Chapter Text
The long dreaded breakage of the fast is here. Klaus couldn’t be more scared. Grace hasn’t started cooking yet and that gave him an idea. He dropped himself from the counter he was sitting on and walked over to his mother.
“Hey mom, whatcha cookin good looking. Never mind that’s the worst thing I’ve ever said.” Klaus rambled while his mother stared at him with a smile
“I was thinking about making a macaroni and cheese bake!” She declared and Klaus shuddered.
Without realising it too much he looked over to Ana who looked disgusted at the idea of all that pasta and cheese. She shook her head furiously and opened her mouth to yell at Klaus before he shushed her. Grace watched Klaus talk to the invisible girl with curiosity, her children are so silly.
“Well, mom uh that sounds really amazing but what if we aimed for something lower in calories! Between you and me fives growing body doesn’t need all those calories” he said the last part in a whisper as if joking but also scared five would hear and murder him.
Grace stared at him in robot thought before nodding
“I could make a cauliflower rice stir fry. You children need the veggies to get big and strong” she laughed to herself before walking to the kitchen.
Klaus breathed out a bit of relived air and started to walk back to his room or maybe walk up and down the stairs a bit. That’s when he noticed Ben had stopped his creeping sessions on his siblings and was watching Klaus. He looked upset and Klaus just plastered on a stupid grin ignoring his dead brothers calls. Ben just didn’t get it.
Diego and Allison walked in together which was an unusual but not unwelcomed sight. Also a great way to ignore Ben
“Hey Klaus, we were just talking about you, well we were talking about Ben but same thing” he changed his mind. It was a terrible way to ignore Ben. Fuck the little girl and her stupid bike for giving him an amazing brother like Ben.
“What about the little shit heel?” Klaus asked and for some reason saying his name made him feel bad for ignoring him so insulting his favourite ghost brother should make Klaus feel better.
“We were talking to five about training you so you can manifest him again, like in the icarus theatre” Allison said with the nicest tone and no matter how “nice” of a tone it couldn’t help the fear the burrowed itself in Klaus’ stomach.
If Ben could become corpereal so could the others. A quick glance towards the man with blood dripping from his body like rain made Klaus decide against answering seriously.
“That sounds amazing and all but I’m sure it was nothing, anyways it’s dinner time and I’m starving”
literally
”come on favourite siblings”
Allison didn’t push it further and Diego just watched Klaus with a scowl of disappointment but opted to help set up the table.
During dinner Ana sat next to him on Ben’s seat. On Ben’s seat. On BENS seat. That shouldn’t be allowed but when he opened his mouth to tell her she opened hers
“You’ve done so good today, I’m proud of you” Klaus stared in disbelief he completely forgot how good it felt to be complimented like that. Complimented without their own selfish reasons wether that’s sex or drugs or attention. Complimented just for the sake of complementing
Klaus just nodded his thanks before staring at the plate below him. Would eating this make her not proud anymore? No screw that he was hungry and all he could think of was shoving the cauliflower into his mouth. He notices Ben talking to Ana, she doesn’t respond but just stares at Klaus. Ben does the same.
“If you keep undressing me with your eyes I’m gonna catch a cold” (I loved that line in s2 omg) Ben smiled slightly and Ana looked away.
“What?” Vanya asked from across the table and he just waved her off. With shaking hands from fear and hunger Klaus took the fork and shoveled dinner into his mouth. It was both the best thing he’s ever eaten and the worst. It was an amazing taste that soon turned to ash in his mouth and made him swallow harshly.
“So, Allison and Diego were talking to me about manifesting Ben” Five mentioned and Klaus nearly dropped his fork if he didn’t have a tight white knuckle grip on it.
“Uh yeah about that-“
“No Klaus I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to manifest our dead brother. You know bro sometimes you're really selfish” Diego Spoke sounding sort of angry as he cut Klaus off. Klaus stared at Diego then looked over to Ben’s seat which was now occupied by Ben and not Ana. Ben looked worried.
“Klaus please you can manifest me now and I’ll tell them to stop asking, give them what they want please”
“Your gonna-“
“I won’t, I won’t bring it up to them. But you also need to stop listening to that asshole” Ben sighs before looking back at his brother
“I thought it was better now, now that you had a place to get food from and you were sober so it wasn’t like you had drugs numbing your appetite. I thought it wouldn’t be like this again”
“You thought wrong Benny boo” Klaus had a small sad smile on his face, he hated making Ben upset.
“Klaus please take this seriously. I don’t want you to be like this again. It’s stupid, it’s so fucking stupid” Klaus was sure the whole table was looking at him have a conversation with an invisible person. He made sure to watch what he was saying, it’s not like they cared anyways.
“Benjamin Ben Benny boo, it’s fine I promise you it’s all for a good reason you know? Like maybe Dave might actually want to see me!” Klaus exclaimed the last part with pure delight and clapped his hands
“What? Wait you think Dave isn’t showing up just cause you’ve gained weight?” Klaus nodded
“That’s the dumbest thing you have ever said to me and I’ve had to sit with you through your weird ass cocaine rants about how all dogs are boys and all cats are girls which turned into you remaking the declaration of independence”.
Maybe Ben was right maybe he was just being stupid. That’s who he was though Stupid, lying, coward Klaus. Scared of the little shadows in his room like a dumbass.
“Just manifest me please Klaus. I won’t say anything” and out of pure annoyance and cowardice Klaus did as he said not wanting to continue this conversation.
All his siblings gasped looking up from their food to see Ben. Klaus just stared at his blue hands that were shaking more than they did when he was on Coke.
“Ben!” Was shouted among the collective voices of his siblings' excitement. He felt happy for his siblings he really did. But he couldn’t help the anxious feeling that came whenever he saw any ghost, even Ben. He was just scared and hungry. So while his siblings talked with Ben about this and that he tuned out and did his best to eat.
“-And that’s how i convinced Klaus to through rocks at the academy” Klaus lifted his head at the mention of his name and saw his siblings. Saw their tear stained faces even the tough Luther, saw how happy Ben looked and that stopped him from finishing his meal. Was he the only thing stopping his siblings from being happy? Because of his childish fear of the dead? But looking around the room hearing the quiet moan of his name and seeing the broken dead bodies that were saying it over and over. He listened as they ruined his name the name he worked hard to get, the name his mother gifted him. He grew angry and with anger he grew tired.
“Benjamin I think it’s nap time” Klaus finally spoke sluggishly since when was he sweating so bad? Ben looked over at his brother as if he forgot Klaus was there which ow that hurt. But the look of forgetfulness turned into worry seeing Klaus look tired and sweaty his face gaining a red and his blue hands shaking. He looked to his other siblings.
“Take care of him, I love you assholes” then he faded from view. Klaus stuck a finger up at now invisible Ben who returned it with a stuck out tongue.
“Alright siblings time to disband the Ben fan club it’s time to go to sleepy town. Gute nacht”
“Hey Benny boy” Klaus asked once they were sitting mostly alone in his room if you didn’t include the lost souls of the dead.
“Yes Klaus?”
“About Dave, think I was right. I mean I’m always right” Klaus said with a fake ego but a grin that could fool anyone.
“No you weren’t and I think you know that too” okay almost anyone. Ben has been stalking him since he died so he can see through Klaus’ little act.
“But I mean why else, like I know other people liked me better deadly skinny then well now” he gestured to his stomach as he said ‘now’.
“Klaus don’t say that he’s a good person. I mean I can only assume from what you’ve said he won’t judge you for your weight” Klaus nodded his head as if he was agreeing, which he was far from. Ben said his goodnight before drifting out of his room to go stalk his siblings or whatever he does when Klaus sleeps.
Now Ben is gone Ana finally looks at Klaus
“150+ 210” she said out of nowhere
“What?”
“150 was the amount of calories in the meal you ate and 210 from the drink. 360 in total”
“Oh… is that a lot?” Klaus used to count calories but there was barley ever a way for him to count them most of the time. When he lived in the academy he would always ask mom for his calories and he would easily add them and subtract from them. He was a calorie genius.
“Not really. It could’ve been less but 300 is still a good range, my maximum was always 400. I think you just need a bit more help and you can get rid of that-” she gestured to his body “-fat”
He sighed before turning over he was so tired. He was so fucking tired.