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Diego crept down the alleyway on light feet. While there wasn’t often people here that stayed for long, the last thing he needed to do was tromp into the middle of a drug deal and lose his element of surprise. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, something was off.
It was too quiet.
Especially for the city. Especially this time of year. Everyone was going back and forth, driving this way and that way. Running around like a turkey with its head off, or however that saying goes.
There were no cars passing this particular alleyway. All of the traffic sounds were far off. It felt like the alley was holding its breath and it was going to be loud when it was let it out.
Diego froze as there was a shuffling sound. He scanned the area with a careful eye, finding nothing but a dumpster and some trash cans. There was another shuffling sound and small groan.
He felt himself twitch, making himself inhale carefully and then exhale, before moving forward with silent footsteps. Knife ready in his hand, he peered around the dumpster.
It was just a homeless person.
Not necessarily a threat. Diego felt a pang of sympathy for the person, it wasn’t a great time to be on the streets. Right around Christmas was always so damn cold, even in his little boiler room in the gym. Irritation flared in him as he saw the shitty clothing they were wearing, there were literal holes in the side of their pants showing pale ass skin and exposing them to the elements.
They would freeze to death in clothes like that.
His eyes caught a hold of the rather familiar hair. He couldn’t help the next word that popped out of his mouth, “Klaus?”
The person jumped and looked up at him. Blue eyes smudged in black stared up at him, their mouth forming, “Diego?”
Diego bit his tongue to hold in the countless curses that ran through his head as the realization the homeless person in shitty clothing was in fact his brother.
“Come on,” Diego said, offering a hand to his little brother. Klaus didn’t immediately take his hand, just staring up at him. “You can come stay on my couch.”
Klaus just blinked before looking away briefly, making a face at something Diego couldn’t see. “Yeah, yeah. I’m getting up.”
He wasn’t speaking to Diego. Diego wasn’t so sure he wanted to know exactly who Klaus was talking too. Instead of asking, he merely raised an eyebrow at the string bean of a man. Klaus hopped to his feet, despite his quick movements there was a stiffness to them.
“Your couch huh? Off to the Hotel Royale,” Klaus said, a half-grin on his face. Hands shoved in his pockets as he rocked on the balls of his feet.
Diego held in a smile, that never did change. Klaus was never good at staying still for long, even when freezing his ass off or rather especially when freezing his ass off. He just said, “Come on.”
Keeping a step ahead of Klaus, Diego led him to his home. Ten blocks away.
~~~
In the light of his boiler room home, Klaus looked even worse than in the streetlights. His pale skin looked even paler than usual, lips tinged a little too blue. Shivers shuddering through Klaus’ body as he huddled in his skimpy as fuck clothes. Diego chucked one of his thick sweaters at Klaus, it was actually one of his favorites.
He probably wasn’t getting it back.
Klaus wormed his way into the large sweater in record time, not having the same muscle tone as Diego made it baggy on the beanpole. Diego pretended not to hear the small sigh from Klaus as he shoved his face into the sweater.
“So yeah, you can take the couch,” Diego gestured to the admittedly shitty couch that he had found somewhere at some point. He couldn’t even really remember where it came from.
“Thanks, man!” Klaus said. “Benny, you can share with me!”
Diego bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything. Not going there.
“Tuck in and try to get some sleep,” Diego said as he dropped his spare blankets onto the couch. Klaus nodded, surprisingly -- and suspiciously -- quiet. Diego looked up from adjusting the blankets on the couch, there was a shaky rise and fall of Klaus’ chest with a slight rasp to his voice.
Making a snap decision, Diego stopped moving the blankets around and flicked on the light on his desk before shutting off the overhead light. Crawling under the blankets on the bed, Diego pulled the covers up to his chin.
“You’re sleeping in your clothes?” Klaus asked, Diego could hear the squeak of the couch as Klaus’ weight settled onto it.
“Are you?”
There was no answer.
~~~
Diego did not know how long he laid awake staring at the ceiling. The couch creaked and squeaked again. A low shuddering breath echoed in the boiler room, again.
“Klaus,” Diego said, breaking the semi-silence. “Get your ass over here.” It didn’t take even a minute and Klaus was hovering at the side of the bed. Diego just lifted the blankets, Klaus slid in with little hesitation. Diego hissed as Klaus’ freezing skin touched him. “Jesus. You’re fucking cold!”
Klaus giggled and snuggled closer. Diego couldn’t hold back his own chuckle. “You’re a fucking heater, man. How the fuck?”
“How are you an icicle?” Diego grumbled, but didn’t move away.
“Well, otherwise Hell would love me too much.”
Diego snorted. “Go to bed.”
~~~
Diego regretfully had to retrieve groceries. Leaving his brother unattended in his apartment wasn’t his favorite pastime. Even if Klaus was his favorite brother, he was also a compulsive thief at times. There were certain things he would rather not find in a pawnshop.
Pushing open his door, after a short nod and promise to clean up the gym later, Diego had serious doubts of ever leaving Klaus alone in his apartment again.
There was toilet paper.
Everywhere.
In the middle of the room was Klaus sitting cross legged in front of a… Diego didn’t have a clue of what it was.
“What the fuck is this?” Diego walked down and set the groceries on the table. Turning to Klaus, he watched Klaus fiddling with something.
“Tree.” It might’ve been a big branch. If that. At all.
“...it’s… not,” Diego said, shaking his head.
“Mostly.” Klaus hung something on the shitty looking branch sitting in a box for who knows why.
“Ok. Sure.” Diego nodded, deciding it would just be easier to agree. “Where did it come from?”
“Found it.”
So many questions. So many answers he really actually did not want to know. “Aaaannndddd it’s covered in junk, bbeeccaaauuusseee?”
“Christmas!” Klaus hung something else onto the supposed Christmas tree, in the middle of his apartment.
“Right. Ok.” Diego really shouldn’t have left him here alone. And how even did Klaus get that in here so fast? He narrowed his eyes at some of the ornaments, there was all of his silverware and toilet paper on it, and-- “Are those my fucking knives?”
“They are Ben approved!” Klaus said, finally looking at Diego with a grin.
Diego didn’t believe that for a second. Not a fucking second.
It was still better than him pawning the knives off, so he’ll take it. Diego sat on the cold ass cement floor next to Klaus, picking up one of the forks left, he hung it on the branch.
Klaus grinned at him. “Christmas!”
“Best Christmas?” Diego asked, he didn’t mean to but…
“The best Christmas ever,” Klaus agreed, flashing a happy and excited smile.
“Beats all other Christmases.” Without a doubt.