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You were walking down the street at an unhurried pace, for once not being in a rush. Your life could be quite overwhelming sometimes, but no today. No, today was a day for you and only you. You'd started off by treating yourself to a nice breakfast, and then spent some time at your favorite bookstore. You were now headed back home for a good reading session.
You looked at the book in your hand, excited to get back to start it. As you lifted your gaze back to look at where you were going, your head twisted as someone familiar passed you by.
"Allison?!" you exclaimed, back tracking a few steps to get a better look. "It is you! Holy shit!"
"Y/N?" Allison paused when you called her name, and you saw the shock on her face as she recognized you. "It's been so long! How have you been?" she asked with a smile as she pulled you in for a hug.
A grin appeared on your face as you held her back. You hadn't seen her in years, but Allison used to be your best friend. It hadn't been easy being friends with a member of the Umbrella Academy, as they were never really allowed much of a social life. But you'd found a way, and you two had been incredibly close for a long time.
You had drifted apart when she moved away and became an actress, but you didn't blame her for it one bit. It wasn't anyone's fault, it was just the way life went sometimes.
"I've been good," you said as you let go of her and shook your head gently in disbelief. "I can't believe you're here. What brings you ba- Oh, shit. I'm sorry. I just remembered, your dad died. I heard about it on the news… I'm so sorry..." you trailed off, feeling embarrassed by the insensitivity of your question.
"It's fine. I mean, you know how he was."
You nodded. "Yeah, I know. But still, how are you doing?" you asked.
"I'm okay. It is a bit weird, being back here, seeing everyone again."
You nodded once again. "Ah yes, your siblings. How are they?" You went for a nonchalant tone, but weren't quite sure you sold it.
"Oh, you mean how's Klaus?" You gave her an indignant look and she laughed at your reaction, shaking her head slightly. "Come on, Y/N. I've always known you had this huge crush on him. It was obvious to absolutely everyone." You scoffed at that. "Except maybe to Klaus," she mused and you rolled your eyes.
"I do- did not have a crush on Klaus!" you exclaimed a bit too vehemently. "I was just wondering how your siblings were doing, like the good friend that I am!"
"Hmm, if you say so," she said with a laugh and you fought the urge to roll your eyes once more. Were you really that transparent? And not just now, but all these years?
"Are you busy right now? I'd love to catch up some more. Do you want to come back to the Academy with me?" she asked.
"Yeah, sounds great," you answered her with a smile.
You took a deep breath and tried not to overthink what might await you at the Academy and you started walking.
~
"Wow, this place hasn't changed one bit," you said as you looked around. You hadn't been here very often, only daring to come when completely certain that Sir Hargreeves wouldn't be present. But you still remembered a lot about it, as it had left quite an impression on you.
Allison hummed in agreement as she watched you take it all in. You made your way to the living room, engrossed by everything around you, not noticing the person laying on the couch in front of you.
"Y/N?" You jumped back in surprise as you finally saw the man in nothing but tight leather pants on the couch who had scrambled up at your approach. A wild grin made its way onto his face as he took you in.
"Klaus?" you said hesitantly and his smile grew.
He opened his arms and gestured at you. "Well, come on now! Get in there!" he exclaimed and you let out a little nervous laugh before complying.
Klaus had always been quite affectionate with you, and that certainly hadn't helped your… situation.
He really gives the best hugs, you thought, a smile forming on your face as you breathed him in. Then you saw Allison appear behind Klaus, giving you a knowing look and a small smirk, causing you to pull away and clear your throat awkwardly. "Right, um… it's good to see you, Klaus?" Your voice broke slightly out of nervousness and the statement came out more as a question than anything else. You cringed at the way you were acting. Why could you never just be normal around him?
"It is so good to see you, my dear. It's been way too long." The smile on his face turned a little softer as he plopped back down on the couch.
Allison came to stand beside you, and you finally took your focus off Klaus, remembering you weren't here for him. You made it a few steps before turning around and sending a little wave his way as a goodbye.
"God, you're so fucking cute," he mumbled.
You didn't hear it, but Allison did. She whirled around to face her brother. "What was that, Klaus?" she asked, the knowing smile back on her face.
Klaus looked panicked and he quickly backtracked. "What? Me? I didn't say anything! Not a single thing!" He made a gesture of keeping his mouth shut and Allison laughed, knowing very well what she'd heard.
"Actually, Y/N, could you wait here for a few minutes? I have to… call Patrick, yeah." At the look of confusion on your face, she elaborated, "My husband. Well, soon to be ex-husband. I have to talk to him about our daughter, Claire. I'll catch you up on all that after. Is that alright?"
"Of course," you agreed. A few minutes alone with Klaus wouldn't kill you, you could handle this.
"Great," she said, smiling, and she left the room.
You took a calming breath before making your way to the couch where Klaus sat.
"So," you started, Klaus' eyes on you making you nervous, but you pushed through. "What have you been up to all these years?"
"Oh, you know, this, that," he answered vaguely as he pointed at empty spaces, not wanting to delve into his checkered past with you.
He saw you deflate at his lack of answer and quickly added, "But what about you? I'm sure whatever you've done has been a lot more interesting than me."
You laughed at his poor attempt at changing the subject before answering. "Same as you, I'd say. Little bit of this, a lot of that," you teased with a small smile and he laughed with you.
"Okay, I get it, that was a lame answer," he said jokingly. "I just… would rather not talk about my past, if that's okay?" he added, a bit more seriously.
"Yeah, of course. Don't worry about it. Sorry I asked, it's none of my business, really," you agreed quickly.
"No!" he exclaimed and you raised a brow at him, surprised by his outburst. He winced. "That's not- that's not what I meant," he assured and you looked at him with a questioning look, willing him to continue. "I just don't want you to see me like that…" he trailed off.
"See you like what?" you gently asked, looking into his eyes.
"Like the piping hot mess that I am," he answered with a sheepish grin, gesturing at himself.
"Klaus, no offense, but I already know how you are." He winced and you shook your head quickly to indicate you weren't finished. "I know how you are, and that has never stopped me from caring for you. You don't have to hide who you are around me, I won't judge you, ever." The genuine smile and relief on his face made you smile back at him. You thought back to what he had just said and added curiously, "But wait, why do you even care what I think of you?"
He cringed slightly as he realized the implications behind what he'd said. "Oh that?" His hand flew in a wild gesture, and you backed away with a laugh as he almost knocked you with it in the process. "Well, I may have been carrying a teensy weensy torch for you all these years?"
You gaped at him, not willing to let yourself get happy before you confirmed. "Wait, are you being serious?"
"Dead," he said with a small hesitant smile, and you finally let yours appear on your face. You grabbed him and pulled him close to you in a passionate kiss. You couldn't believe you'd waited this long to finally do this.
You let your forehead rest against his as you gently pulled your lips from his.
"Well, that was unexpected," he huffed with a small laugh and you smiled. "I've been dreaming of that since the first time Allison brought you in here." Your smile grew at his words and you kissed him once more.
"Was it like in your dreams?" you asked cheekily when you pulled apart for the second time, this time putting a bit more space between you two.
"No…" he trailed off and you began to frown before he continued, "this was much better." He grinned and you playfully slapped his arm at the short term worry he caused you. He laughed as he grabbed the arm you'd used to hit him, pulling you close to him to lay your head against his chest.
He began to run his fingers through your hair, and you closed your eyes, enjoying the moment. After a little while, he spoke up again. "I want to be with you. Like really bad. But I don’t…I’ve never…been in a relationship and I’m going to make mistakes…I just need you to tell me. I need you to talk to me.”
You looked up at him, your eyes full of love. "Of course, Klaus. I want to be with you, too. It's gonna be okay, we'll figure things out as we go," you reassured him gently and he nodded, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. You smiled against his mouth before a realization hit you.
"Wait, where's Allison? She's been gone a really long time," you mused.
Klaus let out a laugh, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. "I'm pretty sure that her phone call was just an excuse to leave us alone. Give us the kick in the ass we both clearly needed."
"Hmm you're probably right. She was just teasing me earlier about my feelings for you. But how could she have known this would work? She didn't know how you felt, did she?"
He chuckled nervously before answering, "Ah, yeah, about that. I may or may not have said 'god, you're so fucking cute' after that adorable little wave you sent my way, and Allison may or may not have heard me, prompting her to immediately leave us alone."
You laughed wildly at his antics, placing another quick kiss to his lips before saying, "Well, I'm definitely glad she heard you."