#handlcd

[theseance444]

New Beginnings - Closed Starter for @handlcd

In which Klaus goes to live with Lila and Co after getting sober, instead of Allison.

(( may contain depictions of addiction, recover, and everything that comes with it. Posts will be tagged. ))

If there was one thing Klaus Hargreeves knew for certain, it was that he was no longer immortal. That much had been proven.

Despite his powers being gone, Klaus's body and mind had become heavily dependent on substances. Without Ben to talk him into the right path, and most of his family busy making lives for themselves, Klaus had fallen back on old habits. But without his powers, it had taken a much heavier toll on his body than he'd expected. The third New Years Eve in this timeline, he'd overdosed hard. Never had he more clearly stared his mortality in the face, than when waking up in a hospital a week later. For the first time in his life, Klaus had been scared straight.

After a month in the hospital, and another five in rehab, Klaus could now say he was six months sober. It had felt like a lifetime. But after passing all his weekly blood tests, opening up in group therapy, and learning about all the things in the world that could now kill him, Klaus was ready for the next step. Maybe.

This wasn't the first time Lila had picked him up from rehab. Hopefully it was the last. Leg bouncing anxiously in the passenger seat, Klaus was focusing on counting his breaths. Diego had only barely agreed to let him stay with them, just until he was on his feet again. But what if he fucked it up again? History is the greatest factor in predicting future actions. And his track record was not great. He stood on the precipice of losing everything for good, or completely changing his life. The pressure felt insurmountable.

"What if the kids don't like me?" Klaus blurted out, hands crinkling around his brown paper bag. "Or what if they like me too much, and I'm a bad influence?"

[equationsoff]

@handlcd asked: “  who  did  this  to  you  ?  ”

the handprint around his throat did not need further attention from the family. neither did the other bruises. especially if he wants to keep them safe. it's why he had blinked to his room the moment he noticed them all eating in the kitchen. five had hoped to avoid any attention until he could hide the marks under his shirt and jacket. this is what he gets for agreeing to wearing normal teenager clothes outside.

lila must have heard the familiar thwump of his powers and mirrored them to follow him. which means either he's about to get betrayed and her tell his family he's off doing shit without them again or she'd not say a word and he'd have to tell her everything.

" you're not going to like the answer. "

[thenightmareofyourdrems]

@handlcd sent: i saw what you did.

                   ˜”*°•.     Shit .  he  assumed  this  was  the  problem  with  having  a  rather  big  family ;  they  were  everywhere .

❝ And  yet ,  you’re  NOT  going  to  tell  anyone . ❞

[cardsknight]

@handlcd said "Fear is the loneliest feeling." // Accepting

How many times had he seen that face and heard that voice in his dreams? Always in dreams -- and no matter how real those dreams may seem in the moment, he at least had solace in knowing he had never actually physically met the woman in the real world. But right now? Right now, that validity was called into question and he wasn't entirely sure the subway he had stepped into moments ago had actually been a dream.

Well shit.

Whichever version of the woman this was, she didn't look like she was having the greatest time and damn Cards and his bleeding heart ...

"That's ... deep," he started carefully, somewhat awkward in his own right as he dug his hand a bit deeper into the pockets of his cardigan. "I mean, I get it though. Pretty much everybody feels fear of something on some level. Sometimes, when you're afraid of something, it kinda feels like you're the only one who is ... until you find someone else with the same fear ... or fear adjacent, I guess... then it feels ... less lonely? So at least you don't have to be scared alone ... or something ..."

With a deep sigh, leaned back against the wall, shoulders connecting to tile. "... are you ... feeling scared of something?"

[somethingbcrrowed]

( @handlcd continued from here.)

"A gem, huh? No, but.. I kinda like it. Gems're all sparklyyyy an' valuableeee an'-- ey!"

There's a grunt of mock-dissatisfaction when she takes the bottle of wine from him, immediately followed by a somewhat giddy chuckle. He's already more than half gone, and there are still two unopened bottles sitting on the floor beside him.

As she drinks he lays his head back against the leathery sofa, eyes gazing up at the ceiling as if it were a twinkling night sky as two fingers delved into the pocket of his jeans for his zippo and pack of cigarettes.

Fishing them out, he said, "Y'know, Li'... F'it makes ya feel any better.. I don't think yer crazy. At all."

He smiled a little, then immediately turned his gaze to his cigarette pack instead as he plucked one out and placed it between his lips to light it.

[ordinariums]

@handlcd continued from here /

The fam had been better recently - at noticing. Diego willing to tie him up to get him sober enough to conjure Dave, Five clocking his little trip to the Vietnam War, and Viktor had surprisingly come into himself a hell of a lot more this past run. As chaotic as they were, they were coming together as a family. More or less. Which meant that one of them, surely, would notice Lila's spiral and would surely try and help. In the meantime, though, she's stuck with him. Klaus. Who would give her all the alcohol she needs, and the kindness of at least not being alone.

"The guy has a truckload of them; seriously, you open the box and they're piled to the top with those weird .. packaging foam balls in there. You know, the ones that look like delicious marshmallows." And Klaus is in giggles at the concept. "Why? No idea! But it's good news for us. Finally, a beverage fit for the end of the world!" He takes the bottle, bringing it to his own lips. Not much point worrying about cooties in their situation, right?

"So, you wanna tell me why you've gone all Godzilla on the room? I mean - what possible reason was there to destroy such a beautiful painting. Giraffes, with their long necks and small heads - did they really deserve the rath of Lila Pitts?"

[delcres]

@handlcd continued from here

it's lucky that lila's already passed delores' vibe check, because otherwise she'd have already pulled her gun. "are you-" yes. yes, she was shielding her. just in time too; delores hadn't noticed the threat yet, not until bullets rang in the air. del manages to get behind a rock, yanking lila's arm to pull her down with her.

and great. now she has blood on her as well as dust. she had just found this outfit.

"thanks." she says quickly, and it's only to get it out of the way - and to be polite. "are you from here? you don't seem that fussed to have wondered into a warzone."

[peaceinthelight]

@handlcd asked: "This was a mistake."

"ouch." and he's only half kidding when he says that. half offended. but that's mostly because the other half of him is still trying not to be offended. he's not sure if that's a battle he's going to win or lose, but for now - he tries to shove it all to the side to actually address lila.

"yeah, i'm gonna need you to take it from the top for me. why do you think this was a mistake?"