Male reader inserts

birthday- klaus hargreeves

ahh i've been away for so long i have a job now n i'm applying for a start into a degree (crazy,,) soo i wanted to write something small just to make up for me being away (plus it was just october first aka hargreeves day soooo)

y/n and klaus look out for each other on the streets, and though they don't have much, y/n is determined to make his best friends birthday special

tw - homelessness, poverty, hints at drug dealing/prostitution/drug addiction (this is set way back on klaus's 21's, he/they pronouns klaus and he/him pronoun reader but tbh you could read it as she/her or they/them or any other pronoun because it doesn't go into detail on body, also i kind of wanted to give a backstory to the jacket sooo)

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y/n and klaus had known each other for over a year now. they were both out on the street, and they watched over each other. it didn't take long for them to get close, they were all each other really had out here, so when y/n realised that's klaus's birthday was coming up, he wanted to make it extra special. he knew how down the other got, he'd seen it last year, and really he couldn't blame them. this wasn't a situation anyone ever wanted to be in, and on special days like that, it all just felt even worse.

they didn't have much money, only what y/n made from busking, and what klaus made from whatever he did that he refused to tell y/n about no matter how many times he pleaded to know. still, y/n wanted to make today special for them, to show them that even out here, he still had someone who cared about him, no matter what. the challenging part was making up an excuse to get away to go and get everything he needed. they never really left each others side, except for when they both went off to make whatever money they could so they wouldn't have to starve, so y/n knew he had to be careful about how he did this, or klaus would know something was up.

"where are you off to?" klaus tilted their head a little as y/n grabbed his guitar case. y/n gave a small shrug and pointed to the case before he spoke up. "i'm gonna go busk, make us enough to eat" he hummed, but he could tell straight away klaus wasn't buying it. "we have way more than enough.. you've been going out even later than normal.. can't we just rest for a day?" he asked, reaching out to grab his friends hand.  y/n shrugged and gave klaus's hand a small squeeze. "i'll only be half an hour this time, i promise. i just wanna make sure we have enough in case something goes wrong. you know how cold it gets this time of year" he gave klaus a reassuring smile, and klaus sighed in response, pulling their hand back and giving a nod as he pulled his knees to his chest. "okay.. but you better not be out there all day, i miss you when you're gone so long.." they murmered, and y/n felt a pang of guilt in his chest. he hated seeing the person he cared about so much so sad, he just had to hope this surprise made up for it.

"i promise, i'll be back before you know it" he smiled, bending down to give klaus a small kiss on the forehead before he stood up again, slinging his guitar case over his shoulder and heading off, and if he'd been just a little bit slower, he wouldn't have missed the way klaus's whole face heated up from the small kiss. as he reached the bakery and walked in, he took a look at the cakes at the front. compared to what food they normally lived off, they seemed outrageously expensive, but y/n wanted today to be special, which is why he'd been working so hard to make so much extra money. after a few moments of browsing, y/n pulled out his wallet and pointed out which one he'd chosen, handing over the money to the cashier. it wasn't often that he and klaus had this much money, so it still felt odd to be paying so much for something, but seeing how happy it would make klaus would make it all worth it.

after he'd thanked the person at the counter, he took the cake in the paper bag they'd put it in to, and he headed off to the corner store to pick up some snacks for them to share, and candles for the cake, of course. by the time he'd finally returned, klaus was still in the same spot as before, he hadn't moved an inch, and y/n knew he was trying not to let it show how much today was getting to him. "what's in the bag?" he asked, and y/n shrugged again, putting it down with his guitar. "dinner" he hummed, wrapping his arms around klaus and pulling them close. "as much as i love sitting here with you, i need you to go do something" he started, and klaus groaned quietly, but nodded none the less. "what is it" they mumbled, looking up at y/n and moving a hand up to push some of his y/h/c hair put pf his face.

"i need you to go get me some cigarettes from that store down the street. they're only place round here that has the ones i like, and i got trespassed when i stole that time we hadn't gotten anything in days" he reached into his pocket to pull out a ten dollar bill, handing it to klaus. klaus gave another nod, taking the money and standing up. "fine, but you owe me" he gave a small smile, the first from them that y/n had seen that day, before he left, and y/n quickly began the work of setting everything up.

birthdays had never been something that were widely celebrated in the hargreeves household. when seven kids all shared the same birthday, it was too much effort for their parents to go to all that trouble, though grace had always made sure they each got their favourite things to eat for dinner, it was more than their father ever did for them. after dark, they would all get together to give each other something small, usually something odd and insignificant, but for all of them, it was the best part of it all. it was the only time they really got to feel like kids, and now that klaus was out here on the streets, they missed it. as they made their way to the store to get y/n the cigarettes he asked for, he thought back on those days, and he couldn't help but get emotional. they missed their family, but they couldn't go back. they knew that. not when he was like this, they'd all just agree to send him off to rehab, and klaus didn't even want to think about going through that, even if they really did need it. as he made his way back, cigarettes in hand, klaus sighed. it wasn't fair. they never wanted to be this way, but they were stuck now, and there was nothing he could do to get out.

while klaus had been out getting the cigarettes y/n asked for, y/n was frantically trying to set everything out before klaus got back, and when he heard approaching footsteps, his excitement began to skyrocket. he couldn't wait to see how klaus would react. "you know i think the owner's starting to get suspicious of me too.." klaus trailed off as he pushed past the door of their makeshift shelter, his eyes widening as he saw the cake lit with candles. "happy birthday" y/n smiled wide. "i know it's not much but, this is why i've been working so much more. i wanted to make today special for you-" he was cut off by klaus throwing their arms around him, hugging him with more force than y/m had ever felt. "it's perfect.. thank you" he whispered, pulling back to look at y/n, tears of happiness welling in his eyes. "there's one more thing, i saw it the other day, and i just knew you would love it" y/n reached under the pile of blankets that lay near their rollout mattresses and pulled out a wrapped present, handing it to klaus. the tears that had been building up finally began to roll down his cheeks as he took the package, holding it tightly. it was like being home again, everything they'd been missing so much, it was all right here.

y/n couldn't take the waiting anymore, he'd always been an impatient person, so he quickly began to urge klaus to just hurry up and open it. "c'mon, open it" he grinned, and klaus gave a laugh as they finally began to open the present. it was a jacket, a patchwork of browns, greys and blacks with a fur trim. "i love it" he looked down at the present for a moment before he lent in to hug y/n again, and y/n hugged back, gently pressing a kiss to the side of his head. "i saw how sad you were last year, and i didn't ever wanna see you that sad again" he spoke quietly, and klaus just nodded, the happy tears turning into a full on sobbing. even though they had so little, y/n still went out of his way to do all of this for him, and klaus knew they would never know what they did to be lucky enough to have him. "i love you so much" they whispered, pulling back to look up at y/n as he spoke back a soft "i love you too", reaching a hand up to stroke his cheek gently before they lent in and pressed their lips against his. y/n kissed back, and when the kiss finally broke he smiled against klaus's lips before he spoke quietly. "if you don't blow those candles out soon this whole place is gonna burn down"

klaus laughed, their laugh really was the most beautiful sound y/n had ever heard, and he watched as klaus leant down to blow out the big "21" candles. they didn't have much out here, it was dangerous and they both knew it always would be, but as they laid down on their mats (that they'd pushed together this time, so they could hold each other) later that night, they both knew as long as they always had each other, it would all be okay.