MHA #2 | Wednesday Evening

[knife_bender]

It wasn't often that Diego spoke to Pogo, less often that Pogo called him, so when his phone rang that evening he knew that it was probably important.

And it was.

"He what?" Diego asked. "That's not--I just saw him."

...

"What do you mean he hasn't left the house in---oh." It all made sense now, why his father had visited last weekend. It was easy to brush off as a coincidence at the time since he hadn't known he was dead. Now...

"When's the funeral?" he asked. "Okay. Okay, I'll be there."

Diego hung up a few moments later and immediately shot off a text to Five. This was news best told in person.

[For a few!]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie had caught Diego's half of the conversation, though she'd excused herself to another room to at least give him the illusion of privacy.

Of course, that illusion was probably shattered, given how concerned she looked when she reappeared once she'd heard him hang up.

"What happened?" she asked. "There's a funeral?"

[knife_bender]

"Yeah," he replied. "Dad's dead."

He wasn't sure how he felt about that at the moment. He needed a second.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Oh my God," Annie murmured, lifting a hand to her mouth in quiet horror. "Oh, that explains...."

Yeah. That explained last weekend, all right, but Annie sort of trailed off. That was obvious. She didn't need to say it.

She could also read Diego pretty darn well these days, so instead of asking if he was okay or saying she was sorry, she just moved over to lightly reach a hand out to his arm. "Oh, Diego."

This had to feel -- complicated.

[knife_bender]

"Funeral's on Friday," he said, still feeling numb to the whole thing at the moment. "I texted Five and told him to get over here so I can tell him in person."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie nodded, moving her hand to his back to rub it in a light, hopefully comforting little circle, because she really didn't know what else to do at the moment. "Was that Pogo or one of your siblings?"

She figured whoever it was would have said whether there were other concerns or casualties beyond Sir Reginald, or if there had been some kind of accident or something.

[knife_bender]

"Pogo," he said. "But they're all gonna be there."

Pogo didn't even have to tell him that. His other siblings would have the same urge that he did to make sure the old man was finally gone.

"Will you go with me?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Of course I will," Annie promised immediately. She'd already been planning on it, but she was glad he explicitly asked since this was all sort of...touchy, and she didn't want to accidentally overstep. "What do you want to...like, should I send flowers?"

If it had been anyone in his family other than his dad, she'd have a way easier time knowing what to do here.

[knife_bender]

"No, absolutely not," he said, shaking his head. "Screw him, I'm glad he's dead."

Okay, he had processed enough and was firmly on the "fuck him" side of things.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Did Pogo say what happened?" Annie asked, staying sympathetic and resisting the urge to agree. Even if she definitely did, especially after meeting the man this weekend. But that was...uncharitable, and not very kind, and outright un-Christian of her.

But maybe some people also deserved that whole eternal damnation thing. She was pretty sure that man was one of them.

[knife_bender]

Diego shook his head. "No, just said he was dead, and hadn't left the house for awhile so it wasn't some car accident or something."

So that also confirmed the ghost thing.

"I would probably be able to get the coroner's report from work."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Maybe eventually," Annie agreed, wrapping her arm across his back and leaning in against him a little. If getting the coroner's report from work was what he needed to process whatever feelings he had about his dad's death, Annie was all for it. "Do you want, like, a glass of water, maybe?" A pause. "Something stronger?"

She knew what to do when someone who wasn't an abusive, confusing mess died. This was trickier.

[knife_bender]

"No, I'm good, thanks," he said, leaning against her. "Are you okay?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'm fine," Annie said softly, reaching her free hand up to run over his hair. Other than clearly and obviously concerned about him and a little worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. "How are you doing with this, though?"

[apocalypsehow]

"What was so important to drag me here?" Five would literally never use the door if he could help it. It kept Diego on his toes, right?

[knife_bender]

"Dad's dead." How's that for keeping someone on their toes?

[apocalypsehow]

Yeah, Five looked less shocked and more nonplussed that 'the end' was coming up fast now. And he still didn't know how to stop it.

[knife_bender]

"Last weekend makes more sense now, huh?" Diego said. "The funeral is on Friday."

And they were alllll going to be there. He didn't think about the apocalypse thing a lot, but he did remember that they were all together when it happened.

[apocalypsehow]

That son of a bitch.

"I'll be there." In the most dramatic fashion possible.

[knife_bender]

"Well, that'll be entertaining to watch at least," he said. "Annie's going too."

[apocalypsehow]

"She is?" You were going to inflict the rest of your family on her, Diego? Really?

[knife_bender]

"Yeah, why wouldn't she, she's my girlfriend," he said. "She handles you fine, and you're the worst one."

[apocalypsehow]

"You really want her to see how you interact with Luther?" It was right up there with Luther and Allison in being terrible, just in different ways.

[knife_bender]

"We're not kids anymore, Five." Ignore the ice cream incident from a few months ago. And every paintball interaction.

[apocalypsehow]

"Uh huh." You were all kids to him. Wait until he gave Luther this lecture.

[knife_bender]

"Look, I'm probably going to end up marrying this girl one day so the sooner she gets used to this freak show, the better." And they could all agree their dad sucked, right? Maybe it'll be a cathartic bitchfest.