Hearing Allison's voice almost brings tears to his eyes, because she sounds warm, she sounds happy, and for a second Klaus can close his eyes and pretend that, for a brief moment in time, everything is just fine. That this phone call is just routine, like the way they used to sit, shoulder to shoulder on her bed, whispering and gossiping.
"Oh, I couldn't let another day go by without reminding you of my absolute greatness. Without it in your life, you might shrivel up and wither away. We can't have that, Miss Movie Star. Wrinkles would be a very bad look on you."
It takes everything in him to calm the edgy, biting panic that seems to flip and roil at the sound of her voice. Allison has always been a symbol of safety for Klaus, has always been something steady and trustworthy and safe, and it's no different now. Now as he shivers in the phone booth, his voice tired from screaming, his body sore from sleeping rough, his head aching from the lack of food, of water, and too many drugs.
"Little old me?" Klaus laughs easily. "I'm better than okay, Al, you know that. I'm the grandest in all the land."
Please come home, is what he wants to say, the words biting at his tongue. I'm afraid. I'm cold. I don't know what to do. Please help me. But he doesn't have enough time. The coins in his pocket will only get him a handful of minutes, especially long distance, but he feeds the remainder of his change into the slot, trying to keep the metal-on-metal sound to a minimum. After all, he should be calling her from the Academy, not the street. Five minutes. He has five minutes with her before the operator cuts him off.
"I had some pocket change and thought I'd call you on my evening jaunt. Did I wake you up? I can't keep track of the time differences, but you should be honored I called at all. How are you, Al?"
If she's making it, if she's happy, then that will be enough, won't it? If she can throw herself into the wilds of the west and come out on top, why can't he figure this out? He can. He has to. "How's the great world of Hollywood? Have your face on Rushmore yet?"
"Oh good, because I did need that reminder." She smiles as she says it, the fondness and the love she feels for her brother audible in her voice. Without even noticing, she holds onto the phone a little tighter, as if that will bring Klaus closer to her. As if somehow they're not across the country from each other, after being each other's safety in so many ways for so damn long.
God, she misses him so much. She is aware of that piece of herself that she knows it's missing, no matter how much she has been trying to get lost in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. It's never really satisfying, never truly good enough. One day she'll realize it's because she's not really herself, not really, and that she misses her family more than she'll ever be ready to admit. But, god, in this moment...if she could somehow show up there and hug him, she would. She also probably wouldn't let go without at least attempting to drag him with her back to Los Angeles. She still regrets not insisting more, she hates that she gave up so easily. Some days she even hates not Rumoring him to come with her. But...she had respected his choice, even if it makes her miss him every damn day.
The sounds of the coins make her frown again, but Klaus is quick to say he was just out and about and decided to call her. Which is believable enough, even when she was there Klaus knew well enough how to sneak out to 'find' what he needed to get, so...maybe he's on one of those outings. The concern for him doesn't disappear at that, though, because Allison will never stop worrying about him. Not really. Not when she will be forever afraid of the phone call being someone else, giving her news that she's not ready to hear.
"No, no you didn't wake me. I was just reading something, nothing important."
It really isn't. It doesn't hold a candle to this, and she'll be quick to tell him as much if she needs to.
"I'm good. I'm finally working in what I want to do, and it's been good. Not what I expected," she admits with a huff of a laugh, one that is a little more wry than humorous. "But things are looking up. I have a place you can crash whenever you're finally ready to take me up on my offer." She says it teasingly, gently because she doesn't want to come across as pushy. But...well. She can't help it. "I miss you, Klaus."
Klaus stays quiet for the first time in a long time, listening as she tells him about her life there in California. The huff of a laugh in her voice, no matter how wry, fills his chest with warmth. She sounds good, she sounds vibrant and alive, and if he could have wished anything for his sister, it would be that.
"I miss you, too, Al," he breathes out in a chuckle and he sinks back against the wall of the phone booth, tipping his head back so it rests against the glass. "New York's just not the same without you, but that's no surprise. Can't take the star of the city away and expect it to be just as bright."
He smiles to himself, looking down as he toes at the duffle bag, trying to muster the courage to tell her exactly what's going on. "Oh you bet your bottom dollar I'll come visit, you know. But are you sure Los Angeles is ready for two Hargreeves? It looks like they're already over the moon with the presence of one."
Klaus knows that he'll never make it out there, and he's sure that she knows that, but the bus ticket alone is too expensive. But it's a nice dream, to think he could cart himself off and see her whenever he wished. "I'll wait for you to get settled first. I would hate to interrupt your perfect Hollywood life." There's a grin in his voice, and were she beside him now, he might even waggle his eyebrows.
But that's the thing, isn't it? Moving out there means putting himself into her life, means interrupting the career path she has delicately crafted for herself. He doesn't fit there, doesn't belong in that life. It's with a sinking realization that he knows he belongs where he is now, in this cold, smelly phone booth. What if he had been able to harness his abilities, to overcome the sickening fear that lurks at the edges of his existence? Would he have been able to go with her then? Forge his way and not trip her up along the path?
"I don't have a lot of time," he says finally, voice breaking a little. "Just nipping out to the bar. Thought I'd grab a drink or two, chat up the locals, bat my eyelashes at a pretty little thing." And that's what he's going to have to do, he knows. Bat his eyes and put the moves on someone who might be willing to drag him into their bed for the night. Anything, really, to get out of the cold. And if it ends up being fun, then even better. "But I wanted to hear your voice. It's a good voice, by the way."
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"Oh, I couldn't let another day go by without reminding you of my absolute greatness. Without it in your life, you might shrivel up and wither away. We can't have that, Miss Movie Star. Wrinkles would be a very bad look on you."
It takes everything in him to calm the edgy, biting panic that seems to flip and roil at the sound of her voice. Allison has always been a symbol of safety for Klaus, has always been something steady and trustworthy and safe, and it's no different now. Now as he shivers in the phone booth, his voice tired from screaming, his body sore from sleeping rough, his head aching from the lack of food, of water, and too many drugs.
"Little old me?" Klaus laughs easily. "I'm better than okay, Al, you know that. I'm the grandest in all the land."
Please come home, is what he wants to say, the words biting at his tongue. I'm afraid. I'm cold. I don't know what to do. Please help me. But he doesn't have enough time. The coins in his pocket will only get him a handful of minutes, especially long distance, but he feeds the remainder of his change into the slot, trying to keep the metal-on-metal sound to a minimum. After all, he should be calling her from the Academy, not the street. Five minutes. He has five minutes with her before the operator cuts him off.
"I had some pocket change and thought I'd call you on my evening jaunt. Did I wake you up? I can't keep track of the time differences, but you should be honored I called at all. How are you, Al?"
If she's making it, if she's happy, then that will be enough, won't it? If she can throw herself into the wilds of the west and come out on top, why can't he figure this out? He can. He has to. "How's the great world of Hollywood? Have your face on Rushmore yet?"
no subject
God, she misses him so much. She is aware of that piece of herself that she knows it's missing, no matter how much she has been trying to get lost in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. It's never really satisfying, never truly good enough. One day she'll realize it's because she's not really herself, not really, and that she misses her family more than she'll ever be ready to admit. But, god, in this moment...if she could somehow show up there and hug him, she would. She also probably wouldn't let go without at least attempting to drag him with her back to Los Angeles. She still regrets not insisting more, she hates that she gave up so easily. Some days she even hates not Rumoring him to come with her. But...she had respected his choice, even if it makes her miss him every damn day.
The sounds of the coins make her frown again, but Klaus is quick to say he was just out and about and decided to call her. Which is believable enough, even when she was there Klaus knew well enough how to sneak out to 'find' what he needed to get, so...maybe he's on one of those outings. The concern for him doesn't disappear at that, though, because Allison will never stop worrying about him. Not really. Not when she will be forever afraid of the phone call being someone else, giving her news that she's not ready to hear.
"No, no you didn't wake me. I was just reading something, nothing important."
It really isn't. It doesn't hold a candle to this, and she'll be quick to tell him as much if she needs to.
"I'm good. I'm finally working in what I want to do, and it's been good. Not what I expected," she admits with a huff of a laugh, one that is a little more wry than humorous. "But things are looking up. I have a place you can crash whenever you're finally ready to take me up on my offer." She says it teasingly, gently because she doesn't want to come across as pushy. But...well. She can't help it. "I miss you, Klaus."
no subject
"I miss you, too, Al," he breathes out in a chuckle and he sinks back against the wall of the phone booth, tipping his head back so it rests against the glass. "New York's just not the same without you, but that's no surprise. Can't take the star of the city away and expect it to be just as bright."
He smiles to himself, looking down as he toes at the duffle bag, trying to muster the courage to tell her exactly what's going on. "Oh you bet your bottom dollar I'll come visit, you know. But are you sure Los Angeles is ready for two Hargreeves? It looks like they're already over the moon with the presence of one."
Klaus knows that he'll never make it out there, and he's sure that she knows that, but the bus ticket alone is too expensive. But it's a nice dream, to think he could cart himself off and see her whenever he wished. "I'll wait for you to get settled first. I would hate to interrupt your perfect Hollywood life." There's a grin in his voice, and were she beside him now, he might even waggle his eyebrows.
But that's the thing, isn't it? Moving out there means putting himself into her life, means interrupting the career path she has delicately crafted for herself. He doesn't fit there, doesn't belong in that life. It's with a sinking realization that he knows he belongs where he is now, in this cold, smelly phone booth. What if he had been able to harness his abilities, to overcome the sickening fear that lurks at the edges of his existence? Would he have been able to go with her then? Forge his way and not trip her up along the path?
"I don't have a lot of time," he says finally, voice breaking a little. "Just nipping out to the bar. Thought I'd grab a drink or two, chat up the locals, bat my eyelashes at a pretty little thing." And that's what he's going to have to do, he knows. Bat his eyes and put the moves on someone who might be willing to drag him into their bed for the night. Anything, really, to get out of the cold. And if it ends up being fun, then even better. "But I wanted to hear your voice. It's a good voice, by the way."