CHAPTER ONE.
'ROOFTOP MEETINGS...'

HARLEY MADDENS WAS BORN on the 12th hour of the first day of October 1989. It was that very same day when her birth mother smuggled her under the radar of everyone, even Reginald Hargreeves, and into the arms of a Laundromat owner in the middle of the city. Harley's early years of life were spent with her head inside a washing machine to fix it with the unusual electrical strings that flew from her fingertips, or behind the desk to collect money and work the till without being able to reach it. Hell, she even slept on the bottom floor of the shop so her adopted father wouldn't have a reason to shout. Until, when she was ten years old, she was finally graduated upstairs into her very own room on the top floor because her father docked her work in the shop below. She became too big to fit in the washing machines without hitting her head, and the customers didn't tip her anymore because she wasn't as cute. Whilst her father say this as huge disappointment, Harley lavished in the joy of passing the age of nine.

She had only spent a few days in her new and improved bedroom when she first stumbled across the Hargreeves family in person. She'd heard her father cursing the large family out before, and how he muttered under his breath any time they passed the dark home. He whittled on about how odd they all are and how the father is just as deranged as a blind lady who believes she can still see ghosts. Harley had wondered quite a lot what the family was like, and if any of the many children were around her age. She always knew better than to trust her father's judgment of someone.

The view of the city from the rooftop of the laundromat was an absolutely hideous one, but Harley knew nothing better. To her, it was the epitome of nature and civilisation so she spent most nights up there, watching over the busy road and bustling park. Much to her father's distaste, the large rooftop spanned across the laundromat and the Hargreeves Academy, meaning nothing would stop either occupant from crossing the threshold into the neighbouring building.

One night in 1999, Harley was at her usual spot on the rooftop, her feet dangling over the edge whilst she stared at her fingers, a single red electrical spark dancing between the tips. She'd heard a latch open and close somewhere behind her, but she'd been too concentrated on keeping magical spark she'd created alive to be bothered about whoever was creeping around behind her. That was until they spoke and cut her train of thought.

"Uh... Are you— Is that— Hello? Who are you?" A young boy's voice cut through the cold air making Harley freeze and the red electricity disappeared in an instant as she regretted ever being brave enough to experiment in the open.

Slowly, she turned her head, peering over her shoulder and looking for the owner of the voice. Her eyes stopped at the sight of a boy, around her age, dressed head to toe in cotton pyjamas. A few strands of his dark hair falling in front of his forehead, whilst the rest was stood up at awkward angles. He was staring across the rooftop at Harley with widened eyes and his lips parted in confusion.

Harley swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable by the way he was gawking at her as though she just broke into his room. She swung her legs back onto the roof and turned around, standing from the edge and brushing dust off her plait pyjama bottoms.

"Hi," She pushed out, forcing herself to break the painful silence between them before she got too scared and threw herself off the roof to escape him.

The boy's mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he managed to speak, "Hi."

Anxiously, she bit her lip, struggling to think of something say and her eyes begun to wander around the rooftop for a distraction.

"What's your— your name?" He asked quietly as he takes a small timid step towards her.

"Harley," She replied, "What's yours?"

"D— uh, Diego," The boy hummed, his slow steps became a walk as he made his way towards the edge. He kept strictly on the Hargreeve's side of the roof, allowing there to be a few metres between them.

Suddenly, Harley realised who she was talking to and her eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Are you one of the Hargreeves children?" She asked, all anxiety wiping from her body as she got excited to finally have met one of her next door neighbours.

Diego seemed slightly shocked by the question but he nodded anyway before shrugging, his eyes moving to flick over the view of the city, "Yeah, unfortunately."

Harley's head tilted in confusion and she turned her entire body to face him as more questions rattled through her head, "Unfortunately? I would love to have as many siblings as you do."

Scoffing, Diego shook his head, still not looking at her as he spoke in a more deflated tone, "No, you wouldn't."

Realising she may have overstepped, or said something too personal, Harley turned away to look out over the city too. Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the thick stone of the edge of the roof beneath her as her mind flourishes in the thought of finally having a friend. She looked back at him, "How old are you?"

Preferring this topic, Diego's head turned and his eyes meet hers as a small giddy smile crosses his face, "Ten."

Harley's eyes brightened and she smiled too, a little giggle passing her lips as the tapping of her fingers came to a halt, "Me too!" She squealed.

Diego laughed, seemingly just as happy and he lowered himself down onto the edge of the roof. A more comfortable silence hung between them whilst Harley copied his movements, her leg swinging contently beneath her. He watched her carefully, his lips constantly tipped us as he imagined having something— someone to himself, away from his siblings, especially someone as lovely as Harley.

He soon remembered the scene he opened the roof hatch too, and his brows furrowed in curiosity, "What— What were you, uh, doing when I came up here?" He asked and she looked back at him with confused eyes, "With your fingers."

Harley's shoulders sagged. Everything in her was hoping he hadn't spotted that, or if he had, that he would think it was nothing. She glanced back to the city, her hands wiping at her thighs as she thought of the right thing to say, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Not wanting to jeopardise this new brewing friendship, Diego moved on from the subject, just like she had switched the subject away from his siblings. Both of them needed and wanted this to go well, otherwise they'd be condemned to a lifetime of loneliness.

"Do you li— live here?" His eyes wandered behind her to the small dodgy hatch down to the rooms above the laundromat.

"All my life." She hummed in confirmation, tucking her hands under her thighs, her palms pressed against the cool slabs.

"I can't believe we've never met before," Diego muttered, quite frustrated that he hadn't discovered the large rooftop any sooner.

Harley agreed, turning to look at him with hopeful eyes, "At least we've met now."

His eyes burned back into hers, an excited spark dancing around as he studied her face, "Does this make us friends?"

She nodded happily, "Definitely. I've been waiting for one of those."

"Me too." He smiled from ear to ear, the feeling so foreign that his cheeks began to hurt immediately but he couldn't stop, not whilst there was too much excitement bouncing between them.

AFTER THAT NIGHT IN 1999, Diego Hargreeves and Harley Maddens started a pact. Every other night, the pair would meet up on the rooftop; Diego on his side, Harley on hers. And they'd separate from their lives. It was forbidden to ask too deep about the other, though occasionally if they'd both had a bad day, the meeting would become a vent space. They'd mess around, chasing one another back and forth across the gravel rooftop like the true ten year olds they were. Diego never laughed as much as he did when he was mucking around with Harley on that damned roof, and whenever it was time for them to retreat back into their homes, he hated it and so did she. She'd return to hours of work in the shop with her foster dad, while Diego would go back to relentless days with his siblings and training with Reginald.

Diego had only lasted a few months without asking about what Harley had been doing the first time they met. After rolling her eyes at his horrible nonchalance, Harley gave in and showed him. He was the first person, besides her father, she had ever shown and she expected him to fall off the roof from shock, but he didn't. He stood there and stared in disbelief and... confusion. After a few minutes of agonising silence, she urged words out of him and he explained the situation with his family and their powers. He told her to turn on the news at some point and she'd probably get a better picture out of that.

Somewhat bewildered, Harley had so many questions, but Diego only had one for her. What was her birthday? She told him, of course, and then went on to ask him the same question, but he was too speechless to reply and she soon grasped onto what he was trying to say. Being only ten, neither of them cared too much about anything deeper and Diego didn't even think about Reginald once, instead they both got somewhat excited about the information and began a new and improved game which made them soon push aside the dawning of Harley's powers and birthday.

The pair met up like this on the roof for roughly two-ish years, until eventually, they decided to venture further. It was Diego's genius idea originally.

After spending a few hours with Diego, Harley dropped down through the latch into the hallway just outside her bedroom, her steps stealthily and calculated as she knew exactly where to stand to prevent her father from waking up due to the squeaky floorboards. She turned towards her door, turning the knob slowly but then a low thud occurred behind her and she froze, her spine tensing and eyes widening.

The thud was soon followed by a quiet groan and Harley spun around quickly, her jaw nearly dropping to her feet as her eyes found Diego laying on his face on the hallway floor. He begun to move, ensuring that he survived the couple of feet drop and Harley's eyes flew towards the staircase, but thankfully her father's snored continued up the steps.

"Diego!" She hissed, jerking forward and pulling him roughly from the floor.

Blinking rapidly, Diego tried to grasp his concentration on her face before finally his eyes focussed and he was able to stand without Harley's support. A sly smirk works it's way across his face and Harley fights every bone in her body not to slap it away, but instead she shoved him through her bedroom door, quietly closing it behind her as best she can despite the annoyance in her system.

Standing on a stained spot on her rug, Diego circled around, his eyes flying over anything and everything in her tiny room and he seemed bewildered by it all, as if he'd just stepped into Narnia. His joy of finally being in a girls room, that isn't his sister's, was quickly cut short when Harley pushed at his chest and his eyes rapidly fly back to her face, only to realise she was speaking to him.

"—like are you insane? If my dad had woken up and come here to see you, oh my god!" She snapped quietly, my hands raised to rake through her hair, "What were you thinking, Diego?"

He blinked, my jaw moving up and down a few times before he managed to think of what to say, "Thought I'd come have a peek at your room," He shrugged, glancing around once more, "It's a nice room."

Her eyes narrowed and she sighed heavily, folding her arms over her chest, "This mean I can come snoop in your room sometime too?"

"Ah," He clicked his tongue, "I don't—"

She shook her head, "No. I'm following you in next time. I've been dying to see what Diego Hargreeves has in his room."

"You are not coming in my room," He argued, head shaking and finger wagging.

"I so am!" She laughed.

"Are not," He huffed.

She smirked, knowing he wouldn't stop her if she did ever try, "Are so."

SHE DID, and as soon as Harley Maddens stepped foot in Diego's room, she knew she'd be over more often. There was no need for them to be too quiet because the rooms were so spread out and divided throughout the house that they would only be heard if they shouted. His room was cozy, the walls decorated with a few posters and the shelves lined with figurines and knives that she found mesmerising. She'd yet to see him in action, as he refused to even attempt anything in front of her, so she could only imagine what Diego was like but it excited her anyway.

The pair of children even began to have sleepovers. Harley would leave before the rest of the Hargreeves were woken in the morning and she'd slip back out onto the roof without leaving a single trace of her ever stepping foot in the large house.

However, the rest of the Hargreeves children had noticed to see small changes in Diego. He'd been getting further with the progression of his powers, some mornings he even left his room with a smile and many days he could be heard expressing about how much more he preferred the night. His siblings presumed it was because at night Reginald was asleep and got off his back, meaning they were all oblivious to the lovely girl who'd been spending nights under the same roof as them.

Harley's father was none the wiser too. Sometimes to disguise her exhaustion from him, she'd sneak down to the shop and pretend to be working so that when he woke up, he'd think she'd been down there for hours. As she grew up, he began to like her more. The laundromat was getting more customers and she was now showing for the creepy men and being old enough to have nice chats with the women. Her father didn't care how she did it, but as long as she kept the customers, she was okay in his book.

During the few days when Diego and his siblings had nothing much to do, he'd enter the shop and pretend to have some clothes to wash, just to have an excuse to look at Harley under a light that isn't from the moon. She'd roll her eyes and pretend to be annoyed that he had showed up, but both of them knew it was a relief for her.

One day in 2001, Harley's perched on top of the washing machine that Diego's is shoving a few odd clothes into. They weren't even his, apparently they belonged to his monkey, Pogo, but he refused to give anymore information about the animal because Harley seemed fascinated by the concept.

"I still don't get it," She mumbled, "So, Pogo speaks and walks and looks after you all?"

Diego groaned, straightening up and looking at her, "Yeah, he does that, but he's more dad's henchman," He explained, speaking in slight disdain, "Mom takes care of us more than Pogo."

She nodded, already knowing how fond Diego was of his mother. She pursed her lips, her mind not able to budge off the monkey, "You think I could meet him?"

"What?" Diego gawked at her, "Pogo?"

"Yeah."

"No. You can't meet him," He rolled his eyes, kicking the machine door closed before leaning against it beside her.

She huffed, her shoulders sagging slightly, "No fun." She looked down at Diego, but her eyes soon get caught by someone else, who was dancing outside the laundromat dirty windows. Her brows furrowed as she spotted the familiar uniform on the strange boys body, "Hey, D?"

He grunted, his eyes locked onto the mucky tiles of the laundromat as he listens to the rumbling sound of the machine, "What?"

"Who's that?" She pointed out of the window as a dark haired boy flamboyantly prances around, "He looks fun."

Diego's head snapped up, and he looked out of the window. His eyes widened as he pushed off the washing machine and stared at his brother through the glass, "That's— uh, that's Klaus."

"Oh! The one with the dead people powers," Harley realised, and Diego scoffed at her summary of his brother's powers, "Why's he here?"

The loud ting of the bell above the door sounded as Klaus bounced in, his tie hanging loosely around his neck and the top buttons of his white shirt undone, "Diego!" He sung happily, "Who's this?" He rushed closer, buzzed eyes dancing over Harley and he jerked his hand out in her direction, "Klaus."

Harley snorted at him before shaking his hand, "I'm Harley."

Diego sent her a frustrated glare before he took Klaus by the shoulders and begun to lead him out of the shop, "I'll see you later. Bring Pogo's clothes round!" He called back, trying his best to look over at her.

"Later? Pogo's clothes?" Klaus echoed, eyebrows furrowed as he allowed his brother to push him easily out, "Later when? Wait, Diego, is that your girlfriend?"

Diego's jaw clenched and he snarled, "Shut up, Klaus."

Laughing, Harley dropped down from the machine, watching as the two brothers step out of the shop and she seen Diego a small wave through a glass before he disappeared into the house next door still muttering angrily at his high brother.

That was the first time Harley came in contact with anyone else from the Hargreeves and it only fascinated her further. Klaus and Diego were completely different, they weren't even the same race, yet the pair acted just like biological brothers. Harley could only imagine what the whole family was like and she couldn't wait until Diego trusted her enough to introduce her, then she'd have so many more friends. Friends that didn't get butterflies with.

"WHO IS THAT?"

"How should I know?"

"Wake Diego up!"

"It's the girl from the laundromat! Ha! I told you, guys."

"Shut up, Klaus. Why would the girl for the laundromat be here?"

"She's obviously his girlfriend."

As the several voices flooded into her ears, Harley's eyes flew open, only to met by six faces staring back at her. Her breath hitched in her throat as she took them all in. Right at the forefront, only mere inches from her face was a blonde boy with a scowl, to his right was a black girl with long curly hair as she bit her lip in concentration. At the other side of the blonde there was finally a familiar face, Klaus was smiling in triumph, his hand raising to wiggle a few fingers in a wave. Harley's lips parted further as her eyes move behind those three, spotting two more dark haired boys behind them, and then right in the doorway, there was another girl with furrowed brows and her hands clasped in front of her as she watched the scene.

The blonde boy rocked back slightly before standing up, looming over Harley and she rolled onto her back but before a word could be spoken, Diego's shot up in bed, clambering awkwardly over her and presenting himself in front of the blonde. He shoved lightly at his brother's chest, creating some room between them all.

"What the hell are you all doing in here?" Diego snapped furiously, his eyes flying over his siblings and Harley doesn't fail to notice how the quiet girl by the door slunk away.

Harley pushed up into a sitting position, resting on her palms as her wide eyes gawked at the people cramped into the small room. Her eyes wandered down to the clock by Diego's bed, only to realise it's the middle of the night. She didn't wake up late, they came in on purpose.

"The real question is... what is she doing here?" The blonde snapped, his index finger pointing sharply at Harley but his eyes never strayed from Diego's.

Clenching his jaw, Diego scoffed, one of his hands balling up into a fist, "She's my friend, alright? Leave us alone, Luther." He looked to the rest of his siblings, "You can all go back your rooms."

Luther's nostrils flared and he took a step forward, "Does dad know she's here?"

Diego scowled, "No, why should he?"

"Because this is his house," Luther replied, "Not hers," His eyes darted down to Harley, making her heart rate pick up again, "Who are you?"

She swallowed thickly, "I'm H—"

"No," Diego cut her off, his eyes momentarily burning into hers before glaring back at his brother, "She doesn't have to tell you anything. Go back to bed, Luther. Leave us alone."

"Her name's Harley," Klaus spoke up, awkwardly smiling down at the girl on the bed and she returned it best she can in the current situation.

"Klaus!" Diego snarled.

"What?" Klaus hissed, "You know Luther would never drop it if you didn't tell him."

The only other girl left in the room moved around Luther, her brows raised in curiosity, "Is Klaus right? Do you live next door?"

Harley gave a strained nod.

"And are you his girlfriend?"

"Allison!" Diego snipped, mentally cursing at all of his big mouthed siblings.

"It's just a question, Diego," Allison huffed.

"She's not my girlfriend, alright? We're friends. Yes, I have a friend. My own friend. Is that okay for you all? For you, Luther?" Diego nudged his brother's chest, dragging his attention back.

Luther narrowed his eyes, waving his hand at Harley, "Get out."

Knowing she's stayed too long, she nodded quickly, already jumping from the bed and heading for the door. She gave awkward smiles to Klaus and Allison but a voice cuts through the air, stopping her from stepping out into the hallway.

"Stop, Harls," Diego called, "Don't listen to him. You don't have to leave."

"Yes, she does," Luther cut in, stopping Harley from answering, "Or I'll tell dad."

Knowing the blonde wasn't bluffing, Harley hummed, keeping her voice quiet, "It's okay, D. I'll see you tomorrow," She looked around the room at his siblings, "It was nice to finally meet you all."

As Klaus waved, Allison smiled, "You too." The other two dark haired boys in the room are stood by either wall, leant against the furniture, both of them giving curt nods but not bothering to say anything. But Luther didn't even bother to turn around to acknowledge her.

Harley sent one last weak smile to Diego before following the same route she'd been doing for months, sneaking quietly through the house and back up onto the roof. She returned to her bedroom successfully, her father's snores shaking the weak wooden beams of the building as she stared up at the ceiling in wonder about the nights events.

Turned out her first time meeting Diego's siblings was not as excitable as ten year old her had anticipated.

first chapter.. kinda bad ngl
there will be more flashbacks throughout with each sibling etc.

also idk if i should use vanya or victor when it comes to the character in the first season, so could someone please tell me what would be best? i was going to do vanya but i'm not entirely sure if that's okay or not. so someone lmk pls :)

( i also passed maths so yippee for me guys 😛)

word count:
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