Getting It Together

Another One Bites The Dust

"Happy birthday!" Pascal cheers sadistically, throwing a small handful of confetti up into the air.

From behind a pair of dark sunglasses, Klaus glared.

"Aw, cat got your tongue, Klaus?" Pascal teases lightly, pulling the duct tape off of Klaus's mouth.

"Don't call me that." Klaus bites out. "And fuck you."

Pascal frowns, pressing his palm down on the open cut on Klaus's thigh, making him wince, then cry out. "There is going to be no swearing tolerated in this house mister. Besides, don't you want to see your birthday gift? You have to be good if you want to see!"

"I don't want anything of yours." Klaus scolds, leaning away from Pascal. "I'd rather cut off my arms."

"Noted," Pascal says cheerfully, taking off Klaus's sunglasses with one quick swipe.

"Give those back!" Klaus demands, straining forward against the ropes. "You had no right taking those, they were-"

"A gift from your younger brother Jory," Pascal says simply, raising an eyebrow at Klaus.

"What no, he's my cousin, you idiot! Now give them back!" Klaus yells.

"When you behave. For the meantime..." Pascal moves behind Klaus and rustles around. "You can wear this instead."

Pascal sets something against Klaus's neck and fastens it tightly, partially cutting off his breath.

"What the fuck?" Klaus thrashes around. "I don't need a dog collar, I'm not a dog!"

Pascal presses a button, and a long shock of electricity courses through Klaus's body. "It's not a dog collar silly, it's a shock collar."

Klaus looks up at him in shock, his mouth slightly agape, before croaking out. "You're fucking sick."

Another shock races through him, and Klaus's entire body shakes.

"Wh-Where's my hat?" He shakily manages to say, only just noticing the absence of the familiar weight on his head.

"I burned it, Klaus. Enough of your silly childish pretend. We're Christians."

Klaus's mouth dropped open. "Dude, have you taken a history class?"

"Of course I did!" Pascal smiles. "Why?"

"I can't believe you..." Klaus mumbles, staring down at the floor.

"See? Much better behaved already!" Pascal beams. "Now, Klaus, love, are you done with your tantrum?"

"How could you believe I'm your kid? Or Jory? I'm twenty for fuck's sake, you're thirty-two! If I was your biological son, you would have had to have me at twelve!"

"God finds a way." Pascal says firmly, beginning to untie Klaus's binds. "She should be waking up soon."

Klaus glances worriedly over at the smaller person slumped over in the corner, still fast asleep. The only sign they weren't dead being the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"That's..." Klaus squints, trying to see the person through the darkness of the basement they were in. "That's Kai...That kid's older sibling who looks after him...Let me guess, they're your kid too?"

"Of course!" Pascal chirps. "All five of you are!"

"Five...Who's the last?"

"Don't act dumb kiddo, you know who your siblings are!" Pascal's grip tightens on Klaus's arm as he begins to pull him up the stairs.

Klaus steels himself for whatever was ahead, bracing as Pascal opened the door and lead him into...A relatively nice kitchen?

Klaus curses his minor in interior design, why did he have to like this psycho's kitchen?

Pascal bursts into a horribly off-key happy birthday, and some familiar faces walked into the kitchen to investigate.

Florencio Reyes, the famous author, leading his twin brother Alejo behind him. His eyes widened at seeing Klaus, and Klaus heard him whisper, "Not again". Alejo simply stared blankly ahead.

Logan Blythe, a teacher at the Grand Mountain University, was soon to follow. "Callie?"

Klaus scowled, disgusted. So the police were right in suspecting he was an accomplice.

"Jojo!" Pascal calls. "Come here please! Gio!"

"Dad, it's no one's-" Jory stops short in the doorway when he sees Klaus. Klaus could hear the sarcasm practically dripping from his mouth when he'd called Pascal 'dad'.

"There's Jasper!" Patton coos, gently taking him from Giovonnie, who seemed to be struggling under the weight. "Your brother and sibling are back from their trips! Isn't that exciting!"

"Sibling?" Giovonnie looks up, and Klaus looks at the kid nervously, before nodding a confirmation towards Jory.

"Gi-Gi, why don't you, and Klaus, and I go to our room?" Jory suggests lightly, grabbing Giovonnie's hand.

"Actually, oreo, I'll need to see you in about...Half an hour or so, after your nap. Okay, buddy?"

Giovonnie nods, completely throwing his trust at Pascal.

Klaus walks over to Jory slowly, and follows the two upstairs.

Jory and Giovonnie sit down on one of the beds in what Klaus supposed was their room. Jory and Klaus stare at each other for what felt like an hour.

"I...I can't believe you're here." Jory shakily runs his un-casted hand through his curls. He'd thought at first when Pascal had talked about surprises, he was referring to a few days from now, when Amelia had promised to come down and remove his cast.

"Did he do that to you?" Klaus stares at the baby blue cast, one finger subconsciously pulling at the shock collar while Giovonnie stared between the two with confusion.

"What's going on?" Giovonnie asks.

"It's okay Gio." Jory pauses and uncertainly pulls Giovonnie closer to him, wrapping his arm around Giovonnie's shoulder. "It's just been a bit since Klaus has been home yeah? We've all missed him. Isn't it time for your nap?"

Giovonnie nods tiredly and closes his eyes, leaning against Jory's side. Jory scoops Giovonnie up and carries him over to the other bed, placing him down and pulling the covers up to his chin.

"What'd Pascal do to him?" Klaus asks, moving to sit down on Jory's bed. "No kid falls asleep that fast."

"Pascal gives him this medicine that makes him drowsy because he likes to hold him and watch him sleep." Jory shudders with disgust. "I don't know what exactly happened to Giovonnie. He's been like that since we first got taken again. It must've been something bad...Sometimes he talks in his sleep..."

"That's so fucking creepy." Jory huffs. "How are we supposed to get out of here? You were always the schemer."

"I have no idea," Jory admits, fiddling with his sweater sleeves. "We've tried so much...We always fail."

"So what, you gave up?" Jory remains silent, and Klaus's face softens. "You missed Imani Tanner's party, by the way."

"Don't remind me." Jory groans. "And going to college, and taking my driver's test, and working at the bakery, and going to Maisy's bat mitzvah..."

He trails off, tears falling down his face. "I've missed so much because of Pascal...We didn't even celebrate my birthday this time around because we tried to escape. He...He broke my arm on my fucking birthday!"

The only thing Klaus could do was hug him.

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