After such an eventful afternoon spent drinking with her siblings and sinking herself into lulling oblivion, the four of them had eventually split up, going their own ways.
Klaus had sighed, forlorn and Thea had stroked his hair, asking what was wrong.
"I guess I'll have to face my cult," he'd muttered, sounding like he'd rather do anything but.
"I can come with you," she'd offered. It was more like she didn't want to leave their side for even a second but she wanted to be supportive, too.
"Yeah...that would be great," Klaus sighed, his body relaxing.
She'd patted his arm, "Come on then, let's go back. I'm sure you can somehow sneak inside without making too much of a fuss, right? Leave the explaining until tomorrow."
And so the two of them had left, Thea following behind her brother as he led them to a white building that looked closer to a villa than home. He had caused a bit of a stir when returning but after quick pleasantries and dragging Thea by the hand up the stairs, they had both retired to his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, dead to the world.
Now, in the present time, Thea blinked back sleep from her eyes as she slowly woke up. She could hear her name being called softly.
"Thea, love. Wake up."
She hummed at the soothing sound of Ben's voice, wishing she could feel his hands brushing through her hair. That would be the perfect morning wake-up call.
Realising that she could hear Ben and knowing that must mean Klaus was awake and nearby, she sat up with a groan, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands and muffling a yawn.
Looking at the soft comforter she was laying on, she saw that it wasn't a bed at all, but a chaise lounge, plumped up with pillows and blankets to make it more comfortable.
Hearing a groan, her eyes located Klaus and she blinked at the position he was in - bent over in a downward dog. She shook her head at his behaviour, unfortunately all-too used to it.
"Good morning," she mumbled.
Klaus groaned again, lowering himself towards the floor slowly and stretching out his muscles.
"Morning, sis. Be a dear and tell Ben to stop thinking he can tell me what to do, won't you?"
"Hm? What's going on?" she asked.
Honestly, despite proclaiming to be best friends, Klaus and Ben argued like cat and dog. If Klaus was stingy like a cat...then did that make Ben...the puppy? Oh god, that's almost too much for my barely-awake brain to handle!
Cuteness overload!
"I was telling him it would be a mistake to go out and tell his entire cult that the world is going to end," Ben explained patiently.
"Yeah...I can't see that going down well, Klausy."
"Thank you," Ben muttered while Klaus sighed.
"I should have known you'd side against me."
"Hey," she cut in. "I'm not taking any sides, but surely you realise that telling a bunch of cult-fanatics about the world ending has never gone over well in history..." she trailed off, pulling a face at the implications of her words.
Klaus paused in his movements, thinking that over. "Okay...so you might have a point," he sighed. "But what else am I supposed to do?"
"Lie?" she offered unhelpfully.
"Not tell them anything?" Ben added.
"What's better than the truth?" Klaus asked back and Thea chuckled in amusement.
"Coming from you, that's rich. How many lies do you tell in a single day?" she asked, brow rose in amusement.
He hummed, as though counting the actual average. "At least ten," he settled on.
"Is that a lie?" she asked and Klaus turned to meet her stare, winking.
"Now do you realise what I've had to put up with?" Ben muttered and Thea could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"At least you don't have to take responsibility for him," she lamented and they both snickered at Klaus' affronted expression.
"He's like a child."
"Yeah, and more often than not I feel like a distressed mother," Thea muttered, running a hand through her hair.
"Look," Klaus interrupted, sick of them ganging up on him. "This whole thing started by accident anyway...it was nice helping people in the beginning but, it's gotten out of hand."
"No, this whole thing started thanks to your narcissism," Ben shot back. "You don't have an altruistic bone in your body."
Thea opened her mouth with every intention of defending her twin but then her eyes caught on the golden-framed painting of Klaus that sat above the mantlepiece and she slowly closed it, pursing her lips.
What the-? That thing is creepy as hell!
Her brother's face was solemn while his hands were displayed in front of him, replicating the poses of many past leaders. Overall, it really did lead credence to Ben's accusation and Thea felt like throwing her hands in the air and declaring it a loss.
"They should be allowed time to go back to their families..." Klaus said in a surprisingly empathetic tone.
Thea thought on that point, thinking about her own sadness at being separated from her family. How would she feel knowing the world was going to end and she was miles away from those she loved? Crushed. Lonely. Scared.
He's right...I'd hate for them to feel the way I did.
"Most of them don't even have families to return to," Ben pointed out and that only made Thea feel even sadder. "Some of them have passed up college's and promotions – missed out on family dinners and opportunities all to remain here, for you."
"Klaus, these are real people, I think you should be careful with how you go about this," she warned, trying to keep her tone light and without any judgement.
Thea knew Klaus best, and she knew that he hadn't intended to hurt anybody in this silly scheme of his.
Like her, he was an opportunist and put himself first more often than not. This often ended with him muddled in deeper than he could extract himself, but Thea would always be there to lend him a hand.
Just like those times, she was willing to work with him now, too. After all, it wasn't easy to admit to your mistakes.
She blinked and realised that while she'd been thinking, Klaus and Ben's argument had progressively become more heated. Their voices weren't raised but Klaus' eyes were narrowed in the space beside her.
"You know, it's a teensy-weensy bit frustrating when you seem to always want exactly the opposite of what I do," he said, standing to his feet.
Ben must have stood up, as well, because Klaus seemed to be having a staring contest with the air. Thea withheld her laughter, knowing that her twin was too stubborn for his own good but after a couple of minutes, his inability to remain still seemed to win out and he sighed.
"All right, fine," he muttered petulantly. He turned to Thea and linked their arms tightly, dragging her up from her sitting position. "But if I'm going down, you're coming with me, sis."
"Wha-" she exclaimed but before she could say another word, the double doors leading out of the room were pushed open and they were revealed to her brother's many adoring followers.
There was nowhere to hide and Thea promised to herself she'd wring his neck once they were alone.
"Prophet!" they all greeted Klaus with euphoric smiles on their faces and Thea cringed as they all crowded in on them both, many of them giving her confused glances – especially at how close Klaus was clutching her to his side.
"Prophet, could this be true?" a balding man asked.
He was wearing thick-rimmed glasses and looked upon Klaus like he had single-handedly hung the moon and stars. "Have you finally found The One?"
The One? Why do I feel like those words were capitalised even in speech? What ominous prophecy-bullshit have I been roped into now? Thea thought in exasperation, beginning to feel like some protagonist from a fantasy novel.
I'm starting to understand how Harry felt during the books...damn, my Harry Potter references are on fire, recently.
Klaus coughed, regaining her attention from the eager man in front of them and he adopted a serious expression. It was one so fake that it made Thea lick her teeth in agitation.
What the hell was her twin up to now? And why did he think it was okay to rope her into his theatrical schemes?
Okay, so I may or may not have agreed to do this with him but I was thinking more of a mass-group counselling session to set the record straight, not whatever bullshit story he's going to weave now!
"Yes, I have," Klaus nodded regally, waving his hand over Thea as though she were an especially sought-after prize. "This, is Her."
All of the followers – dressed in flowy blue cotton clothing and adorned in wreaths of flowers around their necks – turned to regard her as one and Thea pursed her lips under the sudden scrutiny.
"Hello?" she squeaked, taken aback for once.
A moment of silence passed after her lacklustre greeting before the room erupted in cheers and celebration. They all did the exact same pose; the backs of their hands resting against their foreheads, exposing the identical hello and goodbye tattoos upon their palms.
Fuck, are they actually tattooed? That's some commitment...kind of creepy, too.
A line of followers was even holding tambourines and shaking them rhythmically, causing the room to erupt into an even more musical cacophony.
"The One? What the hell have you told them?" she hissed at Klaus, low enough to remain unheard but before he could explain, the same bald man from before boldly fell to his knees in front of her.
"Welcome! I cannot underestimate the elation we all feel at being granted the honour of your presence!"
Thea felt supremely uncomfortable at the fawning attention and chuckled awkwardly, looking pointedly at Klaus, begging for him to explain now.
Klaus, as always, was useless and just stood there, nodding along to the man's words as though he was making perfect sense.
Thea smiled crookedly at the bald man, hoping it came out less of the grimace she truly felt. "You're...welcome?"
"Just to think, you share a soul with the Prophet!" the man said in joy, causing the rest of the room to cheer as a result. "You will follow in his lead and enlighten the world in his name!"
Slowly understanding what the man was rambling on about, especially at the mention of their 'shared soul', Thea shot her twin a deadpan stare before answering.
"Do you really think I'd have gotten this far in life if I followed in this one's poor life choices?" her question was dry and mostly rhetorical as she pointed a thumb towards Klaus.
It was all too obvious that everybody in this room – sans herself and Ben – were too disillusioned with the image Klaus portrayed to think rationally.
It seemed like the man had completely ignored her sarcasm and had begun regaling tales of the 'Great Ones' and how their bond would prevail their following into enlightened times.
Thea barely refrained from groaning in second-hand embarrassment and so she took the moment to hiss under her breath.
"Klaus, I swear to god if you don't explain yourself in the next ten seconds I'll kill you right here, in front of your goddamn cult."
Klaus squirmed under her disapproving glare and sighed. "I may or may not have told them about my twin sister."
"That was obvious," she deadpanned. "What I want explaining is why exactly they seem to think I'm in any way responsible for your cult."
"Okay, first – stop calling it a cult."
"It is a cult," she shot back. "Even you called it that earlier!"
Klaus ran a hand through his hair. "Look, when times were especially tough I'd get drunk and ramble about you, alright? Most of the time I was talking to Ben but once someone heard me mention I had a twin and news quickly spread."
"And so now they think I'm some kind of messiah-twin alongside you..." she mumbled, wearily.
Klaus nodded, looking much too unapologetic for getting her into such a mess. Again.
Thea let out a long sigh. This family really was going to lead to her premature death.
If it's not the apocalypse that's following us like a goddamn stalker then one of these days Klaus is going to get us into a royal mess.
Peeking a quick glance at her brother's followers, who were still enraptured by the tale being weaved by the starry-eyed man, she made a snap decision and was determined to feel not a single shred of guilt.
"I change my mind – you can face this on your own."
"What-" Klaus said but was cut off when Thea unceremoniously pushed him forwards and in grabbing distance of his band of merry-followers.
Using the distraction to her best ability, Thea said a mental apology to her brother and noped the fuck out of there.
She could barely hear Ben's muffled laughter over the sound of the followers' cries of delight and felt a smile tug at her lips.
Now, almost half an hour later and after Klaus had finally managed to calm down the sycophants outside, escaping back into his bedroom, Thea lay on the chaise lounge with her head tipped over the edge and feeling the blood slowly rush to her head.
It made her vision blur a little and she felt dizzy but the sound of her roaring blood was preferable to listening to Klaus and Ben arguing, again.
Anybody would think they were an old married couple.
Thea had taken to staring instead at the way her ponytails splayed upon the carpeted floor, in two little pools of gold.
There was also a particular melody to a song stuck in her head and without the app on her phone to recognise the song she was completely lost.
Being stuck in the past sucks! Forget the larger injustices and general misogyny, I miss reading fanfiction and scrolling through twitter...
Humming the same melody again and racking her brain desperately in an attempt to remember where it came from, the boy's argument continued.
"...so this is gonna be hard to hear, but you need serious help."
Klaus knocked back whatever low-quality alcohol he'd kept stashed in the barren bookcase in response.
'Listen to my heartbeat...calling you at its own will...In this black darkness...you are shining so bright.'
Thea could only recall that one part of the song and it was driving her insane.
"Oh Klaus, don't do this!" Klaus repeated in a mocking tone and Thea barely registered it in the back of her mind, too focused on finding her mystery song. "Klaus, do do this, but not like that."
He stumbled her way, digging through the mess while half-heartedly arguing with Ben.
"Oh, please. Without me you'd be dead in a ditch somewhere," Ben said in a drawl.
Thea blinked and zoned back into their conversation. Blinking up at the sight of Klaus upside down, she sighed when she saw the tall glass in his hands filled with a nondescript golden liquid.
"I just realised who you sound like!" Klaus spoke at the emptiness in front of the mantle and Thea blearily faced that direction, smiling and hoping Ben caught it.
"Who?"
"Dad."
Klaus' words seemed to halt all of them in their places and Thea held her breath, realising that that was certainly the wrong thing to say.
"Klaus, I don't think-"
"Don't say that," Ben uncharacteristically cut her off and Thea blinked as Klaus continued egging him on, singing 'Dad' with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"I'm serious, shut up!" Ben snapped and Thea sat up quickly, alarmed at how angry he sounded.
Pausing at the sudden head-rush at her quick movement, she leant forward to grab a hold of Klaus' robe in an attempt at halting his insensitive tirade.
"Klaus, please think about what you're saying."
He ignored her too and if she wasn't so worried, Thea would be pissed at being dismissed so easily by the both of them.
Honestly, men.
"Sixteen years in the grave and you finally turn into your father."
That seemed to be the final straw for Ben because, with a sudden growl, Thea watched in confusion as Klaus' body spasmed, arms splayed out at his sides causing his glass to tumble to the floor.
Her brother was frozen in place with a surprised look on his face. His body was awash with a faint, blue glow for barely a second before he gasped and stumbled forward, breathing heavily.
"What the hell just happened?" she asked in alarm, rushing forward to support Klaus, cupping his face in order to gaze into his eyes.
Klaus only groaned, looking a little sickly. He was leaning heavily against her and so Thea shuffled them over to sit on the lounge to better support his weight.
Draped over her like a baby, Thea blinked down at her brother in bafflement.
"That was weird," Ben muttered and Thea tilted her head in confusion.
"What did you two just do?" she asked, her eyes gazing around the room in order to detect where Ben's voice had originated.
"Jesus Ben – warn me next time you decide to invade my body like that, would you?" Klaus groaned miserably, his body still shaking from where he lay on her lap.
"Invade your body!?" Thea repeated, mildly alarmed.
"I think I was...inside of him," Ben said slowly, his tone disgusted.
Before either of them could explain exactly what the fuck that even meant – the door of their room was opened and a friendly-looking girl poked her head inside, followed by a young man.
Thea met their stares with a friendly expression but blinked when they both grimaced awkwardly, pointedly looking down at her shivering and groaning brother draped across her lap.
Realising all too suddenly the rather compromising position they were in – coupled with the suggestive sounds Klaus was making – she hurriedly pushed him away from her with an awkward chuckle.
"Can we help you?" she asked, trying to take the attention away from her brother.
The girl blinked once before controlling her expression again into a polite smile, facing Thea with a mature air. I like her, she looks too smart to be caught up in this entire mess.
"I apologise for disturbing the Prophet's precious time...however, this young man arrived stating he had business with you," she said, looking towards Klaus at that last point.
Her brother was staring dazedly at the boy and a single whispered word clued Thea into the gravity of the situation. "Dave."
Oh...fuck.
Thea blinked fast, in a daze and took the moment of awkward silence to stare unabashedly at Dave.
The boy looked a little meek, stood in the doorway in his pressed khakis and a tucked-in shirt. His eyes were darting around the room as though unable to hold eye contact for longer than two seconds and his hands twitched in an effort to halt shuffling in place.
Overall, Thea thought he was cute, in a boy-next-door kind of way.
Pretty ideal for Klaus...just the kind of boy he needs, really. Someone who can straighten him out when he pushes the limits too far.
When nobody spoke up after the girl's introduction, Thea sighed and stood from her position on the lounge, adopting a friendly smile as she walked forward.
"Thank you for bringing him here so quickly..." she trailed off, waiting for the girl to say her name.
"Oh! It's Jill," she said bashfully, tucking a stray curl behind her ear and averting her eyes, cheeks a little flushed.
"Thank you, Jill. I hope you have a wonderful day. We can speak to Dave in private."
"Of course!" the girl said and after a quick glance between both Thea and Klaus, she hurried out of the room.
This left just the four of them – though only the twins could hear Ben and only Klaus could even see him – which descended into an awkward silence.
Rolling on the balls of her feet and pursing her lips, Thea looked pointedly at her brother and flicked her head towards Dave with her head, trying to get across just how much he needed to face whatever was holding him back.
"Dave, I– you're here," he finished, lamely.
Dave nodded once, short and quick. Once again, they descended into silence.
"This is so awkward," Ben muttered and Thea nodded without thinking.
"I'm cringing so hard," she whispered back.
Thea moved forward and outstretched her hand, wanting to get the awkward silence over with. Her friendly smiled seemed to disarm Dave and the tenseness in his shoulders eased up a little, his own smile becoming a little more genuine.
"Hello! I'm Thea, Klaus' sister."
She was about to ask if he could introduce himself, stating what connection he had to Klaus but quickly realised that wouldn't be for the best...
If her brother's reaction was anything to go by then something bad had happened between them both before she'd arrived and she didn't want to bring that up if it was better left buried.
She'd simply ask Klaus about it later.
For now, it would be better if they could get out of this stuffy room and listen to whatever it was Dave had come to say.
"Why don't we take this outside?" she asked and was relieved when Dave nodded his head, his eyes darting around the garish room with poorly masked distaste.
Horrid, isn't it? This is what you'll have to put up with if you want to be with my brother...awful taste coupled with poor life choices.
Klaus hurriedly put on some better clothes and soon enough the three of them – alongside Ben who continued to whisper a running commentary on the awkwardness of the situation – ventured outside, where the weather was pleasant and the air refreshingly crisp.
"How did you find me?" Klaus asked.
Thea was glad to see that he seemed more at ease after changing and having a moment to regain his thoughts. Whilst her brother still refused to meet Dave's stare, he was putting on a good front of neutrality and so she followed his lead, letting him direct the conversation wherever he wished.
Standing back a little further, she watched both Klaus and Dave talk things through, only paying half attention to their words and trying to give them some semblance of privacy. She didn't particularly want to leave them fully alone in case something turned sour and she needed to comfort her twin.
The blue-clad followers were busy in various activities around the gardens – some sweeping up the leaves in the pool, some trimming the bushes and polishing the windows.
"Oh...well then how come I know everything about you?"
Those words caught her interest and Thea took a few quick steps forward to catch up, though she remained at a respectable distance.
Dave seemed reasonably sceptical and Thea grimaced as her brother continued to list all of the other man's likes, dislikes, favourite foods...song...even book.
If you're trying to endear yourself to him then the worst thing you can do is come across like a stalker! she mentally screamed, wincing when Dave's face pinched into an uncomfortable frown.
Just charm him like you must have done the first time! Don't try and make him believe that you're from the future!
When they came to the bridge that overlooked the water fountains and maze garden, Thea jumped up to sit on the stone edge a couple of feet away from both men, pointedly looking away but keeping an open ear.
"I know that sometimes, you feel like an outsider in your own family," Klaus said with confidence. "You hope that being a soldier will prove something to them and yourself."
What are you trying to do, Klaus? Are you trying to keep him safe? Talk him out of joining the war?
She remembered the sadness and grief her brother was drowning in once he returned to their time, not so long after she'd recovered from being shot. He was desolate and had begged her to tie him to that goddamn chair in order to force his sobriety...
You truly love him, don't you? You only want what's best for him, even if it hurts you in the long run.
Thea knew that she'd do the exact same thing for Ben. If it came down to it and she was forced to decide between letting go of Ben for his own benefit and clinging onto him selfishly, she'd always choose the former.
It wasn't right to force those you loved to stay with you if they didn't want to. It wasn't love to chain someone to you.
"February 21, 1968, in the A Shau Valley. You take fire trying to hold hill 689...you never return from that Hill, Dave," Klaus said with rising desperation.
His eyes were screaming for the other man to listen but, understandably, Dave was sceptical and disturbed by the man proclaiming to know the future.
"You're just some con-artist," he accused, looking around as though to find something that could prove his point.
He briefly met Thea's eyes and while she felt sympathetic to the man's plight, she ripped her gaze away, refusing to get involved.
I'm sorry. I know this must be terribly confusing but he's only trying to save you.
Her eyes looked out at the beautiful garden below and a sad smile tugged at her lips. He's only trying to save the man he loves.
"I've already enlisted!" Dave shouted out, finally at wit's end.
Thea's eyes shot towards her brother's face to gauge his reaction and her chest ached at the pure surprise and horror etched on his features. Klaus looked like he'd just been told his worst fear and she noted that his reaction was more visceral than when Five had told them of the second apocalypse.
Dave shoved the tags into Klaus' hands and took a step closer to mutter something under his breath, but Thea was too focused on his face.
Not too dissimilar to Klaus, Dave's expression was desolate and fearful – despite the brave front he was attempting to portray – and his eyes suspiciously glassy.
Could it be that he doesn't want to leave, either? Is his head so conflicted with his heart that he can't help but feel a tugging sensation towards Klaus - one that his mind can't rationalise?
Dave stormed off and Thea quickly rushed over to her twin, bringing his face in her hands and stroking his hair back from his face.
"Klaus?" she whispered. Her brother looked lost, clutching the tags in his hands, his eyes dazed. "Klaus, please talk to me," she said softly.
"I'm...okay," he said slowly. He blinked multiple times and finally came back to reality.
"Ben?" Thea called out.
"Yes, love?" she heard immediately and sighed in relief.
"Nothing... I just wanted to test if Klaus really had come back to his senses," she explained, getting a low hum in reply.
"Is he going to be okay?" he asked and Thea pursed her lips, shrugging.
"Honestly? I have no idea..." she sighed. "I know I'd feel crushed if it was us in that situation."
"That's true," the boy agreed, his voice pitched lower, likely as he stared at Klaus the same as she was doing.
Both of them cared a lot for him – they were the two people who cared for Klaus most in the world – and seeing him like this wasn't easy for either of them.
We both love you so much and seeing you unable to find happiness is crushing for us, too. She remembered his words in the hair salon and chuckled bitterly.
"Thea?" Ben asked, his tone confused at her sudden bout of giggles.
Thea waved her hand, "I'm sorry, I just remembered what he said yesterday. Our family really doesn't have any luck when it comes to love, huh?"
Silence was her only reply until she felt the barest brush of coldness against the back of her right hand and then a few seconds later, her cheek. She blinked and turned her head to the side, where she felt the coolness radiate from.
"That's not true," Ben said, ever so softly. "I'll always feel like the luckiest person alive for falling in love with you."
Taken aback by his bold words Thea giggled in a mixture of giddiness and bashfulness.
"Ugh...can you guys not spout lovey-dovey bullshit whilst I'm having a total meltdown?" Klaus groaned, effectively snapping them back into focus and ruining the mood.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"Not sorry," Ben said at the same time.
Klaus groaned again, brushing his hair back and sighing with a dramatical flair. Thea stepped back, watching him seriously should he break down again.
However, before they could talk any further on the issue, the same bald, glasses-wearing man from before came scurrying over with a delicate envelope in his hands. He bowed to Klaus while offering the white crisp paper.
"This came for you," he said and before he left, he bowed once to Thea, too. "Great Ones, I will take my leave."
"What is it?" she asked, peering closer at the fancy wax seal holding it closed.
Klaus ripped it open without a care in the world for delicacy, tearing open the expensive paper crudely and pulling out the thick sheet of paper within.
"To my pursuers..." Thea began to read out, eyebrows raised as she realised just what the contents of this mysterious letter were.
"I, Reginald Hargreeves, request the pleasure of your company for a light supper on the 20th of November 1963, at half-past 7 o'clock."
"1624, Magnolia Street. Dallas, Texas," Klaus finished, blandly.
"Do either of you even know where that is?" she asked lamely and laughed at the silence she got in reply.
"Can't say I've had the pleasure of doing much exploring," Ben said sarcastically, referring to his own status as a ghost and Thea choked on her laughter.
"Pretty sure I failed Geography classes back then..." Klaus mumbled, scratching his head. Thea pursed her lips, realising that she was just as awful, too.
"Let's just add this to my always-expanding list of reasons I hate living in the past..." she sighed.
"I miss my phone," she lamented. "I'm not even sure I ever learnt my way around our town and just relied on google maps..." she muttered sheepishly.
Ben snorted in amusement.
The three of them were left pondering their situation, realising all too suddenly that while they may be gifted with some of the most powerful abilities in the world– they were not, however, blessed with common sense.
"Five will kill us if we're late."
"Hold up!" Thea shouted as she ran towards the closing elevator.
One hand shot out to catch the closing door while the other was clutching Klaus' hand, dragging him along as he stumbled behind her.
He was clutching a flask in his free hand and wearing a pair of fancy sunglasses to cover his eyes from those around him.
They had finally managed to navigate their way to the destination specified on the letter, though Thea was loath to admit she'd resorted to flirting with the local policeman in order to get their directions – the man suspicious of their questioning until Thea had laid a dainty hand upon his shoulder, fluttering pale lashes coyly.
The last thing they needed was the police trailing them at what was likely intended as a secret meeting place with their father.
Klaus had almost choked on his humour while Thea had metaphorically smoothed down Ben's ruffled feathers at her choice of manipulation.
"Z," Five said in surprise, eyeing the twins as they squished themselves into the elevator, trying to slip between the wall and Luther's broad figure.
Thea ended up standing behind her smallest brother and when he looked up and behind to meet her stare, she smiled sweetly.
"You disappeared," she whispered.
It wasn't very effective as while her other siblings were pretending not to listen, her voice carried in the silent elevator.
"Complications," was Five's dry response.
Thea cocked her head to the side, not understanding what he meant. She ran her hands across his shoulders, trying to ease the tension evident in his stance and smiled when she felt him relax.
Leaning down so that her face was close to his, she whispered softly into his ear.
"I'm glad you're okay. Don't run off again without warning me, okay?"
She watched him shiver but didn't move back, wanting to take even the smallest comfort at their proximity.
"I'll warn you next time, Z," he said lowly, barely moving his mouth, eyeing her from the corner of his eye.
Thea hummed fondly, pressing her cheek against his own and giving him a closed-eye smile. "Thank you," she said and squeezed his shoulders briefly before letting go.
She stepped back into her position besides Klaus and stayed silent like the rest of her siblings.
It was almost like they'd all agreed beforehand to say nothing – their combined trepidation and dread over meeting their father after so many years rendering them all mute.
Her eyes moved up to focus on the metallic numbers above the elevator doors, watching in mounting apprehension as the light flashed from five to six and six to seven.
Eight...nine...ten...
It was finally time for the Hargreeves children to reunite with their father, and none of them was prepared.
None of the Hargreeves children has luck in love...
Thea, whose love is dead.
Luther, forever too late to win over Allison.
Allison, conflicted and always out of reach.
Diego, whose first love was shot and the second a traitor.
Klaus, a mirror image of his twin even in love; a dead lover.
Five, whose first love is unspoken and secret, while the second a mannequin.
Ben, dead before he could ever love the girl of his dreams.
Vanya, who was conned out of one love and now suffers the affair of her next.