A/N: Oh, wow, I love writing for this fandom. Thank you to everyone for all the nice words on this series. You're all awesome. The song for this one is God, Help Me by Leah Blevins. If any of you have any Diego/Vanya songs that are your favorites, feel free to let me know. Enjoy.

You're like graffiti on an old boxcar, written in the darkness like the scars on my heart,

DPOV

Running into her on the street was never the plan but it should've been. They live in the same city. And yeah, it's a sizeable city but the chance has always been there. He's out with Eudora and they've just left some fancy French place the he hadn't liked at all but went to at her insistence. Diego is trying to make this thing with her work. She's his first serious relationship besides the one that he won't acknowledge and only one other person knows about. Okay, two other people.

Well, three people but one of them is dead.

And that sounds terrible, even in his own mind and he silently apologizes to Ben.

It takes Diego a second to realize there's someone with her, he's so focused on her. It's always been that way and a few years isn't going to make much of a difference. Not even that book made a difference. And he hates that book. Hates the way it makes him feel. Hates that she saw so much of him but didn't see what mattered. He doesn't know if he's made that she didn't mention their relationship or if he'd have been madder that she did. Either way, she left it out completely like it had no impact on her life. It wasn't even a footnote.

Seeing her now, he can't help but look her over. She'd let her hair grow out some but not by much, maybe a couple inches. Or wait, she'd cut it again because the photo of her on the back of the book has longer hair. She's still beautiful but her face has lost some of its roundness. Her cheekbones are sharper, her face leaner.

The man with her is nearly as pretty as she is. He's not her type at all goes through Diego's mind before he shoves it away. And then he sees the man eyeing his knives as realization flits across his face.

Eudora wraps a stiff arm around his waist and he knows he's being strange but he's angry. Eudora knows how he feels about that book and the person that wrote it. Well, okay, not really how he feels. But, mostly how he feels. Because while he still has sentimental feelings for Vanya, he doesn't want to, he's with Eudora, he likes Eudora.

He puts an arm around Eudora's shoulders and watches as Vanya wraps her arms around herself. Diego's curious about that and so is the man with her as he looks at her with concern.

"I'm sorry, it was nice to meet you but I have to go." Vanya says without looking at either of them and rushes off past them.

"Um, sorry. Vanya's not feeling well. It was nice to meet both of you, though. Have a nice evening." The man says and follows after Vanya.

Diego doesn't even think about it as he moves away from Eudora and turns to watch the man catch up with Vanya. He watches as Vanya looks over her shoulder once before putting her arm through her date's arm and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Diego?" Eudora calls loudly. He glances at her and continues walking the direction they'd been going.

They make it all the way to Eudora's house and he's still angry. So many memories are trying to break free. Good and bad. Trying to get out some of the excess aggression he's feeling, he slams the door, preparing to change and go on a patrol, find a bad guy to beat up.

"If you're going to throw a fit and act like a child, don't bother coming to bed." Eudora tells him in a tone he doesn't recognize.

He pauses and looks at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She scoffs at him.

"What does that mean? It means I feel like the only adult in this relationship most of the time. You always have a bad attitude, you don't know how to talk about anything, much less feelings, I barely know anything about you except what was written in that book you claim to hate so much but have read a dozen times."

She throws her hands around and stomps her feet as she yells and he's kind of amazed. He's never seen her act like this before, didn't know she had it in her. It kind of reminds him of Allison when she didn't get her way.

"You run around in a costume and try to make your daddy love you and all the while you're terrified to have an actual relationship because apparently you've never had one before. You're just a scared child, Diego, and you need to get over it."

"You done?" He asks her as he waits by the door patiently. He doesn't respond to her yells and taunts, just waits her out and asks if she's done. He doesn't need this tonight. Not tonight.

She glares at him and he takes that for an answer, heading towards her bedroom. It takes her a minute to follow him but he's already walking back out, having grabbed his bag and the few items he'd left sitting out already.

"Where are you going?" Eudora asks him, her tone confused as he moves towards the front door.

He stops and stares at her, unsure if she's serious right now. She'd thrown a full-blown tantrum for no reason and she wants to know where he's going. So, he puts his bag down and faces her fully and tells her.

"I'm going home. Back to my place. I won't listen to a hypocrite. You say I'm acting like a child and yet you're the one throwing a tantrum in the living room, screaming and stomping your feet when I've done and said nothing for you to act that way. I slammed the door, that's it. And maybe I shouldn't have but I'm allowed to be angry, Eudora. I spent a long time not allowed to express my feelings, barely allowed to have them. I won't apologize for it now and I can't believe that, after everything, you'd want me to."

Grabbing his bag once more, he leaves.

The walk back to the gym is long but he doesn't mind. It helps him clear his head. He's surprised Eudora had acted the way she had and he doesn't know what to tell her. It's the first time they've had a fight that didn't end up with them naked. He'd actually walked away.

That's new.

Going into the gym, he decides against a patrol and instead changes into gym clothes and decides to hit the punching bag for a while. It doesn't help him forget but it helps to wear him down so he can get some sleep. After he showers, of course.

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