The Cost of Time- Five Hargreeves x OC story

Kid Heros

After spending a few minutes reflecting in my room, I made my way downstairs. Luther sat on the couch across from Vanya and me, while Diego and Allison occupied seats near the fireplace. Unsurprisingly, Klaus was at the bar behind us. He had just left rehab after yet another one of his 'incidents,' having been ordered by the court to undergo at least thirty days of treatment. The fact that he only worked on his sobriety for a month to get out sooner was both troubling and typical for him. He showed little desire for change, and even though I hadn't known this version of him for long, it was clear that rehab had become his second home. Despite all that, he still hadn't managed to stay sober.

I fidgeted with my hands in my lap—a nervous habit I'd always had. The room was thick with silence, tension growing until Luther finally stood up and said, "Um..I guess we should get this started." He continued, "So, I figured we could have a sort of memorial service, in the courtyard at sundown." He glanced around the room, locking eyes with each of us before adding, "Just say a few words in Dad's favorite spot."

I raised an eyebrow. Since when did he have a favorite anything?

"Dad had a favorite spot?" Allison voiced my exact thought.

"Under the oak tree," Luther quickly responded, as if it were obvious. "We used to sit out there all the time. None of you ever did that?"

Klaus walked over with a glass of bourbon and a cigarette, chiming in, "Will there be refreshments? Tea? Scones? Cucumber sandwiches are always a winner." He chuckled to himself.

"What? No. And put that out," Luther said, referring to Klaus' cigarette. "You know Dad didn't allow smoking in here."

I chuckled softly, shaking my head at how ridiculous the conversation had become. "Is that my skirt?" Allison suddenly asked, noticing Klaus was, in fact, wearing one of her skirts.

"Oh, this? I found it in your room," Klaus said, as casual as ever. "It's a little dated, I know, but it's very breathy on the bits."

"Oh my God," I muttered, rubbing my temples. Has this family always been this exhausting?

Luther tried to pull us back on track. "Listen up. Still some important things that we need to discuss, all right?" he said firmly.

Diego sighed. "Like what?"

"The way he died," Luther replied, staring straight at Diego.

I let out a sigh. They had already argued about this once. Why couldn't Luther accept the fact that Dad wasn't invincible?

"And here we go," Diego muttered, rolling his eyes.

"I don't understand. I thought they said it was a heart attack?" Vanya asked.

"Yeah, according to the coroner," Luther replied, confusing all of us.

"Well, wouldn't they know?" Vanya asked, her brows furrowed.

"Theoretically," Luther admitted.

"Theoretically?" Allison repeated, clearly unimpressed.

"I'm just saying, at the very least, something happened." Luther insisted.

"The last time I talked to Dad, he sounded strange," Luther added.

Klaus gurgled his drink next to me. "Oh, quelle surprise," he mocked, before turning his gaze to me. "Why don't we ask little sister Sophia here?" he teased, referencing me being the only one who was around the night Dad died.

"Don't. She would've known if anything happened. And nothing did, so drop it." Diego replies to Klaus in a warning tone. It's hard to tell if he's defending me or himself at this point, considering how firmly he believes Dad's death was from natural causes. And honestly, I don't blame him—Dad was always on edge, but there was no clear evidence to suggest anything else.