Chapter Text
Almas’s place was always warm.
Klaus forgot about how comfortable her lumpy couch was.
He hears the door shut. “Your brother looked like a gaping fish.” Alma chuckles.
Klaus smiles picturing his brother catching his eyes on the old woman.
“He’s not known for his intelligence, Al, don’t blame him too much.” He hears her snort from her kitchen and Klaus opens his eyes to her holding a large bag of frozen peas in front of him.
“Put these on the ribs, you silly fool.” She glowers, though Klaus sees the hint of a smirk.
Klaus snorts, “Thank you kindly, always appreciated.”
Almas apartment is tiny and crowded. Almost no foot room when first coming in, your shins are almost immediately met with an edge of a short wooden coffee table. And while you’re falling, your head will most likely come in contact with the corner of the kitchen counter right next to the door. The apartment is lined with windows, and the bathroom is a tiny five-foot by five-foot tiled closet. Klaus always feels like he’s being suffocated in this place.
In a good way, of course.
He’s suddenly greeted with a wet towel on his forehead, and he hisses. “Hey warn a guy!”
“It’s not my fault you’re like a child,” Alma scoffs “You come into my house all busted you deal with the consequences!”
“Oh speaking of which, I must ask, do you have anything for me tonight? I am woefully withdrawing right now my dear and I’d hate for you to deal with it.” He bats his eyelashes with puckered lips.
“I’ve got weed and ibuprofen, that work for ya?” She looks down at him, unimpressed.
“Well it’s certainly not ideal but both would be lovely if you can help it.”
As she walks away from him, he finally notices the look she’s got on for the night. Her gray hair is pulled into a loose braid, and it sticks out against her brown skin, littered with moles and freckles. Her large, dark red knitted sweater looks cozy and wooly, and she’s wearing the blue jeans he always sees her in. Oh how he missed the classic granny look, you just don’t get it around the company he normally keeps.
He first met her outside some seedy dive bar, which now, he can’t quite remember why he was there in the first place. Long story short, he ended up being tossed out on his ass into the snow, high as a kite and drunk as a sailor, maybe some good ole’ fashioned crying. Suddenly, some little old lady hoists him up, checks him for weapons, and scurries him off her to place, no questions asked.
He’s met other folks she’s taken in, usually gives addicts a bite to eat and a cup of whiskey if she can manage. He’s heard of her helping people get some real help too; hooking people up with decent rehab places and therapy.
And she can be a real hard bitch, it’s one of Klaus’ favorite things about her. She doesn’t take anyone's shit, except she’s cool about it. She doesn’t give a shit because she’s got nothing to lose.
But she cares from a distance, not like Diego who probably loves his family under 10 layers of hardened protein powder and shame, but the kind where you can feel the warmth even though she’ll knock you upside the head for being an idiot.
Klaus has remained a somewhat regular visitor, for a multitude of reasons.
What can he say! She’s actually helpful, she doesn’t care about his hangups, and her apartment is smothering in a way that’s not claustrophobic. It’s tiny and overstuffed with books and weird grandma dust collectors, but it’s strangely open at the same time.
The mass amounts of windows he can climb out of are great too.
Alma comes back with a couple of blunts, two ibuprofen, and a first aid kit.
She helps him light since his hands are shaking too much, and goes to work on cleaning his forehead.
“I’m not gonna ask how this happened unless I’ve gotta be worried about hooligans coming into my apartment building looking for you.” She pauses to look down at him “Should I be worried?”
He chuckles and takes a long drag. “No darling, no one’s looking for this fine piece anymore.”
She grunts in acknowledgment as she places a bandage over the wound. “Alright, is that only a twisted ankle and some bruised ribs or is there something else.” She looks over him again.
“No Al, I think I’m in the clear.”
“Hmph, alright then,” She sits on the coffee table with a sigh “Listen, I know you don’t need the spiel but I’m givin’ it to you anyway.”
Klaus whines “Almaaa…”
She smirks and gives her head a shake, “Nah, kid seriously, I know you got your own shit going on, I’m not gonna judge you for living life your own way. And you’re free to stop by anytime you want, not like this old bat’s got anything better to do.” Her eyes soften “Just try not to get beat to shit anymore huh? My couch doesn’t need any more bloodstains y’know.”
Klaus looks up at the ceiling for only a moment, then turns to her with a smile “Al I gotta say, your bedside manner is terrible.”
Alma snorts and heaves herself off the table “What can you expect, this ain’t no fancy-schmancy hospital.” She starts heading towards her bedroom door “Keep the foot elevated, I don’t have anymore frozen stuff so you’ll have to make do with the peas.”
Klaus salutes her from his position on the sofa, pulling the throw blanket that rests on the back of it onto himself, “Roger that.”
Alma throws him another smirk as she leans against her bedroom door, “And hey, if you stay till morning I’ll fry you up some eggs.”
“Wow, not even pancakes for your poor wounded friend?”
“An omelet if I’m feeling generous.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Al.”
Alma chuckles, “Night’ kid.”
“G’niiight~”
Silence rings through the apartment but is soon replaced with loud muffled snores coming from Almas room.
Klaus stares up at the ceiling, occasionally taking a drag from the blunt in his hand. He’s coming down from the shit he took earlier that night, but it doesn’t feel as daunting as before. He hears a loud sigh from behind him.
“If you wanna bust out the lecture go ahead, Casper.” He mumbles.
Ben sits on the coffee table, where Alma once was, “I wasn’t gonna lecture you,” Ben frowns “And stop calling me Casper, it’s not even that funny.”
“Yet you say that , so it must be at least a little funny!” Klaus looks over at his brother.
Ben drops his head for a moment with a sigh, “I was just gonna say I’m glad you called Diego.”
Klaus snorts, “When do I not call Diego when I need a ride?” He takes another drag, “You’re losing your edge buddy.”
Ben’s quiet for a moment.
“It was bad this time.” He says.
Klaus’s eyebrow twitches, “You know I’ve had worse.”
“Those guys left you in the middle of nowhere, someone would have probably knifed you before you actually got anywhere on your own!”
“I was still in the city, you’re being awfully dramatic.”
“Will you quit downplaying everything!” Ben grumbled.
“Ben, sweetheart, you gotta calm down,” Klaus drops his voice to a whisper “There are people sleeping.”
“Grrr!” Ben stands up with his fists clenched “You are so frustrating sometimes!”
“My word, throwing a tantrum at this time of night?” Klaus giggles “Someones acting awfully childish~”
Ben, with his back towards Klaus, relaxes his shoulders “... Do you think he’ll try and find you again? That dealer guy?”
Klaus looks up at the ceiling and hums “Well he took as much money as he could off me, not that there was much there…” He sighs “His goons took my whole stash too, so I’m probably breaking even with what I borrowed from ‘im.”
“You mean stole.” Ben interrupts.
“Same difference.” Klaus mumbles, his brows knit together “Uuuugh now I’ll have to gather a bunch of shit again, that stash would’ve lasted me at least until next Saturday…”
“I think you’re worried about the wrong thing,” Ben grumbled.
“Maybe if I sleep with him again he’ll forgive me and hook me up.”
“Klaus!”
“I’m kidding I’m kidding!” Klaus waves around his hands in a placating manner, “Sheesh, don’t get your ghostly undies in a twist.”
Ben’s expression is crumpled and all together distressed; Klaus only feels a flicker of guilt before he smiles and pats the edge of the coffee table.
The ghost sighs and sits facing Klaus, giving him a withering look, “You’ll at least stay here until morning right? I don’t think you should walk on your ankle anytime soon.”
Klaus looks at him, “Didn’t you hear what she said? Free breakfast Mein Bruder, how could I possibly pass that up?”
Ben relaxes his shoulders and shakes his head with that hesitant smile of his.
“Thanks.”
“Puh-leaze, don’t worry about it.” Klaus placates.
The rest of the night is spent hunkered down on a lumpy sofa, restlessly attempting to sleep and trying his best to ignore the distant wails he so despises.