535 words of angst as Klaus sees Ben's ghost for the first time.

Prompt: "I'm breathing down your neck. Can you feel it? Can you feel me?" (From Betty Cooper, Riverdale S2E6)

Written for my 2019 Summer Prompt Challenge on Ao3.

Cooped Up

"I'm breathing down your neck." A chill spread down Klaus' neck as he awoke. "Can you feel it? Can you feel me?"

Yes! Yes, he could very much feel the spirit currently lurking behind him while he slept! He refused to acknowledge it though. If he gave one spirit attention, then others would come. Nope. This was a fake it till you make it moment.

Or was it an ignore till you didn't sort of deal?

Either way, Klaus kept his eyes firmly shut and hands fisted in his blanket. Eventually Breathy McColdBreath would leave.

"I know you can hear me!" The voice barked. "You reacted."

The voice echoed off the walls of his cranium. God, he wished he had vodka, or valium. Anything!

"Please!" The cold blew on his face now. Breathy had switched sides. Klaus scrunched his eyes even more shut. "Please…open your eyes Klaus."

Klaus's eyes flicked open. The spirits rarely knew his name. He wished, prayed, that he was having some horrendous nightmare. Or maybe a mental breakdown. It certainly wouldn't be a first for either.

"Can you see me Klaus?"

"Yeah," Klaus swallowed, "Yeah I can see you Ben."

Right in front of him was his brother. Hoodie, jeans, sad smile. All the Benny things that made him Ben. He was standing in the middle of the alleyway now. The balcony that protected Klaus from the rain gave Ben no such protection, but he still wasn't wet.

"What-what happened?" Klaus whispered. His knuckles hurt, but he didn't release the tight grip he had on the cotton fleece. He rubbed his thumb over the thick blanket.

The therapist he'd talked to in rehab had called it sensory grounding. Ben crouched in front of him. The roughness of the blanket did not help slow Klaus' breathing though.

"There was an accident." Ben said. Klaus nodded. "Mission went wrong. Nothing too shocking really." Klaus scoffed and it very swiftly descended into hysterical laughter.

When someone looked down the alley from the street they'd just see him: a 16yo junkie with tattoos and piercings and one blanket and no money, laughing himself through a panic attack.

Unluckily, the one who took that look was a cop.

"Klaus, breath," Ben's voice was the only thing Klaus heard. A quiet, shushing sound that was accompanied by a cold chill running over his arms.

When the cop's hand gripped his shoulder, Klaus flinched. His whole body tried to pull back, but the cop's grip was firm.. He looked around, head moving quickly as he took in the area. He couldn't see Ben anymore.

"Ben?!" He shouted, moving forward on hands and knees as he heaved breaths. His brother shifted into his view, eyes wide as Klaus clutched at his chest.

"Dispatch, I need an ambulance at…"

Ben's spectre blurred as Klaus's chest tightened, "Calm down Klaus!" Klaus' vision began to darken at the edges. The cop wrapped an arm around his stomach, tried to grab at his arms as Klaus began to thrash.

"Please don't leave me!" Klaus reached out for Ben, his fingers slipping through his body.

Ben nodded, "I won't. I won't leave, I promise." Klaus smiled at him and then the world went black.

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