It was getting a bit late. Morticia groaned as she got stuck in a small traffic jam. She called the guy again, but he didn’t pick up.
Soon, she got out of it and reached the guy’s place. She spotted a figure trashing something. Their gazes met.
“You’re Bunnie?” he asked, and she ran to him.
“Where is he?”
“He left an hour ago. He left the moment he knew I had called you,” he said, and Morticia’s heart dropped to her feet. “He had been here since morning, acting all grumpy. I thought it was just one of his mood swings, not until I saw the news about his mother. I asked about it, and he exploded, crashing my things and punching the wall until he bled. So I had to call you.” His voice was calm, though it sounded frustrated.
Morticia swept her hair back. “Where is he right now? Which way did he go?”
“That way,” he pointed to the right side of the road. “I couldn’t follow. He was fucking scary. I’ll get the money to fix my stuff once he’s back to himself.” He returned to packing his broken things.
Morticia turned. Where could she find him in all of New York? He couldn’t have gone far, right?
A thought clicked in her mind as she faced the guy. “Do you know any nearby beach?” she asked, and the guy’s brow furrowed.
“A beach?” he repeated, drifting into thought. “Ah, yeah, there’s one not far from this place. Thinking of it, I think Klaus might be there…”
Morticia smiled with a small hope. She breathed out in relief. “Do you have any first aid?” she asked. The guy nodded, went inside, and brought out a box of first aid, handing it over to her.
He looked nice; he must have been the old friend Klaus mentioned. She thanked him, and the guy described the place. Morticia quickly hopped into her car and drove there.
Ava called, and she explained her situation to her.
“I’m sorry, Morticia,” Ava said over the phone. “I feel like a bad person for not telling him. Please let me know how it goes.”
“Okay, Mom. Bye, I’ll call you later,” she said and pulled over onto a small street, her eyes settling on the small beach, with the sea hitting the shore with each wave.
Morticia headed further, her eyes scanning the place as the breeze blew her hair. There was no sign of Klaus. She bit her lip. If he wasn’t here, then where could he be?
Feeling frustrated, she swept her hair back and turned to leave; however, she spotted a small house in the distance.
It had a dim light on. Curious, she headed toward it.
She knocked twice, holding her breath when Klaus came behind the door.
“Who’s that?” His deep voice trembled a little.
“Morticia,” she said, and when she didn’t hear anything, she tried to open the door, and surprisingly, it did. Her eyes met a small room, its light casting a warm glow.
There was a small bed, a small shelf with books, and a small kitchen. It was like a small one-room apartment, best designed for someone who just wanted to shut himself out from the world.
Just like Klaus, sitting on a wooden chair, leaning his elbows on the table, with alcohol before him. She never thought he had a place like this.
Did he own this place?
“Fuck, I should have locked the door,” Klaus mumbled, drinking from a bottle.
Morticia spotted the wound on his knuckles. She marched forward with the box of first aid to help him, but he yanked his hand away.
“Get out, Bunnie. You shouldn’t be in here,” he said almost as a whisper, looking elsewhere.
“I want to help you. You shouldn’t be alone,” she insisted.
“Get. Out,” he breathed, shutting his eyes. Morticia’s feet stayed frozen, though she knew Klaus might be in his worst state right now and that she should leave without turning back.
Yet, her body betrayed her.
With a swift movement, Klaus took one of the empty bottles and smashed it against the kitchen wall.
“Fucking get out, Bunnie!” he yelled, making Morticia flinch a little.
This was way past what she had expected.
Morticia clenched her jaw. “You don’t want my help? Fine.”
“Then why are you still standing here?” he cut in, his voice and gaze icy. There was no sign he had been crying on his face. No trace of tears, just a pair of eyes desperately telling her to leave.
Morticia scoffed, her anger surging. “You really want me to leave?”
“More than anything,” Klaus responded, his expression unyielding, his words hurting her.
Her eyes teared up as she headed toward the door. But as she held the knob, she paused, her trembling hand slowly going down.
If she went out there, she would still be worried about him.
Slowly she turned to Klaus, who was staring into space. As he didn’t hear the sound of the door, he looked at her.
“No,” she stated and walked back to him. Klaus frowned. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Klaus scoffed. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No, I’m not,” she slammed the box down on the table, folding her arms. “If you’re going to bottle up your feelings, then you’re a fucking coward. If you think you can push me out of this room, then you’re mistaken, ’cause my place belongs by your side.”
She sniffed, controlling the urge to cry. She stood to face him, her voice trembling.
“What’s it going to be, huh? C’mon, yell at me. If it makes you feel better, that’s fine-I’ll take it. C’mon, drink all the alcohol you want. I won’t stop you. Do whatever you want-yell however you want, curse me, insult me… I’ll take it, just like I always have, and I’ll keep coming back to you.”
Each of her words hit Klaus hard, and those walls he built around his emotions crumbled. His eyes teared up as he gripped his bottle tightly.
“Do whatever you want, but do. not. push me away,” she wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. “Ah, I can’t believe I’m crying… C’mon, Morty, you can do this,” she whispered to herself and returned her gaze to Klaus.
“Stop being a coward and let it out,” she whispered.
Klaus burst into tears, his lips trembling as his eyes reddened.
Morticia let out a painful smile, moved close, and pulled his head onto her stomach. Klaus let out a loud cry, his hands reaching to hold Morticia closer. His grip on her shirt tightened.
His cries filled the small place as he clung to her, her fingers caressing his messy black hair.