#tua sickfic

[badkitty3000]

Can you write a Five x Vivi fanfic where Vivi is sick with the flu/has a small injury & has to rest & Five just stays home and takes care of her for like a week?? Maybe some smut at the end👀👀

Thank you for the request!! Here's a funny/sweet/smutty one-shot of Five taking care of his sick wife like the sexy softy he is. I hope you enjoy! 😽

If you like reading Five as a caregiver, you may like my other, reader-insert story Love In The Time Of Cholera And Coffee ❤️

In Sickness And In Health

Warnings: Smut, Daddy kink

Five x OC One-shot, Words: 4,437

“What are you doing?”

Five looked his wife over with a frown as he sat at the kitchen table with his morning coffee. She was dressed in her normal work attire, but her hair was matted in the back and the small amount of eye makeup she had tried to apply was already sliding down her face and mixing with sweat that was starting to bead there. Her eyes were watering and her nose and cheeks were red. After coughing so hard it sounded like she was going to lose a lung, she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

“Going to work. What does it look like?” Viv answered weakly on her way to get a tissue.

“Jesus, Vivian, you look like total shit. You can’t go to work like that.”

She rolled her eyes and made a noise that resembled a dying elephant as she blew her nose. “I have to go to work, Five. But thanks for the compliment.”

Five put his mug down and leaned back in his chair, an eyebrow raised. “You look like you’re about one sneeze away from passing out cold. You do not need to be going to work like that, and I can guarantee no one there wants your gross germs, either.”

“Well, I appreciate your concern, but I at least have to go in for a little bit. I’m needed.”

With a smile, Five got up and took her hand, gently taking the car keys that were dangling from her fingers.

“Darling, you know I love having you go off every day and earn the big bucks while I enjoy my peaceful days of retirement; I find nothing sexier. But you are absolutely not going to work. You need to stay home and rest.”

“But, I have this report…”

Five shook his head slowly.

“You can’t make me stay home…” Viv started to protest with a glare until she doubled over in a violent coughing fit. When she looked back up at Five, she sighed at his ‘I told you so’ face. She really hated it when he was right. “Fine, I will stay home. Just for today, though.”

 “Good. Now go upstairs, get out of your clothes and back in bed. I’ll be up in a minute.”

Viv raised her eyebrows. “This better not be some elaborate scheme of yours to try and get laid.”

“Vivie, no offense, but the whole ‘dying of the plague’ look is not really doing it for me. Not to mention, I don’t need an elaborate scheme to get laid.”

Too tired to think of a witty response to that, Viv just huffed and turned around, heading for her bed. She may have hated being sick and having to stay home when there were a million things to do at work, but she cracked a tiny smile on her way up the stairs. Five was such a softy when it came to her and it made her love him even more knowing that he wanted to take care of her.

Once she had kicked off her heels and changed into some sweats and her favorite comfy cat t-shirt, Viv crawled under the covers of their bed, exhausted. Now that she wasn’t focused on getting to work, it became very clear that her entire body ached and she was shivering and sweating at the same time. She had a horrific headache and she couldn’t even breathe out of her nose. She felt like she could have slept for a year.

Viv was about to fall asleep when Five came in. He was carrying a tray with a glass of water, some medicine for her fever, and a mug of hot tea. After he made sure she took the pills and had a few sips of the tea, he helped her get comfortable again.

Five gave her a kiss on her damp forehead. “Get some sleep, angel. I’ll make you some soup and bring it up later.”

“Thanks, baby,” she mumbled, already drooling onto her pillow as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When she woke up later that afternoon, Viv noticed how long she had been sleeping and was shocked. Then she remembered Five said he was going to make her some soup, which actually sounded pretty good. She got out of bed and started down the stairs to the kitchen, where she heard a lot of rummaging around. When she walked in, Five was busy chopping up vegetables as a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup simmered on the stove. He turned around, surprised, when he heard her come in.

“What are you doing up? You should be in bed.”

Viv smiled weakly. “I wanted to know what you were up to. Is that my soup?”

Five turned to face her, a knife in one hand, and wearing an apron that said “I’ll Feed All You Fuckers” on the front. “Yes, it is. It’s almost ready, so go back upstairs and I’ll bring you some in a minute.”

Trying not to laugh, partly because her head felt like it might explode and laughing would probably make it worse, she sighed heavily. “I know you have an aversion to canned food, but wouldn’t it be easier just to throw some Campbell’s soup in a bowl? I promise I’m not picky.”

With a deep frown, his dark eyebrows drawing together, Five pointed the knife at her. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that. Do you know how many women would kill to have their husbands making them homemade soup?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Well, it’s probably a lot. So, get your ass out of here and back upstairs before I blink you back up there myself.”

Viv held her hands up. “Alright, I’m going. Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Child.”

“Joke’s on you, because that’s a very high compliment!” he called after her as she trudged heavily back up the stairs.

Half an hour later, after Five was satisfied with the tenderness of the carrots and celery, he delivered Viv her soup. She ate as much as she could before feeling dizzy again and needing to lie down. Her muscles hurt and her head was throbbing, but she thanked Five for taking care of her and he left again while she fell back asleep.

Sometime during the night, Vivian woke up alone in their bed. Squinting at the clock on the nightstand, she saw it was after midnight. Five definitely should have come to bed by then. She was feeling feverish again since the medication she had taken earlier had worn off. And she hated being in bed by herself.

“Five?” she called, but her voice was weak and quiet and she knew wherever he was he wouldn’t be able to hear her.

She got up again, swaying on shaking legs, and headed for the stairs. “Five?” she called out again, this time a little louder. She was halfway down the stairs when she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and black spots started to form in front of her eyes. She gripped the railing with both hands, but she felt her knees start to give out. Just as she was about to tumble down the stairs, Five appeared in a flash of blue and grabbed her around the waist.

“What the hell are you doing?” he barked as he took her full weight in his arms and held her upright.

“I was looking for you,” Viv answered sadly as she clung to his shoulders.

Five sighed. “Dammit, Vivie, you almost killed yourself. Why were you looking for me?”

“Because I don’t like sleeping alone,” she whined again, her eyes half closed. “And I think my fever’s back.”

“You need to stay in bed. I was going to sleep on the couch to give you more space, but if you want me to sleep up there I will. Come on.”

Five helped her back up the stairs and into their bedroom again, helping her into bed. Then he went and got more medicine for her fever and made sure she took it. After she was settled in, he climbed in with her. He wasn’t really excited about being that close to her in her diseased state, but he also couldn’t deny her anything. So, if she wanted him sleeping next to her, he’d oblige. Even if it meant he may contract the Ebola virus, or whatever the hell she had.

Viv snuggled up next to him, her arm thrown across his bare stomach, and quickly fell asleep again. Five laid awake for another hour, not wanting to move in case he disturbed her while listening to her snoring until he finally fell asleep.

The next day, she wasn’t much better, and Five continued to take care of her, despite her frequent attempts at trying to leave the bedroom. Every time Viv would sneak out, Five would stop her, annoyed, and blink her back into bed; even if she did threaten to throw up on him. She tried to bring her laptop to bed to work on some reports for work, but Five took it and hid it away. If she pretended she was getting a book to read, but was really checking her phone for any messages, he would find her and snatch it out of her hand with a stern look.

Five also continued making her comfort foods, like soup, and bread, and mashed potatoes. And while Viv loved all of it, and was thankful he was taking such good care of her, she had to tell him several times that taking an hour to make some buttered noodles because “they weren’t al dente” was insane. But Five just gave her a look that suggested “don’t fuck with me” and stood there with crossed arms while he made sure she ate at least a few bites.

On the third day, Vivian was feeling slightly better and was at least able to sit up in bed, watch some TV, and eat a little more. Sometime in the afternoon, Viv couldn’t sleep anymore, but she wanted Five to lie next to her. Even though he acted like he was doing her a big favor, he secretly loved that his wife wanted him near her. So, Five stretched out next to her in his black sweatpants and plain white t-shirt with his crossword puzzle, while she watched old episodes of 90s TV shows in her faded cat pajamas.

Four days in, and Viv was getting restless. She no longer had a fever, but she still was not feeling completely like her normal self again. The boredom was starting to set in.

“Five…” she whined. “I’m fine. I can go back to work, I swear. I am not dying.”

“Maybe not, but even if you’re feeling better, if you go back to work now you’ll just end up sicker again. Your body needs time to heal.”

Viv cocked her head to the side. “And since when did you become an expert in all things medically related?”

“Since I was raised by a robot mother programmed to recognize every slight decline in my health, and treat it accordingly so that I could perform at peak physical strength.”

“Oh, right, I forgot. You know, not everything has to be a competition as to whose childhood was harder. I once fractured my elbow falling off the monkey bars on the playground and my parents still made me go to gym class the next day.”

Five raised one eyebrow. “I once was two hours deep into training, accidentally fell off a ten-foot tall ledge with a miss-timed blink, and ended up breaking my collarbone, left ankle, and right wrist at the same time. I still had to participate in the next day’s mission.” He gave her a cocky smirk. “Took down two, full-grown men that day. Barely broke a sweat.”

“I find this very hard to believe.”

“Which part? My superhuman tolerance for pain, or my ability to remain a total badass while suffering several broken bones?”

Viv smiled. “I bet you were so cute in your little uniform, beating up bad guys. All feral and foaming at the mouth; like a miniature, teleporting Hulk in knee socks.”

“Make fun all you want. The girls loved it.”

Viv rolled her eyes. “Now I know you’re full of shit.”

“Regardless, you’re staying put. End of story.”

With a coy smile, she took Five’s wrist in her hand and ran a finger inside his palm, batting her eyelashes even though her eyes were still watering and had dark circles under them. “You know I love it when you boss me around.”

He cupped her chin in his other hand. “I know very well that you do, angel. And normally the little act of seduction you’re trying for right now would work, but not today. Get back to bed.”

With a pout and an annoyed sigh, Viv dropped his hand and the subject before stomping back to bed.

Later that day, Five was keeping her company in bed since she claimed she had read everything she wanted to and watched all of the dumb shows she could handle. And since he still wouldn’t let her have her work computer back, she made him hang out with her. Five sat propped up against the headboard while Viv sat between his legs, with her back against his chest and her head against his shoulder. He stroked her hair idly while they talked quietly and she rested. Periodically, he would give her little kisses on her head and she would smile with her eyes closed.

“Are you comfortable, my love? Do you need me to bring you anything?”

She shook her head and smiled up at him. “If someone had told me years ago that Five Hargreeves, the deadly assassin, would be making me homemade soup and babying me while I was sick, I would have laughed in their face.”

He looked down at her, the tug at the corner of his mouth betraying the seriousness he was going for. “Do you see what you have done to me? I’m like a former stray dog that you lured inside with treats and then neutered.”

“If by ‘lured inside with treats’, you mean I fucked the bitch out of you, then yeah I guess so.”

“I’m not a bitch,” he answered sharply.

Viv laughed. “I know you’re not…not anymore. And you are most definitely not neutered. The whole reason I kept you around was for your amazing sexual skill set, so there would be no benefit to getting rid of that function.”

“Amazing, huh?”

She patted his leg. “You may have been a jerk sometimes, but you definitely were, and still are, very good in the sack.”

Five chuckled, resumed running his fingers through her soft hair, and was quiet for a few seconds. That’s when Vivian felt a very prominent and very familiar object rising up from Five’s pants and poking her in the back. Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up, turning to look at him with her mouth agape.

“Five, oh my god! You cannot be serious right now.”

He couldn’t help laughing, even as he tried to defend himself. “I’m sorry! But you’re talking about me fucking you and your ass is pressed into my crotch. I have no control over these things.”

“Wow, that is just…”

“Impressive?”

Viv shook her head. “No, I was going to say bad timing for you. My head still feels like it’s stuffed with cotton and I haven’t showered in over 24 hours, so that is 100% your problem now.”

Five shrugged. “You know I’m very efficient. I can have this taken care of in two minutes. Three, tops.”

“I’m very glad that only applies to your solo missions and not anything where I’m involved.”

He gave her a wink and smile. “You’re welcome,” and then he was gone; disappearing into one of his portals to presumably handle the situation somewhere else.

After another whole day of Vivian being forced to stay in bed and Five insisting it was medically necessary, she was finally feeling like her old self again. Her color had returned and she had her energy back. Five even let her check her work emails. She had to laugh because even though he was irritating and obsessive, he was doing all of it because he loved her so much. And any time she was reminded of that, she loved him that much more in return.

Five was sitting in an armchair in the living room, reading a book, when Viv came in and stood behind him, bending over so that she could give him a kiss on the cheek. Five gave her a smile, but when her hands slid down the inside of his shirt and over his bare chest, he suddenly became much more interested. He let his book fall to the ground.

“Hello, darling,” he said as Viv continued to snake her hands over his pecs. “Feeling better, I see.”

She nodded and kissed the side of his neck. “Thanks to you. You took such good care of me, that I thought it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t return the favor in some way.” She switched sides and gave him another kiss on the neck, making him suck in a sharp breath. “Let me thank you properly, Daddy,” she purred next to his ear as she opened the top few buttons of his shirt.

“And how to you propose to do that, angel?” he teased, even though he could hardly contain himself.

Viv kept one hand on him, running it over his shoulders as she walked around to face him. That’s when Five almost lost his mind. She was wearing a very skimpy pair of black thong panties paired with a sheer black bra that pushed her tits up. The pair of black stilettos she wore accentuated her calves and butt, and once Five could take his eyes off her body, he noticed she had added the red lipstick that he loved. His mouth hung open for a second before he swallowed hard.

“Holy shit…” he breathed out as she sat sideways across his lap, draping an arm over his shoulder and lightly twisting her fingers into his hair in the back. “I don’t think I did that much to deserve this. You look incredible.”

Viv smiled. “This is just part of your thank you present. The rest is getting to decide what to do with it.”

She leaned in and placed a kiss on his exposed collarbone before undoing another button on his shirt. Five closed his eyes and a quiet and rather embarrassing moan crept out. His hand was already rubbing across her smooth thigh and he tilted his head back as she continued to stain his neck and chest with red lip marks.

“What do you want, Daddy?” she whispered seductively in between kisses. “I’ll do anything for you.”

“Anything?” Five managed to croak out as he squeezed her leg. “Fuck…”

His brain was scrambled with roughly eight million ideas running around in his head with that little invitation. He couldn’t think straight, not with her lips traveling over his chest while tugging his shirt out from his pants, unbuttoning it all the way so that she could run her hands down his stomach. When she let out a tiny moan and kissed his mouth, licking lightly at his bottom lip, Five couldn’t stand it anymore. If he was going to get back the use of even one of his brain cells, he needed to be the one in charge again.

With a hand circling her throat lightly, Five pulled back from her kiss. When he had her eyes locked on his, he applied just a little more pressure to her neck.

“On your knees,” he demanded in that tone of voice that drove Viv crazy.

When she immediately slid off his lap and onto the floor between his legs, she looked up at him, blinking innocently and waiting for further instructions. He lovingly fixed a piece of stray hair and tucked it behind her ear. Then he took his thumb and wiped away a smudge of lipstick from the corner of her mouth. He kept his hand on her chin, holding her in place while he talked to her.

“I want you to suck my cock. I want to feel the back of your throat and you better not let up unless I say so. Understand?”

Viv nodded and was already in the process of undoing his pants; a small smile on her face. She looked up at him under dark lashes. “Whatever you say, Daddy.”

As soon as her mouth was on him, Five couldn’t help it. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pushed his hips up, driving his dick deeper into her throat until she was gagging. But she didn’t let up, just like he told her, as she took him in all the way to the base and ran her tongue up the underside of his shaft. Five laid his head back with a loud groan and closed his eyes.

“God damn it, that’s perfect,” he moaned. “Don’t stop.”

After another couple minutes of intensely fucking his wife’s face, Five untangled his hand from her hair and let her up. When she sat back on her knees, her face smeared with the same red lipstick that was now all over his dick, breathing hard and blinking up at him, Five lost what little control he had been clinging to. His carefully mapped out plans that he had crafted inside his head immediately vanished and his caveman instincts took over.

“Up,” he growled, before grabbing her by her arm and pulling her up with him as he stood up. “You are getting fucked.”

Before she had anytime to either respond or process what she was being told, Viv was being dragged through a portal of time and space, ending up in their bedroom. Five immediately wrestled his clothes off while she tried to regain her balance again. Then he abruptly picked her up, holding her under her thighs, and threw her onto the bed. He smirked when she squealed but was on top of her in one second, his mouth already hungrily sucking and biting at her skin.

Viv arched her back as Five ran his tongue over the see-through fabric of her bra, scraping his teeth over her nipples and leaving purple bruises all over her chest. He was frantic in his marking of her body. He wanted to claim her as his and even though he knew she already was, he still wanted to see the proof. As she whined and moaned underneath him, Five continued down her abdomen.

“That’s my good girl; nice and wet for Daddy,” he praised as he shoved his hand between her legs and pushed aside her panties, entering her with two fingers.

She let out a whimper as he immediately removed his fingers again, letting them slide up through her folds and onto her clit before taking them away completely. Without another word, Five grabbed her hips and flipped her over, pushing her upper body down with a hand between her shoulder blades and pulling her ass up and towards him. He gave her a hard smack and she clenched the sheet underneath her in her fists.

“Damn, this body of yours. You were just made to be fucked,” he hissed between clenched teeth as he spanked her again, just as hard.

Not even bothering to remove her thong, Five shoved it aside and slammed his cock into her, penetrating her in one hard thrust until he was deep inside. His fingers dug into the flesh on either side of her hips and he held her tightly against him while he groaned loudly from the feeling. Viv breathed in sharply, and Five paused to make sure she was still ok with everything.

“Are you doing ok, my love?” he asked before continuing to ruin her.

She nodded, lifting her head and glancing over her shoulder with a smile. “Go for it, Daddy. Make it hurt.”

“Fuck, I love you,” Five groaned, right before he pulled back and rammed into her again.

Her body pitched forward with each punishing thrust as Five fucked her fast and hard; her screams and moans getting louder the harder he pushed. A thin sheen of sweat was forming on his chest and face, his hair hanging over his eyes and sticking to his damp forehead. He knew he probably was hurting her a little, he was going at her so intensely, but he trusted her to let him know if it got to be too much. And so far, she just seemed to want more.

The tight, velvety walls that surrounded his rock-hard cock felt like heaven, and with each drive inside of her, the closer he got to his threshold.

“Vivie,” he said in between heaving breaths. “Oh fuck, you feel so good…ah, fuuuck!”

Five let himself go, coming inside of her with one last jerk of his hips against her ass, at the same time that her own intense orgasm ripped through her body, sending shivers and spasms throughout every muscle. Her loud cries and whimpers eventually died down and she let her body relax as Five pulled out.

He gave her a kiss on her shoulder before collapsing next to her on the bed. Viv lay on her stomach and turned her head to look at him, her hair tangled and covering half her face.

“Nice work there, Daddy,” she said with a grin.

Five laughed, even as he continued to try and catch his breath. “Thanks. Not so bad yourself.” He traced a finger lightly over her hip and over the thin string of the thong she was still wearing. “I don’t know where you got these, but holy shit, are you trying to kill me, woman?”

Viv laughed and buried her face in her pillow before looking back at him. “No, I am not trying to kill you. I just thought you might like them.”

Five pulled her to him, kissing her ravaged lips and smoothing down her wild hair. “I really, really fucking like them. I just hope you don’t get sick again from all of that activity. Maybe you overdid yourself.”

She settled in against him and kissed his still-damp chest. “Well, if I do, I know I’m in good hands. You always know how to take care of me, Five, in more ways than one.”

[sonder-writes]

my new chapter of this fic is a Klaus sickfic :3

fic summary: Klaus’ mortality means his body is changing in ways he can’t handle. He moves in with Allison, Ray, and Claire, while their family unit falls apart. Klaus’ bond with Claire and need to protect her is the motivation he needs to stay sober.

[the-ghost-of-jason-todd]

OKAY I'M ACTUALLY GONNA MAKE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF MY BATFAM WIPs.

EVERYBODY STAND-BY.

Red String of Fate: Draft (Silk Weaver)

Earthly Marks

JayRoy Camping (The Heart Echoes)

Morning After

Combine?

Jay and Rose

Meet Cute lol

Meet the family

Nightmare

Woodworker

First First Aid

Dami Clones

Gotham Academy

Hunger (Bottomless)

Amnesia Fic

Light on

Code Red Year

Grief

Alt Batman

Animal Death

Psychopomp AU: Draft (Can You Save My Heavy Dirty Soul)

Writer's Cellblock

Pottery AU (Long Nights, Got a Fire in My Soul)

Blue Perch

Bear Trapped: II

Jay and Midnighter

Meta Jay

Sanctuary Savior

RHATO Fix-It

Robin Shuffle

Daemon AU: Draft 2.2

Parts Unspecified

De-Aged Jason

Baby Alfie

Baby Jason

Movie Night

Alfred V Joker

Time Shenanigans AU

Tyranny Dream

Ex-vigilantes?/Succulent AU (The Oasis)

Timbat

Draft iv (to the roots of something greener)

Draft v (catch me if you can)

Draft vi (earn our bread til the wolves are fed)

Draft vii ()

Draft viii (choking like a dog on a collar)

Draft ix ()

Draft x bits (it takes you home like a smile//leads you into the conversation)

5+1 Draft (A Pain You Know All Too Well)

Sailor Jay

Batfam Good Place AU

TOG AU

Soccer AU

Batfam Motorcycle gang

Unwind AU

City of Angels good ending AU

Toy Story AU

Vampires

Titans Soccer AU

Titans Firefighters

GBBO AU

Joyfire Ghostbusters AU

Batstuff

Insurance

Flat Gotham

Libraries

Genderswap

Grafitti

Disney World Sickfic

Fanclub

Tim is Jason's Robin

Came Back Wrong, dealer's choice--SOULLESS JAY ()

Shock Collar, Jason ()

No anesthetic, Jason ()

Lost voice from screaming, titans dick ()

Reluctant Caretaker, Dissociation, ()

Misunderstanding? ()

Hm

Catatonic Jay Sickfic (Riptide)

Flying

TUA x Batfam

TUA x Batfam TWO

Dead Hood

MB vs Batfam

Bat v TOG

Rednighter Kink

[Redacted]

[Redacted]

Bodyswap Prompt

Identities

Dreamsharing

Bat Shenanigans

Crochet Capes

Wayne/Bat Family Trivia

Teaching

Stage Direct

Living Gotham

Condiment Croc Time

Good Night Gotham

DID Jason

[Redacted]

[fairfowl]

Dress For the Weather (ch 1)

Diego has a long history of taking care of Klaus, at this point it might as well be an instinct. Klaus and Diego take a walk, and take care of each other in their own way

Klaus had never been one to dress for the weather. 

Diego distinctly remembered picking his brother up from a bus station in January, only to find him standing in the snow, smoking and wearing a tank top and hotpants.

They had been twenty two years old, and Diego remembered wondering aloud how Klaus hadn’t died of hypothermia yet—Klaus had simply shivered in the passenger’s seat of Diego’s car, and asked if Diego wanted a puff of his cigarette. 

So when Klaus and Allison burst into the Academy soaking wet and carrying groceries on April 4th 2019 Diego wasn’t at all surprised to see that Klaus had elected to wear a sleeveless shirt, or that he was shivering.

At least this time he was wearing shoes. 

When they’d all left the academy (run away) Diego had been the one who’d kept tabs on Klaus, who’d had some vague idea of where he was during those first two years of spiraling drug addiction and homelessness. He’d encouraged his brother to sleep at his apartment—which at that time had been a moldy hole-in-the-wall with a half-bathroom and no stove—and given Klaus food every time that they ran into one another.

Diego had been struggling too, but for all that Luther went on about family and responsibility, Diego had been the one who really felt that being a family meant responsibility. 

He was the one who felt that family meant loving each other, and that the duty love entailed was trying to help one another. 

Out of the seven (six) (five) of them he’d been the only one to think so. 

Eventually he’d become worn out. Klaus was more stubborn than of them had ever given him credit for, and even more self-destructive than they could have imagined. After being called time after time to pick his brother up from emergency rooms, or worse, police stations, with no improvement and ever worsening-shadows beneath Klaus’s eyes Diego finally had enough.

He’d tried to be calm yet firm as he’d told Klaus to take him off of his emergency contact list, but when Klaus had started crying Diego had started yelling.

And Klaus had still called him, still listed Diego as his only family, his only living connection to the world. 

Eventually Diego had gotten rid of his cell phone entirely. He’d claimed that he didn’t need it and that the monthly bill was a waste of resources.

He saw Klaus less and less after that. 

Still in those early years he’d been the one to learn his brother’s bad habits, the one to wrap him in blankets and wipe blood from his face. He’d been the one to offer a shower and a bag of frozen (and refrozen) (and refrozen again) peas to put on his bruises. In the cold light of morning Diego had been the one to glance down alleys as he walked to work, the one to keep gatorade and dinosaur egg instant oatmeal in his cupboards to ply Klaus with after he’d picked him up from the hospital. 

Those days were long gone, and the habits mostly broken (his and Klaus’s) but some things had been repeated to the point of instinct. As Allison walked away to put away the groceries Diego had listened to Klaus’s teeth chatter and unthinkingly pulled his brother by the hand up the stairs. 

“Why are you soaking wet dude? What the hell?”

“Allie was holding the groceries, so I held the umbrella.” Usually when Klaus was high Diego was able to tell, not through some fantastic brotherly instinct, but via a series of cues. He might not have been able to tell when a random person was sober or not, but Klaus had his own specific tells and Diego had eventually learned to look for them. Blown pupils, oddly calm demeanor, steady hands, and a light slurring voice—he’d always favored downers, saving his use of stimulants for parties and other special occasions. Even when he’d been on a relatively low dose of whatever poison he’d put into his body, Klaus’ voice had always gained a sort of floaty ungrounded quality. 

So at that moment, even though his words were flippant and overly cheerful Diego comforted himself with the reassurance that Klaus was still sober. He was just weird like that.

“And you didn’t hold the umbrella over your head too?” 

“There wasn’t room, I didn’t want the groceries to get wet.” As though that was a reasonable explanation for his actions. Really Diego shouldn’t have expected anything else.

It was just like Klaus.

If he'd been left to his own devices Diego wondered if his brother would have even thought of drying off or getting into clean clothes. Klaus was good at surviving, but sometimes neglected his own comfort as if the thought didn't even occur to him. Usually he would eventually seek our food or warmth, but only after sitting around and muttering to himself for a while. 

Now that Ben was well and truly gone Diego wondered how often Klaus would simply forget to care for himself, he imagined that Ben had been instrumental in Klaus's survival over the twelve years that they'd been on their own. The thought was sobering.

He gripped Klaus's hand tighter as they reached the top of the stairs and led him through the hall, Klaus dripping all the way. As they passed the linen closet Diego grabbed a bath towel and threw it at his shivering brother before shoving him into his bedroom.

"Get yourself dried off before you freeze to death." He slammed the door.

"Diego you're so mean!"

-*-*-*-

At 2:00 am April 5th 2019 Diego heard a knock on his bedroom door.

Diego had always been a night owl, too busy training, practicing his speech, worrying, or prowling the streets looking for crime to fight to bother going to sleep at a reasonable hour. He had never needed much sleep and it was a quirk that had served him well over the years.

When Reginald had been alive he had either sat up in the dark, utilizing whatever light spilled in through the drawn curtains of his window, or crouched under his blankets with a flashlight. Once Diego had moved out he had graduated to leaving the light on and turning it off whenever he felt ready to sleep, and he had relished that freedom. 

Now Reginald was dead, and at 2:00 am in his bedroom at the Umbrella Academy Diego had his lights on.

And there was a knock on his bedroom door.

“Hey Diego, are you awake?” Diego rolled over, shoving his messy cross-stitch under the pillow.

“Yeah?” After a few moments of waiting in silence for the door to open and his brother to barge in Diego sait up, legs swinging over the side of the bed. He walked to the door and peeked through. “What do you want Klaus?”

“I can’t sleep.” And wasn’t that a blast from the past? Diego could remember Klaus whispering that exact phrase through his cracked door before they even had names. When they’d been tiny and afraid, before Klaus had hardened himself, when Diego stuttered out every painful word that crossed his young angry mind.

W-what do you ex-ex-expect me to do about it?

“Yeah? You okay?” Diego watched his brother deflate, the bravado and pizazz of the day giving way to defeated exhaustion in the privacy of night. Diego remembered his brother towering over him and still seeming so so small as he stumbled into Diego's room after a training session with Reginald.

No matter how late he got back Diego was always awake.

And eventually Diego had gotten his growth spurt. 

Klaus was still taller than him, and at times like this he still seemed so small. 

“I’m okay,” Klaus lied, his hand going up to fiddle with the dog tags that still laid around his neck goodbye. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

And that is different. 

Where they were children, here, at the Academy, they would have had to carefully sneak out if they were to leave the building unsupervised. It was the sort of thing that would have taken a week of planning at minimum, and such an opportunity certainly could never be squandered for something as purposeless as a walk. Diego nodded his head and turned to tug his leather jacket on over his sweats. He noticed that Klaus was still wearing day-clothes, although he had at least shed the soaked orange and red ensemble from before. 

This outfit didn’t look very warm, but it had sleeves, and at least the rain had stopped.

-+-+-+-+

Outside the streetlights and neon signs of the city reflected off of the damp pavement. Klaus was surefooted as he led them down the street, dodging puddles and garbage with absentminded grace. Diego followed silently like a shadow.

He wondered if he was filling in for Ben, trailing after Klaus as he wandered the city streets at night. It seemed more likely that he was there as a chaperone, providing unspoken help as his brother continued his efforts to stay sober. 

Maybe it was a bit of both.

Diego sped up until he was walking beside Klaus.

"Where are we going?" He asked, attempting to meet his brother's eyes. For a moment Klaus said nothing, his expression thoughtful.

"Do you think Griddy's still burned down in this timeline?" Klaus’s face was lined with exhaustion, and his long hair obviously needed a wash, but his smile was the same as ever; wry, wide, warm. Griddy’s was a fond memory in a sea of regret and trauma, and Diego was struck by a sudden longing for strong coffee and homemade donuts. 

“I don’t know.” He said, trying to match Klaus’s easy smile. To him it felt forced but Klaus didn’t comment. Around them the wind picked up again and Diego shivered. “Let’s go see.” 

They picked up the pace, walking side by side and hopping over puddles like they were still thirteen. Diego rationalized to himself that he at least looked more dignified now.

Klaus did not.

Cars rushed past them and dark alleyways drew both of their eyes for different reasons, after a few blocks Diego began to think that maybe his brother was watching out for him as much as he was chaperoning and guarding Klaus.

The cool damp air felt good in his lungs, sharp and alive in a way that the heavy dusty air of the Academy didn’t. 

How long would he have stayed up alone and stuck in his own head if Klaus hadn’t knocked on his door? Diego felt alive and present, maybe not happy, but not lost in the way he’d felt for the last few days. He knew that everyone was having a hard time—it was obvious in the tone of Vanya’s newly emotive voice, the worrying of Allison’t hands, Five’s haunted eyes and the hunch of Luther’s solemn shoulders— but he felt the weight of the last six months profoundly. Every time he closed his eyes the familiar walls of his childhood room turned white and padded. 

He saw Lila in every shadow. 

She was out there somewhere and Diego knew that one day he would see her again, she wasn’t the sort of person to just leave things alone.

And in the moment Diego was 30 years old, he had the power to deflect bullets, he’d taken part in a rebellion against his ex-girlfriend’s crazy adoptive mother, he had a family who was still with him despite the hell they’d all been through, he was walking outside the Academy at night without Reginald Hargreeves’s metaphorical ghost hovering over him, he had Klaus by his side, and Diego felt strong.

As it turned down Griddy’s was still standing, but it was closed. 

Diego and Klaus stood in front of the darkened building, just in front of the locked doors. Through the shadowed glass Diego could see every piece of tacky restaurant furniture still intact, but no one was there. -

Fair enough. 

At that point it was just past 3:00 and any sane business person would have closed long ago. Even in the city that never slept the hours between 3:00 and 6:00 were usually fairly quiet, the roar of traffic dulled to a trickle as the last of the bars closed and all that were left were a few greasy all-night restaurants.

“Do you want to get pizza?” Diego suggested, shivering as another damp breeze cut through the fabric of his sweatpants. Klaus didn’t seem cold at all, standing there in the dark in thin fabric without even a jacket. 

“I’m lactose intolerant.” Klaus said.

“Oh right.” They continued to stand in silence, eyes meeting in their reflections against the dark glass of Griddy’s door.

“I know a bagel place that opens in an hour.” Klaus suggested, rocking back on his heels.

The shadows around his eyes looked more dramatic in the darkness of the street. For a moment Diego felt a fleeting fear that if he took his eyes away from his brother Klaus would melt back into some alleyway or around a shadowed corner and Diego would lose him again. 

“Let’s just go home.” Back into the light and the warmth of the academy walls. Mom was most likely resting but their kitchen had been fully stocked that afternoon and between Diego and Klaus they would probably be able to put together a couple of bowls of cereal and maybe some tea.

Diego wondered if Klaus had bought dinosaur egg oatmeal.

He didn’t even know if his brother still liked it. 

Klaus nodded, following after him as he led them back down the street. Under their feet the wet concrete made a gritty sound and Diego could imagine how the puddles were beginning to turn gray and brown as the dirt that coated the sidewalks was pulled up into the water. The dark hid the transition well but it was still happening unseen beneath the soles of their shoes. 

“Can we stop at the convenience store and buy snacks?” Klaus interrupted the murmur of the dozing city with a murmur of his own, and Diego slowed his pace.

“Sure.” 

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

By the time that they made it back to academy the streets were blanketed in a thick cold fog, and their hands were clutched around bags full of candies and snacks. Diego once again felt like he was twelve again. Immediately Klaus draped himself over a chair at the kitchen table and poured his bag of junk food out onto the table like a kid who’d just returned from trick-or-treating. 

Diego sat too, but left his bag upright. He pulled out and opened a bag of jerky. 

Across from him Klaus continued to arrange his spoils but opened nothing, apparently content just to see to see and touch his hoard. He slowly turned each item over in his hands as he laid it on the table, scanning the designs on the packaging. 

With the lights on in the kitchen Diego was able to get a good look at this brother for the first time since that afternoon. 

Klaus didn’t really look great. 

The shadows beneath his eyes were still present, deep and purple-ish, and the eyes themselves were glassy. Diego wondered if he’d been crying. It had been hard to tell after Reginald had soundproofed Klaus’s room. 

As Klaus continued to examine his snacks, muttering inaudibly—presumably to himself—Diego watched his brother, noting the bright spots on his otherwise pale cheeks as well as the sheen of sweat that glistened on his forehead. 

It could just be a result of the cold dark weather.

Klaus could potentially be experiencing a withdrawal.

Or he could be running a fever after spending his day running out in the rain.

“Dude, you know you look awful?” Diego said gracelessly, interrupting his brother’s murmured monologue.

“Oh gee thanks Diego.” Klaus replied, rolling his eyes. “You always flatter me so-”

Diego frowned, leaning forward across the table and resting a hand against Klaus’s face. To his credit Klaus barely flinched and recovered well, pausing to look at Diego with a curious expression. 

“I think you’re running a fever.” Diego said, pulling away. It was still possible that Klaus was withdrawing but Diego had seen that happen enough times to know that Klaus would usually be shaking and vomiting by now if that was the case. If he were withdrawing Diego knew that he would also be experiencing the wonders of tachycardia and perhaps dangerously high blood pressure.

“Oh…” Klaus murmured, running his hands over his upper arms slowly. Diego wondered if it was a self-soothing method. “That makes sense.” 

Diego looked at his brother thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t cold.” He replied. Klaus shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to explain beyond that. 

Diego nodded, understanding. They’d spent a solid hour walking the streets in damp frigid weather, and while Diego had been visibly bothered by the temperature Klaus hadn’t complained once. He hadn’t even been shivering. The few times that Diego had seen Klaus run a fever he hadn’t started shaking until things got bad. Now whatever illness he’d managed to contract was still digging its claws into him and Klaus actually felt the heat.

He looked so tired. 

After a beat of silence Diego stood, straightening before pushing Klaus’s collection of junk food back into the plastic bag from which it came. It was easy enough to ignore Klaus whining as he circled the kitchen table to stand in front of his brother. 

“Klaus you should go lay down.” 

The two brothers stared at each other, allowing a beat of silence between them. After a moment Klaus flicked his eyes into the corner of the room, and Diego wondered who he was seeing there. As children he’d sometimes mentioned women in the kitchen, women with aprons and crushed skulls. 

Broken necks.

“I don’t want to.” Klaus said finally, picking at his cuticles as he spoke, eyes resting anywhere but on Diego. He had the same look as he’d had at Diego’s door two hours ago, the one that still made him seem so so small.

It was a sharp contrast to his usual larger-than-life personality. 

Without Ben it was probably just Klaus and his ghosts both literal and figurative. Or maybe it was just Klaus. 

Diego wondered which alternative Klaus considered to be worse.

“Come hang out in my room then.” Diego suggested “You can chill on the bed, I was working on something up there anyway.” 

Klaus looked unconvinced. 

“C-come on. I’m not sleeping either way.”

[readingwritingcrying]

I would love to read a fic where Klaus is super unwell but his siblings kind of shrug it off until he collapses and gets really disoriented/delirious - that is when everyone kind of gets super concerned and stuff. Thank u!!

This got super fluffy toward the end and it was so cute to write! Thank you so much for requesting this anon, I hope you like it! Please enjoy!

“Luther… can’t we slow down a teensy bit? Not all of us havehuge furry muscles,” whined Klaus. He felt awful – his head was stuffed and throbbing,his body was wracked with feverish chills, and all of his muscles ached. Buttoday was the day for a Very Important Bonding Exercise!

Klaus had wanted to stay home and sleep, but the look on Vanya’sface… He went with them anyway, despite feeling like complete horseshit. Itwas almost funny how they planned things. They were going on a little hike as afamily, trying to spend more time together and all that jazz. But even without theirfather looking over their shoulder, they still planned out things like it wassome sort of mission. Hell, they had meetings to plan these things! Diego hadeven scouted out the location for their hike beforehand.

It was endearing, but Klaus just wished it was any other daythey had planned this hike.

“And no one else does, Klaus! We’re just walking, we canrest when we get up to the top,” instructed Luther, his voice bordering ondefensive, probably about the furry part of Klaus’ comment. Klaus groaned andfell behind a bit to walk next to five.  Being in nature sure seemed to make him just atad less sassy – it must have been very different than the apocalypse. At themoment, the fresh air did little for him other than aggravate his sneeze.

“Ugh, I feel awful,” said Klaus. They were going up a slopeand his head was pounding with each step. His lungs were so tight, he didn’tthink he was getting much air in at all.

“Do you ever stop trying to get sympathy?” Okay, so Five’ssassiness? Not diluted as much as he thought.

He felt a little stung by his siblings’ lack of attention tohis clear suffering, but Klaus tried to brush it off. “Why can’t anyone showany love for their poor sick brother?” Klaus threw himself into dramatics,voice wavering as if he were about to cry. He saw Diego shaking his head. Helooked to Vanya who gave him a half-hearted smile and shrug.

“Klaus, just stop and tell them how you’re feeling,”insisted Ben, ever the voice of reason.

“Oh, because that’s gone so well? Klaus looked to his deadbrother. Lucky bastard. At least if you were a ghost you didn’t have to feelthis shitty.

“If you’re a ghost you have to be stuck with your brother whoconsistently makes poor life decisions.” Klaus glared at Ben.

“Hey!” It always freaked him out how well he could readKlaus’ expressions, it gave him the sneaky impression that he was some freaky telepath.Well, that would be less freaky than eldritch tentacle monster in your chest,but still. He noticed Allison giving him a weird look. He stuck his tongue outat her.

Klaus let himself fall into a steady silence after that, managingto mostly follow the conversation of his siblings. They were chatting, laughing– acting more like a family then he thinks they ever really had before.

He just couldn’t keep up with the details enough tocontribute to anything. Vaguely, he noticed that Ben’s comments to him startedgetting less reprimanding and more concerned, fading into worried looks.

God, he felt horrible. His head was spinning. If he thoughtit was difficult to breath earlier, well that was easy-peasy compared to now! Heknew that it was warm out, but his skin felt freezing, and all his shiveringjust made his muscles ache even more. When they came to a few steps of stairs,Klaus’ vision got spotty.

“H-hey guys? Can we stop for a second? I’m not feeling toogreat…” said Klaus, his voice quiet, in stark contrast of his usual dramaticlilt.

Luther glanced back at him, and then to the trail in front ofthem. “We only have a minute or two to the top, we should just go. Drink somewater or something, maybe stop smoking,” said Luther. Ouch.

His sibling knew he was sober from everything at the moment,but he couldn’t bring the energy to argue with Luther’s callous statement. Ben lookedready to throw down.

…why? Klaus stared at Ben’s angry face. He thinks that hislips were moving, but he couldn’t see what he was saying. He couldn’t rememberif that was important or not. His vision was narrowing, so he stopped, leaningagainst a tree.

His siblings kept walking. Were they going to leave himalone? Klaus felt a flicker of panic in his chest. He wanted to go home, wantedto be in bed, but he didn’t want to be alone. He tried to step forward to goafter them, but his knees buckled, and he found himself on the dirt trail.

His head swam, the dizziness not subsiding even though hewas no longer standing. It took all of his focus just to keep from throwing upas his stomach flipped uncomfortably.  

The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by concerned voices.“Klaus? Klaus, can you hear me?”

“Klaus, are you alright?”

“Dammit, Klaus!”

He whimpered. There were too many voices, they were loud andsounded angry. He tried to scoot back, but he was backed up against a tree.Trapped.

His mind flickered to somewhere else, dark, damp, cold. Hewas huddled in the corner, cold stone the only thing that ground him at thatmoment, but it was the same thing that trapped him there. The voices were callinghis name over and over, louder each time. A hand reached out to him, and heturned away.

He wanted to close his eyes but he was terrified just asmuch of not seeing the ghosts as he was of seeing them. Klaus was frozen.

A hand touched his shoulder, gentle. No, that wasn’t right,was it? The dead couldn’t touch him. And they certainly wouldn’t be so gentle aboutit even if they could.

“Klaus? Hey, it’s me, it’s going to be alright,” said the voice.Was he having some sort of nightmare?

“D-dave?” Klaus called out blindly. He wasn’t sure what wasgoing on, he could barely tell what was going on around him. Just that he feltawful like he was dying or something. “Dave, please!”

“Shit, he’s completely out of it – that fever can’t be safeat all.”

“I had no idea it was that bad…”

“We need to get him out of here, to a hospital asap!”

“I agree, we can’t risk it.”

Klaus focused in on one word, causing him to shake even more.He was trembling like a leaf. “No! No hospital, please, no hospital,” beggedKlaus. There were so many dead there, all sick or gruesome and angry. The wallswere filled with memories of overdoses and forced stays; no matter how awful hefelt, he didn’t want to be there, not while he had any sort of say in it.

He felt two pairs of hands hoist him up. He blacked out briefly,head rushing with blood as his stomach twisted uncomfortably. Klaus groaned.

“Hey, it okay,” comforted one of his siblings. He thought itwas Vanya, with such a gentle tone.

“We just need to get you back to the car, can you walk downwith help?” That must have been Diego? Klaus shook his head. It was all hecould do just not to pass out as it was.

He heard a sigh, and then a large pair of arms scooped him up bridal style. He nestled hisface into the crook of his brother’s muscles. It was oddly comforting. “I’vegotcha,” said Luther. He may be awkward at the comforting thing, but his voicewas nonetheless comforting to Klaus in his current state.

Klaus faded in and out as they returned to the van. He onlyremembered the trip in flashes – the top of the trees and the sun in theleaves, someone – Allison? – holding his hand and squeezing.

“No hospital,” he asserted as the car came into the view.Luther sighed.

“It alright Klaus, no hospital. Mom can take care of you. We’rejust going home.” Was that Five? Klaus quieted.

They got him into the car, and he quickly fell asleep onVanya’s shoulder. Five sat next to him, letting Diego drive without complaint(for once).

He had seen his family killed once, he didn’t want Klaushurt again.

When Klaus woke up, he still felt like shit. But hissiblings – all of them, not just Ben – were there for him. Five thought he wassneaky, coming in when he thought Klaus was sleeping to watch over him. When Klausgot bored of his bedrest, Vanya came in, playing songs that captivated him (oroccasionally, brought him to a peaceful sleep, which didn’t seem to offend herat all). Diego chatted with him, Luther brought him soup and tea, and Allisoneven read to him.

For once, Klaus didn’t feel like he was fucking everythingup. Maybe it wasn’t a perfect hiking trip, but it seemed like family bondingwas happening regardless.

[moodykylo]

pls write anything with klaus just casually having a cold while the siblings are all out somewhere (a restaurant or movie or something)

Im so so sorry this took so long! It’s also really really short too I’m sorry about that. I hope you enjoy this though!

__________________________________________

It was a normal Saturday evening when Allison stood up from her spot on the couch, and announced that the Hargreeves would be having a family bonding night at the nearest movie theater.

Five and Diego groaned and rolled their eyes prompting Luther to scold them. “We need to start being there for each other and acting like a family. We’re going.” Five started to say something about equations and time but before he could finish his sentence Luther started again. “You need a break Five. The apocalypse is over it’s fine.” Five scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest, but he complied.

Klaus had been feeling off all day. He had a hell of a headache and he was congested like nobody’s business but he decided to ignore it and agree with Allison and Luther.

Luther looked to the left of Klaus to see Ben’s reaction, which was a nod of approval. With everyone’s cooperation the family was off to the movies.

After the 4th trailer Klaus decided that perhaps going to the movies was not the best idea. All the different smells of popcorn, sweat and whatever else was stuck to the seats was making his nose itch. He kept stifling his sneezes which was increasing his headache to migraine levels.

With every sneeze and stifle Klaus felt pressure build in his temples leaving his vision blurred and tunneled. Ben kept looking over to Klaus giving him knowing glances but Klaus gave his former ghost brother a look that meant ‘drop it i’m fine.’ Ben obviously didn’t like that plan but agreed.

Soon after this exchange the movie actually started and Klaus was miserable but stuck it out because hey, anything for family.

Klaus kept dozing off throughout the movie only to be disturbed by his sneezes and the drip of mucus causing a tickle in his throat. He could tell this was going to be a long outing.

[honeybee-babe]

Sharing is Caring (Except When You’re Sick) Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of the fic I wrote with @hargreevesstyles, the fic can also be read on her page!

TW: Vomit

~

Apparently, being bone-tired and wrapped in a cozy blanket isn’t very conducive to staying up. When Klaus next opened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of Ben staring down at him, wide-eyed and worried.

“Jesus, Ben!” he hissed, instantly clutching at his throat as soon as the words left his throat. When did it start feeling sore? He was starting to feel a bit of pressure in his head, too. “You’re worse than the dead babies!”

“You saw dead babies again?” Klaus shut his eyes tight and nodded. Ben’s face fell; Klaus tended to see dead babies a lot when he was sick. They’d always assumed it was because babies so often died of infection, and they felt some sort of connection to him when he had a fever. Klaus sniffled.

“Take your temperature,” Ben said, reaching for the thermometer on the table. His hand went phased through it.

“It’s so far away,” Klaus whined, stretching out his arm but not quite reaching it. “You do it.”

“It’ll make you even more exhausted!”

“Then b- hihh’szhiuu! be quick!”

Before Ben could protest, Klaus was bringing his fists together. Ben quickly grabbed the thermometer and put it in Klaus’ mouth, just before he flickered. Klaus immediately released him. He coughed a bit over the thermometer, dry, hoarse coughs that tore at his throat. After it beeped, Klaus blinked down at the screen, unable to focus his eyes on the tiny numbers.

“103.9! That’s dangerously high, Klaus, no wonder about the babies!”

A knock at the door sent Klaus scrambling to hide the thermometer. He shoved it into the pocket of the sweatpants Diego had lent him and sat up in bed, wincing just a little at the pain that coursed through his back as he did so.

“Who is it?” he rasped.

“Vanya.”  That was a relief.

“Come in.” Vanya shuffled into the room with a glass of water. She had her violin case in the other hand.

“Hey, how you feeling?” Klaus shrugged.

“Been better, been worse.”

“I thought you were gonna sleep in. I was just about to leave for rehearsal, but then I heard you coughing. Drink this.” She handed him the glass and he gladly downed it. “Allison made lunch. You should eat something.”

“More soup?”

“Yeah. Come on.” Klaus wasn’t really in the mood for more soup; in fact, he didn’t have much of an appetite at all, which was really saying something about how sick he was. Still, he willingly followed his sister of the room, pausing outside Luther’s door when she collected him too.

“I don’t care!” Klaus raised his brows and put his ear to the door; Vanya rarely used that tone with her siblings. “Well, you haven’t eaten a solid meal in three days. So get your ass up.”

When Luther finally appeared in the doorway, he was wearing yet another sweatshirt and had his arms crossed over his chest, a sour expression on his face. And his hair was messed up. Yeah, he’d just woken up, too.

“Hey, sick buddy,” Klaus said with a sniffly, dopey little grin as they followed their sister down the staircase. “Hhh’etshu! Inxt-gntchu!” He tapped on his brother’s shoulder from behind.

“hiklaus.” Oof. Luther’s voice was completely shot. Klaus winced; he wondered if that was going to happen to him, too.

“Look who’s finally up!” The three of them turned their heads to see Diego standing in the doorway to the kitchen, arms crossed. “I guess noon is the new morning.”

“Diego, they’re sick,” Vanya reminded as she sat her sick brothers down at opposite ends of the table.

“They seemed to forget all about that last night.” Diego sat down directly across from Luther at the table. He looked him dead in the eyes. Luther looked down at his lap and shrunk in on himself further. Klaus picked up on his uneasiness and responded by crawling across the seats between them and sitting down next to him instead.

“Get away from him, Klaus, that’s how you got sick in the first place.” Just then, Allison entered with two steaming bowls of soup, placing them in front of her sick brothers.

“He’s already sick. Diego, leave him be.”

“I care about him, sue me! Someone’s got to look out for him.” He glared at Luther again. “Right, Number One?” Of course, Luther’s body chose that exact moment to betray him.

“hhr’KSCH! Heh-KSCHIEW! Ow.” They came on so suddenly that he barely had time to react, turning away from Klaus, and he only managed to bring his arm halfway up to his face, clutching his throat afterwards. Vanya flinched in response; Diego’s lip turned up in disgust. Neither of them had seen Luther sneeze freely this entire time, and they hadn’t been prepared.

“Bless you!”

“Cover your damn mouth,” Diego said with a sneer, taking the napkin from his placemat and throwing it with perfect accuracy to land on Luther’s chest. “And you wonder how you got Klaus sick.”

“fuckoff.” Luther swiped at his nose with the napkin. Klaus just rolled his eyes.

“He didn’t mean to. God, Diego, stop being such a dick!” He winced slightly at the pain that coursed through his own throat after raising his voice.

“I’m not being a dick, I’m just looking out for you, Klaus. Someone has to. Ape Boy over here clearly isn’t cut out for the job.”

Vanya checked her watch. She was pretty late, and besides, she really didn’t want to watch Luther and Diego go at it. Which, by the look of things, was the inevitable outcome of this conversation.

“Uh, listen, guys, I gotta run. We can talk about this later okay?” And with that, she was out the door, conveniently avoiding the rising conflict before it got ugly.

“Diego, what the hell are you talking about?” Allison asked, taking the chair across from Klaus.

“You tell her.” Diego pointed his finger directly at Luther. Klaus jumped in, instead.

“Okay, so last night I couldn’t sleep and-”

“I want him to say it,” Diego cut him off, pointing directly at Luther. Luther cleared his throat, but to no avail.

“I…” he rasped. “Last night we-” he cut himself off with a wince, shaking his head.

“Oh, so now you conveniently can’t talk?”

“Diego, leave them be,” Allison chastised. She looked down at the two bowls of soup, still completely untouched. “Please try to eat your soup.”

“mnothungry,” Luther mumbled, voice practically nonexistent.

“And why is that?” Diego sat down across from him at the table. “Maybe it’s all the ice cream you guys ate at three in the fucking morning!”

“Wait, what?” Allison furrowed her brows in confusion at Luther; he was never one to stay up late. “You were up at three am?”

Klaus cut in, “Yes we were because neither of us could sleep! Luther came downstairs and then I joined him in the kitchen and I got out the ice cream and-“

“You shouldn’t be throwing off your sleeping or eating schedule when you’re both this sick! Why would you eat ice cream at three in the morning, Klaus?” Allison’s tone became more serious.

“Our throats hurt so I thought it would be a good idea!”

Allison scoffed, “Oh, did you now?”

“Allison get off his back! Luther was the one who woke him up in the first place, right Klaus?”

“No, I was alr-“

“Klaus was the one who got out the ice cream instead of going back to bed like they should’ve!”

Diego snapped, “Well he was already up thanks to Luther and I doubt he could’ve fallen back asleep with Luther’s monstrous coughs and sneezes!”

“This is enough!” Five’s authoritative yet squeaky voice shouted. “Look at them!”

Both of the ill boys had tears streaming down their faces. Only Allison’s expression softened. Five swore he saw Diego’s expression flicker, but it remained one of anger. Allison walked over to Klaus and wrapped him in a hug from behind. She kissed him on the forehead and apologized.

“Diego? Where’s Luther’s hug and kiss?” Klaus joked maybe a tad too soon.

Diego shook his head, “I’m not going near him. I’m not getting sick. Speaking of, Klaus I have to take your temperature again.”

Klaus gave an exaggerated groan and a wet sniffle. “I swear this is the most I’ve ever had the same thing in my mouth! Well–except for-”

“Can it,” Five said.

Diego took Klaus’ temperature. There was a strong look of concern painted over his face when he read the results.

“104.6, Klaus. That’s not good. We’ve gotta get you in an ice bath and get you some more fever reducers. Damnit.” Diego started pacing around the room.

Allison took the thermometer out of his hands, rinsed it off in the sink, and took Luther’s temperature.

“99.4, that’s a lot better than what you’ve been dealing with. You don’t need an ice pack but I’m getting you some more fever reducers and a cold washcloth,” she said.

Diego was still pacing around the room. Five rolled his eyes, blinked out, blinked back in with a needle, and presented it to Diego, prompting him to pass out.

“Five, what the hell?” Allison shouted.

“He’s too panicked right now about Klaus. He’ll wake up and he’ll be more relaxed. Allison, I’ll take care of Luther, you get Klaus in the ice bath,” Five said.

Klaus asked, “Are…are we just supposed to leave Diego there on the ground?”

Five shrugged. The only other person capable of carrying Diego was Luther, and Luther definitely didn’t have the energy to do so right now. So they left him there.

The tallest and the smallest made their way up to Number One’s bedroom, Five had the bottle of fever reducers in hand along with a plus size box of tissues. Luther was blowing his nose almost nonstop now and his coughs were so productive that…well, you can imagine.

Five stayed with Luther until his fever finally broke, which was around forty-five minutes after another round of fever reducers and several wet washcloths. Five was able to get Luther a lot of tea with honey and cough drops to help his throat. He even took a look at it, and he was shocked at how raw and red it was. Maybe they needed to take Luther to a doctor. Five quickly dismissed that thought as Luther’s fever broke.

Back in the bathroom, Klaus was wearing a long pink robe and sitting on the counter while Allison drew the bath. The thing about Klaus was that he was so skinny and bony that he generally ran cold. And Klaus hated the cold. He hated being chilly, even though his normal clothes did little to warm him, and he was not happy about the idea of taking a cold bath.

The thing that Klaus loved about taking baths was how relaxing and comforting they were. There was absolutely nothing comforting to him about freezing cold water. But, he knew that he was burning up and he was hoping for some relief. Fevers always made him feel like the ghosts were louder and more aggressive and he had a lot less patience for them.

“Bath’s ready. Strip down to your boxers and get in,” Allison said.

“Wait are you staying here?” Klaus asked. Allison nodded. “Oh. Why?”

Allison said, “Someone has to keep an eye on you.”

“Oh.”

Klaus just sat there for a moment.

“Klaus, get in the bath,” Allison ordered.

“Oh, oh, right, right the bath, okay.” Still, he didn’t move.

Allison took a step closer to her brother. He was so completely dazed, Allison wondered if he could move even if he wanted to. “Klaus?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Uhhhhh….no? No.” He was more sure with the second answer. He was looking at her but he wasn’t really looking at her. He was looking in her general direction but his eyes were somewhere else. “Why?”

“You look like you’re gonna - Klaus!” Allison rushed to hold out her arms underneath Klaus’, just before his eyes rolled back in his head. His body rocked forward onto her, and she nearly fell down underneath him. Skinny as he was, it was still pretty difficult to support his 6’0” frame. His skin burned against her, so hot that she felt herself starting to sweat underneath him. After some awkward stumbling around the bathroom, she finally managed to set him down to sit on the edge of the tub.

“Klaus! Klaus, wake up!” She slapped his face a few times. It wasn’t working. “Five!” The smallest Hargreeves poofed into the bathroom, jaw going slack when he saw Klaus.

“Get him into the tub!”

Allison looked into the freezing cold tub. Klaus wouldn’t like it, but it might be the only way to get him to wake up right now. And besides, she needed to get his fever down ASAP.

“Okay. Grab his feet.” With Five’s help, Allison lowered Klaus into the tub. She hurriedly put her hand beneath his neck to support his head.

Klaus immediately started shivering when his skin hit the water, whole body shuddering wildly. After a few seconds, he awoke with a gasp, green eyes shooting wide open. He looked around disorientedly for a few times, slashing around in a panic in the bathtub.

“Stop, leave me alone!” he cried. Tears were brimming his eyes. His focus was directly in front of him, not on Allison or Five. He put his face in his hands. “Go away go away go away!”

“Klaus!” Allison said sternly, shaking his shoulders in an attempt to snap him back to reality. He finally lifted his head up and looked at her. “It’s me, Allison. You have a fever, you just passed out.”

Klaus blinked around at his surroundings as things finally started to come into focus. After a few moments, he buried his face in his arms again.

“I’m so c-cold,” he said weakly, eyes fluttering shut as another huge shiver wracked his body, followed by a shivery sob. “I don’t want this.” He tried to climb out of the tub, but Allison held him down. He was way too weak to break free of her grasp.

“I know, Klaus,” Allison said softly. “But you need to bring your fever down, okay?”

He shook his head sternly, wet curls flopping wildly around his head, even though he didn’t put up a fight anymore as she settled him back down into the water. “I want Dave.”

Allison still held him down in the water, but her grip softened. She brought a hand up to Klaus’ fevered cheek.

“I know, honey.” Klaus just shook his head and continued to shudder and sob. Allison could feel her hand growing damp against his cheek.

“Think you can handle him?” Five asked softly after a few seconds of this. Allison turned back to look at him. She was about to insist that he help her lift Klaus out of the tub, but then she saw the way he stood there, tapping his foot nervously with his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed antsy for some reason, like he was itching to get out of there. It must be important.

“Yeah, you can go.” Five nodded and immediately poofed away. Allison turned around and smiled softly down at her sick brother, who was now sitting upright in the tub on his own, apparently becoming more lucid by moment.

“Allison,” he said weakly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Shh, it’s okay. Hold still.” She dipped a plastic cup in the water and poured its contents down Klaus’ forehead. He shivered and sputtered, coughing up a little bit that got in his mouth, which resulted in more hacking from his torn up lungs. Klaus let out a loud sob and Allison’s heart broke. “Hey, you’re alright. You’re okay, I promise. I’m here, okay?”

Klaus sniffled, “Yeah.”

Every move he made caused him to shiver even more.

“Honey, let me pour some more water on your head,” Allison said. She had only been able to do about two cup-fulls before Klaus had choked on the water. Klaus braced himself and Allison filled up the cup. She gently poured the water over his head, putting her hand on his arm as he shuddered into it. “Lean back, I want some on your forehead.” Klaus did as he was told. She did about two more cup-fulls successfully.

She was in the middle of her third when Klaus interrupted her, “Stop stop stop. HahhhhIgotwaterinmynosehehh-ohgod. Fuck it burns I-hhh… hih'DZTshiew! Nxgtshh-etshiuu!” He pitched forward with the uncovered sneezes, the spray hitting his bare thighs.  “Ihhh….Hihh?…Heh-xntshieu! Fuck-kst'chjuu! Ehh’nXGTzhiuu! Ugh!”

“Jesus Christ, Klaus, bless you!”

Klaus sniffled wetly. He groaned, “Fuck, I’m so stuffed up.”

Allison noticed his sopping wet hands–from the bathwater and the sneezing fit–and she grabbed a wad of toilet paper. “Here.” She held it up to Klaus’ face. “Blow.”

“No, no, Allison I can’t,” Klaus looked up at her. “I-it’s disgusting!”

“Klaus, I’m a mom. Do you know how many times I’ve helped Claire blow her nose?” She argued.

Klaus sighed. He gave in, “Okay okay okay, but we’re never telling anyone about it at all ever, okay?”

His rounded consonants left Allison chuckling. Allison moved the toilet paper back up to Klaus’ nose and held it up firmly.

“Blow,” Allison said when she was ready. Klaus did as he was told, his cheeks slightly pink–not from the fever this time. After the wad of toilet paper was too soaked to be used further, Allison grabbed another one. “Come on, again.”

This time, Klaus obeyed without resisting. This one cleared him out a lot better than the first, but Allison still had to get a third bit and wipe underneath his nose. Allison smiled, “There you go, good as new.”

“Thanks. Like I said…please don’t tell anyone about this,” Klaus pleaded.

“I won’t tell a single soul.”

Sighing contently, Klaus leaned back. He was thrown off by the cold water splashing back at him.

“Can I please get out?” He cried.

Allison nodded. He had been in the tub for about fifteen minutes, and she was worried about what would happen if he stayed in any longer. She helped lift him up to a standing position and he stepped out. Allison wrapped a towel around him and held her arm around him protectively.

“Hhhang on ehhh! I’m gonna sneeze!” He reached out and grabbed her arm blindly, and Allison tightened her group around his back. “Inxghtshiew! NGXT’uh-isshiew! Wait. There might be another one. Hihh….nope. Damnit.”

“Bless you, you alright?” Allison spoke softly.

Klaus nodded. “Can you help me back to bed? I’m exhausted and I…I don’t want to pass out on you again.”

The two of them took a long trip back to Klaus’ room. Allison held her eyes shut as Klaus got changed into some dry clothes, and then Allison helped him into bed. She took his temperature again, it dropped to 100.4 which was a lot better than what it had been earlier. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than nothing.

After that Allison pulled Klaus’ blankets up to his chin and tousled his hair.

Allison turned around and picked a few things up, threw the used tissues in the trash, and dimmed the lights. By the time she turned around Klaus was fast asleep.

This put Allison at peace for a moment. There was no chaos going on and she could finally relax without having to worry about her brother dying on her.

And then Five blinked in.

“Allison! Oh, thank god you’re here. Luther’s coughing really hard and I think he’s going to throw up but I can’t be in there because I-I just can’t! You have to go in there please!” Five rambled.

Allison nodded and instructed Five to stay with Klaus for the time being. Five still didn’t look like he was too happy with having to stay with another one of his germy siblings, but hey, this was better than vomit.

When Allison walked into Luther’s room he was hunched over the tiny garbage bin he always kept by his desk. He was coughing so hard his face was red, and with one final heave, something finally came up. Allison was shocked at how he was able to come up with anything seeing as he hadn’t eaten anything in almost three days, but he had been drinking a lot of liquids.

Allison slid onto Luther’s bed and started rubbing his back. He jumped a little, not having noticed Allison’s entrance. The gasp he let out only further irritated his throat and he started choking up more liquid. Allison continued working small circles onto Luther’s sweaty back, hoping that would help calm him down a bit.

Luther was coughing so hard there was thick mucus dripping out of his nose into the bucket. It came to the point where Allison couldn’t tell if it was mucus or vomit.

Luther finally stopped puking. He hid his face from Allison who then grabbed some tissues off of his bedside table and offered them.

Luther wiped his nose and then blew it.

“Sorry…about that,” Luther spoke shyly. His voice was somehow even more scratchy than it had been earlier. Allison heaved a sigh and turned around for a second to collect herself. She hated seeing him like this.

“Don’t be sorry, you couldn’t help it. Better out than in, right?” She turned back around and was greeted with the sight of Luther not only out of bed, but stumbling towards the door, bile-filed bucket in hand. She could see his knees shaking; yup, he’d definitely just dehydrated himself.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think you’re going? Put that down!” She rushed over and grabbed the bucket from him, quickly setting it down in its proper place next to his desk, before ushering him back to bed. “Just let me handle it, okay?” she asked, tone a bit more exacerbated than she’d intended, judging by the way Luther flinched. She took a deep breath before continuing. “You really need to lie down, you’re probably low on electrolytes. I am not about to have another one of my siblings pass out on me today.”

“Klaus passed out?” Luther looked so wounded it broke Allison’s heart. She bit down on her lip, regretting having said anything, and nodded reluctantly.

“He’s okay now,” she insisted, reaching out a hand to squeeze Luther’s shoulder.

“Diego was right. I-it’s my fault he’s so sick.” Allison could kill Diego. She shook her head and pushed his hair back in place from where it was stuck to his forehead with sweat.

“Hey, hey, it’s not your fault, okay? It could have been any one of us. You know he’s just… a bit protective of Klaus. We all are.” Luther nodded, though his eyes were scrunched up tight. Allison couldn’t tell if it was physical pain, embarrassment, guilt, or some terrible mix of the three. She cupped his cheek in her hand. It was hot and flushed, but she attributed it the vomiting – plus the tears that were starting to stream down his face for the second time that day. Yup, Diego was going to get an earful from her later. But for now, she had to push her anger down and focus on making her brother feel better.

“You’re okay, Luther. We love you,” she said softly, wiping the tears off her face with her thumb, trying not to visibly wince at the smell of bile that still lingered on his breath. She plucked a few tissues from the box and went to wipe his face for real, which he prevented by suddenly bringing both of his gloved hands up to cover his face. She tried to pry his hands apart, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Allison I have to-”

“Luther, stop it.” He shook his head. “Just let me - oh.” Seeing Luther’s chest expand, Allison released his hands. He immediately steepled them over his nose.

“hnnG’TCHU! Hih-INGXTtchiew!”

“Bless you!”

“Ohgod-hh’GNXTchiehh! Itgotupmynose-ih’GNXT!”

“Well then let it out, Lu.”

“I’m tryinhh-nnG’NNKT!-uhh.” He pressed his fingertips down tighter on his nose.

“You’re gonna make it worse!” Allison grabbed Luther’s hands again, only this time she successfully pulled them away from his face. The fact that her normally super-strong brother didn’t have the energy to fight back really spoke volumes for how shitty he must be feeling.

“Allison, s-stop, I still have to… hih!” realizing there was no escape, Luther turned his face down onto his pillow. “Hhh’KSCHhh’KSCHHT!Ohgoditburns — Hh’KschOO! Hih-KSCHEHH!”

As soon as the last sneeze was out, Luther broke into a harsh bout of coughing. Allison instinctively grabbed the garbage bin again, just in case. Thankfully, Luther’s breathing evened out before he could trigger his gag reflex this time.

Allison noted the reappearance of the thick fluid from earlier that she’d seen dripping out of his nose. Yup, that was definitely vomit. In a repeat of earlier events, she held a tissue up to her brother’s nose and pinched. To her surprise, Luther didn’t even wait for her command before he blew his nose willingly into the tissue. He must really be miserable.

[superstringtheory]

Chapters: 6/6 Fandom: The Umbrella Academy (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone, Klaus Hargreeves & Luther Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Allison Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Grace Hargreeves & Everyone, Grace Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves Characters: Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves, Luther Hargreeves, Allison Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Diego Hargreeves, Grace Hargreeves, Dr. Pogo (Umbrella Academy), Dave (Umbrella Academy) Additional Tags: Sickfic, Sick Character, Sick Klaus Hargreeves, Fever, Caretaking, Hurt/Comfort, Common Cold, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Influenza, Illnesses, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, 5+1 Things, Chicken Pox, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Vomiting, Family Issues, IKEA, Slice of Life, Sibling Bonding, bronchitis, Coughing Summary:

Aka, five times each Hargreeves sibling took care of Klaus, and one time it was all of them.

[thewatermelloncat]

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Summary: A Five sickfic I wrote inspired by @too-many-umbrellas post here and the notes from it, because people have amazing ideas and this story barely scratches the surface.

Author’s Note: I might do a whole story with all the siblings causing chaos like in the original post eventually. 

I also have a bonus story which I will post up later on tomorrow that I’ll link onto this one. (Edit: Linked up top)

Warnings: Swearing

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The weather report said it would be sunny – it lied. Thunder crashes outside as Five staggers back into the living room, the booming sound reflecting his frustration. He looks exhausted as he makes his way back to the couch where he had been seated a minute earlier.

“It’s really kicking your arse isn’t it?” Luther observes.

Five nods minutely, closing his eyes and sniffling miserably into his sleeve.

Taking pity on him Luther tosses him the box of tissues from the coffee table. Surprisingly Five manages to catch it before taking a few and blowing his nose as he sits back onto the couch.

“How far did you go this time?” Klaus asks from up on one of the barstools.

“Upstairs and round the corner a bit” Five tells him, sounding weak and raspy.

“Why didn’t you just jump back?”

“Gee, Klaus. I wish I thought of that” Five’s voice drips in sarcasm before he covers a few hollow coughs behind his fist, wincing slightly afterward.

“How’s your throat?” Five’s pained expression doesn’t pass Luther by.

His seemingly younger brother only shakes his head, both not answering and answering his question at the same time.

“How many times has it been today that you poofed off somewhere?” Klaus chuckles slightly as he spins on the chair, his feet lazily dragging behind him in the air.

“Lost count.”

“Well there was when you got sent to the kitchen. Oh-ho and the one where you teleported into Diego’s room just as he was about to leave for work. That was so funny, scared the living daylights outta him” – Klaus laughs, ticking them off on his fingers before Five cuts him off.

“Klaus, stop… It-it really doesn’t matter” Five sighs pulling the blanket from on the couch around his shoulders and tucking his legs up to his chest, resting his head on his knees. He knew his brother was only having fun but it wasn’t helping his headache any.

Klaus pauses his listing while his brother speaks but decides to scrap his list entirely seeing the pointed look Luther gives him. Pursing his lips, he swings his legs forward propelling himself off the chair then makes his way to sit next to Five.

“This has really got you down hasn’t it, old man?” Klaus teases him.

“I’m fine” Five’s voice already muted and now muffled by his knees, does him no favours in proving his point.

“No, wrong letter” Klaus says, wrapping an arm over his brother and pulling him into his side. “It’s said ‘Five’ not ‘fine.’”

Five immediately pulls out of Klaus’ grip, fixing him with a look which would have been a lot more threatening if he didn’t look like he was half asleep.

“Come on!” Klaus whines. “That was clever.”

Five only just has time to roll his eyes before his turns away into his elbow, “Kihh'tschh!!!” and in a flash of blue he’s gone.

Klaus blinks in bewilderment at the now lonely blanket in a heap on the couch before he immediately turns to Luther. “Bet he went” – his voice is cut off by Five’s unimpressed tone sounding from behind the wall near the doorway.

“Klaus if you’re placing bets, I swear” – Five’s raised voice cuts off, leaving them in silence for a few seconds. “Huh’Tschh!”

Suddenly there is a crackle of energy and a faint blue spark that casts rays of light on the doorframe.

“Fuck!” Five’s curse sounds muffled through the floor boards, having been teleported further away up to the third floor.

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The first few times Five had spontaneously teleported he’d come back looking annoyed, now as he re-enters the living room, he seems completely over it. If anything, he’s glad that neither of his siblings make a joke out of it. Sure, he might find it funny later but not now, exhausted from the long trek down various flights of stairs.

“Come here” Luther interrupts Five’s beeline for the couch, gesturing for him to come over to him.

Five bites back a huff of frustration but obliges, only because he can’t be bothered arguing. Slowly he comes to stand in front of Luther who reaches out a hand to place of his forehead.

None of them need anymore clarification to know that Luther’s hum of disapproval means that Five’s fever is going up. “You dizzy at all?” it wouldn’t surprise Luther if he was with all the teleporting he is doing.

Five shakes his head, one of the few things he is grateful for. “Just tired” he sighs as he sinks back into the couch next to Klaus, who wraps the blanket back over his shoulders.

“You hungry?” Luther asks. “Think we’ve still got leftovers in the fridge.”

Five shakes his head.

“Get some sleep then, yeah?”

Five’s hum of content as he goes to snuggle back into the couch quickly turns into a groan of frustration as he pushes himself back up, rubbing his hand against his nose. “Please God, no” he begs, closing his eyes tightly trying to will the itch away. He just got back for fuck’s sake. But there’s nothing he can do and his chest inhales involuntarily. “Ktt'schh!!” and in a poof of blue sparks he’s gone again.

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As the last of the blue sparks fade into nothing, the steady sound of footsteps echo from around the corner.

“Is Five here? I swear I just heard him” Allison says as she stops in the doorway to the room.

“Sneezed and poofed away” Klaus tells her.

“Where did he go?”

“Dunno” Klaus admits quietly, seeming confused that they haven’t heard Five cursing from somewhere by now.

Allison seems confused as well as she looks around the edge of the upper floors from the base of the staircase, “Five?”

At the lack of response to his sister’s calling, Luther pushes himself out of his chair and walks forward to join her. “Five!” his deeper voice carries further, echoing around the foyer.

“He can’t have gone far, can he?” Klaus asks worriedly, coming to join them.

“Doubt it” Luther shakes his head, “it is been draining him.”

“Do you think he could have passed out?” Allison’s question is answered nonverbally as they all share worried looks before splitting off in different directions.

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The raindrops Five blinks out of his eyes may as well be tears from the amount of resentment he currently feels. Except crying is a waste of time, and it would be pointless to cry over an ability he can’t change. So instead he draws in a deep breath beginning to trudge through the puddles on the footpath, already drenched by the rain.

He’d tried to jump back when he first landed but only succeed in turning the air around him blue, too weak to teleport again. He’d given up after his third try and surrendered to the cold walk home.

There aren’t many people around to judge why a boy is wondering around the street without an umbrella, only a few who run along sheltered by their coats above their heads, ducking under overhangs. He makes it to the next street down before he draws in a breath and ducks into his elbow, “hah’kshhhuu!”

He wishes that it could have teleported him back to the academy, but it only manages to fizzle out blue sparks like a battery dying.

His teeth chatter as he crosses his arms with a shiver, and he forces himself to think of something positive. At least he knows where he is and he’s not too far from the Academy. Still, he wishes his uniform had a hood or he had teleported with the blanket that had been wrapped around him, either way he would have had something to shelter him from the rain.

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Diego’s brow knits in confusion as he walks through the foyer seeing no one around. He’d left them all in the lounge before he left for work, and he’d thought they’d still be there. At least Five who was supposed to spend the day crashed on the couch.

Seeing nothing but a blanket he shrugs before heading for the stairs up to his room. Suddenly he turns around at the sound of hurried footsteps behind him, running up the stairs from the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” he asks Allison as she looks around frantically.

“We lost Five?” she says, barely sparing him a glance as she moves back into the lounge to have another look around.

“What do you mean you lost him?”

“He sneezed and disappeared!” Klaus calls out from the railing of the second level.

“Have you tried his room?”

“He’s not there!” Luther’s voice echoes from a place where Diego can’t see him before he steps into view behind the railing on the third floor. “I hate to jump to conclusions, but you don’t think he” – he doesn’t need to finish his sentence to get his point across.

A few seconds of silence fall over the siblings as they contemplate whether accidental time travel is even on the cards for him.

Allison is the first person to shake her head. “I doubt it, he wouldn’t have enough energy” she speaks assuredly, but part of her doesn’t know whether it’s denial.

“Is there anywhere you haven’t checked?” Diego asks immediately, not feeling that it’s necessary to dwell on it.

Klaus’ sarcastic comment about how there are over 60 rooms to look around in dies in his throat at the sound of the front door handle turning.

“Oh my God, Five!” Allison all but squeaks as she rushes forward to her brother shutting the door behind him, drenched with rain.

As soon as she’s next to him her hands are all over him, brushing his hair out of his face, checking for fever on his cheeks, then pulling off his soaked blazer after noticing how violently he shivers.

“Where’d you go?” she asks as Klaus steps forward with the blanket in his hands, having raced down the stairs and into the lounge.

“Half a block down the street” Five stutters through shivers before his breath hitches and he raises a hand to his mouth in preparation for a sneeze.

Klaus, having almost touched the blanket to his brother’s shoulders, yelps and jumps back using the blanket as a shield, not wanting to touch him and be hurtled through time and space.

Allison having a completely different reaction, quickly reaches forward placing a hand on his shoulder, hoping that he won’t have the strength to teleport the both of them.

“Heh’tshh!” Five pivots slightly away from her and she feels static run up her arm.

Shaking it out she steps back from Five as he turns back to them.

“I can’t – uhm” he swallows seeming distracted with his eyes unfocused. “I can’t – Ah’Tchhhh - teleport, anymore” he finishes sniffling into his elbow.

Deeming that it is safe to come near him again, Klaus gives him the blanket and the tips of his cold, red fingers turn white as he grips onto it like a lifeline.

“Shower, go” Allison instructs, her voice demanding yet compassionate.

Five nods, and Allison keeps her eyes on him as he walks through the group of his siblings and up the stairs. “Not too hot, all right?”

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Five doesn’t mean to announce his presence back in the lounge by coughing loudly into his elbow, that’s what Klaus would do for attention, but completely against his own character. Either way it couldn’t be helped.

He tries his best to ignore his siblings’ looks of sympathy, particularly Luther’s, as he makes his way to the couch dressed in a pair of Allison’s trackpants and a hoodie. It’s weird to see a guy that big with a face that looks like a kicked puppy. Then again, it’s weird for anyone to see Five out of his standard uniform, let alone with his hands bunched up in the sleeves.

Fighting back the want to shiver, Five sinks into the couch and makes to lie down before Allison stops him.

“Hold up Five” she says, stepping closer to him with a thermometer in hand.

“Do I really have to?” he mumbles, not really seeing the point. He’s had a fever all day and doubts that it would have gone anywhere.

“I just want to check.”

“I just want to sleep.”

“And you can after this” Allison promises him.

“I’m fine” Five groans. “I’m just tired.”

“That would be a lot more convincing if you could speak clearer” Diego jabs at him over the stuffy quality of his voice.

“You’re one to talk” Five bites back, immediately realising his mistake even before Diego falls into silence. That was too mean, even for his standards. “I’m sorry Diego. I-I don’t mean that” he sniffles congestedly into his sleeve, adjusting his position on the couch out of awkwardness. “Just feel horrible.”

“You’re all right, bud” Diego murmurs affectionately, shaking off the last of his hurt expression.

Allison breaks the last of the tension waving the thermometer in the air. “I’m about to start making aeroplane noises.”

“You will not” Five staggers out a response, taking the thermometer out of her hand before she has a chance to shove it in his mouth for him.

As Five goes to slip the thermometer under his tongue Klaus takes his chance at making an aeroplane noise, but quickly cuts off when Five glares at him. Though he can only look so threatening with a pale face, pink nose and cheeks, and a stick of glass protruding from his lips. Still Klaus feels sorry for him and picks up the blanket from the couch and wraps it around him as a peace offering.

His peace offering seems to be overly effective as Five leans into him, resting his head on his shoulder. After taking a second to get over the shock of Five wanting physical contact, Klaus wraps his arm that had slightly flailed in the air around his brother’s shoulders.

Before anyone can make a comment about Five and Klaus showing affection to each other, the front door opens and footsteps head towards the lounge.

Even before they can see her, they hear Vanya’s voice starting to ramble something about one of her violin students, and stopping at the store. When she comes into view, she greets them and they respond in various ways. Klaus feeling Five move underneath his arm, raising a tired hand in a small wave.

“How’re you feeling, Five?” she asks him, her expression falling into sympathy that could rival Luther.

The question doesn’t really need to be answered given how Five has surrendered to physical contact in order to remain upright. He can’t really answer her either with a thermometer in his mouth. So, he tiredly blinks at her, figuring that she will understand.

“We’re not doing too great” Luther answers for him anyway.

“Had a little adventure out in the rain, didn’t we?” Klaus adds squeezing Five closer into his side, making him shift uncomfortably. Whether it was because of the increased contact or the fact that his siblings are speaking about him as if he is a child, Klaus doesn’t have the brains to question it.

“Ah-ha, the glitching” Vanya chuckles lightly as she turns around to place her violin case on the bar.

Diego hops up from his chair and goes over to help her unload the snacks and things that she got from the store, explaining the events in more detail.

At the same time Allison moves back in front of Five to collect the thermometer from him.

After handing it over to her Five releases a few coughs that he had been holding back into his elbow, leaning away from Klaus. In the midst of that activity he misses Allison reading out the verdict and he’s not interested enough to get her to repeat it. Figuring it can’t be too bad or she would have placed her hand back to his forehead or gone back to study the measurement again.

“You can go to sleep now Five” Allison withholds her promise, smiling sadly down at him.

He sighs deeply as he shifts against Klaus who moves so his brother can rest his head on his lap. As they get settled, Allison turns and walks toward the bar to wash the thermometer in the sink. With her back to them she hears Five sniffle slightly before sneezing softly causing Klaus to yelp dramatically.

“’m not going anywhere” she hears Five mumble to him tiredly.

“The blue flash says different!” he accuses.

“We’ll he didn’t go anywhere, did he?” Luther points out so Five doesn’t have to.

“If even if he could go somewhere, there’s no way he could take you with him” Allison tells Klaus as she reaches the sink and turns on the tap.

Her reasoning doesn’t seem to settle Klaus and she looks up from the running water to catch Vanya’s eye, shaking her head and rolling her eyes playfully.

Vanya returns the look, switching up the rolling eyes for a smile before she turns back to the group. “Five, I got some NyQuil from the store if you want any.”

“I don’t think we’ll need it” Klaus says, his voice much quieter than a few seconds ago. Adjusting the blanket over the shoulders of the boy who rests his head on his legs, already asleep.

[toosicktoocare]

In honor of The Umbrella Academy S2 coming out in one week, here’s a fic I wrote a hot minute ago on AO3 with sick Klaus and pissed off Ben. 

This feeling isn’t new to Klaus; in fact, it’s painfully familiar. His body is a heavy, throbbing, lump of ice yet his head is a ball of fire crackling and floating above his pillow. Every inch of his skin hurts, and his muscles are pulsing in time with a too rapid heartbeat. He’s shaking, teeth clenched together to keep from chattering freely, but the blanket he’s got gripped up to his chin is doing nothing to ward of the chill that’s clinging mercilessly to his bones.

Yes, for Klaus, this feeling is painfully familiar. It’s a feeling that follows its stark contrast of airy nothingness, light bliss. This, now, this is withdrawal.

“It’s not withdrawal, Klaus.”

“Did I say that out loud?” Klaus asks, voice rubbed raw from a fitful night filled with hollow coughs.

“You’ve been mumbling for a while now.”

Ben’s voice, Klaus thinks with a frown, is laced with a familiar coat of concern—one that’s reserved just for him and his various fuck ups throughout his shitshow of a life. He groans, and the deep growl agitates his throat. He pushes himself up on one elbow and coughs harshly into his fist, his lungs rattling with each grating cough.

He catches his breath after a few, painful moments that feel like an eternity, and he pries his eyes open. Ben’s at his side, looking down at him with narrow, studying eyes and a furrowed forehead. His arms are crossed, but his fingers are twitching slightly, as if fighting off a need to reach out to Klaus.

Behind Ben, there’s a crowd of the dead—a woman with a noose hanging around her neck, a man in a hospital gown with an IV sticking out of his arm, a crew of three young gentleman with familiar helmets, faces covered in dirt and blood, dog tags…

Klaus shakes his head with a few, weak coughs and brings his focus back to Ben. “You shouldn’t eavesdrop on my dream-filled mutterings, dear brother,” Klaus says, a half-smile pulling across tired lips as he falls back against his pillow. “Can’t a man get some privacy?”

Rolling his eyes, Ben takes a seat on the edge of Klaus’s bed, and Klaus shivers a little harder at the chill that follows the deceased.

“You’re sick, Klaus. You should go get someone.”

“Or,” Klaus draws out, voice cracking, “I could stay here with my favorite, dead brother.”

“I’m not going to be the only dead sibling if you stay up here by yourself.”

There’s a flick of a thought that crosses Klaus’s mind—a thought that was a constant in his drug-riddled mind. Death. It’s something he desired, an out from his “ability,” as his father would call it.

“Klaus, get the hell up. Everyone’s downstairs.”

Ben’s voice cuts through his dark thoughts, and Klaus blinks up sheepishly as his brother. “Fine, fine, Benny Boy. I’m going.”

Getting out of bed is a new level of difficult. This, he thinks, definitely feels like withdrawal, but he’s clean—he’s been clean for two months, yet in those fifty-six days, the thought of a relapse, of consuming even the smallest of pills that will take the dead away, has been prominent around the headache in his mind. But he’s held off, not wishing to remain a disappointment.

Standing feels like he’s balancing on a surfboard that’s fighting against crashing waves. Everything’s spinning, and in seconds, he’s dripping in sweat despite his clacking teeth. “Shit,” he groans, bringing one hand to his head. “This, dear brother, fucking sucks.” A cough follows his words, and he stumbles toward the door. The floor’s rocking underneath his socks, and he has to stop and lean heavily against the doorframe to keep himself from toppling over.

“Klaus…”

Ben’s hands are hovering just inches from Klaus’s arms, and Klaus studies the pale hands for a moment before bringing his eyes to Ben’s.

“I’m good—just need a minute. Everything’s,” he stops, twirling his finger weakly in a circular motion, “all spinny.”

Ben remains at his side when he stumbles into Luther’s room to snag and oversized gray cardigan that swallows his slender frame, and his dead brother stays dangerously close when he climbs down the never-ending stairs with a grip on the bannister that’s tight enough to have his knuckles fading to a frightening white. He has to stop twice to sit and cough harshly until dark spots dance across his vision, but he makes it down without killing himself.

He can hear his siblings in a heated discussion in the living room, and when he enters, he goes unnoticed, even as he stumbles across the room to an unoccupied loveseat. He’s out of breath when he flops onto the cushion, and he pulls the cardigan over his mouth to mask the sharp, burning coughs that tremble out from his lungs.

“Is that my sweater?” Luther asks.

“Fuck off, Luther.”

Klaus raises one brow toward Ben, who’s leaning against the arm rest beside him, before he shrugs. “It’s warm.”

“It’s mine, and you just coughed all over it.” Luther squints toward Klaus, and Klaus shrinks further into the couch as if hoping the couch would open up and eat him—he would take anything to get away from that scrutinizing gaze he’s so accustomed to.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Are you sick, Klaus?”

Vanya’s voice is gentle, concerned, and Klaus aches to go toward that care, but Luther interjects before Klaus can explain himself.

“No, he’s just coming off drugs like usual. Diego, go check his room.”

“You fucking do it,” Diego snaps, glaring at Luther. “I don’t answer to you.”

“Diego,” Allison warns, doing her best to keep the peace between the two who are always at war with one another. “Klaus,” she continues, pulling her attention toward her other brother. “Did you take something?”

“No,” Klaus mutters around a cough. “I’m clean.”

“It’s okay if you did,” Allison starts, going a different route. “You can tell us—we just want to help.”

“Oh, wow,” Diego drawls out. “Allison the fucking saint. That’s new.”

“Watch it, Diego.”

Luther’s growl reverberates uncomfortably in Klaus’s head, and he whimpers quietly, pulling the cardigan over his head as his siblings begin to bicker. In a way, their loud voices, all fighting to be the loudest, to be heard, are worse than the ghosts who smother him with screaming and crying. Maybe because he can’t focus his mind to shut his siblings out—because they aren’t dead. They’re alive, and they are so fucking loud.

His head is throbbing. He can’t stop shaking, and he’s exhausted despite only waking a few minutes before. “Ben,” he whispers, coughing harshly into the arm rest of the couch while he moves both hands over his ears to block out the arguing. “Can you make them stop?”

He knows it’s an empty request because Ben can’t—his brother can only speak to him. But, below him, the couch begins to vibrate, and before he can remove the cardigan from his face to look, there’s a bellowing shout from his side.

“Shut the fuck up! Klaus is sick!”

The sounds of glass breaking and pictures falling mix in with Ben’s booming voice, and after, an uncomfortable silence covers the room. Slowly, Klaus moves the cardigan to see Ben sitting on the couch beside him and looking at the floor with wide, surprised eyes.

“Sh-shit, Ben,” Klaus mutters, but before he can reach out toward Ben, Five is popping in front of him, manifesting from the kitchen to the living room in the mere blink of an eye.

His other siblings are crowding behind Five, but Five only stares at the empty space where he assumes Ben is sitting before he pushes Klaus’s sweaty bangs back and slides his palm across Klaus’s forehead.

Five’s hand is cool, and Klaus leans into it, his eyes fluttering shut at the uncharacteristically gentle touch.

“Was that Ben?”

“How do we know this isn’t just withdrawal?”

“Five?”

“It’s not withdrawal,” Five says, moving his gaze back to the empty space on the couch where Ben’s seated, watching him. “It’s probably the flu—I don’t think he would have a fever this high with just a cold.”

“Fucking finally.”

“How do you feel, Klaus?”

Klaus has to blink a few times to ward off the graying darkness that’s creeping at the edge of his vision. He moves a slow gaze toward Vanya. “Dear sister, I feel like utter shit.” His tone is lackluster, missing its usual easy flare. He turns to cough into the cardigan while his siblings look to Five.

“Luther, carry him back upstairs. He probably won’t make the walk back up. Diego, check the master bathroom for medicine. Vanya and Allison, he’ll need to eat, but only something light unless you want to clean up his vomit. And, Ben,” Five shifts his gaze back to the couch, “stay with him.”

“Like I have a choice.”

Klaus has just enough energy to note the lack of sarcastic heat in Ben’s reply before he gives in to the darkness pulling at him with strong, large hands.

*****

“Klaus? Klaus, are you awake?”

Klaus feels as if he’s lying in a pool of ice yet he’s facing the sun that’s hovering right over him. He aches horribly, and going back to sleep is ideal, but he cracks his eyes open. “How’d you do it?”

Frowning, Ben cocks his head to the side. “What?”

“The poltergeist thing,” Klaus elaborates around a few coughs.

“I… I don’t know. I was just—I was pissed and worried.”

“Aww,” Klaus croaks out. “You did all that just for little old me?”

“Shut up, Klaus.”

[just-another-sickfic-blog]

Vanya getting sick and holing herself up in her apartment but completely forgetting to consider the Sibling Factor simply because they haven’t really been in each other’s lives for a while until they try to bust down her apartment door.

[mellifluousoctopus]

fun idea #4

ok so the Hargreeves being technically aliens will not leave my head and honestly hit me like a truck im gonna research immune systems just so i can do this concept justice.  so I propose some Sickfics prompts for the fandom

1) They have mixture of human and alien immune system and Reginald accounted for both with vaccines and inoculations making it very rare that they are sick and so when they are are sick its a Big Deal. Either because Reginald would worsen their training when they were sick or because its very worrying to be sick when it almost never happens. Which means:

           a) hargreeves sibling of your choice freaks out and motherhens their normal friend/children/partner over the simplest of sniffles

           b)Hargreeves sibling of your choice withdraws/refuses help until they ultimately collapse and have to cared for by their loved ones

          c)they don’t know they’re just sick and assume their dying

2) their immune system isn’t at all heightened but is only equipped for/use to reginald’s alien germs and the germs that pogo can pass on  due to their isolation from the rest of the world. Which means:

          a)sickness spreads through the house like wildfire and ends with a big snot filled cuddle pile

3) their immune system is uncooperative. the immune systems were pasted on spottily and don’t properly help them (in fact it might hurt them)  which means:

       a)they have alot of allergies and alot of strange ones at that, they’re always finding new ones with different reactions. A bad reaction happens to a hargreeves of your choice from something very pedestrian Queue the reactions anger, fear, laughing, confusion.

     b) hargreeves of choice doesn’t realize they were sick with something serious until they are dragged to the doctor because all the symptoms (which are pretty specific/odd/serious) are pretty normal for their allergies/everyday life 

   c) their immune system doesnt do a good enough job fighting something simple and common and they require medical attention/specific care for simple illnesses (**bonus if they think reg was being over the top and so when they first get sick after leaving it becomes a mess)

[ao3-whump-recs]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: The Umbrella Academy (TV) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves Characters: Diego Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Additional Tags: Good Brother Diego Hargreeves, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, Sick Klaus Hargreeves, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Pre-Season/Series 01 Summary:

Takes place when the Hargreeves are about 13.

After a long night in the mausoleum, a sick and freezing Klaus with nowhere to go ends up stumbling into Diego's room.

[the-ghost-of-jason-todd]

I JUST MADE AN UNHOLY NOISE

[softgreysentences]

Cough Syrup - TUA Fic

for the lovely anon that sent a couple prompts in - I'm saving the ask bc of those other ones too ❤

***

Klaus grimaced at the scrape of forks on plates and glasses on the table. It was one in a long line of awkward 'family breakfasts' and man did he wish he could leave, but he also didn't want to be the cause of another almost-apocalypse because he gave up on 'let's-fix-our-family-by-attempting-to-all-be-together-in-the-same-room-for-longer-than-ten-minutes' time. (Was that too soon? Probably. He didn't care.)

(What he wouldn't give for a smoke right now. Or teleporting abilities. Literally any excuse to leave the table would do the trick.)

Luther cleared his throat from the head of the table. Klaus didn't bother raising his eyes from his plate. "Anyone seen Five?"

Klaus wrinkled his nose and cast a glance around. Everyone was here, miraculously, but Five and his self-important chatter were mysteriously lacking. Huh. He didn't know whether to count that as a blessing or a curse.

"Maybe he's...sleeping in?" Even Diego didn't sound convinced.

"Pfft, Five? I'd say the only time he'd sleep in is the end of the world, but I'm pretty sure he'd be too busy trying to stop it." Klaus pushed his eggs around with his fork. The heavens had opened up and dropped this wonderfully convenient excuse to leave the table right in his lap, and who was he to deny to sweet allure of Fate? "I'll go check on him."

Diego grunted in his direction. No one else said anything. Ah, yes. Sibling bonding time is going wonderfully.

***

Klaus leaned on the door-frame, rapping the slightly-cracked-open door with his knuckles. "Yoo hoo, Five! Time to get up!" He sing-songed. A noise that sounded suspiciously like a groan came from the depths of Five's bedroom. He hoped it was Five, and that his lil' bro hadn't been struck by the fancy to kidnap some time-travelling-master-assassin and torture them within an inch of their life, because that's definitely what it sounded like. "I have coffee?"

Another groan, then Five's voice, barely audible and very painful-sounding. "Try again."

"I....will leave you alone and let you rot in your room by yourself until you waste away because you don't like accepting help?"

"Mm. Bingo. Please shut up."

"Sorry, buddy, no can do. If I have to suffer through those breakfasts, then so do you." He drummed on the door with his fingers before gently pushing it open. "Wakey wakey eggs 'n bakey!"

The subsequent groan sounded more fueled by annoyance than misery, which hey! Points for being a distraction for his brother in his time of need. He absently considered his good deed done for the day...that was, until Five sat up in bed.

"You-" Klaus twirled his finger before stabbing it in Five's direction. "-look horrible." And he really did. He looked like he'd picked a fight with his pillow and lost. His hair was a mess, his shirt clung to his skin with sweat, and his breath came out in little whistle-y wheezes.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Now can I go back to sleep?" Five's voice took on a whiny tone towards the end of the sentence. It was adorable. Klaus barely - barely - resisted the urge to tell him so. The thing was, he really did like all his limbs intact. Maybe it would be best to let him sleep it off, after all, but the room held that dark, stuffy feeling that came with being sick and lying in bed all day. Maybe he should crack open a window? But then, would it get too cold? How cold was too cold?? Why did he have so many questions???

Five snorted out a laugh. It sounded disgusting. "I can hear you thinking all the way over here. I'll be fine. Please go away before I make you."

"Hmph, fine. But this isn't the end of this!" Klaus whirled out of the room. "I'll be back!" he called behind him. Just before he rounded the corner to go seek out someone better versed in dealing with sick brothers (the one time he needed Ben and the ghost was absent like any positive role models in their formative years), he heard a quiet sigh and a muttered, sarcastic 'I'm counting on it'.

***

Ben, like the kind, amazing, wonderful, beautiful soul he was, knew where all the unexpired cold meds were in the house. The magic of being dead, he supposed, slamming the bathroom cabinet door closed with a satisfying smack. Time to get this party started!

Balancing the meds and a full mug of carefully-prepared tea (because Allison was also a kind, amazing, wonderful, beautiful soul but she still had trouble breathing sometimes so she couldn't risk getting sick with whatever crud Five had managed to catch and, as such, felt extremely guilty for not being able to help) was child's play in that a child could probably do it just fine, except this was Klaus and he had never really caught on to the 'hand-eye coordination' thing. The tangled skein of yarn kicked under his bed was a sad testament to that fact.

When he finally managed to get back to Five's room, he was met by the sound of soft, congested snores. He dumped everything on Five's desk before setting the mug down on the bedside table. Klaus made quick work of opening the curtains just slightly, letting a shaft of warm mid-morning sunlight stream in. Tasks done, he finally turned to the boy of the hour, Sleeping Beauty himself. He shook Five's shoulder gently. "Hey, c'mon. Allison made you tea. You gotta drink it so I can show my face downstairs without her getting on my case about not making you drink it all."

As to be expected, Five opened his eyes for the sole reason of pinning Klaus with his most aggressive death stare, eyes bloodshot and murderous. "Aw, don't look at me like that! I don't even have to be up here helping you in the first place, y'know."

The way Five's glare softened before his eyes filled with tears, however, was not to be expected. Klaus cursed quietly, panicking. "No, wait- I didn't mean it like that- please don't cry oh crap- Allison's gonna kill me-" Unsure of what else to do and mostly definitely caught like a deer in the headlights, he patted Five's messy hair as comfortingly as possible, his other hand hovering around Five's face. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? This is fine, you're fine, we're fine, everything's fine-"

Before Klaus could really register the movement, Five flipped to his other side, back facing Klaus, and pulled the covers over his head. "...Five?"

"Clearly you're too stupid to understand the most basic of requests, so I'll say it again. Go. Away."

Klaus bit his lip anxiously (How to fix this?? What was he even trying to fix??), looking up from Five to find Ben appearing as baffled as Klaus felt. "It's fine to cry, you know, it's-"

Five ripped the blanket back down so his face was visible, eyes alight with fury. "No, it's not fine! How many years did I spend trying to save the world and murdering people and I'm still weak." He spat. "You don't get it. You all just prance around like you don't even care if the world's ending or not or if we all die or not. Do you-" His voice broke. "Do you know what kept me going?"

It was one of the very rare times in his life where Klaus was speechless. Ugh, he hated that feeling. He scrambled for words. "Uh, was it-"

"It was seeing all of you again. It was being your brother." Five fell back onto his pillow. "I wanted you guys to be...proud of me. For saving us. For surviving. I wanted things to go back to how they were." His voice trembled. "Now I just feel like a burden."

"Hey, Five..." The pair of sad hazel eyes that turned on him were heartbreaking. "Aw, c'mere. You aren't a burden. If anything, I'm the burden. But nobody thinks that because deep down we all still love each other and we're all stupid people who can't talk to each other." He pulled Five up the bed, tucking the blanket around him and tugging him into the tightest, warmest hug he could summon up. He was sure the tea was going cold. Eh. He could re-microwave it later. Five, meanwhile, was doing his best to fully hide his face into Klaus's shoulder and sob his heart out, head tucked under Klaus's chin. Hey, he couldn't judge. Sometimes you just need a good cry, and if anyone needed some quality crying time it was definitely Five. "Yeah, s'okay, just let it out. There you go." It took several long minutes for Five to calm down, tears reduced to an even-more-snotty nose and red-rimmed eyes.

He sniffed pathetically. "Head hurts."

"Yeah, I know."

"Life sucks."

"You're so right."

"I should've just let the apocalypse happen."

"Well, I- I don't know about that one, I-"

"I wish I had a drink."

"Ohh-kay, time for self-pity is now over! As the legal adult in this situation I'm not supposed to let you say things like that!"

"I'm 58."

Klaus squinted in his direction. "13, 58, whatever. How much of that did you actually spend growing up?"

"I..."

"Exactly."

"...."

"...."

"You're annoying and I hate you."

"Love you too, little bro."

***

don't tag as ship or i eat u

[honeybee-babe]

So we’ve all agreed that Luther is definitely immunocompromised and Diego definitely doesn’t get a flu shot👀👀

and neither of them used an umbrella at daddy’s funeral 😶😶