23 years ago
Vanya took a moment to recognize him on the train. She first moved her gaze away when she saw the outline of a man with a ragged appearance and questionable soberness sinking into a seat in the next row of hers. The man didn't cause a ruckus of any sort, simply made a few eyes turn to him as he apparently fell asleep, and Vanya left the subject be entirely for a couple of stops until she casually looked around to pass the time and peeked at the man from her safe distance. The train wasn't very full, but the seats next to him were all empty - an understandable thing most of the time, as you never know how some people may behave or react. Just as Vanya was thinking that you never know how any person may behave or react regardless of what they look like, she was staring at the man's face and realized it was Klaus.
She blinked and straightened up a bit. He wasn't wearing a shirt under his coat, so she could see how skinny he'd got. Klaus had never had much baby fat to being with, but he was skinny in ways that seemed borderline unhealthy. She hadn't been wrong on the ragged appearance - although she could now see that outfit would certainly be a redflag on something Klaus would wear, a furry coat dyed black and denims with rainbow patches scattered throughout, everything seemed to be getting shabby. His hair was a messy cloud on top of his head and he did look tired, though there was the possibility that the much more consistent beard he had now compared to the teenager first samples might also help increase the weary appearance, but now the main question was whether or not it was just depressant drugs doing their work.
Vanya tucked her arm close for the moment it took her to decide to stand up and excuse herself for the trouble she caused the people nearby her, moving their legs so she could walk pass. She sat again on the very next row and looked at Klaus again. She didn't exactly know what she was going to say, but she wasn't really about to just pretend she hadn't seen her brother after a decade.
"Klaus?" she called softly. Tentatively and carefully, she reached her hand forward and shook him gently by the knee. Instead of getting a groan of protest or a drowsy mumble, Klaus jolted up like he had been zapped.
"Jesus Christ!" he yelped, his hand flying to his chest while Vanya jumped back and pulled her hand away.
"Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"
"It's alright," Klaus replied, sighing and massaging the place over his heart. "I'm a bit jumpy, that's all."
He didn't seem to recognize her immediately, and Vanya felt a painful pang in her chest before she forced herself to remember she hadn't recognized him at first glance either.
"Klaus. It's me. Vanya."
Klaus yawned widely while he blinked the tiredness away to look at her, and she felt the pain ease a bit when she saw the moment he saw her.
"Oh. Hey, Vanya!" He frowned suddenly. "Are you dead?"
Vanya gaped. "N-No, I'm not."
Klaus sighed in relief. "Well that's good to hear. Got scared I might be getting sober."
Vanya nodded without really knowing why. While Klaus suddenly moved his arm to his right side with a gesture that looked as if he was shushing someone, she tucked her arm close again, soothing herself absentmindedly and gathering strength to... well, do something.
"How've you been? You seem tired." She immediately chastised herself. Smooth, Vanya, very smooth. "I-I mean, is everything alright?"
"Oh, yeah. It's just been a very long... two days. And nights, I guess." Klaus chuckled, although it came out certainly a lot more wearily than he intended. He then made a little dance with his arms and hands to mask the tone. "Gotta enjoy ourselves while we're still young, huh? We'll be turning thirty in no time! Who'd have thought?"
"Yeah," she said, smiling a bit too, though probably just as faintly. She noted something new on him though, which gave her a little help to ask: "You've got new tattoos?"
"Hm? Oh! Yes I do!" He turned his palms forward in front of his face. He had rather big, bold in their simplicity, 'HELLO' and 'GOOD BYE' tattoos sinked into the skin. "I think I was pretty drunk when I had them done though, to be honest. Sooo painful, 10 out of 10 would not recommend."
The smile Vanya gave now was more genuine. That really felt more like Klaus. "Like an Ouija Board."
Klaus grinned more widely too and waved his eyebrows for the hint she had caught. He waved his hand to his right side again in that same shushing gesture. "Hence me saying I was probably a bit too drunk. But what can I say, my drunken self has an even bigger sense of humor than the normal me, that outrageous bastard."
Vanya chuckled quietly. Although she was still smiling, she noticed a couple of people casting side glances at them, especially at Klaus, who seemed to be oblivious to them. That previous pang in her chest returned, but now it was a familiar unease - only it was not for her. Despite of it (or because of it), she said: "They're pretty cool." And she meant it.
"What about you, little sis? You're still doing that violin stuff you do?" he asked, mimicking an invisible violin with his hands and dropping them shortly after to say: "Come on, I'm not making fun of her."
Vanya pressed her lips a bit and nodded.
"It's the only thing I can really do."
"You know, that reminds me... I should really take this opportunity to..." Vanya raised her eyes to him again as he rummaged the pockets of his furry coat. "...ask for your autograph for your book! Shame I don't have it with me. Congratulations, by the way, you were pretty successful in those first six months or something."
Vanya's brief resolve and the last of her smile sunk so fast in her gut she could physically feel herself grow pale. Of course, what was she thinking would happen when she'd see one of her siblings again? Hugs and kisses?
"Klaus, I... you know, I'm sorry if-
"Hey, don't be," Klaus interrupted her with a casual hand wave, sounding honestly alright and not offended, but it was hard to tell if... "Yeah, some stuff was a bit harsh and a bit cold, but hey! That's how it was, so no one can blame you on anything."
Vanya's self-soothing turned into a soft pinching of her arm.
"I... Klaus, I really did mean... how've you been? It's been so long, I-"
"That's me!" he said out of nowhere, making Vanya frown before she realized what he meant when he stood up from his seat. He was still so much taller than her. "This's my stop, sis! It was great seeing you. Catch you in another ten years?"
"I..." she tried, pinching herself harder. "I'm glad I saw you, Klaus." And she meant it.
"You too! Glad you're not dead yet! Ben says hi, too!"
Vanya blinked slightly, barely having time to process the words and look at the empty right side before Klaus climbed up the stairs again in a rush. "Oh! Hey, Vanya, Vanya, Vanya, you got some of your pills with you? Just one or two, pretty please?" He placed both hands together in a pleading manner, though he again threw them to the side and growled: "Shut up already, I asked nicely!"
Vanya gaped again. She noticed how people were looking at them once more. "I... sorry, Klaus, I..."
Klaus couldn't really wait if he wanted to get out on this stop, so he gritted his teeth in frustration and sighed. "Well, shame. Catch you later then!"
Vanya felt herself sink in the seat, seeing Klaus through the window as he staggered away on the train station. That feeling in her chest returned, though it wasn't a piercing pang but rather a dull sort of ache. Her eyes moved back to the empty seat next to where Klaus had been sitting, feeling a slight chill down her spine. She had wondered about it when Ben died - it was only logical, with Klaus' powers, but it was a bit different to actually know it, especially coming out of nowhere as this meeting had been. She felt numb and dizzy.
When she had written her book, Klaus had been someone she could visualize surprisingly well in retrospect, considering how she had never really bonded with him before. They were all outsiders, in their own different and special ways - if there was something she had learned from her own book, it was that. It affected some more than others, and then Klaus... while Vanya tried so hard to be accepted as she was, Klaus tried his hardest to not be who he was. It was a cold but simple conclusion to take and write about behind a typewriter, but now seeing him again after so long... It felt like a hard punch in the gut. Vanya felt sad. And hurt.
Not for herself, but for him.
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the end
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Author's Note: I hope you liked these little takes on each of them, and these two last not-so-small-at-all takes. Many thanks to the many people who left kudos! and special mention to the reviewers/bookmarkers TwistedIllusions, Trinaq, Bluekato, Ayeeeeeee, emmasswan, JayChan13, SecretDivin and Astroquartz
Thanks for reading
Edit: Thanks to the anon for the English correction! I do welcome any corrections, please send them my way so I can edit the text for better reading.
