Chapter 3: Or keep your eyes on the road and live in the familiar, without you and I

The donut shop could be glimpse as soon as they entered the curve. The luminous sign and the vintage colors made the place a vivid representation of a certain period in the United States.

The place was practically empty at that time of the morning. They chose a table near the window. Vanya and Diego took the menus while Klaus entertained himself with the children's tablecloth. His expression darkened when he realized that it was not a labyrinth.

"What kind of child could solve a sudoku?" Vanya asked when noticing the printed game. The colors and the drawings in the frame of the sheet invited the child to try to solve it, but the numbers inside the box were extremely complex even for an adult.

"Oh, Five could." Klaus snorted leaving the tablecloth aside and focusing his attention on the people on the street. Vanya and Diego exchanged a glance.

"I'll order eggs with bacon, coffee and orange juice. Also French toast with jelly, four donuts covered in chocolate, waffles, some sausages ... "Diego looked up to find something else when he met the surprised look of Vanya.

"And .. add some fruit." He ended up feeling somewhat guilty. He, always taking care of his body, never asked for things with such caloric content.

The old woman dressed in the typical waitress uniform wrote everything promptly.

"And for the lady?"

Vanya thought about asking for just one coffee, but in that instant she realized the absurdity of it all.

"The same as him." She indicated closing the menu while sharing a knowing smile with her brother.

"Ah! So this is competition! Klaus stretched his hands on the table as he was about to start a race. "I'll show you fools!"

The waitress had to make several trips to bring everything. There was no way for all the food to enter the table, so they had to add one more to the side.

"This is a waste" Vanya complained weakly as she quietly stirred one of the cafes.

"Just relax! Anyway, everything will disappear tomorrow ... "Klaus exclaimed as he filled his mouth with a strange mixture that seemed to contain mashed potatoes and eggs. Apparently he was again in a good mood.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Diego still felt that warm feeling. How much time had passed since he had shared the table with his brothers? How much since he had felt comfortable, relaxed, without the constant need to feel that he should prove something to Luther or his father?

"Hey! That is my fruit! "

Klaus had stolen a piece of apple to put it in his mouth.

"Share resources is the basis of any fair society" Sentenced the other balancing the fork at the same time he sought to steal another piece.

"Hey!"

"There is enough for everyone." Vanya indicated slightly embarrassed when she saw that her brothers were fighting over the domain of the small plate of cut fruit.

"Yes, but he did not ask for fruit." Diego snorted leaving the plate within Klaus reach, ashamed of being called the atention for fighting with his brother as if they were children.

For a few seconds no one spoke again. Klaus took another piece again, a triumphant smile on his face. To which Diego responded by taking one of the bacon plates closest to Klaus.

"Hey! You have your own bacon! "Complained number four with dramatic outrage. Diego returned the same triumphant smile.

"I prefer this."

Vanya chuckled. Both exchanged a glance reaching a mutual agreement and almost at the same time stole food from their sister.

"Hey!"

At about noon, the three finished filling their appetites with laughter and banal comments. The apocalyptic threat hung over them like a cloud that did not quite move away, but none seemed too eager to touch the subject. It was Klaus who, after finishing his ice cream and throwing the spoon into the empty bowl, decided to face the issue.

"How do you think it will be? I mean, I hope it wil be something spectacular, with fire, lightning and all that ... "

"Dramatic" Whisper Diego raising an eyebrow. However, internally he admired his ability to face any event, including his own death, in a relaxed and contemplative way.

"Oh yeah! I want cars crashing, planes falling from the sky, tidal waves, earthquakes ... no diseases or subtle facts. We deserve to go with fireworks! "

Vanya and Diego smiled at the other's occurrences. They had to admit that Klaus had always been the most creative of all. Diego raised one of the cups.

"I make a toast for that. To go with fireworks! "

The three of them crashed their cups in that donut shop, with the certainty that this would be their last breakfast together.

Upon leaving, Diego and Vanya stopped for a moment in the parking lot.

"Do you need me to take you somewhere? Do you want to go to the house of that boyfriend of yours?"

Diego vaguely remembered the day his sister had appeared with that guy. Given the circumstances it was expected that she would like to spend her last hours with her beloved. However, Vanya's response was far from what he expected.

"Leonard? Nah, he behaved like an idiot when I told him I was going to see Klaus. He said that you did not deserve my attention and other things ... "

She avoided adding that she had been very much in agreement with him a good part of her life. Still, she had not liked that someone who had just met had an opinion about her relationship with her family.

"I doubt I'll see him again." She ended up crossing her arms.

Diego nodded. For a brief moment, he wanted to be more eloquent with the words. Thank his sister for being there for them, apologize for being upset about the subject of the book. However, the words died in his throat as soon as they were thought. So that he only had the path he always took when he was insecure: the attack.

"You know, I can visit him if you want. A quick cut, it would not hurt ... at first. "He emphasized showing one of his sharp knives.

It was not exactly an apology and it was far from what he really wanted to convey. But his sister smiled anyway.

"I'll think about it. By the way, tonight I will play at the Icaro theater. I thought I would not go, considering what will happen tomorrow. But then, I realized that I didn´t want to be somewhere else. So if you don´t have anything better to do ... "

Vanya spoke quickly, almost stepping on words. She had never invited any of her brothers to any artistic event in which she participated. She preferred to do it that way so to avoid the disappointment of them not attending. Why would they stop doing their things just to see their little ordinary sister play the violin?

Diego, taken by surprise at the sudden invitation, did not know what to say. Fortunately. Klaus was already lowering the window of the vehicle to answer.

"We will be there! Unless you have another idea ... "He addressed Diego, who shook his head. Vanya showed a shy smile.

"Cool"

"And you? Someone you want to see? Any place where you want to be? "

It was not a thoughtful question. It was simply the first thing that came out of his mouth as soon as he settled into the driver's seat and buckled his belt. Diego could not help but recriminate having done it when he heard the answer.

"I am right where I want to be"

Although Klaus's voice was low and soft, his response sounded absurdly loud inside the small vehicle. And his smile ..

That smile again, the same one that had shown him the day he rescued him. A sincere and so naive smile that lacked all the barriers that Klaus built to get closer to others. Because yes, Klaus also built walls. Not as oppressive as Vanya's, not as tall as his, but he did too. He could be obtuse to deal with emotions, his own and those of others, but he could grasp certain ways of acting. His career as a policeman had trained him to detect when people were hiding things. His brother was skilled at that. He had designed a system so striking and eloquent with his personality that it was easy to confuse his anguish with mania.

Diego squeezed the wheel unable to formulate some kind of response. He felt deeply uncomfortable. Again and again he thought that as soon as the delirium ended, if it ended before the end, Klaus should face a devastating disappointment. That being he saw in him, a fantasy of his mind. The certainty of having someone who loved and appreciated him, turned to ashes.

When he became aware again of his surroundings, he realized that he had taken the vehicle to the police station. For a brief moment he thought about to greet Patch. But then he thought better. He was not sure he wanted to see her.

"Hey! You can bathe at the mansion! "Klaus' voice took him out of the course his thoughts were taking. Diego looked at him without understanding.

"I say, before going to the recital, we can change there. It's not like I want to go back to that place, with Five and all that. But given the circumstances. You can also stay. I guess you have nowhere else to go. "Klaus spoke very quickly and the latter was said almost in a whisper, as if the idea were absurd in itself and he tried hard to say it out loud.

Diego gave one last look at the police station before deciding.

"All right"

The mansion was calm. Everyone must have gone elsewhere. Diego let out a sigh at his good luck.

He had no desire to see Five again. He had even thought about taking Klaus to his room in the gym, but the prospect of spending his last hours having to explain why his brother called him "Dave" seemed exhausting.

"This house has many rooms and many bathrooms! I mean, I'm sure the old man had some fetish with that because who the hell wants so many baths being a hermit ... "Klaus had gone ahead to guide him through the corridors.

Instinctively, Diego entered what had been his room until he was old enough to get out of there.

"Oh! No no no! This is Diego's room! He'll be mad if you stay here! "Klaus hurried inside and grabbed his arm. "It's not that I have not been here before, I used to come to sleep here after he left but hey, he doesn´t have to find out …"

Diego raised a surprised eyebrow at the comment. Klaus sleeping in his room? Why?

"Oh, Diego is my brother. It's who I talk to the most. Besides Ben, of course. I already told you about Ben. Look, this is Diego. "Klaus took a picture of the sideboard. In it, a child could be seen with his mother. Diego waited a few seconds, perhaps hoping that the photo could clear Klaus's mind. However, nothing happened Klaus still with that naive smile, as if he was not showing Diego a picture of himself. Diego sighed taking the picture.

"He must be someone very special, to endure how strange you are ..." He decided to disturb him. Maybe so ..

"He's a pervert who thinks he's Batman, fighting crime with a mask and spandex..AUCH! What was that?!"

"An insect"

Diego had not been able to avoid hitting him in the back of the head. He was very daring to call him "pervert" while standing in front of him, confusional episode or not.

Still rubbing his head, Klaus went to the bed and sat on it, placing one of his hands on the blanket. A shadow crossed his gaze and suddenly his expression became familiar to Diego. That was the expression he used to see in Klaus every time they met. An expression that was a mixture of sadness, longing and something more.

"Yes, he's a fool." He said as he took one end of the blanket between his fingers.

"But he's also kind, strong, vulnerable ... and beautiful. I would have liked to see him for the last time "

Diego did not have time to recover from what his brother had just said, when the other one continued.

"He was my first love."

It was as if a heavy atmosphere descended on them. Klaus took his silence wrongly. He stretched his arms behind his head and flopped down on the mattress.

"Oh, the subject of incest is not a big taboo around here. You should see my two brothers, Allison and Luther, they ... "

"What are you talking about?" He was suddenly interrupted. Diego's expression was illegible but something in his tone made the other raise his head with an air of concern.

"Don´t worry. Nothing happened. We could not be together. That's the way things were. "

Klaus got up quickly alarmed at the sepulchral silence of the other.

"Hey, are you angry with me? That´s in the past. You are the most important to me now. I love you and you know that .. "

"Why you couldn´t be together?" Diego interrupted again with a harshness that he only reserved for interrogations of particularly dangerous criminals.

Klaus was momentarily speechless, gesticulating but unable to make any sound. He seemed to search frantically for words but could not find them. The anxiety creeping visibly through his body without being able to understand what he had done wrong this time.

The silence echoed between the two as if it were another presence in the room. A thick silence, full of unspoken words, of longings, promises and glances. A silence that was full of past, of thei childhood and their experiences in that horrible house. A silence that spoke screaming for both.

"I don´t know." Finally, Klaus was able to get out of his stupor "We just couldn´t."

Diego turned around unable to continue seeing Klaus. An anger that had been nestling in his chest for a long time began to awaken and he was afraid to let it go chaotically. In a reflex, he clenched his fists and his jaw. The memories, for so long buried, sought to be present again in his consciousness. And Klaus thinks he is the only one dealing with ghosts ..

"Dave," Klaus called weakly, grabbing him gently from his forearm.

Upon hearing that name, Diego was about to push him away violently. But the image of his brother crying on the floor while clutching his jaw with choked crying forced him to calm down. He did not want to hurt him. He had never wanted to hurt him.

But you did ... A voice whispered in his head. A voice that sounded so suspiciously like his father's that he shuddered. A voice that he had managed to keep silent staying as busy as possible trying to save others.

And you hurt him more than once ..

When you shouted at him on that occasion ..

When you fractured his jaw ..

When you ignored him ..

When you went..

The voice continued inclemently. It had gained strength over time and now it was presented with all its impetus.

It would not be wrong to think that you are the cause of the erratic behavior of number four ..

"SHUT UP!" He finally burst, unable to contain himself. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He hit the wall so hard he made a small hole in the material. The pain in his knuckles brought him back to reality.

"I'm sorry." Klaus's whisper was barely audible. No doubt he thought Diego was yelling at him.

The guilt was present again to see that his outburst had made Klaus embrace himself in the same way he had done with Five.

"N..no..I´m..nn..ot" He wanted to explain himself. He wanted to tell him about the guilt, about their father's voice in his head. He wanted to tell Klaus that it had nothing to do with him. That it was his mistake not being able to control his emotions when he got angry. But he couldn´t.

He could never do it because he started to stutter, the words all crowded in his throat and tried to leave all together, his speech lost meaning and then ..

Klaus hugged him so suddenly that he made every attempt to explain himself stop. His arms wrapped around him tightly. He reciprocated in surprise at his own intensity. Diego did not remember a single moment when the two had embraced. In fact, he did not remember doing it with any of his brothers. Only Grace had been there for him in his moments of weakness.

"It's okay," Klaus repeated next to his neck again and again. He had not realized that his body had begun to tremble. At that moment, Diego knew how much he had missed his brother.

"We'd better hurry or we'll miss the recital," he whispered after a few seconds when he was able to regain his composure. He felt Klaus nod slightly against his body.

"I'll go bathe, you can do the same!" He announced with renewed energy. "I can lend you clothes if you want."

Diego gave a significant look to the faux fur jacket and the small top just above the navel that the other carried.

"Or you can take something from Diego, I don´t think he cares. He never uses these clothes anymore. "He continued realizing that their style of dress differed considerably. Diego nodded.

After taking a shower he approached his old wardrobe. He twisted his mouth when he noticed that he had scarce black clothes. Of course, before leaving the academy he used to dress with colors. He opted for a simple white shirt that was markedly adjusted due to the change in the built of his body. Then, he tried several pants until finally he could find a jean that did not threaten to make him sterile.

He met Klaus in the hallway. His brother had chosen to put on what appeared to be a space kimono.

"My best attire for the apocalypse!" He exclaimed smiling proud of his choice and giving an appreciative look at the other's attire. Diego could not help but smile back.

"Good, let's go."

"Yes! Just a moment! "Klaus quickly passed in front of him to re-enter his former room. He had a scotch tape in his hand. Before Diego could ask, he used it to place it over the hole he had made in the wall.

"All right! All ready!"

The arrangement was precarious and absurd but Diego could not help feeling that warm sensation invade him again. The world was about to end and Klaus was concerned about fixing the wall of his room.

A room that he had not used again since he had left, a room in which Klaus sometimes slept and which he took care of in his absence ...

Once they arrived at the theater and located their seats, when the murmurs were silenced little by little and the lights went out, Diego thought that in the darkness there was no way to tell if it was him or Dave who was sitting in that place.

With that in mind, he hold one of Klaus' hands while the soft music of a violin began to fill the room.

To be continue..