𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚: 𝘼 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙏𝙤 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 ~

"Mazel Tov to the new Mrs. and Mrs.!" Klaus grinned as he approached the newlywed's table, clinking his glass of champagne with theirs. Very quickly, the junkie's face turned into one of seriousness as he crouched next to Astrid, almost whispering in her ear. "Now, about Dad," he started, but Astrid immediately cut him off. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" She waved it off. "But Triddy, he's a changed man!" Klaus insisted. "No, the man is incapable of change!" Astrid protested.

"Trid, he's different! He helped me conquer my childhood fears, we played catch together!" the junkie explained. Astrid's eyes narrowed as she turned to have a better look at him. "Wait, you played catch with the old man?" She repeated. "Yeah, we called it bus-ball, but that's kinda our thing," Klaus nodded. "I mean, you could find your own thing with him," Astrid slammed her glass in frustration. The last person she wanted to be reminded of on her wedding day was the man who gaslit and manipulated her for so long. And by the sour expression on Sloane's face, she was growing uncomfortable as well. "Would you stop it, Klaus? You're being duped!" Astrid whispered, her patience wearing thin.

But Klaus chuckled and through his half-drunken state, denied he was being duped and enabled by his own father. "I just really think if you gave him a little chance-" "KLAUS!" Astrid shouted, making him jump back and cover his ears while Sloane calmed her beating heart after the sudden outburst. She turned to see the frustration in her Shadow Girl's eyes and took her hand in hers, lightly squeezing it. "Babe, it's fine," the Gravity Girl whispered. "It's our wedding," Astrid glanced up to see the pleading look in her wife's eyes, and very faintly, she could hear Klaus's whimpering. Maybe she was just a bit too harsh.

"I'm sorry," Astrid pulled Klaus's head into her chest as she hugged him, cradling him for a moment or two while Sloane looked on with a big grin and her hands over her heart. "Listen, I'm just trying to enjoy my wedding, okay? And you should too. Go have some salmon and a Jell-O cup," Astrid suggested. "That sounds nice," Klaus admitted. "All right. Well, screw it, I tried," He shrugged before chugging the last of his champagne and walking off. As the elevator dinged and opened, the Hargreeves slowly turned in their seats at the sound of Reginald's footsteps.

He glanced around the banquet hall, briefly making eye contact with the siblings, who glared at him before returning to their food and drinks. Astrid brought her glass to her lips but set it down the second Reginald got closer to their table, wandering around aimlessly. "What the hell is he doing here?" She hissed to Sloane. "Hey, it's okay," Sloane brushed her hand against Astrid's cheek. "It's not okay, Slo," Astrid shook her head, swearing she could hear the faint arguments crawl back inside her head. 

"Let's just try and be civil, for me?" Sloane smiled. "Alright, we'll be civil," Astrid agreed. Reginald eventually found his seat at an empty table and quietly ate from his plate, though his wandering gaze continued. And behind that bushy and curved mustache, he seemed to be smiling. Actually smiling. While Astrid portrayed an expression of "He's just another guest," on the outside, she was both confused and freaking out on the inside. If he hated Astrid and Sloane's relationship, why was he here? Why did he decide to come out of his luxurious suite and sit at a table, knowing full-well he wasn't welcome?

"Mmm! Not only is Luther good at decorating the cake, but this is delicious!" Sloane smiled in approval as she polished the frosting off her fork. "You know, if he hadn't been sent to the moon, he could've started his own baking business!" Astrid cut off another piece from her vanilla slice. "I mean, he's always talked about space and stuff, but maybe he has a secret talent we knew nothing about," "Maybe," Sloane nodded. Suddenly, the hall filled with the ringing and tapping of a spoon against a glass. Everyone in the room looked up to see Reginald standing up, a mic in one hand while holding his glass in the other.