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“that was unnecessary.” five muttered under his breath. “it wasn’t his fault. you’re always being too harsh on him for no reason.”
“he needed to understand that we can’t always tolerate him and cover up his mistakes. this’ll be better for him. and, it’s not like dad would do something that could actually hurt him, right? it’s only a punishment, stop overreacting.” the blonde spoke with an irritated look on his face. usually, his siblings’ manners towards to the séance would be just as harsh as his, including five. he’d never even seen the hazel-eyed boy defend their middle brother before.
“you’re well aware that dad hates him the most. and that he’s quite capable of h-hurting him.” luther rolled his eyes as number two spoke. “oh, really? you wouldn’t say anything if it was allison or me being punished instead of klaus. you’re just favouritising him.” the one with the brown eyes just sighed with annoyance, and decided to visit his little brother once more before his oncoming punishment with father. all of them knew that what luther stated was true, diego was favouritising klaus. but that surely didn’t mean he wouldn’t do the same for number one and number three. and it wasn’t like he always stood up for his curly-haired brother everytime he was in danger anyway. they were siblings, each other’s family; but the tallest was taking each of his relationships that didn’t include allison as competitions and that was only putting diego on his nerves more.
“but luther; you didn’t just let dad know what he did, you insulted him for minutes and told him everything would be better if he was dead! you don’t realise how serious is—“ the kraken heard their youngest sister protest as he climbed up the stairs. normally he’d be pleased to see their family take number four’s side for once, but he was focused on comforting his poor brother more at that moment. he knocked at his door, which was the second-closest one to his own. there was no response. did dad take him for his punishment already? he thought nervously.
normally, him and the siblings would barely worry about klaus being punished. he was responsible for his own actions after all, they weren’t eleven year-olds anymore. they were fifteen, they were more experienced about things that went around in the hargreeves mansion and they all knew how to be careful. but in those last two years, klaus had discovered a bunch of different habits and a totally new personality. he wasn’t as bubbly and talkative and innocent as he used to be anymore. he smelt like booze and cigarettes all the time and they were all almost sure that he did drugs as well. he was just fifteen and maybe the things he was going through were fairly more wounding than the others’, since he was being haunted by hundreds of ghosts and all, but their lives were also as difficult. yet, he was the only one who was using alchohol as a coping mechanism. however, diego’s and ben’s thoughts of the green-eyed boy had seemed to change after something happened a couple of weeks ago.
they were casually having breakfast on a weekday morning but their fourth oldest didn’t seem to join. everyone knew that hargreeves had some clear rules and that they were meant to be present on the table even if they didn’t eat. number six was the one to ask father about four. hargreeves seemed distressed, unlike his usual self; and informed them that number four was going to be have to stay in the infirmary for a few days, since his incorrect behaviours during his special training caused an injury. three days after that unsatisfactory explanation they got, the kraken and the horror made a desicion to visit the séance in the infirmary. but what they didn’t expect was to be welcomed by a sight of their delicate brother looking both physically and mentally damaged. the klaus who’d always seek after affection even when drunk, was flinching almost every time the two made a sound or a move. he was literally scared of them, from the siblings he had always been the closest with. they had the traumatised boy tell them the truth about what actually happened to him after a week they’d seen him in the infirmary. the fact that klaus had been being locked up in a mausoleum the siblings had only been to once since he was eight, to get over his ‘childish’ fear of ghosts, was never spoken to their four other siblings (since the hopeless number four didn’t feel comfortable enough to share with them). diego and ben immediately promised klaus to protect him from hargreeves, and assured him that they were never going to let father lock him up again.
number two had a lot of time to think about all this klaus situation. he thought back to those days when the others (who were obviously and not surprisingly luther, five and allison) made fun of their vulnerable brother literally for screaming at nights. they had no idea how he suffered from their father’s abuse, how frightening the nightmares he’d seen every night were, and how the cruel words they (and dad) yelled at him echoed in his head all the time. diego knew that none of these things were excuses for his brother’s alchoholism but maybe if they’d done things that could truly help him, not humiliating him or telling him that he was a burden to them, number four maybe would not perish at the age of twenty. if only diego was a little stronger… he’d instantly take klaus, ben, mum and vanya (if she’d like to, and she’d probably want to) with himself and leave. but diego was just as filled with race as luther was at those times, maybe even more than him, and instead of doing or saying something that could at least make klaus feel a little less alone; he had chosen to laugh at the sickening things spoken to him by the others.
he knocked at four’s door once more before getting inside to check on him. his room had always given diego goosebumps, most likely because of how cold it was; just like the green-eyed boy himself. he was freezing all the time, and it was not that he only had anemia or else, he was always uncomfortably quivering too. diego wished he could switch powers with him, so he could save the other from his cold and lonely false reality. his deep brown eyes searched every bit of his brothers’ room quickly and attempted to get out of the freezer just before he realised the sound of thin water coming from klaus’ bathroom. so him and dad hadn’t left yet, he thought relievedly. however, he cursed in a concerned way when he heard a lucid cry as he passed by the bathroom. he knew klaus had been crying since he’d heard luther’s words directed to him. then why was diego’s chest filled with a heavy, anxious feeling?
“klaus?” he called, unable to stop himself, but he couldn’t get any answer that was not the other’s sobs. “it’s just me, diego, can i come in?” they had seen each other naked for a couple of times before, and that never made an issue, so it made two feel quite anxious when he heard the younger let out a weak scream. “no!”
the possibility of klaus hurting himself was higher in diego’s brain than him just not wanting the other to see him, that was why he attempted to open the door himself before saying something that could’ve convinced the boy with curly hair to do it. the door was locked for sure, and maybe two was just overreacting, four not wanting his brother to see him while he cried was probably all, but he tried to force the door open. “klaus, we both know i can break the door.” his brother didn’t talk back. he spoke again in a softer voice. “listen, i don’t want the others to hear us and come here, okay? i just need to see that you’re o-okay. then i’ll leave. please open the door now.”
“i can’t.” his voice was so weak.
alarm bells rang in the brown-eyed boy’s head since he was currently certain that his brother was hurt. “can you tell me w-what—? k-klaus?”
“i’m sorry dee. don’t blame your— yourselves.”
silence.