Fireproof

Klaus sat near the open window of their little kitchen and stared outside with one leg brought up to his chest while the other swung loosely off the side of the seat. He had one hand hanging out the partially opened screen with a cigarette between his fingers. He would inhale deeply from it then blow the smoke out the window.

The house was surprisingly quiet today, even Kenzie was wrapped up in her playhouse rather than running around, talking and yelling whenever she felt like it. He didn’t know where Ben was, maybe with Liev? Ben enjoyed poking around in their life and would often bounce around between their house and the apartment. The ghosts were manageable now, and he found that he was able to push them away if they started getting inside. Sometimes he would still wake up to find them screaming at him but other than that, he could handle them.

Klaus struggled with the silence more than anything else, he was able to handle the hectic mornings bouncing work, play, and spending time with the toddler. The only time he slept well was when he was exhausted or in pain, or both so his current lifestyle was something he could adapt to. But as he stared out the window, his mind would wonder and then he would be someplace else – he could feel his heart begin to pound and he shook himself.

He flicked away the last of the cigarette, attempting to come back to the moment – thinking that he should put on a movie, add some noise to the house. He had just shut the window when there was a knock at the front door. He sighed and looked through the peephole – it was Leon.

He opened it with a smile and waved a palm out, “Bonjour!” Then he added a mumbled string of French sounding words that sounded a lot better in his head.

Leon gave him a weak smile, he was leaning against the door frame “Hey, Klaus, mind if come in?”

“Not at all! Ben’s fff-“ He waved away the word and continued, “Off somewhere – probably creeping on a firefighter or whatever he does and Kenz’ is so tied up in her dollhouse drama that she’s definitely not going to talk to her old man until her tummy starts rumbling –“ He backed into the kitchen to let his boyfriend in, Leon moved slowly inside and shut the door.

Klaus tilted his head, inspecting him then walked up and kissed him, Leon reciprocated. When Klaus pulled away, he chuckled, “Hitting that Irish coffee early this morning, are we?” He said waving away the imaginary fumes coming off the other man.

Leon shrugged, “Sorry about that, I didn’t have to go into work today so I figured – why not, you know.”

“Why not!” He agreed. He felt a tension in the air that he couldn’t quite place.

“Listen, Klaus, I need to talk to you.”

There it is.

“Ooh, sounds serious – Coffee?” He asked, holding up a pot.

Leon shook his head, he had one hand on the back of the chair and seemed to be keeping his eyes away from Klaus. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Suit yourself!” Klaus poured himself a cup of warm coffee and took a sip, grimacing at the stale taste, “So, grown up talk? I’m assuming.”

He sighed, “Look, I just need to know – Who was that guy coming to your apartment the other night? On Halloween.”

Klaus thought about it for a moment, then his face lit up and he laughed, “Oh my god! That must have looked so bad! No, no, no, that was just my brother, Diego – He was meeting Kenzie! Oh, it was lovely – I wish you could have seen it!”

Leon raised an eyebrow, “Your brother. Diego?” He stated his voice dripping in skepticism.

Klaus took another comfort sip of the old beverage and winced, “Yeah – I haven’t seen him in years!”

“You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?”

Klaus made a face, “We’re adopted – don’t get weird about it.”

It didn’t take him very long to realize that Leon had come over looking for a fight. And maybe he should have been more concerned about the slight drunkenness but even with Leon’s jealous nature and delicate ego he had always been particularly docile, at least compared to Klaus’ exes. Sometimes he wondered if Leon even actually liked him – or If he was so consumed by the idea of taking someone broken and fixing them that all he could see what the image he had created in his own mind.

Klaus’ mind wondered as they fought, his sister’s words repeating in his head “Maybe you’re attracted to people who are cruel to you because you unconsciously recognize the patterns that dad instilled in us and it’s familiar and comfortable to you?”

Was that what was happening? How would he know? Leon wasn’t cruel – he was an asshole sometimes but so was Klaus. And maybe Klaus was using him too, wanting to have another parent, someone who was stable and good with practical things. Maybe someone who would let them move into a home one day before Kenzie got old enough to realize what a shitshow her father’s lifestyle was. He was lost in his thoughts when Leon snapped his fingers in front of his face.

“Klaus!”

He jumped, “Sorry, I wasn’t listening – what were you saying?”

And maybe Klaus truly should have been paying more attention to the conversation because when Leon’s fist impacted his face he stumbled backwards, legitimately shocked.

“Shit…” He muttered, more surprised than angry.

He brought his hand up to his face and wiped away at the blood now trickling out of his no doubt broken nose, he inspected it and looked back towards his boyfriend, “Oh my god – you hit like an accountant.” He said through a fit of giggles.

“Incurably Insolent” He heard his father’s voice through the ringing in his ears.

Klaus didn’t know why he laughed but as Leon grabbed the front of his shirt and pressed his back against the counter he continued to grin, zoning out while the other man was yelling at him an inch from his face. It wasn’t until he heard a little voice through his heart pounding in his ears that terror began to well up in his chest.

“Hey, hey, stop it!” He snapped, coming back to earth and immediately trying to pry the other man’s fingers off of his shirt.

Leon didn’t let go, shaking him in response. Klaus turned his face away and tried to wriggle out of his grip. He saw Kenzie out of the corner of his eye, and everything started to crumble away as she toddled closer to the dangerous scene, curiously. His mind flashed with the most horrible images and he whimpered, attempting to kick the other man away.

“Kenzie. Kenzie, no!” He begged.

But it was too late, she reached out and a moment later Leon’s entire body erupted in flames. Simultaneously, there was a blue flash of light that erupted from Klaus’ palms and Leon was thrown backwards through the wall and into the hallway with a scream. Klaus collapsed against the counter then twisted around and grabbed the toddler, pulling her to his chest and rushing into the living room. She was still on fire and Klaus could feel his skin blister and pop throughout his torso but he didn’t let go.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” He repeated over and over again, wiping her face and rocking her gently as they listened to the other tenants putting Leon out and calling the cops and the fire department. Klaus didn’t let go even when people started to arrive at their apartment.

*****************************************************************

“Hey, you still with me?” Ben whispered softly. He stared attentively at his brother.
They were sitting with their shoulders pressed together in the very back corner of Kenzie’s room. The lights were out and the toddler had just fallen asleep across their laps, laying on a big fire resistant blanket and cuddling her teddy bear. Lullaby music played gently in the background while they huddled together in the corner on the floor.

Klaus’ face was blank, eyes stuck in an unfocused gaze at the open air. He had a small strip across his broken nose, bits of blood and bruising still spread out from the center of his face. He was shirtless, bandages wrapped around his midsection and his forearms where the worst of the burns occurred.

The only indicator of what was happening in his mind was the trembling of his hands every time he moved. Ben had dealt with Klaus after many less than healthy relationships but never sober and he was on edge, worried that at any moment his brother might snap and run.

The shitshow outside was enough to crack anybody, let alone a recovered addict. A mixture of cops, the landlord, EMTs and firefighters milling around in their space asking questions and taking statements. Ben had never been more grateful for the Chief than today, things had been spiraling out of control as the cops started asking questions and poking holes in the statement when she showed up. In typical Alvarez fashion, she regained control of the situation, backed up claims, kept Klaus quiet and within thirty minutes had resolved any remaining questions or accusations.

In the end, no one blamed Klaus for the incident (Except the landlord) and no one suspected that Kenzie could spontaneously combust. It could have gone a lot worse.

“Klaus?” Ben repeated, speaking in a hushed tone.

Klaus blinked and looked over at his brother, eyes still far away, “Hm?”

“Don’t spiral on me, okay? Everything’s going to be fine – she’s going to be fine. She won’t even remember this.”

Klaus huffed, a humorless smile on his face, “No, it’ll tuck away in the corner of her subconscious and then rear its ugly head when she’s 17.”

Klaus rolled his head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling then his eyes squeezed shut and he bit his lip. Ben looked away as tears started to fall down his brother’s face and he whimpered, trying to hold back a sob. Despite everything, Ben could count on one hand the amount of times he had seen his brother cry after the age of 13, like really cry, not the crocodile tears or the tears for effect or the misty eyes that came through every time he watched Big Hero
Six.

Unsure of how to handle this, Ben simply laid his head against his brother’s shoulder and let him cry. He didn’t look up, even when Klaus finally spoke in a broken voice.

“I thought he was going to—” Klaus face screwed up again and he couldn’t finish the statement.

Ben didn’t want him to.

“Well, he didn’t. And like any good toxic love letter he was set on fire.” He paused, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there and I’m sorry—” Ben was going to say that he was sorry he didn’t see the signs but honestly, when Klaus wasn’t home Ben was with the baby – he wasn’t involved with his brother’s dating life and had just trusted him when he came home and told him about all the nice things about Leon. Ben had believed him.

“But, hey – listen to me, we don’t need him, we never did. At the end of the day, it’s always going to be you, me and Kenzie and we’ve been through a lot worse than this, okay?”

Klaus shook his head, “We don’t need him…”

“Yeah, fuck that guy –“ Ben meant it too - If he could have let the horror go wild on Leon for just five seconds it would have been all over with.

His brother inhaled deeply, “Just you and me against the world. Four and Six.” He closed his eyes, “And the chief. And the fire department. And Vanya. And Diego… And that doctor we paid off to put on welding gear and give Kenzie her shots.”

Ben laughed, “Well, when you put it like that…”

Klaus smiled “That doctor was a trooper…” Then he lolled his head against Ben’s shoulder, “I want a drink so badly I feel like my head is going to explode.” He admitted under his breath.

“Maybe you should stay in tonight.”

Klaus looked down at his daughter and hummed, “Don’t think we’re going anywhere any time soon.”

Ben watched his brother for several moments while they fell into a comfortable silence. “Are you okay?” He asked simply.

Klaus looked away from him, “I mean, I almost let some random asshole hurt the only person who I’ve ever truly loved more than myself so…” He shook his head.

“Look, in your defense- which you know I never say - it wasn’t your fault he did that. I know sometimes you make excuses for people but there’s no excuse for what he did - You didn’t deserve that. Don’t get me wrong - you’re a dumbass of epic proportions sometimes -” Ben smiled, “But that doesn't mean you deserved to be treated like that.”

Klaus chuckled, bumping up against his brother gently as not to jostle the toddler between them. “I’m not doing that again - Like you said, Casper, it’s our family against the world - everybody else?” He flipped off the door, “Can shove it.”

It was a few minutes later when Vanya, Sophie, and Diego cautiously entered the room. Ben was glad to see them although Klaus’ eyes seemed to wander to the floor when they came inside.

Vanya was on her knees next to them a moment after, looking over her niece worriedly then moving to her bandaged brother. “Soph told me what happened, Klaus are you okay?”

He nodded, and smiled tiredly.

The chief was standing over them, her arms crossed, others may have assumed that she was angry but Ben could recognize that she was just concerned, her mind already looking for solutions.

Diego was tensely standing in the doorway, he had the 30 day eviction notice in his hand, surveying the scene.

“Rough day, huh? Look, I can’t do anything about what already happened but I can tell you that we’ll help you find another place and furnish it. Do you think you’ll need a restraining order against him? How much did he see?”

Klaus shrugged, “I don’t know.” He sighed.

Vanya looked up at the firefighter, “Maybe we can take it easy tonight?” She turned to her brother, “Maybe pizza?” She nodded encouragingly and Sophie took the hint.

“Yeah, we’ll call some pizza - I got the stuff in my truck to patch up that hole. At least well enough that you won’t have to worry. Vanya’s right, we can work on the rest of it tomorrow.” She turned slightly to Diego, “You sticking around to help, mask boy?” She said with a smirk.

“I’ve got someplace to be.” He paused, “Unrelated, do you know what hospital they took the guy to?”

Sophie raised an eyebrow.

“What? I’m just curious.”

“I’m going to call for delivery then I’ll start on that wall.” She ignored him.

Vanya watched her leave with a soft smile, then she pulled a piece of what looked like old mail from her pocket. She scribbled something on it quickly and handed it up to her brother. He hesitantly took it and read it, he nodded sharply. “Thanks.” He murmured.

His eyes moved over Klaus, Ben and Kenzie in the corner, hovering over his brother’s bruised face. “Call if you need anything.” he said then promptly turned on his heel and left the apartment.

Vanya turned back to her brothers, “I’d like to stay over for a while, if that’s okay?” She glanced back towards the door, “Sophie probably would too.”

Klaus hummed, “Why, yes, I would like some lesbian guards for the night, thanks for asking.” he grinned and nudged his brother, “We’re going to be fine, Benny boy.”

Vanya very carefully pulled Kenzie off of their laps and they tucked her back into to bed. Klaus whispered one last apology to the sleeping child then went back to the main area with the rest of his family.

He had no idea what was coming in the future and the thought made him want to curl up and hide but he let his brother’s words repeat over and over though his head

At the end of the day, it’s always going to be you, me and Kenzie

***************************************************************************************

Diego waited patiently for Leon to leave the hospital, he was walking stiffly, no doubt due to the burns that littered the right side of his body but other than that he seemed fine. Diego walked casually up to him and pulled a firm arm around him, leading him towards the back of the building.

“What the -”

Diego stuck a knife to his back as a warning to shut up, “We’re just going for a little walk, pal.” He twisted it and the accountant whined.

As soon as he was out of sight of the parking lot he twisted the other man around and slammed him into the concrete wall. He had a knife pressing down on his throat a second afterwards. “Listen up, you little shit - If you get near my niece or my brother again I will flay the skin off of your body and feed it to you. You understand?”

“Help!” He screamed but it was cut off by a knee to his groin.

“I said, do you understand me?!” Diego snapped.

Leon nodded, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I understand--” He stuttered out, shuddering as the edge of the knife seared into the top layer of his skin.

“That's good!” He took the knife away and Leon slumped forward as the pressure was taken away from his throat.

Diego pulled back then landed a brutal, striking punch to the middle of the man’s face. Leon’s head snapped back as his nose was broken and he slid down, holding his bleeding face.

Diego sighed and wiped off his knife, he pointed it at Leon, “And if you ever tell anybody about this?” He made a slicing motion in the air, “I’ll kill you, capiche?”

Leon nodded desperately.

Diego turned away and slipped away into the night.