smoking kills - klaus hargreeves | the umbrella academy

chapter ten

"la question c'est voulez-vous!" klaus sang along with the song, dancing around the room. marie sat on his bed and watched, a soft smile planted on her face.

klaus twirled and stomped about the room, clearly feeling the music, but after noticing marie sitting still, he stopped and frowned. "why aren't you dancing?"

"i don't know this song, idiot," she slurred, the vodka obviously starting to affect her system. her voice bubbled out, a small laugh escaping her lips. "i can't dance to a song i don't know."

"god, marie, why do you have to be so embarrassed by everything you do? just dance! who cares if you know the song!" klaus grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed. he moved her with him as he danced. she let him, but made no effort to move on her own. klaus let go. "come on, marie, put some effort in. here, just follow me."

she chuckled again, but began to dance by hesitantly copying klaus's movements. the two of them stepped to the music in tandem, and slowly klaus started to get more ridiculous with his movements, flailing about in a way that seemed unnatural to marie. she laughed, and began to stumble about in an attempt to dance on her own, no longer copying him.

klaus smiled back at her. "see? now you're grooving! you're really feeling it!"

"voulez-vous!" marie sang along with the song. luckily for her, it was repetitive.

klaus took her hand again and then twirled her around. she twirled him back. they both laughed and kept their hands held together as they danced.

"am i... interrupting something?"

"shit." klaus turned to look at who just opened the door. his panic faded as he saw who it was. "oh, it's just—"

"diego, my enemy!" marie dropped klaus's hands and walked up to diego. she put a hand on his shoulder. "welcome to the party."

diego grabbed her hand and removed it from his shoulder. "what's going on in here?"

"we're celebrating, of course!" klaus grinned. he walked up next to marie and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

diego looked between the two of them, giving an especially confused look at marie. she, for once, did not immediately shove klaus off of her. "celebrating... what, exactly?"

"why, her birthday, of course!" klaus beamed.

"happy birthday, i guess." diego directed his gaze past them, inspecting the room for the source of their strange behavior. "oh shit," he muttered, spotting the alcohol, "no wonder."

"no wonder what?" marie asked. she smiled when he gave her a bewildered expression.

"that you're smiling," diego retorted. he looked back at klaus. "why on earth did you think this was a good idea?"

"because if you tell dad you'll get in trouble too. we're being quiet and dad barely drinks anyway, especially not vodka," klaus said. "it's her birthday, diego! we have to—"

"you gave her vodka?" diego pushed past the two to grab the bottle. he shook it. "oh my god, klaus, it's half empty!"

"there was some missing when we took it." klaus shrugged. "no need to get all overprotective on us, captain america."

"that doesn't even make sense," diego said.

"i had two shots," marie chortled, holding up the number with her hand. "my first two shots i had with a cute stranger boy i met and then snuck into his house."

marie snickered to herself as klaus muttered, "cute?"

diego raised an eyebrow, glancing between the two. klaus looked just as confused as diego felt. diego just shook his head and picked up the bottle. he said, mostly to himself, "i do not want to deal with this shit. it is not my problem. but whatever."

he started to walk out of the room with the alcohol, but klaus grabbed his arm. "hey, where are you going with that?"

"yeah, don't you want to celebrate my birthday?" marie frowned. "do you really still think i'm an enemy?"

"no, i'm not celebrating, and chill out with the enemy thing. you say that to me every single time you see me. i'm just making sure you two don't drink anymore," diego said. he turned off the music. "and then you guys better be quiet because i'm trying to sleep, and so is everyone else in the house. you better be grateful it was me who caught you, not someone else."

"oh, please. everyone else would probably join right in!" klaus said. "well, except for luther. he'd tell dad. allison probably would, too. yeah, and i guess five would probably use it against me somehow. but ben would totally join!"

diego shot him a sarcastic look.

"okay, fine, you're right. he wouldn't," klaus said, defeated. "but vanya—"

"nope." diego clapped him on the shoulder. "just be quiet, okay?"

klaus frowned as diego left the room. he mocked diego, muttering to himself, "just be quiet... bitch."

marie sighed and laid down on klaus's bed, staring at the ceiling. "that's too bad. i wasn't feeling too drunk or anything."

"yeah, sure, missy. you're obviously drunk. sober you would've never danced with me. or called me cute." klaus laughed and sat down next to her.

"fuck you." marie hit him in the arm.

"god, marie, why are you so violent?" klaus rubbed his arm. "i'm just telling the truth."

"i guess it runs in the family." she laughed.

"yeah," klaus laughed with her, then processed the words she said. he gave her a concerned look. "wait, what?"

marie smiled and sat up. "it's my birthday! i'm thirteen!"

"wow, you're a teenager!" klaus's short attention span moved on quickly to this new exciting fact.

"i'm older than you! i'm basically an adult, right? why else would i be doing this?" marie laughed. "it's fun! i understand it now."

"of course it's fun! i told you to trust me, didn't i?" klaus said. "a little bit of alcohol and ABBA makes some things a lot better."

"like my birthday." marie said, an astonished tone in her voice, "we're celebrating!"

"yeah! why wouldn't we be?" klaus said. "i don't know why you didn't want to in the first place, but it's better, right?"

marie hummed. "i don't normally celebrate, but maybe i should start. i can celebrate all on my own, i don't need someone else."

"well, you have me. i'll celebrate with you." klaus smiled. he bumped his shoulder into hers in a comforting, friendly sort of way.

marie smiled back. "yeah, i like that. thanks, klaus. you're a really good friend."

klaus beamed. "of course."