A part of him thought maybe the dreams he'd had recently were affecting him. Another thought that the trouble he'd found her in since meeting her were enough indication that they should relocate. It had been on his mind for over a week and Jessica even seemed to catch him lost in thought the other day. He didn't disclose his feelings then, believing it was premature.
How could he talk to her about moving somewhere else when his survival had been mostly her generosity? Yet it had been over two months and Diego only learned daily how truly dangerous the Big Apple was, with or without powers. He also worried about how many people knew where they lived. Jessica had made it her headquarters and he couldn't help but think of the worse.
So after confirming a few job offers, Diego felt confident enough to offer a proposal. He came home with his duffel in hand and a suit he borrowed from Danny. Jessica might be surprised at his outfit but not the bag that he'd been keeping gear and clothing in, alternating between teaching at the dojo with Colleen, training with Danny and working security at Rand Enterprises or Harlem's Paradise.
The latter was the newest venture so he wouldn't have to take matches. Few things seemed to make Jessica tense but any mention of him fighting for money did just that. He'd spent time playing bodyguard to her when she was hurt which didn't provide an income although Diego considered it time well spent. Not only was he arriving in a suit but had their favorite Chinese take-out too.
"Lucy, I'm home!" he called playfully while unlocking the door and entering the apartment.
Things had been going along well between them. Suspiciously well, or maybe that was just her cynical nature chiming in to try to ruin everything. She'd healed up nicely, gotten back to work, and it was almost business as usual. Almost, because her usual hadn't used to involve another person in her home all the time. In her life. Certainly not to this degree. But she'd find herself trying to be home at times she knew he'd be, or picking up food she thought he'd like.
God, she found herself smiling sappily to herself in the middle of the day sometimes, drawing attention to herself by her stupid, lovesick expression. But it was hard to get worked up over it, especially when she'd been in line behind an older couple, looking off to the distance and thinking of what kind of sandwich to get him for dinner that night, then thinking of feeding it to him, from his lap-. She'd been jolted out of her daydream by the woman ahead of her turning to her and giving her the most knowing smile of all as she patted her arm. "Ah, I remember those days," she'd said, voice high but soft, and with a heavy Russian accent. "Trust me, devushka, it doesn't get any less. Only more."
The instinct to scoff had been lingering, but the intent behind the comment was just too damn genuine, and she'd found her cheeks pinking as she waited in line. She'd wound up getting them huge cuban's that she had indeed fed him from his lap. It had gotten messy. She grinned just thinking back to it.
That grin was still on her face while she sat at her desk, going over the last bits of information for a client about the goings on of their ex employee trying to claim workers comp. Unfortunately for the client, the guy had legitimately been hurt and wasn't trying to cash in beyond what he'd earned. The door opening and the phrase being said had her laughing, but she didn't look up from her laptop, still wanting to get it finished entirely before he distracted her. "I'm not a redhead and you're way sexier than Ricky. I'm also pretty sure you're not Cuban."
Maybe she didn't look up but she'd likely smell the familiar food he brought home. Diego stopped off in the bedroom to drop off his duffel bag before heading to her office aka the living room.
"At least one of us is sure," he quipped in return. Jessica wasn't wrong; he had shared Reginald Hargreeves had bought him in Mexico, not Cuba. Diego still used the opportunity to continue the banter. He set the food down on her desk. "How much longer are you gonna be?"
There was no rush in the question. He was deciding on going to get utensils and bring them to her or if they'd sit down to have the meal. Diego would start taking of the suit jacket and roll up his sleeves depending on her answer.
The smell of the food made her stomach growl, reminding her that she'd forgotten to eat lunch. "Not much. I just need to-," she broke off when he came over to the desk and her gaze flicked up at him of its own accord, but she paused and had to do a double take when she saw what he was wearing. "Oh. Um. Is there an occasion and I missed it? We're nowhere close to an anniversary..."
Her brain had short circuited. Diego looked good to her no matter what he wore. Especially when he wore his birthday suit. But dressed up in a suit with that look on his face? Nope. She was going to need a minute. A blissful smile melted onto her face and she pushed back from her desk. "I can be done now."
"We missed our two month anniversary but who's counting," he uttered through a wide grin. The surprise had been a positive reaction but Diego realized it might be a challenge to get her to focus on the serious discussion he planned on having. Or he'd have a hard time focusing with how she was looking at him.
He shook his head in objection. "You don't have to be done yet. You were in the middle of something. I can get the chopsticks and wait to talk until after." There was a nervous excitement she might pick up on as Diego tried to act casual but was failing miserably.
Instead of keeping eye contact, he opted to take off the few knives he strategically placed on his person without removing his suit jacket yet.
"I don't think I've ever done monthly anniversaries." She leaned back in her chair, letting her eyes skim over him all done up like a pretty present for her. She wanted to unwrap him. Oh yeah, it was going to be difficult for her to concentrate on anything but him- especially when he casually pulled out a knife from who knows where and started fidgeting with it.
That, more than anything, clued her into his mood. Tense. He was tense. But not in a bad way. Okay, so something was up. She chewed on her lower lip before she moved to scoot her chair back in towards the desk. "Not the middle. Near the end. Just wrapping up the details for the file. I can print it and deliver it tomorrow."
Her eyes were going to keep going back to him when she started typing, because... well. "You look nervous. Are you planning on telling me something I don't want to hear?"
There were times that he hated how well she could read him. As observant as he thought he was, Diego couldn't read Jessica to the level he felt that she could read him. Not that they had any major arguments over the discrepancy. It really didn't cause an issue other than him getting called out and missing the mark a few times on doing the same.
He set his knife down with a crooked grin and headed to the kitchen. "Does that mean you're staying in tonight?" he asked over his shoulder. It was a stupid question. She'd been staying in most nights, going out with him than alone since her injury. The question now to her was a stalling technique.
It might have been a bad call, possibly exacerbating any concern she had over what he might be up to. Diego hoped she wouldn't think the worst but didn't know how to recover from what she asked. He hoped it wouldn't be something she didn't want to hear but also could understand if she viewed it that way.
She'd hear him going into a kitchen drawer to fish out utensils.
It was right at his six month anniversary of this new timeline that they closed on their new place. Diego and Jessica needed to lean a little more on Danny than they initially thought but both would make up for it in spades. As it stood, Diego agreed to continue training and assist with classes at the dojo to eventually run a second school out of the newly acquired property.
The building was an old factory not far from the docks where a breeze could bring in the smell of the Hudson, which the jury was still out for Diego on whether that was a good or bad thing. He was sure the radiation that made the Hulk a thing was probably in it along with other toxic waste. Nonetheless, the building was perfect for what the happy couple were looking for.
Mostly the living quarters on the second and third floors would need elbow grease. The floor level had been functioning as a small scale warehouse and the office had been recently renovated. Jessica could work right away in the space if she wanted as the internet and other utilities were all up to par.
It took another six weeks for updating on the bathrooms where the office could have a private one separate from where clients (seeking services from a PI or self defense classes) would have access, and the primary bathroom for the nearly married newlyweds would call their own. Fortunately an elevator in the building made it easier to get renovations going.
"I don't think I understand any of this security stuff that Danny got set up for us. Why can't each camera just have it's own dedicated little tv?" The way his father had set up security at the mansion.
"They could. They used to. But the tech's upgraded. You don't need eighteen plugs for eighteen monitors if you do split-screen, and you can always pull up anything on the bigger monitor if you want a better look. Lessens the electricity load. And besides, eighteen monitors would take up a lot of space, unless they were tiny, and then that would be pointless since you can't see what's on them. Besides," she said, pulling out her phone, "this setup comes with a link to your mobile, so you can always check on it."
Jessica wouldn't go so far as saying that Diego was technophobic, but he hadn't been raised in the world of convenience, and it would take him a bit longer to get more familiar with and happy with all the things she took for granted.
He wasn't afraid of physical labor, though. He was quick to roll up his sleeves and jump in on setting things up and hammering things into place. He also didn't mind calling her over in front of some of the few workers he vetted into the place to ask her to lift something or hold something that would take multiple people to do. It freaked the men out the first time, but after the initial surprise wore off, they seemed to delight in getting things that needed 'a woman's touch' to pull off, so they could convince him she definitely needed to be the one to do it. "Hey, Diego, don't you think this stack of cable spools could use a woman's touch to get safely up to the third floor?" Cue a line of men, and her man, watching her heft the pallet and then opt to jump through the open top window instead of carrying it up the stairs, followed by hoots and raucous laughter. She didn't mind putting on a show, particularly when it kept everyone in a good mood and also helped get things moving along more easily.
Danny still never got sick of watching her pull off casual shows of what she was capable of, and it made her feel like he was still a ten year old boy. Still, he was helping a lot with the costs of their new setup, and considering it wasn't just their home, but where they'd work out of for herself, Diego, and to bring overflow from Danny and Colleen's school into it, she'd pocket the usual sarcasm she normally threw around.
The gym would be Diego's area, even though she knew he'd be more than happy to share if she decided to use it, and the area behind the intake office would be hers, where she'd store client info and work on cases that needed room to visualize. There was also a safe room installed, along with a 'secret' emergency exit, and a containment room for anything she or Diego found that needed to be dealt with by either authorities or Danny's geek squad.
It was still being worked on, some rooms not finished with the wiring for security or walls not set up entirely while plumbing was finished, but the main areas, the living areas, those were ones she'd noticed Diego and Danny seeming to focus on. He hadn't said it, but every action of getting this place set up for them screamed to her how much he wanted her out of her old place and into this one. He was nesting, setting up this elaborate den to lure his mate into. It was fucking adorable.
"That way," she continued, pulling up the system and flicking through to the camera that was set up in the room they were in, "if you get the heebies about something, you can pull it up and watch me not sneaking a barrage of lovers in behind your back. Or, you know, in case of ninjas." The fact that was a thing that needed to be said still made her want to throw her hands up. Fucking ninjas. Resurrected, undead assassin ninjas. There were mutterings about Matt being back, and if she ran into another ninja, she was going to break their legs and carry them to his door and tell him to deal with his mess. Goddamn asshole.
He marveled at so many things that it often didn't feel like half a year had passed, everything still seemed so new. The TVs his father had in the mansion were nowhere as sharp a picture as what Danny had showed him. His eyes widened at Jessica when she told him that he could actually view the video from his phone. "Seriously???"
It took some time but he was finally developing an appreciation for the phone he once called repeatedly stupid. Diego listened and made a face as she mentioned being able to watch out for ninjas. Rand had mentioned that maybe they weren't mistaking him for Murdock but that the red devil was actually back.
Too much was going on with the renovations to get a decent discussion going but Diego imagined that would happen sooner than later. A part of him hoped the rumors were false. It seemed like a shitty thing to not tell the people who fought with you that you were still alive but he knew there was a lot more to the story. For now, there was a move to complete.
The strange things going on was the reason why Danny pushed to get security immediately in place. Diego appreciated it. Electricity and electronics were left to Rand connections while Number Two sanded floors, stained them, painted walls and worked on plumbing. Minor plumbing. His limit had been installing a toilet. 'Last thing I wanna chance is flooding the place.'
Finding a balance was hard. He was going on day 3 of no sleep, wanting to finish one last thing. Jessica was right; Diego was giving 110 percent into making the place perfect for them. He was glad her office was set but it wasn't finished until the glass Trish had got her for the door was installed.
Whenever someone new showed up to work, Diego was sure to do a knife demonstration and emphasize being able to hit a target around a corner so they'd know what to expect if any damage came to that door. It also didn't hurt to see Jessica help out and know the door was hers.
"I think our room's ready for the furniture tomorrow. It's been a few weeks with no traces of roaches or rats. I'm gonna work on the kitchen cabinets now that the floors and paint is all done." Diego let out a big yawn and quickly returned to cleaning up the paint brushes so he could clear out the room.
The yawn reminded her that it had been awhile since the last time he'd had a full night's sleep. She'd let it go for awhile, but she'd heard some of the horror stories from the crew they had there of what could go wrong around inattentive workers and power tools.
She went over to him, coming up behind him and resting her hands on his shoulders, kneading there gently. "I think we should pack up here for the day and go get some rest. Real rest, Diego." There was a firmness there that, if he was getting familiar with her tones, would let him know that she wasn't going to be argued with over this.
He was trying to get everything done soon. Now. But they weren't on a time crunch. No schedule loomed overhead. Just that internal clock of theirs, and his seemed to be set for something specific. She kneaded at his shoulders, giving him a small massage as they stood there. "Don't make me break out the cuffs so that their first use isn't absolutely kinky and is more of a health thing. I'll get Claire over here to prescribe eight hours of cuffs."
Her touch stopped him dead in his tracks. Not from her hold but relishing the way Jessica kneaded his muscles. He stretched his neck from one side to the other, aiding the way she worked out his tension while also thinking of a way to buy a little more time. Then she made a joke about cuffing him and bringing Claire into the argument.
Diego relented, feeling that if Jessica was threatening him with Claire then he would never win. "You know, the water runs here now. I could get a shower and we can just use the air mattress. Cut out the travel time." Another yawn left him as pausing and the shoulder massage seemed to catch up how tired he was.
It was surprising that Jessica had waited as long as she did to put her foot down. He'd been working like a mad man to get everything working where most the construction staff preferred when she was around. Or that could be because she'd cut their workload in half. Diego might have repeatedly tried to get the crew to work at his speed and attention to detail.
"Nope," she said, still working at his shoulders. She leaned in and nipped at the back of his neck before she leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I want to curl up in bed with you. Naked. They'll be here tomorrow, and you can boss them around some more then. We've still got almost a whole month left on the lease to my old place, so why not use it for what little privacy we can get while we can get it?"
She kissed the side of his neck, then kept rubbing at it. "I can carry you home if you want. You're tired. Tired means accidents happen. So let me take care of you until you're not tired."
Jess had a feeling part of it was wanting her out of the old place sooner than later, but she didn't want him working himself into an accident when there was no time table to push them. Not one that he hadn't designed, anyway.
Moving in day. Technically, everything had been in for a few days, but Jess had been holding off on sleeping over until after they'd had a surprise housewarming present. Diego, from what she'd seen of his past, hadn't had nearly enough celebration in his life. Lack of birthdays. Lack of holidays. She'd thought her past had been bleak, but at least they'd had the facade of it at the Walkers, and she'd had her own family growing up during her earlier years.
So between her and Connie, they'd set up to have her forget something at the place to drag him in and have there be a surprise housewarming in the office section. Her office section. The place she was willing to open to people. The dojo was his, and some part of her wanted to keep the upper rooms as solely theirs. Private. Both of them had so little of that.
There was catering and booze, thanks to Danny's funds, and even some of the construction guys that had taken a shine to Diego were invited. So as she pushed him ahead of her into the office and made him flip on the light, she got to watch him react to the loud 'Surprise!', grinning as she came up behind him, arms around his waist. "Welcome home, mi amor."
The day had been an anxious one. Diego did his best not to assume the worst but couldn't shake a feeling of something winding up Jessica. Everything was in its place in their new home together yet she put off sleeping there. He couldn't help but think that Jessica didn't want to part from her apartment but everything she'd told him had been that she was ready for their new life together.
He planned on heading out to patrol the city when his wrist buzzed, alerting him of a message on his phone. Jessica. He looked questionably when another message alerted him. Rand. The first message was his soulmate needing to go back to their pending new residence and the latter was his sorry excuse for a vigilante partner, canceling on him for something that came up last minute. Diego pulled off his domino mask and responded to his fiance that he was on his way.
It wasn't as if Diego could be angry with Jessica. If anything, he was concerned over why she was anxious. He hadn't found a way of saying something about what he could feel coming from her as they traveled to her office in their place. His soulmate was adamant that she shut off the alarm system from her phone (something he hadn't bothered much with since they weren't living there yet) so he went in and pushed the rocker switch to turn on the lights.
SURPRISE!
Diego had nearly grabbed a knife from the surprise but could feel Jessica lose her anxiety for a happy excitement, then her arms wrapped around him from behind. His confusion remained but only for a few seconds more before putting 2 and 2 together; she had been anxious to surprise him. It was the sweetest thing that anyone had done for him in his life. He grinned from ear to ear, looking at the crowd of friends in the small space.
"What is this?" he laughed as Danny and Colleen walked toward him and Jessica.
"It's a surprise housewarming. A little celebration for the new chapter in your lives. There's food and a few more gifts," Danny had immediately answered. A nudge from Colleen prompted him to add. "For the two of you to finally make things official. It's all in the yellow envelope on your desk."
Number Two turned enough so Jessica was at his side, lowering his head to give her a kiss. "I love you. Thank you for all of this." The initial response was to Jessica and the latter was between her and their friends. A few of the construction crew were beaming, quick to motion toward the food and drink.
She was curious herself what was in the envelope- Danny and Colleen and their surprises, but her attention was all for the man in black who was smiling down at her. "I was worried you wouldn't like it. And I was banking that you'd figure out what you'd be throwing a knife at before you threw it." A smirk, then a squeeze at his side as she looked around her new office. It seemed full. She wasn't used to having lots of people in her space unless shit was hitting the fan.
It was a pleasant deviation from the norm that the opposite was happening. Hell, it was downright mundane to have a housewarming party. "You can thank Colleen for the food selection. I was all for just pizza." Which there was some of that, but there was also a full spread, courtesy of Danny's funds and Colleen's taste. "And that means we're going to be bunking here tonight. In case that wasn't perfectly clear."
It wasn't nerves as much as just... anticipation that her life was moving forward, and it was doing so in a way that was good. Wanted. The only regret she had was that Trish wasn't here to share it with her. She squelched that thought, because she didn't want him picking up on anything negative. Only happy thoughts tonight.
A housewarming was better than a birthday party. He never had either before but the latter would be bittersweet without his siblings. Diego didn't think about his family as much while working on his home with Jessica. It was a lot like when he'd first left the Hargreeves mansion. He was too busy working on a future.
The same could be said about the gathering that Jessica put together for him. People who actually enjoyed being around him were present, not those that were obligated out of some notion of family. Weddings and funerals. The Umbrella Academy had only had one of each. He might think of his siblings when it was time to tie the knot but they weren't on his mind at the moment.
"Wait, everyone's gonna be spending the night?" Diego questioned through a forced grin.
Danny snorted. "She means you two. We're only here to eat food after seeing that dumb look on your face." A few of the construction guys piped up, adding that they wanted to see some knife throwing to which Rand gave a nod while still grinning. "And knife throwing. They wanted to see us spar and Jessica lift weights but Colleen talked them out of that."
"Let me guess, Raul wanted to see the lifting and Jermaine wanted to see us fight?" Diego questioned through a smirk while looking at each of the guys.
"No, Boss. I'm here for the food and I thought you might throw a knife before realizing what was going on," Jermaine said through a mischievous smirk. "You got Raul right but it's Easy who wanted to see you and Mr Rand go a round."
Easy had a plate of food in hand, immediately shaking his head and glaring at Jermaine. "Yeah, right. I'm not the only one wanting to see that fight." After the annoyed statement, Easy looked over at Diego. "What say you, Boss? One quick match on the mat? Make sure it's set up right for when the classes start?"
Raul took one look at Jessica and Colleen and shook his head. "Easy, you pick a boring match. My money is on the ladies!" the Dominican man quipped in a Spanish accent about as thick as Easy's Haitian one (not very thick but clearly one).
Jessica rolled her eyes at the locker room talk, her arm still around Diego's waist. "The only tossing happening tonight is me tossing your ass out before it's too late for you to get a ride home." That was followed by a quick flip of her finger at the workers, but she turned and grinned at Diego, giving him a peck on the cheek.
"C'mon. Eat and drink. I've been too nervous most of the day to eat much. Now I have an appetite."
All she was feeling through their link was a warm sort of glowing happiness, and that was the whole point of what she'd been doing. To get him something that made him feel like he fit in. Something he wanted. Something theirs.
"Classes will start soon enough and you'll be able to see the three of us train, maybe with a couple of other kickass ladies," Colleen quipped as she made sure Jessica and Diego had a clear path to the food.
Jessica was familiar with Claire and Misty but Colleen still felt it only right to give the private eye a chance at accepting or rejecting the idea of them appearing at her house to train with her soon to be husband. Diego had been working more with adults while Colleen and Danny worked better with kids.
"Yeah, we'll see." Diego chimed in after Colleen. "This is a training facility, not for spectators. You wanna see any of us spar then you're gonna have to participate in the classes. I could always use someone to demonstrate moves on," Number Two taunted the construction crew.
All 3 muttered complaints but busied wih plates they previously fixed for themselves. With jobs in the morning, none planned on staying long.
Diego slipped behind Jessica, instinctively letting her first at the food but quickly following. "Definitely having a little of everything. Love all this," he commented happily with a loud stomach growl in agreement. The Asian fusion would more than hit the spot.
"There's also Kirin, Sapporo, and a couple bottles of Nihonshu--you might know it as sake--that anyone driving should stay away from but small amounts are really good with the food," Danny piped up and poured a glass for Diego of Daiginjo that was a gift to the couple. "If it's too strong, I can get you something else." Rand looked between Diego and Jessica.
He'd fallen asleep relatively quickly afterward, and he'd woken up rushing for the bathroom, then whisper-yelling about his body being a temple and she was pretty sure he called her Klaus at least once. Her flashbacks of his life brought a face to mind, and after rifling through those memories, she figured out of all the siblings he had, Klaus and herself might have a few things on the same level. Coping through inebriants, though fortunately for her, she only stuck to booze.
The days after that were good. Almost too good. She kept waiting for something to come along and screw it up, as per her usual. But that sword just kept hanging over her, and she kept going to sleep naked and sweaty and waking up in some form of an embrace with the person who meant the most to her. When she woke before him, some mornings she'd just lay there as the room around them lightened, watching his face and how little strain there was on it. How relaxed and peaceful he was.
She wanted more with him. Wanted to do more with him, to show him how she felt, how much he meant to her. She thought about Coney Island and all the things to do there, and how her memories of his childhood was missing all that. No rides. No fun things. Only training and acting like a show pony for his 'father'. There'd been a memory of him as a younger boy, watching kids in a line from a school trip going somewhere with teachers, holding hands in a line and laughing and being children. The memory was colored with envy, and it made her sad. Sad for the child he'd never been. But it was still just slopping out of winter, and she wanted to show him Six Flags and all the happy fun crap when it was in a light to be seen, not off-season and pitiful. And he wouldn't be one of the Umbrella Academy here. Not wearing a mask and putting on a show. No one curbing anything he wanted to go see or do. Or eat, if she could get him to stop being quite so anal about food. And money.
So that was a plan for later, and she made a nebulous note in her journal for April and May, to block off a weekend for them to enjoy what she could show him. But for now, she was busy going over her bills and sending out payments to what needed to be paid. It was mid-afternoon and the rumble in her stomach reminded her lunch was coming up, so she figured she'd shoot a text to Diego to see if he was up for sharing it with her or if he was busy and she'd have to wait until dinner to have a taste of her soulmate.
If Jessica thought she had been read the riot act after their housewarming, it would be obvious that Danny didn't snitch on Diego. Rand received threats of violence if he ever mentioned sake again in the days that followed. Yet the knife thrower was easy to distract from the unpleasant memories with the promise of a future he never believed before was possible.
'No sake at the wedding reception. Got it!' Number Two had to remind his ...investor that each of the happy couple wanted to establish their respective businesses before tying the knot. Yet that wasn't exactly the truth. Diego wanted a nice ring for Jessica and still had to figure out how their finances would measure up with the new mortgage payment.
He wasn't worried but it was something he'd set as a plan to follow. Jessica knew he wanted to make things official between them, possibly even changing his name instead of the tradition that she take his. It couldn't be bad to lose the reminder that he'd been purchased as a child. Yet something also tugged at him; what if one of his siblings somehow ended up in this timeline? The name would be the only way of finding him.
His mind wasn't on past or his relatives at the moment, only the woman he wanted to marry who had made the screen on his phone light up. The morning class was over and he had a few hours until the afternoon and evening classes started. Diego was more than happy to see Jessica but depending on what she had in mind, he knew it might be better to wait until they were both done with work.
Flirting with him was easy. And surprisingly fun. It was interesting to her to find that he'd brought fun back into her life in a way that she didn't question. Others might, people she knew that looked at her like she'd grown a second head when they saw her smiling over something he said. But that was their bullshit to figure out.
She was going to eventually convince him that she was happy with just him, not with what he could monetarily give her. But that was going to be a whole level of convincing that might involve therapy, and neither of them was into that idea at the moment.
Still, she leaned back in her chair, rocking it slightly as she grinned down at her screen, waiting for his answer.
She would see ellipses as he worked to type his response. Diego was still very much a novice but Jessica no longer had to wait minutes for replies as he barely knew how to answer a cell phone, much less text on one. Yet having a soulmate gave him a push to learn new things.
youre going to have to be more specific... food? ME?
A smirk tugged at his lips while waiting for her reply. He peeled off the shirt he wore, readying for a quick shower after the training session. Diego flung the removed shirt over a shoulder and picked up the phone again when he noticed an alert for someone at the door to the dojo. Jessica also had access to the cameras and could see, if her phone alerted her. It wasn't as if the person rang the doorbell. Even stranger, the door was open during class hours.
Diego set his phone down and headed to the door, curious as to what the hooded figure was up to. The figure appeared indecisive about entering. There was never a look up to the cameras, or even a suspicious look around that Number Two would expect from someone up to no good. In fact, he was sure the person wearing the hoodie had no idea there were cameras.
Quickly, the instructor/owner slipped the shirt back on that he'd taken off just moments ago before opening the door. "Can I help you?" Diego questioned while the door handle was still in his grip. It would be easy to slam shut if he hadn't assessed the scene correctly. Yet as soon as the face looked up, he immediately opened the door wider.
She was a student. Her face was freshly bruised which was new. In the classes she attended so far, the bruises were normally hidden under clothes and never exposed. "Mary? What happened?" Diego instantly asked as his face furrowed into an angry expression out of concern.
"I can't come to class anymore," she told him in a voice that trembled from crying. The cameras could hear the conversation and see the hooded figure lift a hand to wipe at her face. "Please don't tell Claire. Can you give her the money back for the classes without telling her?" Mary choked on a sob and Diego finally stopped glaring, his face falling with sadness.
"Mary, he's going to kill you. And what about your son? You can't--Come inside. I'll figure something out."
She shook her head furiously. "I have to go. Please, just don't tell Claire. I have to get Charlie from school and bring him straight home. I'm sorry." With that, she ran off. Diego clenched his fists at his sides in frustration, rigid with tension.
She sent that back and was grinning at the thought of how he planned to reply when an alert notification popped up on her phone.
Jessica watched the interaction between what was clearly a student and Diego. She knew that look. Knew from the tension that went through his body and the emotions she was picking up through their bond that he was a mix of sad and pissed. She also knew that lunch was probably off the table, along with anything else in that moment, and she sent a second text.
Anything I can do to help with that?
Because regardless of what he said or did, she knew he wanted to. Diego had a soft spot for women and kids, and while he hadn't exactly been beaten by his father, said figure had stood by and made his childhood a competition for affection that had been supplied by a robot. She didn't want to step on his toes, but she also didn't want him running off half cocked.
The phone buzzing got his attention. He glanced up at the camera, certain Jessica could see him. Maybe it was the connection between them that gave him the belief. Diego returned inside and locked the door. It would be a few hours before the next class. He still needed a shower but didn't take his shirt off again, pulling his cell phone out to look at it instead.
i can make some tacos after a shower and you can have both.😘
He wasn't sure if Jessica heard the conversation over the camera or just watched him through the camera. Diego might have tried to remain playful over text but was reeling internally, certain that his student's days were numbered and worried the same fate would fall her young son.
Her son was the reason Mary had accepted the classes. Diego didn't know the details, his focus was on training her with the belief that it was the help she needed. His soulmate didn't have to worry about him running off in the moment. He worked better at night with less visibility.
Meet you in the kitchen in 15 if you arent already there
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Chapter Two?
How could he talk to her about moving somewhere else when his survival had been mostly her generosity? Yet it had been over two months and Diego only learned daily how truly dangerous the Big Apple was, with or without powers. He also worried about how many people knew where they lived. Jessica had made it her headquarters and he couldn't help but think of the worse.
So after confirming a few job offers, Diego felt confident enough to offer a proposal. He came home with his duffel in hand and a suit he borrowed from Danny. Jessica might be surprised at his outfit but not the bag that he'd been keeping gear and clothing in, alternating between teaching at the dojo with Colleen, training with Danny and working security at Rand Enterprises or Harlem's Paradise.
The latter was the newest venture so he wouldn't have to take matches. Few things seemed to make Jessica tense but any mention of him fighting for money did just that. He'd spent time playing bodyguard to her when she was hurt which didn't provide an income although Diego considered it time well spent. Not only was he arriving in a suit but had their favorite Chinese take-out too.
"Lucy, I'm home!" he called playfully while unlocking the door and entering the apartment.
Oooh, there's chapters
God, she found herself smiling sappily to herself in the middle of the day sometimes, drawing attention to herself by her stupid, lovesick expression. But it was hard to get worked up over it, especially when she'd been in line behind an older couple, looking off to the distance and thinking of what kind of sandwich to get him for dinner that night, then thinking of feeding it to him, from his lap-. She'd been jolted out of her daydream by the woman ahead of her turning to her and giving her the most knowing smile of all as she patted her arm. "Ah, I remember those days," she'd said, voice high but soft, and with a heavy Russian accent. "Trust me, devushka, it doesn't get any less. Only more."
The instinct to scoff had been lingering, but the intent behind the comment was just too damn genuine, and she'd found her cheeks pinking as she waited in line. She'd wound up getting them huge cuban's that she had indeed fed him from his lap. It had gotten messy. She grinned just thinking back to it.
That grin was still on her face while she sat at her desk, going over the last bits of information for a client about the goings on of their ex employee trying to claim workers comp. Unfortunately for the client, the guy had legitimately been hurt and wasn't trying to cash in beyond what he'd earned. The door opening and the phrase being said had her laughing, but she didn't look up from her laptop, still wanting to get it finished entirely before he distracted her. "I'm not a redhead and you're way sexier than Ricky. I'm also pretty sure you're not Cuban."
damn skippy
"At least one of us is sure," he quipped in return. Jessica wasn't wrong; he had shared Reginald Hargreeves had bought him in Mexico, not Cuba. Diego still used the opportunity to continue the banter. He set the food down on her desk. "How much longer are you gonna be?"
There was no rush in the question. He was deciding on going to get utensils and bring them to her or if they'd sit down to have the meal. Diego would start taking of the suit jacket and roll up his sleeves depending on her answer.
♥♥
Her brain had short circuited. Diego looked good to her no matter what he wore. Especially when he wore his birthday suit. But dressed up in a suit with that look on his face? Nope. She was going to need a minute. A blissful smile melted onto her face and she pushed back from her desk. "I can be done now."
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He shook his head in objection. "You don't have to be done yet. You were in the middle of something. I can get the chopsticks and wait to talk until after." There was a nervous excitement she might pick up on as Diego tried to act casual but was failing miserably.
Instead of keeping eye contact, he opted to take off the few knives he strategically placed on his person without removing his suit jacket yet.
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That, more than anything, clued her into his mood. Tense. He was tense. But not in a bad way. Okay, so something was up. She chewed on her lower lip before she moved to scoot her chair back in towards the desk. "Not the middle. Near the end. Just wrapping up the details for the file. I can print it and deliver it tomorrow."
Her eyes were going to keep going back to him when she started typing, because... well. "You look nervous. Are you planning on telling me something I don't want to hear?"
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He set his knife down with a crooked grin and headed to the kitchen. "Does that mean you're staying in tonight?" he asked over his shoulder. It was a stupid question. She'd been staying in most nights, going out with him than alone since her injury. The question now to her was a stalling technique.
It might have been a bad call, possibly exacerbating any concern she had over what he might be up to. Diego hoped she wouldn't think the worst but didn't know how to recover from what she asked. He hoped it wouldn't be something she didn't want to hear but also could understand if she viewed it that way.
She'd hear him going into a kitchen drawer to fish out utensils.
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Chapter Three
The building was an old factory not far from the docks where a breeze could bring in the smell of the Hudson, which the jury was still out for Diego on whether that was a good or bad thing. He was sure the radiation that made the Hulk a thing was probably in it along with other toxic waste. Nonetheless, the building was perfect for what the happy couple were looking for.
Mostly the living quarters on the second and third floors would need elbow grease. The floor level had been functioning as a small scale warehouse and the office had been recently renovated. Jessica could work right away in the space if she wanted as the internet and other utilities were all up to par.
It took another six weeks for updating on the bathrooms where the office could have a private one separate from where clients (seeking services from a PI or self defense classes) would have access, and the primary bathroom for the nearly married newlyweds would call their own. Fortunately an elevator in the building made it easier to get renovations going.
"I don't think I understand any of this security stuff that Danny got set up for us. Why can't each camera just have it's own dedicated little tv?" The way his father had set up security at the mansion.
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Jessica wouldn't go so far as saying that Diego was technophobic, but he hadn't been raised in the world of convenience, and it would take him a bit longer to get more familiar with and happy with all the things she took for granted.
He wasn't afraid of physical labor, though. He was quick to roll up his sleeves and jump in on setting things up and hammering things into place. He also didn't mind calling her over in front of some of the few workers he vetted into the place to ask her to lift something or hold something that would take multiple people to do. It freaked the men out the first time, but after the initial surprise wore off, they seemed to delight in getting things that needed 'a woman's touch' to pull off, so they could convince him she definitely needed to be the one to do it. "Hey, Diego, don't you think this stack of cable spools could use a woman's touch to get safely up to the third floor?" Cue a line of men, and her man, watching her heft the pallet and then opt to jump through the open top window instead of carrying it up the stairs, followed by hoots and raucous laughter. She didn't mind putting on a show, particularly when it kept everyone in a good mood and also helped get things moving along more easily.
Danny still never got sick of watching her pull off casual shows of what she was capable of, and it made her feel like he was still a ten year old boy. Still, he was helping a lot with the costs of their new setup, and considering it wasn't just their home, but where they'd work out of for herself, Diego, and to bring overflow from Danny and Colleen's school into it, she'd pocket the usual sarcasm she normally threw around.
The gym would be Diego's area, even though she knew he'd be more than happy to share if she decided to use it, and the area behind the intake office would be hers, where she'd store client info and work on cases that needed room to visualize. There was also a safe room installed, along with a 'secret' emergency exit, and a containment room for anything she or Diego found that needed to be dealt with by either authorities or Danny's geek squad.
It was still being worked on, some rooms not finished with the wiring for security or walls not set up entirely while plumbing was finished, but the main areas, the living areas, those were ones she'd noticed Diego and Danny seeming to focus on. He hadn't said it, but every action of getting this place set up for them screamed to her how much he wanted her out of her old place and into this one. He was nesting, setting up this elaborate den to lure his mate into. It was fucking adorable.
"That way," she continued, pulling up the system and flicking through to the camera that was set up in the room they were in, "if you get the heebies about something, you can pull it up and watch me not sneaking a barrage of lovers in behind your back. Or, you know, in case of ninjas." The fact that was a thing that needed to be said still made her want to throw her hands up. Fucking ninjas. Resurrected, undead assassin ninjas. There were mutterings about Matt being back, and if she ran into another ninja, she was going to break their legs and carry them to his door and tell him to deal with his mess. Goddamn asshole.
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It took some time but he was finally developing an appreciation for the phone he once called repeatedly stupid. Diego listened and made a face as she mentioned being able to watch out for ninjas. Rand had mentioned that maybe they weren't mistaking him for Murdock but that the red devil was actually back.
Too much was going on with the renovations to get a decent discussion going but Diego imagined that would happen sooner than later. A part of him hoped the rumors were false. It seemed like a shitty thing to not tell the people who fought with you that you were still alive but he knew there was a lot more to the story. For now, there was a move to complete.
The strange things going on was the reason why Danny pushed to get security immediately in place. Diego appreciated it. Electricity and electronics were left to Rand connections while Number Two sanded floors, stained them, painted walls and worked on plumbing. Minor plumbing. His limit had been installing a toilet. 'Last thing I wanna chance is flooding the place.'
Finding a balance was hard. He was going on day 3 of no sleep, wanting to finish one last thing. Jessica was right; Diego was giving 110 percent into making the place perfect for them. He was glad her office was set but it wasn't finished until the glass Trish had got her for the door was installed.
Whenever someone new showed up to work, Diego was sure to do a knife demonstration and emphasize being able to hit a target around a corner so they'd know what to expect if any damage came to that door. It also didn't hurt to see Jessica help out and know the door was hers.
"I think our room's ready for the furniture tomorrow. It's been a few weeks with no traces of roaches or rats. I'm gonna work on the kitchen cabinets now that the floors and paint is all done." Diego let out a big yawn and quickly returned to cleaning up the paint brushes so he could clear out the room.
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She went over to him, coming up behind him and resting her hands on his shoulders, kneading there gently. "I think we should pack up here for the day and go get some rest. Real rest, Diego." There was a firmness there that, if he was getting familiar with her tones, would let him know that she wasn't going to be argued with over this.
He was trying to get everything done soon. Now. But they weren't on a time crunch. No schedule loomed overhead. Just that internal clock of theirs, and his seemed to be set for something specific. She kneaded at his shoulders, giving him a small massage as they stood there. "Don't make me break out the cuffs so that their first use isn't absolutely kinky and is more of a health thing. I'll get Claire over here to prescribe eight hours of cuffs."
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Diego relented, feeling that if Jessica was threatening him with Claire then he would never win. "You know, the water runs here now. I could get a shower and we can just use the air mattress. Cut out the travel time." Another yawn left him as pausing and the shoulder massage seemed to catch up how tired he was.
It was surprising that Jessica had waited as long as she did to put her foot down. He'd been working like a mad man to get everything working where most the construction staff preferred when she was around. Or that could be because she'd cut their workload in half. Diego might have repeatedly tried to get the crew to work at his speed and attention to detail.
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She kissed the side of his neck, then kept rubbing at it. "I can carry you home if you want. You're tired. Tired means accidents happen. So let me take care of you until you're not tired."
Jess had a feeling part of it was wanting her out of the old place sooner than later, but she didn't want him working himself into an accident when there was no time table to push them. Not one that he hadn't designed, anyway.
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Chapter Four
So between her and Connie, they'd set up to have her forget something at the place to drag him in and have there be a surprise housewarming in the office section. Her office section. The place she was willing to open to people. The dojo was his, and some part of her wanted to keep the upper rooms as solely theirs. Private. Both of them had so little of that.
There was catering and booze, thanks to Danny's funds, and even some of the construction guys that had taken a shine to Diego were invited. So as she pushed him ahead of her into the office and made him flip on the light, she got to watch him react to the loud 'Surprise!', grinning as she came up behind him, arms around his waist. "Welcome home, mi amor."
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He planned on heading out to patrol the city when his wrist buzzed, alerting him of a message on his phone. Jessica. He looked questionably when another message alerted him. Rand. The first message was his soulmate needing to go back to their pending new residence and the latter was his sorry excuse for a vigilante partner, canceling on him for something that came up last minute. Diego pulled off his domino mask and responded to his fiance that he was on his way.
It wasn't as if Diego could be angry with Jessica. If anything, he was concerned over why she was anxious. He hadn't found a way of saying something about what he could feel coming from her as they traveled to her office in their place. His soulmate was adamant that she shut off the alarm system from her phone (something he hadn't bothered much with since they weren't living there yet) so he went in and pushed the rocker switch to turn on the lights.
SURPRISE!
Diego had nearly grabbed a knife from the surprise but could feel Jessica lose her anxiety for a happy excitement, then her arms wrapped around him from behind. His confusion remained but only for a few seconds more before putting 2 and 2 together; she had been anxious to surprise him. It was the sweetest thing that anyone had done for him in his life. He grinned from ear to ear, looking at the crowd of friends in the small space.
"What is this?" he laughed as Danny and Colleen walked toward him and Jessica.
"It's a surprise housewarming. A little celebration for the new chapter in your lives. There's food and a few more gifts," Danny had immediately answered. A nudge from Colleen prompted him to add. "For the two of you to finally make things official. It's all in the yellow envelope on your desk."
Number Two turned enough so Jessica was at his side, lowering his head to give her a kiss. "I love you. Thank you for all of this." The initial response was to Jessica and the latter was between her and their friends. A few of the construction crew were beaming, quick to motion toward the food and drink.
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It was a pleasant deviation from the norm that the opposite was happening. Hell, it was downright mundane to have a housewarming party. "You can thank Colleen for the food selection. I was all for just pizza." Which there was some of that, but there was also a full spread, courtesy of Danny's funds and Colleen's taste. "And that means we're going to be bunking here tonight. In case that wasn't perfectly clear."
It wasn't nerves as much as just... anticipation that her life was moving forward, and it was doing so in a way that was good. Wanted. The only regret she had was that Trish wasn't here to share it with her. She squelched that thought, because she didn't want him picking up on anything negative. Only happy thoughts tonight.
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The same could be said about the gathering that Jessica put together for him. People who actually enjoyed being around him were present, not those that were obligated out of some notion of family. Weddings and funerals. The Umbrella Academy had only had one of each. He might think of his siblings when it was time to tie the knot but they weren't on his mind at the moment.
"Wait, everyone's gonna be spending the night?" Diego questioned through a forced grin.
Danny snorted. "She means you two. We're only here to eat food after seeing that dumb look on your face." A few of the construction guys piped up, adding that they wanted to see some knife throwing to which Rand gave a nod while still grinning. "And knife throwing. They wanted to see us spar and Jessica lift weights but Colleen talked them out of that."
"Let me guess, Raul wanted to see the lifting and Jermaine wanted to see us fight?" Diego questioned through a smirk while looking at each of the guys.
"No, Boss. I'm here for the food and I thought you might throw a knife before realizing what was going on," Jermaine said through a mischievous smirk. "You got Raul right but it's Easy who wanted to see you and Mr Rand go a round."
Easy had a plate of food in hand, immediately shaking his head and glaring at Jermaine. "Yeah, right. I'm not the only one wanting to see that fight." After the annoyed statement, Easy looked over at Diego. "What say you, Boss? One quick match on the mat? Make sure it's set up right for when the classes start?"
Raul took one look at Jessica and Colleen and shook his head. "Easy, you pick a boring match. My money is on the ladies!" the Dominican man quipped in a Spanish accent about as thick as Easy's Haitian one (not very thick but clearly one).
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"C'mon. Eat and drink. I've been too nervous most of the day to eat much. Now I have an appetite."
All she was feeling through their link was a warm sort of glowing happiness, and that was the whole point of what she'd been doing. To get him something that made him feel like he fit in. Something he wanted. Something theirs.
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Jessica was familiar with Claire and Misty but Colleen still felt it only right to give the private eye a chance at accepting or rejecting the idea of them appearing at her house to train with her soon to be husband. Diego had been working more with adults while Colleen and Danny worked better with kids.
"Yeah, we'll see." Diego chimed in after Colleen. "This is a training facility, not for spectators. You wanna see any of us spar then you're gonna have to participate in the classes. I could always use someone to demonstrate moves on," Number Two taunted the construction crew.
All 3 muttered complaints but busied wih plates they previously fixed for themselves. With jobs in the morning, none planned on staying long.
Diego slipped behind Jessica, instinctively letting her first at the food but quickly following. "Definitely having a little of everything. Love all this," he commented happily with a loud stomach growl in agreement. The Asian fusion would more than hit the spot.
"There's also Kirin, Sapporo, and a couple bottles of Nihonshu--you might know it as sake--that anyone driving should stay away from but small amounts are really good with the food," Danny piped up and poured a glass for Diego of Daiginjo that was a gift to the couple. "If it's too strong, I can get you something else." Rand looked between Diego and Jessica.
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Chapter Five
The days after that were good. Almost too good. She kept waiting for something to come along and screw it up, as per her usual. But that sword just kept hanging over her, and she kept going to sleep naked and sweaty and waking up in some form of an embrace with the person who meant the most to her. When she woke before him, some mornings she'd just lay there as the room around them lightened, watching his face and how little strain there was on it. How relaxed and peaceful he was.
She wanted more with him. Wanted to do more with him, to show him how she felt, how much he meant to her. She thought about Coney Island and all the things to do there, and how her memories of his childhood was missing all that. No rides. No fun things. Only training and acting like a show pony for his 'father'. There'd been a memory of him as a younger boy, watching kids in a line from a school trip going somewhere with teachers, holding hands in a line and laughing and being children. The memory was colored with envy, and it made her sad. Sad for the child he'd never been. But it was still just slopping out of winter, and she wanted to show him Six Flags and all the happy fun crap when it was in a light to be seen, not off-season and pitiful. And he wouldn't be one of the Umbrella Academy here. Not wearing a mask and putting on a show. No one curbing anything he wanted to go see or do. Or eat, if she could get him to stop being quite so anal about food. And money.
So that was a plan for later, and she made a nebulous note in her journal for April and May, to block off a weekend for them to enjoy what she could show him. But for now, she was busy going over her bills and sending out payments to what needed to be paid. It was mid-afternoon and the rumble in her stomach reminded her lunch was coming up, so she figured she'd shoot a text to Diego to see if he was up for sharing it with her or if he was busy and she'd have to wait until dinner to have a taste of her soulmate.
Hungry and free?
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If Jessica thought she had been read the riot act after their housewarming, it would be obvious that Danny didn't snitch on Diego. Rand received threats of violence if he ever mentioned sake again in the days that followed. Yet the knife thrower was easy to distract from the unpleasant memories with the promise of a future he never believed before was possible.
'No sake at the wedding reception. Got it!' Number Two had to remind his ...investor that each of the happy couple wanted to establish their respective businesses before tying the knot. Yet that wasn't exactly the truth. Diego wanted a nice ring for Jessica and still had to figure out how their finances would measure up with the new mortgage payment.
He wasn't worried but it was something he'd set as a plan to follow. Jessica knew he wanted to make things official between them, possibly even changing his name instead of the tradition that she take his. It couldn't be bad to lose the reminder that he'd been purchased as a child. Yet something also tugged at him; what if one of his siblings somehow ended up in this timeline? The name would be the only way of finding him.
His mind wasn't on past or his relatives at the moment, only the woman he wanted to marry who had made the screen on his phone light up. The morning class was over and he had a few hours until the afternoon and evening classes started. Diego was more than happy to see Jessica but depending on what she had in mind, he knew it might be better to wait until they were both done with work.
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Flirting with him was easy. And surprisingly fun. It was interesting to her to find that he'd brought fun back into her life in a way that she didn't question. Others might, people she knew that looked at her like she'd grown a second head when they saw her smiling over something he said. But that was their bullshit to figure out.
She was going to eventually convince him that she was happy with just him, not with what he could monetarily give her. But that was going to be a whole level of convincing that might involve therapy, and neither of them was into that idea at the moment.
Still, she leaned back in her chair, rocking it slightly as she grinned down at her screen, waiting for his answer.
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youre going to have to be more specific... food? ME?
A smirk tugged at his lips while waiting for her reply. He peeled off the shirt he wore, readying for a quick shower after the training session. Diego flung the removed shirt over a shoulder and picked up the phone again when he noticed an alert for someone at the door to the dojo. Jessica also had access to the cameras and could see, if her phone alerted her. It wasn't as if the person rang the doorbell. Even stranger, the door was open during class hours.
Diego set his phone down and headed to the door, curious as to what the hooded figure was up to. The figure appeared indecisive about entering. There was never a look up to the cameras, or even a suspicious look around that Number Two would expect from someone up to no good. In fact, he was sure the person wearing the hoodie had no idea there were cameras.
Quickly, the instructor/owner slipped the shirt back on that he'd taken off just moments ago before opening the door. "Can I help you?" Diego questioned while the door handle was still in his grip. It would be easy to slam shut if he hadn't assessed the scene correctly. Yet as soon as the face looked up, he immediately opened the door wider.
She was a student. Her face was freshly bruised which was new. In the classes she attended so far, the bruises were normally hidden under clothes and never exposed. "Mary? What happened?" Diego instantly asked as his face furrowed into an angry expression out of concern.
"I can't come to class anymore," she told him in a voice that trembled from crying. The cameras could hear the conversation and see the hooded figure lift a hand to wipe at her face. "Please don't tell Claire. Can you give her the money back for the classes without telling her?" Mary choked on a sob and Diego finally stopped glaring, his face falling with sadness.
"Mary, he's going to kill you. And what about your son? You can't--Come inside. I'll figure something out."
She shook her head furiously. "I have to go. Please, just don't tell Claire. I have to get Charlie from school and bring him straight home. I'm sorry." With that, she ran off. Diego clenched his fists at his sides in frustration, rigid with tension.
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She sent that back and was grinning at the thought of how he planned to reply when an alert notification popped up on her phone.
Jessica watched the interaction between what was clearly a student and Diego. She knew that look. Knew from the tension that went through his body and the emotions she was picking up through their bond that he was a mix of sad and pissed. She also knew that lunch was probably off the table, along with anything else in that moment, and she sent a second text.
Anything I can do to help with that?
Because regardless of what he said or did, she knew he wanted to. Diego had a soft spot for women and kids, and while he hadn't exactly been beaten by his father, said figure had stood by and made his childhood a competition for affection that had been supplied by a robot. She didn't want to step on his toes, but she also didn't want him running off half cocked.
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i can make some tacos after a shower and you can have both.😘
He wasn't sure if Jessica heard the conversation over the camera or just watched him through the camera. Diego might have tried to remain playful over text but was reeling internally, certain that his student's days were numbered and worried the same fate would fall her young son.
Her son was the reason Mary had accepted the classes. Diego didn't know the details, his focus was on training her with the belief that it was the help she needed. His soulmate didn't have to worry about him running off in the moment. He worked better at night with less visibility.
Meet you in the kitchen in 15 if you arent already there
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