Chapter Text
Klaus had never considered himself an overly possessive person. Prior to Dave he hadn’t ever had a person who was just his, and he’d never had anything that couldn’t be taken away or lost. Hell, he’d even shared his birthdays. How can you be possessive when you’ve never possessed anything?
There was one thing Klaus always had that was just his, the ability to talk to ghosts. Ben was the only good thing to ever come out of that ability. Despite the fact that he would never admit it Ben was his brother more so than any of the others. To them Ben died years ago, but he never left for Klaus. Through high’s and low’s Ben was there with Klaus, the only constant.
So, when they touched down in the past Klaus didn’t take a moment to check out his younger body like the others, instead he searched for Ben. Who knew if ghosts could time travel after all, certainly not any of these idiots? He searched the room desperately skipping over Luther’s much smaller body, and Allison’s confused stare. Until he found him, Ben made it.
“Thank fuck you made it.” Klaus said, voice a little too loud as he clamored to his feet. He startles a few of the others out of their confusion beaming at Ben.
“I made it.” Ben agrees, voice shaky as a smile overtakes his face. “I made it Klaus!” Every head in the room snaps to stare at him the moment he speaks, and suddenly Klaus feels invisible as Ben’s delighted eye’s look over his siblings. “You guys can see me?”
“Yeah.” Diego breathes out, shocked.
“I’m not dead! Oh my god, I’m not dead.” Ben crows, and the others move towards him shocked. Klaus, takes a step back, stumbling slightly. They’re all talking but he can’t hear anything over the rush of blood in his ears. It feels like the world just dropped out from under him, like everything he knew was wrong. It hurts.
Klaus watches as his sibling’s swarm Ben and despite the number of people in the room he feels painfully alone. They’ve always been dismissive of him, but after Ben died, well he didn’t have any choice but to care about Klaus, now he didn’t have to stay. So, why would he?
As usual nobody notices when Klaus turns away and heads for the door. Nobody notices as he slips into the hallway. He can feel hot tears running down his cheeks and he blinks rapidly trying to rub the tears away. His chest feels empty in a way he recently grew all to familiar with, and he wonders, what kind of a monster grieves because his bother is alive?
“Number Four.” Reginal Hargreeves snaps, angry and disappointed as he always was. Klaus feels despair and hatred rear up in his chest, as he blinks up at the old man. “You know you aren’t permitted to wander the halls.” Reginald scolds, and Klaus has a retort ready on the tip of his tongue. “You should be preparing for your training tonight, I hope you won’t disappoint me again.” And all of the hatred that was burning in his chest disappears, leaving only a cold desperate emptiness in its place. The word no repeats like a mantra. He won’t go back, he can’t.
“No.” Klaus had opened his mouth to speak, but that isn’t his voice, and before he can place it there’s a body between him and Reginald.
“No?” Reginald repeats, mildly bewildered. “Number Six, what do you think you’re doing?” He shoots a stony glare at Ben, but the look he receives in return is absolutely glacial.
“Something we should have done a long time ago.” Ben says simply, ignoring the obvious rage on Reginald’s face. “I’m telling you no.”
“Number Six know your place-“ Reginald starts, Ben glares up at him, unafraid and furious.
“You will not lock Klaus in the mausoleum, not today, not tomorrow, not ever.” Ben steps forward, and nobody misses the way his skin ripples as he advances on Reginald.
“Number Six, I will not be lectured by the likes of you, it is my responsibility to train your brother.” Reginald attempts, unable to stop him from taking a step back. Ben blinks at him, expression furious as he takes another step forward.
“Let me be perfectly clear Sir.” Ben says, taking another step. “If you do anything to harm Klaus physically, or mentally I will happily set the horror free.” He takes another step forward, and Reginald steps back. “Stay away from Klaus. Understood?” His voice is colder than ice, and deadly serious. Reginald nods before he can help himself. “Good.” Ben spins on his heel, grabs Klaus by the arm and stalks out of the room dragging a shocked Klaus behind him.
“Dude.” Klaus whispers pointedly, stumbling along after his brother. “What the hell was that?” He looks back to see an absolutely furious Reginald being physically blocked by none other than Luther himself, dad’s precious Number One, blocking him from following.
“Number One, out of my way.” Reginald booms, his face is astonishingly red. Luther shakes his head apologetically, but doesn’t move. Then Ben yanks him around a corner and he can’t see anymore, so he misses the way Diego flanks Luther, and Allison and Five perch over Vanya glaring daggers at Reginald.
“Where are we going?” Klaus whines as Ben suddenly stops in the middle of the entry way. He wipes at his cheeks trying to hide the evidence of tears. His hands knocked away, and he nearly hits the floor when Ben leaps at him wrapping him in a hug. He awkwardly pats Ben’s back unsure what to do, he hasn’t been hugged by one of his siblings since, well, he can’t actually remember being hugged by any of his siblings.
“You have no idea how long I have wanted to hug you, being a ghost hugs, and you’re so sad.” Ben grumbles, clinging to Klaus like a koala. “God Klaus, I don’t know how you survived it all.” Klaus shrugs awkwardly, but let’s himself be hugged.
“Drugs mostly.” Klaus offers, because it’s the truth. Klaus never would have survived being Séance without the drugs. Ben pulls back then, looks at him seriously, and then slaps him. “Dude, what the fuck?” Klaus shouts, cupping his cheek.
“I’ve wanted to do that since you first OD’d on me asshole.” Ben says, and his voice is half shouting. “You don’t get to die on me.” Klaus puts his hands up in surrender.
“I’m sorry?” He’s not really, but if Ben needs an apology, he can do that.
“No, you aren’t.” Ben grumbles, and he’s right so Klaus doesn’t argue, and then they’re hugging again. “You’re a goddamn idiot Klaus Hargreeves, but you’re my idiot. I’m not going to abandon you.” Klaus blinks, unsure how Ben even knew about that fear
“I didn’t say you would.” He points out, because he’s fairly sure he hadn’t. Ben slaps the back of his head.
“I spent the last decade with you idiot, I know you.” Ben says, and yeah fair enough Ben knows him better than anyone at this point. “Now let’s go get food I haven’t tasted anything in years.” Ben says, and grabs Klaus’ arm to drag him too the kitchen. Klaus wonders briefly if maybe he’s not the only possessive brother in the room.
“Thanks for, y’know.” He gestures vaguely behind him with his free hand. Ben shrugs it off.
“Asshole deserves it. Now food. I want to taste things Klaus.” Ben places Klaus in front of the stove and claps his hands impatiently. “Make me something.”
“God you’re still just as much of an asshole aren’t you.” He grumbles.
“You know it.” Ben shoots him a shit eating grin, it’s probably the closest any of them will ever get to admitting that they actually care about each other. They’re all too fucked up to say the words out loud.