Chapter Text
He regrets letting out a groan before he even really starts. His throat feels like sandpaper or like it does when he's been screaming too long and it has a distant familiarity to it. He's lying on a hard surface. Not that that's not uncommon: he has a habit of waking up on floors or in alleyways when he's been high, drunk or a mixture of the two. It's the growing whispers that bring it all together, the screams of his name that grow louder with his every heartbeat.
His eyes snap open and at once he wished they hadn't. All around him are fragments of ghosts and there is nothing remotely human about them. Rather they're like rabid dogs, out to get everything in sight, too long gone, no thoughts left.
'KLAUS! KLAUS! KLAUS! KLAUS!'
They enclose him and he can feel their fingers pass through his arms, leaving a chill behind as they try to claw at him. They scream and it only grows louder, screeching his name. He wished they didn't know it.
"Go away!” he shouts, knowing it will be futile and all it will accomplish is making his throat throb.
Klaus curls up, hands covering his ears, wishing more than ever that he was high and preferably out of this place.
'KLAUS! KLAUS! KLAUS! KLAUS!'
After a while he loses time, the numbing cold of the ghost hands merging into one, the continuing scream of his name becoming a buzz in his ears. He isn't awake enough to fight, so he floats into the nothing and everything. He exists only in this space in his mind. The space that gets him through any pain his life brings him, any hurt people shovel on top of him.
Something changes and it takes him a few blinks to work it out.
Oh, the door is open.
He rises to his feet, moving in small steps through the ghost fragments and steps out the door. A few steps later and he blinks at the warmth of the night.
It's warm.
He keeps walking, noticing the car that brought him here. No, that's not quite right... and yet he can’t pinpoint why. The thought fades as the door to the car opens and he automatically slides in.
Then the door is opened again. Klaus climbs out and walks up the steps to the house. This door opens as well and he moves through the house.
It's cold again.
He pauses in front of yet another door and blinks.
Why does it not open?
A hand reaches past him. Then the door opens. He steps in and stops in the middle of the room, blinking. Something feels off about the room.
Warm.
There's something warm on his cheeks. Now his head is being moved. He blinks and looks up into dark eyes. The warmth moves away and he allows it, though he doesn't want to. It's quieter here. Not silent, as it is never silent, but the quiet buzz of the fragments is as close to silence as it gets.
Fabric is pulled from him, then put back on. The warmth is back and Klaus is moved with a gentle touch. Such a gentle touch. Breath escapes him and he leans into the warmth.
But it leaves as fabric moves once again.
The next time the warmth touches him it is to make him sit up. It's soft and he wants to curl into it, yet he sits still, hoping the warmth will be back. It does return and this time it is tugging him down and he is so pleased that there is more warmth. His cheek is resting against something warm.
Thank you.
Something touches his lips and he parts them. Water fills his mouth and he swallows it down in small mouthfuls. It stops and his head is guided to move. Warmth covers his left ear and he sighs.
It's quieter.
Yet there is another steady noise now. A thump against his right ear. He focuses on it. It's a grounding sound, as if it could keep him tethered to reality in that drifting quiet.
Something moves through his hair and he likes it. It is so very warm and soft.
More, please.
Ben is pretty sure he's in shock. Already everything had been too much: too much touch, too much light, too many smells. Coming back from the dead felt like the world had gone from 10 to 100 in an instant.
He had panicked in those first few minutes until Five had showed up in his room in his spark of blue.
And now it’s taking everything Ben has to stop him from panicking again as he pulls an unresponsive Klaus to his chest.
Klaus is freezing and as pale as the ghosts that haunt him. His green eyes are vacant, staring into nothing.
"Thank you.”
It's almost a breath and Ben’s heart leaps at it. Maybe Klaus isn't too far gone yet.
"I've got you. I'll keep you safe."
A spark of blue and Five is back, a glass of water in his hand. He looks both worried and guilty, but as much as Ben wishes he could comfort Five, he can't. He's no good at comforting others. He never really had the chance to learn and right now he can't put enough thoughts together to try.
"Is he any better?"
Ben doesn't say anything. He's not sure what to say. High Klaus, Klaus waking from a nightmare - those he can deal with. This, this is something he has never seen. It dawns on him that he has never seen Klaus sober long enough for this.
Ben grabs the cup from Five a little too quickly, carefully holding it to Klaus' lips.
"Is there anything else you need us to do?"
Five is looking around the room and Ben can sense how desperate he is to leave. To disappear away from this situation that he doesn't know how to deal with. It was strange to see his normally confident brother looking for guidance on what to do.
Ben considers this as he helps Klaus drink. During his life as a ghost, he had witnessed first hand how the spirits tortured his brother. He’d had a front row seat watching them try to claw the life out of Klaus, how they’d wail and scream if Klaus even flicked his eyes in their direction. How Klaus would flinch at the mere mention of his name after a nightmare about the Mausoleum.
"Tell the others not to say his name over the next few days."
Five frowns and then it seems to click.
"Will do. I'll come back to talk to you later about what's happening."
Ben nods and holds out the empty cup. His attention is back on the man in his arms as his other brother leaves. Gently he moves Klaus so that his ear rests over his heart before bringing his other hand to cover his brother’s left ear.
Hope swells up in Ben at Klaus’ sigh.
"It's quieter."
"That's it, just relax. I have you."
He runs his fingers through his brother’s curls, hoping to add something else to help ground him.
"More, please."
Ben smiled. "The number of times I've heard you say that, you’re lucky I don't take it the wrong way."
Words drift through to him slowly and he doesn't want to go anywhere, just yet. He just wants to stay like this, away from everything.
"Klaus, are you awake?"
That was Ben. Why did he sound worried? Ben never sounded like that unless something really bad was about to happen.
"Ben?" He wasn't sure if the sound made it past his lips or not.
"I'm here?"
The warm thing his head was resting on moved and Klaus blinked, confused. Pulling away, he turned, eyes widening as he looked at Ben. Raising a cautious hand, he ran it over Ben's cheek. He was younger then his Ben. This was the Ben from their childhood.
Klaus turned over his hand. It was blank. No HELLO.
'Klaus. Klaus. KLAUS. KLAUS!'
Warm hands cup his face and he's pulled back down until all he can hear is Ben's heartbeat. Strong and so very much alive.
"Try to get some sleep. I'll keep you safe."
Klaus nods, confused, but so very exhausted. Even though he knows Ben can't really keep them away, he feels safe knowing that he won't be alone when he wakes.
Klaus is surprised that it is living voices that wake him and not ghostly screams.
"He won't be a problem anymore," Five says and his voice is sure, even though it's quiet.
"Good, because if the old man lays even a finger on him again, I will let them rip him limb from limb," Ben growled.
Klaus had never heard such rage from his brother.
"So bloodthirsty, Benny."
He pulls back even though everything is screaming at him to stay. To not leave the warm hold of the brother who stayed with him throughout their life.
"I did have to watch you eat waffles during my dead life."
Klaus' cups his hands to his over his heart.
"That is a tragedy, brother dearest. Come, let us go forth and fix that."
He scrambles out of bed, almost getting tangled in the blanket, but luckily, years of having no coordination made for faster reflexes.
His limbs feel both weird and natural. They were both too short and just right at the same time and isn't that a head spin.
He looks back at his brothers who still haven't moved. Reaching out, he takes Ben's wrist in his hand. It's warm and grounding and everything he needs right now.
"You have to walk now, Benny, no just using me."
Klaus tugs and he's grateful when Ben complies. He guides them through the house, heading for the kitchen. The house is still so familiar, nothing ever really changed in it.
Mom is coming out of a spare room along the way and Klaus pauses.
"Hi Mom! Can I have some waffles?”
He knows that her programming says he is to be fed when he asks to try to get him up to optimal weight. Not that it ever worked. Still, the old man thought that there was no point in giving him special training if he was just going to starve to death during it.
"Of course, Klaus."
He flinches.
'Klaus. KLAUS.KLAUS. KLAUS.'
"I'll make some for you boys, too."
She looks behind him at his brothers, smiling.
Klaus follows, ignoring the voices in his ear. Fuck, he wished he was high right now.
He must have lost track of time for a while as the next thing he perceives is that his not-goodbye hand is resting on something warm, fingers holding it in place. He blinked and Ben's eyes came into focus, gazing worriedly at him.
"Why aren't you eating yet, Benny? I distinctly remember you picking waffles several times in the last few years."
"And yet, most of the time we never made it there?"
"I know right? Diego is such a sucky driver."
Klaus turns away to look at his plate. He didn't feel up to eating. A shoulder bumps him from the other side and he flicks his eyes to see Five with his old-timer, good manners eating skills. Well, that just wouldn't do.
Carefully he slid his hand from Ben’s and deftly flicked his wrists. Slowly he cut the waffle into small slices, then he set his cutlery down and stared at Five till he turned. Smirking, Klaus slowly picks up a piece of waffle with his fingers, getting syrup all over them, places it on the tip of his tongue, makes a show of chewing and swallowing, then licks his fingers obscenely while moaning, a blissfully slutty sound.
Ben laughs as Five gives a funny twitch of his mouth like he was fighting a laugh.
Klaus is proud of himself for finishing half the plate before his stomach protests. It makes him wonder when this body last ate anything, how long was he…
He shoves away from the table and moves from his chair. It's only just now that he realizes he's only in boxers and a large shirt that fell halfway down his thighs. When was the last time he wore boxers? Well, that was easily solved: quickly he slips his arms down, slides the shorts off and steps out of them.
"Gosh, I can't believe I was seen wearing those."
When Ben snorts, Klaus flashes him a grin before smirking at the frowning Five.
"You never did have any modesty."
"None. Now as much as I’ve loved our little family breakfast, I must be off to raid someone's wardrobe."
Klaus hadn’t even taken a step when Five appeared in front of him.
"How about a compromise?"
Klaus remembers how much fun the last outing with Five was, even though he never got the twenty for it.
"What do you have in mind, old man?”
"I'll go get you clothes from everyone's wardrobe if you get Ben to explain what's going on."
Klaus claps his hands together, leans forward and hugs Five, then quickly moves back before the shock wears off.
"Danke. Make sure to bring me a skirt."
He moves past a still stunned Five.
"Come along Benny, let’s go gossip!”