small | the umbrella academy

eight-

It was slightly later in the evening now and Evangeline once again found herself blocking out the world with a glass of some alcohol or another in her hand - she didn't check what exactly, but it burned her throat like a good whisky would.

The white haired woman laid sprawled out on one of the sofas, her glass held lazily in one hand, her other hand behind her head as she opened her mouth and hissed repeatedly. To anyone else, she would look crazy; to Evangeline, she was breathing fire like a dragon. She assumed that this was a new skill of hers due to the burn of her drink and how it felt like her throat was on fire.

Klaus peered into the room, his attention grabbed by the noises coming from his little sister.

"D'you wanna come have some fun instead of doing... whatever it is you're doing?" He asked, tilting his head slightly like a confused puppy. Evangeline looked over, her eyes droopy with the daze that came with intoxication.

"For sure. Beats breathing fire. I'm not even sure it's working-"

"Well come on, we've gotta be quick. Diego's leaving," Klaus said, walking over and grabbing Evangeline's hand and dragging her out of the building, her other hand still clutching her drink.

Evangeline didn't even question Diego's involvement in whatever they were doing, despite her confusion. Usually, 'fun' consisted of some rave, some drugs, or both. Diego didn't seem the type for any of those things.

The pair were running at this point to make sure that Diego didn't leave without them.

"Hey! Diego-" Klaus spluttered, opening the car door and throwing himself in, beckoning for Evangeline to follow. The latter saw Diego's eyes roll at the sight of Klaus before softening when he saw herself.

"Y'know... every time I close my eyes, I see a diarrhetic hippo about to shit on my face," Klaus breathed, Evangeline mouthing the last few words of the sentence, it seemingly becoming some sort of twisted greeting for Klaus. Evangeline giggles to herself, imagining that line on a tinder bio. "It's terrifying!"

"Terrific," Diego muttered, turning on the engine. Evangeline grinned, seeing that her brother had accepted that the misfit brigade were joining him whether he liked it or not.

Klaus clenched his eyes shut, pretending to shudder, whimpering "No, no!". Evangeline pulled him back into his seat, shaking her head at him before taking a sip of her drink.

"Really? You brought that with you?" Diego said in disbelief, looking at his sister in the rear view mirror.

"I wasn't just gonna waste it," Evangeline shrugged, chugging the rest before Diego could complain more. Diego sighed, wishing that life had more in store for his little sister than alcohol and drugs. Pushing these thoughts aside, he started the car.

It didn't take long for the trio to arrive wherever they were going.

"Stay in the car," Diego said sternly to his brother and sister before exiting the car and walking over the the water's edge with purpose. 

"Yoo-hoo! Diego!" Klaus yelled out, opening the car door. Evangeline tried to pull him back in, but to no avail. "I hate to rush you through any kind of brooding moment you might be having, but come on man! We're starving!" With this, Evangeline used all of her strength (although very little) to heave Klaus' body back into his seat before leaning over and slamming the door shut.

"Leave him alone, Klaus. He looks like he's hurting," Evangeline said softly, the thinnest tresses of sobriety pulling through at the sight of her big brother looking troubled, stood at the water. "Also - I'm not hungry at all... for once,"

"Oh I wasn't talking about you," Klaus said simply.

"But... you said we,"

"Me and Ben," Klaus started matter of factly. Evangeline's eyebrows rose. While she wouldn't call him sober at this moment in time, Klaus hadn't been nearly sober enough to conjure Ben in weeks. Evangeline smiled.

"Ben! Hey, bro. Hope you're doing good. Hope you've met some lady ghost friend. Or male ghost friend. Or both," Evangeline giggles at herself before her eyes settled elsewhere.

Finding very little amusement in Klaus' absent minded ramblings in this moment, Evangeline found herself looking out of the window at Diego. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw him drop something into the water. All of this drama just to... litter?

Suddenly, Diego spun on his heel, walking hastily back over to the car and snatching his radio off of the trunk. Evangeline averted her gaze, not wanting to be interrogated on what she saw.

"I'll get Archie to make us waffles when we get home," Evangeline told Klaus, the man grinning wildly at the news.

"Yes!" He squealed like a child which, all things considered, was not an unfair comparison. When Diego got in the car, Klaus decided to pester him further. "Diego, thank you for joining us. We have decided on... drumroll: waffles,"

"I'm gonna drop you two off at the bus stop. I gotta get back to work," Diego said bluntly, Evangeline frowning slightly at his dismissal of the two.

"What, breaking bones and cracking skulls?" Klaus jokes emptily.

"Saving lives, baby," Diego replied smugly.

"Can we request someplace instead? We live with a friend and Klaus needs a feed soon otherwise he'll implode," Evangeline half-heartedly joked, Klaus nodding enthusiastically beside her.

"Yeah, sure. Who's the friend?"

"Luther's the only other person who knows him," Evangeline said slowly, deliberately pissing off her brother as revenge for ditching her. This clearly worked as Diego's grip tightened around the steering wheel.

"Yeah, well, just tell me the address or whatever," Diego mumbled, adjusting his rear view mirror and putting on his mask.

•••

"Archibald, we want waffles!" Evangeline demanded to the man laying on the sofa as she entered the apartment, Klaus on her trail.

"Archie! My favourite leprechaun," Klaus beamed, running over and planting a lazy kiss on the man's mouth, the latter chuckling, swatting at Klaus' antics and wiping the kiss away.

"Come on, guys, it's late. There are frozen waffles in the freezer-"

"Our brother basically just let us know that he hates us and Klaus is talking to Ben again! There has never been a more appropriate time for both comfort and celebration and you're suggesting frozen waffles?! This is an outrage-"  Evangeline ranted, stomping around the living room dramatically, Klaus sitting criss cross on the floor, looking up at Archie with a pout on his face.

"Fine! Get the ingredients out," Archie sighed, the two Hargreeves siblings cheering. When they weren't looking, a small smile could be seen on the man's face. As annoying as they could be at times, Archie loved his best friends with every bone in his body.