Work Text:
The third time Allison kicked him out of her room, he managed to take one of her magazines. Seventeen was it called? Were you suppose to be seventeen to read it? Well, it was supposed to be for girls only too! Which was bullshit if you asked him! Of course, no one ever asked.
Giggling, he went to his bedroom. None of the kids were allowed to lock their doors, but it wasn’t like there were surprise inspections either. At least, they were granted with some sort of privacy as he could close his door.
His bedroom wasn’t the biggest nor did it have many decorations. Why would he care? After all, his father certainly wouldn’t approve of his ‘choices’. When he was ten, Klaus tried and hang up some posters which were later ripped off his walls as, according to daddy dearest, ‘were not suit for boys’. Too much color, too much glitter, too… girly . So, it was just a lame old bedroom; but it was his .
The boy sat on the floor, flicking through the magazine’s pages. When he was reading something about ‘must have jeans’, there was a knock on his door.
“Who is it?” He shouted, not taking his eyes from the magazine.
Luckily, father wasn’t to be home until late at night. Besides, his siblings knew how to mind their own business, just as he did. Worst case scenario, Allison would find out; if that was it, she wouldn’t knock.
“I’m bored!” A voice whined outside of his room.
“The fuck you want me to do about it, Ben?” Klaus replied, moving to read his horoscope.
At his answer, his brother opened his door slowly, barely peeking inside.
“It wasn’t an invitation, Ben!”
“What are you reading?” He asked, completely ignoring his brother’s words.
“Just get in!”
It was worthless to argue with him. Even if he did wanted to invest energy in doing so, they'd attract unwanted attention. Well, it wasn’t as if no one knew about his preferences ; it was more like an open secret. Still, he wasn’t actually worried about his siblings’ opinion, but damn it he wanted a moment to read a magazine he wasn’t allowed to (and it wasn’t porn!) in peace!
Ben sat next to him as he tried to ignore him. If he had to be fair, Ben did manage to stay silent for the first minute; a silence broken just by Klaus.
“Hey.” He said with a wide grin, showing him a specific page. “Still bored?”
He almost thought it wouldn’t work, if his brother’s face was anything to go by, then he nodded. What’s your dating superpower ? was the name of the quizz he presented to his brother, who argued that they were too young to date anyway. In the end, Ben got to be “a mega flirt” and Klaus a “hotter than the sun”, to his delight. His brother still complained that it made no sense as none of them even had a date before.
“I’ll go find Diego.” Ben muttered with a pout. “You’re no fun!”
“I am!” He replied offended. Was he implying that Diego was better? Please!
Even if he’d wanted to be left alone at the beginning, he couldn’t let Ben leave just like that. Seriously? Diego?! Fine, the quizz was not his best idea because, well, he didn’t take Seventeen to entertain a sibling. Now it was serious, it was about his reputation… No fun? The hell did Ben knew about being fun (Diego?!). When his brother was about to leave, Klaus still sitting, grabbed him by his ankle. It’d be a lie if he’d say he didn’t suppress a laugh when he screeched.
“What…? I’ll call Luther!” Ben shouted, trying to get free from (now) both of Klaus’ hands.
Alright, now he was laughing. C’mon, call him! Better yet, release the horror! Klaus wanted to say between laughs, wouldn’t that be hilarious?! Well, Ben didn’t do that but he did hit him in the head.
“Don’t be like that! We can do some other things!” he promised. Actually, the magazine gave him an idea… It was best not to tell him that. Perhaps he thought he wasn’t as fun because of it?
“Like what?” He asked, giving up on freeing himself.
Then he proposed a game of sorts, it will help him he said. Let’s call it training! But better, because father wasn’t around. His brother frowned but nodded. On the one hand, was sort of cute, the inability to stay mad for long that Ben had. On the other hand, it was kind of sad watching him nod, looking dejected, accepting whatever father said. Well, that wasn’t the case with him! Because Klaus just wanted to prove he was cool, he didn’t want anything from Ben.
With a wide smile, he stood up. It was going to be fun, for both of them!
“You’ll try to steal something, so will I.”
“W-what?” He choked, already trying to escape… again.
“Not like that! We’ll… borrow something.” Klaus grinned and Ben looked, well, tired. “It’s a bet, alright? And since I’m such a cool brother, I’ll let you choose your victim! There's a catch, though.”
“Of course.” He sighed.
The game consisted in being able to steal (or borrow) two personal items without being caught; they must belong to one person only (their father was out of the question). Five minutes top. The one who finished earlier would win and would choose a punishment fit for the loser. Good thing Klaus was planning on winning.
Ben chose to steal from Luther, for some reason. If he got caught, the lecture daddy’s prodigy would give! However, he’d feel bad taking something from Vanya; he was sort of scared of Allison and Diego was too easy (according to Klaus, at least.) as he had a soft spot for Ben. No, Klaus didn’t trust that little bitch not giving something to Ben just to piss him off.
On his part, Klaus chose Grace. After all, there were very interesting things she had. Besides, he wasn’t going to risk getting caught by Allison… Again.
Their meeting spot was Klaus’ bedroom, each one taking the time on their clocks. As soon as the five minutes had passed, they should return. Even better if they did everything right and could meet before those minutes. Again, that was Klaus plan.
One, two, three, go!
There they went.
Klaus ran with a grin on his face. Although Grace didn’t have a room of her own, she did have a closet; a simple red door in the second floor. Room or not, it was almost as big as his. As he opened its door, he couldn’t help but feel marveled. The first thing he saw was himself, reflected in a huge mirror which almost covered the whole closet. Everything was perfectly ordered; the dresses, the shoes, the makeup and hair products. Even if he had limited time, he couldn’t help but look around the tiny place.
What should he take? His eyes went to a pair of golden stilettos, he needed to check if… Yes! They were the same size! Now he needed another thing, something that'd make him both win and reclaim the prize.
He looked at his watch. Four minutes! So he ran as fast as his awkward legs allowed him too. From the corner of his eyes he saw…
“Hell no!” he shouted as Ben started to get closer too reaching him! “Dad, you're home so soon!”
It made his brother stop for a second, before realizing the truth. But that second was crucial, making Klaus enter his bedroom at the roaring sound of a “NOOO!”
“Cheater!” Ben hissed as Klaus made a silly dance of victory. “It's no fair!”
“Was it against the rules?” The other boy asked, raising an eyebrow.
If it had been another one of his siblings, he's sure he'd be punched in the face at the very least. Instead, he threw (and fail) a book at him; one of Luther's possessions it seemed. As he was about to throw another thing, they heard their mother's voice which made Ben jump and Klaus hid her things under his bed.
The moment she found them, she put her hands on her hip and chastised them, saying that they should learn how to play without making that much noise. Imagine what your father would think if he saw you! She had said. Well, they didn't need to imagine it, they knew . If the man knew what Klaus was going to do next… But he wouldn’t. Then she left them alone, almost in an awkward silence.
“Are you gonna chicken out, Ben?” there wasn’t any malice in his voice, but he won fair and square!
“No.” His brother sighed, defeated.
Then, Klaus showed him what he took from Grace; a pair of high heels and make up. Actually, he had taken more than two things. The make up included a brush, a palette of eyeshadows, lipstick and mascara.
“Let’s get started!”
Ben had managed to steal a random book as well as a few pencils. If their mother had not come, he’d probably use those to stab his sibling. Fine, it wasn’t against the rules, but it was cheating! Even so, he agreed with the terms and he’d had to accept whatever punishment Klaus would choose. Thus, he sat on his bed as he commanded and he couldn’t help but be scared.
What was he going to do? Ben’s plan was to make Klaus buy him ice cream, but he suspected his brother’s plan wasn’t as mellowed as his.
“Close your eyes and stay still.”
No, it was definitely something shady.
“What are you gonna do?” Ben asked, ready to run. Whatever if he was called a chicken!
“You'll see! But first, close your eyes!”
He did as he was told, his whole body tense. The boy almost jumped when he felt something small hitting his eyelids, but he didn’t open his eyes. The second time, he sneezed as he felt something like dust reaching his nose. But it wasn’t dust, was it? It was…
“Still, Ben!” he heard Klaus complain. “It won’t be like in the magazine, I couldn’t get more. But you'll look pretty.”
“Why do you hate me?”
Instead of an answer, his brother kept on doing whatever he was doing to his face. Ben just thought how Diego wouldn't do that to him.
“Open your eyes.”
“We're done?” He asked, relieved, opening his eyes. But Klaus seemed to be looking at the magazine concentrated. That's when Ben noticed. “Are you… Wearing mom's shoes?”
“They're my size.” He answered, as if that said it all. Well, it kind of did.
His hands started to sweat when he saw that mascara was next. What if he got blind because Klaus stabbed him in the eye?! There was some sort of moment inside his stomach and he couldn't tell if it were nerves or the Horror, already trying to defend itself. Surprisingly, he did it quickly and never once hurt him. Had he done it before? It wouldn't be a surprise.
“You have beautiful eyelashes.” His brother said, with a hint of envy in his voice.
Then he grabbed a lipstick. A red lipstick.
“We're done.” Ben said, standing up and ready to run to his room and take all that makeup off. Well, just the eyes. But it was still too much.
“No! Stay still!”
That's when Klaus forcefully grabbed him by the cheeks, as he tried to put lipstick on him. And he did… On his jaw, almost his nose and a bit on his lips. Between one of his moves, Klaus pressed the lipstick too hard on his lips and it broke.
Both of them gasped. For a second, they made eye contact and he could see fear in his eyes. Then, Klaus look changed.
“I'll tell mom you broke her stuff!” he announced.
With that he ran outside his room and laughed.
“Klaus, wait!”
At first, Ben was terrified of some sort of punishment. What if mom told father?! Yet, in that case, both of them would be in trouble. What if they believed Klaus and not him?
However, those worries became nothing when he saw his brother running down the stairs. Then a scream! It almost in slow motion, Klaus falling through the stairs and landing right on his face.
“Klaus!”
Ben ran as fast as he could, trying to take a better look on his brother. At this point, his other siblings would find out. There he was on the floor, barely moving and moaning in pain.
It was all his fault! He tried not to cry (what would father say?), but his eyes were burning.
Before he could tell, both Luther and Diego were there. He was sure Five and his sisters were arriving soon. Seconds, minutes or hours went by; he couldn't tell, as he was hyperventilating. Both his mother and Pogo arrived, as well as the rest of his siblings. They were told to wait there, when he was taken.
He was still crying, when he noticed both Luther and Diego staring at him (his other siblings more focused on Klaus). For a moment, he couldn't understand why they were looking at him like that. In different ways.
“What the hell is on your face, Ben?” Luther asked with a frown.
Right .
Before he could tell them, Diego cut him off.
“We played truth or dare. He chose dare.”
“If father saw him like that…!” Luther yelled, but was interrupted.
“But he won't. And you won't say anything!”
The air was tense, looking between his brothers; still worried about Klaus. There was a pain in his chest, thinking everything was his fault. Even if he wanted to speak, tell them to stop, the lump of his throat didn't let him.
Suddenly, Diego grabbed him by the arm and almost dragged him to the nearest bathroom. He looked pissed and Ben wanted to apologize, but he wasn't sure why. Because of what happened to Klaus? Them arguing? When they reached the bathroom, he was already sobbing.
Diego said nothing as he took a hand towel and soak it with water and soap. Between his tears, he could see himself reflected in the mirror. There were black tears running through his face, red lipstick mostly in his lips but also in other parts too, eyeshadows with hints of orange and gold. However, it'd all be gone soon. Roughly, his brother started to rub that towel on his face, taking it just to soak it in more water and soap before repeating it all over again.
It took three or four times, his skin burning from the violent rubbing, before it was all gone. He looked at his brother with red eyes, God he looked livid!
“Explain to me” he said slowly, angry. “Why was Klaus running around wearing heels and you're makeup like a…”
He stopped himself suddenly and Ben wasn't sure he wanted to know his next words. Instead, Diego pinched himself on the bridge of the nose, taking deep breaths. But he waited for him to continue, trying not to cry again. When he didn't say anything, he spoke.
“I… W-we were playing.”
Then he couldn't help it and started crying again. It was just a game! A game, but Klaus had been badly hurt and Diego was mad at him. The worst was that he couldn't understand why! Was he really that mad because of the makeup? Was it so wrong? They were just playing!
For a moment, he thought his brother was going to start yelling or something. Instead, he hugged him tightly, allowing him to rest his head on his shoulder.
“Damn it Klaus.” Diego muttered, more to himself than to his sibling. “He made you do this, right?”
“We were playing.” Ben repeated tiredly.
Obviously he didn't want to wear makeup but he was having trouble understanding Diego. Why was he more worried about him wearing makeup than Klaus getting hurt? Then he was grabbed the shoulder as he separated from his brother.
“Look at me, Ben.” He seemed serious, far more than a twelve year old should be. “Be careful! Just because Klaus doesn’t give a shit, doesn’t mean you must do the same!”
“What’s the problem, Diego?! Dad’s not here!” He was mad, alright? They should be caring for Klaus!
His brother’s look did not change, but he could feel his hands tighten around his shoulders.
“I don’t want him to hurt you more than he already does! What if he came back sooner and found you running around like that? What if Luther tells you off!?”
“He wouldn’t.” He replied, but his brother just frowned at that.
“L-luther d-doesn’t… H-he…”
The stutter, as if their father was right there…
“Diego. Father is not here.” he repeated, almost calmly.
“I-I don’t want h-him to hurt you. None of you.” Diego let him go, there he noticed that his shoulders were hurting. But he decided not to mention it. “But Klaus never listens! But you should!”
“Is it wrong?” Ben asked, his face still burning from the way his makeup was removed.
Diego looked serious for a second before smiling sadly.
“You never do anything wrong.” He said touching his shoulder, more gentle this time. “Let’s go see Klaus, I’m sure he’s fine.”
In the end, Klaus wasn’t as good as he supposed he were. A broken jaw, mom said. It wasn’t like he was glad his brother got hurt, but what a relief! A broken jaw meant writing on a notebook instead of talking; it was easier to ignore.
Because of his accident, father allowed him to rest (because he would be of no use, not because he cared). So, in the end everybody won! In a screw up way, but still. Even so, Diego pitied him; it must have been painful!
A few days afterwards, he went to his brother’s bedroom to see how he was doing.
“You never learn, right?” He sighed at the view of Klaus laying in bed with a magazine, wearing a different set of shoes. Mom ’s shoes.
All his brother did was shrug, his eyes still on the magazine. Diego could have done the same and leave him be, but there were things left to be said.
“I know that talking to you is like talking to a wall.” Klaus barely registered his words. “But you really need to think about our actions.”
At that, his brother frowned and looked at him. But he did no attempt to reach for his notebook and ask anything. So, Diego continued.
“I wish you cared more for yourself, Klaus. I don’t care what you wear, but dad does.”
He felt like they had that talk before, when father found him playing with some barbie cards. Diego would never forget how Klaus looked at the floor as his father yelled at him. A warning, that’s the only thing he gave him. In the end, he’d give him more than that.
Klaus decided to keep ignoring him, looking at the magazine once more. Diego lost it. Angry, he grabbed said magazine and threw it against the wall. Oh, he had his brother attention alright!
“Fine! Do whatever you like! Go to breakfast wearing a dress and smelling like whisky if you want! But leave Ben out of this.”
At this, Klaus opened his eyes wide as if forgetting about his other brother for a moment. Looking around, he found the notebook laying next to his bed and a pen near it. Furiously, he wrote in big letters and showed it to him.
‘I WON'T LET HIM HURT HIM.”
“How?” Diego asked, shaking his head.
His brother looked focused as he stared at the blank paper, the pen tight in his hand. And yet he wrote nothing for a moment. Then he did, clamer this time.
‘We looked pretty.’
He felt… weird at reading those words. A pain in his chest almost made him hard to breath. There he could have made any comment; that yes, they were or maybe that everything would be okay. Instead, he chuckled.
“No amount of makeup can make you pretty.”
At that Klaus flipped him the finger, which only made Diego laugh harder.
“Nice shoes, though.”
Klaus wrote again. A ‘DANKE’ this time.
Three months later, Ben and Klaus were playing. A safer game this time, but the consequences were the same for the loser. It was a close match, he admit it, but he won.
“I hate this game.” Ben muttered as his brother took the UNO cards away.
“Rules are the rules.” Klaus shrugged.
“Makeup again?”
He felt as if he had been punched on the stomach, remembering his conversation (if you can call it that) with Diego before. Ben was looking at him, waiting for his answer. His idea was to do his nails, actually. Still, he thought better of it. Even if he wanted, he couldn’t protect him from his father wrath. Small, innocent Ben…
“No. Just… I want your desert of the night.”
“Klaus!” Ben groaned.
“Rules are the rules!”
He pouted but nodded, accepting his fate.
“I guess it’s better than makeup.”
“It’s not!” Klaus replied offended, before smiling sadly. “But maybe when we’re older.”
Then no one would be able to hurt them. In the meantime, he’ll keep on reading those fashion magazines.