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Klaus’ world is silent. He moves through a world that he knows has sound but he cannot hear anything. It wasn’t always that way. At one point in his life there had been sound. Then an accident at a rave where there had been a fire and he had fallen in the stampede to get out. People had kicked him and stepped on him and when he had woken in the hospital three days later the world was soundless. Ben had picked up sign language quickly. Klaus had been faster though, his hands moving through the movements a pace similar to those who had been deaf for a long time with the help of many YouTube videos and books. He had become a familiar face at the libraries of the city, the librarians usually found him sitting outside when they arrived and had to chase him out at night.
There was a positive to being deaf. The lack of sound had made dealing with the ghosts easier, the no longer realized he could see them since he didn’t react to their voices. Instead of shooting up to get rid of the ghosts Klaus found himself getting clean finally and trying to stay that way. He lived on the streets still, didn’t see the point of trying to find one of his siblings who would see this as another reason why he was useless.
Klaus was sitting in his usual corner of the library, behind the dusty shelves of encyclopedias that no one read because they were out of date. The librarian had come to like him, making a little nest for him out of an old set of couch cushions, blankets, and three large pillows. Klaus didn’t notice his brother’s approach until Ben brushed his hand over Klaus’ shoulder to catch his attention
>Mrs. Ambers on her way over with a newspaper.<
Ben signed and Klaus gently tucked a well worn paper bookmark into his book as the young librarian rounded the corner. She seemed upset and Klaus wondered if the city had cut budgets again.
“Your father died.” She said slowly so he could read her lips. He frowned and took the paper, scanning the front-page article on Reginald Hargreeves and the Umbrella Academy. Klaus looked up at Mrs. Ambers
“Can I have a lift?” He slurred and she nodded, a weak smile on her lips
“Of course, Honey.” She said. Klaus packed up his backpack and tucked his book away on the shelf he kept whatever he was reading on. Mrs. Ambers drove him to the Academy and dropped him off in front of the overbearing doors with a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Klaus slowly walked up the few steps leading to the door and stepped inside the halls of his childhood. It hadn’t changed much; the place was formal and unwelcoming. A hand touching his arm made him jump and he turned to see Allison standing behind him
“-aus?” Allison said and Klaus stumbled a few paces back.
“Sorry.” He slurred. Her eyebrows knit and her lips pursed. He knew she thought he was high, it was easier to think he was high. On unsteady legs he stumbled away from her towards the stairs, knowing she was probably calling his name and attracting the attention he didn’t want. He shut the door to his bedroom and looked around at everything. There were no doubt pills stashed around the place but Klaus was more interested in the clothes. He’d not had a new outfit in some time, wearing the same loose jeans and grimy black tee shirt under his thick coat for several weeks now. He shucked his clothes and fingered a pair of skinny jeans in a deep burgundy color. He slid them on and pulled out a black tank top that would match. He probably should have showered before changing but knew he wouldn’t stick around long enough to bother anyone with his smell. Ben tapped him on the arm and pointed to the door.
“Come in!” Klaus called and the door opened to reveal Diego who was scowling at him. Klaus pattered over to the window and shoved it open to let fresh air into the room. He knew Diego was waiting for something, some sarcastic witty comment but Klaus was no longer that person so instead he settled on cleaning up the room while he waited for his brother to make the first move. Diego grabbed his arm as he passed the other man for the fifth time
>R U deaf?<
Diego asked, his ASL rusty but functionable. Klaus had forgotten that Diego knew ASL, there had been a year long period where Diego had refused to speak because of his stutter. Mom had taught him ASL and translated for the rest of them as no one else had bothered to learn. Klaus reached up and nervously yanked on his sole earring, a black hoop in his left ear.
>Three years in April.<
He finally signed back. Diego frowned, his fingers twitching like he wanted to say something but didn’t remember or know the signs. Finally, Klaus took pity on him
“I read lips pretty well.” He said and Diego nodded
“Are you clean?” He asked and Klaus nodded. A look of relief flashed over Diego’s face and he pulled Klaus into a hug. When he pulled back Klaus returned to straightening up his room. Diego helped, taking anything that Klaus passed him and putting it where he thought it went. Klaus hadn’t had much in the way of organization so it was mostly making things up as they went. Diego would take the baggies of pills or powder as soon as they found them, tucking them away into a mesh bag that had a broken zipper. Once the room was in some semblance of order Klaus collapsed onto the bed. Diego sat at the foot
“You good?” He asked and Klaus gave him a lazy thumbs up. He was tired and a nap in an actual bed the wasn’t a cot sounded really good. He drifted off, unaware of the music that Luther put on or the freaky wormhole that appeared in the back courtyard. He woke several hours later and wandered out of his room to find something to eat. Dinner was probably going to be soon, Klaus was looking forward to Mom’s cooking. He missed Allison calling his name until she grabbed his arm. She was speaking quickly, too quickly and to upset for him to understand her. He watched her shout and wave her arms around until all their siblings were watching. Diego laid a hand on Klaus, forcing Allison back away from him and saying something low and hissing at their sister. She didn’t seem pleased but stepped back and allowed Diego to guide Klaus toward the kitchen
“I don’t understand.” Klaus said and Diego gently patted him on the arm as he sat him down. Klaus waited until Diego had made him an impressive ham and turkey sandwich with mayo, pickles, and onion before pressing the subject further
“What’s going on Dee?” He asked as Diego slid the sandwich over and sat down.
“Five is back.” Diego said and Klaus raised an eyebrow. He took a bite of his sandwich, waiting for Diego to elaborate. Diego sighed
“He time traveled to the future. Saw something shitty. Not sure what because he won’t say.” Diego said and Klaus nodded. He finished his sandwich slowly, enjoying the taste.
“Where is he now?” Klaus asked and Diego rolled his eyes
“Scribbling out formula’s all over his walls again.” Diego said and Klaus could almost sense the exasperation in his voice. Klaus smiled. Diego was playing with the butter knife, an old habit that he apparently hadn’t lost.
“Why was Allison upset?” Klaus asked and Diego frowned
“They don’t know your deaf. She thought you were purposely ignoring everyone.” Diego said with a shrug. Klaus blinked before going back to his sandwich. If the others wanted to ignore what was right in front of them they could. Ben brushed along Klaus’ arm and Klaus turned to him.
>I want a book.<
Ben signed and Klaus groaned
>We have to do that here?<
He signed back. Ben nodded
>It was a journal Father kept. I want to read it.<
Ben said and Klaus cocked his head.
>Fine. It’s probably in the study. We’ll get it after I finish my sandwich.<
Klaus signed before picking his sandwich back up and taking another bite. Diego was watching him with confused eyes.
“Ben.” Klaus said with an exaggerated eye roll. Diego’s eyebrow rose and Klaus grinned. He set his sandwich back down and concentrated on making Ben corprial. Ben appeared, less blue and see through beside Klaus for two second before Klaus ran out of energy and Ben was back to being a ghost. Diego looked floored.
“That’s great!” He said with a smile. Klaus shrugged and inhaled the rest of his sandwich. Someone must have entered the room because Diego’s attention turned to someone behind Klaus. Klaus turned to see Five standing in the doorway, a annoyed look on his face. His lips moved rapidly but Klaus only caught his own name and the word ‘fuck’. Turning to Ben for a translation he found his brother glaring at the thirteen year old version of their time traveling brother
>What did he say?<
Klaus asked Ben who glare turned into a glower. Diego was even standing, looking like he was about to punch Five so Klaus rose to his feet as well
“I cannot hear you Five.” He said because he knew it needed to be said before someone punched someone else. Ben turned to him
>He implied that you were a junkie whore who is high and that’s why you’re out of it.<
Ben signed and Klaus shrugged
>At one point I was a junkie whore.<
Klaus signed back. Ben gave the equivalent of a shove, his hands passing through Klaus’ shoulder leaving a chill
>Don’t call yourself that. You are a good person. You try so hard to keep clean.<
Ben said and Klaus nodded
>I know but they don’t. I haven’t seen anyone since I left at eighteen. Five was long gone before that. They only have the information that was true then.<
Klaus signed. Diego put a hand on his shoulder breaking Klaus’ conversation
“You okay?” Diego asked and Klaus shrugged
“Ben is a bit agressive today.” Klaus said. Five had come further into the kitchen at this point, watching Klaus with eyes that were full of intelligent curiosity and cunning planning. Klaus padded over to the fridge and peered inside. There was a bowl of pudding so he grabbed it and three spoons from the drawer. He hopped up onto the table and looked at his brothers expectantly. Diego got the hint first and grabbed a spoon. Five took several more seconds to take the last spoon. Klaus took the first bite of pudding and Diego followed, dipping his own spoon into the pudding. Five stared at them as they ate the pudding. Klaus chose to ignore his brother, knowing that Five was probably processing some sort of bump in his ever growing calculations
“So you’re deaf?” Five said finally and Klaus nodded
“Yup.” He said sliding off the table and putting the bowl in the sink. He returned to the table and sat back down on the middle
“How?” Five asked and Klaus shrugged
“There was a fire at a rave. I fell and got smashed. When I woke there was nothing to save.” He said. Five looked slightly disturbed at how blaise Klaus was about this. Klaus saw it as a blessing in disguise. Without his hearing he lived a saner life. No one spoke for a few minutes before Diego opened his mouth to speak. He was interrupted by Allison and Luther entering the kitchen, obviously not expecting anyone to be in there by the looks on their faces. Luther looked like he was swallowing a lemon or something slimy and Allison scowled
“What are you doing on the table?” She snapped, Klaus raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He also didn’t move. Vanya slipped into the room and moved along the edges until she was at the freezer. She must have said something when she was facing away from Klaus because Diego tapped Klaus on the arm and smiled
>Ice cream?<
He signed. Klaus shook his head
>No thanks. I’m full on the pudding.<
Klaus signed back. Diego had to think about the signs and didn’t seem to quite get what Klaus was saying so Klaus slipped off the table and held up the empty pudding bowl. Diego got it then and nodded. Klaus turned to Vanya
“May I have the milk?” He asked and winced when he knew he let out a lisp on the first word. Vanya nodded, clearly nervous about the fact that Klaus had never had a lisp before. She passed him the half gallon of milk and Klaus turned to grab a glass. Ben was right behind him, his cold hand rubbing Klaus’ back and Klaus took his time to pour his milk knowing there was probably at least two people raising their voices behind him. He turned and passed the milk back to Vanya who put it back in the fridge. Allison looked like she wanted to rumor someone, Klaus vaguely wondered if her power would even work on him still. Diego had the butter knife in his hand again, his knuckles white with how tight his grip was and Luther was red in the face. Klaus downed the milk like a shot and set the cup on the counter. He carefully approached Diego and set a hand on his arm
“Let’s go get donuts.” He said in what he thought was a soft voice. Diego nodded tensely, carefully setting the knife down and letting Klaus gently lead him out of the room. Diego remained tense until they were in the car and they both realized Klaus wasn’t wearing any shoes.
“Sorry.” Klaus said wiggling his toes. Diego didn’t say anything, simply pulled into the parking lot of Gritty’s Diner and shutting the car off.
“What do you want?” Diego asked and Klaus realized he had purposely parked under a streetlight so Klaus could read his lips.
“As many jelly filled as you will buy.” Klaus said and Diego nodded and slid out of the car. He was gone for maybe five minutes before Klaus saw him exit the diner with a large paper bag and two large to go cups. Klaus felt his mouth water when Diego slid back into the car and passed him one of the coffees and the bag of donuts.
>Thank you.<
Klaus signed and pulled the first donut out of the bag. He had missed donuts. Hadn’t had one in a long time. The closest he got was the dry bundt cake that was served as a Christmas dessert at the shelter. Diego sipped his coffee as Klaus slowly savored his second donut
“Can you teach me?” Diego asked and Klaus cocked his head. Diego blushed
“Sign language. I don’t remember much anymore.” Diego said and Klaus frowned
“Okay.” He said before making the sign for bitch. Diego copied it and Klaus laughed
“What?” Diego asked and Klaus fought to speak
“That means bitch.” He slurred. Diego gave him a small shove and tried to stifle his own laughter. Klaus grinned and started to think about things Diego might actually need.
>What is your name?<
Klaus signed
“What is your name.” He said and as Diego fumbled over the signs he helped correct the finger placements. It took Diego several tries but he finally got the movements correct and Klaus beamed
“Good.” He said before diving into how to tell someone Diego’s name
>My name is D-I-E-G-O.<
Klaus signed and Diego’s eyes lit up
“You just spelt my name.” He said quickly. Klaus nodded.
“My name is Diego.” He said and Diego copied the movements, this time much more confident in the movements. Klaus yawned and Diego frowned
“Tired?” He asked and Klaus nodded. Diego got a soft look on his face and started the car. Klaus wasn’t sure where they were going, not back to the Academy. Diego pulled behind a boxing gym and shut the car off. He motioned for Klaus to get out and led them to a back door that he unlocked with a key. Klaus followed him down a small hallway and then down a set of stairs. Diego shoved a door open and motioned for Klaus to enter ahead of him. It was a little living space in the boiler room Klaus realized. Diego must have been staying here. Diego motioned for Klaus to sit on the bed
“Why are we here?” Klaus asked, sitting on the bed and setting his bag of donuts on the floor beside it
“Do you want to deal with Allison and Luther?” Diego asked and Klaus shook his head. Diego grabbed a blanket and sat down on the recliner
“I thought we could spend the night here and let the two of them calm down. We’ll go back tomorrow.” Diego said and Klaus nodded
“Okay.” He said. Diego smiled fondly at him
“Get some sleep.” He said and Klaus laid back onto the bed. He could sense Diego’s presence not five feet away and fell asleep easily.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Sometimes Klaus’ dreams were not silent. It was the only place he ever heard sound but he wished he didn’t. Hearing sound in dreams made it hit much harder when he woke to only silence. Silence that made him feel hollow. The night at Diego’s had been filled with dreams of their childhood, when Klaus, Ben, and Diego had been close. The sound of Ben reading to them from one of their articles in some rag had soothed him in the dream but only reminded him of what he lost when he woke. He’d woken alone, which suited him just fine. He didn’t want to be there anymore.
Grabbing a leather jacket that he knew Diego had grown out of. He recognized it from their teenage years and Diego was definitely more muscled now than he was then. Pulling it on he slipped out of the boiler room/apartment and headed the way they had come the night before. The streets were cold, he would have to drop by somewhere to get a new pair of shoes since he’d left his only pair at the Academy. He ducked into an alley and crossed Belmont Ave before catching the bus on the other side of Crotona Ave. The bus driver took one look at his state: rumpled clothes, no thick jacket despite the weather being cold, and shoeless, and swiped for him to ride.
“I’ll drop you off at the next shelter.” The woman said kindly and Klaus smiled. He tucked himself into a seat on the empty bus and watched the world around him change. The closest shelter that he knew of in this part of the city was on Anthony Ave in the basement of a Jehovah Witness church near the 46th Precinct. He’d stayed there once when he had first hit the streets but had found it to be small and the ghosts tended to congregate to the church above,which had been a real turn off. It seemed that it was the closest one that she knew of too because she stopped in front a whitewashed building with a sign proclaiming it to be the ‘Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses’ and opened the door. There was a man at the door of the building who was taking out the trash. The man took one look at him and ushered him inside. He said something but Klaus couldn’t understand him though the beard he had and simply let himself get led down the stairs towards the shelter. The man passed him a box of shoes and Klaus dug through them until he found a pair of black converse that fit him. The man nodded at his choice and must have said something but Klaus didn’t catch it.
“I can’t hear.” Klaus said tapping his ears. The man’s brows furrowed and he held up a hand in the universal sign of ‘one moment’ before disappearing into another room and returning with pen and paper. He wrote something on the paper and showed it to Klaus.
Have you eaten today?
The man had written. Klaus nodded even though it was a lie. He didn’t want to take too much, there were plenty of others who needed the food more than him. His mind drifted back to the jelly donuts that he had forgotten at Diego’s but pushed the thought away. He would be fine, he’d start heading towards a metro, jump the turnstiles to get on, and ride back to Queens where his usual haunts were. The man seemed to take him at his word. Probably had never met a homeless person who would turn down a free meal.
Do you have a place to go?
He wrote next. Klaus nodded again and the man smiled. He held up his hand one more time and left again. Klaus set the box aside and inspected the shoes better. Someone had tucked a pair of socks in each shoe and Klaus couldn’t have been more grateful as he slid the thick socks on and laced up the converse. He stood once his feet were dressed and tucked the second pair of socks into his pocket. They would serve as mittens later after he could get to the library and cut some holes in them. The man returned and passed Klaus a twenty dollar bill. Klaus took it carefully.
“I don’t understand.” He slurred, brows furrowed. Did the man think Klaus was a whore? Did he think Klaus would blow him? Fuck him? The man must have said something before grabbing the pen and paper again and scribbling out something.
For you to get home.
The words stunned Klaus as most people, most shelters, barely had enough to house and feed the homeless they took in. Klaus had never been given actual money from a shelter. Klaus tucked the bill into his pocket and smiled at the man.
“Thank you.” He said as the man lead him back to the front of the church. The cold wind nipped at Klaus’ face and he wished for a scarf or hat. He headed down the street, shoving his hands into his pockets and tucking his chin into the collar of his shirt. He wasn’t expecting for a familiar Impala to pull up in front of him. Diego looked both pissed and worried and Klaus felt the trickles of shame slide down his neck.
“Where have you been?” Diego demanded as he rounded the car to get right in front of Klaus. Klaus shrugged.
“I had to go.” He said and Diego frowned.
“Really? I was worried sick Klaus.” Diego snapped. Klaus frowned. No one worried about him, he was Klaus. Diego seemed to realize that Klaus wasn’t getting it and angrily ran his fingers through his hair. Klaus reached for him, wanting to comfort his brother.
“Sorry.” He slurred, wrapping his hands around his brother’s shoulders. Diego pulled him into a hug, a tight one that made Klaus a little breathless. Klaus let Diego hold him for as long as he needed. Ben appeared for the first time that morning and gave Klaus a little wave and a cheeky grin.
>He was super worried. Drove around muttering how you could get frostbite.<
Ben signed and Klaus felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Love. Love for someone who actually cared. Diego pulled back and Klaus gave him a soft smile.
“Sorry to make you worry. I’m used to being on my own.” Klaus said. Diego shook his head.
“For now on, it’s you and me. I’m not leaving you behind again.” Diego said and Klaus smiled.
“And Ben.” He added and Diego nodded.
“The three of us will be okay as long as we’re together.” Diego said. He opened the passenger door for Klaus who slid in and relished in the warmth of the car. Diego rounded the car and slid back into the driver’s seat. Klaus watched as they started down the street. It was peaceful, the world around them just waking up. A hand on his leg startled Klaus and he looked over at Diego who had stopped at a light
>I love you.<
Diego signed and Klaus smiled
>I love you too.<
He signed back. Diego’s eyes crinkled in happiness as he smiled. He returned his hand to Klaus’ leg and his attention to the road. Klaus laid his own hand over Diego’s.
Sometimes the silence is deafening but sometimes it brings a whole new way of hearing others.