Sweet Nothing── DIEGO HARGREEVES

1.3

(sweet nothing)

... New York, 2019

They had now gathered around in the kitchen, watching Number Five, frantically grab things from the cupboards. While Annie had never met Five, she had heard many stories of him.

"What's the date? The exact date." He sighed, grabbing a loaf of bread.

"The 24th," Vanya answered, not giving him the exact date as he asked.

"Of what?" He asked sounding annoyed.

"March." Annie quickly answered. Five looked at her for a second, recognition flashing on his face for a split second.

"Good."

"So, are we gonna talk about what just happened?" Luther said, shaking his head. Five didn't answer, instead, he started to make something.

"It's been 17 years," Luther said, angrily getting up.

"It's been a lot longer than that." Five scoffed. He spatial jumped, from where he was in front of Luther, to behind the large man grabbing something else. Annie jolted back in surprise. They had mentioned his powers but this was her first time seeing it.

"I haven't missed that."

"Where'd you go?" Diego spoke up.

"The future." He started, as he spatial jumped back to his original position before saying, "It's shit, by the way."

"Called it."

"I should've listened to the old man. You know, jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice." He paused looking up to his siblings crowding around the table.

"Nice dress," he complimented Klaus.

"Oh, well, danke!" Klaus said, spinning the end of the skirt in front of him, making Ellie giggle.

Before anyone could say anything, Eleanor got up slowly walking to Five. Her small hand poked his wrist making him look down at her.

"Can you make me one, Uncle Five?" She asked. He stared at her for a couple of seconds, his eyes squinting,

"Sure." He nodded, grabbing two more slices of bread from the bag.

"Wait, how did you get back?" Vanya said, confused as to how her 13-year-old brother was in front of her.

"In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version
of myself that exists across every possible instance of time."

"That makes no sense," Diego said blankly.

"Well, it would if you were smarter." Five replied. Annie laughed while Diego stood up abruptly, Luther holding him back.

"How long were you there?"

"Forty-five years. Give or take." Shock spread throughout the room, Luther sat back done in his seat, as Diego leaned back, his shoulder touching Annies.

"So what are you saying? That you're, 58?" Luther asked.

"No, my consciousness is 58." Five continued as if it was the easiest thing to understand.

"Apparently, my body is now 13 again." He put the last piece of bread on the peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, handing over Ellies. She immediately Bit into it. Annie rolled her eyes knowing she would soon have a sugar rush that would take a while to come down from.

"Guess I missed the funeral." He said, picking up a newspaper from the counter.

"How'd you know about that?" Luther asked ignorantly.

"Because he was in the future, duh." Ellie chuckled with a mouth full of peanut butter and marshmallow.

"Exactly right, Ellie." He patted her head. The little girl smiled giving him a thumbs up before finishing her sandwich.

"Heart failure, huh?"

"Yeah."

"No."

"Nice to see nothing's changed." Five clicked his tongue, leaving the room.

"Uh, that's it? That's all you have to say?" Allison said, exasperated.

"What else is there to say? The circle of life."

"Well... That was interesting."

⋆✩⋆

The soft glow of the fireplace cast a warm light across the living room, where Diego and Annie sat together on the couch. Ellie was fast asleep, curled up beside Diego, her small hand still clutching his. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but it was heavy. Annie looked at Diego, her expression softening as she watched him gently brush a stray curl away from Ellie's face.

Annie hesitated for a moment, then quietly spoke, "She's always been so comfortable with you. Even when she was a baby, she'd calm down the moment you held her." 

Diego met her gaze, his eyes searching hers for a moment before he replied, "She's a tough kid. Just like her mom." A faint smile tugged at his lips, but there was something deeper in his voice—regret, or something unresolved.

Annie shifted closer, careful not to wake Ellie. "Diego... I've been thinking a lot about what happened between us. How we just... drifted apart. I didn't want it to be that way."

Diego's jaw tightened as he nodded, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Yeah, well, neither did I. But I guess we both made choices back then... choices we can't take back."

Annie reached out, placing her hand over Diego's. "We were young and scared. I was terrified, Diego. Of what it meant to be a mother, of what it would do to us... to you."

Diego looked up at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of emotions—anger, sadness, but also something softer. "I was scared too. Scared of screwing everything up, scared of being like him, scared of losing you... I thought I was doing the right thing by giving you space, but all it did was push us further apart."

There was a long pause as they both processed the words, the truth of them settling in the air between them. Annie squeezed his hand, offering him a small, tentative smile. "We were both scared, Diego. But we made it through. Ellie is amazing, and that's because of us. We did that."

Diego's gaze softened, and he turned his hand to gently hold hers. "You're right. We did."

The moment stretched, and there was an intimacy between them that neither had felt in a long time. Diego's thumb brushed against the back of Annie's hand, and he leaned in slightly, his eyes flicking to her lips. Annie's breath caught in her throat as she leaned in too, her heart pounding in her chest.

Just as their lips were about to meet, the door creaked open, and Allison stepped into the room, her voice cutting through the moment, a small smirk on her face. "Sorry to interrupt, but the funeral's about to start."

Diego and Annie pulled back, their connection broken but the tension still lingering in the air. Annie cleared her throat, giving Allison a small nod. "We'll be right there."

As Allison left, Diego and Annie shared one last look, their near-kiss a reminder of everything they once had—and might still have, if they were willing to take the leap.

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