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Can someone blame a tank for shooting its guns?
Yes, no, it's complicated.
When there's no separating the man driving the tank and the tank itself, the answer is yes. That's the loophole Klaus has been riding on ever since he was old enough to throw his first punch.
Dorian knew this—he knew that Klaus had a heart and fist of steel. His problems were either solved through violence or yelling. Truly the model of masculinity. Though every once in a while, for barely a second, Dorian could see more. He could see something underneath that cold exterior.
He had always passively chased this, wanting to know more about Klaus but not knowing how to find out more about him. He didn't attempt to actually find anything out for the most part, but if anything came up that could tell him about Klaus' past or Klaus himself, he certainly didn't shy away from it.
That's how he found himself at the Eberbach estate.
This wasn't the first time, of course. He had invited himself in many times. Though this was the first time he had been personally invited to the castle.
Dorian had gotten a letter a few days before. It was written in clean, neat, if somewhat boring, cursive handwriting done with a ballpoint pen you could tell was pulled out of an office desk that had been there for the past 3 years. The letter was as clean and neat as the handwriting. It was a simple request:
Come to my estate on Thursday.
Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach
The invite intrigued Dorian. Klaus isn't the type of person to invite people over for no reason. There must be a reason for this invitation, but Klaus has, what Dorian can only assume, purposefully left the reasoning out. Dorian sets down the letter and promptly goes to get a bag ready.
It takes him more time than he would like to pack a bag. He doesn't even know what he should pack. Klaus has stated nothing about how long he'd be there or even if he was staying for multiple days. So Dorian just threw (well, neatly folded and carefully set into the bag—Dorian would never let his clothes get wrinkled from his negligence) some outfits into his bag.
As Dorian packed, anxiety began to eat away at him. What if something was wrong? What if Klaus was hurt? Horrible thoughts flooded his mind of what could be wrong. Dorian didn't think that Klaus would invite him over *unless* there was something wrong.
A plane ride and a train ride later, Dorian was about an hour or so away from the Eberbach estate. The estate was closed off from the rest of the city. So Dorian drove the rest of the way. When Dorian got there, his more irrational, anxious thoughts were quelled.
Dorian didn't know what he expected. Of course, the castle itself was perfectly fine. It looked the exact same as the last time he had been there. He got out of his car and went up to the door; he knocked and Herr Hinkel opened the door. He greeted Dorian and allowed him through. As Dorian walked, he could tell that Hinkel seemed... Anxious.
“Hello, Herr Gloria! I'll show you to the sitting room, that's where Herr Eberbach is,” Hinkel said, with a smile. Dorian nodded and began to follow Hinkel to the sitting room. As they walked, Dorian finally asked the question that he had been wondering all this time. “Do... Do you happen to know why Klaus invited me here?”
Hinkel stopped. “Ah, I'm not surprised he didn't say anything. That's something he would do." He said with a fond chuckle, “I think it's better that you find out for yourself." He added, his voice a bit softer now. Dorian looked even more confused. “Is Klaus in danger? Can you tell me that much?” Dorian asked. Hinkel shook his head. “No, he's not in danger, and neither are you." He says, though it's obvious he had to think about it first.
Dorian, now left with more questions than answers, simply nods and keeps going. Eventually, they get to the sitting room. Hinkel opens the door before bowing and leaving the hallway.
Dorian walks into the sitting room. He sees Klaus sitting on one couch and another man sitting in a chair across from said couch. The man looks to be about in his 60s; he looks quite a bit like Klaus, besides his long gray hair that's held behind his head in a ponytail and his very thin frame. He has striking green eyes like Klaus, but when they looked at Dorian, they felt as if they bore into his soul.
“Ah, father, this is Dorian Red Gloria, Earl of Gloria,” Klaus said, standing up. Klaus' father did too. “I am Rainier Eberbach." He said, going to shake Dorian's hand. Dorian reached out his hand and suddenly felt his hand be put in a death grip as Rainier shook his hand.
After pulverizing Dorian's hand, Rainier sat down and motioned for Dorian to sit down next to Klaus. Dorian did as he was told. As he went to sit down, he took a look at Klaus.
Klaus looked odd. On later consideration, Dorian thought he should've realized something was off with his speech, but his demeanor is what really raised red flags for Dorian. He was sitting up completely straight with his hands in his lap, if you looked closely enough, you could see that he was rubbing his pointer finger with his thumb. There wasn't even a cigarette in his mouth.
When Dorian looked up at Klaus', he saw not his usual annoyed and disgruntled face but instead he saw a face that Dorian could only describe as paralyzing fear being masked by an attempt to look stoic. You could tell that Klaus didn't feel as if he was in control of this situation.
Klaus was a man who almost always felt like he was in control, or if not in control, confident that he could hold his own. Seeing him like this made Dorian's blood run cold. Dorian didn't understand why Klaus was like this—it's just his father?
As Dorian sat there and joined in, he realized that Rainer was absolutely terrifying. There was a cold look in his eye, and every question he threw at Dorian felt like he was testing him. It was like Dorian was in the middle of a game of chess.
“Herr Gloria, how do you know my son?” Rainer asked.
“... We met because of his work,” Dorian replied, realizing that he'd have to lie about it. “Yes, he was in England at the time, and we were both at the same... art show.” Klaus looked as if a gunshot had gone off.
“An art show?” Rainer questioned, “I assume that was part of an assignment set in place by your chief, correct?” Klaus simply nodded in response, “Yes, sir.” Dorian still couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wracked his brain for answers and found none. He was left wondering what was going on even more. Why was Klaus acting like this? Why did he send that letter?
About an hour later, Rainier stood up. “I have business I must attend to. I shall be back before dinner; excuse me.” He then bowed and left the room, leaving Dorian and Klaus alone together. Dorian had so many questions that he wanted to ask, but he stayed silent. He didn't really know how to ask. Klaus surprisingly broke the silence.
“My father seems to dislike you,” Klaus said, even though there wasn't much basis for it. Dorian sighed, “He was absolutely terrifying, darling. That must be where you get it from.” Klaus stiffened at this: “What do you know about me, you degenerate!” He barked.
Dorian almost sighed in relief. There he was, there was his Klaus. He smiled. “I seem to be learning, my dear Major.” After Dorian said this. Klaus huffed and left. Even if Klaus was acting a bit more normal, he was still acting odd. Dorian wanted to get to the bottom of this.
Dorian waited for a moment or so after Klaus left. He tried to collect his thoughts about what had just happened, but it didn't really work. He eventually admitted defeat and went to find Hinkel again so that he could be shown to his room.
After finding Hinkel, he began to show Dorian to his room. “What are your thoughts of Herr Rainier?” Hinkel eventually asked. Dorian sighed, “I don't think he liked me very much. I found him terrifying,” Dorian replied. “Klaus seems to have a somewhat strained relationship with him.” Hinkel nodded but didn't say anything, and Dorian didn't push him.
This was a far cry from how Hinkel usually was, he usually wasn't so quiet and introspective. Dorain had another question to add to the list. Eventually Hinkel and Dorian got to the room, and Hinkel opened the door. Dorian thanked him, and the two went their separate ways.
Dorian paced around the room before eventually flopping down onto the large bed in the bedroom. He didn't know what to do now. Does he go find Klaus? No, Klaus would probably not want to talk to him right now. If he tried doing that, he'd get nowhere. Dorian sighed and stared at the ceiling.
Dorian stands back up a few minutes later and looks out the window. He's facing the back of the estate, and behind it is a gorgeous garden. It's filled with roses, columbines, hyacinths, and much more. It makes Dorian smile. Somehow, being here makes him feel... closer to Klaus in a way. This is where Klaus had spent most of his life, and here was Dorian, walking through the halls, staring at the garden.
Dorian decided to go down to the garden, hoping that the flowers would clear his mind. It was even more beautiful than it was from the window! The flowers seemed to be even more vibrant than they looked from the window. A sense of calm filled Dorian.
That's when he saw Klaus sitting amongst the flowers. It was an odd sight, seeing Klaus around something that he'd most likely scoff at. What stood out to Dorian however, was Klaus' body language. He was sitting completely still on a bench. He was staring off into the distance with an almost blank expression on his face. The only part of him that moved was his fingers. They rubbed at his cuticles, which were already red and raw.
Klaus had not seemed to notice Dorian's presence. This did not change till Dorian had sat down next to Klaus. Klaus looked over at Dorian “What do you want?" He asked, not looking at Dorian. Dorian reached down to Klaus' hands “Darling, you'll-” He was cut off when Klaus flinched. He flinched so violently it was like he was being burned.
“Klaus-” Dorian was yet again cut off. Though this time he was cut off by Klaus suddenly getting up before leaving. He did this without saying a word. Dorian got up as well with a huff. He was starting to get rather impatient with all these mysteries. “Klaus!” He exclaimed “What's wrong? Why are you acting odd? Why did you invite me here?”
Klaus huffed in response “I'm fine!” He replied, completely ignoring the second question. He went inside and slammed the door as he did so, leaving Dorian alone. Dorian went in after Klaus, but before he could say anything Klaus stomped up the stairs and left Dorian alone again.
Dorian didn't go after him. He knew Klaus well, if he went after Klaus it would only end with Klaus getting even angrier. If Dorian did that, he'd get no answers out of Klaus. Dorian leaned against the wall and sighed. Why was Klaus so difficult? He didn't really know what to do now. He couldn't talk or confront Klaus. His only option was to go back up to his room till dinner.
Dorian went back upstairs and waited for it to be time for dinner hoping that this dinner would answer at least *one* of his questions.
Eventually, time passed and it was time for dinner. Both Dorian and Klaus came downstairs and into the dining room. It was just them and Rainier at the table. Dorian looked at Klaus and noticed that the palm of his hand was red and covered in cuts. Almost like he had broken something and the shards had cut his hands.
Klaus had begun to rub at his cuticles again, they were bleeding at this point. Rainier looked over at Klaus and Klaus immediately straightened up, his hand going to his lap. There was that blank expression again, though this time if you looked in Klaus' eyes you could see fear in them.
It felt like Dorian was intruding on something he shouldn't be seeing. It almost scared him to see Klaus so scared. Klaus was always either in control or pretending he was. Dorian jumped when Rainier began to talk to him. He was asking but the Gloria estate but Dorian couldn't really understand much of anything Ranier was asking. All he could think about was Klaus. He answered in simple yes or no's and with fake smiles.
The sick feeling only got worse as the dinner went on. He could feel Raniers eyes on him, as if he was being scrutinized. Every once in a while Dorian would look over at Klaus. The fear in Klaus' eyes had only grown. He was barley eating, just occasionally picking at his food.
Rainier continued to talk and Dorian continued to not really be present for the conversation. There was a tight feeling in Dorian's chest, that feeling persisted. Eventually, the chatter died down and the rest of the dinner was spent in mostly silence.
It was an almost suffocating silence. It was a silence that made Dorian feel almost jittery. It felt like it would never end. Though, finally, the dinner ended and Dorian was asked by Ranier to leave the room. Dorian did as he was told. Though he felt odd about it. It felt as if he was leaving Klaus defenseless.
He left the room but instead of going back to his bedroom or somewhere else in the house, he stayed by the door to the dining room. At any other time, he would've thought he was being to cautious. Klaus could fight for himself, he certainly didn't need anyone to save him in a moments notice. Dorian just couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to stay.
Dorian stood by the door. He stood by there for quite some time. There was complete silence on the other side of the door. Dorian was about to leave when he heard a noise, he heard Rainier's voice. “You're a disappointment” Rainier said. Klaus said nothing in reply. “Look at me when I speak to you!” Rainier shouted.
“You're a disgrace! Look at you, all I ask for is respect and you give me embarrassment instead. You invite some faggot into this house and expect me not to notice? Do you think I'm an idiot? No son of mine will spend his time with faggots and freaks!”
Rainier's voice gets louder and louder “Didn't I raise you better than this? I taught you not to talk to faggots. I taught you that faggots and all of their fucking ilk need to be killed. Hell, you even went to church!” At this point he's shouting, but after that he gets quiet.
“Stand up” He says. Dorian can hear Klaus push back his chair back and stand. Dorian's blood runs cold, he feels practically frozen in place when he hears Ranier slap Klaus in the face. Klaus grunts but says nothing. He then hears another slap, then he hears Klaus get slammed to the floor.
Dorian quickly snapped out of it when he heard that. He saw red in that moment. How dare that man do that to Klaus, his Klaus! Dorian didn't even realize what he was doing till the door was open and he could see the scene before him.
Klaus was on the floor, his face was bloody and he had landed on his arm in a way that certainly hurt. Rainier was looming above Klaus, his leg about to hit Klaus' stomach. He stopped when he saw Dorian. “Get out!” Rainier barked, turning to look at Dorian. Dorian's anger spiked when he saw this.
Dorian ran over to Klaus, kneeling down. Rainier went over and pulled Dorian up, “Get. Out.” Ranier says, his voice quiet and sharp. Dorian looked at Ranier, his face showing all the rage he felt for Klaus. Ranier went to shove Dorian out of the way but he deflected.
He looked over at Klaus, he was watching the scene unfold with a detached look. That's when Dorian realized something. *He needed to steal Klaus.*
Ranier went to punch Dorian again and he deflected again. Dorian was trying to think of a plan as he did this. There wasn't much he could do, consider that it was just the 3 of them in the room that only housed a table, chairs and some decor. Dorian began to lead Ranier out of the room.
After they were outside, Dorian ran back inside and locked the door. He knew that Ranier could easily break down the door, especially considering the blind rage that he had caused in him. It gave Dorian a few seconds though, which was all he needed.
When Rainier broke down the door, Dorian and Klaus were gone. There was no sign that either of them had even left, though there was no way that they were still in the house.
Dorian had put Klaus in his car and had begun to drive away from the estate as quickly as he could. Klaus still seemed to be out of it, but he looked to be recovering. Eventually Klaus spoke “What have you done?”
Klaus spoke softly, softer than Dorian had ever heard from Klaus. “He'll come after us, you do realize that? He'll see that your car is gone. He'll know we left.” To Dorian's shock, Klaus sounded scared. “Yes, I know he will. This will give me enough time to come up with a plan and more importantly, tend to your injuries.”
Klaus huffed “I'm fine, there's barley any injuries.” Dorian was shocked by how nonchalant Klaus sounded. Klaus didn't seem to have a second thought about this. He seemed to think that he was deserving of punishment! Dorian could scarcely believe it. “He beat you, Klaus! Look at yourself, your face is bruised and your arm must be sprained! That's not even mentioning your hand-” Klaus cut Dorian off.
“I disobeyed and I was punished” Klaus replied, Dorian looked incredulous. “Do you think I like this?!” Klaus shouted “Well, you obviously are okay with it to some degree. You are a grown man, one of the strongest I know. Why not fight back?” Dorian retorted "Has this been happening since childhood? Is that-"
That's when the tears started. Big, fat tears rolled down Klaus' face before he could even try to stop them. Dorian saw this and shocked washed over him again. Dorian had never seen Klaus cry and here he was with tears streaming down his face.
Dorian couldn't help himself “Oh, darling...” He said with a frown. Klaus glared at Dorian but said nothing. It took a little bit- the Eberbach estate wasn't exactly in the city- but they got to a hotel. Dorian got out and opened the door for Klaus. He grabbed his handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Dorian so that he could wipe his eyes.
After that, the two of them went inside and Dorian paid for a hotel room. They then went into the room. Dorian opened the first aid kid that he had brought, though he stopped when he heard a noise. He looked over at Klaus and saw that he had his head in his hands. Dorian almost thought he had imagined the sound before it happened again.
The sound was a soft sob. Dorian frowned and went over to Klaus, sitting down next to him on the bed. He gently wrapped an arm around Klaus and to Dorian's surprise, he leaned in. Soft sobs continued to leave Klaus' mouth. Dorian continues to hold him. Dorian knew that he had to come up with a plan soon. Ranier would realize where they had gone soon enough. But for now, Dorian was content with Klaus in his arms.