MHA #2 | Late Monday Night

[defenderofdesmoines]

After an uneventful shift at the bar, Annie headed home to her empty apartment. Which was, weirdly, somehow sadder and lonelier than going home to her giant, sparkly, but perpetually-empty one in New York. She'd been trying to give Diego some space and thus had resisted the urge to send him even more texts declaring various, supportive statements.

She didn't know whether it was a good thing or bad that he wasn't back yet -- she was of course hoping that he was off, like, getting a beer with Luther and burying the hatchet, but that didn't really seem likely. And even if it was late, she was too wound up still from work and worry to get right into bed after she'd dressed for it, so...baking shows on Netflix and doomscrolling on her phone it was, then.

[for the other resident of this apartment!]

Comments

[knife_bender]

After assuring Allison that, yes, he would be back to help deal with the house and finding Five, Diego hopped the first portal he could back to the island. He thought he had calmed down some since the fight and what happened with Grace, but he knew himself enough to know that wasn't going to last.

So he went home, where he could have a breakdown away from his siblings.

"What are you still doing up?" Diego asked, after he let himself in. He hadn't changed or cleaned up after the fight so he kind of looked like shit, but at least he hadn't been shot?

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Wasn't tired yet," Annie said, tossing her phone aside and springing up from the couch. And guess what, she was even less tired now, as the smile that had immediately lit up her face at seeing him faded right away when she got a better look. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

[knife_bender]

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sort of. Physically he was okay aside from some scratches and bruising. "Some people came to the house aggressively looking for Five. He wasn't home, but me, Luther, Allison and Vanya were."

And Klaus, but Diego didn't know that yet.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Fuck," Annie breathed, giving those scratches and bruising a quick once-over to determine if she should go get the first-aid kit (and later she would marvel at how far they'd come since she was freaking out over every little scratch he got in a fight.) "Are they all all right? Everyone's okay?"

They could get to what those aggressive people had wanted with Five -- and subsequently, Annie would probably make sure the new lock on their door worked well, in case they came here to look for him -- but first things first.

[knife_bender]

Diego's initial urge was to say, yes, everyone was fine. Sure, Luther was an ape man and Vanya might have a concussion, but they were alive. But they weren't all fine, even if Diego ended up being the only one really caring about it.

"Mom's gone." He managed to get the words out okay, then his expression crumpled and he started to cry.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie had several follow-up questions, but they could wait. They could all wait.

"No. No -- oh, no." It was more of a reaction than a real comment, but -- she had just seen Grace. Like, days ago, she had made cookies in that kitchen with her. Annie stood still in shock for all of about a second before she was moving closer to pull Diego into a hug, her arms going tight around him.

[knife_bender]

Diego wrapped his arms around Annie, and it was a good thing that she had super strength because he was holding onto her pretty tightly. "It was m-m-"

He let out a breath, trying to focus on what he wanted to say. "It was my fault."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Shhh," Annie soothed, introducing a little rocking here as she held him. He could hold on as tight as he needed to; she could and would take it, whatever he needed. "Diego, no. What happened?"

Whatever it was, she was absolutely positive it hadn't been his fault. He would have cut off his own foot before hurting his mother.

[knife_bender]

"She's supposed to help us. Mom--when we're in danger she's s-supposed to protect us," Diego said, pulling back a little to look Annie in the face. "And people shot up the house and she didn't notice and I knew Luther had been right. Something was wrong with her."

He took in another deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, and try to get his stutter under control. "I took a knife and--I did it myself. I couldn't let any of them do it. I told her it was gonna be o-okay and I shut her down."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie definitely noticed the stuttering, but only as one of a series of indications that Diego was so, so far from being fine. "Oh my God."

Part of her was wholly overwhelmed by how much she loved him for being the one to shut Grace down, but the other side of that was how much she hurt for him, right now. Annie reached a hand up to brush a tear away with one thumb before leaning in to hug him again, sliding her hand along his back. "I'm sure she understood."

It was all she could think of to say. Grace would have wanted them to do what they needed to do. And whether that was part of her programming or not was irrelevant.

[knife_bender]

"I hope so," he said, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "I have to go back tomorrow. I told Allison I would. We have to find Five and I pissed Vanya off and, god, Luther."

He didn't even know what the hell that was.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Annie assured him, carefully leading them over to the couch so they could sit down. He could keep clinging to her, though, she could direct them both. "You're here right now, okay? Don't worry about tomorrow right now. It's okay."

Not that she had the slightest idea what he was talking about as far as his siblings, but they could get there. She wasn't exactly going to start demanding explanations when he was like this.

[knife_bender]

Diego allowed himself to be led to the couch, starting to feel a little more calm now that he had gotten the worst part of it out. He didn't think he'd tell his siblings what he did, but it felt good telling somebody.

"I was just supposed to pick up some knives," he grumbled.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That's what I thought, too. Start at the beginning?" Annie suggested gently, keeping her arm around him and snuggling into his side as soon as they were settled. "What happened after you left here?"

Her mind was racing with questions -- Where was Five? Why were people violently looking for him? What had happened with Vanya? What had happened to Grace? -- but more than answers, she needed to take care of Diego, right now, and an interrogation probably wasn't going to do him any favors.

[knife_bender]

"God, I was almost arrested, right off the bat," Diego said, leaning back against the couch but keeping Annie close. "There was a shootout at the donut place we went to as kids and so I was curious and started poking around. The cops there were not thrilled. Didn't help I used to date one and she knew my ass wasn't supposed to be there."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Well, that was interesting in a way Annie hadn't even considered, but...you know, now was not the time to throw her chin in her hands and ask him all about his ex, the cop.

"I guess, like, flashing a Fandom badge or whatever wouldn't get you too far, huh?" Annie asked, managing a little smile for him as she threaded a hand up to gently scratch along his head in that way that always seemed to soothe guys. "Am I off-base in guessing that this shootout had to do with Five, maybe?"

Look, at this point it was part of a pattern.

[knife_bender]

He shrugged. "Wouldn't know. Didn't see him the whole time. All I know is when two people broke into our house wearing animal masks and waving around assault rifles, they were looking for a boy."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Animal masks?" That was the weirdest part, yes. Even weirder than them looking for a child, since Annie was at least used to that. "What happened to them? Have any of you heard from Five at all?"

Shit, now she had to worry about Five. Thanks, Five.

[knife_bender]

"People in masks escaped. You know the chandelier in the front hall? Dropped it on Luther and ran out while we were helping him," Diego said. "And, no, I have no idea where Five is. That is the first priority when I get back."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie kind of couldn't stop touching Diego, but in a different way than usual. One hand rubbed along his arm in a comforting gesture; the other rested on his knee. She just felt sort of...useless, and her heart surged with sympathy for how he must have felt a few months ago. "I guess it's a good thing it got dropped on Luther and not one of the rest of you," she murmured. "And then -- your mom, after they left?"

She was trying to piece together a timeline here. There were people in masks after Five, and the siblings had been caught in the middle, and maybe this donut shop was related. But Grace seemed separate -- something was wrong with her, and it had come to light seemingly as a result of this attack, but hadn't been caused by it by the sounds of things?

[knife_bender]

"Yeah. And then I saw Vanya, and she was hurt, and I just lost it," he said, shaking his head. "We hadn't even known she was in the house until after the fight. She could have been killed."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"She could have," Annie agreed softly. And, okay, maybe Annie could help here, eventually? Because Vanya at least needed to learn how to throw a punch, or fire a gun, or maybe take up a martial art. It would be terrifying to have someone that vulnerable around if there were any further situations like this.

Hopefully, though, there just wouldn't be any more situations like this.

"She's okay, though? Luther's okay?" she added. Just because he could probably take a chandelier falling on him didn't mean it probably hadn't hurt, in Annie's own super-tough experience.

[knife_bender]

"She's fine. Allison was looking after her." Until she left in a huff. "Luther...the chandelier hit him and when he got up his shirt ripped off..."

It was hard to word this next part.

"And he looks...different. Than before."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Okay," Annie said slowly. "Different...how? I mean, you said he's bigger than he used to be."

Maybe the gravity change really had done something to Luther after all?

[knife_bender]

"He's..." Oh how to put this? "He's got the body of an ape. Literally."