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"This is a bad idea."
Ben's voice rang out from behind him, and he hissed quietly in response, continuing to creep slowly down the stairs. The elevator would've been too loud.
"What are you going to do if Luther catches you down there?"
"Have you no faith in my sneaking skills?" He questioned, wincing as he stepped on a stair that creaked loudly. Ben gave him a monotone look.
"Klaus." Ben paused at his spot on the top of the last flight of stairs, and Klaus turned to face him.
"Ben," he mocked, crossing his arms.
Ben rolled his eyes. "What are you planning to do, exactly?"
"I don't know," he huffed, throwing his arms up quickly before putting them back down by his sides. "I can't just leave her down there, alone."
Ben's face softened as he dropped his own arms from where they were crossed over his chest. "I know," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke. "I just don't want-"
"You don't want what? Me to get caught? Sorry to break it to you Benny but dad's dead and I couldn't give a fuck about what Luther thinks." He turned on his heel, continuing to walk slowly down the stairs, Ben trailing after him without another sound.
When they arrived at the heavy metal door leading into the room, Klaus placed his hand on the door knob, but paused, staring through the small window on the door.
"You don't have to do this," Ben reasoned, immediately seeing his hesitation.
Klaus gritted his teeth. "Yes I do. You know you would do the same. And so would she." Ben bit his lip, but nodded, waiting anxiously for him to open the door.
Klaus turned the knob slowly, pushing the door open as quietly as he could, walking into the room and shutting it behind him after letting Ben walk through the doorway.
He started to walk forward, but paused immediately after he saw the large metal box in the center of the room, shivering as Ben accidentally walked through him.
He watched, frozen in the center of the room, as Ben walked up to the metal box, looking through the large window. His face seemed to change from angry to sad as he looked inside.
He turned to Klaus quickly, walking forward to stand beside him. "Talk to her."
"Oh? What happened to this being a bad idea?" Klaus whispered, and Ben glared as he nodded towards the box in the center of the room without speaking.
Klaus sighed and rubbed at his dry eyes harshly before walking forward with silent steps. He came up to the thin window and peered inside, hoping that he wouldn't be visible to the girl inside.
Vanya was curled up in the center of the small area, legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, her head buried in her knees. Her breathing was quick as her body shook with her sobs.
Klaus sighed and leaned heavily against the door, knocking on the window lightly in an attempt to get Vanya's attention.
Her head snapped up quickly, her body going still while her breathing seemed to almost stop as she stared silently at Klaus.
"So… uh…" He trailed off hesitantly, looking up to Ben, who nodded at him encouragingly, and continued. "So how are things going?" She gave him an incredulous look, and he winced, quickly backtracking.
"Right. Sorry." He brought his hands to his head, rubbing at his temples before putting his arms back at his side and looking up to face Vanya.
"I'm sorry," he said again, more sincere this time, and her face softened slightly, though the tears didn't stop.
He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the glass as he spoke. "I… I know how you feel, he said softly, and heard Ben sigh from behind him.
She gave him a questioning look, and he sighed before plastering a sarcastic grin on his face.
"Daddy dearest did love shoving his kids in places where he didn't have to worry about them, didn't he?" He saw Ben flinch from behind him, and muttered out a quiet sorry in his direction before turning fully to face Vanya, dropping the fake grin off of his face.
"Dad was a prick," he huffed, and watched as Vanya's lips turned upward slightly at his words. "I know that…" he paused, and she tilted her head as she waited for him to continue. "I know that it's scary."
She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, her mouth snapped back shut, and her breathing began to pick up again as she glanced all around the room.
Klaus stood up quickly, grabbing the door knob of the room Vanya was in and turning it as quickly as he could, ignoring Ben's voice repeating his name and the footsteps running down the stairs, focusing only on the way Vanya was crying and pounding on the door, eyes full of panic.
"Damnit, why won't you open," he muttered, pulling even harder on the vaults doors, not looking back as the sound of the metal door at the entrance of the room banged against the wall as it was thrown open, footsteps coming closer and closer until-
He was shoved onto the floor, crashing into it with a thump. He watched from his spot on the ground as Luther closed the door of the vault tighter while he avoided Vanya's eyes as she screamed and banged on the door as she had only an hour before.
"What the hell! Luther-"
"She has to stay put," he said, gaze steely as he stared down at Klaus.
"Maybe if we talk to her-"
"No." He shook his head. "She stays put."
"For how long!? Did you think that through? What, are we just keeping her in there forever?" He yelled up at Luther, who just sighed in response.
"She's not going anywhere." He bent down and pulled Klaus up roughly, pushing him in the direction of the elevator as he stood in front of the vault door, seemingly unaffected by Vanya's screams and cries.
"She's our sister, Luther. Can't we just talk-"
"No. She stays here." He crossed his arms as he stared Klaus down.
Klaus sighed as he realized he was getting nowhere. He rubbed at his eyes quickly with his hands before turning his back to Luther, walking into the elevator with Ben walking in after him. He turned to face Luther one more time before the door closed.
"Fuck you," he spat, and the doors shut in front of his face, leaving him to collapse on the floor of the elevator, leaning back against it as he stared at the opposite wall, ignoring all of Ben's attempts to get his attention.
He didn't move to get out when the doors opened, only sat as they closed again. He only moved when the house itself started to shake.