terriblymisguided

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for ben

Sometimes Klaus wonders why he even bothers trying to sleep at home these days. Yes, he loves spending time with Obi-Wan, but they both need time to themselves, time to spend alone or be with other people. That space is important, and something that Klaus needs sometimes, but it's just so much easier for him to sleep at Obi-Wan's. That relaxing, cuddly son of a bitch.

Eventually, he gives up and rolls out of bed, slipping into a black silk robe before heading out into the hall. The house is quiet, so Klaus walks with light steps, maneuvering over the squeaky step near the landing. He heads for the kitchen to make himself some tea and a snack, but it isn't empty. Ben is sitting at the breakfast table and Klaus smiles a little at the sight of him. He finds comfort in it, too.

"Bored of sleep already?" Klaus teases, reaching out to ruffle his fingers through Ben's hair on his way to the cupboard. "Do you want some tea? It's sleepy time something or other. It has a bear in night cap on the box."

He holds it out in front of Ben's face to show him. "They can't have advertising like that without producing results."

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Ben snorts at the idea of stairs being a pain in the ass. He treasures every literal pain he gets, in the ass or the legs or anywhere. He loves stomachaches and insomnia. Sure, it sucks in the moment, but he loves that he gets to have it when as a ghost, he didn't get anything.

He still yanks his face away from Klaus' patting out of habit, but he doesn't mock-bite at his fingers, so he's improving from childish habits. "I don't know, it's crazy, but it's also better than home," he scoffs. "You can't tell me you're not happier here," is his pointed remark.

"Oh, I'm definitely happier here," Klaus says with a laugh. "That's the crazy part. We're trapped in this weird city full of magic and monsters and I have absolutely no desire to leave."

He hasn't said that out loud before, but it's true. As weird as it is, things are better here. All of his siblings are here (minus Diego, who Klaus still assumes is just dragging his feet and will show up eventually), all in one place and getting along. Ben is alive. He has Obi-Wan, which is this incredibly unexpected and wonderful thing. His sobriety is better, minus a few missteps here and there. Everything is just better.

There are two patio chairs on Klaus's small balcony, and he drops into one and gestures for Ben to sit in the other. He sets his mug on the ground and flips open the tin in his lap to pull out a joint, tapping it against his palm as he grins over at Ben. "I don't have to ask where you're happier."

It's not like Ben really gets a choice. He only gets to stay or be dead. It's not exactly stellar choices, so he'll obviously stick with the one that allows him to keep talking to his siblings, and have actual experiences. "I mean, obviously I'm happier here, but I also never made it into the light. Who knows what heaven would've been like?" he jokes.

Still, the settled smile on his face says it all.

He is happy. Happier than he'd ever been before, when he'd been weighted down by Reginald's disapproval and then, well, ghost-town, population him. Ben settles into the chair, tugging his hoodie a little snugger around himself. "I get to eat pizza here, this place wins," he promises.

"Very drab," Klaus replies, though he doesn't think what he saw was heaven. Reginald Hargreeves was there, so it couldn't have been. A strange purgatory, maybe. "Boring. It'd have to be."

He brings the joint to his lips and lights it, taking a long drag before turning his head to exhale over the balcony. Even watching Ben shiver and bundle up in his jacket brings Klaus a certain level of joy, because it's wonderful reminder of what he is now.

"And you get to flirt with girls," Klaus points out with a smirk. "Just thought I'd remind you, since I don't seem to see you doing it."

"At least until you show up," Ben teases, "then heaven will be a real party." He follows along and hugs the railing of the balcony, wrapped around it like he needs something to hold onto, and he's extra grateful for the proximity so when he blushes furiously, he's facing down.

"Wow," is the sarcastic deadpan, "I'm not flirting with girls in front of you? Can't imagine why, it's not like if I did, they'd all have eyes for you instead." It's not even physical looks. Klaus is just charismatic and magnetic in the same way that Ben is just sort of cute and dependable. He knows he'd be good for someone, but it's hard to outshine Klaus.

Klaus lets out a delighted laugh at that, nearly choking on the smoke in his lungs as he tosses his head back with it. Oh, Ben. Sweet, sweet Benjamin.

"It's adorable that you think that I'm getting into heaven," he gets out before exhaling up into the sky. "That ship sailed a long time ago, I think."

God told Klaus to his face that she didn't like him. Kind of shitty, actually, but how many people can say that?

"Yeah, when presented with two options, girls tend to go for the corporeal one." He rolls his eyes, and uses the two fingers holding the joint to point at Ben. "So, you're flirting with girls when I'm not around, then? You're out there tearing it up?"

"Yeah, but you didn't have a guy on the inside before," Ben says, his smile a little sad, because maybe Klaus is right, but Ben's not letting it go without a fight. "You deserve that kind of happiness and if I have to piss off some angels to make sure you're there, then I'm gonna do it."

Or he'll just sneak him in.

"Or the experienced one," Ben counters, sipping his tea, burying his face in the steam so that'll be the reason his cheeks are flush. "It's not, it's not flirting. I've just met some girls and we talk, that's all."

Klaus has very little to say to that, but only because he's genuinely touched and he still kind of freezes up like one of those fainting ghosts when he feels a positive emotion. He gives Ben a smile, soft and genuine, and nods a little bit before taking another drag from his joint.

If there is really a heaven, then no, Klaus doesn't think he'll be getting into it. Ben will, though. And Ben would fight for him, even after all he's done. He'd get in the face of God Herself, so Klaus doesn't argue with him. It's a nice sentiment.

"Look, I gotta know, do you think I'd try to take a girl from you?" Klaus asks, slightly exasperated. "Because I told you, I honestly had no idea about your crush on-- ugh, I know she had glasses. I wouldn't do that to you, man."

He rolls his eyes up towards the ceiling a bit and shrugs apologetically. "I wouldn't knowingly do that to you."

"Dude, no," Ben hurries to say. He doesn't blame Klaus for what happened with Jill, mainly because it's not like anything could have happened with Ben. He had a crush and sure, he got upset that she wasn't the person he thought, but that's not on Klaus.

What did he expect, in a very sex-positive cult, after all?

"Jill," he reminds him, but when he rolls his eyes this time, it's nothing but fond. "I possessed your body and we talked, but it would've been weird if we'd done more." Not that he hadn't thought about it, though, and okay, so he had kind of been going down that road...

It's not that he thinks Klaus would do it willingly. "You're just cooler than me, you know? Charismatic and flirting is something you're good at. You're charming and hot and people like that," he says, and it's objective because he's been around long enough to see it. "If you and me are standing side by side, I know I'm not getting the first look."

"Yeah, you and I have crossed a lot of lines, but that would have been a big one," Klaus says with a laugh. He would have gotten over it, though. His body's been used for much worse, after all.

"Of course I'm cooler than you." He shrugs and takes another drag from the joint, looking at his brother thoughtfully before turning his head to exhale. "But I'm also kind of a pain in the ass. I'm unpredictable, I sleep around, I never take things seriously."

He shrugs and settles back into his chair again, kicking his feet up to cross his ankles and rest them on Ben's thigh. "Some people like coffee, some like tea. There are plenty of girls out there that would see you and not look twice at me. Now that you're visible, that is."

After a moment, he lets out a quiet giggle. "That rhymed."

Ben's shifted so his knee is drawn to his chest as he rests the teacup on top of it, balancing precariously, giving Klaus a tenderly fond smile. "You're cool and a pain in the ass and unpredictable and fun," he puts a lot of emphasis on that one. "You really think I would've hung around and not walked into the light if you were boring?" he quips.

"Nah, I would've been out of here." His eyes are warm, and Klaus' impromptu poem gets a joyful laugh out of him. "You're stoned," he accuses, "because that wasn't that funny." Still, he's kind of grateful for the message at the heart of it. "I'm terrified of all of it. We were dad's superheroes and then I was dead. I don't know how to do any of that."

"You still laughed, though," Klaus points out, watching Ben as he takes another long pull from the joint. Ben's comment makes him feel warm and happy, because for as much as they can be a pain in the ass to each other, there's so much love there.

"You'll learn, Ben." He sits up and stubs the joint out in ashtray once it's burned down to his fingers, and then rests his elbows on his knees as he looks at his brother. "You were on the outside watching for so long, and to suddenly be a part of it all must be terrifying, but you'll get the hang of it. I have no doubt."

Klaus pats Ben's knee and then stands up to toss his arms out to the side. "Now give us a hug."

Yeah. He did laugh. That's totally on him, because he's not stoned, so what excuse does he have? It's not like he owes Klaus to make him think he's funny, but he thinks he'd probably still do it anyway. Ben groans when Klaus asks for a hug, even if he knows he'll do that, too, and sets the teacup aside.

"Only because we're overdue on some brotherly affection," he says, which is bullshit, he'd do this anytime he's not pissed at Klaus, and hugs him tightly, burying his face into Klaus' shoulder to hide how nervous he is about all the stuff he missed.

It scares him, and he doesn't like admitting it.

"You gonna be my mentor?" he teases, when he eases back.

"Yes, only because of that," Klaus says dryly, but he can't help the grin that spreads across his face as Ben steps forward to hug him. Klaus wraps his arms around Ben in return, clapping him once on the back before simply hanging on tight and marveling" over the fact that this is something they can do now. S

"I'll do my best, but I'll know you'll be fine," Klaus assures him, hooking his chin over Ben's shoulder. "It'll be a hell of an adjustment period, but we're all here for you, man."

When Klaus finally pulls away, he goes over to his bed and climbs in, tossing the covers back in invitation. Sometimes they wind up in the same bed like they're little kids and not men in their early thirties, but that's okay. Ben used to live in his head, so sharing a bed is nothing. And if sometimes it makes the both of them feel a little more settled, that's okay too.

Ben rolls his eyes, makes a face that includes wrinkled up nose and his eyes shut tight like he's going to be mad about it, and then he climbs right into bed because he's not going to give up a good old-fashioned brotherly cuddle, not when they're both in a good mood.

Besides, if this actually helps to sleep?

"Don't steal the blankets," he warns, "or I'll knee you in the stomach to get them back."

"Yeah, yeah," Klaus yawns out, shifting around and tossing his arm over Ben's middle as he curls in close and tucks his face into the warm curve of Ben's neck. With Ben no longer residing in his head, this is about as close as they can get.

He doesn't think either of them could be blamed for wanting it, even if they never talk about why.

"Sweet dreams, idiot," Klaus says fondly, reaching up to cover Ben's face with his hand and let out a loud snore just under his ear. "I love you."

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