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hermitreunited · 5 years

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Capricorn’s Horn

Daily-Fluff-Dose Day Three

Prompt: Stargazing

Characters: Klaus + Diego

Ben keeps saying, “We don’t have time for this,” which is ridiculous for a number of reasons, not least of which is that one member of their group is a time traveler. Who isn’t as good at cars as he thinks he is, but Diego’s not saying anything. Five is good at hot-wiring cars, though - maybe he would just abandon failing vehicles and steal new ones in the apocalypse. Until all the gas dried up and batteries got too old to start. He can’t keep thinking about that, or he’ll start feeling bad for the little shit. It’s more fun to roll his eyes.

He’s out of practice rolling his eyes at Ben, but he’s working on that. For a while there, it was a constant stream of awe and wonder and not taking his eyes off of him for one second because it was such a miracle he was here and alive again. Apparently he was always here. Whatever. The point is that it is incredible, but Ben is also Diego’s brother still, so he’s getting over all of that and learning to tease him again.

Ben deserves it too, he’s so concerned about them missing this concert Vanya is playing in. They’ve saved the world, they can handle a car and a concert. But Ben always has been a worrier, Diego had just forgotten how much. Although part of it might be that he can’t bear to miss out on anything now that he’s alive to experience things. That’s another train of thought Diego can’t follow or he’ll get all soppy.

He decides instead that Ben’s more Type A nowadays because so much time spent following Klaus around had aggravated that particular personality trait. Diego can relate.

Speaking of Klaus, he’s drifted away from the loose semi-circle of testosterone gathered around the steaming hood. Allison and Vanya are flying over to Chicago because they have actual jobs and schedules, but the rest of them had decided to make a trip of it.

Or Luther had decided. “For Bonding” he’d said gravely, with audible capitalization, and the rest of them hadn’t kicked up enough of a fuss to stop it from happening.

Nothing bonds better than a cold night spent shouting at each other on the side of a one lane road out in the middle of bumfuck nowhere.

Ben snaps at Five, “Teleportation isn’t the same as being an expert at traveling in a motor vehicles - you get that, right?”

With venom, Five sneers, “Well you never learned how to drive, but if The Horror has any automative knowledge, I’m all ears.”

Luther’s giant body is perched on the low metal railing at the edge of the shoulder. He’s quietly reading the manual, starting from page one.

So everything is going about as well as could be expected.

Diego knows that if his brothers come to blows, he’s not going to be able to responsibly intervene. Watching and laughing will be easier to get away with if he puts some distance between himself and them, so he tramples into the field they are stopped next to and joins Klaus where he’s sitting in the tall grass.

“Whatcha doing?” he asks.

Klaus points up to the sky. “There are so many stars out here.”

He’s right. There are so many stars that the sky almost seems bright, even though the night between the pinpricks of light feels blacker than any Diego has ever seen. It’s a yawning empty endless sort of black, but it’s comforting, too.

“That there? That one’s Capricorn’s Horn,” Klaus traces a finger through the darkness. It doesn’t help Diego recognize the constellation Klaus is talking about.

He says, “Really?” He can at least pretend.

“No,” Klaus says. “Do I look like Spaceboy to you? And those three over there, those are the Crustaceaniola Cluster from the Hamburger Galaxy. I’ve studied astrology, I know lots of space things.”

Diego shoves his shoulder and Klaus cackles. He doesn’t topple all the way over, like he would have, back before everything happened that week. He’s still a twig, but he’s more solid now. Diego’s glad. “You’re an idiot,” he says.

“Is that gas back there toxic or something? I’m Four, you’re Two, remember?”

Diego rolls his eyes. The expression version of shoving his dumb brother. Not that he can see it, because it’s too dark and Klaus isn’t even looking at him anyway. His face is turned up to the sky.

The chill in the air makes this whole night feel cleaner than it ever does in the city. And closer, like he could touch the stars if he just reached out a little farther.

Klaus rolls his shoulders back. “Did you want to talk to Patch?”

“What? No.” The entirely honest answer of course is that he wants to talk to her pretty much all the time. Getting his time cut short so suddenly like that left him with lots of things to say. Klaus has been sober and working on his powers, and he’s been able to talk with Patch a few amazing, heart-wrenching, times. Tonight is a rare occasion where Diego hadn’t even really been thinking about all that before Klaus brought her up, though. “I just wanted to be with you.”

Klaus looks at him then, away from the stars for the first time since Diego came over here. He doesn’t say anything, though, just watches him for a beat before looking up again. Another rare occasion. Klaus staying quiet.

He has been more quiet, lately. He’s gotten more solid and gotten more quiet. Not all the time, he can still pull off a monologue of nonsense when he gets going, but there’s these hushed moments in between that Diego hasn’t seen from Klaus before.

Diego wonders if he’s noticed. He wonders if he himself has changed in ways that his siblings see but he doesn’t. They all see a lot more of each other these days.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stars,” Klaus says. “I’ve spent plenty of nights outside, but the lights of the city blocked all this out. And it was always so smokey in ‘Nam.”

It’s an opening, a good one. Diego could delve into that story, that he only has caught glimpses of so far. Clearly, the subject is not far from Klaus’ mind. But he also seems so contented. Diego doesn’t want to break that peace. His little brother spends enough time with ghosts already.

Instead, Diego says, “I’m just glad to see the moon up where it belongs.”

“How’s the big guy doing, anyway? Considering how his - ” Klaus gestures at everything around them - “all of this is going.”

“Didn’t even make it more than two hours.” Diego shakes his head. “Excellent leadership.”

Klaus slides him a sly glance. “Didn’t you work for a mechanic shop?” It doesn’t matter how dark it is, the mischief in his eyes is easy to see.

If it’s a job you can get with a GED and no experience, Diego has probably had it. He’s worked almost every restaurant position at this point, although he hadn’t finished even one full shift as a host. He’s better at stuff where he doesn’t have to deal with the customers directly, washing windows on skyscrapers, painting houses, and yes, as a mechanic for a couple months.

He nods, and answers the question Klaus is actually asking. “It’s just a loose radiator cap. Looks like a bigger deal than it is, and all you have to do is tighten it up again. Takes two seconds. Literally a child could do it.”

“Well then.” Klaus’ smile is so wide. “You’ll have to excuse me.” He flips his sparkly beaded scarf over his shoulder and goes back to the car, shouting, “Hey fuckos, Henry Ford’s ghost is here and he wants me to tell you that you’re really dumb.”

He flounces past Five and Ben’s annoyed objections and reaches into the engine. Diego wasn’t lying about the fix, it takes two seconds and a child could do it. The engine stops steaming.

The rest of the guys are wearing matching expressions of bewilderment.

Klaus has already climbed back in, so he hangs his head out the window to yell, “Chop chop boys, we don’t want to be late!”

“Oh my god,” Ben says, pinching the bridge of his nose with a long-suffering sigh.

Diego’d never tell Luther this, but it turns out he was right. The Bonding is going to be great.

#DFD #Daily Fluff Dose day 3 #tua #tua fic #long post #once again I use the prompt as more of a jumping off point that the primary plot of the thing #if this even counts as having a plot #but there are stars and there are gazes sooo I'm going with it #I actually really want to know about the rest of this boys club road trip I've cooked up now #maybe later prompts this month will fit in to this #Klaus claiming to pass on insults from famous dead people is one of my favorite headcanons #I'm glad it got to make an appearance here!#tua ficlet

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