The joke makes something twist in the pit of his stomach, even if he’s careful not to show it. After knowing Klaus for over six years, he has come to know the cadence in his voice, when he’s joking and when he’s attempting to use humor to hide how he must be feeling. There’s nothing humorous about the way he responds, if anything he sounds serious about it, and it makes alarm bells go off in his head. Klaus has become an integral part of their family, of his own life, and the sudden need to protect them both swells in his chest so strongly that for a moment he can barely breathe.

He just watches him, though, his stance casual as if this conversation isn’t as heavy as it is. As if the ghost of his father isn’t in this kitchen, as if the massive storm cloud that he and Allison will be venturing into isn’t looming by, threatening everything they hold dear.

“I know this is a crazy concept, but...why even go, then?” Patrick can’t wrap his head around it, can’t comprehend why they’re flinging themselves back to a world neither of them even want to go back to. Allison purposely doesn’t work out of New York. Klaus hasn’t gone back since Allison managed to convince him to come live with them in California. Nothing of what they’ve said about their past has been good, so why even do it?

He’s careful to keep his tone normal, though, treading lightly. His attempt to have this same discussion with Allison had gotten him nowhere, and she had been quick to shoot him down, walls and defenses that she had never used on him before suddenly going up as the old Allison surfaced, but if Klaus can be honest about not going, maybe it’ll be different with him.

“There’s nothing that says you have to go, Klaus. Based on what you’ve shared, you don’t owe your father anything. Even now.”