Diego sat beside his brother as they did the rape kit. Klaus was sobbing with his whole body shaking and jerking each time the nurse touched him, his face buried into Diego's neck and Diego let him cling.
"All done, you're okay." Diego murmured when the woman left. Klaus shuffled closer to him, nearly falling off the table. Diego caught him, wrapping one arm around him. The nurse had left a set of scrubs at the end of the bed, a soft pair of pants and a gown.
"Do you want to get dressed?" Diego asked. They had already taken pictures, done that before the rape kit was administered, so he knew that there would be no reason that Klaus would have to get undressed again. Klaus shivered but didn't respond so Diego gently pulled away.
"Let's get you dressed, huh? You'll be warmer." Diego said lightly as if he was talking to a child. Klaus let Diego maneuver him, following basic instructions when Diego gave them but was otherwise silent and pliant. It frightened Diego, who was used to Klaus being loud and always moving.
"I'm going to get a nurse and ask if you're being admitted." Diego said once Klaus was dressed and sitting on the bed. Diego had barely made it two steps before he heard a crash and Klaus was clinging to him.
"Don't leave me alone with them." Klaus murmured. Diego wasn't sure what he was talking about, there wasn't anyone else in the room but he also was afraid that if he left Klaus alone, he would hurt himself.
"Alright. Come on, let's get you back into bed." Diego said lifting Klaus into his arms. Once Klaus was tucked into the blankets and Diego was sitting beside him, Diego pulled his phone out and dialed Eudora.
"Hey. Question." Eudora said when she answered
"Yeah?" He asked glancing at Klaus who seemed to have perked up at Eudora's voice
"Have you seen your brother lately? Klaus, I mean, not Luther." Eudora asked and Diego swallowed thickly
"Uh, that was why I was calling you. I need you to get some clothes for him." Diego said. There was the sound of something shattering on the other end of the line
"What happened? Did he get arrested? Fuck, is he okay?" Eudora's questions shocked Diego who spluttered before finding his voice
"He's…we're at Mercy Hospital. Me and Ryan found him tied up at a crack party. He wasn't wearing anything so I need you to get him some clothes in case they aren't going to keep him." Diego said and Eudora muttered something he couldn't make out
"Alright. Ask him if he wants long sleeves or short." Eudora said. Diego wasn't sure what he was missing but he repeated the question to Klaus who was picking at his blanket
"Long." He murmured.
"He says long." Diego said into the phone.
"Kay. Does he want anything else?" Eudora asked.
"Ask her for my book." Klaus said. Confused Diego relayed the message
"Alright. I'll be there in five minutes." Eudora said before the line went dead. Diego tucked his phone away and stroked along Klaus' arm thinking about the conversation that had just happened.
"Klaus, is Eudora helping you?" He asked hesitantly. Klaus hummed and nodded slowly
"Good. I'm glad you've got someone in your corner." Diego said and a smile flickered across Klaus' face. Klaus curled up facing Diego
"She keeps me from sleeping on the streets. I'm not sure why. I think it's because she's your friend." Klaus said with a small yawn. Diego blinked and nodded slowly.
"Go to sleep Klaus. I'll be here." Diego said shifting in his chair and stroking through Klaus' hair. It was a tangled mess and Diego had to be careful not to pull too hard. He would have to find a brush to fix it but for now he simply combed through the worst of the tangles with his fingers. He wasn't aware of time passing, only the shallow breathing of Klaus pretending to sleep and his own fingers carefully running through those black curls. A knock on the door frame jolted Klaus out of his skin and Diego rubbed down his shoulders to try and calm him. He knew it was just Eudora.
"Hey. Sorry Klaus, I didn't mean to scare you." She said, picking up a chair and gently setting it down at the end of the bed so that it made as little noise as possible. Klaus watched her with wide eyes as she passed over a messenger bag
"A fresh set of clothes, your sketchbook and some of your pencils." Eudora said and Klaus took the bag slowly. Diego felt a pang of something melancholy flash through him. He didn't know Klaus drew. None of them had been allowed to have hobbies like that when they had been kids. Vanya had been the only one and Diego had always thought it was because their father had not seen a use for her.
"Hey, I'm going to go talk to the nurses. See if you can go home." Diego said with fake cheer and before Klaus could protest, he was out the door. He leaned against the wall beside the room and took a deep breath to control the anger that welled up in him
"I don't think he likes me." He heard Klaus say.
"I think he's realizing he doesn't know you. That's all." He heard Eudora say
"I don't know him either." Klaus said and the sadness in Klaus' voice seemed to hurt more than anything. Diego had always tried to put distance between him and Klaus. Klaus the junkie. Klaus the failure. Even when they were kids everyone but Ben had distanced themselves from Klaus because Klaus was always the disappointment and they hadn't wanted it to rub off on them. Diego pushed off of the wall and went to find a nurse. He couldn't think about the past right now.