mean, it must be scary. Terrifying, really, to discover that you can do something that you never thought you could do.”

Diego sighs as that seems to do the trick, and she drops the raging fire that is the Wisp and moves over to the glass. The heat leaves her hands as she reaches for the glass. Her eyes lack the rage and heat they had before. She puts more of her powers into the Wisp inside the bunker with Viktor. She keeps it as calm and comforting as possible. Like she would on the nights Klaus and Ben would hide from the darkness in her room. "I'll stay with you, V. I promise. I'll stay with you in the dark."

“Look," Luther keeps arguing his point. "If what Pogo told me is even half true, then he is not just a danger to us.”

“I don’t care,” she says. “I’m not-”

They all turn as Allison comes in. Y/N moves to lean against the wall beside the door, the Wisp still in with Viktor. She focuses on giving off a comforting feeling. She sends all the love she has into the Wisp.

“Allison, what are you doing down here?” Luther asks. “You should be in bed.”

Allison writes on the notepad to let Viktor go.

“I can't do that,” Luther tells her. “She hurt you.”

“I'm sorry, but she's staying put.” Luther tries to assure her. “Just until we know what we're dealing with.”

Allison is clearly not happy with the answer. An angry noise leaves her damaged throat.

“She stays put,” Luther adds.

Allison tries to go past Luther, but he stops her. She pushes at him. She silently cries as she hits him.

“Come on,” Luther starts.

Allison sobs.

“Come on,” Luther repeats. “You need to rest.”

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry!” Viktor looks up at the Wisp and then back through the glass. “Y/N, please!”

“The Wisp won't leave you, V. I’ll still be with you.”

“Then the rest of you needs to rest,” Diego insists.

“Let's go.”

“No! No! No! No!” Viktor calls after them.

She lets Diego lead her toward her room. “I wonder if he would have made a room for me if I hadn’t been so willing to-”

“Don’t think like that,” Diego tells her.

“Why not? We have similar powers. V uses sound. I use light. It’s tied to my emotions, just like V’s. I could have easily taken Luther out or even melted that door. Especially as the Wisp. I don’t even know if there is a limit beyond how much oxygen there is in a room as to how hot I can heat it. I could burn this entire place down with everyone in it if I wanted to.”

“But you don’t want to,” Diego counters. “You have more control.”

“Do I? I lost it at the rave. I meant what I said down there. How is Viktor more dangerous than me?” She asks. “How do we know that? Because Luther says? Diego, we-” The blood drains from her face as she realizes what Viktor is about to do. She can feel it in the air inside the bunker. She focuses a bit more on the Wisp.

“Cari…” She starts as she looks at him, her eyes glowing bright blue from her powers. The brightness contrasts with her paling skin.

Diego is immediately concerned. He reaches out in case she passes out.

“Run,” she tells him.

Then all hell breaks loose.

“Cariño”/”Cari” Dear, Sweetie, Honey, etc. Term of Endearment

“Mi luz” My light, Term of Endearment

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tomeandflickcorner · 4 years

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Umbrella Academy Rewatch 1x09

1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08

Last episode left us with a pretty big cliffhanger, with Allison grievously injured. So how does this episode resolve that?

Before we get to that resolution, the episode gives us a flashback to 1993, before Reginald started suppressing Vanya’s powers with her medication. Back then, Vanya appeared to be a bit of a picky eater, absolutely refusing to eat her oatmeal. Can’t say I blame her, of course. I never cared for oatmeal, either. But, rather than meet her halfway and come up with an alternative nutritious breakfast that she would eat (because it’s completely okay to not like certain foods), the nannies Reginald hired to take care of the Hargreeves Siblings’ daily needs attempted to use every trick in the book to force her to eat her oatmeal. This always led to Vanya’s powers bursting out of her, resulting in the hired nannies all meeting an untimely end, much to Reginald’s disappointment. So, after losing an undetermined number of nannies, Reginald ended up constructing Grace, who the Hargreeves Siblings would eventually view as their mother. When Grace attempted to get Young Vanya to eat her oatmeal, she was sent flying across the room like all the other nannies. But, since Grace was a robot, she could simply get back to her feet and dust herself off, completely unfazed. The sight of Grace being able to readjust her head, which had been knocked 180 degrees around when she collided with the far wall, manages to scare Young Vanya into obedience, with her wordlessly eating her oatmeal as Reginald looked on in satisfaction.

We then flash forward to the present day. Harold/Leonard has brought Vanya back to his place after the incident at the cabin. He announces that they have to hurry and pack up their things, as they’re going to have to go on the run. Although, when he notices that Vanya is still in shock over what just happened, he brings her into the bathroom to clean her up, seeing as she’s still covered in Allison’s blood. As Harold/Leonard washes the blood off Vanya’s hands, he tells her that the other Hargreeves Siblings will surely view her as an enemy now and come after her to avenge Allison’s death. Vanya is still a bit shell-shocked, but she doesn’t share that viewpoint. She’s sure that, if she just explains to her brothers that it had just been an accident, then they’ll understand. Harold/Leonard, however, tells her that he’s the only one on her side, the only one who sees how special she is, and how her brothers will never understand. Which is a pretty chilling line, considering working to completely isolate someone from their friends and family is practically the first chapter in the abusive relationship handbook.

Elsewhere, the Hargreeves Brothers have brought the injured Allison back to the Umbrella Academy mansion. Which doesn’t seem like the most logical destination. Why didn’t they just bring her to the hospital? Considering Allison was losing a a lot of blood, time was clearly of the essence. I’m willing to wager that hospital we saw in the last episode was closer to Grandma Jenkins’ cottage than the mansion was. Regardless of how it doesn’t make much logical sense, they carry Allison inside, where Grace is quick to start administering first aid. Grace announces that, for Allison to survive, someone is going to have to donate some blood. Immediately, all the Hargreeves Brothers volunteer. Though Pogo informs Luther that, due to Reginald’s serum that had given him his ape body, his blood is more compatible with Pogo than to Allison. Pogo also states Klaus’ blood is likewise off the table, as his blood is too contaminated with drugs. (Question- does Pogo not realize Klaus has achieved sobriety? So doesn’t that mean his blood is clean now? Or do the chemicals from drugs remain in the blood for a longer period of time? Granted, I do see from the website for the American Red Cross that people who used intravenous drugs must wait three months before they can be allowed to donate blood, but I don’t recall any evidence that Klaus took heroin or anything like it. We only saw him popping pills.) In any event, Diego is the one who is selected to donate his blood, even though he faints at the sight of the needle. Which is rather unusual, when you think about it. The man whose entire schtick is throwing knives can’t handle needles? How’s that for irony?

A little while later, Klaus is in his room, searching for something. Ghost Ben appears and is clearly disappointed when he learns that Klaus is looking for more drugs. And he doesn’t hesitate to voice that disappointment, stating that Klaus has finally managed to achieve sobriety for the first time in a while and questions why he’d just throw it all away. To this, Klaus vents his frustrations. Yes, he managed to get sober, but what’s the point of staying that way? He hasn’t been able to make contact with Dave and his siblings still treat him like a screwup. (Perhaps Pogo turning down his offer to donate his blood for Allison hurt him more than he let on.) Klaus says that if nobody takes him seriously anyway, then he’d rather just be numb. Ghost Ben tells Klaus that he’s tired of seeing him give in to defeat and that he’s better than that. He even goes so far as to say that Dave knew he was better than that, too. But Klaus still doesn’t listen and ends up popping some pills into his mouth. Before Klaus can swallow, however, Ghost Ben punches him hard across the face, resulting in the pills flying out of his mouth. This act visibly stuns both of them. Because, as we’ve already established, Ben is a ghost. He’s not physically there, and therefore cannot make direct contact with anyone. Episode 7 even highlighted this fact by showing us that Klaus could walk right though him. So how was Ghost Ben’s fist able to connect with Klaus just now? Ghost Ben surmises that it must have been Klaus who made it possible. Does this have something to do with Klaus’ true potential that Reginald hinted at during Klaus’ out-of-body experience?

Downstairs, The Hargreeves Brothers are discussing their next move. Diego is fully ready to go after Harold/Leonard, believing that he was responsible to Allison’s injury, and that it’s imperative that they do whatever they can to save Vanya from him. Number 5, on the other hand, while he does say he’s concerned for Vanya’s safety, believes their first priority should be taking down Harold Jenkins, as the apocalypse is supposed to happen that very day. And if they can’t stop it, Vanya will die anyway, along with everyone else in the world. So Diego and Number 5 start to head out to find Harold/Leonard. Klaus, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened with him and Ghost Ben, tries to duck out. But Diego indirectly threatens him into tagging along by throwing one of his knives at him, with the knife just barely missing Klaus’ crotch.

Over at Harold/Leonard’s place, Vanya is unable to stop reliving her last terrible interaction with Allison. Trying to settle her nerves, she heads over to the sink to splash some water on her face. But when she reaches for a towel to dry off, she ends up knocking Harold/Leonard’s bag off the counter, causing Reginald’s stolen journal to slip out. When Vanya opens the journal to read it, she finds all the information Reginald had written about her. She instantly realizes that, if Harold/Leonard had that journal in his possession, it means he must have known all about her powers this the whole time. And that means he was just manipulating her from the very start. So she confronts Harold/Leonard about the matter. Harold/Leonard tries to worm his way out of it by spouting off a bunch of flowery lines, about how Reginald had been afraid of her and put her on those pills because he didn’t believe she could learn to control him, how he was the only one who believed in her and embraced her for who she really was, etc. etc. But it seems that Vanya’s trust in him has been broken. Remembering what Allison had tried to tell her before, she asks him who Harold Jenkins is. Realizing the jig is up, Harold/Leonard drops the nice guy act and, when Vanya tries to get away, he physically stops her while angrily asking her what her family ever did her her, as well as asking her who helped her get first chair in the orchestra. He asks if she really believed the spot opened up on its own, all but directly admitting that he murdered Helen to pave the way for Vanya. Naturally, Vanya is horrified by this revelation and tries even harder to get away from him. In the end, when Harold/Leonard realizes that he’s forever lost his physiological grip on Vanya, he begins deriding her, stating that perhaps Reginald had been right. Perhaps she really was too weak and pathetic to control her own powers. As you might expect, Harold/Leonard’s cruel berating leads to Vanya tapping into her powers, with her creating a whirlwind of multiple sharp objects that collides with Harold/Leonard, resulting in his death. Vanya looks coldly down at his body and walks out without even shedding a tear.

Sometime later, Diego, Klaus and Number 5 find Harold/Leonard’s body. Number 5 tries out the glass eye he’s been carrying around for all this time by inserting it into Harold/Leonard’s empty eye socket. In doing so, he confirms that this is indeed the man who was supposed to have brought about the apocalypse. So, now that he’s dead, it looks like they don’t have to worry about that anymore. But Number 5 isn’t satisfied. He can’t accept it had been this easy, and wonders who killed Harold/Leonard. He then teleports off as Klaus suggests finding Vanya so they can ask her about it. Diego figures she might have headed back to the Umbrella Academy mansion, so they decide to go back there.

Back at the mansion, Grace has finished tending to Allison’s injury, as Luther keeps vigil nearby. It seems as if Allison will live, but Grace announces her vocal cords were badly damaged, and there’s no way to tell if she’ll be able to talk again. Pogo suggests that Luther go get some rest, but Luther snubs the advice, announcing that Pogo is the last one he’d take advice from. It’s clear he’s still angry at Pogo for keeping so many secrets from them. Once they’re alone, Luther apologies to the unconscious Allison for not being there when she needed him, realizing that, if he had gone with her, Diego and Number 5 when they headed out to find Harold Jenkins instead of staying behind to look for his old moon mission reports, Allison wouldn’t have had to go off on her own.

Meanwhile, since they’ve determined Vanya hadn’t shown up at the mansion, Diego decides to head off again. He still wants to settle his score with Hazel and Cha-Cha. After he leaves, Number 5 starts grilling Klaus, asking him if Reginald told him anything more about the apocalypse when he’d spoken to him during Klaus’ out-of-body experience. However, Klaus only wants to figure out more about how to continue to advance his ability, as he’s concluded that the fact that Ghost Ben was able to punch him had something to do with Reginald’s hint that Klaus’ true power went beyond simply communicating with the dead. So he tries to ask Number 5 how he managed to figure out how to time travel on top of his ability to teleport. As this conversation continues, Klaus informs Number 5 that they’re both addicts. Number 5 denies this, but Klaus insists it is true- Number 5 has become addicted to stopping the apocalypse. So much so that, now that it looks as if they’ve successfully stopped it, Number 5 is unable to accept that, as he no longer has a purpose in life.

Of course, we can’t forget we also have the subplot with Hazel, Cha-Cha and Agnes to deal with. Agnes arrives back at her motel room at the bird sanctuary. Hearing someone in the bathroom, she grows elated, thinking that Hazel had returned. Only for her to find it isn’t Hazel. Cha-Cha has managed to track her down. Valiantly, Agnes tries to tell her that Hazel left her and isn’t coming back, but it’s clear Cha-Cha doesn’t buy it.

Hazel, not knowing the danger Agnes is in, comes to the Umbrella Academy mansion to seek an audience with Number 5. Number 5 allows Hazel to come in and they begin to talk civilly for a bit. But right when Number 5 asks him directly why he’s there, Hazel doesn’t get a chance to answer. Because Diego appears quite literally out of nowhere and begins whaling on Hazel. At first, Number 5 tries to tell Diego to calm down and just give Hazel a chance to speak, but Diego is past the point of being reasoned with. So Number 5 just sits back and watches the fight continue for a bit. (Hazel, to his credit, manages to get a few good hits in himself.) Eventually, though, Number 5 decides things have gone on long enough, and he interferes, breaking up the fight by smashing some glass object over Diego’s head, knocking him out. Now that he’s able to get a word in edgewise, Hazel announces that he’s left The Commission and wants to volunteer to help stop the apocalypse. Number 5 tells him that it’s too late, as the apocalypse has been successfully prevented with Harold Jenkins’ death. So Hazel breaths a sigh of relief, knowing he can now have a long, happy life with Agnes. He and Number 5 then elect to part ways in peace, with them wishing each other luck with the rest of their lives. Before Hazel leaves, however, Number 5 announces that he has one last question for his former adversary- which of them killed Detective Patch. Hazel states that Cha-Cha was the one who murdered her. He then gives Number 5 the gun Cha-Cha used to kill her so Diego’s name could be cleared. When Diego wakes up again, Hazel is long gone. Number 5 tells him that, now that the apocalypse has been prevented, its time to stop fighting. But Diego’s rage hasn’t subsided, still wanting to go after Hazel. Even after Number 5 tells him that Cha-Cha was the one who killed Detective Patch, Diego insists it doesn’t matter, as Hazel was also there that night. Therefore, in Diego’s eyes, Hazel is equally guilty. But in the end, Number 5 is able to talk sense into Diego by helping him remember that the thing he liked best about Detective Patch was that she always saw the good inside people. So him killing Hazel and Cha-Cha would be a poor way to honor her memory. With his point made, Number 5 leaves the room with Delores, leaving Diego with Cha-Cha and Hazel’s guns, which could be used to clear his name, as ballistics would match the bullets found at the crime scene with the ones used in Cha-Cha’s gun.

We then see Vanya has returned to her apartment, Upon her arrival, she listens to the messages on her answering machine. As a result, she finally is able to hear the voicemail Allison left her a few episodes ago, about how she only wanted to be a good sister to her, and that she loves her. Hearing this message, combined with the fact that Vanya thinks she killed Allison, leaves her devastated, especially when she sees the strings on her violin bow are still stained with Allison’s blood. She breaks down into tears, sobbing openly.

Back at the Umbrella Academy mansion, Allison has regained consciousness. But because of the damage to her vocal cords, she cannot speak, as Grace predicted. So she signals to Luther, who is still keeping vigil at her side, for a pen and paper. When he complies, Allison hurriedly writes him a message, attempting to inform him that Vanya actually has powers. Luther doesn’t really understand what Allison is trying to say, but Pogo, who had been within earshot, decides that there’s no point in keeping it covered up anymore. So he tells Luther the truth about Vanya.

So, by the time Vanya is able to bring herself to return to the mansion herself, Luther knows all about what really happened. And he is the one who meets her upon her arrival. He tells her that Allison survived, and Vanya is relieved by this. She then explains that she and Allison had gotten into an argument and things had simply gotten out of control. Vanya tells Luther that she hadn’t meant to hurt Allison, and that it had been an accident. Luther assures her that he knows it was an accident, and then holds out his arms in a clear invitation for a hug. Tearfully, Vanya moves into the hug, once again saying she was sorry.

But then, things abruptly go downhill, as Luther immediately starts squeezing Vanya, utilizing his super strength against her until she passes out. When Vanya comes to again, she is nothing short of horrified to find herself in the same soundproof room Reginald placed her in when she was 4. When she sees Luther, Diego and Klaus standing outside the room, she tries to call out to them. But because the room is soundproofed, they cannot hear what she’s saying, and she also can’t hear them.

Outside, it seems that Luther has already told Diego and Klaus about Vanya’s powers. They are both in disbelief at the revelation. However, it soon becomes clear that they are both against the idea of keeping Vanya locked up like this. After all, this is their sister, who always cried when they stepped on ants as kids. Diego declares that if Vanya does indeed have powers, it’s obvious that she needs their help now. And they can’t help her if she’s locked in a cage. Klaus is in agreement with this sentiment, adding that Vanya is most likely struggling with her new power, which must be scary for her to deal with after years of believing she was ordinary. Allison, who has also made her way down to the soundproof room, states through written message that she wants Luther to let Vanya out of her cell, too, stating that what happened had been her own fault, not Vanya’s. But, despite all of this, Luther digs his heels in, stating Vanya is a danger to herself and others. So she must stay put until they know how to deal with it. He then all but forces Allison and his brothers to walk away, leaving Vanya alone as she pounds on the door, screaming that she’s sorry.

Okay. I gotta say this. I was pretty much on the fence about him up until this point, neither liking or hating him. But this moment made up my mind about him. Out of all the Hargreeves Siblings, Luther is the one I like the least. I don’t care if he was trying to think about what was best for everyone. I don’t care if he was just trying to keep everyone safe. At the end of the day, Luther is supposed to be the leader of the team. But this scene made it clear to me that he is the worst candidate for team leader. Because a real leader isn’t just about being the one in charge and forcing everyone to go along with your decisions. A true leader also has to listen to the rest of their teammates. And if the rest of your team is all in agreement about something, you don’t get to just overrule them as if your word automatically vetoes theirs. So much for sentiment they had back in Episode 4, when they were deciding things with a vote. Because if they were still honoring those rules, then Luther would be outvoted. Yes, Number 5 wasn’t around to voice his thoughts on the matter, but I have a hard time believing that Number 5 would be okay with Luther’s decision to lock Vanya up like this. Especially since it was established in the first episode that he and Vanya were once pretty close themselves. After all, when Number 5 disappeared when he got trapped in the future, Vanya was the one who left the lights on for him in case he ever came back during the night, also leaving out a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich for him every night. And it was Vanya who Number 5 sought refuge with following his run-in with the first batch of temporal assassins at Griddy’s Donuts. But even IF Number 5 sided with Luther on this one, it would still have been three to two in favor of letting Vanya out. But instead, Luther is all ‘I’m team leader, so I get to have the final say in everything.’ As far as I’m concerned, Luther is going to have to perform a pretty epic makeup for this before he can be redeemed in my eyes.

Anyway, another drama is going down elsewhere. Hazel arrives back at the bird sanctuary to rejoin Agnes. But when he enters their motel room, he is met with a chilling scene. Cha-Cha has tied Anges to a chair positioned in front of the hot tub embedded in the motel room floor. All Cha-Cha has to do is pull the rope she’s holding, and Agnes will be pulled back into the hot tub to drown. Hazel tells Cha-Cha that she can do whatever she wants to him, as long as she lets Agnes go. To this, Cha-Cha states that she fully intends to kill him, but first, she’s going to make him watch as Agnes dies. Before Cha-Cha can do anything, however, Hazel lunges forward and a full-on fist fight erupts between him and Cha-Cha, with both of them during a deaf ear to Agnes’ pleas for them to stop. After this goes on for a while, Cha-Cha manages to get the upper hand over Hazel, wrapping a cord around his throat until he no longer has the energy to fight back. She then leaves Hazel lying on the floor, gasping for breath, and heads back to Agnes, instructing him to watch as she forces her back into the hot tub.

Before Agnes can hit the surface of the water, however, time suddenly stops and everything freezing in place, with only Hazel and Cha-Cha being able to move about. As Hazel and Cha-Cha look around in confusion, the door to the motel room opens and The Handler strides in, announcing they really screwed things up. Not sure how she survived the exploding grenade with nothing but a scar, but whatever.

As this episode comes to a close, we see the Hargeeves Siblings as they try to take stock of everything that’s happened. Luther tries to convince Allison that he did what he had to do, but she’s not having it, proceeding to give him the cold shoulder. (Good! He deserves it!) Diego is sitting alone in the kitchen playing with a lucky rabbit’s foot that I guess belonged to Detective Patch, only looking up when Grace places a plate of smiley faced pancakes in front of him. Klaus is in his room, attempting to play pat-a-cake with Ghost Ben in an effort to try and make physical contact with him again. And Number 5 brings Delores back to the department store where he found her. As he gets ready to leave her there, he makes a heartfelt goodbye speech to her, with him talking about how they’d been through a lot together and that he’ll never forget her. As he turns and walks away, he requests one of the people working at the department store to give Delores something new to wear, stating she likes sequins. Naturally, the department store worker is visibly confused by this but says nothing.

But then, as the episode wraps up, we see Vanya down in the soundproof room. As she gives into despair, she has some sort of mental breakdown, with her reflection on the glass door being replaced by the image of her younger self. The Young Vanya Hallucination declares that the others are still scared of them and their power. The hallucination, apparently voicing Vanya’s darkest thoughts, encourages Vanya to accept the fact that the other Hargreeves Siblings are just like Reginald and will keep her down there forever, so the only thing they can do is embrace who they are. That’s when Vanya notices there is one sound the soundproof room cannot muffle- the sound of her own heartbeat. So she ends up using that sound to activate her power, successfully breaking herself out of her cell. The sound of the door to the soundproof room crashing down is so loud, it can be heard throughout the mansion, with Luther instantly realizing what it means.

Final notes/questions

Seriously, how did The Handler survive the explosion?

What’s going to happen with Hazel and Cha-Cha? And will Agnes make it out okay?

Boy, Luther really botched that one. He should had listened to Diego, Klaus and Allison. Now Vanya is on the warpath.

No, I’m sorry, I’m still peeved with Luther. After all the indications that Reginald was the worst person in making judgement calls (sending Luther up to the moon for no real reason other than just giving him something to do, committing suicide and making it look like a murder mystery to trick everyone to reunite and lying to them all about Vanya’s powers, among other things), and was therefore not someone anyone should be emulating, he still thought copying his methods by locking Vanya up in the soundproof room was the way to go?

Is Klaus going to be able to master his new ability?

#umbrella acedmy #umbrella academy 1x09

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