Unknown (Diego Hargreeves x Reader)

9

"I mean, do you really think Mom would hurt Dad?" Vanya asked as the siblings watched the tape on the small screen.
"You haven't been home in a long time, Vanya. Maybe you don't know Grace anymore." Luther deflected.
"If he was poisoned, it would have shown up in the coroner's report." Diego pointed out.
"Well, I don't need a report to tell me what I can see with my own eyes."
"Maybe all that low gravity in space messed with your vision," Diego paused the video, "Look closer. Dad had his monocle. Mom stands up. Monocle's gone."
"Oh yeah!" Klaus agreed.
"She wasn't poisoning him. She was... taking it. To clean it."
"Then where is it? No, I've searched the house, including all her things. She doesn't have it."
Diego stared at the ground, hesitating to tell him the truth, "That's because I took it from her. After the funeral."
Allison now began to pay attention to the conversation, "You've had the monocle this whole time? What the hell, Diego?"
"Give it to me." Luther butted in, outstretching his arm.
"I threw it away."
"You what?" Luther asked as Allison scoffed.
"Look, I knew that if you found it on Mom, you'd lose your shit, just like you're doing right now." Diego said as he stood up and pointed one of his knives at Luther.
"Diego, you son of a bitch."

Diego raised his fists, ready for Luther to swing his first punch.

"Hey. No. Calm down. Look, I know Dad wasn't exactly an open book. But I do remember one thing he said. Mom was, well, designed to be a caretaker, but... also as a protector. " Vanya told them.
"What does that mean?" Allison asked.
"She was programmed to intervene if someone's life was in jeopardy."
"Well, if her hardware is degrading then- We need to turn her off." Luther said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait," Diego interjected defensively, raising his knife again, "She's not just a vacuum cleaner you can throw in a closet. She feels things, I've seen it!"
"She just stood there, Diego, and watched our father die."
"I'm with Luther." Allison agreed.
"Surprise, surprise." Diego scoffed.
"Shut up." she bit back.

Both Diego and Luther looked to Vanya for her vote but she just stood there looking blankly at them, somewhat stunned that they were asking for her opinion.

"I- I don't-" She stuttered.
"Yeah she shouldn't get a vote." Diego cut her off.
"Wh-" Luther went to speak.
"I was gonna say that I agree with you." Vanya said pointedly.
Diego quickly changed his mind, "Okay. She should get a vote. What about you, stoner boy? What do you got?"
Klaus looked around at his siblings, his movements slightly fluid as he said, "Oh, so what? You need my help now?" he directed his bitterness at Diego, "Oh, 'Get out of the van Klaus!'. Well welcome back to the van."
"What van?"
Luther scoffed and asked, "What's it gonna be, Klaus?"
"I'm with Diego, because screw you! And if Ben were here, he'd agree with me."
"No, I don't." the ghost told him as Klaus hissed at him in response.
"So that's three?"
"Wait." Luther interrupted.
"To two." Diego continued.
"Vote's not final yet."
"What?"
"Five's not here. The whole family has to vote. We owe each other that." Allison reasoned.
"Right."
"No, we should wait." Vanya agreed.

All of the siblings except Number Two  and Number Seven left the room swiftly, grabbing their jackets and going their own ways. Diego stood rigid, astounded at his siblings abrupt exit, listening as their footsteps got quieter. He turned around and his mother caught his eye. Making his way towards her, his eyes were fixed on the ground until he stood directly in front of her.

"Hey. How long have you been here?" he asked, placing a comforting hand on Grace's shoulder.
Grace stared into nothingness before she turned to meet Diego's eyeline and said, " You all seem upset. I'll make cookies."

With that, she walked away towards the kitchen. The two remaining siblings watched as she happily made her way through the door.

"Do you ever wonder... All those moments with Mom, the things she said. Like, was it her, or was it really Dad?" Vanya posed the question.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well he built her. And he programmed her to be a mom, to be our mom," she pointed out, " Sometimes when I look at her, I just see him."
"Maybe that was true at first. But she evolved."
"Well how do you know?"
"Because Dad only loved himself" Diego said as he then walked away from Vanya.

He paced up the stairs and through the hallways of the gigantic house, thinking of all the times Mom had helped him. Always tending to any injury, always mending their suits and masks. He reached his childhood room and fell into the chair in the corner. As he dissociated, his memory took over.

"Don't mo-move."
"You did it! I'm so proud of you!"

A/N- Hi hello! So quick update on my publishing schedule, I'm reducing it to just every Saturday because I'm back at school and doing my A Levels plus an EPQ (a phat essay) so I'm not gonna have a lot of time to write this. Also thank you SO MUCH for 2k reads, it is so weird but so amazing, so thank you to you guys my lovely readers
- Dani ✌🏻