MCA #9 | Tuesday Afternoon

[defenderofdesmoines]

So given that Annie was supposed to start imparting all of her pageant-related wisdom on Friday - or at least the performance stuff (she wasn't sure yet whether things like putting Vasoline on one's teeth, or the many uses of hairspray would be part of this) - she had started the arduous task of writing a syllabus and lesson plans. Not that she had the first idea of what that meant, but she'd gotten ahold of her roster and spread out on her coffee table with her laptop and a bunch of hand-written notes, and that seemed like a start? (She also had highlighters. Not sure what she was going to do with them, yet, but they seemed like they should be invited to this party.)

Of course, her roster had actually caught her attention when she'd looked it over, and that was distracting her from adding to her incredibly useful, competent (maybe a week on juggling?????) notes, because not only was this going to be more annoying than she thought, but now she also had more questions.

[for the fella omg]

Comments

[knife_bender]

"Good," he said, smiling again. "I'm sorry that things just got way more complicated. I never expected to see my siblings again, much less Five."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I don't think it's that complicated," Annie assured him, shaking her head again. "I mean, like - for us, anyway. I can roll with whatever." She might just, like, punch more stuff to deal with how mad his dad made her and how upset she got for the little Hargreeves' childhood. "But it has got to be bizarre for you."

She hadn't wanted to push it on Sunday, when Five had been there eating all of the Poptarts (goddammit), and she'd wanted to give Diego some emotional space to like, process that, but - seriously, it didn't get much weirder than your long-lost brother showing up as a thirteen year-old except for how he was actually basically a senior citizen, mentally.

[knife_bender]

"I'm pretty good at handling bizarre stuff." Apparently that's what we were calling compartmentalizing these days. "Maybe not this bizarre, but I'll deal with it."

Just gonna bury everything like a normal person does.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie narrowed her eyes at him a little as she reached for and took a sip of her coffee, because come on, she was not letting him off the hook that easy. "Okay, but part of dealing with it can be, like, talking about it?" she offered, slowly. "Did you ever even think you would see him again?"

[knife_bender]

How dare you not let him repress, Annie. That was a family tradition you were messing with.

"I thought he was dead," Diego admitted. "I had a bet going with Klaus--he guessed right with the whole future thing."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Some family traditions needed updating!

"So, on the one hand, I'm glad he's not dead," Annie offered, because while Annie herself didn't have any real opinions on Five except that he seemed like kind of a dick, she was really glad for Diego's sake that he hadn't actually lost his brother. "But having him show back up when you thought he was is pretty wild. And he looks the same as when he disappeared, right?"

[knife_bender]

"Exactly the same, it's so weird," he said. "He was a dick then but somehow he's even more of a dick now."

Well thirty-something years of being alone followed by being an assassin would do that to a person.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean." Ugh, this was harder than usual, but Annie really tried to see the best in people and give them the benefit of the doubt. "I bet it's frustrating to be thirteen again when you're...not. I'd probably be kind of a dick, too."

Annie would have to be really, really stressed to even approach that level of dickishness, but she was trying, here.

[knife_bender]

"Not like that, I hope," he said. "As much as I want to ignore him I am going to have to corner him at some point and figure out what he's doing here. Like, why here? Why not go back home? After he left Dad regarded him like the golden child that got away."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Was he tight with your dad before that?" Annie asked carefully, reaching for his hand again. "Like - was he like another Luther?"

[knife_bender]

"Oh god, no," Diego said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I think it was just another manipulation thing on Dad's part. He was big into competition between us."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'm getting that," Annie noted, because the numbering thing seemed like a blatant way to get the kids to feel intrinsically competitive, to her. (Maybe it was just her loyalty to a Number Two who should have never been made to feel like he was second-best.) "The thing about Five not being there is that it left your dad in control of the story, but like, if Five feels like you do about your dad...I get why he wouldn't go back. But yeah, you should talk to him."

Communication! What an idea.

[knife_bender]

"It's going to go badly," Diego said. "Like, I'm gonna do it, but it's gonna be real bad."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Maybe it won't," Annie tried optimistically. "I bet he missed you. What kind of stuff does he like? Maybe you could get him, like, a peace offering."

Annie.

[knife_bender]

Diego didn't even speak, he just gave Annie a look like she had gone completely insane. Five did not miss him. Five was a feral cat who liked nothing and nobody.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Okay, fair, but I think the peace offering idea has merit," Annie sighed, because that was not a hard look to interpret. Even if she was sure they had totally missed each other, just in their own...unique ways. "Maybe get him his own Poptarts so he won't steal yours again." So that Annie could continue to steal them, if she ever felt comfortable in that apartment ever again.

[knife_bender]

Oh Annie, you definitely have never had a sibling before.

"He can get his own Poptarts." Just ignore the fact that Diego had, in fact, bought more food just in case Five broke in again. He would care without acknowledging it, thank you. "If we get through the conversation without killing each other I'll consider it a win."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Might help to not have me there," Annie offered with a little smile. Because then no one would be throwing around accusations of dating their mother. "Though it should probably still be in public."

In case of the killing, yes. Look, she was slowly learning, even if she was an optimist.

[knife_bender]

"Good idea," he said. "Keep that in mind when you're teaching him too. I'd hate to have to arrest my girlfriend."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie rolled her eyes to look at him. "First of all, I'll be on my best behavior for the other kids if nothing else. But secondly," and more importantly, obviously, "I don't think you'd hate that at all."

Please.