Problem Solvers

Mentsu

On the last day of her visit, Allison knocked on Five's door.

"Goodbye hug?" She said, sheepishly opening her arms.

He nodded tersely, and approached.

Allison stood in place, waiting, her arms still open. "Aren't you going to hug me?"

Five rubbed the back of his neck, inching closer. "I thought... alright."

Usually people hugged him. Oftentimes, without warning. But Allison made no move to do so, forcing him to gingerly put his arms around her before she clasped him tightly.

"Will you be okay?" She whispered.

"Of course," Five said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Does it bother you?" She rubbed circles into his back, like Mom often did. "That everyone is going to L.A. with me?"

"Why would that bother me?"

"Because you can't go," Allison said. "It would bother me, if I was you."

Her hug was lingering too long, becoming awkward, but Five resisted the urge to pull away.

"You're not me," Five muttered.

"Will you be okay with Diego?" Allison said.

"Why wouldn't I-"

"Because you've never been alone with him."

"What?" Five said. "Yes, I have."

"I mean the adult Diego," Allison said.

"I've been alone with him."

"Okay, but not for this long," Allison said. "Five days is a long-"

"What exactly do you think is going to happen?" Five said. "Do you expect him to stab me to death while your back is turned?"

Allison squeezed him more tightly, nearly forcing all the air out of his lungs. "I don't know! You guys don't get along, right?"

"What?" Five said. "That's not true."

"Are you sure?" Allison said.

"Yes, Allison." Five huffed. "Though I still don't understand why he's even bothering to stay behind. I told him he should go with everyone else."

"And leave you unsupervised?"

"I'm not a child."

Allison finally released him from the hug, pulling back to look at him. "Um, but you literally are?"

Five waved this off. "You know what I mean."

"Uh huh." Allison pinched his cheek. "What an adorable adult you are!"

"Shut up." Five smacked her hand away. "It's not like the adult Five is any better off, looks wise."

Five immediately regretted directly referencing his doppelganger, alarmed to watch Allison's face crumple in distress.

"Sorry," he said. "Um, I didn't mean..."

But what didn't he mean? To step on a landmine, Five supposed.

Allison blinked and her smile was back in full force. The Hollywood smile, Klaus called it.

"You're not wrong," Allison said, chuckling lightly. "He's an adorable adult too!"

An adult who erased his memories a month ago, Five thought. In a desperate bid to 'preserve the timeline' supposedly.

If you took the old man at his word.