DO NOT FOLLOW. FOLLOWERS WILL BE BLOCKED

❝  well,  i don’t know what you were like before,  but yeah,  if you asked me,  i would say you haven’t lost it!  not at all,  ❞  he grins.  the only aaron that klaus knows is the one he has now,  but it’s the one that he adores as much as he does.  he can’t get enough of him.  ❝  hey,  maybe there’s just NOTHING she’s not good at!  she seems like one of those kids.  not that there’s anything WRONG with that!  seems like she’s RIGHT,  ❞  he shrugs.  he admires gracie.  he likes her a lot,  and he knows that getting along with her is something that means EVERYTHING in this.  eyes widen with EXCITEMENT at the words he speaks,  deep breath drawn in and a smile brightening up his lips.  any plans they make is something that brings him such honest JOY.  ❝  that sounds…  PERFECT!  ❞  he agrees.  ❝  you think she’ll be excited about it too?  ❞  klaus is fairly certain that she will be.  his head nods quickly.  ❝  yeah,  he sounds like someone i’d get along with!  but i think i’d get along with anyone you get along with,  ❞  he admits with a shrug.  ❝  you seem like you’re a pretty good judge of character,  so if you like someone,  then they’re probably someone who i can like!  ❞  it’s exciting to him that there’s someone who WANTS to tell someone they love about klaus for a reason that’s beyond the norm for him.  it makes all of this just feel even more REAL.  they’re discussing bringing their FAMILIES into this.  shoulders shrug at his response.  ❝  okay!  then maybe when gracie becomes president,  you could HELP her.  you’d be good at THAT!  and then you’d still have a chance to help on the ground like you want to and EVERYBODY wins!  ❞  eyes trail down from aaron’s face to look at what he’s wearing,  head tilting as he examines it and raising his brows.  ❝  yeah,  you do!  and you look GREAT doing it,  ❞  he insists with a firm nod.  klaus will always encourage him being more adventurous with what he wears since he grew up not having that.  his smile brightens again when aaron claims he couldn’t have gone that long without klaus talking.  it feels incredible that there’s someone out there who will actually listen to every word he says and ENJOY it.  ❝  okay,  well,  lucky for YOU,  i don’t plan on breaking my jaw again soon,  so you get to hear me talk ALL i want  -----  or all you want.  or all either of us wants,  ❞  he shrugs.  ❝  and you get to do the same with me,  okay?  i like hearing you talk!  i like what you have to say and i like your voice.  ❞  everything about aaron seems like something he can just completely ADORE.  a hand moves to rest lightly against the man’s shirt as his arm is touched,  eyes locked with his and nodding slowly.  ❝  yeah,  well,  you’ve already made me feel like i don’t have to,  so if you don’t want that,  you’re doing a good job!  ❞  he’s encouraging.  he says what klaus needs to hear.  he HELPS.  it has him completely caught up in this,  nothing else running through his mind but how badly he wants this to last.  ❝  no!  no,  nobody outside my family has EVER met her before!  so you’d be the first.  you’d be pretty SPECIAL,  huh?  yeah,  i’m gonna bring you there and you’re gonna meet her.  ❞  because this matters to him.  and it matters that he can DO this sort of thing. 

❝  dad…  wasn’t a good person.  he didn’t care about any of us beyond what we could do for him.  it’s not your fault he never changed his mind.  you’re great,  vanya.  him not seeing that says more about him than it does about you.  ❞  oddly enough,  it’s still slightly difficult to talk about her father in a negative light.  she dislikes him.  she’s so ANGRY with him.  yet,  she spent so long doing what she could to impress him,  to get him to PAY ATTENTION,  that it’s difficult to break out of that,  but she is trying.  she sees just how badly he hurt all of them,  vanya included.  her features fall when she admits it was the rest of their approval she cared about more,  head dropping slightly to keep her gaze away from the woman.  ❝  i didn’t know that back then.  i’m sorry.  i wish we would have paid more attention.  ❞  but she also doesn’t feel like they’re fully to blame.  reginald was the one who told them to leave her alone.  allison just assumed that was how it was supposed to be.  ❝  i…  i guess we did think you were a little bit special.  i know we didn’t understand how you were so close to him,  how you got him to talk to you,  to pay attention to you.  ❞  at least,  that’s how it LOOKED from allison’s perspective.  that doesn’t at all mean it’s how it actually was.  ❝  i was a little bit jealous of that,  actually,  ❞  she admits quietly,  brows raising.  she’s not saying it to intentionally dismiss vanya’s feelings about their childhood.  she’s saying it to show her that everything looked DIFFERENT from their perspective.  at her question,  she allows her lips to lift into a faint grin and she shakes her head.  ❝  of course not,  vanya.  you’re my sister.  i won’t get bored with you.  ❞  she won’t get bored watching her do something she’s good at.  it’ll feel good to finally be there for her to support her.  allison lets out a soft laugh.  ❝  she would get along with klaus,  but i think he would corrupt the hell out of her.  remember what he was like as a kid?  he’d pass that onto her and as her mother,  i don’t want to deal with that,  ❞  she jokes.  ❝  no,  none of you guys have met her.  she knows a lot about all of you though.  i tell her stories.  she likes to hear what it was like back then.  ❞  she doesn’t know the darker parts of it and allison wants to keep it that way.  she didn’t start mentioning vanya in the stories until recently,  but she’s not going to mention that part.  eyes peek up to her and she gives her sister an appreciative look.  it’s SURPRISING to her that vanya has seen all of her movies,  but it makes her feel good.  ( it also keeps her feeling guilty that she hasn’t put as much attention into her life. )  ❝  thanks,  vanya,  ❞  she speaks sincerely.  ❝  i hope you’re right.  i’m doing what i can to…  make all of this better i guess.  ❞  with her,  with her daughter,  she’s trying to be GOOD. 

❝  EXACTLY!  you can’t,  ❞  he mumbles,  a happy sigh following and his eyes shutting.  he’s so pleased that he gets the pleasure of being in alden’s arms like this just upon waking.  it is so COMFORTABLE.  it’s warmer than anything he thinks he has ever experienced before.  klaus hums quietly at his words,  brows raising slightly and his head lifting to look up at him.  ❝  no?  have you EVER set anything on fire before?  ❞  he asks curiously before laying his head back down on his shoulder.  ❝  i have,  ❞  he admits.  ❝  when i was a kid,  i thought it looked cool so i set some stuff on fire.  mom HATED it,  but she couldn’t have hated it that much because she’d always be smiling anyway.  ❞  klaus adjusts in his arms to get more comfortable,  eyes closing happily at the way alden holds him.  ❝  great!  then we are staying right here and no one and nothing can change that.  ❞

❝  oh,  ❞  he nods,  head tilting and giving her a little smile.  ❝  well,  THAT’S good!  what kinda things do you do?  ❞  he’s not asking to be purposefully invasive.  he wants to know about her,  about what happens,  what she’s like.  he’s INTERESTED.  klaus loves talking to people and getting to know them;  tracy is no exception to that.  his head tilts and his eyes find her,  giving a look of SYMPATHY.  it sounds extremely difficult to go through.  ❝  so  -----  you don’t what’s real sometimes?  ❞  he can certainly relate to that and his heart ACHES for her because of it.  he knows what a struggle that is.  ❝  yeah,  you’re making sense!  i mean,  i don’t know EXACTLY what it’s like,  but i can…  i can get the idea!  ❞  he understands;  he wants her to know that.  he doesn’t want her to feel ALONE.  a little smile pulls at his mouth when she says she wishes they could have known each other younger.  it makes him feel GOOD  -----  knowing that she would have wanted to be friends.  ❝  yeah!  hey,  you know,  i NEVER had a sleepover when i was a kid with anyone but my brothers and sisters,  so you would have been my only one!  ❞  he admits.  ❝  -----  wait,  i mean,  what’s stopping us from doing that NOW?  we could still have a sleepover.  ❞  he’d like that.  a large part of the reason that klaus has come to college is for the PEOPLE.  a frown pulls at his mouth and he shakes his head.  ❝  no,  no roommate!  i WANT one,  but  -----  ❞  he trails off with a shrug.  it’s difficult with who he is and what he can do.  his brows crease together and look of honest SORROW fills his expression.  ❝  that’s rude of people,  ❞  he notes.  ❝  hey,  i could come check on you if you want me to!  you can just…  let me know if you need someone or something.  ❞  he’d go over.  he’d be a FRIEND to her.

❝  well,  it should have felt good because you’ve done a REALLY good job!  BEING here tonight has felt good.  ❞  this has been the most wonderful night he has had in a long time because he got to spend it with someone he sees being around in the long term  -----  someone whose company he enjoys more than anything.  aaron is someone he could get used to.  his head shakes quickly.  ❝  no,  i think you should let her have the run of things in the kitchen for one night!  see what she comes up with! you might have a budding gourmet chef on your hands!  ❞  he notes with a raise of his brows.  ❝  and invite me over when you do because i’ll be really supportive of gracie.  ❞  he means that.  klaus will have eaten far worse things than whatever gracie can pull together,  so he could stomach it and make the girl HAPPY.  ❝  oh,  hey,  what’s wrong with that?  then that just means i need to be there ALL the time for you to make it for me!  ❞  klaus feels as though he is always going to be searching for an excuse to see aaron.  he hasn’t felt this great in a long time.  his head tilts and he looks over the man fondly when he speaks of his brother.  there’s such RELIEF in him that he had something good to hang onto when he was growing up.  his eyes widen excitedly at the offer, giving several quick nods.  ❝  yeah!  yeah,  okay,  if he’s as great as you’re saying he is,  and i’m sure he IS,  then yeah,  i want to meet him.  hey,  we could go on a road trip!  or he could come here.  or we could meet halfway!  something,  i don’t know,  but yeah,  i want to meet him.  ❞  klaus just wants to know everything there is to know about him.  his features soften thinking about aaron wearing what he wanted back then and how ADORABLE he must have been in those outfits.  ❝  you’d be a GREAT president!  ❞  he claims.  ❝  how come you didn’t go for that?  and i bet you looked cute in khakis and ties.  and i KNOW you look great in light colors,  so it’s not FAIR that she wouldn’t let you have that!  ❞  it’s not fair for multiple reasons and klaus knows that.  he’s not going to mention the heaviness of it, but he will let aaron know that he recognizes it wasn’t fair on him,  just so he can have the comfort of knowing someone else thinks so too.  he knows how valuable that can be.  brows raise and he nods,  but as the other goes on,  he SOFTENS.  knowing that he values listening to klaus speak and WANTS it means everything to him.  ❝  oh,  just ask my siblings how they felt about it back then,  and they’d say something different!  they liked the quiet!  ❞  he teases.  ❝  yeah,  it was hard not to talk for that long.  i kept trying and then it’d just HURT and i’d be all mumbles,  so i tried to write down everything i wanted to say,  but i’d forget what i was gonna say, so it didn’t go very well. ❞ when klaus starts speaking,  his mind GOES;  he jumps through many topics,  and it was difficult not being able to get that out.  he lets out a slow breath when aaron insists that he should have those good things.  he’s right.  why is it fair for reginald to have destroyed EVERY ounce of happiness that they all had.  ❝  yeah.  yeah,  yeah,  okay,  yeah,  you’re right.  okay,  she’s a good thing then,  ❞ he insists,  telling himself that mostly.  ❝  hey,  maybe you could meet her!  she’d like you a lot.  and she makes GREAT cookies.  ❞  and aaron could have something of a mother figure that would treat him WELL.  he deserves that.  he deserves HAPPINESS.

eyes shut slowly,  head relaxing against him as eric leans into him and presses their lips together again.  a soft sigh drifts into the kiss,  hand sliding up from his chest to cup eric’s cheek,  holding him into the kiss for a few seconds before they pull away.  klaus doesn’t open his eyes right away,  simply allowing their foreheads to rest together and taking several moments to breathe him in.  ❝  what,  are you tired of running into me at the hospital?  i thought i was your best patient!  ❞  he teases,  nose scrunching up slightly before he opens his eyes.  ❝  -----  i’m glad i’m here too.  and i would LOVE to stay.  ❞

❝  why would you trap yourself in a relationship that’s not good for you because you want to be there for him?  why do you have to be the one to put yourself on the line?  ❞  she asks with furrowed brows.  ❝  if you guys aren’t meant to be together and it’s hurting you to be with him,  then why does only what he wants or needs matter?  what about YOU?  ❞  that is what she is trying to drive home with every word she speaks.  it has become so clear to her,  especially in this conversation,  that maggie only looks out for other people.  never herself.  if no one will look out for maggie,  then ally will.  her head nods slowly as she speaks of what her hesitance is.  it’s hard to blame her for that and it’s certainly a COMPLICATED situation.  but she wants maggie to know that she has SUPPORT.  ally is here for her. she won’t dismiss her feelings and she will focus on HER.  ❝  there’s nothing you can do YET,  but  -----  when the baby turns eighteen…  you can contact her then,  can’t you?  is that something you’ve considered?  to get the right story out there.  to get YOUR story out there to the person that matters.  ❞

❝  it isn’t?  oh,  well,  with what you just did,  you’d make me BELIEVE that it is,  ❞  he shrugs and gives the other a warm smile.  this situation allowed klaus to put an immediate TRUST in scott because he EARNED it.  despite what others may believe about klaus being naïve because he’s warm and friendly,  he has a fairly good read on people.  he can tell when someone is GOOD and that is the sense he gets from scott.  this is a good person.  this is someone he can TRUST.  this is someone who has compassion and love and warmth;  it’s drawing klaus in and he wants to KNOW him.  ❝  okay,  then,  you should get used to it because that’s how people talk about you around here,  ❞  he notes.  it’s a good thing.  eyes shoot over to scott when calls him trustworthy,  eyes brightening to match the smile that crosses his mouth.  ❝  yeah,  i hope so!  ❞  he nods.  klaus wants to be someone people can trust.  he wants to be someone who people want to know,  want to love,  want to be FRIENDS with.  he wants to be someone others CONNECT with.  if scott notices that,  he’s doing something right.  his gaze falls down to the cat briefly and he takes a deep breathe,  hand extending to rest on her side and pet her fur.  ❝  well…  yeah,  she trusts me!  she doesn’t hiss at me anymore.  i think that means she trusts me.  so  -----  YOU trust me.  good.  i trust you too.  hey,  i mean,  how could i not after what you’ve done for her?  ❞  he insists with a shake of his head.  klaus is never going to stop thinking he’s some kind of wizard or cat whisperer for this.  his hand reaches back for scott when he feels the other’s rest on his arm,  gently placing it on his forearm to return the touch.  ❝  okay,  ❞  he nods.  ❝  then i did the right thing!  ❞  he believes the words scott says.  he seems so GENUINE.  it’s such a VALIDATING thing to hear how highly this guy speaks of klaus helping the cat.  he did it because it made him sad to see her hungry and alone,  but knowing it made someone view him so POSITIVELY is a comfort.  ❝  oh,  yeah,  yeah,  i guess,  you know,  it just…  SUCKS  -----  her being all alone and sad and probably scared.  i didn’t like it,  ❞  he shrugs.  so he gave her comfort.  that has always been klaus’s best way to help people  -----  never what his father and family wanted from him.  at his question,  his brows raise and he tilts his head.  ❝  uh… well,  she’s been eating MY food and sleeping in my bed!  so,  i mean,  YEAH,  i do,  and she seems happy with that,  but is that bad for her?  ❞

she always thought that the love the world has for her would be fulfilling,  but it isn’t.  it all feels so EMPTY,  especially now that she has halted the use of her powers to get what she wants.  the love doesn’t come from the people who mean so much to her.  the love doesn’t come from the people who know her the best and that’s what she hates.  ( it’s mostly her father;  he never loved her or any of them.  that’s difficult to think about. )  yet,  the words rosita speaks do bring her comfort.  from her,  it means something.  ❝  you do know me,  ❞  she promises.  ❝  better than most people.  ❞  they’re CLOSE.  allison enjoys that so much because it is GENUINE.  a sigh drifts from her mouth and she thinks over the question,  furrowing her brows.  ❝  i’d like people to know that i’m…  just more than america’s sweetheart,  a member of the umbrella academy,  and a movie star.  i’m a mother.  a good one.  at least,  i’m TRYING to be.  i have wants and goals outside of the success i have and i’m always trying to be BETTER.  i feel like everyone might think i have it all right now,  but it doesn’t feel that way.  and its not material.  ❞  maybe it sounds selfish,  but she doesn’t mean it as such.  she wants to be happy.  she wants love and she wants PEACE and she wants to be GOOD.

brows raise at her,  surprised by her admission and surprised that she is being so OPEN with him,  but he is not going to push it away.  there’s something that feels SAFE about getting to know her and letting her get to know him.  they know nothing about each other.  their worlds don’t collide.  they’re SEPARATE and that feels incredible.  she knows nothing of him,  nothing of his family,  and he knows nothing of her.  deep down,  he finds that more exciting than anything else.  ❝  you MARRIED a guy like that?  why the hell would you do that?  ❞  he asks with a scoff.  ❝  didn’t take you for the type.  -----  what’d your ex have to do with it?  ❞  normally,  he wouldn’t ask.  he doesn’t care to probe further about people’s lives because he doesn’t want them to do the same to him,  but he doesn’t mind so much here since he is able to tell her who he REALLY is,  not this person his family has crafted him to be.  a little grin pulls at the edges of his mouth and he gives a single shake of his head to let her know it’s okay.  she can talk about whatever she wants.  he lets out a sigh and breaks his stare from hers to glance up at the ceiling.  ❝  yeah,  my family,  ❞  he confirms with a scoff.  ❝  they’re pretty bad.  stuck up.  think they’re better than everyone  -----  better than ME,  even though they’re the assholes that raised me.  and all their friends are just as bad.  i’m so tired of that crowd.  ❞  that’s why this feels good.  it’s DIFFERENT.  it’s outside of the people he was always forced to be around and he can’t get enough of that.  it doesn’t matter to him if she wants to use him to move on from her life or if she’s getting something else out of this.  it’s just another ESCAPE of his and he loves it.  he doesn’t want jenna to go anywhere just yet.  his lips curl into a smirk and his eyes find hers once more.  ❝  i like it too,  ❞  he admits quietly,  as if the vulnerability is DIFFICULT for him.  but it’s not as hard with her.  in fact,  it feels incredible to just be FREE with all of this. 

❝  i don’t really think you’ll have a hard time with that.  you seem like you’re a pretty romantic guy!  ❞  he notes.  and klaus loves that.  he loves how it makes him feel.  he’s a romantic himself,  so having someone to finally SHARE that with brings him such JOY.  a warm smile crosses his lips,  always seeming present in him once he’s with aaron.  ❝  OR maybe gracie is ONTO something with whatever spices she wants to add and your palate just isn’t REFINED enough to appreciate it!  ❞  he teases.  ❝  oh,  yeah?  i LOVE spaghetti!  i like any pasta,  really,  it’s my favorite.  yeah,  you should make yours for me.  ❞  klaus would like it no matter what because it comes from HIM.  brows raise and he nods his head quickly.  ❝  hey,  it’s okay,  it’s never BAD!  so don’t worry about whatever i’m trying to pull on you,  it’s fine,  ❞  he insists.  eyes BRIGHTEN at the story that aaron tells.  hearing happy memories from his childhood makes klaus’s whole body feel WARM.  he knows growing up was difficult for him,  so hearing that he had something to hang onto is comforting.  ❝  anthony,  ❞  he repeats with a soft grin.  ❝  well,  anthony sounds like a GREAT brother!  do you still talk to him?  i’d like to meet him.  -----  so what kinda clothes did you hide way that you liked?  ❞  he just wants to know everything there is to know about aaron.  the way that aaron seems to immediately get protective over klaus getting hurt brings a smile to his lips,  hand raising quickly to gently clutch his hand,  keeping it lightly pressed to his jaw.  ❝  hey,  it wasn’t so bad!  the worst part was that they wired it shut and i couldn’t really talk for EIGHT WHOLE WEEKS!  but other than that,  it was okay!  mom’s a good doctor,  so i healed up fine.  ❞  breaking his jaw was the first time he truly had QUIET in the world because of the drugs he had to be on.  it was the bliss of that that made the experience bearable.  brows raise at his suggestion,  head tilting as if he hadn’t thought of just BUYING his own pair.  ❝  oh!  yeah,  okay,  that’s a good idea!  ❞  he agrees.  ❝  let’s do that.  ❞  klaus notices aaron’s obvious confusion by the whole situation with grace,  but he doesn’t stop to explain.  the whole thing is too complicated for klaus to understand,  even having grown up with it,  so he doesn’t want to.  the terms he speaks in are the ones he KNOWS how to say.  instead,  he focuses on the COMFORT in the words the man speaks.  it relaxes him,  shoulders losing any tension they held and his eyes softening on the man.  ❝  you really think so?  well,  yeah,  i guess everyone does,  but HE sucks and i…  i don’t know.  maybe.  yeah,  i guess maybe that was the ONE good he did for us,  ❞  he sighs.  ❝  okay.  yeah.  it’s between me and her.  ❞  after a moment of quiet,  klaus allows a grin to form on his mouth again.  ❝  hey,  you know,  she used to let me sit with her at night,  ❞  he admits with a shrug.  ❝  after i had been out and didn’t feel well after or i had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep,  she’d let me sit with her in her little spot and i’d lay down in her lap and i could stay there for as long as i wanted.  i don’t think she ever told dad about that!  ❞  those memories are FOND.  he cherishes them because they were times where he was just allowed to be upset and get real comfort.  ❝  well,  YEAH,  but maybe you could USE some of my style to spice up your wardrobe,  so it will be great,  i promise!  ❞  all that matters is gets to do SOMETHING with him.  this time he has with him is SPECIAL.

it's PLEASING to hear laura tell her that she is right in what she is saying.  winter KNOWS.  she knows that laura deserved better than that and deserved to have someone who would love her and only her.  she deserved to be appreciated and respected for the woman she is.  winter hates that and she won’t let it hold laura back.  it’s good to hear that she’s holding on to that confidence she deserves to have.  ❝  i know,  ❞  she nods.  she’s telling her that she is CONFIDENT in the words she’s saying as well.  laura is better than what is happening to her right now.  winter will stay right where she is,  being there for this woman however she needs her.  she wants to be the SUPPORT laura needs.  ❝  i don’t doubt that,  laura,  ❞  she assures.  ❝  it’s not your fault that he took that  -----  took YOU  -----  for granted.  you seem like a good wife and a good mother.  you seem incredible at everything you set your mind to.  if other people let that go,  that’s their loss.  ❞  winter doesn’t like billy after hearing about all of this.  it WILL turn into a scandal,  she’s sure,  and it will make winter’s job a bit more difficult,  but it’s about laura too.  it’s about not wanting to see her hurt.  she wants nothing but SUCCESS for her.  she squeezes the woman’s shoulder once more as a reminder that she has someone here to talk to, someone who will listen.  she’s not alone.  ❝  i believe that you would have too.  but you can’t control that he didn’t.  you can’t control that he couldn’t see that you were right there for him.  he made a CHOICE.  ❞  meaning,  she can’t take any of the blame for this.  winter won’t let her.  after a moment,  she tilts her head and looks laura over.  ❝  can i get you a glass of wine?  ❞  she seems like she needs it.

❝  that’s a GOOD thing?  oh,  people are usually VERY put off by surprises.  guess that’s why we’re good together,  huh?  you like that!  you like ME,  ❞  he notes,  the last sentence drawn out and the happiness filling his voice.  klaus reminds himself of that every day  ( not that he NEEDS a reminder  -----  alden is excellent at showing that )  and it never fails to AMAZE him.  ❝  hey,  well,  maybe you won’t HAVE to get used to me calling you my boyfriend!  you know…  if…  if maybe someday you’re not my BOYFRIEND anymore.  ❞  his arms sling around the man’s shoulders and a smile creeps up on his lips to signify that he’s not talking about the relationship ENDING;  no,  he means something far happier than that.  he means them being MORE than just boyfriends to each other.  ❝  you’re really good at it,  though!  this whole boyfriend thing.  you’re GREAT at it.  ❞  this may just be the happiest klaus has ever felt in his life.  ❝  oh,  yeah,  i can definitely help her then!  i’ve still got a good back and knees,  so i can do all that stuff!  ❞  he insists.  ❝  i want to!  i wanna learn what she does and i wanna do it too.  i’d like that.  ❞  he mostly cares because these people mean so much to alden;  he wants them to like him and he wants to like them.  he wants to form a good relationship with them  -----  something that will make their future BETTER.  shoulders shrug at his comment about klaus’s ideal date,  a smile forming on his lips.  ❝  well,  YEAH,  but i just wanna spend all day with you,  ❞  he notes.  that’s all that matters.  what they do is just a bonus.  his smile shifts into a more playful grin,  arms securing around his shoulders and letting out a soft chuckle as he leans forward to press a light kiss to alden’s lips.  he pulls away after a few seconds and opens his eyes to lock with his.  ❝  yeah,  you should!  and i will be ready for ANYTHING,  ❞  he speaks with a teasing raise of his brows.  ❝  oh,  would you?  then…  is this something we can count on doing?  ❞  he WANTS to get his hopes up;  he wants to have these perfect dates together.

eyes roll at her,  but he knows she’s right.  just as it’s not good to be on the other side of HIS abilities,  hers are awful and he had to experience it.  he’s going to complain about it,  even if it wasn’t her fault.  his gaze finds hers and he crosses his arms over his chest.  ❝  for me?  probably not too bad.  things that electrocute me feel pretty damn good actually,  ❞  he smirks.  josh is BRAGGING.  he feeds off of that electricity and it’s a high he has so badly missed since becoming what he is.  he can’t get enough of it.  ❝  for other people?  yeah,  that’d suck.  ❞  brows furrow at the way she describes it.  ❝  uncomfortable?  my powers are stronger than that,  ❞  he claims.  ❝  they don’t make someone uncomfortable.  it HURTS.  bad.  yeah,  it wouldn’t be immobile and uncomfortable,  it’d be immobile and excruciating.  ❞  the little grin that forms on his mouth as he speaks tells her that is does sound incredibly appealing.  ❝  no one would.  -----  so how would we manage that?  ❞

klaus values physical touch more than he can truly express to anyone.  he’ll take it from anyone,  anywhere,  but he especially likes it when it’s someone he LOVES.  that’s true with vanya.  he may not feel like he knows her that well,  but she’s his sister.  he loves her.  so getting to touch her,  to share this warmth,  to HUG her is so soothing to him.  he can tell by the way she clutches to him that she wants this  -----  maybe NEEDS this  -----  too.  it makes him feel even BETTER,  holding he as close as she will let him.  it makes him feel WANTED;  it makes him feel loved. and even when they separate,  his hands will remain on her shoulders,  refusing to let go of someone when they allow him to hang on.  klaus pauses at her question.  he’s unsure how to answer that.  no one has ever asked him anything like that.  ❝  uh,  yeah!  yeah,  of course!  but i mean,  it’s not like i was REALLY looking for anything.  i just wanted to get OUT of here,  you know?  but yeah,  i-i found a LOT in the world.  people,  mostly.  FRIENDS.  it’s GOOD!  they’re good.  yeah,  i like what i’ve been doing.  ❞  he doesn’t.  the people he’s connected with,  yes,  he enjoys.  but beyond that,  he doesn’t like any of what he’s doing.  it just feels like the best and easiest option for him. ❝ did you find what you’re looking for? ❞ brows raise and he gives a soft smile, shaking his head. ❝ hey, i don’t know how to find anyone either! ❞ as if that’s supposed to make her feel better. he’s removed from his siblings lives and he hates it. he misses them. that’s a huge reason he’s here.  ❝  no,  wait,  i love music!  i like live music too!  i’ll-i’d love to come!  that’s okay.  it’s not stupid.  invite me next time.  ❞  he just doesn’t know HOW she’ll do that.  he’s not easy to reach.  he doesn’t have a home or a phone or anywhere he can be contacted.  ❝  hey,  i want to!  i want to.  ❞  he wants to see his family again.

when he’s like this,  under the influence of all he is under,  he wishes he could be like this with her normally.  he wishes he could feel this warm,  this happy.  josh can’t think of the consequences of it like this.  he can’t feel the FEAR that comes along with it for him.  he only feels this happiness,  this openness,  this WARMTH.  he feels it directed at her.  ALWAYS.  josh still feels this way around her when he’s NOT dealing with alcohol or drugs;  he just can’t express it sober.  then,  the fear sets in and his knack for self-sabotage takes over.  but that won’t happen here tonight.  tonight,  she is getting the side of him he so often hides.  ❝  yeah?  you promise?  ❞  he grins.  having olivia in his life is something he feels is NECESSARY.  despite him trying not to,  he has grown attached and she is CONSISTENT.  at the end of the day,  he knows she is always there.  josh doesn’t know if he would be able to handle it if she wasn’t.  ❝  no,  of course not.  i mean,  i don’t know,  we’re just not as CLOSE anymore and i hate it and it feels like shit,  ❞  he admits.  he wants to be close to her because he admires her COMPLETELY.  his head tilts and his features involuntarily soften.  the confession makes a sigh drop from his lips.  ❝  do you still have the letters?  would you ever let me read them?  ❞  he asks quietly.  he’d like to. even sober josh would like to,  though he would not admit it to her.  after he speaks is when josh realizes that he just said something BIG;  however,  he can’t bring himself to regret it right now.  he can’t bring himself to think that it was a bad,  far too honest thing for him to say.  if he wasn’t in the state he was and that slipped out,  he’d be gone.  but he is staying right here,  hands planted gently on her cheeks,  eyes locked with hers,  and a soft,  WARM expression written on his features.  still,  a relieved sigh manages to leave him when he sees her finally grin,  an identical one forming on his mouth.  eyes fall shut as soon as she leans into him, one hand slipping down to wrap around her waist and pull her body against his as their lips meet.  he returns the soft kiss easily, matching her gentleness. he loves her.  HE LOVES HER.  the words are replaying in his head and it causes him to deepen the kiss.  josh lingers like that for moments until a smile breaks the kiss,  resting his forehead against hers.  ❝  you’re not mad i’ve never told you?  ❞  he whispers.

brows raise at the suggestion he lays out,  a smile instantly pulling at the corners of his features.  the idea of it makes his body relax against aaron’s leaning into him and arms tightening around his shoulders.  ❝  oh,  now,  THAT sounds romantic!  ❞  so of course klaus loves it.  ❝  i bet you’re a GREAT cook,  aren’t you?  you seem like you would be!  and,  hey,  maybe one night we can cook TOGETHER!  i’m not so bad.  i can make good pasta!  ❞  that’s one of the first life skills he got taught in one of his many times in rehab,  but he’s had no one to show that off too  ( or a place to show it off. )  ❝  SECOND favorite!  my FAVORITE were these bright purple and yellow socks that i stole from a thrift shop one time that i could wear under the socks of uniform without my dad noticing,  so i could wear them ALL the time and get away with it.  ❞  it was his little FREEDOM on those missions that he desperately held onto.  ❝  did you ever have anything like that?  ❞  he asks with a tilt of his head.  he hopes so.  he hopes he had some little escape from what seems like such a RESTRICTIVE childhood.  ❝  she has nice shoes!  i used to steal those.  well,  up until i tripped down the stairs in her heels and broke my jaw.  never borrowed her heels after that.  then,  i just stuck with some of her other clothes.  oh,  like,  she has these really long white gloves,  like the ones you’d wear to a fancy party,  that i LOVED wearing!  i didn’t steal them,  but i should have.  hey,  maybe if i ever go visit her again,  i will!  ❞  he’d like to see his mom again,  but he wants to stay away from that HOUSE and he knows reginald never allowed her to go out.  klaus stops slightly as he asks the questions,  eyes squinting briefly as if trying to figure out how to answer it.  he wants aaron to know about him.  he finally feels like he has someone who LISTENS,  so he wants to tell him anything and everything there is to know.  however,  it doesn’t make it all EASY to explain.  ❝  well,  okay,  so grace is PERFECT!  she really is the perfect mom!  she took care of us,  she read to us,  she loves us,  she’s the NICEST,  and she’s really great,  but  -----  ❞  he cuts himself off with a sigh.  ❝  she’s just not…  REAL!  i mean,  my dad,  he,  uh,  he MADE her.  she’s not ACTUALLY,  like,  a real living person.  and he’s a BASTARD,  so i think he just did it so he wouldn’t actually have to pretend to care himself,  and that kinda SPOILS the whole thing,  right?  ❞  klaus doesn’t know if she cares about them because she actually does or because she was programmed to.  ❝  hey,  DON’T tell diego i said that.  or allison because she might tell diego.  or just ANYONE,  okay?  ❞  klaus DOES love grace,  but he struggles with finding comfort in it sometimes the way diego does.  he’s always CONFLICTED with her and that has prevented him from getting truly close to her.   ❝  i WILL!  ❞  he assures. ❝ good.  hey,  maybe i could pick out some red clothes for you to wear!  things i think you’d look good in!  ❞  they might be a slight deviation from what aaron normally wears,  but klaus might attempt to keep it under control.  it’ll give him an excuse to do something for him, to think about him,  to be part of his life,  and that’s not something he’ll ever pass up.