CAFFEINE || ғɪᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀɢʀᴇᴇᴠᴇs

//DIEGOS GOT YOU//

THIRD PERSON|

That, evening after Zero had departed from her awkward encounter with Five, she cursed to herself in how she'd acted on her feelings rather then the situation.

"Curse you, and your damned feelings. He pushed you away Zero, he clearly found it weird to have you hug him!"

Zero, had now paced herself along the sidewalk not so far from where the incident Five had caused moments before they'd arrived at Vanya's. She'd scoffed at each passing thought that seeped within her brain about Five, he clearly didn't hug her back because he'd felt awkward in ways that Zero could only be wrong.

She took in sharp breaths whilst her mind ran in frustration and yet she wasn't at all freaking out. With the suit clinging to her body, she could feel the soft sensation of a cold embrace spread over her entire body calming her down is if it had sensed it upon her.

With a sigh Zero, face palmed in utter anger. Her cheekbones were stained with a couple of tears and her noise run due to the cold air and oh yeah crying for an hour or so. She couldn't believe the look on Five's face that was plastered on him it gave a vibe of slight discomfort. She now knew that Five only teased her and cared for her because she out of their family looked exactly the same to him. 17 and young whilst the rest of their family were 33 years of age and slightly different compared to the preteens.

That's all Zero could pin point for an argument, Five only kept her around for the sake of feeling sane, she bought her mind to have think that Five only teased her because well he couldn't tease Vanya since she looked older and having a 17 year old boy flirt with a 33 year old woman well that would be awkward, and to Zero she felt slightly hurt that he'd do it to taunt her.

She understood that they were stuck in their 17  year old bodies and yet, Five had the nerve to torture her while he had the chance.

"He was using you Zee... For his own benefit, so he could feel normal amongst it all...." Tears prickled the young girls eyes as if tiny needles were piercing themselves sharply into her.

And yet before she could go any further down the back alley she'd turned closer into the direction of Griddy's Donuts she'd pulled herself behind the shop spotting the red and blue lights as she came into view of the diner, her heart stopped when her body collided into another's who'd swiftly moved from the back door of the diner, clearly frightened to have been spotted at the scene. The pixie girl hit the floor with a small thud, her small legs pushed back shuffling herself away from the man with her feet, Zero had her hood down to prevent her identity from being shown. That was until she heard a raspy yet familiar voice vent from the person.

"Who are you? And what are you doing over the caution tape?" Zero snapped her gaze up at the person, her eyes widened and heart hammered against her rib cage like an echo.

"Diego?"

"Zero?"

___

"What the hell are you doing here?"They'd both chorused together.

The two siblings fought for dominance on why they were set within a crime scene unnoticed well that was until now. Diego, grumbled face palming at the fact that maybe Zero did this?

"Why aren't you at home?" The older version of her dear brother snapped slightly irritated by the fact that she wasn't safe outside.

The small girl, pulled herself together dusting off the remainders of filth that settled upon her moments before. In the process.

"Everyone left and I couldn't find Pogo and mo-" Zero couldn't finish her lying session due to the intruder falling behind Diego.

It seemed to be an office they had come into view at this point spotting Diego rather then her, since he'd been placed before the girl blocking the officers view from the small teen.

"Diyego?" Zero only whispered this under a warning tone, speaking Russian only ceased for Diego to notice, the small girl raised her eyebrows for the older sibling to turn around, Diego frowned at her request, but he did exactly that turning on the balls of his feet to what the small teen had motioned towards.

His mouth fell a gap and his body slumped rigged and slightly uncomfortable.

Eudora fuck she couldn't see Zero! She just couldn't, not at a crime scene like this.

"Hey, hey, before you-"

As if like lightening, Diego had fallen to the ground with a grunt following suit. The sound only triggered Zero to leap into exertion she was high alert and slightly defensive of Diego, she always was.

Shoving the officer away from her brother the woman fell dumbfounded at the sight. Detective Patch, cursed under her breath but before she could even lay a finger on Zero, the older sibling only retreated up from his crouching position knowing damn well that Zero would do something unnecessary.

"Leave her alone."

"So you're bringing teenagers with you now?"

"She's a family friend, I'm babysitting."

Zero, caught what he'd implied beaming on the balls of her feet playfully. Detective Patch didn't seem to fall for Diego's implement.

"You don't babysit and why the hell would you bring a teenager here anyways?"

"I'm staying with them, my father Joseph Reed use to know Mr Hargreeves back in the the Engineering Community on 64, he couldn't attend the funeral so he sent me. Diego wouldn't leave me home since the house is empty and I don't trust myself in being alone there where the old man died. I was meant to stay by the dumpster but it made me feel queasy though so I tried to find him." Shrugging off the lie, Eudora seemed to have fallen surprised and slightly intrigued by the girls words.

"The, days he'd had off last year were the days he had to have come to my dads in order to babysit me. I'm homeschooled and Diego was the only one up for the job." Eudora nodded smiling softly at how much simple words could fit so perfectly together. Diego was indeed taken off a lot of days last year and considering that this pixie girl could make up a lie that fit so well with it was astonishing.

Eudora snapped her gaze to Diego then to the girl. She took in a deep breath sighing under her breath.

"I'm going to have to take your babysitter down to the station for trespassing." With a shrug Zero, nodded understanding well enough how this worked.

"I'm not taking the kid down Diego, she's a minor and it seems sitting in an alleyway next to a dumpster wasn't a good idea for her."

"Will she be with me in the car at least while I'm sent down to the station?" Fear clouded Diego's eyes fearful if she'd be take away from him without him implying for her too. Eudora frowned at how worried he was for the girl, in which it seemed to have radiated off of him strongly.

"You two will go with Riley, she'll take you down but she'll drop the girl off to the house I'm sure your mom will be there now."

"Thank god.." Diego sighed.

Soon enough the two, siblings were found set in the back seat of the local county police car, as Eudora and Diego chatted amongst one another the small preteen could only look out of the window set on the right watching over the city, she'd huffed to herself at how different it had become.

So lightly did Diego watch as Eudora walked off and out of sight. Moving his gaze from her and and to Zero he'd fallen slightly worried of why she was out so late that night. Tears fell gracefully from her face as if a warning manner to the world that she wasn't okay.

Diego leant into the girl, cradling his chin over her head. Riley was seated in the front seat of the car, clearly watching the scene through the rearview mirror. She sighed at how soft a man like Diego could be. This was the first time over the last 10 years that she'd had the slightest view of him become so caring over anyone other then his years with Eudora. Zero fell against his side, sobbing at how stupid she could've been or pre se how stupid she was.

"I've got you, Adelita. Diego's got you."

___