𝙖𝙚𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙮 // 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙭 𝙙𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨

𝙎𝙐𝙎𝙋𝙄𝘾𝙄𝙊𝙉

/səˈspiSHən/
cautious distrust

- - -

Allison has never thought of herself as a suspicious person. If she thinks someone's lying to her, she Rumors them into telling the truth. But Rumoring her own brother seems wrong. A younger her would've done it in a heartbeat, she knows. But she's older now, and she's old enough to know that Rumoring anyone to do anything is wrong. Extremely wrong. It's a breach of their consent. She never wants to take that from anyone again.

Which is why she's lurking in the kitchen doorway, listening to Five talk to someone on the phone. He sounds annoyed. Then again, he always sounds annoyed. Even when they were kids, he'd always had an air of superiority about him. She had considered, many a time, Rumoring him to punch himself in the face, if only to wipe the smug expression from it.

The urge has come back since their conversation in the kitchen and she tamps it out before she can act on it. It won't do any good. And if Five punches himself in the face, he might hang up. She doesn't want that. So she stays where she is, and she listens.

"No, I didn't say that. I just—why did you have to send them? You know how they are. You know how she is. I've heard he's getting soft lately, but I don't know how true that is."

There's a pause. Allison assumes the person on the other end is saying something.

"Very funny. I told you, I need time. And I can't focus if I have to worry about them. No, no, tesoro—."

Allison's eyes narrow. Who the hell could Five be calling darling? And in Italian, no less. She's suddenly grateful that their dad made them learn all those languages. Five, meanwhile, hangs the phone up with more force than was probably called for and drags a hand down his face. "Fucking Christ," he mutters.

Allison gives him a minute to collect himself before she steps out of the doorway. "Who were you talking to?"

Five stares at her. She thinks, vaguely, that there's something dangerous in his gaze now. She doesn't want to dwell on that, though. Not now.

"No one," he says.

She raises an eyebrow. "You called them darling, Five. I doubt it was no one."

The tips of Five's ears go red and his glare gets stronger. In spite of herself, Allison takes a half step backwards. She licks her lips, then says "who's them?"

"No one."

She scoffs. "Right. Of course."

Five stares at her for a bit longer, and then shoves past her towards the front door.

"Where are you going?"

"To get coffee. Alone."

Allison watches him go, pondering. She needs to tell someone about this. If Five's mixed up in something he shouldn't be, it's up to the rest of them to help him out of it. She also wants to know who he was calling darling, but that can wait.

She chews her lip as she thinks. Luther? No, he'd attract too much attention.

Diego it is, then.