Chapter Text
No. 4
There were two reasons Diego still kept the boiler room at the gym: the first being, he liked the gym and it was nice to get away from his siblings for a night; and two, he needed a place to bring dates home. There was no way he was taking anyone to the mansion, where his siblings seemed to agree that privacy, especially Diego’s, was meaningless. He had assumed no one would walk in, uninvited, when he was at the gym.
He was very wrong.
He also really should have known that it would be Klaus.
Diego woke to a loud cry. He grumbled, burying his face in his guest’s neck, snuggling closer. His sleepy brain figured maybe, getting closer to him was the way to make the noise go away.
His sleepy brain was an idiot.
“Diego Hargreeves!” The noise yelled, and Diego groaned. Who was yelling at him, in his own apartment??
Wait. That voice sounded a lot like… he looked up and glared. “Klaus?”
His brother’s grin spelled out very dangerous things. “Is that a man in your bed, brother of mine?”
Diego glanced over, at the guy who was supposed to be a quick hookup, that had turned into something of a one-night-stand. Sterling, his name was Sterling. He was still sleeping, even with Klaus being, well, Klaus. Diego felt a strange rush of affection for him.
Diego climbed out of bed, his muscles protesting, pulling on a t-shirt that he was fairly sure wasn’t his. “Maybe.”
“Ha!” Klaus cried triumphantly. “I knew I wasn’t the only one who liked co-”
Diego slapped his hand over Klaus’ mouth, his reflexes clearly more awake than he was. He scowled. “Finish that sentence, and I’ll stab you in a place you really don’t wanna be stabbed.”
Klaus rolled his eyes and struggled against Diego’s grip until he moved his hand away. “I’m pretty sure all of me is a place I don’t wanna get stabbed!” He bit back.
Diego merely raised a brow, then looked down pointedly.
Klaus gasped, his hands quickly going to protect his crotch. “You wouldn’t!”
“If it means not discussing either of our sex lives with you? I definitely will,” Diego replied cheerfully, his smile growing at the scowl on Klaus’ face. He paused when he heard shuffling, glancing behind them.
Sterling was out of bed, and pulling on his clothes.
Diego sighed. “Just, stay right here, okay?” He waited for Klaus to nod in assent. “Wait. Don’t move.”
“‘M not a dog,” Klaus muttered, but Diego wasn’t paying attention anymore.
Diego placed a hand on Sterling’s shoulder, an embarrassed smile on his lips. “Look, I’m sorry. I know this is weird, but… my brother is kind of…” he trailed off and looked at Klaus, who, it looked like, was having a heated argument with Ben. Or, at least, Diego hoped it was Ben.
Sterling’s gaze followed his, and he didn’t seem fazed. He smiled lazily, tugging his t-shirt down. “Don’t worry about it. I’m guessing he’s part of that crazy family you were tellin’ me about?”
Sterling’s southern drawl was even thicker when he was still sleepy, and Diego almost lost his train of thought. Almost.
He nodded sheepishly. “Call me later?”
Sterling grinned. “Definitely. Have fun with your brother.”
With that, he walked away, whistling cheerfully. Diego’s gaze followed him out the door, and dumbly wondered if Sterling was wearing his shirt, and why the thought of that made his stomach flutter.
Diego was pulled from this line of thought, though, when Klaus cleared his throat noisily. “Am I allowed to comment on the fact that you look at him like you want to eat him, or will that also get me stabbed?”
Diego’s ears felt hot, and, if pressed, he could agree he probably deserved that. “Thin ice,” he muttered.
Klaus looked delighted. “So you do want to eat him!”
“Shut up, Klaus.” Diego’s whole face felt like it was on fire, and his brother’s smirk wasn’t helping.
Suddenly it was like there was a vice grip of panic around his heart, and he glared. “You can’t tell anyone,” Diego forbade, scowling at his brother. He could already see a plan brewing in Klaus’ mind, and he knew he wouldn’t like it.
Klaus rolled his eyes, flouncing over to Diego’s couch and draping himself across it. Diego shook his head. Drama queen .
“It’s not like they would care,” Klaus chided, jutting out his lower lip. “And I kind of have this bet going with Luther…”
Diego’s scowl was enough to shut Klaus up. “I know they won’t care; that’s not the point,” he said stubbornly. He sighed and scrubbed his hand over his chin. “It’s not like I’m in the closet or anything-”
“Kind of are,” Klaus interrupted with a grin that told Diego he knew exactly how annoying he was being, and he enjoyed it.
Diego threw him a glare. “Not,” he corrected, a little forcefully, then rolled his eyes. “I’m not ashamed or anything, or in denial, or whatever bullshit you’re going to spout because you think you’re the queer guru. My friends know, Eudora knew, the guys on the force know; I just don’t want our family to know.” He crossed his arms over his chest and fixed Klaus with a stern look. “I don’t want to tell our nosy, never-take-no-for-an-answer siblings to know, okay? They would take it too far. And I thought you’d be the first person to understand that, considering.”
Considering Allison had caught wind that Klaus had fallen in love and pestered him about Dave until Klaus had, had a panic attack, because he hadn’t been at all ready to relive the memories.
The manic gleam faded from Klaus’ eyes, and his expression softened. “Okay, okay. I won’t tell them. But I still reserve the right to gossip with the dead!” He cried, his grin coming back full force.
“You can tell Ben,” Diego allowed. Generously, he thought.
Klaus pouted. “Ben already knows!” He stared intently at the empty space to Diego’s right, then grinned like the cat who got the cream.
Diego’s guard was instantly back up. Whatever had Klaus smiling like that was not going to be good for him.
He was right. “Ben came to check on you last night,” Klaus singsonged, and Diego felt the blood drain from his face. “We knew you were pissed, and Ben wanted to make sure you weren’t going to do something stupid.” Klaus was still grinning maniacally, bouncing on his heels. “Apparently, you gave him quite the show. You scarred him for life!” He paused, looking at the same empty space where Diego knew Ben must be, then cackled. “You scarred Ben for death!”
Diego’s face was beet red, but he pushed through the embarrassment. “That’s it, where are my knives?” He growled, mostly an empty threat, reaching for his end table.
Klaus yelped, high-tailing it out of the room.
Diego sighed. Well, that was certainly one way to come out to his brother.
-----
No. 5
Diego was pressed against the front of the gym, being kissed within an inch of his life. He hadn’t gone into the date with any expectations, but he couldn’t deny he was happy at where it was heading. The rough brick scraping his back through his thin t-shirt was paired delightfully with his date’s hungry mouth and wandering hands. He was about to pull back, invite him inside, when he heard it.
“Ahem.”
Diego groaned, and Sterling froze. Just to confirm his suspicion, Diego glanced over his Sterling’s shoulder and sighed. “What do you want, Five?” The part of his brain that desperately wanted to drag Sterling to his bed was holding out hope maybe Five would go away.
The rational side of Diego knew that no matter what, the sight of his brother’s smarmy smirk was the worst of mood killers, and he might as well tell Sterling to go home.
Five rolled his eyes. “You’re on Vanya duty tonight.” He stared at Diego with those guarded eyes that never gave anything away.
Diego sighed again; he had completely forgotten he’d traded shifts with Klaus. Shadowing Vanya, helping to keep her calm now that she had all of these dangerous abilities, it was one of the things all of the siblings had agreed to do. Unfortunately for Diego, it was also more important than the gorgeous guy who was giving him a confused look. Diego leaned forward and kissed him quickly, nipping his bottom lip with a grin. “I have to go,” he murmured, slipping out of his arms. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, still grinning. “Duty calls.”
Sterling scrubbed his hand through his hair, giving Diego an almost affectionate smile. “Another brother?” He guessed, clearly still remembering the Klaus incident from a few weeks before.
“What can I say, they’re more trouble than their worth,” Diego said lightly. “Text me? I’ll make it up to you.”
Five snorted behind him, and Diego flipped him off.
“I’m holding you to that,” Sterling said, all the while eyeing Five with poorly disguised curiosity.
Diego raised an eyebrow, clearing his throat. “One of these days we’ll get a date without being interrupted.”
Sterling laughed. “With a family like yours, darlin’? I’m not so sure.” His expression softened, and he made a shoo-ing motion with his hand. “Go on, then. Duty calls. I’ll text you later.”
Diego shook his head, giving Sterling one last open smile.
Diego turned back to Five, his grin replaced with a stoic expression as he contemplated his brother. Diego meant every word he said to Klaus; he wasn’t ashamed. But, of his siblings, Five and Luther were the only two whose reactions Diego was unsure of. He wasn’t one to offer up explanations, but with Five steadfastly ignoring the scene he’d just interrupted… Diego felt like an explanation might be necessary. He opened his mouth to say, well, something, but Five cut him off quite efficiently, holding up a hand without looking at him.
“Don’t,” Five said, flippant and unconcerned. “I don’t care.” He made a face. “I think I’m the one person that wants to talk about this less than you do.” Five finally turned his head toward Diego, catching his gaze, casual and without judgment.
Diego’s throat caught, and he nodded dumbly.
They walked back to the mansion in a companionable silence, and if Five was a bit more tactile than usual, allowing their arms to brush against each other and shoulders to bump, well, Diego wasn’t going to tell anyone.
-----
No. 1
One thing his boiler room apartment did not have, Diego thought idly, was a private bathroom.
Thankfully, he could use the mansion’s whenever he wished. He felt like the steam still clung to his skin, even as he was walking back to his bedroom. He was so relaxed that he didn’t hear the voice until he was opening his door.
“...a message?” Luther said, standing in the middle of Diego’s childhood bedroom, holding a phone to his ear.
Diego leaned against the door frame, more than a little curious to see what the fuck was happening.
“Diego’s brother!” Luther replied hotly. “And who are you?”
Diego was starting to get a really bad feeling, and he realized then that he’d left his cell phone… in his room. In this room.
He stared at Luther in horror.
“Diego's boyfriend?”
Diego lunged forward, yanking the phone out of Luther’s hands. He scowled at his brother and pushed the phone to his ear. “Sterling?”
“Diego.” His boyfriend answered with a relieved sigh. “How many brothers do you have, again? Because I think I remember somebody promisin’ we wouldn’t be interrupted by them again.”
Diego couldn’t help a smirk. “See, and here I was thinking that all I promised you was a single, uninterrupted date.”
He could practically see Sterling’s answering grin. “Must have missed that part.”
Diego grinned, ready to reply, when he saw Luther’s dumbfounded look. His gut filled with dread. “I’ll call you back, okay? My brother, uh…”
Sterling sighed. “Another brother, another emergency,” he said softly. “Take care of your brother, darlin’. I’ll see you tonight.”
Diego closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. His boyfriend was far too understanding.
“Diego?”
Luther's voice jarred him, and his eyes snapped open. As with most times he looked at his brother, he got a surge of dampened rage. They’d been working on it, and it was usually manageable, but… Diego was terrified. He lied, to Klaus, to Sterling, to his friends. He was scared of coming out, but only to Luther.
Luther, who was so like their father, even now, when they’d all been working on their faults for months. Luther, who still made a face whenever Klaus talked about past lovers. Luther, who was huge and standing in his bedroom and towering over him with that passive expression, like he was judging him.
“What?” Diego snapped, pulling his towel more firmly around himself. The cold set in, and the steam that had made him feel so good before clung to his skin like ice. Luther’s nonreaction reminded him too much of their father’s face when Klaus came out on live TV, during an interview. Right before Klaus got pulled into his office.
They didn’t see Klaus again for three days.
“Fucking say something!” Diego almost screamed, shocking Luther into finally responding.
His brother hunched in on himself, the awkward posture so unlike precious leader Number One, that it, of all things, calmed Diego more than Luther’s response. “So,” Luther said slowly, pulling at his fingers in the same way Vanya did when she was anxious. “So. You have a boyfriend?” He looked at Diego with wide eyes, but Diego couldn’t find any malice within their blue depths.
Diego nodded, taut as a bow string, wishing urgently that he was wearing more than a bath towel.
Luther nodded, his mouth falling open slightly, like he wanted to speak but he couldn’t find the words. Finally, he attempted a smile. “So… you like him?”
A strangled laugh escaped Diego’s mouth. “He’s my boyfriend, of course I-” he swore, turning away and rubbing away the tears that gathered in his eyes. He took a moment to breathe, to collect himself. “You don’t… think it’s weird?” The fact that Luther’s opinion, that his father’s pseudo opinion still meant so much, disgusted Diego. But it didn’t make it untrue.
One of Luther’s gloved hands touched Diego’s bare shoulder, and Diego struggled not to flinch. “No,” Luther answered, bemused. “I mean… you’re happy, right?”
Diego’s breath caught. He thought about Sterling, his ridiculous accent that devolved into gibberish when he was tipsy, the way he would hold Diego for hours and sing in Creole French until he fell asleep, his pretty green eyes that never held an ounce of irritation for him and his idiot family. He laughed. “Yeah, Luther. I am.”
Luther smiled, squeezing Diego’s shoulder.
Diego laughed again, breathlessly, rubbing his forehead. “Can we be done talking about this?” He mumbled, unsure if he could physically take any more emotions after what he had already been through. Luckily, Luther nodded quickly. “Cool. And, uh. Don’t tell anyone, okay? It’s not, I’m not…” he struggled with the words, but as it turned out, he didn’t need to.
Luther nodded sagely, patting Diego’s arm. “Don’t worry, dude. Allison made us watch that Love, Simon movie. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
----
No. 7
It happened on one of their walks around the grounds.
Vanya had always been the most perceptive of them, discounting Ben, but Diego never understood how much until that day.
“So,” Vanya started, popping a strawberry into her mouth. “Are you seeing anyone?”
Diego sputtered, dumbfounded, grabbing the package of fruit from her just to have something to do. He immediately started thinking about which part of his behavior had tipped his sister off. “What makes you ask that!”
“You haven’t been around very much lately,” Vanya said with a shrug, plucking the dish back out of Diego’s hands. “For the past few months, even.”
Oh.
Diego looked down, his lips thinning. So he had been spending too much time with Sterling, if even Vanya had noticed. “I’m sorry, Vanya, I just-”
Vanya cut him off with a smile and a wave of her hand. “It’s fine,” she said firmly, offering him a juicy blueberry. “So…? Are you?”
Diego took the berry, rolling his eyes. He planned to deny it, but he paused, chewing the fruit thoughtfully. If there was anyone he would willingly tell, who wouldn’t try to pry… it would be Vanya. He shrugged. “Yeah.”
Vanya eyed him for a minute. “Boyfriend?” She guessed lightly.
Diego’s eyes widened. They had only just made it official a few weeks before. “How’d you know?!”
Vanya just smiled, looking quietly proud of herself. She shrugged. “I had a feeling.” There was a small pause, and she added, “You’ve been happier lately.”
Diego wasn’t sure how to react to that, a flush creeping up his neck. “He does that,” he admitted, averting his eyes. He could feel Vanya’s gaze on him, but he studiously ignored it. Sterling made him feel things that he thought died with Eudora, but the idea of talking about him, of sharing him with his family…. it made raw panic claw at his throat.
“Do you want to go to the archery range?” Vanya asked randomly, a strange look on her face.
Vanya looked like she was imitating Klaus, almost, when he was trying to distract people. She’s changing the subject, Diego realized, because she can tell I’m uncomfortable. It was times like those that he really appreciated his sister. He looped his arm through hers. “Sure. Wanna put pictures of Dad on the targets?”
Vanya grinned. “You read my mind.”
----
No. 3
“Diego?” Allison called.
Diego looked up from his place on the sofa, raising a brow as his sister walked into the library. “Yeah?”
Allison’s brows were furrowed, and she held a phone in the palm of her hands. “Who’s Sterling, and why does he wish he could kiss you?”
Diego’s heart stopped, and with ice in his gut he realized the phone in Allison’s hands was his. “Where did you get that?” He snapped, snatching his hands out of her grip.
“I found it in the kitchen. It was going off like crazy,” Allison explained, hurt coloring her voice. They had been working on trusting each other, and Diego knew accusing her of something she didn’t do would fuck that up. It was easier to be rational with his phone back in his possession. Speaking of…
He looked down at the screen, reading the texts, a warmth spreading through him that diffused the irritation. “I’ve got to stop leaving this around,” Diego said gruffly, waving his phone and forcing a smile.
Allison just stared at him, with what Diego and Klaus referred to as her ‘mom’ face: flat and unamused. “Diego. Who. Is. Sterling.” Her tone made it clear she wouldn’t ask again.
“None of your business,” Diego snapped, without thinking, just reacting to the tone that reminded him so much of their father. The expression on Allison’s face was enough to shake him of it, though. “Fuck, Allison, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?”
Allison sighed, taking a seat beside him. “No, I’m sorry. You’ve told us before about demanding things.”
Diego shrugged. He had, but it still made him feel guilty, snapping at his sister. Six months with Sterling, he thought with a small smile, had turned him into a wuss. Just the thought of his boyfriend sent another wave of guilt through him, for an entirely different reason. Allison was officially the last to know.
He sucked in a breath from between his teeth. “Sterling,” he began, softly, “is my boyfriend.”
----
“Come on,” Diego muttered, grabbing Allison’s hand. His sister shot him a quizzical look, but he ignored it. Now that Allison was in the know, it was finally time.
“Hey!” Diego yelled, his voice echoing through the halls. “Family meeting, in the library!”
Allison was firing questions at him, but he held up a hand, effectively silencing her. It was time, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still nervous.
Gonna come out to them all tonight. #yolo
He knew it made Sterling groan whenever he used outdated memes, which is precisely why he did it. Imagining the look on his boyfriend’s face was what gave him the strength to look Allison in the eye again. He took a deep breath. “I’m coming out,” he said simply, his casual tone drastically contrasting the nerves that coursed through his body.
Diego didn’t even know why he was nervous! Everybody already knew, had already reacted. It was just telling them as a group, telling them that it wasn’t a secret anymore, and yet, he felt as nervous as he had before coming out to Eudora.
He paced the length of the sofa while he waited for his siblings to file in, all looking equally confused.
“What’s this all about?” Klaus mumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He dropped to the sofa. “I have plans with my bed soon.”
Luther frowned, nudging Klaus’ leg to make room for himself to sit down, while Vanya perched on the arm of a chair. Five fell back into the same chair, glaring with his usual air of irritation.
Diego almost backed out, but a quick text from Sterling was all he needed to breathe easily against
You got this, baby. Love you.
Love you . Love you. Diego grinned. “Well, uh. Allison found out today, so that makes all of you now.” He shrugged, feeling lighter than he had since he had decided to call the meeting. Love you. “ You all know now, so, I guess I’ll just say it to be official. I’m bi. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.”
Diego’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he glanced at the screen, grinning as a text from Sterling popped up.
Need a getaway? Followed by a selfie of his boyfriend, outside the Hargreeves mansion.
Diego couldn’t control his grin. “I’ve got shit to do so, if we’re all done here…” he didn’t wait for them to respond, escaping out the door and almost running to the entrance.
He threw open the front door and laughed. Sterling was perched on the hood of his car, holding a bouquet of purple flowers. “Do you really think I’m a flower kind of guy?”
Sterling shrugged, grinning as Diego approached him. “Well,” he began, parting his thighs so Diego could step between them, and winding his arms around Diego’s neck. “‘S’not every day you come out to your family. Thought I’d get you a present.”
Diego plucked the flowers out of Sterling’s hands, setting them on the car carefully before raising an eyebrow. “And your first thought was flowers,” he deadpanned.
“Yup.” Sterling popped the ‘p’, his lips stretched into an almost obscenely happy grin. “Thought about getting you a new knife, but you got plenty of those. Figured you haven’t gotten flowers before, though.”
Diego couldn’t take the anticipation anymore. He surged forward, connecting their lips for a sweet kiss. “I love them,” he mumbled, the corners of his mouth lifting in a soft smile. Only Sterling.
His boyfriend’s attention wandered, and he laughed. “Don’t look now,” Sterling murmured in Diego’s ear, “but I think we got ourselves an audience.”
Diego looked back and immediately wished he hadn’t. All five of his siblings were watching them from the windows, with varying degrees of interest. He groaned. “This is why I didn’t want to tell them.”
He opened his mouth to apologize for his idiot family, but Sterling was still staring at them, a shy grin on his lips. His boyfriend lifted a hand to wave, ever so hesitantly, and Diego’s stomach fluttered.
“D-duh-do,” Diego began, biting his lip hard to stop the stutters. Sterling was looking at him now, a concerned frown directed his way, a warm hand cupping Diego’s cheek in a way that made him feel small in a distinctly good way. Diego breathed. “Do y-you want to… to meet them?”
Sterling blinked, like the thought hadn’t occurred to him. But it passed in an instant, and his focus is back on Diego, giving him a soft smile. “Do you want me to meet then?”
Diego thought about it. Thought about Luther, who would probably try to intimidate Sterling, or give him some weird version of an older brother speech; of Allison, who would want to know everything; of Klaus, who would definitely be inappropriate and tease Diego for all he was worth; of Five, who would size Sterling up in an instant, and more than likely just casually mention exactly how many ways he knows how to kill a man; and of Vanya, who would just be happy for him. Then he thought of his boyfriend. Sterling, who knew Diego could handle himself, who respected that Diego was a private person, who would probably laugh at Klaus’ dumb jokes and give Vanya that same sunny smile that always warmed Diego’s heart.
It was an easy decision.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think I do.”