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

[knife_bender]

Diego leaned into give her another kiss. "The fact that you're willing to meet all of my siblings at once is proof enough that you're here for all of it."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I've been willing," Annie pointed out softly. "It just took -- this for it to happen."

Something of a blessing in disguise, really. At least, Annie was going to frame it that way. (The 'in disguise' part was something she was working on acknowledging, too, no matter how much she had personally disliked Sir Reginald.)

[knife_bender]

"Honestly, I think this is the only thing that could get us all in the same room," he admitted.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Really?" That made her kind of sad, really. She'd like to think something happier might have brought them back together, too. "Well. People change. Maybe -- it might go okay?"

Maybe everyone had matured. Maybe they'd even all missed each other. Or they might all just devolve to acting like how they had when they were kids once the siblings were back together, who could say.

[knife_bender]

"Maybe," he said, even if he didn't really believe it. "Of course they might be the same, just taller."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Like how you're exactly the same you were at seventeen, just taller?" Annie asked, tempering the question -- because she knew full well she was being a little bit of a smartass, but her point stood -- by reaching up to lightly trace her fingers along his neck, gentle and comforting. "Maybe."

[knife_bender]

"Five and Klaus are pretty much the same," Diego pointed out. "Actually, Five is worse."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"But not taller," Annie pointed out with a little smile. "I didn't realize Klaus' sticky fingers went back that far."

That just made her feel even worse for teenage Klaus than she already had, actually.

(Also, mental note: do not bring any cash to this funeral.)

[knife_bender]

"Klaus has always been weird," he said. "In advance, don't give him money and don't let him take you to a secondary location."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"No worries there," Annie assured him. "You said he can't drive, anyway."

But Annie could, and Annie was extremely susceptible to sob stories, so this warning wasn't exactly going to waste here.

[knife_bender]

"Yeah, that's how he sucks you in," Diego said. "He tells you he can't drive, you offer to take him somewhere, and then he never leaves your car."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"How about if Klaus asks me for anything, I run it by you first?" Annie offered, thinking that was a good approach. "Anything else I should keep in mind? I mean, I've been hearing about them all for...like, almost a year."

So it also kind of made her a little nervous? Though between the funeral and trying to run interference for Diego, she figured she'd probably be too busy to be all that nervous once she was there.

[knife_bender]

He thought about it for a moment. "Not really. I mean, you're used to Five. Everyone else has great manners compared to him."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That's what I've always figured!" And then things got a little more complicated when you factored in the hurt feelings Vanya had caused, and how things were probably going to inevitably be sort of snippy with Luther, but Annie had always figured no one could be worse than Five. "And you know, maybe he'll even be on good behavior for the occasion."

[knife_bender]

"I wouldn't go that far," Diego said, smiling slightly. "I don't think it's possible."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"He might surprise you," Annie offered. "And if he's awful, I'll do something bad to the guest room next time he stays over."

It was useless to try to outright ban Five from the apartment. Annie knew this.

[knife_bender]

"I totally support that," he said, kissing her again. "Even if he's not awful, please do it."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'll switch all the coffee in the apartment to decaf and not tell him," Annie threatened. "We can do that over the weekend."

It would cheer everyone up after this funeral!

[knife_bender]

"Perfect," he said. "And it'll be really hard to kill you when he inevitably tries."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I would honestly pay money to see Five try to fight me," Annie told him, considering that. Like, he could dodge her blasts and shove her aggressively like A-Train had, but it wasn't like an axe was going to do much to her other than piss her off. "But he'll be too sleepy, anyway."

This was why this was a brilliant plan, really.

[knife_bender]

"He'd have to resort to psychological torture," he said. "Which I also think you could handle, since he'd be tired."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Yes, see?" Annie nodded wisely. "This way, we psychologically torture him first. Especially since he probably won't even know it's different."

This wasn't bad for baby's first psychological torture-slash-playful prank, right?

[knife_bender]

Diego laughed. "Wow, I didn't realize you had such a dark side. I'm scared, now."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Look at that: she got him to laugh. This was what Annie could help with. Right here.

"You shouldn't be. We're a team," Annie assured him with a small smile as she leaned up to kiss him again. "United front."

[knife_bender]

"Always," he said, kissing her.