Chapter Text
“Klaus,” Dave pleads. “Klaus, darlin’, let me explain. Please.”
Klaus’s whole world feels off-kilter and wrong, like he’s trying to balance on a tightrope during a hurricane, and he can’t quite pull enough air into his lungs and it hurts, so much more than he ever thought something could hurt, like someone dug their fingers between his ribs and tore.
“Ben,” Dave tries instead, eyes wide and earnest. “Ben, please, I’m so sorry, I just need to explain.”
Ben ignores Dave, though the rigidity of his back and the set of his shoulders says he heard him. “Klaus?” He asks gently, brows furrowing when he doesn’t answer.
“Klaus,” Five echoes, brows pulling down in what Klaus would’ve called worry on anyone else.
“Did you know?” Klaus hears himself ask, only he doesn’t remember telling his lips to move, and it should be disconcerting but it isn’t.
He isn’t feeling…much of anything, now.
“Know?” Five questions, taking a cautious step forward.
“About Dave and I. Did you know we were engaged before you came home?”
“No. I don’t know anything about his mission.”
“His mission,” Klaus echoes faintly, and Five winces like he knows he’s said something wrong. “His mission, which is…me.”
“Klaus,” Dave begs, taking a step forward as well and then freezing, staring wide-eyed at something just over Klaus’s shoulder.
“One step closer,” Ben says lowly in a voice that isn’t his own but a hundred others all at once. “And we will tear you to shreds.”
Klaus thinks he feels a tentacle curl around his ankle, a grounding, soothing weight, but he can’t be bothered to look.
Somewhere behind them, there’s a gasp, a string of muffled curses, but Klaus doesn’t pay them any mind.
Dave swallows thickly but nods, hands held up placatingly. “Okay, alright, I ain’t movin’,” he assures. “I just- I just want to explain, that’s all.”
“Then explain.” It’s Five who says it, eyes boring into Dave’s with a ferocity that Klaus thinks he should be alarmed by.
“My mission,” Dave starts. Winces at the choice of words. Pushes forward. “My mission was to get close. An’ the Handler decided the best way for me t’do that was…intimately. I didn’t really think you’d fall for my uh, natural southern charm. Undercover work is- it’s what I specialize in. An’ I wanted to take on a new role, like I normally would, but in the end, it wasn’t up to me. I just had ta be me an’ hope you took the bait.”
“And I did,” Klaus murmurs softly.
“And you did,” Dave confirms with a grimace. “Longer I spent with you, the more I learned from you, an’ suddenly we were one, two, three years in and I realized I hadn’t wanted to report back since year one. Maybe before. Probably before.”
“You fell for your target,” Five asks flatly, eyes narrowed in disbelief. “One of the best undercover agents the Commission has ever seen, and you fell for your target.”
Dave blows out a trembling breath. “Head over heels. I fell for ‘im head over heels.” His eyes drift back over to Klaus, wide and sad and pained. “I ain’t ever loved anybody as much as I love you, darlin’. I know it don’t make any sense, but s’true. My priority stopped bein’ what the Commission wanted, and started bein’ you. Keepin’ you alive. Your family. I don’t know, exactly, how to do that. But I know what I was tryin’ to help them achieve, I just don’t know how to stop ‘em from achieving it.” He shrugs helplessly.
“And what is it?” Ben asks icily.
“End’a the world.”
Klaus swears he could hear a pin drop, it’s so fucking silent. He doesn’t think anyone is even breathing. He’s definitely not.
“Let me get this straight,” Klaus says, and his voice sounds too loud and too angry but once he’s started, he can’t stop. “You purposefully ran into me at that bar, with the intention of tricking me into falling in love with you so that you could learn my and my family's secrets. That way, when Five came back- which you knew, or at least suspected, would happen- you would hopefully have a way of stopping him from stopping you. Because your stupid fucking timeline says this world needs to end, and- and here’s the doozy, but we’re your mission because one of us fucking causes it, and I was the easiest target? The weak link? The one who was so goddamned desperate for love and kindness that he would throw himself at the first person who showed him any sort of tenderness? Is that right, baby?”
Dave flinches like he’s been shot, shaking fingers curling into fists at his sides, but he meets Klaus’s eyes without hesitation. “Yes.”
“But you failed. You failed your mission. And instead of helping us end the world, you want to help us save it.”
“Yes.”
“Because you fell in love with me.”
“Yes…and no?” Dave ventures hesitantly. “It’s…s’complicated.”
Klaus bares his teeth in the barest imitation of a grin. “Then uncomplicate it.”
Dave’s lips press into a thin white line, hands clenching and unclenching uselessly at his sides as he gathers his thoughts. “That’s the main reason. You. It’s always you, Klaus. An’ I don’t know what the hell I’m s’posed to do if I lose you. But. I- back in the 1960’s, I was in the Vietnam War. I should've died, but I didn’t. They thought I could be useful,” here, Dave spits the word like a curse. “An’ I was. They save my life, I owe it to them. Moved from one form’a service to the next, and for a while, it wasn’t so bad. But the longer I stayed, the more I realized how…how broken their system was. Some things needed to happen, sure, but their methods…they’re corrupt. Rottin’ from the inside out. And then I met you.”
“The straw that broke the camel's back,” Ben murmurs softly, and his voice is calmer now, more his own than Theirs, but still underlaid with something otherworldly and dangerous. A subtle threat, a quiet warning that all is not forgiven.
Dave nods in agreement, eyeing Ben warily. “Exactly. I never questioned their methods before. Not seriously, at least. Not until I had a reason to.”
“Which was me,” Klaus says slowly. He needs the confirmation, to hear it out loud. He isn’t sure why, yet; he isn’t sure if it’ll even make a difference.
“Which was you.”
“You sonuvabitch!” Diego snarls suddenly, flying past Klaus, hurling himself at Dave, but a glowing blue tentacle curls around his ankle and yanks before he can get to him, sending him to the ground in a sprawl of limbs and warbled curses.
“No,” Ben says, voice firm but understanding.
Diego’s eyes are wide and wild, like he isn’t sure what he should be focusing on- Ben, Five, or Dave. Which, Klaus supposes, is fair; all three situations are deserving of complete, undying attention but there’s too much going on to let that happen.
“How do we stop it?” Klaus asks, ignoring his brothers.
Dave shrugs, looking lost. “I ain’t sure. Might be on our way there, though. We’re changin’ things. You weren’t s’posed to be sober enough to use your powers. But you are. You did.”
Klaus frowns. “I’ve been doing that.”
“Not just the ghosts.” Dave shakes his head. “Your other ones, too.”
“I have more powers?”
Dave blinks at him. “You just used ‘em, Klaus.”
“No I didn’t.”
“You stopped Five from stabbin’ me.”
“That was me?!”
Five looks thoughtful now, head cocked to the side like the world's deadliest puppy. “That’s right,” he says, eyes roving over to Klaus. “Your hands were glowing blue.”
“I…” Klaus glances back over his shoulder at Ben, who smiles and nods faintly in confirmation.
Klaus pulls in a deep, steadying breath, and then turns his attention back to Dave. “Is that why you were trying so hard to get me sober?”
“Not really.” Dave bites at his bottom lip. “I wanted you sober ‘cause I didn’t wanna lose you. Purely selfish reason. That was just a bonus. ‘Sides, your addiction was gonna kill ya”
Klaus scowls and mutters darkly, “Wouldn’t be the first time.” The tentacle around his ankle squeezes a little bit tighter, this time in warning, and Klaus sighs. “If I’m not supposed to have my powers, it’s not me who ends the world. Who is it, then?”
“Can we even be certain it’s one of us?” Five questions, cold gaze settled on Dave. “We can’t trust him.”
Dave squares his shoulders and looks Five dead in the eyes, unflinching and resilient. “You’re gonna have to. You ain’t got a choice.”
“I say we kill him and be done with it,” Diego snaps from somewhere behind them.
Klaus is surprised by the strength of ferocity that hits him, by the animalistic need to protect what’s his.
He whirls around to face Diego, snarling harshly, “We will not be killing him. We need to find out the truth, Diego.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Luther finally butts in, eyeing Klaus warily like he’s the time traveling assassin hell bent on ending the world. Which is both wildly offensive and very on brand for their Number One, and Klaus kind of just wants to scream.
Allison groans and shoves past them all, marching straight over to Dave and grumbling, “You’re all idiots.”
There’s a moment where Klaus is half convinced Allison is just going to kill Dave herself and be done with it and he can hardly breathe around the sudden, intense panic that overtakes him, but then-
“I heard a rumor that you can only tell the truth.”
Dave’s eyes go milky as the rumor takes hold, and then he’s blinking slowly at them all, face lax as her power engulfs him.
“Is everything you said earlier true?” Allison demands.
Dave nods. “Yes.”
“Are you genuinely trying to help us stop it?”
Another nod.
“No games, no lies, no omissions; you are no longer associating yourself with the Commission, correct?” Five asks, watching Dave intently.
Nod.
And then, because Five is a devious little bastard, he looks over at Klaus and then back at Dave. “Do you love my brother?”
“Five-” Klaus hisses, making an aborted move forward to stop him but it’s too late, too fucking late, and Klaus has never been more terrified in his life; not of the ghosts, not of the masoleum, not of dad, because Dave has been the best and brightest part of his life and it may have been a ruse, but if it was a lie he isn’t sure he’s going to survive the heartbreak-
“More than anythin’.”
The breath leaves Klaus’s lungs in a whoosh, and Five levels him with a self-satisfied smirk.
“Do you know how to stop it?” Vanya finally speaks up, voice meek and tentative.
Dave shakes his head slowly. “No. I ain’t even sure which one’a you causes it.”
“But you know for sure it’s one of us?” Luther asks with a skeptical frown.
“Yes.”
“How long do we have?”
This time, both Five and Dave answer simultaneously, words dropping like a bomb over their heads.
“Eight days.”
*
“Klaus-” Dave tries, voice desperate, and it takes everything Klaus has not to give into it.
“No!” He snaps, edges frayed and tearing. “No, I need time, Dave. I need time, and I need you not to be here for it. I’ll come get you if I need you. But for now just- go.”
“But-”
“Please.”
Dave goes.
*
He’s sitting on the roof of the Academy, a smoking cigarette perched between his fingers, legs dangling carelessly over the side.
“Klaus?” A voice asks tentatively, and he hums and glances over as Vanya comes over, hesitating for a moment before settling gingerly beside him. “Are you okay?”
Klaus snorts and drawls, “Oh yeah, I love finding out my fiancé is a time traveling assassin sent to make sure my siblings end the world.”
Vanya flinches and curls in on herself, and Klaus instantly feels a pang of guilt stab through his chest.
He lets out an explosive breath and drapes an arm around her shoulders. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Van. Ignore me. I’m in a shitty headspace right now.”
“It’s…it’s alright,” she says, leaning into him. “I could try to beat him up for you?”
Klaus lets out a startled bark of laughter, and glances down just in time to catch a hint of the pleased smile Vanya ducks her head to hide.
“As much as I’d love to see that, I think maybe we’ll hold off for now.”
They lapse into a comfortable silence, Klaus taking slow drags of his cigarette while Vanya draws absent patterns on the rooftop with her fingertips.
It’s Vanya who finally breaks the silence, voice careful and tentative.
“Are you going to call it off? With your um,” she fumbles over the words for a moment, like she still can’t believe it’s true. “With your fiancé?”
“I’m…” Klaus swallows thickly, inhaling the smoke again and holding it in his lungs until it burns. He crushes the butt of the cigarette into the cement, letting the smoke out on a weary sigh. “I don’t know. I think we have bigger things to worry about right now, though, don’t we? Can’t get married if we’re dead.”
“I guess not,” Vanya admits. “We have a chance, at least. Now that we know. But it’s…it’s still good to talk about the things that are important to us.”
Klaus sighs. “I know, I know. That’s what my therapist says; don’t keep shit bottled up, or it’ll get worse. And I understand that, Vanny, but I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now. I know I love him. I know he loves me. But with- with everything else that’s happening, that’s happened, does that even really matter?”
“It matters,” Vanya says in a surprisingly firm voice. “Of course it matters, Klaus.”
“Doesn’t feel like it does,” he murmurs, kicking the heels of his boots against the brick. “And even if it does, he still came here with a goal. Like Five said, I was his mission.” He spits the word out like the curse that it is, and draws his legs to his chest, winding his arms around them. It sets him in a precarious position on the ledge, but he can’t really find it in himself to care. It’s not like God keeps him, anyways.
“You’re more than a mission,” Vanya says softly, resting her head on his shoulder. He thinks he feels her fingertips curl into the soft fabric of his shirt, and can’t help the shiver of warmth that slides down his spine; he doesn’t think Vanya will be able to hold his weight if he does fall, but he appreciates the thought.
“Am I?” He asks absently.
He knows the answer- Allison’s rumors don’t fail. But the thought still sits bitterly on his tongue, and weighs heavily on his heart.
“You know you are,” Vanya chastises gently. “He couldn’t have lied even if he’d wanted to. I don’t think he did, though.”
“Maybe not,” Klaus admits grudgingly. “Does that really make it better, though? He’s- he was- is?- everything, Vanny. My whole world, and that’s really not as much of an exaggeration as you’d think it would be. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now that that’s gone.”
“It doesn’t have to be. We can fix this, Klaus. And we’ll help you. All of us.”
“Well,” Klaus smiles tightly. “I guess we have eight days to figure it out.”
*
“How long?”
Klaus startles violently, hot tea splashing over the rim of his mug and onto his hands.
“Jesus,” Klaus gasps as his heart starts beating at a semi-regular pace again. He puts the mug down and turns on the kitchen tap, running his stinging hands under cold water.
“Not quite,” Five says with a smirk, and Klaus shoots him a baleful glare.
“Ha-ha, we’ve got a jokester on our hands,” he grumbles.
Five rolls his eyes and hip-checks Klaus out of the way so he can grab a mug from the cabinet above the sink, pouring himself a mug of hot water and dunking a tea bag inside, lips twisted into a grimace.
“Seventeen years later and we still don’t have any fucking coffee.”
“Yeah, well, you know how daddy dearest felt about caffeine.”
Five hums, and then repeats, “How long?”
Klaus raises a brow, picking his mug back up and cradling it against his chest. “How long what?”
“Were you with Katz. You looked like someone sucker punched you in the chest when he told you the truth. So how long were you together?”
Klaus purses his lips, feeling something in his gut clench and squirm uncomfortably. “Almost four years.”
Five’s brows shoot up in surprise. “That’s not standard for undercover agents.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure this wasn’t a standard mission,” Klaus says bitterly.
Five is quiet for a moment, watching him calculatingly before saying finally, “No, I suppose it wasn’t.” He pauses, and then- “I’ve worked with him before. On more than one occasion, actually. He’s…decent at what he does.”
That’s as good as singing praises for Five. Not that it’s all that comforting; Klaus doesn’t need to know how good his maybe-still fiancé is at playing people. Played him, at least, like a goddamn fiddle, that’s for sure.
“Fantastic,” Klaus says dryly, fingers curling tighter around the mug.
Five sighs deeply. “My point,” he stresses, voice slow and steady like he’s talking to a particularly dumb child. “Is that he’s good enough at what he does that he knows better than to fall for his target.”
“So, what, you think he somehow managed to get past Allison’s rumor?” Klaus asks cautiously, the warm little ball of hope that still struggles on in his chest growing colder by the minute.
“No, you moron, I think betrayed every value he may have had and every person he may have respected or cared about for you, and that the only person who doesn’t realize that is you.”
“I’m not an idiot,” Klaus snaps, anger surging hotly through his veins. “I know exactly what he had to give up. I’m just not naive enough to think one person has enough of an effect to make someone give up on everything they believe in.”
Five stares at him, lips pursed in annoyance. “You’re an idiot. We have six days to stop this. I hope you get your head out of your ass before then.” And, like the obnoxious little shit he is, Five blinks away before Klaus can even think about responding.
“What about you, huh?” He asks, turning in the direction of the cool tug in his chest.
Ben shrugs, watching him carefully. “I can’t give you an unbiased opinion.”
“I didn’t ask for an unbiased opinion, I asked for yours.”
Ben is quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before finally saying, “I think he loves you, and I think you love him. I also think, sometimes, love isn’t enough. And that sometimes it is.”
Klaus groans and collapses into a chair, dropping his forehead onto the kitchen table with a thunk.
“Thanks for the frustratingly vague answer, Benji, I really appreciate it. Very helpful.”
There’s a brush of cool air, and when Klaus looks up, Ben is perched on the table beside his head with a raised brow. “I know it’s frustrating, Klaus, but this isn’t a decision anyone can make for you. He’s willing to work for it. You have to decide whether or not you are, too.”
“It’s not that easy, Ben,” Klaus says, trying and failing to ignore the way his voice breaks around his brother's name.
Of all of them, Ben should be the one who understands. He should get it, in a way none of the rest of them do. He’s been with Klaus and Dave since the beginning. Knows Dave almost as well, loves him just as much even if it’s not in the same way. Knows what it’s like to love, and to lose all those little important things like trust and honesty, and kindness and care.
“I know,” Ben soothes. “It’s not supposed to be easy.” He smiles wryly, a small, pained little thing, and echoes, “Good things aren’t ever easy. You just have to decide whether you’re willing to fight for them.”
Something jolts through Klaus’s chest, like fingers curling around his heart and squeezing. “Don’t,” he says hoarsely, blinking back tears.
“He wasn’t wrong.”
“He ruined me.”
“Because he hurt you?”
Klaus squeezes his eyes shut, swallowing back the sob that tries to tear past his throat. “Because he loved me.”
Ben doesn’t have anything to say to that.
*
There’s a brisk knock on the door, and when Klaus glances up, he catches sight of Diego hovering awkwardly in the doorway, kicking the toe of his boot into the ground and looking anywhere but Klaus.
Klaus uncurls from his blanket burrito and dog ears his place in his book, setting it on his bed.
“Did you need something?” He asks, trying and failing not to sound amused.
“Just um, wanted to see if you uh, needed me t-to y’know, beat up your fiancé or anything.”
Klaus’s brows shoot up to his hairline. “Pardon?”
“That’s what brothers are supposed to do, isn’t it?” Diego demands harshly, but his cheeks are- holy shit, he’s blushing.
“Oh my god,” Klaus croons delightedly. “You’re trying to defend my honor!”
“No, no, I-” Diego stutters, and Klaus can’t help but smile. He’s touched and more than a little surprised, but- well, in retrospect, he knows he shouldn’t be. Diego was always fiercely protective over Klaus, back when they were close enough for it to be warranted. That instinct dwindled over time, but Klaus still remembers it enough to be touched by it.
“You are,” he crows, grin widening when Diego’s cheeks go pinker.
“I don’t have to, I just thought…” Diego shrugs helplessly, and Klaus feels some of his amusement fade into warm, genuine happiness.
“I know. I appreciate it, Di, but I don’t need it. I promise. I’d just sick Ben on him, if anything. He’s much scarier, what with the tummy tentacles. No offense.”
Diego’s face does something weird and twisty at the mention of Ben, but he nods in understanding. “The tummy tentacles were, ah, kind of…intimidating.”
Klaus snorts. “That’s putting it lightly.”
“Yeah,” Diego agrees, dark brows pulled into a frown.
Klaus peers at him, concern tugging at his chest. He knows Ben is a sore spot for- all of them, really. They’re all incredibly good at internalizing- no surprises there- and he doesn’t doubt Diego is currently internalizing a whole lot of guilt over not believing Klaus when he said Ben was there. He doesn’t blame them, not really, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. “You okay?”
“Yeah!” Diego startles, shaking himself out of his musings. “Yeah. Just thinking.”
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
Diego scowls. “You sound like Five.”
“Can’t help it,” Klaus says with a smirk. “The little bugger says some pretty catchy things.”
Diego scoffs and turns to make his way back out the door, pausing halfway there. “You’re sure you don’t need me to go have a chat with your boyfriend?”
Klaus rolls his eyes. “I’m sure, Diego. Go spend some time with your pretty lady cop.”
Diego blushes again and sputters, and Klaus’s laughter chases him out of the room.
*
“Allison,” Klaus says in surprise. “And Luther. Is…everything okay?”
Both of them are quiet, a new and frankly surprising development for the pair, but it’s Luther who breaks first, words bursting past his lips like he couldn’t stop them if he tried,
“Are you really clean?”
Klaus blinks languidly at him. “Yes?”
Allison glares darkly at Luther, who hunches in on himself like a chastised puppy, before turning a warmer gaze on Klaus. “How long?”
“Eh, few years.” Klaus shrugs like it isn’t a big deal when he knows it is, in fact, a very big deal.
Luther sucks in a sharp breath. “A few years?”
Klaus sighs. So they are doing this now, then. “That’s what I just said.”
“And you didn’t-” Luther cuts himself off, shifting uncomfortably, lips twisted into a grimace.
“I didn’t what, Luther?”
“You didn’t tell us.” It’s Allison who answers, but there’s a strand of hurt in her voice like she genuinely doesn’t understand why he wouldn’t have reached out to tell them. “Why?”
Klaus lets out a bark of startled laughter. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am, Klaus.”
Klaus scoffs. “I think the real question you should be asking yourselves is why would I tell you?”
“Klaus,” Luther starts disapprovingly, but Klaus holds up a hand, silencing him.
“No, Luther, I’m serious. Why would I? What reason would I have to tell any of you? About anything? Your faith in me has always been frighteningly low . So I stopped trying. You guys never even started. So I repeat; why would I keep you up to date about my personal life when you’ve given me literally every reason not to?”
“That’s not fair-”
“You’re right,” Allison says quietly. Luther’s mouth snaps shut, and Klaus gapes at her in surprise. He didn’t expect that from any of them, let alone from Allison. “You’re right. We haven’t given you a reason to. We’ve given you a lot of reasons not to, actually. You’re right. And I’m sorry about that. I think we’ve all been pretty shitty to each other, though. Now we just… try to be better. That’s all we can really do, right?” She smiles wryly.
Klaus closes his mouth and swallows heavily, offering her a small smile. They’re not forgiven. It’s going to take a hell of a lot more for that, and he’s more than ready for the groveling- whenever it starts. What Allison’s said- it’s not an apology, not really, but…it’s a start. “I- well, you’re not wrong.”
Allison plops down on the couch beside him and slowly, much more hesitantly, Luther does the same.
“Tell us,” Allison urges with a gentle smile.
“What about?” Klaus wonders.
“Everything. Tell us everything.”
Klaus thinks about it for a moment.
Weighs the pros and cons, considers the reasoning, the why.
He thinks about the end of the world, and their dead asshole of a father, and the trauma they all experienced at his hand. He thinks about the shuttered, haunted look in Luther’s eyes when he came back from his “special training”; thinks about the tears in Allison’s eyes and the split in her lip when she refused to rumor them into something she knew was wrong.
(“Just try an’ see ‘em before it’s too late, okay? I know you love ‘em, and you’re only gonna hurt yourself in the long run. You may’ve fought like devils, but that don’t mean they don’t miss you.”)
He tells them everything.
*
Onetwothreefourfivesixseven days pass.
They have no leads, no ideas, no solutions, no nothing.
Five’s eyes are wild and guilt-ridden and terrified, and he blinks out of the room whenever one of them walks in it.
They’re out of time.
There’s nothing left to do.
They wait.
*
Eight days come and go.
Nine, ten, eleven.
A week.
The world keeps spinning.
They stop worrying.
*
“Shut up,” Five groans, burying his face in his hands.
“You have a mannequin wife, Fivey,” Klaus sing-songs in delight.
“You gotta admit, it’s pretty weird, bro,” Diego says with an amused huff.
“This whole family is weird, Diego,” Five grumbles mutinously.
“He isn’t wrong,” Allison calls from the kitchen, emerging a moment later with two mugs of coffee, one of which she hands to Five.
“He’s not wrong,” Ben adds in agreement, popping into visibility next to Klaus. “But it’s still weird.”
Everyone startles except Klaus; Ben has been an ever present fixture in the Academy, now that his presence has been outed. That doesn’t mean they’re used to it.
“But,” Klaus stresses. “We’re all going to be supportive, because Dolores makes Five happy and less stab happy.”
Diego raises his glass of water. “Amen to that.”
“Keep any inappropriate activities to your bedroom,” Luther says absently, tossing another sheet of notes into the box beside him after a thorough read-through. Even more to send over to NASA, but what else are they going to do with all that research?
“Luther,” Five hisses, looking equal parts scandalized and embarrassed, and Klaus positively cackles.
“Why would you put that image in my head,” Vanya whines, burying her face in her hands.
Luther blinks a few times and finally raises his head, glancing around at them. “What? What did I say?”
Allison rolls her eyes and pats his arm patronizingly. “Nothing. Go back to organizing your research. Please.”
Five glares around at them like he’s trying to set them on fire with his gaze alone, before abruptly blinking out of the living room. Probably to spend some time with Dolores, which Klaus refuses to think is cute.
“You know, Vanny, if you want a different image in your head, I could regale you with the story of my foray into chocolate anal waxing-” Klaus starts, and Ben shoves a hand over his mouth immediately, eyes wide with horror.
“Please don’t.”
“But Benji, I-”
Klaus isn’t entirely sure what happens next.
One moment, they’re talking. The next-
A flash of blue, a whoosh of air, thick smoke drifting into the room and filling his lungs and why is it so hard to breathe I can’t breathe, what the fuck is going on-
heavy silence, a quiet click -
and then-
and then-
Gunfire .
White hot pain sears through his arm and Klaus cries out and throws himself to the ground, arms flying up to cover his head.
“Shit!” Someone curses; he thinks it’s Diego, but it’s so fucking loud and he can’t see much of anything through the smoke and where the fuck are his siblings and why are people shooting at them?!
“What the hell is happening-”
“Who are these people-”
“I can’t fucking see anything-”
“Stop, stop, stop-”
“Where’s Vanya-”
The ground is shaking.
The ground is- shaking?
The gunfire has, miraculously, stopped; their attackers must be trying to figure out what’s going on, too, because why is the ground shaking?
Cautiously, Klaus drops his arms and pushes himself upright, squinting through the haze of smoke in the air, eyes immediately zeroing in on the bright, white spot of light in the center of the room.
He isn’t sure, he can’t be sure, but that-
it looks like-
“Vanya?”
She’s- she's glowing, this brilliant, blinding white and Klaus can’t tear his eyes away even though he really, really should.
And then she’s screaming, wild and enraged and-
shoving her hands outward and-
he’s thrown violently backward-
people are screaming-
he slams into something-
painpainpain-
oh god it hurts, why does it hurt, make it stop hurting-
and then-
and then-
Darkness.
*
“You can’t stay here,” She says, scowling up at him.
“Why not?” He wonders. It’s peaceful here. Quiet.
“It’s not your time. And frankly, I don’t like you very much.”
“I’ve never even met you before,” he protests. She shoots him a rather impressive glare, and stomps Her foot.
“Yes you have. And I don’t like you. Don’t come back here again.”
“I’ll try not to,” he placates, and She rolls her eyes.
“You always say that.”
And
once again
there
is
nothing.
*
Klaus jerks upright with a gasp, heart pounding painfully against his ribcage.
“Oh, thank god,” a familiar voice says from somewhere off to his left.
Klaus languidly, mind moving honey slow as he mumbles absently, “Don’t thank her, she’s a bitch.”
He tries to will his blurry vision back into focus, squeezing his eyes shut and reopening them, blinking rapidly as his thoughts slowly but surely start to catch up with him, brain kickstarting back into gear.
“Dave?” He questions much more cognizantly, scrubbing his fists into his eyes and blinking again until- yes, that is Dave, slowly swimming into clarity. “You’re- wh- you’re here? Why?”
Dave is folded to his knees, face streaked with dirt and blood, a desperate sort of look in his eyes. “I’ve been keepin’ an eye on the Academy, just in case. An’ it- Klaus, half of it fuckin’ collapsed an’ all of you were inside and I didn’t know if you were even alive. I ain’t ever felt fear like that before. I know you’re mad at me, darlin’, but I- I had to check. I had t’be sure.”
For the first time since he awoke, Klaus finally notices his surroundings and Dave- he’s right.
Half the Academy has crumbled to the ground; blood is spilling out from underneath the rubble and that sends a sharp spike of panic through his chest until he realizes he can see all of his siblings moaning and groaning their way back into consciousness. He suspects their shooters are the ones who were crushed underneath the pounds of cement, and he can’t quite muster up the sympathy he thinks he should feel.
“What the fuck happened?”
“I- I think I did,” Vanya says in a small, frightened voice.
Klaus’s eyes fly over to her, and- and-
She’s right.
The white glow has faded, is practically nonexistent aside from the lingering ember of it in her eyes.
She’s sitting alone in a perfectly untouched circle, surrounded by broken pieces of their childhood home.
And Klaus-
He-
He starts laughing.
Maybe a little hysterical if the looks he’s getting are anything to go by, more than a bit shocked, definitely relieved.
“I-” Vanya stutters, trembling as she winds her arms around herself. “I- I killed them, I-”
“They were going to kill us if you didn’t.” Five appears in a flash of blue, a bloody knife in one hand and his tie wound around the other, staunching blood blow from a slash across his palm.
Vanya doesn’t seem to hear him; she’s staring at the concrete, at the bloodied rubble, and she’s rocking herself slowly as her breathing grows more erratic.
Klaus’s eyes skitter around, skirting past the new ghosts that are staring down at their bodies with twisted expressions, bouncing between his siblings who all look- insanely, wildly out of their depth. No one moves, and Vanya’s breath hitches.
He looks up at Dave, who smiles this soft, tentative little thing and offers him a hand up, dragging him upright and steadying him when he stumbles.
And then Klaus across cracked tile, folds to the ground beside his sister, and pulls her into the tightest hug he can muster.
She gasps, her frightened eyes flying up to him instead, and then she melts into the embrace and sobs.
*
“I…have powers,” Vanya says slowly, like she’s testing how the words feel in her mouth.
“You have powers,” Five confirms with a nod.
“I’m not ordinary.”
“You’re definitely not ordinary,” Allison says with a gentle smile.
“I have apocalyptic powers.”
“Pretty badass, I think,” Klaus adds with a grin.
Vanya is silent for a moment, processing, and Klaus has just enough time to start to worry before she groans and buries her face in her hands.
“God, can’t anything about this family be normal?”
*
In the end, it’s not as climactic as Klaus expects it to be.
The Commission sends more agents but it seems more like it’s a last ditch effort than anything; they already saved the world. Vanya- because of course it’s little, sweet, not-so-ordinary Vanya who has powers of apocalyptic proportions- seems to be enough of a deterrent.
When the agents do come, Five, primarily, takes care of them. Sometimes only Diego helps, sometimes they all do.
(One day, about a month into the not-apocalypse, Five vanishes. They panic because of course they do, it’s Five and they’ve fucking lost him again but-
He comes back two days later, blood spattered and grinning in vicious victory.
“They won’t be bothering us anymore,” he says, and then looks stumped because as happy as they are that the Commission has been dealt with, they’re even happier that they still have their brother.)
*
The phone rings just as Klaus is lacing his boots; they’re a deep burgundy, with thick soles and sturdy leather and he loves them, loves the height and cushion, the way the material molds to his feet.
He doesn’t actually plan on answering, is too preoccupied with admiring his outfit in the mirror, but Dave swoops in with a fond roll of his eyes.
“Hello? Mm, I know that, we ain’t gonna be late. Just about to walk outta the house.” A pause, a groan, and then Dave holds the phone out. “Your brother wants proof’a life.”
Klaus snorts and snags the phone, tucking it into the crook of his shoulder and absently twirling the cord around his fingers. “I’m not dead, Five.”
“You missed check in,” Five snaps, his voice some interesting mixture between rage and grudging concern.
“By-” Klaus peers at the stove. “Two minutes.”
“You still missed it. If you insist upon living with a temporal assassin, don’t miss your fucking check in.”
“Ex- time traveling assassin. Besides, it’s been six months, mein bruder. I think if he wanted to kill me, he would’ve done it already.”
“Or maybe he’s lulling you into a false sense of security.”
It’s a conversation they’ve had at length, on many different occasions, so Klaus just rolls his eyes, unfazed. “Does that involve wild, animalistic sex? Because if it does, I think you’re absolutely right, Fivey.”
Five makes a disgusted sound. “Family dinner,” he grinds out. “Ten minutes. If you’re late, I’m letting Diego cook that gross vegetable tarte thing again.”
Klaus shudders in disgust. “Do not let him make the gross vegetable tarte thing. We’ll be there in eight.”
The line goes dead, and Klaus rolls his eyes but puts the phone down and twirls over to the coat rack, tugging on a suede trench.
“He ain’t comin’ down here t’kill me, is he?” Dave asks, and Klaus laughs lightly.
“No, fortunately I think we’ve moved past the time where he actually would, and into the time where he’s just going to threaten to do it.”
“Guess we’re just gonna have to take what we can get then, huh?”
“Guess so.” Klaus smiles and grabs the collar of Dave’s jacket, drawing him into a kiss. “We ready for the family torture session?”
Dave chuckles. “You mean family dinner?”
“I know what I said.” Klaus grins.
“They ain’t that bad.”
“Well, they’re not that good either. I’m getting tired of listening to them threaten you.”
Dave just smiles softly, indulgently, and pulls him into another kiss. “They’re doin’ it ‘cause they care about you, darlin, an’ we both know that.”
Klaus groans and flops into his chest. “How come no one told me that would be so annoying?”
Ben wanders in from his bedroom, smirking. “You didn’t get the memo yet?”
Klaus hums thoughtfully. “You are pretty annoying.”
Ben huffs but says, “We’d better go before Five sends in the cavalry.”
Klaus pouts. “You’re no fun.” But he relents and snags their keys off the side table.
Their new apartment is barely a five minute walk from the Academy; part of Klaus feels like he should feel smothered by that, but he just…doesn’t.
(Five insisted, actually, even though the little shit can teleport. A moot point, really, but Klaus still can’t help the warm fuzzy feelings he gets when he realizes Five cares.)
They needed a new place, anyways; Ben didn’t have his own bedroom, for one, and two…well. Their old place, as loved as it was, just wasn’t them anymore. It was a place full of secrets and unpleasant reminders. Getting a new apartment felt like the fresh start they needed.
Vanya only lives about fifteen minutes away, which is nice, too. She comes over every Wednesday for lunch. She’s settling nicely with her powers, and learning quickly. They regularly have to replace light fixtures, but the blossoming, carefree smile on her face every time she uses her powers is so worth the expense. Besides, it’s dad’s money, and if they get to spend it fixing a problem he caused…well. Maybe Vanya breaks a few more light fixtures on purpose than she does accidentally, but none of them mind.
Diego is living with his girlfriend, the pretty lady cop, and he blushes- actually blushes- whenever they talk about her. It’s, frankly, adorable. Klaus never would’ve guessed their rough-around-the -edges brother would blush over a girl. (Sometimes, when it’s just Klaus and Diego left at the table, Diego with mention buying her a ring. He gets this soft look in his eyes, and Klaus can’t help but like this wonderful woman he’s yet to meet, if she’s putting that look on his face. Diego is a lot of things, but tender has never been one of them. Klaus is happy someone is finally showing him that’s even okay.)
Luther and Allison stole away to California. Whatever pseudo-relationship they had when they were younger has vanished; in its place is a strong, normal brother-sister relationship. Thank fuck for that. Claire loves Luther; he’s her own personal superhero (“He lived on the moon, Uncle Klaus. That’s way cooler than your superpower!” Klaus was inclined to agree, though he did have to remind her that his power is the reason they can see Uncle Ben. She gave Ben her lollipop in apology.) Allison and Patrick are on much better terms, now; they trade off weeks with Claire, and every month all three of them pack up and visit for a weekend. Luther looks more comfortable in his skin each time they come, like he can finally breathe without Reginald telling him he’s doing it wrong.
They have family dinners every Sunday- Luther and Allison join through Skype and sometimes, Claire joins too.
Slowly but surely, they’ve grown closer. They might even have started to do this thing called healing.
Klaus and Dave even have a wedding date set- tentative at first, but…well. They put too much time and effort into each other to stop just because they hit a bump in the road.
It’s not as black and white as that, of course. There’s good days and there’s bad days; both between him and Dave, and the rest of his siblings. But they work through their issues together, now, and it turns out that makes a pretty damn big difference.
Dave nudges Klaus’s side, glancing over at him inquiringly. “You okay, darlin’?”
Klaus smiles, bright and carefree, and leans over to kiss him, feeling something warm and happy burst to life in his chest. “I’m more than okay.”