Greed | Klaus Hargreeves x Reader

Chapter 1

a/n: this is being updated on ao3

Everything changes when the man drops from the sky.

The date is February 11th, 1960. You and your husband are arguing again—this time it was over your desire to get a job. You told him that you wanted to get a part-time job as a server at the nearby diner, to which he scoffed in your face.

You knew that you would never be happy with him, but how can a woman survive in this age without a husband to take care of her?

You had stormed out of the house in anger after he lectured you about being a housewife, and with nowhere else to go, you went to the bar. The bartender, Jerry, is always kind to you. He looks at you with his watery brown eyes and smiles, his eyes crinkling with age.

"Your usual, (Y/N)?" he asks, a sympathetic look on his face when he sees your imminent anger.

"That would be great, Jerry," you sigh. Somehow, you find it hard to stay upset when you feel his optimism in the room.

He turns and begins to make you a Whiskey Sour. When he's done, he hands it to you. You down half of it with one gulp. It burns your nostrils a little bit and you suppress a gag.

"What's on your mind?" Jerry asks, giving you the look he always gave you when you used to go to his bar every day.

"Husband," you murmur through your teeth as you stir your drink. With your second sip, you finish off the drink. The alcohol slides down your throat smoothly.

"He's bein' an ass again, I assume?"

"Isn't he always?" you scoff, leaning forward onto the counter. This makes Jerry let out a deep belly laugh—the sound is contagious and loud, and you cant stop yourself from joining him.

"I suppose so," he says. He reminds you of your father then, with his hearty chuckle and his warm smile. It just makes you miss him more.

"I've missed you, Jerry," you sigh, changing the subject.

"Well, I've missed you too. But don't come too often. You know that much alcohol is bad for your figure. You have enough meat on your bones."

You would usually feel disrespected by such a comment—but because it's Jerry you don't let it bother you. You continue to make small talk for the next hour. You catch him up on all the things that have happened in your life since the last time you had gone to the bar. For the most part, you only drink socially now. When you and Jerry were really close, you had a drink almost every day.

"Alright. I should get going now," you say when the conversation finally dies down. The ice from your drink has melted fully, and your face doesn't feel as warm as it did before. You grab your purse, "It's been great seeing you."

Jerry hums in response and the two of you say goodbye.

You were never much of a day drinker, but it's barely 5 o'clock in the evening. You dread going home to your husband, so you walk towards the library where you plan to stay for the next couple of hours. On your way to the library, you pass by the small diner that you had planned on working at. You stop for just a moment to look at it longingly when you see a growing storm cloud in the sky.

The storm was sudden. It's glowing like thunder and the size of it scares you. Before you can even react, the storm disappears as fast as it came. You hear a wail from the alleyway next to you, and you rush over in case someone was hurt.

"Ohhh... They're gone! They're gone like a fart in the wind!" The disembodied voice yells to no one. The voice is male. He doesn't sound like anyone you've heard before.

Tentatively, you peek out from behind the wall. There, you see a man. He looks dirty and ragged, but he's beautiful. He has a scraggly goatee and he's wearing a torn jean jacket on top of his shirt. He's muscular, but not too muscular. He's lean, but not too lean. From where you're looking, it seems like he's having a conversation with nobody. He talks to a person next to him that isn't there.

It makes you curious, even if it seems like he just fell from the sky—even if it seems like he's slightly mentally ill.

He makes eye contact with you, and you see his eyes are smeared with messy black eyeshadow. His face breaks into a smile.

"Well helloooo there... What's your name?" He swoons very obviously, and stumbles towards you like he's never learned to walk before.