The timeline had been reset, and it meant that everything was changed. There were rules about changes this big in a timeline that Five had gone over with all of them, but Klaus couldn't have recited any of it if anyone needed him to. The changes were some small and some big and others completely unexpected. Like when Klaus and Diego had realized that their powers had switched somehow, in all of the mess of the reset. There's no way to explain it, except that sometimes when you mess with time and space and everything inbetween, things are bound to get broken. And the jump Five had made with all of them? It was huge, reached deep and jerked things around wildly and... this just happened to be one of the ways.
Diego definitely got the short end of the stick on that score, and he adjusted about as well as anyone might be able to expect when they were suddenly thrust into a new, completely different powerset than they'd ever been used to. Klaus stuck with him through the adjustment, helped where he could, however he could. But nothing can really prepare somebody for their name being screamed at top-level, being pawed at and bothered by the dead at all hours of the day.
That was years ago now. These days, Klaus and Diego shared a rundown apartment. Klaus had quit a large majority of the vices he'd had, but he never did manage to give up weed. While the anxiety-ridden mess he's always been has toned way down, some things just don't change.
He's curled up on the couch in the living room with a small metal pipe and a lighter, taking a deep drag from it when the front door opens and he glances up. "Di?"
It was one thing to suddenly be a teenager all over again but the bombardment of ghosts had been so overwhelming that Diego understood for the first time why Klaus had relied so heavily on the drugs to get by.
He'd managed, somehow, to get through the last few years without turning to the same but only because he had his soul mate to help him through it. Of course, Diego had definitely used alcohol and the occasional joint when it go too bad.
The case he'd been called out to earlier had been nasty and Patch -his partner and the only person who knew who he was an what he could do- had sent him home when it was clear the ghosts were becoming too overwhelming.
Diego's spacey when he enters the apartment, flinching away from yet another spirit screaming at him, so he doesn't hear Klaus call out for him, as he dumps his stuff on the side table designed for just that. It's the smell of weed that catches his attention and he looks over at his soul mate.
"I'm in here," he calls out, clamoring to set the pipe and lighter down on the table, dragging himself to his feet to meet Diego somewhere in the middle between the front door and the couch.
"What's wrong?" He slides his hands up over Diego's shoulders and squeezes gently. It's a familiar look, a thing he remembers feeling as much as its something he's become used to seeing reflected on Diego's face through the last few years. The touch can help sometimes, solid and warm and real. "Bad day, huh?"
There's a long pause before Diego leans forward, pressing his face against Klaus' chest, taking a few deep breaths and focusing on the touch in an attempt to drown out the screams.
"Double homicide. Gang related by the sounds of it." He'd be lying if he said Klaus' power hadn't helped on the force but most murders or suicides were painful.
He wraps his arms around Diego when he leans against him, moving one hand in smooth, easy circles against his back. "Jesus," he mumbles quietly, pressing a kiss against Diego's temple. "I don't know how you do it, Di... I really don't." Klaus had never been strong enough to deal with the dead, and here Diego was putting himself in a position to purposefully be surrounded by them by the nature of his job.
After a few minutes, he untangles himself from his brother and tugs gently for him to follow, "C'mon..." he leads the way back toward the couch, pulling Diego down onto it with him, tugging him against his side to wrap his arms around him again and just hold him.
Diego knows if he didn't have Klaus and the understanding of Patch he wouldn't be able to get through it all. It didn't change that it was draining as hell sometimes, like today, when he just wanted to fall into a heap and sleep forever to drown out the voices.
It's easy to curl up on the couch with his brother, face pressed against his chest and hands over his ears.
"I'm sorry, Di..." He mumbles quietly, certainly a stark contrast to the other, for Klaus, unheard voices shrieking around the room. He doesn't have to deal with it anymore, but Klaus still remembers what they sound like; how they looked in a swarm around him, trying to get his attention. He wants to help, but he knows that ultimately, he can't. Not really. He'd never figured enough out about his powers to be able to give genuine advice about them.
"What can I do?" he asks softly, sliding his fingers gently through Diego's hair. "Lemme help...please?" The suggestion for a drink or the pipe he'd abandoned on the table the second Diego had come in burns a hole at the end of his tongue. He tries so hard not to suggest those things, though, to not push him down the same path Klaus had followed for too long.
Diego remains silent for a long time, face pressed against Klaus' chest and he just focuses on breathing and the sound of his brother's heart beat under his ear.
"They're just... so loud." They were always worse while he was working on a case that involved murder victims. Maybe because he'd looked down at them, laying deceased on the floor while they screamed directly into his ear about what had happened. "I just... I need them to be quiet for just... ten minutes."
Klaus keeps playing his fingers through Diego's hair, running his other across the width of his shoulders in all his tiniest attempts at anything that might help in keeping him grounded, keeping him calm and not losing himself to the panicked screams of the dead.
"I know... I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'd make it stop, if I..." his voice trails off as he notices the pipe he'd abandoned on the table earlier. He does try, he really does try not to push Diego into his same, old habits, but... His fingers slow in Diego's hair, though they don't stop completely, as he debates for a moment before he quietly asks, "Is it bad enough, you wanna smoke, Di? You know it helps..."
And, Klaus thinks, because Diego doesn't seem to have the same wildly addictive personality that Klaus has always had, and he doesn't use it as a crutch, it may never become anything that stops working for him. He hasn't put himself in a position of relying on it constantly, to needing something more, something deeper, something stronger to put a block of haze between him and the ghosts. So it's different for Diego. Or that's what Klaus keeps telling himself, a small justification in the seconds this becomes the only thing he knows to suggest at all.
After all the years of living with Klaus' ability, he understands why the Seance had turned to drugs to keep them away. They were loud and constant and it was a hell of drain on the old psyche. But with his constant support and a less addictive personality, he hadn't ever become dependant.
At the offer to smoke, Diego lifts his head and considers it for a moment.
It's the spirit standing behind Klaus that helps him make up his mind. He'd spent hours staring at her body and then at photos of her and now she was screaming at him to find her killer and he turns back to Klaus.
Things have been fine enough lately. The day to day is.... just that, day to day. One foot in front of the other until eventually things might be okay. Though sober for awhile now, Klaus still finds himself wanting the things he gave up. He makes due with weed being his only thing, though. The rest is just an itch he can't afford to scratch. The new life he's been carving out for himself is... decidedly better than what he had before.
His main concerns right now are Ben (who is still in a weird adjustment stage of remembering how to be alive again) and Diego (who is pushing himself so far above and beyond with cases he needs to slow down on). But he assures himself it's just a matter of time for Ben, and he hopes the two of them can eventually talk some sense into Diego. He does what he can to keep himself as calm as possible when the damning thoughts on both of those situations try to sink in.
Today has been a relatively chill day at Mystic Journey, where Klaus spends most of his time really bored at the register, waiting for someone to wander in. Tuesdays are always slow here, but he likes the job, and he's good with up-sales of products. Probably because he has a weird amount of knowledge about everything they sell here. And there's no better gimmick than a guy who looks like a walking Ouija Board trying to sell you stones, crystals, and tarot cards.
He frowns when the phone rings, wondering who it could be. When he answers, it's in an light, airy tone, "Thanks for calling Mystic Journey, this is Klaus, what can I do for you today?" He hates the spiel, but he hasn't found a way to make it better, or more his own yet. Soon enough, he supposes.
Adapting to being alive has been this whole-ass thing but Ben likes to think he's doing alright— most of the time, anyway. Sometimes, he forgets things, like eating and drinking, making sure he gets enough sleep, losing track of the time because hey, that's absolutely a thing again! Oddly enough, writing has been one steady thing for him. He goes and goes all day long during those times where it feels as if time is nonexistent; his novels sell pretty well, too. Something akin to a mixture of Lovecraftian and Stephen King, all horror, gore, and despair. A lot of his books don't have happy endings, unlike his life at the current moment.
Well, not the current moment, considering the one small problem they've got on their hands. Diego's definitely having a freakout and Ben's panicking, unsure as to what he's supposed to do during this kinda situation where his brother's disturbed and there's nothing he can do to help.
It isn't the same as it was with Klaus, who went out and got his hands on whatever possible to rid himself of the spirits. Diego's far more stubborn, it seems, lets them haunt him without delay. He needn't do so, yet he puts himself through the worst things at his job, burns the candle at both ends like it's no big deal.
How Ben's so calm whenever Klaus picks up the phone is a goddamn mystery but he is. “Hey, Klaus, it's Ben.” If that weren't obvious enough already. He clears his throat, keeps his tone steady despite knowing the receiver's shaking in his hand. “Diego isn't feeling well, so you need to come home. I—” he hesitates, holds his breath longer than he'd anticipated then finally finishes, “I need your help.” And boy, if that isn't difficult to admit.
Klaus doesn't generally get much in the way of personal calls on the work phone. Ginger really doesn't care, as long as customers are taken care of and things are kept straightened up, he could get away with just about anything on shift. But still. He's made a habit of not taking calls outside of emergencies. Which... doesn't really make him feel great when he hears Ben on the other line, so calm and still delivering not-great-news.
He blinks and sits up straighter. "What's wrong?" The words tumble out of his mouth so quickly they practically trip into each other on the way out, making it a lot more of a jumbled sound than intended. "Did they send him home from work or something? Does he have a fever?" A pause as the door chimes--
"Hey, Lisa. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"
The lithe blonde that Ben can't see, says something not quite discernible over the far-away speaker of the phone, but the next second Klaus is back to the conversation at hand. "I get off in like three hours-- but I'm guessing since you're calling the store, it can't wait?"
He wants it to not be a big deal, but there are already red flags in this phone call making it hard to not let the anxiety of the unknown flood him.
What's wrong is that I have no idea what the hell I'm doing! On the other end of the line, Ben just huffs though, sounding more frustrated than he intends, even if he manages to reel it in at the last second. “Yes, they did,” but he doesn't answer the question about the fever—
And thankfully, Klaus is distracted for a brief moment by someone coming into the store.
What does he say to make his brother understand that he needs to come home without making the anxiety and tension worse? He has no fucking clue. “Three hours?” His turn to address someone away from the phone, although Ben's hand is cupped around the receiver so it's either silenced or muffled by the time he actually turns back.
“No,” he says firmly, hoping his voice isn't too unsteady, “it can't. If it could've, I... I wouldn't have called.” A beat then, “I'm sorry, I know you're busy and all, but I seriously need you here.” Another pause, a long, slow sigh. “As quickly as you can be.”
Klaus is busy enough with doing something at the counter that he misses any possible mutterings over the other end of the line. He might have been more concerned if he had heard any of it.
Not to worry, though. His concern ramps up to twelve as soon as Ben stresses that it can't wait. It's like a brick of anxiety dropped into his stomach suddenly. "Ben, you're freaking me out."
He starts shuffling some papers around on the other end of the line, trying to find Ginger's phone number. Either she needs to come finish for the night or he needs to close the shop and he has to find out which she wants before he can do anything about getting home.
Thank God, considering Ben's own panic attack is increasing, has his heart thrumming so hard and loud, he can barely hear anything over the steady throb of blood in his ears. God, it's annoying as hell.
He inhales through his nose, slow and steady, sighs it back out then pushes a hand through his hair, elbow propping onto his knee as he clenches his fingers. “Please, Klaus, just promise me you'll come home. Diego, he— he's sick and I don't know what to do.” Godfuckingdammit, he couldn't keep the quiver out of his voice.
A hand falls onto his shoulder, momentarily making him glance over whenever Mom asks, ‘Do you want me to talk to him?’ and Ben shakes his head. Into the phone, he pleads again, “Come home, okay? Just. Get here.”
That border-desperate please, the tiniest little waver in Ben's voice-- it's enough to just make him freak out more. But Klaus keeps it tamped down, too many years of practice of that to let it seep through right this second. Ben is freaking out, he doesn't need Klaus freaking out too. "Okay, okay. I am, okay? Let me get stuff settled here and I'll be there as soon as I can. I promise."
He doesn't waste any more time on the phone with Ben after that. He has to make calls to the owner and figure that out. Ginger seemed fine with just closing early, so that kind of worked out in Klaus' favor for not having to wait for her to show up to relieve him. He just took care of the girl that had wandered in while he was on the phone and flipped their sign to closed to do all of his closing duties.
And immediately books it home in a cab.
Or tries to.
Traffic is stupid and God hates him. Actually confirmed, he met Her that one time.
He's late. At least, later than he wanted to be, but he rushes in the front door the second he gets there, talking ninety to nothing already, "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry, I'm late." He's kicking off shoes, throwing keys on the nearest flat surface as he moves from the door into the living room, "I had to close the store and do the deposit and there was traffic, but I'm here."
He takes a breath and finds everyone gathered in the living room. "What's going on?" He stares between all of them, waiting to hear the real story that Ben wasn't telling him over the phone. And every second no one speaks is just ten thousand more tons of anxiety rushing in his veins.
Ordinarily, Ben's better at handling his stress levels. Something about how his heart hammers against his ribcage so hard it might crack underneath the pressure makes it more difficult. He feels bad, making the anxiety worse on Klaus's end, but he's always handled the ghosts better. It was his power, after all, and he'd always known what to do. That's exactly part of what makes him a survivor. “Alright,” is what he manages then the line goes dead.
Luck is either on Klaus's side or really not, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground for him. Might have something to do with that aforementioned meeting, but whatever the reason, Ben has stressed the fuck out while waiting the whole time.
Mom helps where she can, offering soothing words of encouragement, though his nerves are already so beyond frayed, it's difficult. He eventually sits, straight-backed, hands clasping his knees, feet bouncing a faint amount. Which isn't much better but it isn't pacing back and forth until he makes himself sick, so.
The sound of the door has him on his feet in an instance, hesitating mid-way through heading Klaus's direction. Instead, he lets him find them; Diego on the couch, Mom sitting patiently at the arm near their brother's head, Ben looking like he's the one who's seen a ghost. As much as part of him wants to be upset, he can't because it isn't Klaus's fault the traffic was shitty and he had to make sure he didn't lose his job or anything.
He inhales a sharp breath, bridges the distance between himself and Klaus, reaches out to clasp his shoulders. “Doesn't matter, you're here now.” Then he gestures feebly toward Diego, opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again once he thinks he's managed. “He... had a meltdown at work. I had to go get him and no matter what we did, nothing calmed him down, so—” he hesitates, draws back a couple paces, laces his fingers together behind his head.
The look on Ben's face isn't any more reassuring than anything else in this moment, if he's completely honest. Something is wrong. Really, really wrong. And Klaus is still trying to put the pieces together.
The way Ben grabs his shoulders is-- jarring, in a way that Klaus can't even try to explain. It was still an adjustment, for all of them, Ben being back. Solid. Whole. Touchable. But more than that, the way he says that, like him being here is some huge fucking solution to everything wrong right now makes something tighten in his chest.
The blanks start getting filled in, but it isn't any better. Somehow, having the explanation in hand is worse than not knowing, and Klaus is scrambling away from Ben over to the couch, where he slides down to sit on the floor next to Diego. His fingers trace lightly against his cheek, eyes on fire with worry, knowing how bad it must have been to tip Diego over that edge he's been telling him he's sitting on for weeks now. "You stupid idiot, I told you... I told you this was gonna happen..." But there's no heat in his words, only tears stinging at the edges of his eyes that he refuses to allow to fall.
"How much longer til he wakes up?" He spares a glance up at Grace, pleading silently.
Things were rough for a bit, following Diego’s breakdown, but things slowly started gaining traction back toward normal again. The boys eased back into a routine and started trying to find that little bit of balance again.
Today was...not anything particularly special. Ben has left to pick up a few things for dinner, Diego is due home from work soon, and Klaus? Klaus has spent half the afternoon turning the living room into the most comfortable pillow fort known to man. He just felt like it was a good way to spend the rest of the day, and they could probably all use some quality cuddle time. Plus, it was supposed to rain later, and what better way to spend a rainy evening than curled up with his two favorite people and some movies?
Whoever gets home first will find Klaus already curled up in their new pillow cave in the living room, on the edge of drifting off— thought his attention will be on them the second he hears the sound of footsteps. The smile on his face is warm and bright as he emerges, hands spread in display, “You like?”
Diego's home later than he means to be, but he's carrying a box of beers when he finally comes through the door 45 minutes later than usual. He's been taking significantly easier cases since his break down which also means he's getting out at a regular time instead of all over the place.
He comes through the door and there's...
... A fort in the middle of their lounge. He knows it has to be Klaus' doing, but the former Seance is nowhere to be seen until...
Klaus winds his way around the back of the couch to meet him, and his nose wrinkles cutely as his arms slide so easily into place around Diego’s neck once he’s close enough to do so. “You’re so cute when you’re confused,” he admits before closing the final bit of space between them with a simple peck on the lips.
He slinks his arms back to his side, easy smile still in place, “I just thought it’d be nice, the three of us, dinner, a movie, some cuddling.”
Diego's hands immediately find Klaus' waist and he forgets everything going on in their lounge room to steal a more substantial kiss than the one he was offered. "I'm not cute." It's said with a sharp nip to Klaus' lower lip.
"Yeah, alright. I got beers. We should order Thai or something. Chinese maybe."
He hums softly at the pressure against his hips. “Shh, it’ll be our secret.” He mumbles softly, giggling at the nip and snapping his own teeth playfully at Diego as he slowly slides away from him again.
“It’s like you’re in my head sometimes.” He laughs softly. “I’ve been wanting egg rolls for like three days—“ he grabs the phone on the way back to the fort he’d made, it was super comfy, to make the call. “Your usual, babe?” He leans back against the mound of pillows, reaching up to lightly tap the string lights hanging above him.
"You're a shit." Diego lets him go, albeit reluctantly and leans against the wall to watch as he crawls back into the pillow fort. Fuck, he loves him and all his weird quirks. He's forever grateful that Klaus' personality hadn't changed once he wasn't comprised mostly of pills.
"I just know you so well." He nods. "Yeah, my usual. Ben'll have his too. I'm gonna go have a shower and put sweats on and then I guess I'll join you in Fort Dork."
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{This strange power is now a part of me
Date: 2019-06-25 10:35 pm (UTC)Diego definitely got the short end of the stick on that score, and he adjusted about as well as anyone might be able to expect when they were suddenly thrust into a new, completely different powerset than they'd ever been used to. Klaus stuck with him through the adjustment, helped where he could, however he could. But nothing can really prepare somebody for their name being screamed at top-level, being pawed at and bothered by the dead at all hours of the day.
That was years ago now. These days, Klaus and Diego shared a rundown apartment. Klaus had quit a large majority of the vices he'd had, but he never did manage to give up weed. While the anxiety-ridden mess he's always been has toned way down, some things just don't change.
He's curled up on the couch in the living room with a small metal pipe and a lighter, taking a deep drag from it when the front door opens and he glances up. "Di?"
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Date: 2019-06-26 11:49 am (UTC)He'd managed, somehow, to get through the last few years without turning to the same but only because he had his soul mate to help him through it. Of course, Diego had definitely used alcohol and the occasional joint when it go too bad.
The case he'd been called out to earlier had been nasty and Patch -his partner and the only person who knew who he was an what he could do- had sent him home when it was clear the ghosts were becoming too overwhelming.
Diego's spacey when he enters the apartment, flinching away from yet another spirit screaming at him, so he doesn't hear Klaus call out for him, as he dumps his stuff on the side table designed for just that. It's the smell of weed that catches his attention and he looks over at his soul mate.
"Klaus?"
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Date: 2019-06-26 01:23 pm (UTC)"What's wrong?" He slides his hands up over Diego's shoulders and squeezes gently. It's a familiar look, a thing he remembers feeling as much as its something he's become used to seeing reflected on Diego's face through the last few years. The touch can help sometimes, solid and warm and real. "Bad day, huh?"
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Date: 2019-06-27 10:57 am (UTC)"Double homicide. Gang related by the sounds of it." He'd be lying if he said Klaus' power hadn't helped on the force but most murders or suicides were painful.
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Date: 2019-06-27 11:59 am (UTC)After a few minutes, he untangles himself from his brother and tugs gently for him to follow, "C'mon..." he leads the way back toward the couch, pulling Diego down onto it with him, tugging him against his side to wrap his arms around him again and just hold him.
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Date: 2019-06-28 11:09 pm (UTC)It's easy to curl up on the couch with his brother, face pressed against his chest and hands over his ears.
"They're so loud today."
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Date: 2019-06-29 03:26 am (UTC)"What can I do?" he asks softly, sliding his fingers gently through Diego's hair. "Lemme help...please?" The suggestion for a drink or the pipe he'd abandoned on the table the second Diego had come in burns a hole at the end of his tongue. He tries so hard not to suggest those things, though, to not push him down the same path Klaus had followed for too long.
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Date: 2019-06-30 02:34 am (UTC)"They're just... so loud." They were always worse while he was working on a case that involved murder victims. Maybe because he'd looked down at them, laying deceased on the floor while they screamed directly into his ear about what had happened. "I just... I need them to be quiet for just... ten minutes."
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Date: 2019-06-30 01:35 pm (UTC)"I know... I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'd make it stop, if I..." his voice trails off as he notices the pipe he'd abandoned on the table earlier. He does try, he really does try not to push Diego into his same, old habits, but... His fingers slow in Diego's hair, though they don't stop completely, as he debates for a moment before he quietly asks, "Is it bad enough, you wanna smoke, Di? You know it helps..."
And, Klaus thinks, because Diego doesn't seem to have the same wildly addictive personality that Klaus has always had, and he doesn't use it as a crutch, it may never become anything that stops working for him. He hasn't put himself in a position of relying on it constantly, to needing something more, something deeper, something stronger to put a block of haze between him and the ghosts. So it's different for Diego. Or that's what Klaus keeps telling himself, a small justification in the seconds this becomes the only thing he knows to suggest at all.
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Date: 2019-07-03 11:41 am (UTC)At the offer to smoke, Diego lifts his head and considers it for a moment.
It's the spirit standing behind Klaus that helps him make up his mind. He'd spent hours staring at her body and then at photos of her and now she was screaming at him to find her killer and he turns back to Klaus.
"Yeah. Yeah it is."
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From:end? <3
From:{A Bad Call
Date: 2020-03-10 10:32 pm (UTC)His main concerns right now are Ben (who is still in a weird adjustment stage of remembering how to be alive again) and Diego (who is pushing himself so far above and beyond with cases he needs to slow down on). But he assures himself it's just a matter of time for Ben, and he hopes the two of them can eventually talk some sense into Diego. He does what he can to keep himself as calm as possible when the damning thoughts on both of those situations try to sink in.
Today has been a relatively chill day at Mystic Journey, where Klaus spends most of his time really bored at the register, waiting for someone to wander in. Tuesdays are always slow here, but he likes the job, and he's good with up-sales of products. Probably because he has a weird amount of knowledge about everything they sell here. And there's no better gimmick than a guy who looks like a walking Ouija Board trying to sell you stones, crystals, and tarot cards.
He frowns when the phone rings, wondering who it could be. When he answers, it's in an light, airy tone, "Thanks for calling Mystic Journey, this is Klaus, what can I do for you today?" He hates the spiel, but he hasn't found a way to make it better, or more his own yet. Soon enough, he supposes.
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Date: 2020-03-11 12:20 am (UTC)Well, not the current moment, considering the one small problem they've got on their hands. Diego's definitely having a freakout and Ben's panicking, unsure as to what he's supposed to do during this kinda situation where his brother's disturbed and there's nothing he can do to help.
It isn't the same as it was with Klaus, who went out and got his hands on whatever possible to rid himself of the spirits. Diego's far more stubborn, it seems, lets them haunt him without delay. He needn't do so, yet he puts himself through the worst things at his job, burns the candle at both ends like it's no big deal.
How Ben's so calm whenever Klaus picks up the phone is a goddamn mystery but he is. “Hey, Klaus, it's Ben.” If that weren't obvious enough already. He clears his throat, keeps his tone steady despite knowing the receiver's shaking in his hand. “Diego isn't feeling well, so you need to come home. I—” he hesitates, holds his breath longer than he'd anticipated then finally finishes, “I need your help.” And boy, if that isn't difficult to admit.
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Date: 2020-03-13 03:51 am (UTC)He blinks and sits up straighter. "What's wrong?" The words tumble out of his mouth so quickly they practically trip into each other on the way out, making it a lot more of a jumbled sound than intended. "Did they send him home from work or something? Does he have a fever?" A pause as the door chimes--
"Hey, Lisa. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"
The lithe blonde that Ben can't see, says something not quite discernible over the far-away speaker of the phone, but the next second Klaus is back to the conversation at hand. "I get off in like three hours-- but I'm guessing since you're calling the store, it can't wait?"
He wants it to not be a big deal, but there are already red flags in this phone call making it hard to not let the anxiety of the unknown flood him.
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Date: 2020-03-16 05:03 am (UTC)And thankfully, Klaus is distracted for a brief moment by someone coming into the store.
What does he say to make his brother understand that he needs to come home without making the anxiety and tension worse? He has no fucking clue. “Three hours?” His turn to address someone away from the phone, although Ben's hand is cupped around the receiver so it's either silenced or muffled by the time he actually turns back.
“No,” he says firmly, hoping his voice isn't too unsteady, “it can't. If it could've, I... I wouldn't have called.” A beat then, “I'm sorry, I know you're busy and all, but I seriously need you here.” Another pause, a long, slow sigh. “As quickly as you can be.”
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Date: 2020-03-24 10:21 pm (UTC)Not to worry, though. His concern ramps up to twelve as soon as Ben stresses that it can't wait. It's like a brick of anxiety dropped into his stomach suddenly. "Ben, you're freaking me out."
He starts shuffling some papers around on the other end of the line, trying to find Ginger's phone number. Either she needs to come finish for the night or he needs to close the shop and he has to find out which she wants before he can do anything about getting home.
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Date: 2020-03-28 08:22 am (UTC)He inhales through his nose, slow and steady, sighs it back out then pushes a hand through his hair, elbow propping onto his knee as he clenches his fingers. “Please, Klaus, just promise me you'll come home. Diego, he— he's sick and I don't know what to do.” Godfuckingdammit, he couldn't keep the quiver out of his voice.
A hand falls onto his shoulder, momentarily making him glance over whenever Mom asks, ‘Do you want me to talk to him?’ and Ben shakes his head. Into the phone, he pleads again, “Come home, okay? Just. Get here.”
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Date: 2020-03-31 08:13 pm (UTC)He doesn't waste any more time on the phone with Ben after that. He has to make calls to the owner and figure that out. Ginger seemed fine with just closing early, so that kind of worked out in Klaus' favor for not having to wait for her to show up to relieve him. He just took care of the girl that had wandered in while he was on the phone and flipped their sign to closed to do all of his closing duties.
And immediately books it home in a cab.
Or tries to.
Traffic is stupid and God hates him. Actually confirmed, he met Her that one time.
He's late. At least, later than he wanted to be, but he rushes in the front door the second he gets there, talking ninety to nothing already, "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry, I'm late." He's kicking off shoes, throwing keys on the nearest flat surface as he moves from the door into the living room, "I had to close the store and do the deposit and there was traffic, but I'm here."
He takes a breath and finds everyone gathered in the living room. "What's going on?" He stares between all of them, waiting to hear the real story that Ben wasn't telling him over the phone. And every second no one speaks is just ten thousand more tons of anxiety rushing in his veins.
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Date: 2020-04-09 11:06 am (UTC)Luck is either on Klaus's side or really not, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground for him. Might have something to do with that aforementioned meeting, but whatever the reason, Ben has stressed the fuck out while waiting the whole time.
Mom helps where she can, offering soothing words of encouragement, though his nerves are already so beyond frayed, it's difficult. He eventually sits, straight-backed, hands clasping his knees, feet bouncing a faint amount. Which isn't much better but it isn't pacing back and forth until he makes himself sick, so.
The sound of the door has him on his feet in an instance, hesitating mid-way through heading Klaus's direction. Instead, he lets him find them; Diego on the couch, Mom sitting patiently at the arm near their brother's head, Ben looking like he's the one who's seen a ghost. As much as part of him wants to be upset, he can't because it isn't Klaus's fault the traffic was shitty and he had to make sure he didn't lose his job or anything.
He inhales a sharp breath, bridges the distance between himself and Klaus, reaches out to clasp his shoulders. “Doesn't matter, you're here now.” Then he gestures feebly toward Diego, opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again once he thinks he's managed. “He... had a meltdown at work. I had to go get him and no matter what we did, nothing calmed him down, so—” he hesitates, draws back a couple paces, laces his fingers together behind his head.
“We had to sedate him,” Grace finishes for him.
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Date: 2020-04-12 03:36 am (UTC)The way Ben grabs his shoulders is-- jarring, in a way that Klaus can't even try to explain. It was still an adjustment, for all of them, Ben being back. Solid. Whole. Touchable. But more than that, the way he says that, like him being here is some huge fucking solution to everything wrong right now makes something tighten in his chest.
The blanks start getting filled in, but it isn't any better. Somehow, having the explanation in hand is worse than not knowing, and Klaus is scrambling away from Ben over to the couch, where he slides down to sit on the floor next to Diego. His fingers trace lightly against his cheek, eyes on fire with worry, knowing how bad it must have been to tip Diego over that edge he's been telling him he's sitting on for weeks now. "You stupid idiot, I told you... I told you this was gonna happen..." But there's no heat in his words, only tears stinging at the edges of his eyes that he refuses to allow to fall.
"How much longer til he wakes up?" He spares a glance up at Grace, pleading silently.
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From:{Curl up with me and forget the world
Date: 2020-05-20 09:52 am (UTC)Today was...not anything particularly special. Ben has left to pick up a few things for dinner, Diego is due home from work soon, and Klaus? Klaus has spent half the afternoon turning the living room into the most comfortable pillow fort known to man. He just felt like it was a good way to spend the rest of the day, and they could probably all use some quality cuddle time. Plus, it was supposed to rain later, and what better way to spend a rainy evening than curled up with his two favorite people and some movies?
Whoever gets home first will find Klaus already curled up in their new pillow cave in the living room, on the edge of drifting off— thought his attention will be on them the second he hears the sound of footsteps. The smile on his face is warm and bright as he emerges, hands spread in display, “You like?”
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Date: 2020-05-20 10:57 am (UTC)He comes through the door and there's...
... A fort in the middle of their lounge. He knows it has to be Klaus' doing, but the former Seance is nowhere to be seen until...
"Hey, babe. Uh... yeah? What's going on?"
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Date: 2020-05-20 11:33 am (UTC)He slinks his arms back to his side, easy smile still in place, “I just thought it’d be nice, the three of us, dinner, a movie, some cuddling.”
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Date: 2020-05-29 02:50 am (UTC)"Yeah, alright. I got beers. We should order Thai or something. Chinese maybe."
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Date: 2020-05-30 03:52 am (UTC)“It’s like you’re in my head sometimes.” He laughs softly. “I’ve been wanting egg rolls for like three days—“ he grabs the phone on the way back to the fort he’d made, it was super comfy, to make the call. “Your usual, babe?” He leans back against the mound of pillows, reaching up to lightly tap the string lights hanging above him.
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Date: 2020-05-30 04:06 am (UTC)"I just know you so well." He nods. "Yeah, my usual. Ben'll have his too. I'm gonna go have a shower and put sweats on and then I guess I'll join you in Fort Dork."