𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Forty Seven ~

"So, what ground rules do you have?" Ben questioned as he and Klaus walked to the back doors of the mansion. "Alright, so first of all, no cutting of the hair. I love my look right now. Second, no touchy-touchy down there. Well, maybe I won't mind. But don't look because I'm shy," Ben rolled his eyes at the second rule, knowing full well of his brother's insecurities and feeling as if he didn't need the reminder.

Klaus pushed the paneled doors wide open before looking back at his brother, preparing to be possessed. "Oh, wait!" he exclaimed. Ben looked confused, and wondered what else he had in mind rules-wise. "I'm dairy-free. Trust me on that," Klaus added as Ben rubbed his hands together, preparing for this moment. He met his brother's green gaze, telling him, "Thank you," Klaus responded saying, "Just get this over with," He tried to look not afraid, but as Ben began to charge at him, the junkie looked away and scrunched up, like he was preparing for the pain.

He began to convulse and stretch his arms wide for a few moments. Then it stopped, and now Ben had fully taken control of Klaus's body. Ben brought his hands to his face, smiling at the feeling of being a human again, not just an apparition. He walked down the stone stairs leading into the back garden, taking in the full view.

He followed the dirt path, coming to the giant orange trees, where dozens of the round fruit hung delicately from the branches. Members of the cult bowed their heads as they walked right past him and he picked one orange from the tree, splitting it into two halves of a whole. Ben grinned before he dug into the fruit, but almost instantly, he tasted the bitterness on his tongue and spat it out immediately.

As his feet carried him, Ben slipped off the boots and walked into the large empty patch of dirt, curling and digging his toes into the soil. "I love dirt..." he moaned softly, slowly collapsing onto the ground in pure ecstasy. "Hello?" A voice sweet as honey called out, making Ben glance around and see that the person was Jill. He was shocked to see her walk right up, and at first he stuttered, trying to find the right words to say.

"H-hi Jill," He managed to get out. "Cool if I join you?" she questioned. Ben nodded, and Jill laid down in the dirt next to him, smiling and giggling as the two made dirt angels, not caring about staining their clothes.

~~~~~~~

Okay Dusk, you can do this. You just need to go back in there, sit down, and tell him how you feel. Easy as that! Oh, but what do I say? Dusk paced back and forth across the kitchen. The cup of tea that was supposed to be for Klaus was clutched tightly in her hands, now half full. She never had to confess to someone she loved before. She didn't have to do that when Sebastian admitted his feelings for her. Now, the whole thought of confessing began to sound like a bad idea.

Should I be direct or indirect? She continued to ponder the thoughts. Part of her wanted to blurt it out saying, "Klaus, I have feelings for you!" But knowing Klaus, he probably wouldn't take it seriously, and she would have to give him a long list of reasons why she loved him. And there was no way she wanted to do that.

Finally, she settled on beginning a normal conversation and slowly easing into the topic of how close they were. She sipped on the last of the herbal tea, going over the words she would say, her body becoming less tense than before. "Alright, enough stalling. Let's go do this," She muttered to herself, setting the teacup on top of its saucer and brushing past some of the followers back to Klaus's room.