Diablo Donuts | Baltimore | Tuesday Evening

[knife_bender]

Diego decided it was time he and Five met on common ground to discuss...well he didn't know what they were going to discuss but they couldn't just keep ignoring each other. The island wasn't that big and Five was a student in his girlfriend's class for god's sake.

So after only minor bickering over who was going to drive (Diego won because it was his goddamn car), they found themselves at a donut place that for some reason had a donut with Old Bay on it. Maryland, man.

"Your son is so cute," the waitress said, sitting down two cups of black coffee in front of them.

Diego sighed. He hated his life. "Thank you."

[For the brother and NFB, self!]

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[apocalypsehow]

At some point they had to run out of guys, right? At some point.

Five straightened his dumb uniform jacket, squinting in the direction of the other vans. Then disappeared, just to reappear next to Diego to eye his bleeding arm speculatively. "Fine. But I'm driving this time."

He could too reach the pedals if the seat was moved forward enough, you little shit.

[knife_bender]

But could you see over the steering wheel? That was the real question.

"Fine," he said, letting go of his bleeding shoulder long enough to slap his keys in Five's hand. "Don't wreck my car."

There had been a half-full box of donuts that the waitress had been preparing before she got the shit scared out of her on the kitchen counter. Diego grabbed it, having the feeling he might need to smooth things over with Annie after this.

[apocalypsehow]

He'd figure it out!

Five grabbed a donut from one of the trays on their way out because teleporting as much as he had usually took it out of him. Weirdly less so than he remembered. Maybe it was because of the younger body.

"Ugh, Old Bay," he mumbled around a mouthful.

[knife_bender]

Diego snorted. "I'll count this as a successful family outing now."

He was going to ask about what the hell that neck breaking, butter knife stabbing thing was, Five. Just, you know, when he wasn't actively bleeding.

[apocalypsehow]

"No one puked, so," Five agreed once he swallowed that bite.

Someone out there definitely puked. Probably over the blood thing.

[knife_bender]

"I mean, there's still a chance I'll puke from your driving." Just saying!

[apocalypsehow]

"Sounds like a you problem," Five replied, getting into the car that was inexplicably old looking. As all cars owned by the family were.

[knife_bender]

Diego could hear sirens getting closer to where they were and he was (wrongly) hoping that they were getting away in time to not be identified by anybody. He was gonna be banned from Baltimore at this rate.

"It'll be a you problem if I throw up on you," he said, getting into the car. "Vomit down your knee socks probably won't feel too good."

[apocalypsehow]

"I'll teleport away and then you'll have to clean it up," Five replied, starting up the car to get them moving. You know. Totally inconspicuous. Just a pre-teen driving a car with a bleeding guy and some donuts, officer.

[knife_bender]

What are you talking about, this was totally normal.

"Touché," he said, lifting his hand to look at his shoulder. "Annie is gonna kill me."

[apocalypsehow]

Five squinted at the wound for another moment, a weird form of understanding in there. Dolores would be so upset if he did something like this, he knew.

"It's not deep. Couple stitches."

[knife_bender]

Oh lord, when Diego found out about Dolores he was going to be even more worried.

"Yeah, well, she's bulletproof so she doesn't take this stuff lightly when it happens to me."

[apocalypsehow]

THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH DOLORES, OKAY?

"Bulletproof, huh? That's handy."

It really was, honestly.

[knife_bender]

SHE WAS A MANNEQUIN, FIVE. A MANNQEUIN.

"It's pretty common where she's from," he said. "She's nice, you know. Nice enough that I think she's going to keep trying to be friends with you even though you're an asshole."

[apocalypsehow]

THEY HAD A LONG, HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP.

Five wrinkled his nose at that. "What's she doing with you?"

[knife_bender]

"Hilarious," he said. "Glad to know you've honed your sense of humor over the last couple decades."

[apocalypsehow]

Five huffed out a barely audible laugh as he turned the car down an alley to avoid the red and blue lights rushing to the donut shop. Because, ugh, don't make him say it out loud or anything, but... he missed this. God how he missed this.

[knife_bender]

"I'm probably going straight to Annie's when we get back," Diego said, pointedly looking out the window. "So if you don't want to go back to the dorms looking, you know..."

Looking like you stabbed a man with a butter knife?

"You can clean up at my place. I have a spare bedroom."

[apocalypsehow]

You know what? Weirdly, the blood splatter didn't even register for him.

Five looked confused for a moment before glancing down at his gore covered uniform. "...thanks."

This was a moment. They were having a moment here.

[knife_bender]

Diego was just as uncomfortable with it as you were, Five. He wasn't going to even mention the new coffee maker and the fact he stocked the fridge. That was too close to acknowledging he cared.

"Don't think we're not going to talk about the whole end of the world thing. And whatever the hell that was back there."

[apocalypsehow]

Two could play at that game!

"And how you've apparently pissed off the Baltimore underworld."

[knife_bender]

"That wasn't me," Diego insisted. "That was me hanging out with my dumbass coworkers one time."

[apocalypsehow]

"Your co-workers?" Don't encourage him to investigate your work, Diego.

[knife_bender]

"I don't know!" Diego lifted up his hands in frustration, which only made him wince from his injury. "They're into some weird shit in Hawaii."

[apocalypsehow]

"Hawaii? Why would you come here?"