Empathy [Ben Hargreeves]

Episode Three. Part I.

"Extra Ordinary"

"Pogo is up my ass about something that I might have stolen and possibly accidentally lost," Klaus whined and plopped down on the lumpy couch in Eloise's living room.

"Well, what was it?" Elle asked. She braided her hair down the back of her neck with quick, nimble fingers until the blonde strands were twisted into the perfect fish tail.

"There was junk inside some fancy box thing from Dad's office. I got cash for the box, but apparently Pogo cares more about the papers and shit from inside it, which I threw into the dumpster."

"Klaus!" Elle groaned. "If Luther finds out, he's going to kick your ass to the moon."

"Ugh, I know. Ben keeps telling me the same thing."

"Well you don't listen to any of your consciences. So." Elle smacked her lips in disapproval.

"Can you just help me find it before I get kicked out of the house?"

Using the small magnetic mirror attached to her fridge, Elle fixed the smudged corners of her eyeliner. She was supposed to have the week off from Club CR to "recover" from the death of her "father," but Lucille had begged her to come in to bartend for a few hours.

"I got called into work, Klaus." Elle glanced at him with her reflection and added, "You can live here with me. You know that."

"Help me find it, pleeeeeease?" Klaus batted his long lashes. "Or at least keep me company? Every one is in a mood."

"Yeah, I know, I literally feel it." Elle pursed her lips. Even Mom was off. She groaned in defeat and gave in to his puppy eyes and pouty lips. "We have to do this quick, okay?"

Klaus hopped off the couch with an enthused clap of his hands. "We're going dumpster diving. Yay!"

Elle sighed and went to grab clothes to change into when they were done.

☆☆☆

The large blue dumpster outside of the Academy was full of black bags and creepy crawlies.

Eloise was only five feet tall, so Klaus kneeled on the ground to give her a boost over the lip of the dumpster. "Hell, no. I'll supervise from out here," she insisted.

Klaus pouted but pulled himself into the bin and climbed down on top of the garbage. He began his search, tossing black trash bags to the ground by Elle's feet as he went. "Dammit, where's Dad's stuff?" he groaned. Then he suddenly looked up at the fire escape and growled, "Shut up!"

Elle hadn't said anything, so she assumed Ben had. "What did Ben say?"

"He asked if we could go see a movie or something."

Elle's eyes lit up purple in excitement at the prospect. She hadn't had a movie night with Klaus and Ben in forever. "That's a great idea!"

"No," Klaus said flatly. "Not until I find the priceless crap was in that priceless box so that Pogo will get off my ass!"

"Afterwards, if I help? Promise?"

"Yes, yes," he said absently. He rooted around under some cardboard boxes.

Elle latched her fingers onto the dumpster edge and climbed like a monkey to pull herself up. She lowered her worn Converse down on a pile of trash and shuddered at how gross she instantly felt.

Klaus grunted as he tried to pick up a heavy trash bag. "Give me a hand?"

Eloise began to clap her hands.

Klaus' eyes narrowed. "You little shit."

"Learned from the best," Elle said with a smirk. She leaned down to grab under the bag, and the two lifted it over the side of the dumpster. It crashed to the ground. Elle dusted off her hands on her skinny jeans.

A clinking of metal made her look up at the fire escape, as if expecting to see Ben sitting there. Instead, it was Five climbing down the ladder with an army green bag over his shoulder. "I'd ask what you two are up to, but then it occurred to me... I don't care."

Eloise shot laser eyes at Five without speaking. She was still annoyed at him for being a jerk at the prothetics building.

"Hey," Klaus said as he chuckled at Five. "You know there are easier ways out of the house, buddy?"

"This one involved the least amount of talking." Five touched down on the wet concrete. "Or so I thought."

"You initiated the conversation," Elle retorted.

Klaus pulled a silver flask out of his jacket pocket and took a swig. "Hey, hey, hey, so you need any more company today? I could, uh... clear my schedule."

Elle made a face. Why would anyone want to hang out with Five? He thought he was superior to his seven siblings.

"Looks like you've got your hands full."

"Oh, this?" Klaus dismissed. "No, no. I can do this whenever."

Eloise snatched the flask from Klaus' hands and drank several gulps of whiskey. "You told me this was a drop dead emergency," Elle grumbled under her breath.

"I'm just--" Klaus tried to say but slipped and crumpled down into the dumpster. Soup cans clattered around the bottom of the bin as Klaus tried to correct his footing. "I just misplaced something. That's all," he called out and shifted around the trash. "Oh!" His mop of dark hair popped back up, a stale bagel in hand. "Found it!"

Elle threw up in her mouth a little as Klaus took a bite of the germ-infested bagel. "Delicious," he lied through his teeth.

"I'm done funding your drug habit," Five said to Klaus. He eyed Elle. "You should too."

"I don't condone the drugs," Elle defended herself. "I happen to like his presence is all."

"You're an enabler," Five stated with hard eyes. "I'm out of here." He turned his back on them.

"Come on. You don't--" Klaus paused. "Maybe I just wanna hang out with my brother." He turned his head and said to Ben, "Not you." He called after Five: "¡Mi hermano! I love you! Even if you can't love yourself!"

Five ignored him and got into a plumbing van that was stopped in the alley. Klaus spat out the bite of bagel and watched Five drive away without looking back.

"You would really rather hang out with him than me?" Elle crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Really? Because ouch."

"No." Klaus sat down on a sturdy black bag and sighed. He let his best friend in on the truth: "I hoped he would have changed, y'know, but he's just the same as he was when we were kids. He still doesn't have time for us."

"I know." Elle nodded in understanding. She used her mood-altering abilities to try and cheer him up. "Let's finish looking for the Warden's stuff so we can go watch a movie, okay? You, me, and Ben -- like the good times."

Klaus furrowed his brows. "I thought you had work?"

Elle laughed a little and shrugged. "Not until later. I really didn't want to play in the trash, no offense."

"I'm offended," Klaus said, hand clasped over his heart dramatically. He rose to his feet and began throwing more bags around. Elle joined in until there was nothing left in the dumpster. "Well, shit."

"Shit," Elle agreed. "It's long gone."