Compassion

Date/Timing: 1 April 2006
Setting: Gottlieb home; Berlin, Germany
.
Klaus unfolds himself from the back of the cab, offers Adina a hand.
She smiles, glides to her feet, „Thank you, Lovey.“
He bows—„You're welcome, Dovey.“—and pays the driver while she walks to the front door.
She resettles her purse while she waits for him to catch up.
„I could've driven.“
„Of course you could've.“ Adina smiles sweetly, pats his arm. „If you still had a license.“
„I can get it back any time I want,“ he sniffs and presses the bell.
The chime echoes, muffled.
After a moment, Dietrich opens the door, sheepish smile on his face, and bows them inside. „Father sends his regrets; there's an emergency at his firm.“
Klaus frowns. „He's an engineer. What sort of e—“
Adina jams an elbow in his ribs.
Klaus hides a sigh in working off his shoes. When he straightens, Dietrich's smile has brightened a touch. 
„I would've thought you'd be working today.“
„I managed to convince a friend to cover for me.“ Dietrich shrugs. „We're in the sitting room.“
„Lead on!“
He and Adina follow to where the younger ones wait.
Hermann curled in a stuffed chair, mostly hidden behind a book with a French—probably—title.
Bastien clatters a tea tray to the low table, offers an uncharacteristically weak smile.
„Happy birthday, Little Rabbit!“
„Thank you, Oma,“ says Bastien, stepping into her hug and quickly away.
Klaus tilts his head, pulls Bastien into his arms.
Bastien barely returns the gesture.
„Not so fast, young man. You're not too old for a /proper hug now that you're all of eleven, are you?“
Bastien smiles through a blush, presses himself close.
„That's more like it.“ He strokes Bastien's hair. 
Bastien eases away.
„You've grown since we last saw you.“
„Maybe a centimeter,“ he admits, sliding onto the sofa.
Klaus and Adina take up flanking positions; Dietrich claims the another armchair.
„Good morning, Hermann,“ greets Adina, gently.
Hermann barely looks up from his reading, says, „Hello, Oma, Opa,“ and disappears back into his text.
Adina gives Klaus a look over Bastien's head.
A /clink as Dietrich pours tea. „We should probably start before it goes cold,“ he shrugs.
„Good idea,“ replies Adina as she accepts, nabs a little cake. „What sort of delicacy are these?“
„Mrs Krüger's special apple spice nibbles.“
Klaus coos, nabs one. „I love that woman's baking.“
Adina clears her throat.
„Not as much as yours, of course.“
„Thank you, Lovey.“
Klaus chuckles, takes a bite of the savory.
Hermann leans forward, stretches for a cake, the sleeve of his jumper riding up his arm—
A thin, straight line of reddened flesh peeps out.
Adina gasps.
Hermann startles, drops the pastry, hastily tugs the cuff back into place. „Excuse me,“ he mumbles, „I'm not feeling well.“ He lurches to his feet and hobbles out on his cane.
Bastien watches him go, worry written in the lines of his face.
Dietrich holds him in his seat.
A door closes at the back of the house.
Klaus inhales deeply. „Did Hermann try to commit suicide?“
„Yes,“ replies Dietrich.
„When?“
„At the start of the holidays.“
„Ah.“ Klaus braces himself. „Why?“
Bastien's expression darkens.
Dietrich swallows, keeps his eyes down. „All the changes were too much for him.“
„The poor dear ...,“ murmurs Adina.
Klaus squeezes her hand. „I worried going abroad might be too much, too quickly for him.“
Bastien pokes his snack, chewing his lower lip.
Dietrich sighs. „He seemed to adjust well, but ....“
They sip tea.
Adina breaks the quiet. „He was so /excited to go.“
Dietrich nods.
Bastien grinds his teeth.
„What's wrong, Little Rabbit?“
Bastien jumps, focuses intently on his sweet, grumbles, „Nothing.“
„It's been hard on him, too,“ explains Dietrich.
Adina nods, somewhat reassured.
„That's not—“ Bastien sighs to a stop, takes an unenthusiastic bite.
The reassurance slips away.
„Boys, seriously,“ says Klaus, „what's wrong?“
Dietrich and Bastien study their cup and plate, respectively.
„Please, boys. Perhaps we can help.“
Bastien says—
Dietrich sets a hand on his shoulder.
—glares, shakes him off, tilts his chin. „Manny tried to die because Father won't let him go back.“
They look to Dietrich.
„Dee?“
He hangs his head, silence eloquent.
Klaus sighs.
Adina reaches over, takes Dietrich's hand, runs her thumb across its back. „What happened, dear?“
Dietrich shakes his head, says nothing.
„I know it hurts, but you can tell us anything.“
Dietrich stays silent.
Bastien huffs. „Manny has—/had a boyfriend.“
Dietrich cringes.
Adina frowns.
Klaus clears his throat. „His marks?“
„Top of his programme,“ croaks Dietrich.
„His 'issues'?“
„Better than when he left.“
„So that's it? A crush? That's /all the reason your father gave?“
„/Yes,“ declares Bastien, crossing his arms.
Klaus rolls his eyes.
Bastien tenses, wrings his hands in his lap. „You're not mad at Manny now, too, are you?“
„Of course not, dearie,“ soothes Adina.
„Really?“
„Definitely. Hermann's experimenting like a teenager does. Your father's apparently forgotten what it's like to be sixteen.“
„And all the hormones and invincibility that come with the age,“ drawls Klaus.
Bastien blinks at that.
„I'll explain when you're older, Bunny,“ says Dietrich.
Bastien sniffs.
„Please don't tell Father we've shared this with you. He swore us to silence and you know how he is about secrets and promises.“
This time, Adina rolls her eyes.
„If we can't say anything, we can't help.“
Dietrich runs a hand through his hair. „I know and I wish—“ Straightens. „Hermann's accepted the transfer of schools and's moving on. It may do more harm than good to try and change things now.“
Klaus concedes over a sip of tea. 
Dietrich and Adina take their own.
Bastien nibbles.
Klaus takes a deep breath, sets down his cup. „Boys, listen to your grandfather now.“
They attend.
„Somewhere in the past, your father ... he gave up his compassion.“
Adina nods, laces her fingers with his. 
„Without it, people feel free to be monsters. Please don't make the same mistake, no matter what happens to you.“
„We won't,“ promises Dietrich.
„/Never,“ declares Bastien.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Berlin (setting)
Category:Klaus
Category:Klaus' POV
Category:Klaus (ficlet)
Category:Adina
Category:Adina (ficlet)
Category:Dietrich
Category:Dietrich (ficlet)
Category:Lars (mention)
Category:Bastien
Category:Bastien (ficlet)
Category:Edan (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images