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They landed in a heap on the expensive carpeted floor of the lounge, all letting out quick breaths of air as the wind was knocked out of them.
Diego let out a soft groan, rolling onto his back. Allison sat up, feeling at her neck and realizing that there was no longer any injury. She smiled wide, eyes only widening in wonder as she looked around at her siblings.
They were children, all of them. Back to at least thirteen.
“You really did it,” She let out a content sigh, “We’re in the past.”
Five, the only one who had landed on his feet, still dusted himself off despite only his shoes touching the ground.
“Of course I did.” He rolled his eyes, but still extended his hand to help her up.
Vanya opened her eyes blearily, “Wha-”
“Well this feels weird.” A voice called from the side of the group, interrupting their sister.
Everyone’s eyes widened.
Ben Hargreeves was standing beside them, staring down at his own hands. He laughed incredulously, touching the lamp to his right, trying to remember what it felt like to actually have a physical form.
In a blur of blacks and blues, Ben was enveloped in the world’s largest hug.
“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to do this?” Klaus whispered, tears collecting in his eyes. Ben laughed wetly, tears of his own building.
The others watched, stupefied for a moment, before joining the hug, misty eyed as well.
Yes, even Five warped his wily little self into the middle.
Klaus wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but it felt like an eternity. And he could one hundred percent confirm, it was the best eternity of his life.
When they broke apart, everyone had gigantic smiles upon their faces, eyes crinkling with joy.
Even Vanya, who wasn’t quite sure what had happened, couldn’t contain her glee at the sight of her brother alive and well.
“It’s good to have you back,” Luther clapped his no longer deceased brother on the shoulder, “We missed you.”
Klaus didn’t miss the way Ben’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh that’s rich.” The smaller hissed.
The others looked at one another confusedly.
“What?”
“I’m still mad at you.” Ben replied simply, but his eyes were almost glowing with anger.
“Ben,” Allison started, “Luther hasn’t spoken to you since… you know… What could he have possibly done that you’re still mad about?”
Even Klaus had no idea what his brother was upset over.
Vanya stood to the side awkwardly, still confused and disoriented. The last thing she remembered was breaking the vault’s door down. When did they become children again?
“Well there’s a number of things,” Ben replied not a hint of sympathy in his tone, “I mean, the world was ending and you couldn’t have been even a little less conceited!? Dad must have sent me to the moon for a reason! The apocalypse is coming so I must have something to do with it!” He mocked number one in a telltale voice, shocking the others.
Klaus let out a strange laugh, in all their years, he had never heard Ben this annoyed.
Diego had to stifle a chuckle, and Five grinned amusedly.
Luther’s cheeks grew hot, he glowered at number six.
“But what I’m really mad about, is what you did to Klaus.”
Any amusement died there.
The brother in reference furrowed his brow, not quite sure where this was headed.
Allison, still standing close to Luther, did the same.
Five and Vanya watched curiously, eyes flicking to one another briefly before the latter looked away hurriedly.
“What?” Diego demanded, now giving the blonde a dangerous look.
“After Luther found out that father dearest sent him to the moon for no reason better than the fact that he was annoyed with him, our ‘leader’ had a little favour to ask of Klaus.”
Everyone waited patiently for Ben to continue.
“See, he wanted Klaus to conjure Reginald so that he could make him apologize. For sending him to the moon that is. It’s not like Reginald had done so much worse to us right? Like, I don’t know, killed me?”
Luther looked down at the ground.
“But that’s beside the point.” He waved hastily, “The point, is that Klaus tried to tell Luther he couldn’t, that he had tried and was unable to. But instead of listening, Luther swore at him and choked him, pinning Klaus to the wall by his neck.”
Allison let out a small almost gasp-like sound, taking a step back from Luther. She looked at him with untrusting eyes.
Vanya pursed her lips, looking over at Klaus sadly.
Five narrowed his eyes at One, an odd sort of energy radiating off of him.
“He did what?” Diego growled, fury bubbling in his veins.
They were siblings. How could Luther have ever done something like that to his own brother.
“But that’s not all,” Ben said suddenly, “Despite Klaus’ protests, Luther decides it would be a good idea to go out on his own. And so, Klaus spends his night looking for Luther, going everywhere. And guess where our special number one is? At a nightclub, drunk off his ass and dancing with random girls. Mind you, Klaus has been sober for a good two and a half days now, and after spending years with no one to talk to but him, I’ve learned that two and a half days is pretty impressive.”
“So Klaus, trying to stay away from drugs, walks into a drug infested club for Luther. And get this, while trying to keep Luther safe, gets into a fight, hits his head on the concrete, and dies.”
Everyone’s eyes, yes you guessed it, widen. They wonder if they’ve just misheard Ben.
“He actually fucking died. And guess what Luther does. Walks out. Luther actually leaves his dead brother lying there, and goes and gets laid.”
Ben was shaking by that point, unbridled fury in his eyes. His hands were clenched in tight fists, teeth almost grinding together as he glared unrelentlessly at the tallest.
Allison has stepped even farther away from Luther, a now shocked expression upon her face.
Five, at this point, had completely changed his stance. He was absolutely enraged, and you could tell just by looking at him. This wasn’t his usual annoyance, no, he was furious.
Vanya’s brows were knitted together, and she resembled a kicked puppy. Her mouth was parted slightly, shaky breaths coming in and out.
Luther, it seemed, didn’t even have the decency to look apologetic. If he was, he was only sorry for himself.
“I didn’t know he was dead.” The large man mumbled, “And I was-”
“I swear to god if you say ‘I was high’ I will beat the shit out of you.” Ben growled, and everyone turned to look.
Ben was a pacifist, always had been. He had never asked to be on a team of superhero kids, he had never asked to have that monster inside him.
But there he was, absolutely infuriated and willing to fight Luther.
“I’ve seen Klaus so high he can’t even remember his own name and he would never leave anyone, nevermind his own brother like that.” Number Six seethed, and he could practically feel the blood pumping in his veins.
Once again, Luther didn’t even look the least bit ashamed of his actions. “It wasn’t my fault I-”
Diego was upon him before he could even finish his sentence. The smaller of the two threw punch after punch, not giving Luther time to even think.
Number Two had been shaking with rage after what he’d heard, and he swore that he tried to contain his rage. He swore he tried to hold back, he tried to keep his emotions at bay.
But after hearing what Luther had done, and then having to hear him even dare to say it wasn’t his fault, and Diego couldn’t control himself.
“How fucking dare you!?” He cried, latched onto the back of the blonde as he fought tooth and claw. “He’s our fucking little brother and you leave him to die!? You piece of shit!.”
Klaus, could only stare in shock. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Ben had remembered. Ben had thought that was important enough to bring up seconds after being brought back to life. Ben had gotten angry, had threatened someone, for him.
And Diego. Diego was fighting Luthor. He was physically beating his brother, for him.
Klaus looked over in a panic at his siblings who weren’t fighting, he swallowed thickly when he realized they had no intention of stopping the brawl. His eyes flicked over to Ben, and his heart plummeted when he saw the smile on his brothers’ face. Ben, the pacifist, was smiling as he watched his two brothers fight.
What?
Allison wanted to stop it, she did. She didn’t enjoy fighting, especially in between her brothers, but she couldn’t find it in her to stop what was happening before her. What Luthor had done was deplorable, she felt as though she didn’t know him anymore, like she had never known him in the first place.
Vanya felt dizzy. Her head was pounding and she couldn’t comprehend a single thing that was happening. Why were they children? What had happened? What did she do after she broke the vault? Ben was alive?
The one thing Number Seven did understand, was that Luther had done something unforgivable. That he had left Klaus to die. Small, innocent Klaus.
Well maybe he wasn’t as young and innocent anymore, but Vanya remembered how Klaus had been as a child. Sure, he had always been mischievous, but he had also always had a kind heart. Klaus Hargreeves had always been an open and inviting boy, quite possibly the sweetest she’d known. And Luther had left him to die.
Ben Hargreeves felt good. As crazy as that sounded, it was true. He couldn’t help the small grin that graced his features as he watched his brothers fight. He had wanted for so long to punch Luther in his stupid Number One jaw. He had felt immensely guilty after that night. He had been the one who urged Klaus to keep looking for Luther, he had been the one that convinced Klaus to protect Luther. And look at what had happened.
Ben hadn’t been able to get the event off his mind, not since it happened. Watching Klaus treat Luther with nothing but kindness even after that, not even having brought it up once, it hurt Ben. His heart quite literally twisted when he thought about it. Everyone could say what they wanted about Klaus, that he had lost himself to drugs, but Ben knew he was still that soft-hearted boy underneath. That overly emotional little boy who would cry watching nature documentaries. Klaus was still Klaus. And it hurt Ben to see that some of his siblings couldn’t see that.
And it felt so good to finally be able to yell at Luther.
Five was furious. Which, since he had been reverted to his fifteen-year-old self, hadn’t happened once. Yes, he had been annoyed. Greatly, annoyed. And Yes, he had been rendered speechless by the absolutely mind numbing stupidity of some of his siblings, but not once had he ever been furious.
Now, he was furious.
Say what you’d like, but Five cared about his family. He hadn’t had much time to show it since he returned, but the apocalypse had been on its way. And he was not about to lose them all again. The image of Klaus’ dead body burned in Five’s mind, and he felt his hands shake. The wide blank eyes, staring off into nothingness, they haunted Five almost each night. And Luther had left Klaus dead.Luther had gone to get laid while his brother died.
Not only that, but Klaus had died protecting Luther. It didn’t matter that he had come back, what mattered was that he had died in the first place. And that should never have happened.
All Five could see was red.
“Stop!” Klaus cried suddenly, running over to the two. “Diego stop!”
That was where things, if they even could, got so much more worse.
Klaus got too close, and the brothers’ fight was too out of control.
One swing from Luther’s super strength arm paired with Klaus’ tiny body, (even tinier now that he was a child) and he went flying.
“Klaus!”
Everyone was instantly running over to where the boy had hit the wall. Luther took that as a chance to leave. He slipped out of the room silently, cheeks red hot with embarrassment.
Klaus was slumped in an upright position against the wall, head resting on his chest. His eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving.
Ben felt his heart stop.
“Klaus,” Diego breathed in a panic, shaking the smaller boy’s arm. Klaus’ head lolled slightly but he remained unresponsive otherwise.
“Now what’s going on in here?” A polished and proper voice called from behind them. Instantly, Diego had snapped his head towards the doorway.
In mere seconds he had wrapped his tiny arms around Grace’s middle. “Mom,” He sobbed, burying his face in her dress. Just as usual, there wasn’t a single wrinkle or defect anywhere on her. She smiled down at him, petting his head gently, frowning when she looked over at the others.
“What happened darlings?”
xxx
An hour later and things had almost calmed.
Numbers Two to Seven were seated in the infirmary, a tense sort of air surrounding them. Number Four, as it seemed, was still unconscious.
Grace ran a hand through his hair as he lay still on the cot, smiling sadly. The others watched morosely.
“You’re lucky your father is away, he would have made quite the fuss at the dent you all made in the wall.”
They remained silent.
“Now does anyone want to tell me what happened? Or where your brother is?” The A.I. questioned, one hand still wrapped around Klaus’ significantly smaller one.
“Number One, is who did this.” Five replied, “He took a swing at Klaus, using his powers of course.”
Grace pursed her lips, eyes clouding over. “I’ll have to talk to him then.” She mumbled, “I’ll be back soon children.”
They watched as she walked out, hearing the clicking of her heels become more and more muffled the farther she walked.
“I had no idea.” Allison whispered suddenly, not looking at the rest of her siblings.
“Nor I,” Five admitted, pursing his lips as he stared at his brother.
“It’s always been like that.” Ben commented quietly. “I mean never that bad, but after I died, I watched the way Luther treated Klaus and I just… I couldn’t believe I’d never seen before.”
“What do you mean?” Vanya asked hesitantly, creaning forwards on the uncomfortable metal chair. The lights in the dimly lit room flickered, creating a strange aura.
Ben looked to be pondering for a moment. “He’s, just for starters, always been really condescending towards Klaus. To the point where even I feel offended and angry. And you can just tell he thinks that Klaus is lower than dirt. The way he looks down on him… god it just pisses me off. And he’s never cared about Klaus, ever. The only time he ever even showed the slightest bit of interest in him is when he thought he could get something out of Klaus. Luther just… He uses Klaus. And Klaus knows, he just doesn’t do anything about it. He still treats Luther with all the respect he doesn’t deserve, and it just makes the whole thing feel so much worse.”
They returned to silence after that, mulling over Ben’s words. Each of them, feeling a small bout of guilt at not reprimanding the ‘eldest’ for his actions.
“When Klaus was trying to get sober,” Ben started up again, staring blankly at the wall, “Luther walked in and saw him hunched over the toilet, dumping all his drugs. Obviously, he wasn’t okay. His hands were shaking and he could barely breathe, withdrawal is horrible, but he was trying so hard. And Luther doesn’t look the least bit concerned at that. He just says they’re having a family meeting and he has to go. And Klaus almost starts crying, right there, he was hurting so bad. And in moments like that all I wanted was a physical form. You know, to just… be able to really comfort Klaus. To actually be there for him. And Luther had one, he was standing there, in the flesh, he had the ability to help Klaus. And instead, he gets angry. He tells Klaus they don’t have time for his games and then walks out.”
Silence once more. No one knows what to say to that. So they don’t say anything.
Diego bit his lip, feeling unnerved by everything that had happened. He still wanted to fight Luther, but more than anything, he just wanted Klaus to be okay. Diego had never really been Luther’s biggest fan, but he’d never noticed how he treated Klaus. Now, he wished he had more than anything.
“Well,” A raspy voice choked out, “I feel like shit.”
Everyone looked up at the cot, to see their brother sitting up slowly, eyes only half lidded.
Five was on his feet instantly, helping the smaller boy sit. His eyes flicked over to Number Four’s bandaged head wearily.
Klaus mumbled a thanks before looking over at the rest of his siblings. “What’s wrong? You guys look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” He grinned, “Oh no wait, that’s me.”
Five rolled his eyes, but there was a small smile upon his face.
“I’d say how do you feel but it seems you’ve already made that apparent,” Five commented, eyes twinkling with amusement and something else, something Klaus couldn’t quite place.
Diego stood unsurly, trying to figure out what to do with himself. He made his way over to the cot, staring into Klaus’ eyes. Number Four was a little put off, to say the least.
“Uh Diego?” He questioned, “You’re kinda staring.”
“Shut up.” Number Two mumbled. He stared harder, narrowing his eyes slightly. Klaus looked over at the rest of his siblings, raising a brow.
Without any warning, he pulled the smaller into a hug, earning a cry of surprise.
“You don’t have to pretend you aren’t sad Klaus.” Diego whispered into his ear, and Klaus swallowed thickly.
When they broke apart, Klaus noticed everyone was now standing by the bed. He looked over at Ben.
“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” He said, frown deepening with anxiety. “You didn’t have to yell at him for me. If I wanted to I would have.”
“Klaus that’s exactly why I had to do it.” Ben shook his head, “You were never going to yell at him. Never even going to tell anyone what he did. Someone needed to.”
The seance laughed dryly, but he felt tears welling in his eyes. “Thanks,” He rasped out.
Ben rolled his eyes and placed his brothers’ hand in between his own two, “After thirteen years of you putting up with my nagging, it was the least I could do.”
“It wasn’t nagging persay,” Klaus reasoned, “It was like, ‘I don’t want you to choke on your own vomit’, but in a nagging voice.”
Ben rolled his eyes, pulling Klaus into a hug. Vanya watched with a small smile, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Klaus so happy. Even if it was a sort of morbid topic, she was still glad to see him smiling like that.
They were interrupted by Grace reentering the room. “I just spoke with your brother, he didn’t really feel up to talking, but I told him to stick to the punching bags only. That boy and his temper...” She trailed off as she waltzed in, steps perfectly in time.
Grace smiled wide when she saw Klaus.
“Ah, good to see you up sweetie,” She put a hand on his shoulder, “I hope you’re feeling better.”
Klaus looked over at his brothers and sisters and smiled.
“Yeah… I am.”