After repeatedly seeing GIFs of Luther protecting Klaus during 2x10 on Twitter, I decided to write something about it. My stories are normally one-shots, but this is going to be a two-parter. It'll be the same event in two different views - Klaus's and Luther's. They can both be read on their own.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you.

Every single gunshot took him back.

As Klaus ran, his vision flashed between different years. He could see Luther and Allison, but the members of his prior platoon were running alongside them. His mind couldn't decide if he was in Dallas or Vietnam. It was as if half of him was in each place.

Despite the chaos unraveling in his head, Klaus managed to get behind a few crates. His lungs stopped working as he fell to his knees. All of his senses were overloaded, but he couldn't run away. He was trapped inside a flurry of past trauma and new bullets.

With a choked gasp, his hands shot up to cover his ears. It didn't stop anything.

He could still hear his friends screaming— Dave choking. Looking forward, he could see all of them, their hands reaching for him as they bled out. Texas began to fade away. Maybe he'd never left the war. Maybe everything — the cult he couldn't escape, the second apocalypse, Ben dying to save everyone from it — was all in his head. Maybe—

A hand grabbed his shoulder. Klaus almost panicked, but the touch was too gentle to be from an enemy. The stranger slowly pulled him back, wordlessly bringing him into their chest. He was able to realize that they weren't trying to hurt him; they were attempting to protect him. The strong arm that weaved its way around his shaking limbs wanted to keep him safe.

The world was burning, but someone who loved him was watching so he wouldn't have to. Klaus allowed himself to sink back and close his eyes.

When he opened them again, the only person he could see was Vanya. Was she okay? The moment his hands fell, a different type of noise flew into the air. It was shrill and painful and petrifying, enough to have him scrambling right back into the stranger's chest. As soon as he ducked back down and covered his ears again, the strong arm moved back around him.

Between the person tightly holding onto him and his sister, Klaus knew where he had to be.

After a blast ripped through the ground, everything went silent. The sudden change was almost dizzying. Without the firings, he could hear how quick his breathing was. Had it been that way the entire time? As he blinked his eyes open, his hands moved down to the arm in front of him.

Luther.

He squeezed his brother's arm once — twice — before looking up. Even after Luther (concernedly) glanced down at him, Klaus still found himself in a state of shock. Luther, who so outwardly disliked him, chose to comfort him. With their makeshift barricade, he still would've been safe if his brother hadn't grabbed him.

Next to him, a small voice whispered "It's over." Allison. Very slowly, Klaus let go of Luther's arm. His mind slowly started piecing itself back together as they stood.

He was still shaken up, but he was present. He was there and ready to help, and it wasn't because of the silence. Luther saw him breaking and got to him before he could completely fall apart.

When they got home, Klaus would have to thank him. Maybe… Maybe if he told Luther just how much his presence helped, something would change. Maybe they could start to be real brothers again— Ones that enjoyed being together and helped each other get better.

Yeah. Klaus could see it. He let a small smile grace his lips before he focused in on the two women left standing.