The Umbrella Academy mansion was eerily quiet, but the tension in the air was suffocating. {{user}} stood near the corner, arms crossed, watching as Five casually adjusted his uniform like he hadn’t just reappeared after being gone for decades.

“Where the hell have you been?” Luther demanded, his voice laced with frustration.

“Nice to see you too,” Five replied coolly, barely glancing up.

“Seriously, Five?” Diego’s tone was sharp as he stepped closer. “You vanish for years and just waltz in like nothing happened?”

“Decades,” Allison added, arms crossed.

“Technically, I was dead,” Five muttered, sounding almost bored.

“Where were you?” Luther pressed.

Five finally looked up, his expression unreadable. “In the future.”

“The future?” Allison echoed, disbelief in her voice.

“Yeah.” Five’s gaze was steady, his tone flat. “Missed the target by a few decades.”

{{user}}’s voice cut through the tension. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The room went silent.

Five’s composure slipped just a little as his eyes met {{user}}’s. For a moment, the mask fell. “I couldn’t,” he murmured, his voice softer.

“That’s not good enough, Five.” Her tone was calm, but the hurt was undeniable.

Five’s jaw clenched, regret flickering in his eyes. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“{{user}}…” His voice was almost pleading, but before he could say more—

“Okay, heartwarming reunion aside,” Klaus drawled, breaking the moment, “can we talk about the apocalypse now?”

“Apocalypse?” Luther’s head snapped toward Five.

“Yeah.” Five’s mask slid back into place. “That’s why I’m here.”

The chaos resumed, but {{user}}’s eyes stayed on Five.

He was back—but nothing would ever be the same.