Next Chapter! Thank you for the lovely reviews I love hearing from you guys! (I'll talk more at the end of the chapter)

Also, WARNING Levi's backstory is explored more in this chapter and might be triggering for some people, there are hints that he's been forced into sex work so I'm putting a warning here for that, also for drug use and mild sexual content (kind of) but it's not too explicit. Likewise, it will gradually be referenced more as the story progresses.

But this IS the Umbrella Academy we're talking about so...theres more to be unravelled. Which means potentially more future warnings. Which may even mean changing the rating. Oh dear these poor babies.

0 to 100 Real Quick, Five

' If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double'
- Should I Stay or Should I Go

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Levi humorously could only imagine that if his life was depicted on TV this would be the point where there would be a freeze-frame, a record scratch, followed by him having to narrate what the hell was going on. But of course, this was real life, so time didn't magically freeze for him. Time just laughed at him and the absolutely atrocious state of his life as he gathered all of his belongings off the hotel floor in a quick rage.

In response to Jason's statement, Levi just stuck his middle finger over his shoulder with imaginary steam bursting from his ears. Jason was propped up on the bed behind him, a wine glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other, throwing curses at him like there was no tomorrow. It wasn't necessarily uncalled for… Levi did deserve it.

"Aren't you gonna chat back like you usually do? Don't you have some uppity smart-mouthed comment for me?" Jason demanded and Levi remained pointedly quiet. "Speak when you're spoken to!" Jason yelled before taking another gulp of crimson liquid. Yeah, the guy was well and truly wasted which often made him run his mouth like this. Tonight, Levi didn't particularly have the strength for putting up with it.

"Fine, I'll speak; go to hell." He managed to growl back, stuffing some of his dirty socks into his bag and scanning the floor for anything else he owned. He'd never had much to his name, so there wasn't an awful lot to collect anyway. He was already wearing his only pair of jeans and shoes. Thankfully he found his sweater half under the bed and grabbed it, tugging it over his head and relishing at the soft material on his skin. There was no way he was going to shift clothes onto his body and freeze to death outside for the second time today. It was like...raining earlier and everything.

Even the bloody weatherman hated him.

"I'm not paying for you to malfunction you little shit. I give you a roof over your head and you can't even work for it? You're such an ungrateful little shit sometimes you know that?" Jason continued, tapping his cigarette and making ashes rain over the crumpled white sheets he was led on.

Suppressing the urge to do something stupid like punch Jason's stupid face he hauled on his backpack and began stomping towards the doorway. "Please don't be like this. I'm just tired. I can't help it if my power's been exhausted. It's not malfunctioning."

"I'm not paying you to be tired. Fucking hell, you disappear all day and leave your crap all over the place, come back and then can't even do what I ask? Unless you're starting to think that I want to fuck you." Jason continued ruthlessly and Levi had to refrain from pointing out that even though Levi might have looked completely female and dressed up like a Russian Maid, it still technically meant Jason was sleeping with him. Whether he liked that or not. It wasn't like shapeshifting erased Levi from reality entirely.

"Holy god Jason I had to attend a funeral today, cut me some slack." Levi retorted, hand gripping the door handle so tight his knuckles popped white. "I didn't mean to revert back to myself but like I said I'm tired."

Jason scoffed uncaringly. "Cool. So what, are you expecting me to coddle you about it? When are you gonna be back up to working standards? 'Cause if you're expecting me to pay you for this then- where are you going?"

"Out." He snapped, flinging open the door.

Jason threw his head back and laughed. "Where are you gonna go, do you even have any money? Face it, you need me. Who else is gonna take in strays?!"

"Well anywhere is better than here with your sadistic ass!" Levi shouted back, raising his voice for the first time that evening which he knew wasn't a good idea when it came to clients but he was far too angry to care.

"Sleep on the streets then! You hear me!? You have nowhere else to go!"

The door swung shut behind him as he escaped into the corridor, still hearing Jason's muffled shouts through the thin walls as he marched onwards, ignoring the people sticking their heads out from their rooms to see what all the commotion was about. They should mind their own damn business. It probably appeared like some kind of tragic break up, which wasn't even remotely true because for one he and Jason weren't a couple, and for another, he knew damn well how he'd probably wind up back in Jason's bed in the nearby future anyway despite their row. It's what always happened when they fought.

And all they were fighting about was a silly mistake made on his behalf.

See here's the thing, Levi was a born actor. Being partly raised in a brothel made him pretty receptive on how to use his talents to gain money. Of course, back when he was knee-deep in the sex industry not a dime of that money he earnt went into his pocket, but things were different now. He'd been sold into a new hell now. This new job didn't really associate itself with the sex industry which was a plus. It was more criminally based in his opinion.

However, that didn't mean Levi was out of the sex industry completely. Because, if Levi had learned anything from his past it was that people would pay a god damn lot for sex. Throw being a shapeshifter into the equation? Well, let's just say during his early years he was in very popular demand. So, sex became standard operating procedure for Levi when It came to making money, even after he got sold out of the brothel. He was on the streets and sleeping with anybody who wanted to sleep with him even if he didn't necessarily want to be doing it. In his head, it was the same as not wanting to go to work, right? And what did it matter if it was wrong or made him feel like utter dirt? He'd been doing this stuff his whole life anyway. There was no point stopping now if it meant he could make the money for himself. All he had to do was make sure his main job didn't find out about it.

It was quite comical really because deep down he didn't want to sleep with these people, and nobody actually wanted to sleep with him either. But did they want to sleep with a Russian Maid? A Fireman? A celebrity? A dominatrix? Well, Levi could be any one of those things. And you know what? Once people learnt about his powers, they'd make requests. After he shifted form it was like they stopped remembering it was actually him.

Which is exactly what he just fell out with Jason about. Jason had a nasty habit of erasing Levi from his memory when they slept together, only acknowledging whoever Levi was pretending to be. After visiting the academy and shapeshifting all day his powers were considerably weakened, so it wasn't that surprising that he failed to keep up a form for Jason.

So...yeah, it's his fault… Jason had every right to shout at him back there. Most people from Levi's line of work might have done something worse in the same circumstances so shouting wasn't all that bad.

But Jason? Jason wasn't entirely a client.

Jason was different. Jason was something that was his. Something secret from his main job. Something that he'd worked on all by himself.

Their relationship was… rocky at best. But it was kind of functional for him. Jason had wormed his way into Levi's life, learnt what he did for a living and decided he wanted a piece of the cake. Correction, Jason decided he wanted the whole cake. Jason had been the person to sweep him off the streets and into fancy hotels, showering him with gifts, money, and affection that he'd been starved of for so long.

Eventually, Levi had stopped his little self-made business of selling himself on the streets, too caught up with Jason and his main job. And maybe, just maybe there had been a small period of time where Jason didn't pay him, and Levi didn't ask him too. Maybe there had been a time where Jason was more than a client to him.

Stupid. So stupid. Levi was foolish for thinking he was anything more than a body to anyone. That's all he'd ever been, all the way back to when he was in the academy and Reginald exploited his powers to their limits. Just a body. And most of the time, his body looked like somebody else's.

Shaking his head to rid it of his mental sob story, he escaped into the cool air of the night, leaving the hotel behind him as he weaved his way through the lines of people passing by. Everybody around him was completely oblivious to one another. So naive to each other's problems while being too caught up in their own. Levi could bet with a strong degree of certainty that his problems would surpass theirs by a mile.

He felt like he could still hear Jason shouting, like tinnitus ringing in his ears.

'Nowhere else to go!'

Yeah, screw that. Levi wasn't exactly rich, but he had enough money to open up at least a few options…

His stomach growled.

Well, there we go. Option number one; get food somewhere. That seemed like a pretty attractive option in his humble opinion. Shapeshifting consumed a lot of valuable energy which meant he should probably eat more than he does. He'd probably had like… a granola bar today. No wonder his powers gave out earlier.

Decision made, he set forth on a mission to locate a fast food joint of some sorts. The thought of a cheeseburger had his mouth-watering… with fries on the side… a huge chocolate milkshake-

"You're not an easy person to find." A familiar voice said casually, making him startle and glance downwards to find Five walking beside him like he'd been there for a while now. "It's a stroke of luck for me that you aren't in your disguises right now."

Oh, his day just gets BETTER and BETTER, doesn't it?

Brushing off his initial shock he simply shrugged and feigned impassiveness. "If this is going to become a new thing could you at least give me some warning next time? And I'm not hiding. Though I wasn't exactly hoping to run into any of you…care to explain how you knew I'd be here?"

Five smirked up at him. "You're predictable. There are only so many places you could have possibly gone after this long. I took my chances betting that you'd eventually go to a food joint, and this was one of our old favourites." He explained, gesturing to the fast-food restaurant they were approaching. "Remember the days we'd sneak off here and get doughnuts after, stuff our faces until we puked…"

Despite himself, he smiled at the memories as he pushed his way into the restaurant. "Yeah, those were the days, huh?" He felt the rush of warmth hit him the second they were inside, inhaling the unforgettable smell of grease that virtually stained the walls of this place. Deciding Five didn't seem to have any plans of leaving him alone any time soon he thought he may as well be polite. "Do you want anything?"

"Coffee."

With that, they ordered at the till while being served by a podgy man with a beard who insisted that they had to try the new American Whopper Cheeseburger. Levi obliged and bought two of those, some chips, a chocolate Sunday, water and a cup of coffee. Once they'd collected their food, they set to find a table which wasn't difficult considering it was getting late out, so it was relatively empty inside here. They slid into one of the red booths and Levi immediately tucked into his first burger as Five sat and watched him, occasionally taking tentative sips from his drink.

"Is that blood?" Levi finally asked something that had been bugging him since they'd sat down, staring pointedly at Five's collar that was partially stained crimson alongside a splatter up the side of his neck. It didn't look like it was coming from an open wound, but it certainly hadn't been there earlier.

Five pulled at his collar in irritation. "Don't worry about it."

Fair enough.

"So, any particular reason you came all the way out here looking for little ole me?" Levi asked with a more playful tone now that his belly was filling up with food. He'd already demolished the burgers and chips and was shovelling ice cream into his mouth. His previous anger at Jason was draining from his mind. And while he might be a bit anxious when it came to seeing everybody from the academy, he was strangely alright with talking to Five considering that... Five had been missing for quite some time as well. Sue him for being mildly curious.

Five pierced his lips. "Well, for starters you ran out on us earlier before I had any real chance to speak with you in private."

He winced. "Sorry…"

"Don't be. I understand why you left; the others speak but they don't listen. You're under no obligation to explain anything to us and I won't expect you to, therefore, I'm not here to berate you for keeping secrets from us. Quite frankly I don't care." Five told him, staring blankly out the window of the restaurant. Rain droplets still dribbled down the glass panes despite the fact it stopped raining about an hour ago, and darkness had fallen making it difficult to really see further than the light of the restaurant allowed them too.

"…Thanks, I think?"

Five frowned like he was conflicted then continued. "However, I am desperate. So, I've decided that we're going to sit here until you understand something. If you're anything like you were when we were kids, then I'm hoping you'll be of some use to me."

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "What do you mean?"

"Since I've already tried to lay the news down gently on Vanya and she didn't receive it as adequately as I might have hoped, I'm just going to get straight to the point with you. To be blunt...the world is going to end in eight days, and I have no idea how to prevent that from happening." Five explained to him, analysing his reaction carefully.

Levi sat blinking at the boy, hand paused midair holding up a spoon still half in his mouth. The cogs turning inside his brain were trying to process what Five had just revealed, struggling under the weight of the information. Part of him was half expecting the whole academy to jump out on him and yell 'psyche!' because honestly, that wouldn't surprise him at this point. But nobody did jump out.

"Fii-fgh" He spoke around the spoon in his mouth having partially forgotten it was there, then slightly embarrassed he dumped it back into the sundae glass and tried again. "Five, what the hell do you mean the world is ending in eight days? That's not something you just casually drop into conversation."

Five grimaced. "What part didn't you understand?"

"Tell me you're joking."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"No of course not… you're Five you never joke. So…jeez ok." He breathed, scratching the back of his neck and suddenly not as interested in his half-eaten chocolate sundae. "Are we talking end of the word as in… meteorite? Nuclear warfare? Natural disaster? You need to be a bit more specific with me here. If it's zombies, then sorry but that's a big nope from me."

The glare Five sent his way was truly lethal. "Zombies?"

"Ok, stupid thought. Got it. Can you really blame me? I'm freaking out a little bit. How have you been strutting around all day holding onto the knowledge that we could all potentially die in what was it…?"

"Eight days." Five supplied for him. "And I'm not calm. I don't know how the world is going to end, all I know is when it's going to happen. Do you know what I found in the future? Nothing, absolutely nothing except for the goddamn date of the coming apocalypse." Five revealed then rummaged in his pocket to pull out an eyeball. "And this."

Levi leaned back against his seat staring at the tiny ball in Five's fingers, sinking lower and lower into a state of confusion. "Why are you carrying around an eyeball?"

"Because I found all your bodies. Even yours." Five began explaining and Levi realised much to his relief that the eyeball was marble and not, in fact, a real eyeball. "And Luther was clutching this in his hand. Whoever owns this eyeball instigates the apocalypse."

"Five… that...that doesn't even make sense! How do you know that the previous owner of that eye is the one that starts this so-called apocalypse?"

"It's all I have to go on." Five shrugged.

"Ok…right… ok." He muttered, drumming his fingers on the table. "This is crazy, you're aware of that right?"

"But you believe me?" Five pressed hopefully.

Levi stared at Five, trying to catch him in some kind of bluff but recognising that Five had close to no reason to lie to him right now. With a sigh, he let his head fall into his hands, elbows resting on the table. "I guess."

"You guess? I told you that I need you to understand so it's a yes or no kind of question, do you believe me because I'm not so sure Vanya did." Five growled.

"I don't know! Ok? I just wanted ice-cream so give me five seconds to process this."

Five scoffed, leaning back in his own seat. "Well, I also know all about the burn mark on your wrist." He stated bitterly which made Levi freeze. Five recognised the tension radiating from Levi and knew he'd hit the mark he'd been aiming for. "Oh yeah, pulled all your bodies out from the rubble of the academy. Everyone still had their tattoo. Everyone except for you. It took me a while to realise how old the scar was-"

"-Alright I believe you." Levi glared.

Five rose an eyebrow. "Touchy subject?"

"Shut up."

"I already told you, I don't care about your past. Not right now. So, you don't have to explain anything to me. But In order for there to be a future, I need your help."

"Why me? Don't you have a team of superhero misfits already at your disposal?" He reminded Five snidely. "I'm sure any one of them would be more than happy to lend you a helping hand."

"You once considered yourself part of that team." Five reminded him challengingly. "And because I don't know who to trust right now." He elaborated, gesturing to the blood on his collar briefly. "I'm taking a gamble here with you. Regardless of trust, I need to find the owner of this eye and you're the most viable one to help me successfully achieve that. We'll talk more about this tomorrow. I assume you're coming back to the academy with me now?"

Levi gaped, a hand weaving itself through his hair. "I… I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? I just told you the world is ending, and you don't know?"

"It's complicated, Five!" he snapped back, getting frustrated. "It's a lot more complicated than just going back."

"How is it complicated? Spell it out for me. Do you know what's complicated? Stopping the world from ending with only a fake eyeball as a lead." Five argued back.

"Because… I'm not allowed. I can't just- I don't know if I can just…" he stammered, panic rising inside him that he was trying to push down.

Five rose another eyebrow at him then. "Listen I don't know what's going on with you, but this is more important. If you're not going to help me then this has been a waste of my time hasn't it?" He spat and made to get up.

Levi held out a hand abruptly. "Wait- wait…alright. Fine, I'll go back with you. But only because the world is ending and…" and it won't matter if he gets in trouble if the world ends. "And we'll find the eyeball owner or whatever."

"Good." Five nodded, for the first time smiling properly. "I'll see you back home then." He said and disappeared in a flash.

Levi's head slammed against the table.

What to do… what to do.

Levi found himself standing on the pavement opposite the academy, scowling at its exterior. How easy it would be to just walk away right now and save himself from his own mental torture. But alas, here he was debating on what to do.

If he walked in that academy right there right now, he might get in more trouble than he's ever been in before. He got beat for three days for defying orders by just calling the academy. What would the people who owned him do if they actually knew he went there without direct instructions to? Earlier was an exception.

So, his options basically were; walk away and potentially let the world end or help save the world and get punished for it later because he went to the academy. How was this a fair choice?

What had the world ever even done for him?

He couldn't help but wonder what he would be saving. In his eyes, he'd be saving a life of being controlled and taken advantage of. The world didn't treat him kindly. Why should he save it? Maybe it would be better to just let it end…

No.

Angrily he kicked a stone on the ground, watching it bounce across the road. There were still people who deserved the world. People like Allison who had a daughter from what he'd seen on TV. There were still people out there who saw life as something worth living, which was a good enough reason for him to at least try help save the world. If he didn't do anything while holding the knowledge of the coming apocalypse then he's partially responsible for it, right?

Obviously, he was going to help save the world which irritated him to no end because it just reminded him of how Reginald conditioned them to respond to danger like this. In a sickeningly self-sacrificing manner. Maybe going back would get him in trouble with his superiors but… it'd be worth it. Besides, they'd already given him an initial mission based at the academy so…he couldn't get in too much trouble for going somewhere they'd originally sent him... right?

Heart flipping, he glanced at his phone and re-read the message he'd received approximately one week ago:

' Mission 807: Terminate Reginald Hargreeves'

He tusked and stashed away his phone again, still not understanding why they'd given him of all people that mission. It was a mystery to him why his superiors had wanted Reginald dead in the first place. Nor was he sure how they expected him to kill somebody he might have once considered a father, not that he held any particularly nice opinions of Reginald anymore. The whole mission felt like a test of loyalty or something.

But the point still remains that saving the world is more important than Levi's shitty life like Five had said. Therefore, he would go back and face everybody so that they got to continue living a life he never and could never have.

And fuck maybe he just wanted to do this for himself as well. Because… despite the fact he ran out he knew deep down he'd really missed those dysfunctional, argumentative, gear grinding idiots. He'd only ran because Luther was pressing too much. Truth be told even if it did borderline evoke a panic attack in him, it was kind of… nice knowing they cared that much about him still. If he left now, he might never see them again. With that in mind, he felt under some kind of obligation to go back there. He wanted to go back there. For once maybe he should just do something that he wants to do and damn the consequences.

Besides, free place to stay.

Also saving the world.

Decision made he crossed the road and dragged his feet up the familiar steps of the dull building, raising a shaking hand to knock against the black door that had the classic umbrella symbol painted onto it. After several moments the door creaked opened to reveal Pogo dressed in a nightgown and carrying a set of keys. Upon seeing Levi, he smiled warmly.

"Ah, Master Levi. Come on inside before you catch yourself a cold." He ushered Levi inside, closing the door behind them. "You've returned, this time as yourself much to my relief."

Levi shuddered and wrapped his arms around his frame. "I'm… I'm sorry I ran out earlier," He apologised quietly.

"Not to worry. I had my suspicions that you would be returning at some ungodly hour of the night. That's why I left the lights on," He said which admittedly made Levi smile more than he meant too. "Come along. Let's get you warmed up." He told him, directing him into the lounge to begin starting up a fire.

Seconds later as if summoned, Grace came bobbing down the stairs to join them, straightening her hair and heading over to them. "Oh dearie, what have I told you about sneaking off so late?" she scolded him exactly like she used to.

"Are you honestly surprised?" He replied with ease.

She chuckled and bopped his nose. "You stay put; I'll fetch you some warm clothes." She told him then hurried off before he had the chance to mention that he was wearing real clothes right now so didn't need a replacement.

"Is anyone here still?" he asked curiously.

Pogo hesitated with stoking the fire to frown. "Master Luther and Miss Allison are sleeping in their old bedrooms. As for the others, I do believe they returned to their respective homes shortly after your departure."

Levi nodded, having been expecting that kind of answer. "Oh." Was all he managed to say, stiffly seating himself on the couch. Wonder where Five was then.

Pogo side glanced him. "I'm sure they'll pay a visit sometime soon. If not there's always Allison and Luther."

He snorted. "Yeah, I'd rather not third-wheel." He jested weakly then stared at the flames igniting. "Do they ever visit?"

"…Not often. Luther remained here the longest… trying to keep the team spirit alive. Then he had a mission situated on the moon and left to see it through. The house has been quiet ever since," Pogo explained sadly. "Admittedly I do miss seeing you children wreak havoc in these halls."

Levi relaxed with a smile and leaned over the arm of the chair. "Who was the worst?"

Pogo shot him a knowing look. "Not to point fingers but there was a certain individual who'd find it highly amusing to sledge down the stairs and pretend to be Sir Reginald to get the other children to surrender their desserts."

Levi's eyes practically sparkled. "Wow, wonder which one of us did that?"

"Yes, it will forever remain a mystery." Pogo replied sarcastically then chuckled. "None of you held the title of being the so-called worst. You were all as bad and as good as each other."

"I'd have put my money on Allison." He shrugged then swallowed thickly, twiddling his thumbs. "Um… Pogo… can I… stay here for tonight?" he asked nervously, looking away quickly when Pogo turned to him. "Obviously I can go somewhere else… I just thought maybe… if it's okay-"

"My dear boy, you are welcome to stay whenever you please. This is still your home even if you don't want it to be." Pogo assured him.

Relief exploded across his face. "Thanks."

"Here we are. I had to retrieve some items from Diego's closet, he no longer wears these clothes anymore so he shouldn't mind." Grace came strolling back in holding a stack of neatly folded clothes. "They should be comfier to sleep in."

"Oh um... sorry to be a nuisance it's just the ones I'm wearing are-"

"Terribly dirty." She interrupted him, shoving the new clothes into his hands. "And not suitable for sleeping in. Now you change into those and I'll wash your old ones for you."

"No- No, honestly it's fine. You don't have to do that." He tried again.

She gave him a stern stare, folding her arms. "You're not being a nuisance, Levi."

After trying to hold her challenging stare he eventually gave in with a small chuckle and nodded. "Thank you. You really don't have to though."

Grace beamed. "I'll have them washed and dried out by tomorrow morning for you."

"I see you're now in good hands so if you don't mind Master Levi, I'm going to retire. I'm not as young as I used to be." Pogo told him and began hobbling towards the door while wishing him goodnight.

Grace offered him a hand. "Would you like to head off to bed as well? I'm sure you've had a very big day."

Levi sighed and clutched at Diego's clothes. "Actually could I sleep down here tonight?" he asked from his curled-up position on the couch. He saw her cock her head at him curiously. "It's just… there's a fire down here and well I just thought it'd be more convenient…" he mumbled, making up a pathetic excuse.

"I'll fetch a blanket for you." She said with a soft smile and hurried off.

He sighed in relief and quickly changed into the new clothes, tugging on Diego's grey shirt and black joggers that were luckily elasticated otherwise they'd fall right down his legs. He kept his gloves on, of course. Exhaustion took over him, the day's events finally taking its toll after all the emotional turmoil, the numerous shifts and the encounter with Jason. Oh and the newsflash that the apocalypse is in eight fucking days.

"I bought a softer pillow as well," Grace told him as she walked back in, setting up a makeshift bed for him on the couch, fluffing up the pillows and organising the blankets. "I can prepare pancakes for breakfast tomorrow if you'd like?"

"I don't want to trouble you." He murmured a response, crawling back onto the sofa and burying himself in the blankets once she'd finished.

"Of course it's no trouble, silly." She responded, coming over to him and stroking his hair from his forehead. The contact didn't make him jump as he expected it too, instead, he felt…. kind of safe. Which was confusing, but he shrugged it off. "Sleep well."

"Thanks…." He yawned, snuggling deeper into the pillow and more content than he'd been in a very long time. He didn't notice Grace stop by the doorway and peer back at him sadly before going to wash his clothes.

The slumber he'd fallen into was cut short by the sound of somebody stumbling around ungracefully, crashing into a wall and cursing under their breath. Levi blinked his eyes open groggily, pushing himself up from the pillows and trying to focus through the dimly lit room now that the fire had extinguished itself. At first, he felt a little disorientated, unsure where he was exactly, but then the blobby shapes in his vision began registering properly as furniture and his mind caught up with itself. He was still inside the academy.

So… who was making all that noise?

A grunt sounded from a figure toppling into the lounge, making Levi impulsively sink further under the blankets like it would magically make him invisible. After a few seconds, his eyes adjusted and recognised the figure to be Klaus. A… very intoxicated Klaus.

"K-Klaus?" he whispered, having no luck whatsoever. In fact, Klaus began stripping in front of him, kicking off his trousers and tripping at the end of Levi's sofa. Then the jacket and top were thrown off leaving Klaus in nothing but some bright neon, zebra-print underwear that displayed every colour of the rainbow and clung seriously too tight to his groin. "Klaus?!" he squeaked, eyes darting back up to a more respectable level when the man pulled himself up onto two feet again, swaying dazedly for less than a second before falling forwards towards where Levi was curled up.

Levi narrowly avoided being squashed, rolling sideways onto the floor with all the blankets and landing in a tangled heap as Klaus seized his previous position with a satisfied sigh. Awkwardly he kicked at the blankets to free himself then scampered up to check that Klaus was actually breathing and not on the verge of death.

"Hey! Klaus? Are you ok?" he began asking worriedly, seeing Klaus' glazed eyes reluctantly peel open to stare at him for a few seconds before lighting up.

"Levi!" he slurred the word. "Missed you… you little scamp pulling a fast one on us!" he said then let his eyes droop shut again.

"Oi wake up." He ordered, slapping at Klaus's cheek lightly. "What did you take?"

"Stuffff."

"Klaus, tell me."

"Just two." He grumbled into the pillow, holding up two fingers to prove his point. And Levi knew that was the best he was going to get at the moment. With a sigh, he went to get up but Klaus hand blindly shot out from the couch and whacked against Levi's shoulder which made him yelp.

"Ow- what the hell was that for?" he demanded, absentmindedly going to rub the sore spot on his shoulder but Klaus' hand latched onto his wrist before he had the chance. Levi puffed up like a startled cat at the contact, barely managing to keep his cool as he fought an impulse to snatch his hand back.

"Don't leave again. Don't go…" He pleaded hoarsely; eyes still shut. "Thought you weren't real earlier. You're real right? I mean Ben's been here… for years I just couldn't understand why you weren't. You had to be alive right?"

Levi bit his lip and shifted closer, manoeuvring Klaus' clamped hand from wrist and giving it in an awkward squeeze trying to be comforting. "I'm here. I'm real, ok? I'm not leaving. Not yet." He told the man who hummed, seemingly satisfied with the response as his arm went limp. "What am I gonna do with you, huh?" he muttered, hanging his head and releasing Klaus' hand.

Then he set to rolling Klaus onto his side just in case he was sick in his sleep, picking up the blanket and draping it over Klaus's body while trying to keep his gaze strictly away from the rainbow underwear. As he worked on making Klaus as comfortable as possible he couldn't help but compare him to when they'd been children.

He'd grown. Well duh. But Klaus had grown taller than he'd expected him too. For some odd reason, he'd always thought that they'd match in height but Klaus had definitely ended up being a good few inches taller than him. He had facial hair as well which was unfair cause Levi still struggles with getting mere stubble, which never looked good on him anyway! But it suited Klaus, gave him this kind of roguish appearance that added to the charm of his flamboyant behaviour. It's a slightly odd concept to Levi that he'd missed the majority of chapters in Klaus' life throughout which he evolved into the man he is today, making Levi burn with wonder. When did Klaus decide to get more tattoos? Where did he live now? What did he do for a living? Why does he take drugs and drink himself into oblivion?

All these questions were bubbling to life in one rapid flurry and he desperately wanted to find the answers to them. Call it hyperfixation but he sat on the ground staring at Klaus for a while too long, trying to work the other man out like he were a jig-saw puzzle that lacked all the pieces. It was a pretty good distraction from everything else. Eventually, he fell into a trance of just watching through the dim light as Klaus's chest rose and fell finding it somewhat… therapeutic.

Stop being creepy.

Right. Yes. Socially acceptable human beings don't just sit in the dark watching other people sleep.

Cringing internally he decided that he was satisfied enough to leave Klaus without having to be terrified that the guy would die in his sleep due to an overdose or something. He crawled his way across the marble ground to the opposite sofa and curled up there, a little vexed he no longer had blankets or pillows. At least somebody was comfortable though. The fact Klaus was likely going to have a hangover in the morning admittedly made Levi feel a little better about surrendering his bed. The second Levi settled on the sofa his brain whirled to life again and didn't seem willing to allow him the sweet escape of sleep just yet, sending him down a wormhole of worries.

He couldn't help but start feeling a little bad about leaving Klaus… he knew about what Klaus went through as a child, at one point understood better than anybody else at the academy.

And now look at Klaus, resorting to drugs and alcohol. Was it somehow his fault for not being there? Jeez, they were a bunch of misfits alright.

Well, that definitely decided it. He was staying. If not to save the world then maybe just to try and save… somebody. If he could. Levi was a mess, so he wasn't sure how much help he would be to anybody. But maybe he could start trying to make an effort.

A reluctant effort still counts.

Eight Days. Eight god damn days before billions of people were supposedly going to die. And here Levi was led on a sofa feeling rather numb about the whole concept. Maybe he should be freaking out more than he is but... shock sure was a bitch, huh?

Likewise, did anybody else actually know about the end of the world? Or the so-called 'end of the world' that Five was getting all worked up about. Five mentioned telling Vanya so it might be an idea to ask her what she thinks about this whole thing. Was Levi even allowed to tell anybody else about it? Five seemed pretty wrapped up about having trust issues right now so... maybe it would be best to just keep it to himself and let Five do all the orchestrating. Seemed kind of unfair though if nobody else knew.

He must have led there for hours juggling his thoughts before being lulled into sleep by the sound of the other man breathing.

Around 6 am Grace came downstairs to finish the laundry, taking Levi's freshly washed clothes into the living room only to find the white-haired boy asleep on a different sofa to the one she left him on and Klaus buried in the blankets instead. They slept in such different manners, Klaus moved and twisted under the blankets while mumbling the occasional incoherent sentence about something or other. Then there was Levi who kept as quiet as a mouse, curled up into a tight ball with hands resting under his head.

Grace set her hands on her hips and smiled at the pair before heading off to start her morning routine.

"No…no…no..please no-"

For the second time, Levi woke up because of Klaus, finding the other man shivering and whimpering underneath the blankets. It was light outside now, rays of sunlight peeking through the cracks of the drawn curtains. Distantly cars driving past could be heard alongside the occasional bird singing pleasantly. But those noises were overruled in Levi's ears by the frightened whimpers coming from the other man in the room.

"Klaus?" he tested unsurely, then when he received no response it became obvious that Klaus was having a nightmare. Quickly he scrambled up and began softly shaking him. "Klaus- Klaus! Come on, wake up. Wake up!" he ordered sternly, shaking him bit rougher.

"No-!" Klaus shot upwards, throwing Levi off him and hunching in on himself, trembling.

Levi didn't expect such a strong shove from Klaus and ended up landing flat on his back. With a huff, he propped himself up by his elbows. "One hell of a nightmare." He commented, catching Klaus attention at last.

Klaus was panting, uncurling himself and holding his heart with one hand. "Mmmf. You're still here." He muttered in a much more sober voice than last night, then noticed the blanket draped over his legs preventing him from getting up. He lifted it questioningly. "I'm not this responsible."

"You looked cold." He shrugged then smirked mischievously. "Plus I don't think I've ever seen underwear that small."

Klaus actually had the audacity to waggle his eyebrows. "Checking me out, were you?" he responded suggestively then laughed hoarsely at Levi's scandalised expression. "Ah- out the way perv." He nudged Levi sideways to grab his coat that was amongst all his other abandoned clothes thrown across the floor.

"What? I wasn't checking you out- I'm not a perv! Holy God, I do one nice thing for you and this is the kind of thanks I get. Next time I'll let you freeze." He grumbled, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river." Klaus muttered then side glanced him. "Though I'm touched that you're already planning for the eventuality of a 'next time'. I supposed this means we're to be graced with your presence for a while longer?"

"Don't sound so disappointed." Levi retorted, sensing Klaus bitterness in the statement. He knew Klaus was probably upset about everything still.

"Disappointment isn't the word."

"Mad then?"

"Expand your English language and- Shut your piehole, ben!" Klaus snapped which made Levi flinch in surprise before realising Klaus hadn't said his name, but Ben's. Then Klaus stopped rummaging in his coat and stared at the empty couch. "Said with love." He assured the air and blew a kiss.

"Ben?" he parroted in confusion, turning to face the chair then shaking his head. "Hang on are you looking for more drugs?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that…" Klaus responded, tugging out a cigarette and lighting it.

Levi pouted. "Well stop. You scared me last night. Not to mention nearly crushed me."

Klaus sighed and leaned back against the couch, staring exasperatedly at Levi. "Me? Scared… you?" he asked while exhaling smoke. "Well… my shifty amigo, I was perfectly fine. But the blanket was greatly appreciated nonetheless."

Levi awkwardly fidgeted on the spot, watching Klaus puff out more smoke for a second. "So, want to talk about that nightmare?"

"Want to talk about where you've been for the past... decade and a half?"

He rolled his eyes. "Jerk."

"Bitch." Klaus shot back without hesitation then got up, heading over to the cabinets. "One of these has gotta be gold-plated, right?"

Levi shook his head. "And whatever would you be needing something from in there for?"

Klaus continued searching the cabinet. "Well… you see-" the sound of Pogo clearing his throat made both of them jump, Klaus twirling around with a hand placed over his heart again. "Christ on a cracker! Pogo?"

Pogo was stood at the doorway looking immensely unimpressed. "My apologies, Master Klaus." He said flatly, and Levi couldn't help but snigger knowingly. "I have a query for the both of you."

Klaus leaned over the couch. "Oh?"

"Items from your father's office have gone missing. In particular an ornate box with a pearl inlay." Pogo explained.

Klaus radiated guilt. "Really?" he drawled, eyes flicking to Levi who just rose his eyebrows in return. "You don't say."

"Any idea where it went?" Pogo asked, looking directly at Klaus despite having addressed both of them.

Levi watched Klaus ponder for a moment and had to stop himself from snorting about how see-through Klaus was right now.

Then Klaus shook his head. "No. No. No idea." He responded then hissed at the couch, in the same spot he'd been talking to earlier. That made further curiosity rise in Levi. "Would you shut up!" Klaus growled again.

"Excuse me?" Pogo responded, recoiling from the comment.

Klaus flashed another guilty glance Pogo's way. "Pogo, I didn't mean you, I just... i—you know there's been a lot of stuff I've been dealing with. Just a lot of memories coming up. All those good times. Well, not so much good times. Really awful, terrible, depressing times. Especially because he's back now." Klaus explained, pointing at Levi while crossing the room to Pogo.

"I can leave." He snarked back.

"I'll drag your ass right back if you even think about it," Klaus responded without missing a beat.

"Fine but don't drag me into this." He smiled slightly, raising his hands up in surrender.

Pogo kept a steady composure but was clearly losing patience. "The contents of that box are…priceless. Were they to find their way back to the office, whoever took it would be absolved of any blame or consequences."

"Oh, well, lucky bastard," Klaus replied smoothly.

"Indeed." Pogo glared suspiciously then softened his expression. "Your mother has a stack of pancakes waiting for you both downstairs. I've informed Allison and Luther of your return and I do believe they will be joining you for breakfast," he explained to Levi then glanced disapprovingly at the other man still stood clad in his underwear. "Master Klaus... might I suggest you dress yourself something a bit more decent before you seat yourself at the table." he requested then began heading out of the room.

"Thanks, Pogo, tell Grace I'll be down in just a second. Oh! and we'll keep an eye out for that box!" he added and received a brief thanks before Pogo disappeared out of sight. Levi stifled a grin, sideglancing Klaus. "You totally took it didn't you?"

Klaus groaned and dramatically crashed onto the sofa while murmuring something that sounded an awful lot like 'yep'. Then his head shot up and he glared at Levi, waving the cigarette at him. "You're sworn to secrecy though."

He dragged his fingers across his mouth in a line. "My lips are sealed. I already told you I'm no snitch."

"And automatically just like that you're still the greatest thing to happen to this place," Klaus told him, rolling over to face the ceiling.

"But cross me and I'm gonna have soooo much dirt on you. First, you knock over Reggie's urn now this. Tut, tut" he teased which Klaus just raised a middle finger at him about. Levi snorted and got up, turning away quickly. "Oh my god, would you put some more clothes on already?"

"Peeping tom."

"You're wearing neon underwear." He exclaimed, picking up the blanket and tossing it at Klaus which made the man yell in protest because it extinguished his cigarette.

"it's a free country," Klaus grumbled, trying to re-ignite the cigarette. "We took baths together as kids take a chill pill."

Ignoring Klaus he realised he was going to have to start doing something productive now. There was the whole impending apocalypse right around the corner situation which seemed like a pretty pressing matter. Even if he might want to stay in the room and pick Klaus brain about the drug use and the Ben thing, there was still bigger fish to fry. Like finding Five, because Pogo hadn't mentioned him being in the house even though this was their agreed meeting point.

His stomach rumbled.

Ok, first things first. Pancakes.

With a yawn, he got up to stretch. Mindlessly letting his gaze wander back over to Klaus, finding the other man's eyes glued shamelessly to his abdomen where his top had ridden up exposing pale skin. Before he could make some kind of witty comment he had to awkwardly scramble and catch the damn over-sized joggers, having forgotten they were too big on him so it probably wasn't a good idea to stretch and make his body even smaller. Curse Diego for working out as a teenager. Klaus snorted. Immediately his face flushed hotter against his will so he spun around to find his own clothes.

"Are you naked?" Klaus asked innocently.

Levi refused to acknowledge the troublesome heat spreading further over his cheeks as he sought out his clothes, finding them in a folded pile by the sofa he'd been sleeping on. Unfortunately, the one Klaus was now led on. Somebody had a nasty habit of stealing Levi's sleeping spots it seemed.

"What?"

"You were naked yesterday." Klaus expanded, waving his hand like it elaborated the point. "You know, I gave you my coat. Which by the way you left on the floor outside so... rude."

"Ah. Right. I... I'm sorry about that. And no... I'm not naked. " He mumbled with furrowed eyebrows, proceeding to make a point of tugging the sides of his joggers so the fabric extended then snapped back against his skin. "See, real clothes."

Klaus's smirk was positively predatorial. "Let me get this straight, I'm not allowed to lounge around in my panties but you're allowed to show up to a funeral buck naked?"

"What? I wasn't- I didn't look naked-" he spluttered trying to defend himself, ending up just getting tongue-tied. "I mean technically I might have been and...well...I was but- I shapeshift, Klaus! It's just easier to be... you know and... well it's not like you could see my privates or anything so - so yeh!" he blurted and if he hadn't been flustered before he certainly was now. "Couldn't see dick. Wasn't naked. End of."

Just end his life...

Klaus gave him absolutely no mercy and silently rose his eyebrows, that devious little smirk of his widening.

Levi groaned, shoving his head into his hands, cursing his previous word vomit. "That came out wrong."

"I'm sure it did."

"Oh, shut up." He grumbled, half a mind to welcome the apocalypse with open arms after this conversation. "I'm going to get changed, see you at breakfast." he clutched the clothes to his chest and fled the room to the sound of Klaus laughing.

Jeez, he virtually never had a problem with nudity. Was the academy turning him into some kind of prude after just one day? He's worked in a damn brothel before for crying out loud! Well, he never got teased about it at the brothel. Sort of. Also yeah... showing up to a funeral naked...guess that's one off the bucket list. Even if he hadn't LOOKED goddamn naked. Reginald's ghost was somehow behind this sudden embarrassment. It was revenge. Had to be. That sounds totally legit.

On his way to find somewhere to get changed, he tugged out his phone.

No messages.

A breath of relief escaped him.

A.N: Thanks for reading!

IIChaosII asked about the technology in this fic, which I'm kind of glad got mentioned. You're gonna have to keep an open mind about it. No there isn't REALLY any modern technology so to say because I liked the retro kind of aesthetic of the show, the other characters won't have phones like Levi does and they may in the future actually question how he has a PORTABLE phone. I want to stick to the show's idea of making it difficult for all the characters to communicate with each other. Otherwise, certain plot points like Patch's death gets affected (You know, cause her death was partly a result of not having a direct line of communication with Diego) If she'd had a modern phone maybe she could have just messaged Diego for backup and he'd see it instantly- you get my point.

BUUUUT it's also an incredibly low-tech phone that's only there to act as a communicator of sorts between Levi and whoever his 'superiors' are. I guess it's kind of like a pager, but he can respond with it? I'll try to go into more detail in later chapters if the other characters notice it (Which they obviously will because wow technology) It's also supposed to stand out as weird because he's definitely not rich enough to buy a phone either so... it might be a hint for you guys as to whoever his 'superiors' are. And if nobody else has really a portable phone then...wherever would he get one of those from?

All to be explored later :)