"𝑅𝑒𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑦𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑑."
—𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑙𝑖𝑛

𝒟.

𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐆𝐎 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐒 eyes rather reluctantly, though the action was quickly rewarded as his gaze landed upon Natalia's sleeping face.

He gave a soft smile, his embrace around her tightening as he pulled her closer to him. His smile only broadened as she gripped his shirt, and he planted a kiss on her forehead.

The sun was beginning to peek through the small crack between his two curtains, and it was enough light for him to read from the clock's face that it was a little past seven.

Gently, he shook Natalia's shoulder until her eyes fluttered open, and he whispered, "You have to go back to your room."

Yawning, she nodded and got up from the bed.

Before she left, however, she leaned over and kissed his cheek, murmuring a quiet "Thank you" before cautiously heading out of the room.

Diego watched as she shut the door behind her, a small frown forming on his face.

It was now halfway through April, but it seemed as though Natalia was feeling no less guilty than she had been in December; she still had just as much trouble sleeping and eating, and, though she always reassured Diego that she was fine, he could tell that it was eating away at her.

All he could do was continue to encourage her, Diego decided with a sigh as he slipped out of his bed.

He changed into his uniform, did a quick sweep of his hair with his comb, and brushed his teeth. He exchanged a stiff nod of greeting as he passed Luther on the way out of the bathroom, which was returned.

He swept past his room and instead went to Natalia's, and he knocked on the door.

He was greeted by a small smile as the door swung open, and he glanced behind him before stepping inside.

"I'm sorry that I keep bothering you at night," Natalia mumbled as she grabbed her blazer from her bed and shrugged it on.

"You're not bothering me at all, Nat," Diego quickly reassured her as he shook his head, shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he leaned against the wall. "Trust me, I'd rather have you in my bed."

A smile drew onto her face as she shuffled over to her desk and began tidying up the notes that the two of them had been studying from the night before.

They both turned towards the door as the bell rang.

"Don't ever worry about bothering me, princess," Diego murmured as they reached the door, swiftly kissing her forehead. "You can wake me up any time you like."

"Thanks, Diego." She sighed, going on her tiptoes and placing a kiss on his lips. "Let's go."

Diego followed her out of her room and down the stairs, joining the others as they headed toward the dining room.

And it was as Diego stood silently in front of his chair that he realized that what he was doing was utterly stupid. Why did he have to just stand in front of his chair for no reason before every meal? To wait for their father, for the one-worded command to sit down and eat?

Obviously, that was only one of the millions of stupid things he had realized about the Academy and about the decisions that Reginald had enforced. There was also the sending your children out to die every other day, forcing them to beat each other to a pulp in order to train, allowing only thirty minutes of fun per week, hardly ever talking to them, and showing interest only in what made them unique: their powers.

"Why do we do this?" Diego asked quietly, causing everyone to turn to him sharply and with small gasps. "Why do we have to wait for Dad to come to eat?"

"Diego, darling," Grace said lightly, her smile becoming a little tight, "no talking."

"No, he's right," Klaus interjected. "I'm hungry. I want food now."

"Never mind that, why can't we talk?" scoffed Allison, clearly ignoring the warning look from Luther as she turned to their mother. "What kind of stupid rule is that?"

"We can answer those questions later, sweetheart," Grace said quickly, glancing towards the entrance. "Not at the dining table."

"But why?" insisted Allison, putting a stubborn hand on her hip. "I'm pretty sure no other family in America does this."

"I'm pretty sure no other family in the world does this," Diego corrected as he shook his head, ignoring the small nudge that Natalia gave him. "It's because Dad and his rules are stupid."

"Speaking of rules," cut in a stringent voice from the entrance as the echo of footsteps grew louder, "no matter their stupidity—why, exactly, are you not heeding them?"

"Because they make no sense!" Diego rebutted as he turned to his approaching father, ignoring the harder nudge he got from Natalia. "Why can't we talk? Why can't we ask questions?"

"Why can't we just eat when we get here?" moaned Klaus. "I'm hungry!"

"Because those are the rules that I have enforced, and you will follow as such!" answered Reginald sharply, his hard gaze shifting between the two boys. "Number Two and Number Four, I expect you to treat them with as much respect as you do everything else."

"Yeah, because you have so much respect for us?" Diego scoffed. "Your children, who you don't even care about?"

"Bite your tongue, boy!" exclaimed Reginald furiously as he gripped the top of his chair. "We will speak no longer of the matter! Sit!"

Diego, however, did not sit as the others pulled out their chairs and sat down. "Why do we have to follow all these dumb rules? No one else treats their kids like this!"

"Must I remind you that you are far more distinctive than 'other kids'?" questioned Reginald humourlessly. "Must I remind you that there are reasons for these 'dumb rules'?"

"What are those reasons?" Diego asked indignantly, his knuckles growing white from how hard he was clutching the top of his chair. "You never tell us! We just follow, like blind idiots!"

"Rules are set in place for a reason, Number Two," he answered calmly as he picked up his knife and fork.

"Those are the rules that got Ben killed!"

The room that had been filled with the clattering of utensils and creaks of chairs suddenly hushed.

"We shall not speak of Number Six," Reginald said quietly, putting down his knife and fork as he raised his head and matched Diego's hardened gaze. "Especially not during mealtime."

"Why not?" Diego grumbled furiously. "Too scared to realize that it's your fault?"

"My fault?" Reginald repeated with a scoffing chuckle. "Was it I that accompanied on that mission?"

Diego jabbed a finger in his father's direction. "You're the reason he went there in the first place!"

"And you five are the reason he never came home," Reginald replied harshly. "Now, sit and join the rest of us in silence."

"No."

"Diego," Natalia whispered, her voice a little thick as she tugged on the end of his sleeve. "Just sit."

Diego gazed down at her for a moment before turning his attention to his mother, who gave him an encouraging smile and gestured toward his chair.

He sighed in defeat, conceding as he grudgingly sat down.

Natalia quickly patted his knee in reassurance, though she seemed just as reluctant to eat the food in front of her as he was.

Still, the two of them trudged on and ate the oatmeal, watermelon, and turkey slices that they had been given.

As Diego furiously chewed his food, he found himself so occupied in his mind that he didn't even consider for a moment about cutting into the arm of his chair.

He wanted more than ever to leave this place. He had no idea what he'd do or where he'd go, but at least he'd be anywhere but here. . . .

But still, there was plenty of reason for him to stay. Natalia, his mother, and he had to admit, he loved the thrill of their missions.

Not to mention, here, he had food, water, a place to sleep, clothes, and life at no cost. No cost, that is, when you're considering money. When you consider time and integrity, well, there was a lot of cost in that case.

Fifteen minutes later, his plate was spotless, and Diego headed back to his room.

He was stopped, however, by his mother just before he could reach the stairs.

"Diego?" Grace asked, cupping his cheeks and peering into his face with a face of concern. "Are you all right, dear?"

"I'm fine, Mom," he muttered, though his tight expression quickly relaxed as she smiled.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes squinting a little as she dusted off the shoulders of his blazer. "You never usually make such outbursts. Not towards your father, at least."

"It's okay," he reassured her, mustering up a smile. "Just . . . I'm realizing some stuff now."

"Well, of course you are; you're becoming a man," said Grace with pride as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "But you have to control your temper—keep yourself out of trouble."

"Got it." Diego nodded, and he felt his mood lighten as she gave him an endearing smile.

"Now, hurry along," she instructed as she patted his back. "Pogo is waiting for you."

Diego gave her a small grin before heading up the stairs and going towards his room.

The door opened as he grabbed his books from his desk, and he glanced over to see that Natalia was worriedly gazing at him, her books already in hand.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" he muttered as he straightened up, adjusting his books so they wouldn't fall.

She raised her eyebrows as he walked toward her. "You know what."

Diego sighed as he flicked his lights off, and as the two of them began to walk down the hallway, he asked, "Don't you think I'm right?"

"I do. I've been questioning all these stupid rules and this stupid schedule ever since I came here," she answered with a small shrug as they went down the staircase. "But do you really think confronting Dad is gonna do anything?"

"I don't know, maybe," he replied, though he hardly believed his own words.

"It's not," she said flatly. "And you know it's not."

He gave a quiet groan, shaking his head. "I just wanna leave."

"That's not a good idea, Diego. Not yet."

"You don't think I can survive by myself out there?" he asked incredulously as they crossed over into the training complex.

"No."

He turned to her, his incredulity only growing. "Seriously?"

"Diego, I love you so very much, and you know that," she sighed; "but, honestly . . . everything we learn here prepares us for battle. Not for the real world. We don't even know how to file taxes."

"Neither do the normal kids!" he pointed out. "We can just learn!"

"And we will," she promised with a nod. "Eventually."

Diego frowned. "How long?"

Natalia thought for a few moments as they headed up the staircase before shrugging. "At least until we're eighteen."

His eyebrows furrowed. "That's six months from now. That's too far."

"You'll survive," she chuckled, looking around her for a moment before kissing his cheek.

"Will I?"

She smiled. "You will."

𝒩.

Having just finished dinner, Natalia headed back towards her room, intent on studying for the history test that they had the next day.

She, however, never made it back to her room as she suddenly felt someone pull her into a dark closet.

"What the fu—"

A hand clapped over her mouth, immediately rendering her silent, and she reached up to attempt to pull the hand off.

"Nat," a voice whispered, causing her grip to relax, "it's okay."

"Diego?" Natalia's eyebrows furrowed as she felt him grab her waist and pull her closer to him. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied quietly, and she could practically hear the grin in his voice. "Just wanted some alone time with my gorgeous girlfriend."

She raised her eyebrows. "In a closet?"

"No one can walk in on us."

"There's no lock." She scoffed, squinting her eyes to make out his face in the darkness. "And anyone can open the door."

"But why would they?" Diego questioned as his nose wrinkled. "It's filled with our winter coats, and it's April."

"What if someone gets really cold?" she pointed out with a shrug. "Klaus usually gets cold all the time."

He quirked an eyebrow. "So cold that they'd use a winter coat instead of a blazer or something?"

"Well . . ." She trailed off, her lips pursing before waving a dismissive hand. "Whatever. What are we doing in here?"

"I told you," he replied with a grin. "I wanna spend time with my girlfriend."

She rolled her eyes in amusement. "Right, but what are we gonna—"

She was cut off as Diego pressed his lips against hers, and she had no problem melting into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Keeping their lips engaged, the two of them stumbled back until Natalia's back was pressed against the wall.

Diego lowered his hands to her hips as his tongue traced over her bottom lip, and, with a soft giggle, Natalia permitted him entrance as she opened her mouth and felt his tongue slip inside. His tongue was hot against hers, and she could taste the cookie that they had just finished eating for dessert as he tilted his head.

Diego's lips soon left hers, and he began to trail kisses along her jawline, causing her to give a small hum of satisfaction as she leaned her head back.

He returned to her lips, more passionate than ever as he pressed himself tight up against her, and her arms strengthened around his neck as she tried to pull him as close as possible.

Her heart suddenly jumped as she felt him pull off her blazer and drop it to the ground before his fingers slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders. He carefully tugged the top part of her dress down so that it draped around her waist.

As he undid her tie and tossed it to the side, Natalia whispered, "Diego? What are you doing?"

He glanced up at her with a small smirk, planting a kiss on her neck as he unfastened the first button of her shirt. "I'm not doing anything, princess."

"I'm pretty sure you're doing something," she breathed out as he undid the second button and kissed her chest.

Diego grinned, and Natalia suddenly found her fingers twisted in his short hair as he kissed the soft skin of her chest. Her stomach was filled with butterflies, and only more emerged with each kiss that he pressed against the tender areas.

Diego quickly returned to her lips and kissed her passionately as he began to tug on her skirt so that it lowered.

A thought suddenly occurred to Natalia, and, before he could fully pull her dress down, she straightened up and muttered, "Shit!"

"What?" he questioned worriedly, glancing over his shoulder as she buttoned her shirt back up.

"We're supposed to be studying with everyone tonight!" she whispered hurriedly as she pulled her dress back up and slipped the straps on. "For tomorrow's history test!"

"So what?" Diego murmured as she grabbed her tie and tied it.

"So they're waiting for us!" she exclaimed quietly. "And if we don't show up, they'll look for us!"

Diego frowned as he watched her tuck her tie under her dress. "But . . ."

"Trust me, Diego, we can pick up later," she reassured him quickly as she pecked his lips and picked up her blazer. "Now, let's go!"

Tentatively, Natalia pulled the closet door open and peered on either side to make sure that no one was there.

Once she had the all-clear, she crept out of the closet, hearing Diego, who was grumbling under his breath, following closely behind her.

The group was planning on studying in Luther's room that night, so, after grabbing her books, that was where Natalia went.

"There you guys are!" Allison exclaimed as they walked in. "We've been waiting for almost ten minutes!"

"Oh, sorry to inconvenience you." Diego scoffed with a roll of the eyes. "Ten whole minutes."

"What were you guys doing?" Klaus grinned as Natalia sat down between him and Vanya. "Making out?"

"What?" Natalia laughed, now a little nervous. "No, you idiot."

She ignored the wink Allison sent toward her and the nudge Vanya gave her.

"Anyway," Natalia started, her voice a little too loud and a little too high-pitched for her liking, "did you guys start yet?"

"We were waiting for you guys," Vanya answered as she shook her head.

"Remind me one more time what we're studying?" asked Klaus with a small grin as he leaned back against the foot of Luther's bed.

"World history," Allison replied as she raised her eyebrows. When he gestured for her to elaborate, she rolled her eyes and sighed, "The Enlightenment."

"Mhm . . ." Klaus nodded slowly. "And the lightened-mint is . . . ?"

"Enlightenment," Natalia corrected with a chuckle. "And it was a philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the eighteenth century."

Klaus stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I still don't get it, but okay."

"Whatever." Allison sighed, waving a dismissive hand as she turned to face the rest of the group. She glanced down at her notes. "What started it?"

"It started from some key ideas put forth by two English political thinkers of the sixteen hundreds, Thomas Hobbes and Johne Locke," Luther quickly answered.

Allison nodded, her cheeks now a little pink as the two exchanged a smile.

Klaus leaned over to Natalia. "Disgusting."

Natalia nodded. "I wanna throw up."

Allison, seeming to have heard the discourse, threw them a glare that caused them to giggle before asking, "What did Voltaire do?"

After blowing her a kiss, Natalia answered, "Voltaire made frequent targets of the clergy, the aristocracy, and the government. He never stopped fighting for tolerance, reason, freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion."

"Yeah." Another glare. "What about Beccaria?"

Vanya replied, "Beccaria believed the laws existed to preserve social order, not to average crimes. He based his ideas about justice on the principle that government should seek the greatest good for the greatest number of people."

"Damn, girl," Natalia remarked as she nudged Vanya, causing her to grin, "you're a genius."

"I wouldn't say genius," Vanya giggled.

"Yeah," Luther muttered under his breath, "I wouldn't say genius either."

Allison snickered at the remark before asking, "Why did Montesquieu believe that disobeying laws lead to a loss of liberty?" 

Natalia leaned over and slapped Luther's arm. "Because then everyone would have the same power."

"Shit, man, did you guys study for this or something?" quipped Klaus with raised eyebrows.

Natalia scoffed in amusement. "It's almost like the test is tomorrow."

"Eh," Klaus dismissed with a wave of the hand. "I'll freestyle it."

"So, then, Klaus," Allison said as she shifted towards him, "what is happiness?"

"Easy." Klaus scoffed. "Not being sober."

"Nope." Allison grinned as she flipped through her notebook and read out, "The philosophes rejected the medieval notion that people should find joy in the hereafter and urged that humankind could improve."

Klaus shrugged. "A vodka'd do it for me."

𝒩.

Natalia's eyes fluttered open as she heard the sound of the door creaking open, and she squinted to watch as a shadowy figure gently closed the door and came in her direction.

"Hey, gorgeous," Diego greeted quietly as he climbed onto her bed and laid down next to her. "You awake?"

"I am now," she mumbled as she grabbed the edge of her blanket and pulled it over him.

Diego grinned. "Sorry. Couldn't spend another second without you."

Natalia rolled her eyes in amusement as she nestled into him, though a small smile came onto her face. "I'm sure you would've been fine."

Diego turned towards her and used his free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He gently kissed her lips. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

"You can't even see me," she pointed out, her cheeks growing rather warm.

"I don't need to see you," he rebutted with another kiss. "I just know."

"By the way," she suddenly exclaimed as she sat up. "Look what I convinced Alli to lend me."

She slipped off the bed and flicked on the lamp on her nightstand. She grabbed a polaroid camera from her desk and raised it up for him to see with a grin.

"Why'd you want it?" he questioned as she came back and crawled onto the bed, the camera still in hand.

"So we can take pictures!" she exclaimed quietly.

"Now?"

"Now."

Diego frowned. "I didn't even do my hair."

"You still look cute, don't worry," she chuckled. "Smile!"

Diego seemed to have plastered his best smile onto his face, though it widened as Natalia kissed his cheek and snapped the photo.

"Now, we just have to wait," she murmured as she took the photo out and set the camera and photo aside on her nightstand.

She flicked the lamp back off and turned back to him as she settled back into her bed.

"Hey," he suddenly said as he shifted closer, and Natalia could feel his warm breath begin to tickle her chin. "Remember when you said we'd pick things up later?"

"Did I?" she asked lightly, a smile growing on her face. "I don't remember."

"Oh, you and I both know you remember, princess," he whispered before pressing his lips onto hers.

Natalia giggled softly as she cupped his cheeks and brought his face closer to hers, and quickly opened her mouth when he had drawn his tongue along her bottom lip.

Her insides felt as though they were on fire as his tongue explored her mouth, and she let out a short breath as he slipped his hand under her shirt.

She gave a small hum of satisfaction as his hand roamed up higher, and that satisfaction only grew as she heard the small groan he gave as she began to kiss his neck.

"Nat," he murmured all of a sudden, causing her to stop and look up at him with raised eyebrows. He smiled as he gazed down at her for a moment before pressing a short kiss to her lips. "I love you."

Natalia smiled. "I love you too."