Problem Solvers

chercher la petite bête

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Whenever Diego stopped by the house, he made a big show of slamming doors open.

"HEY MOM!"

He'd shout like a lunatic, stomp around, and otherwise do his damnedest to be as noticeable as humanly possible.

"MOM WHERE ARE- oh. Hey, Five." Diego picked at his nails to feign nonchalance. "You seen mom?"

"She's not here," Five said. "So pipe down, would you?"

Diego stiffened. "What do you mean she's not here?"

"She's at the grocery store with Luther." Five smirked and added, "She's fine ."

Diego deflated. "What do you mean she's fine? Of course she's fine."

"Yup, she's fine." Five made as if to turn away, but Diego grabbed his arm.

"Hey, I think it's good," Diego said. "That she goes out now."

Before the old man died Mom had never left the property. It was an order embedded into her programming. But Five had deleted it.

Among other things.

"Uh huh," Five said. "She'll be back in a half hour or so."

"Oh yeah? Guess I'll hang around for a bit then," Diego said. "So what are you up to?"

Five glared at the hand on his arm and Diego released him, smiling sheepishly. For some reason Diego had a bad habit of... well, it's not that he was touchy. Klaus was touchy. Always slinging his arms over Five's shoulders or resting them on his head.

No, Diego had a way of grabbing that grated on Five's nerves. It was always a restraining hold.

Like a perp walk.

"Five? What are you up to?" Diego squinted at him. "You good, bro?"

Five tried to formulate an inoffensive response.

"I'm good," he said, carefully. "I was about to leave the house myself."

It was Thursday, which meant a trip to the library.

"By yourself?" Diego said. "Where you going?"

Five crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Yes, by myself . I don't need a chaperone."

"But where are you going?"

"What's it to you?"

"Look, there's this turf war going on," Diego said. "Between these two gangs. So I just-"