The Burden of Knowledge (An Umbrella Academy/Number Five Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Twelve: The Mighty Umbrella Academy

I didn't sleep at all.

I tried to, but it was weird, being in Five's house, with his family but without him.

I got up in the middle of the night in an attempt to find a bathroom, when I heard quiet screaming coming from Klaus' room. I furrowed my eyebrows, knocking on the door. He didn't answer, and his screams only continued, so I opened the door to see him in bed, tears streaming down his face as he fought through whatever nightmare was plauging his mind. I rushed over, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking him.

"Klaus? Klaus, wake up. Klaus!"

"Dave! Dave!" He shouted.

"Klaus!"  He bolted upwards, knocking me to the floor as he did so. He was breathing heavily and looking around the room frantically with wide, scared eyes until his eyes fell on me.

"Mary. What are you doing in here?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I um...I heard you." I slowly stood up. "Can I...ask you something?"

"I mean, why not? I love answering questions at..." He looked at the alarm clock," Three AM."

"Who is Dave?" His face fell again instantly. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand but...I know a thing or two about time-travel-induced nightmares, and...I have a feeling Dave is someone you met while you were...wherever you are, so...do you want to talk about it?"

"Oh, that's very sweet Mary, but you don't know me and its three o'clock in the morning and-"

"I couldn't sleep anyway." I told him. "Believe me, talking someone through their problems is just the distraction I need right about now." He sighed.

"If you don't mind." I shook my head.

"Of course not. But first, can you show me where the kitchen is?"

~~~

We sat down at the kitchen table, and I put a cup of hot chocolate down in front of Klaus before sitting down across from him.

"You act like a mom." he told me, taking a sip of it. I chuckled.

"So...where did you go?"

"Vietnam." He answered quietly.

"The war?" He nodded. "I take it that's where you met Dave."

"I came out in a tent, in the Au Shau Valley, middle of a war zone. They didn't question where I came from, just...forced me into some clothes and I was headed to war just like that. He was so nice, and funny, charming...and then..."

"He died in the war, didn't he?" I asked. He nodded again. "When you got back...the blood..."

"It was his." He confirmed.

"Klaus...I'm so sorry." I reached over, placing a hand over his on the table, and once again, without meaning too, I triggered a shared vision.

We were on a bus full of soldiers, and Klaus was sitting alone. A man came up, sitting beside him. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"You just get in country?" He asked.

"Oh, uh...Yeah."

"Yeah, stuff's crazy. I know." 

"Yeah."

"You'll adjust." He offered him a hand. "I'm Dave."

"Klaus."

 I let go of his hand, jumping away from the table and pushing my hair back.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I don't know how to control it. Gosh, why do I keep touching people!" I put my hands over my face.