𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 - 𝑓. ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑠

009. RESPECT (UNFORTUNATELY)

╔═══════════════╗

RESPECT (UNFORTUNATELY) ☂︎︎

╚═══════════════╝

SHE FELT GUILTY STEALING but where there is a will there's a way.

And when there is no money there are no options.

The local corner store was filled to half its capacity when she stole from it and she left without notice and with a rush and a pang of guilt. However, the weight of the stolen gelato in her stolen bag made up for it as she made her way back to the Academy in high spirits.

When she arrived and made it up the stairs, the door to the bathroom was closed and Klaus' door remained ajar and she assumed he was taking a bath. She dropped the gelato off in his room being left with potentially nothing left to do unless she inquired after one of the siblings.

The time on her hands was new to her and she dug into the second carton of gelato she had stolen and opened the mancala box she had picked out. Having not played the game in a long time, she sat laying it out, headache still lingering but bearable.

She smiled when she heard the loud gasp from Klaus's room and it was followed by heavy footsteps in her direction. Klaus appeared in the doorway, a semi-smile on his face, dog tags hanging from his neck. "Oh, you angel." he cried, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I needed this."

"Of course." she responded, examining his saddened face closely. He looked tired, cleaner and more fragile than she imagined he would be. He didn't look like the same Klaus but the sadness seemed fresh and she didn't push.

Klaus looked down at the mancala board, his eyes seeming to water as he looked at the stones. Charlotte frowned. "What's wrong?" she inquired.

He shook his head. "Nothing." he murmured. "It's just...  I knew someone who loved to play mancala."

She was considering packing up the board, his expression falling every second he sat staring at it. "Should I put it away?"

"No!" he objected. "I think I'd actually like to play a round."

She was pleasantly surprised when they played a few rounds, bonding over cartons of gelato and small talk. Klaus had beat her more than once, a shocking revelation on her end and only caused her to push for another round after another.

They were disturbed by a knock on the door. Both of them looked up, Klaus dropping the last blue stone from his pocket into the pot. Five stared at him attentively. "You okay?" he asked his brother.

"Hey." Klaus muttered. "Yeah, I just... long night."

"More than one, from the looks of it." he commented. "Don't remember the dog tags."

Charlotte's eyes wandered to them, the chain loosely falling around his neck. "Yeah, they belonged to a friend."

He proceeded to nod down at the mancala board. "Didn't know you knew how to play?"

"A friend taught me." he replied dismissively. Klaus picked up the next pocket of stones, playing his free move. Charlotte grinned, moving her stones to the pot and using her free move to capture four of Klaus's stones that sat in a pocket.

"How about that new tattoo?"

Klaus looked down at his upper arm, a number of inked in lines coating the skin. He sighed. "You know, I don't totally remember even getting it."

Charlotte frowned, never having seen Klaus so dismissive or tucked away. The free-spirited and bubbly Klaus had seemed to disappear being replaced with a much sadder and much more serious Klaus. "Like I said..." he added. "It's been a long night."