"You might not change the past,
but you may learn something from it."
⊱ .⋅ ✯ ⋅. ⊰
Thea had been sat on one of the benches back on the ground floor, in a position directly in front of the elevator doors so that she wouldn't miss anybody as they left.
She'd been using the time alone to think about her actions and while she didn't regret standing up to the man – the absolute, scathing dickhead – she did worry that she'd messed up Five's plans.
Though I'm reaaaally struggling to muster up any repentance for giving him a well-deserved smackdown. Seeing him sat there, so gobsmacked that someone was actually talking back to him...that image will live goddamn rent-free inside my head for the rest of my life.
If anyone were around to see her face, they would be worried about the sadistic grin tugging at her lips. However, Thea was alone and so nobody could witness the brief slip of maddening gratification cross her features. The purring of satisfaction.
The ding that resonated through the room followed by the elevator doors sliding open schooled her features and Thea rose to meet the rest of her siblings. She noticed the dour expression Diego wore as well as the pensive looks of Luther and Allison. Vanya looked overwhelmed in general.
Thea peeked behind their forms in an attempt to find Klaus and Five but her eyes only landed on the sight of her twin, collapsed on the elevator floor with his head thrown back and his face lax. She sighed.
Walking forward as they all tumbled out, Thea looked up at Luther. "Drunk?" she asked, nudging her head towards Klaus.
Luther nodded with a sheepish expression as he watched his sister bend down and begin to pull him from the ground.
"I can help-" he tried to say but she chuckled, waving him off with an easy-going smile.
"No worries, I've had to do this more times than I've had hot meals. Trust me, he pushes 140lbs soaking wet," she laughed and, to Luther's surprise, easily lifted her brother from the floor and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"If you're sure," Luther said, watching Thea support Klaus' weight and take them both out of the elevator. He kept his hand firmly on the door, refusing to let it close until they were both safely out.
"Can you do me a favour?" she asked, briefly turning her head to face her brother.
"Sure, anything," Luther said with a small smile.
"I'm guessing Five stayed behind with the old man?" she asked, getting a nod in return. She hummed. "Then can you let him know I'm taking Klaus back for tonight? I'll bring us both to Elliott's in the morning, but for now I think he needs to rest somewhere he's familiar with," she explained, nodding her head towards Klaus.
"I can do that," Luther said with a nod and a small smile. Thea noticed it was more strained than usual and her lips curled into a sympathetic smile of her own.
"You know, whatever he said after I'd left, I wouldn't take it to heart."
At Luther's surprised look, she carried on. "He might have raised us, but you don't owe him anything, Luth. He did a shitty job at something he was very unqualified for. Don't let him speak about something he's clueless on – namely us, alright?"
After her words, Thea felt a large hand almost enclose the entirety of her head in a soft pat. Luther briefly patted a few times, letting the warmth of his hand linger before moving it away.
"I always knew you were first for a reason, Thea," he said with a fond smile. "More mature than the rest of us put together."
Thea realised that the look on her brother's face really did do him justice; it softened his usually constipated expression and brought out his handsome features. She smiled, lips curling into a teasing smile.
"No, I was first for the simple matter that I'm better than you all," she joked.
Luther gave a surprised laugh and shook his head.
"Whatever you say, sis," he said before wandering away, heading in the direction Allison left, exiting the building.
Thea followed suit and sighed in relief at the cool, crisp air outside. The sky was almost black and it was only the lampposts that gave the area any light at all; strips of gold that illuminated the street.
Vanya had already disappeared to god-knows-where, but Thea did notice Diego stood off to the side, looking out into the street with a blank expression.
Worried about his earlier spat with their father, Thea slowly walked over, trying hard not to jostle Klaus too much and wake him from his drunken stupor. Thea wouldn't be surprised if her twin had mastered the ability to sleepwalk even whilst blacked-out.
The fact that his bloody legs are moving even as I drag him around is creepy yet impressive.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked once she finally reached Diegos still form.
Her brother scoffed but when he turned her way, Thea was glad to see his eyes clear and without any malice. "That all they're worth?"
Thea pursed her lips, debating on how to go about approaching this conversation. Her brother was a tricky person to deal with when emotions were part of the equation – sometimes he'd push everyone away, while other times it was clear he desperately wanted somebody to reach out.
If I pride myself on one thing, it's knowing my own family. Reach out to him, show him nothing has changed.
"Fine," she said in a mock-drone, acting like an aristocrat bidding on fine jewels. "I'll give you a dollar per thought, no more. Take it or leave it."
Diego chuckled at her pompous expression and the way she'd played up the bit even further and the girl grinned, happy at making the correct decision.
They were silent for a moment before Diego swallowed, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "You know...thanks. For what you did in there."
Thea didn't outwardly react to his words, knowing her brother disliked when people made a big deal out of his rare moments of vulnerability. She simply smiled, still looking up at the light from one of the lampposts.
She watched the way the golden hue glimmered within the air, contrasted so greatly against the inky backdrop as she listened to her brother voice his thoughts.
"You've certainly got more balls than the rest of us. I completely froze in there and I just-" he paused, having to take a breath to calm himself down before speaking again.
Thea let him, knowing not to interrupt at a moment like this.
"I just couldn't get past his words. It was like they became a physical thing; you know? Stopping me from shouting back – or Christ's sake, just defending myself."
Thea hummed lightly, both as an understanding and a sign for him to carry on. Klaus briefly moved his head so that it now lay upon her left shoulder, his cheek smushed up against her neck.
"Fucking Dad. Always knowing what to say to dig the dagger a little deeper," Diego spat under his breath, his brows furrowed in frustration at both the situation and himself.
Thea wet her lips from where they'd become a little dry in the cold night before speaking slowly, softly.
"He was wrong. About insignificance."
Diego visibly tensed at the word and Thea knew why; it was the part of Reginald's entire speech that had hit home. The part that Diego believed the most himself.
The blow is always harder when you allow the insults to have weight. The pain always stronger when you leave yourself defenceless.
"I stand by what I said, Diego. He's the one who doesn't understand his own insignificance. Not you."
She now looked over at him and saw the bleariness to his dark eyes, the slight tremble of his lips. She decided to carry on.
"You were never insignificant, not for a single moment of your life. Do you want to know why?" she asked.
Diego nodded, ever so slightly. He refused to look her way.
"Because I care about you. Your family – your true family – care about you. We always have and always will," she promised.
She lay her free hand upon his arm ever so softly. "Even if only one person in the entire world cares for you, then that's enough. You can't ever be insignificant when people are relying on you to stay in their lives."
Her brother swallowed thickly and took a moment for the words to sink in.
Though he didn't pat her head like Luther had before or even really look in her direction after the heartfelt words, he did whisper a soft 'thanks, sis', which was more than enough for her.
His expression was relieved from the cloud of sorrow and as he walked away quietly, Thea could see that the hunch to his shoulders had disappeared. Like a weight he'd been carrying had disappeared.
He'll be fine, he's stronger than he realises.
With her mind at ease, Thea looked sideways at Klaus' open-mouthed snores and huffed out a laugh of her own.
"What am I going to do with you..." she muttered and began the arduous journey of lugging her brother's unconscious form back towards the mansion he lived in.
She was muttering profanities under her breath before they'd even reached hallway – knowing that, while she couldn't hear him, Ben was likely watching the entire thing in amusement.
"Screw you," she muttered, glancing around the area with narrow eyes, pursing his lips into a pout.
Gladly, love. She could almost imagine his sarcastic reply and struggled to smother the smile on her face, just thinking about his childishly-smug expression.
After another twenty-five minutes of stress and frustration – hoping desperately that nobody who was still out thought her a murderer lugging around her victim – Thea was finally greeted with the white, almost glowing sight of her brother's 'home'.
Sneaking past the followers, some of who were still awake and slipping inside of the only room she knew was definitely private, Thea shoved her brother onto the chaise lounge she'd slept on previously before toeing off her shoes and collapsing beside him.
She groaned, feeling her body slowly relax into the plush material and practically sink within the cushions.
"G'night..." she mumbled, hoping that if he was watching them both, Ben heard her.
.⋅ ✯ ⋅.
An unknown amount of time later, Thea's eyelids fluttered open as she slowly woke up from her slumber. The sky outside was brighter and so she assumed she'd slept throughout the night.
She swept her hand across the empty space beside her and paused, blinking a few times realising her brother wasn't lying beside her. When she looked up, she saw Klaus sitting on the floor in a cross-legged position facing away from her.
"Klaus? What are you-"
"You're going to be sorely disappointed, Benny-boy," Klaus drawled. He was speaking to the empty space in front of him and his face looked tired, too haggard to have gotten much sleep.
It looked like this discussion had been going on for a while.
"Klaus," Thea repeated, finally getting his attention.
Her brother turned to face her with surprise and she got a better look at the dark circles under his eyes. "Have you gotten any sleep at all?"
She could have sworn he'd been unconscious when she'd dragged them both back to the room and collapsed onto the lounge, dead asleep.
If not, then why the hell did I drag your ass all the way across town!?
"He woke up about an hour after you got here," Ben explained easily and Thea's lips automatically pulled into a smile at the sound of his voice.
"Okay...so what's going on now?" she asked, deciding to join them and sit on one of the many fancy footstools scattered around the room.
Klaus sighed dramatically and pointed an accusatory finger in what she assumed was Ben's direction.
"Ben won't leave me the hell alone. He's insisting on possessing me again," he whined but Thea was too busy repeating what he'd just said to even care.
"I'm sorry, he WHAT?"
Klaus blinked innocently at her raised voice before his eyes widened in understanding and he let out a low 'ahhh'.
"You haven't told her yet," Ben added unnecessarily and Thea shot his general direction a withering glare.
"Obviously," she drawled, turning back to Klaus. "Start. Talking."
And so they did. With Ben adding in the necessary details that Klaus left out, they both managed to stitch together the events that had transpired the previous afternoon and explain Ben's rebellious possession of her brother's body.
Thea wished she hadn't left so hastily and had been there to see it herself.
Predictably, the news gave her mixed emotions.
On the one hand, she was worried about the effects this could have on Klaus and his mindset, not to mention biologically. However, the excitement thrumming beneath her skin wasn't so easy to ignore.
"Come on, Klaus. Please," Ben carried on his begging and Klaus swatted him away, though all the girl saw was his arm sailing through the air.
"Klaaaauuussss. Klaus, pleeeaaase."
"Ugh! Stop begging me like that, it's weird," Klaus whined, huffing in annoyance. "Why are you so damn insistent on this, anyway?" He was slowly becoming defeated by the other boy's incessant nagging which had been going on for hours now.
Ben didn't reply and it was only when Klaus slowly turned to look at Thea, as though following his line of sight that she understood what the boy hadn't said out loud.
For me. For us.
Thea bit her lip at the emotions that threatened to spill over. She held them back and met her brother's stare with identical blue eyes.
"Do you think...it would work again?" she asked. Her words were said slowly, as though she was afraid of voicing her desires should they prove to be wrong. Scared to hope.
Klaus sighed long and drawn out, but ultimately smiled her way in fondness. "All right, fine. I'll do it."
"Thank you!" Ben said loudly, startling them both and Thea blinked, unsure if she'd heard him right.
Was this really happening? Could she actually...interact with Ben again? Almost at once the excitement caught up with her and she felt a grin tug at her lips.
The air around her seemed to buzz and her aura was now almost shining in happiness. Klaus felt like squinting against the sudden brightness.
Instead, he gripped onto Ben's jacket – though to Thea he was clutching nothing – and stared into his eyes with a serious expression.
"Ok, but first – let's go over the ground rules."
"Anything," Ben said with a chipper tone. Thea was much the same and shuffled closer to her brother to listen.
"No inappropriate touching," he said with a narrow-eyed stare, as though he were a parent warning his children. "I know you're probably pent-up after so many years of forced celibacy but this is my body, thank you very much."
Thea pulled a disgusted face at that, "Yes and it will be your face I'm staring at, Klaus. Please don't say something so gross."
"What? I'll have you know I've been told my face is too pretty to resist," he said innocently and waved away her twisted expression. "It's only a warning, sis. You know, in case Ben goes all rogue and can't help himself-"
"Klaus. Shut up."
He quickly shut his mouth and gave her a sarcastic closed-smile before turning back to Ben.
"Second, no cutting my hair. I'm loving it this style right now and it really fits the aesthetic I'm going for." He even twirled a strand of the wavy locks around his finger.
Thea could practically hear Ben rolling his eyes as Klaus continued listing an exorbitant amount of rules, most of them things neither of them had even thought of in the first place.
"Klaus!" she finally snapped, getting his attention.
"Neither of us is going to be chugging cartons of milk anytime soon, okay? And do you really think I don't already know you're dairy-free? I'm your twin and have been buying your groceries for half a decade!"
Her brother pouted but conceded to her point. It seemed he was just nit-picking by now and he sighed, realising that he couldn't put it off any more.
Seeing this, Thea stepped a little closer and placed a hand against his arm, looking up at him with earnestness.
"Are you really okay with this? You know we wouldn't ever push you into something against your will."
Running a hand through his shaggy hair Klaus sighed, but this time it was accompanied by a fond smile.
"It's fine, sis. Really." His smile turned mischievous at his next words. "Consider this compensation for all the missed birthday presents."
She scoffed, punching his arm lightly. "You always forget to get me anything, anyway," she pointed out. "And we all share the same birthday! There's no excuse!"
Klaus shrugged, unapologetic.
"Can we get on with this?" Ben asked impatiently and Klaus shot him a rude look.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a twist," he rose to his feet and shook out his limbs to ready himself for the horrible feeling of being possessed.
Thea rose too and before they could do anything, she clutched Klaus' head between her hands and thanked him sincerely. She pressed kisses to both of his cheeks and grinned widely, showing off pearly-whites.
"I knew you were my favourite," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Wow, what an honour. If only Five wouldn't kill me I could enjoy it a little longer," he teased back.
"...just don't tell him," she winked.
Klaus chuckled and shook his head. He took a deep breath and told her to step back so that she wasn't accidentally caught in the crossfire. The entire process was still largely experimental and so neither of them wanted Thea hurt as a result.
"Right..." he muttered, looking to the empty space in front of him and grimaced. "Just make it quick."
Thea watched on from the side, eyes wide and her body on alert, ready to step in should anything go wrong. Not that she could exactly do anything, per se, but this was two of the people she cared most about trying something potentially dangerous.
Though, the euphoric sense of excitement inside of her was slowly winning out.
Just to be able to touch Ben, even in another body for even a few moments was enough. She was content with simply being able to hold his hand and tell him how much she cared for him.
Klaus seemed to shy away from whatever was approaching him before his entire body was enveloped in a bright blue glow for a split-second; his arms thrown behind his back like he'd just been hit with a powerful gust of wind.
Thea blinked, unable to take her eyes away from the bizarre scene.
"Klaus...?" she whispered, a little worried at the sight of her twin standing there, expression blank.
She got no response and he continued standing there, eyes glazed and staring up at the ceiling with a surprised expression on his face.
He wouldn't reply even when I called his name. Unless...
"Ben?" she asked, her voice cracking a little at the end of his name.
Her mind didn't want to cling onto hope but her heart took command, hammering inside her chest wildly.
Her brother finally turned his head her way and smiled. The sight made Thea's breath catch in her throat, not because of anything he said or even did, but solely for the fact that that smile – that familiar smile, so blinding and bright – was one so foreign on her twins face that she felt her own lips tugging into a grin of her own.
It was Ben's smile.
Before she could catch her breath and greet him – or even muster up the brain capacity to form coherent words – she was pulled into an almost crushing hug, her head tucked tightly into his soft yet messy waves of hair.
"It worked," he choked out and while it was undoubtedly her brother's voice speaking, Thea couldn't help but hear Ben, instead.
"I know," she whispered tightly, feeling like a child again at the lump forming in her throat. Her hands clutched his shirt tighter.
When he finally pulled back - though not before the both of them had stood there in an embrace that lasted almost ten minutes - he looked at her face with wide eyes, like he'd never seen her face before.
The awed expression that formed Klaus' features made her giggle, but that only made the other's eyes shine brighter.
Though that soon was put to a screeching halt when Thea's eyes shot open wide in horror as the other tried pulling her towards his face for a kiss. She yelped at a high-pitch and smashed her hand against his mouth, glaring right into his eyes.
"Ben!" she admonished.
"What?" he asked, his voice muffled from behind her hand and his brows furrowed.
"Nothing inappropriate!" she almost screeched. "It's still Klaus' face I'm looking at!"
His eyes widened at the reminder before crinkling in embarrassment and sheepishness. "Oops," he muttered, sounding ridiculous from behind the barrier of her hand. "I forgot..."
Thea rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Evidently," she drawled, sighing at the bullet she'd barely dodged. "It was the only sensible rule he gave us and you still forget less than a minute later."
She removed her hand from his mouth with a stern look but couldn't stay mad at him for long when he looked at her with that goofy grin she remembered so fondly.
"Seriously, I'm sorry. Please don't tell Klaus," he almost begged and she pursed her lips before nodding.
"Fine, but only because he'll bitch and ban you from doing this again purely out of pettiness."
"I know...I just couldn't help myself. It's been so long since I've felt, well, anything."
His words tugged at her heartstrings and she adamantly refused to let herself cry. She felt his hands envelop her own and their fingers entwine as one. Ben moved them both to cup her face and he smiled so sincerely that she struggled to swallow.
"You're so...warm," he whispered, staring into her face with awe.
Thea's heart was brimming with love and affection, filled with an indescribable fondness for the boy in front of her.
Despite staring into the wrong face, she could recognise Ben from the way Klaus' lips curled back to reveal white teeth – too wide a smile for her brother.
Even in the way his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled, the blue twinkling in a way that they didn't before made her think of Ben. The identical colour reflecting a love so very different than usually set in her twin's face.
Admittedly, it was a weird and somewhat dysphoric moment for Thea, who was unsure exactly what to do now faced with the love of her life yet blocked by the awkward barrier of her twin.
If only it could have been anybody else's body he possessed. I could happily love Ben even if he wore the face of another. So long as it was him inside, my love would remain no matter what form he took, even a strangers.
Thea pushed that wild thought to the back of her mind – it was merely a fantasy. A silly dream. Such a thing couldn't ever happen, right?
Right. Better to focus on reality and appreciate the gift Klaus has given us both.
To make up for it, Thea pressed a loving kiss to his cheek, hoping it would be enough for Ben. If the endearing grin she got in return was any indication, then the boy was more than happy with the attention.
You are like a puppy, aren't you?
The grin was so innocent and goofy that she couldn't hold back her laughter, giggling at the weird sight it made on Klaus' face but also at the knowledge that Ben was so happy.
He took her hand in his and pulled her out of the room. She giggled as he tugged her along, feeling like a schoolgirl skipping class with her crush – feeling giddy and bubbling with happiness.
They made it out and exited the main door to be greeted with the crisp air outside.
The day was lovely and the sun was shining down on the gardens, giving the grass a lush colouring. Thea took in a deep breath of fresh air and let it out through her lips slowly, enjoying the euphoric feeling. Savouring it for darker times, to draw upon and keep her spirits high.
"Come on, there's something I've been dying to do since Klaus got here," Ben said, suddenly eager.
They ran through neatly-trimmed bushes of blooming flowers and towards the large trees planted in neat rows.
When they got close enough, Ben jumped to grab a couple of fresh oranges and offered one to her. Not yet understanding where he was going with this, she took it anyway and watched as he split into the fruit before putting it directly into his mouth.
Predictably he grimaced at the overpowering sourness, the juices flowing down his chin and yet Ben paid it no mind. He glanced her way and blinked at the sight of the fruit still in her hands, uneaten.
Thea giggled and decided to join in with whatever silly games he wanted to play. He must miss being human if even eating fruit is so exhilarating to him...
Not letting herself even a moment to contemplate how much of a bad idea it was, Thea copied the boy's actions and put the fruit to her lips, taking a generous bite. The acidic flavour burst upon her tongue immediately and her face twisted at the sharp sensation.
"Blegh!" she spat out her tongue.
Ben laughed at her and Thea took offence, moving closer to shove the other half of her orange into his mouth, laughing loudly at the screwed-up face he pulled.
They soon discarded the fruits and took off running in another completely random direction, giggling all the while, neither of them caring just how childish they were acting.
"I never knew I'd miss the feeling of grass on my feet," Ben said as he hurried to take off Klaus' shoes and socks so that he could stand barefoot on the lush greenery.
Thea followed suit, wanting to copy everything he did and share the obvious delight the boy was taking in acting so carefree. She'd never felt so childish and purely happy in a long time. It was like the real world didn't matter for just a few moments and the only two people in the world were her and Ben.
They were like children again in their own personal bubble. Their own little wonderland.
"It tickles," she said between giggles, unable to stop herself from dancing on the grass as it ticked the bottom of her feet.
"It does!" Ben cheered like they'd just discovered something ground-breaking and he started dancing along with her too.
He took her hands into his own and they both began dancing with abandon – with no finesse and mixing up all of the moves they knew, they waltzed and cha-cha'd through the garden, twisting and turning one another as they went.
Soon enough they both fell with a yelp and fell into a pile of dirt being laid out for fresh flowers. Luckily, neither of them had crushed any of the small buds but instead, they began spreading their arms and legs as though making snow-angels in the wintertime.
"We're getting filthy!" Thea cackled as she pushed the soft soil with her arms, looking over toward Ben, who was already staring straight at her.
"I know, right? It's great!" he threw his head back and laughed. "I can finally do this without worrying about anyone telling me off!"
Thea snorted at his skewed priorities. "Ben, I love you but this is the worst idea you've ever had! I feel gross! Dirt is in places it should never be!"
"Then stop! Nobody's making you do it!" he countered with a mischievous smile.
"And let you win? No thanks!"
"Win? Since when was this a competition?" he asked with mirth.
"Since I grew up with seven other children and a jerk of a father! My entire life has been a competition!" she laughed.
Ben rolled his eyes but his lips were curled up at the sides in amusement. "Fine," he said and rolled over and onto his feet. He offered her a hand, which she gratefully took. "Let's go wash off."
While his words seemed innocent enough, it was the gleam in his eyes that clued her into his playful suggestion. Thea grinned like the cheshire cat and her eyes glanced briefly over his shoulder to the large pool barely visible.
"Race you?"
"You're on, love."
Feeling particularly bratty, Thea took off almost immediately – but not before pushing Ben back so that she had a head start.
"Cheater!" she heard his muffled yell but refused to look back.
Thea knew how fast he was normally but possessing Klaus' body would slow him down. If there was one thing Klaus had never quite grown out of since childhood, it was his long limbs. The poor boy was still as lanky as ever and Thea used that to her advantage.
"Can't cheat if there were never any rules to begin with!" she yelled back and stifled her grin at his groan of frustration.
Soon enough she had reached the edge of the pool and without a moment's hesitation or care for her outfit – which was already covered in soil anyways – she jumped in, screaming out her glee and tucking her legs to her chest to perform a perfect dive-bomb.
"Incoming!" Ben shouted soon afterwards as he followed suit and Thea guffawed when she'd breached the surface only to be met with a face full of water.
Luckily she didn't wear makeup, meaning her face remained clear from garish smudges of black.
I'd rather not look like a drowned raccoon, thank-you very much.
She spat out the water she'd almost choked on and giggled at the sight of her brother's hair; stuck to his face from the water and looking more like a drowned cat than human. She swam towards him and pushed the thick locks back so that his face was uncovered and smiled in amusement at the boy's pout.
"Not used to having such long hair," Ben mumbled.
"I'm not fairing much better," she laughed as she tried wringing out the dual plaits on her head, that had somehow miraculously stayed intact.
Wow, Allison's talent transcends brilliance. Maybe her power isn't actually rumouring and instead...ultimate hairdressing!?
She spluttered when she was suddenly hit with a wave of water and after scrubbing her eyes she looked towards Ben, scowling at the smug look on his face.
"Hey! A little warning?"
"Don't have to warn you if there weren't any rules saying so," he paraphrased her earlier statement and she pursed her lips.
"Oh, it's on."
What followed could only be described as pure war. With neither of them willing to back down and their prides on the line – or more like their childish desire to go completely crazy – they held nothing back and gave it their all.
With countless splashes and screams of triumph moments before yelling when they were defeated – it was Thea who had the last laugh when she managed to dunk Ben underneath the water and hold him down, cackling like a villain from a kids movie as the boy splashed wildly in an attempt to get free.
She wasn't hurting him – obviously, she wasn't an idiot – but to the others around them, the evil smug grin on her face looked all-too-serious for such a childish game.
"Hold him down any longer and we'll be one sibling short, sis. Not that I'll miss him, much," someone joked.
Thea blinked in surprise at the familiar voice and looked up at Diego, who was standing at the poolside with his hands on his hips, watching them both in amusement.
His lips were twitching like he was holding back laughter and Thea grinned, unashamed at their drowned-rat appearances.
"Hello, brother dearest!" she greeted.
She'd finally let go of Ben and the boy hacked out the water he'd accidentally swallowed, before looking up at their brother too. "Hey!"
"If you two kids are done trying to kill each other, I need you to follow me. Five's found a way to get us all back home."
Thea sobered up at those words and hurriedly swam to the side of the pool, gracefully pulling herself out. She frowned at the state of her clothes, a little shy at the way her sheer-top left nothing to the imagination.
Thank the heavens I'm wearing a bra underneath all of this! She almost cried in relief. Though...I suppose it will dry soon enough.
She tried gathering the bottom of her skirt into her hands and twisting it tightly to get rid of the excess water that had soaked into the fabric. It made a splashing sound against the floor and she moved onto her hair, doing the same thing to each ponytail.
"I knew Five would find a way!" she declared with a triumphant grin once she was done. "So, what's his plan? Did Luther tell him why we left so soon? What did he say?" she asked in quick succession, only pausing when Diego raised his hand to stop her.
"Slow down," he said with a wry smile. "Yes, Luther told him that you'd taken Klaus back. And I'll explain the rest on the way. Now, are you ready to leave?"
Thea turned to Ben and blinked, realising their situation. "Does Klaus have anything here he'd want to take with him? Anything important?"
Ben paused before pulling back the collar of the shirt he wore, almost peeling it off his body as it was still drenched through. He spied the dog tags that were so precious to their brother lying against his chest and shook his head.
"He already has anything that matters."
"Good," Thea nodded and turned back to Diego. "Okay, we're ready to leave whenever you are."
Diego rose a brow at them. "Since when did you both start speaking in third person? Is this some weird cult-thing?"
Cocking her head to the side at his words, it was a couple of seconds before a light-bulb went off above her head. Oh, of course! How stupid of us!
She grinned widely and took a hold of Ben's shoulders, presenting Klaus' body to him like a prize to be won. "Diego, say hello to Ben!"
Ben smiled widely, "Diego...I've missed you."
Diego looked unimpressed at their antics and shot a narrow-eyed stare at 'Ben'.
"Dude, I know you struggle sometimes with human decency, but this is low, even for you." He directed his stare at Thea at that last point, as though Klaus was only pretending to be Ben for her sake.
"No! Diego, he's not lying, I promise!" she panicked, biting her lip.
She wrung her hands, trying to think of a way of proving it without wasting time explaining the entire body-possession spiel, which he was unlikely to believe, anyway.
Even if I tell him it's Ben's thoughts I can hear or how I can look into his mind, he'll likely just tell me I'm hearing whatever I want to and not reality...why do all my brothers have to be so stubborn...
"Ask me something only Ben would know."
Genius! The classic move! Way to go, Ben!
Thea waited in anticipation for Diego to take the bait.
"Fine...when we were little, what did you reprogram Allison's Teddy Ruxpin to say?"
Ben grinned, teeth on full display. "Luther sniffs Dad's underwear~"
At once, Diego's entire demeanour shifted and his face softened considerably. While he'd known about Klaus' ability to see Ben, and even knew that Thea had somehow managed to share this gift – he hadn't ever thought that Klaus would be able to use his body as some kind of shell for their brother to possess.
Sure, there had been that one time during the final fight before the first apocalypse had forced them back in time, but that had been Klaus summoning Ben to fight – not the ghost actually taking charge of Klaus' body like some kind of marionette puppet.
"Oh my god! Ben..." Diego mumbled before bringing the boy into a crushing hug.
Thea laughed fondly at their expressions, enjoying seeing both of the people she cared for sharing such a sentimental and important moment. She'd be sure to buy Klaus something especially greasy and fatty to eat as a treat and thank you.
Diego pulled back and cupped the boy's face in his hands, looking at Klaus' features but, just like Thea, noticing the small changes that altered his face ever so slightly. It made it easier to believe that Ben was there.
"You can tell me everything on the way back to 2019, okay? Both of you," he said, grabbing hold of their arms and beginning to lead them towards the house again.
"Oh shit, wait," Ben said all of a sudden, causing Diego and Thea to pause and look at him in question. "What about destiny's children? Shouldn't Klaus tell them something – what if they're all waiting here while he never comes back?"
Thea bit her lip. Diego, on the other hand, put a stop to whatever he was thinking.
"No, no, no. You stay in charge right now, alright? We need someone sensible behind the wheel. I can't have Klaus running off and ruining our chances of getting home."
He paused then, as though suddenly remembering something himself. "Actually..." he looked down at a watch on his wrist, one Thea didn't remember seeing him wear before.
"I have to do something real quick – so I need you both to head to the alleyway behind Elliott's asap. Got it?"
Thea and Ben nodded in unison, understanding just how serious this was. They didn't know what Five's plan was yet but if Diego was being so insistent on their fast delivery then it must be time-sensitive.
"You can trust us," Thea swore.
Diego smirked. "I know, sis. See you in thirty, okay?" with that, he quickly ran off in the opposite direction, disappearing behind the grand house to do whatever it was that was so important.
I hope it's important enough to risk being late. Five will eviscerate anybody who gets in the way of his plans.
With a metaphorical clock ticking down second by second, Thea grabbed a hold of Ben's hand and dragged him back to where they'd left their shoes, hurriedly slipping them back onto her feet and groaning at the disgusting squelching noise they made as the water met patent leather.
Nonetheless, she tried ignoring the squeaking sounds they made as they started scurrying away.
"Agh!" Ben let out a sound of surprise as his body shimmered blue for a moment before reverting back to normal.
"What's wrong?" she asked, not pausing in pulling them both towards the entranceway that would lead to their escape.
"I think Klaus is trying to take back control..."
"Oh for the love of god," she groaned. This was the last thing they needed right now. "Well tell him unless he's suffering the worst pain imaginable then he'll have to wait."
"Yeah...that's not how this works," Ben muttered but snapped his mouth closed at the look she shot his way. "I mean, sure! I'll try and get the message through," he squeaked.
"Good. Focus on that and I'll get us both to Elliott's."
They'd finally reached the front yard and were almost free but her hopes of making an easy-escape were shot down when a familiar glasses-wearing man shouted out their titles in surprise.
"Great Ones! Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked, looking at their soaking wet clothes. "Is there anything this humble follower can do for you both?"
Barely refraining from face-palming at the shitty luck they had, she pointedly ignored Ben who was making weird twitching motions and muttering under his breath and faced the man with a smile.
"No, thank you. We're just in a rush for important business...you know – leader stuff. Arduous pilgrimage for further knowledge and all that... probably won't be returning for a couple of years." She hid her wince at how utterly moronic her excuse sounded out loud.
The man frowned at her rapid speech, taking notice of how flustered she seemed and the weird jerking motions Klaus' body was making behind her. She stepped sideways to hide him from sight and smiled, waving her hand in the air.
"Ignore him, he's just...having a prophetic vision," she settled on, humming knowingly like it was perfectly normal.
She turned to start running away only for the man to interrupt her – again. Thea grit her teeth, purposefully stopping herself from forcing the man to let them go. She didn't want to hurt him in her rush to get away and hoped he'd take the hint and let her leave.
"Wait! Who will bless the pools and say the morning prayers?"
"You can!"
"But...but, what shall I say? Do you not at least have any final words of wisdom to impart on me?"
"Umm..." she faltered, wracking her brain for anything particularly inspiring to say. "What was the last thing the Prophet imparted upon you?"
"Brothers, sisters, everybody sing – we're going to bring the flavour and show you how. Got a question for you, better answer now." The man recited perfectly and Thea only withheld her scream of maddening hilarity and frustration by the purest of her willpower.
Of course he was quoting the bloody backstreet boys! Klaus! I cannot believe my own twin somehow managed to start up a merry-band of cultists, feeding them his so-called nuggets of wisdom by quoting boy-band lyrics! Typical!
Taking a page out of his book and finally realising that her dignity was nothing in the face of Five's ire should she be held back any longer, Thea smiled genially towards the man and opened her mouth.
"Then I'll give you something to ruminate on - Am I original? Am I the only one? Am I sexual? Am I everything you need?"
She gave him no time to ponder her shitty rendition of a song that would be forever stuck in her head since childhood before she was darting off again, pulling Klaus' body with her and disappearing from sight.
They carried on running, with Thea no longer clutching onto Ben's arm as he continued to spasm and contort, fighting off Klaus' wish to regain control of his body again.
"I thought you said you'd tell him to quit it!" she yelled, eyeing her brother's body with concern.
"I tried! He won't listen!" Ben replied before frowning, his body enveloping in blue again as he seemed to push something back into his head. "Hey! Cut it out!"
Thea's eyes darted around the street they were on, trying to take shortcuts she didn't even know about in order to hide from any suspicious passer-by's or anybody that could get in their way.
While Klaus or Ben or whoever the bloody hell was in possession of the body right now continued stumbling beside her, she finally let out a sigh of relief when they turned a familiar corner and her eyes caught sight of her smallest and biggest brothers.
"Five! Luther!" she shouted in greeting, speeding up.
She quickly enveloped Five in a hug once she reached him, tugging on Luther's sleeve in greeting and smiling up at him. "We made it!"
"We can see that," Luther said in indulgent amusement. Though, he frowned when his sight landed on Klaus, who at this point was spasming badly, his body almost always awash in a blue glow.
"What's up with him?" Five asked, stepping back from her embrace to get a better look. Though, he slipped his hand into her own like it was only natural.
Thea noticed that he held a large, black briefcase in the other hand.
"Oh, Ben possessed his body earlier and now they're fighting because Klaus wants it back," she answered as though that explained everything.
"Get out!" Klaus shouted and Thea blinked, realising that it must now be her brother mostly in control and he was attempting to forcibly remove Ben.
She sighed, wanting to help but having no clue where to even start. Besides, right now she wanted to know exactly how Five planned on getting them home.
"What was your plan?" she asked the boy and he turned his gaze away from Klaus' bizarre actions to stare at her, that cocky little grin back on his face.
"Surprised I managed it so quickly?"
"You know I never doubted you'd find a way."
He looked a little surprised at that but it didn't linger as his smile turned a touch softer. "I made a deal," he decided on, leaving out the rather unsavoury details of said deal.
Thea squinted her eyes, moving closer to his face to look him straight in the eyes. Blue on blue.
"You'll tell me about this deal once we get home, right?" she asked, not allowing him any chance of avoiding the question.
He sighed, "Fine." Though he purposely left out the fact that he had no intentions on following through with that, as evident by the fact that he didn't promise her anything.
They both knew he couldn't break a promise to her.
Thea seemed to catch onto that too, but she let it go for now. Instead, she moved her focus onto the briefcase.
"Is that...?"
"From the Commission. It'll get us all back to 2019 – if the others stop taking their merry time and actually get here like I asked," he grit out, annoyance lacing his tone.
"I'm sure there's a reason they're running late," she tried placating him. "Diego said there was something important he needed to do before, that's why he's not here with us. And we both know Allison wouldn't waste this opportunity. She has Claire to return to."
Five pursed his lips, still scowling but not voicing his frustrations.
"What about Vanya?" she pushed.
"She was insistent on bringing along her new family," Five muttered, eyes tightening in anger. "Wouldn't listen to me when I told her they couldn't come. It could screw up the entire timeline – again."
She ran a hand through his hair in an attempt at dissuading his temper.
"That must have been hard for her. She doesn't remember us, Five. Realistically, she feels no loyalty to us but she must to that woman and her son. I know I'd do the same for you guys."
Five huffed but didn't attempt to move away from her comforting actions. "So long as she gets here and doesn't ruin it for the rest of us."
Their conversation was interrupted when a gagging sound was heard and they turned, only to see Klaus bent over and retching. Thea immediately screwed her eyes shut at the disgusting scene, even covering her ears so that she wouldn't hear anything.
Oh god please, I really don't want to throw up myself!
Just the sight or sound of someone retching would send her into gagging herself and so she fervently tried blocking it out, even making a little singing tune to muffle the sounds.
Klaus collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily as he stared up into the sky. Luther was pacing back and forth, looking tied between helping their brother and being too disgusted to move any closer.
"I can't believe you somehow made it," he muttered, staring down at their dazed brother with wide eyes.
"Thank Z for that," Five drawled, his upper lip curled in distaste at the sight.
Luther looked down at his watch in anxiety. "We only have a minute left!"
Five began pacing now, too and looked incensed; his brows furrowed and his eyes promising pain. Their hands had broken apart when Thea covered her ears and so he walked back and forth, looking ready to murder somebody.
Thea, who had finally uncovered her ears but was purposely not looking in Klaus' direction, worried from the side-lines as the clock ticked down, slowly closing the gap on their chances of returning home.
All of that euphoria she'd been feeling only moments ago, so high on both the time spent with Ben and the idea that they'd finally, finally be going back home had dissipated into a crawling sense of unease and dread.
They're not going to make it.
"It was a simple task!" Five yelled in outrage. "A. Simple. Task!"
We aren't going home. Not anytime soon.
"We were handed this opportunity on a silver platter!"
No, you made a deal in the selfless hope that it would save us all and somehow, we've still managed to fuck it all up.
"Didn't have to fight a giant sea monster; No! Fight an army of mutants? Nein!"
Once again you managed to save us all and were given nothing in return. Nothing but disappointment.
"I can't believe this..." Luther muttered, clutching his short hair in mounting worry.
Klaus moaned from the ground, begging Five to quieten down. Thea took a quick peek in his direction, worried for him but immediately turned away at the barest sight of the puke on the ground. She threw a hand over her mouth to stop from gagging and tried thinking of something else.
Like the fact that none of us are going home and we just might be stuck here, in the past, forever.
Everybody paused at the sudden surge of energy emanating from the briefcase, as it began powering up and making a whirring sound.
Five cursed a string of profanities under his breath and charged towards the case that had been placed on the floor beside Thea.
As it continued to whirl and glow an all-too-familiar blue, Five threw it into the air just in time for a vortex to open up and swallow it whole, disappearing with a whoosh; fizzling away.
Thea felt her legs give out on her and sat on the ground, staring up at the empty air with a lost, despondent expression as, seemingly, their last hope of ever getting home disappeared in front of their very eyes.
⊱ .⋅ ✯ ⋅. ⊰
It may have taken me a week to update but this chapter hit over 8k words so, hopefully that makes up for it! The scene with Five always makes me sad because he sacrificed so much and killed all those people yet it all went to hell regardless :( my poor boy :(
Not sure if anybody picked up on it but I put in a big hint to how I plan on writing the 'alternative happy ending' of this fic somewhere in this chapter. (I do plan on following the canon ending, but for those hoping for happy end, there'll be an alt. ending that you can choose if you wish~ Though, keep in mind my version season three will still follow the canon end!)
Please ask me if anyone still has any question regarding this - I know some people don't play VN's or otome games and may not understand multiple endings („• ֊ •„)