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mrs-kmikaelson · 10 months

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05| The Tribrid

Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x daughter!reader Summary: As you settle back into the Quarter, you juggle your personal and new professional life—but with the Mikaelsons, it was almost as if there was no difference between the two. Warnings: none Words: 5.6K

Masterlist | Part 6

a/n: i see this series getting long, guys; just letting you know. btw, i'm pretty much unoccupied, so u can expect new posts for this series and possibly other imagines like every 2-3 days. and tysm for all the support! anyway, i'll let you get to reading now.

I walked into the Abattoir with a façade of confidence. I was now completely sober, facing the repercussions of my drunken actions. It'd been about a week since my agreement with Elijah and he'd only just called me in to speak with him yesterday.

I was currently cursing my drunk self, but at least Marcel was now allowed back into the Quarter without any fuss. Of course, he wasn't allowed back into the slaughterhouse, but he did compel himself a nice little townhouse a few minutes of human-walking away from my place.

In New Orleans, it was always better to live in the Quarter than anywhere else. This was the heart of the city's supernatural happenings. You were both safest here and also at most danger. But I guess, if you had enemies, you wanted to be in the Quarter because, if you had a crew to roll with, then nobody would really try you.

That's how it used to be at one point in time, and that's what the factions were trying to achieve now.

I was immediately greeted after making it past the gates. "Y/N," Elijah said, walking towards me, hands held out. He wrapped an arm around me, walking me to the couches in the middle of the courtyard. I tried not to show any discomfort at the physical touch. "It's lovely to see you."

I chuckled a little. "Feeling's mutual," I replied, causing the nobleman to let out a little laugh himself. I sat down on one of the couches while he sat on the other. "So, what have we got today?"

He sighed, "The withes are unhappy because of- all due respect, Marcellus' actions."

Right. Marcel forbade anyone to do magic. While I understand his reasoning, trying to protect a little witch by the name of Davina Claire, it was cruel. To ask a witch to go without magic was like asking a human not to breathe; it was damn near impossible.

Even though I get what he was trying to do, I still didn't agree with it—but that didn't mean that I agreed with what the New Orleans witches were doing either.

"So I've heard. But I'm sure you're aware of why he did what he did." He was; otherwise, I wouldn't have brought it up. I wouldn't do anything to endanger Davina; she'd become like a family to me. I knew that the Mikaelsons knew all about Davina, the harvest, and whatnot.

"Yes, of course. To protect Davina, I understand. She is special, without a doubt." Elijah's voice with filled with nothing other than conviction; I'd expect nothing less when people were speaking about Davina.

I smiled thinking about her. "Yes, she is."

"However, it still hasn't done us any favours on a community-wide scale." Elijah ran a hand through his hair. "The witches' spokesperson, Genevieve, is just about furious with the treatment they've received." A look suddenly appeared on his face. "And considering the... interactions my family has had with her, I wouldn't want to anger her further, especially since Hayley is with child."

This was the first time my heart didn't stop at the mention of Klaus' unborn baby. Instead, I was too focused on the witch Elijah named: Genevieve. Now, this was a name Marcel had somehow neglected to inform me about, but I was well aware of who she was.

From my understanding, Rebekah Mikaelson killed her the same year the Mikaelsons fled New Orleans, sometime in the early 1900s. Marcel spilled the whole story to me one night when he was drunk.

Genevieve died. Yet, according to Elijah (and I know this is not a coincidence) she's alive leading the NOLA coven.

Great.

I responded after a beat, bringing my hands together. "Okayyy, so what are we doing?"

"Making the witches happy, love."

Now my heart stopped.

I turned my head to see Klaus just finishing walking down the stairs. "Elijah tells me you're our new... fixer." He shrugged, making his way to the minibar. "So fix it."

"Niklaus."

"Get a grip, Elijah. I don't think I'm offending the young woman," he said before turning to face me. "Am I offending you, love?"

I skipped the whole processing bit of this situation and dived straight into my persona. "Not at all."

Klaus made a gesture to me with his hand, turning back to his brother. "See, Elijah. Marcel's right hand has tough skin." Elijah responded with a much more exhausted sigh than before, rubbing his hand on his face. Klaus ignored this, turning back to me with a bottle of bourbon in his hand. "Want me to pour you a glass, Y/N?"

"It is ten o'clock in the morning, Niklaus."

"All the more reason," he quipped back. "Y/N?"

I tried to loosen up, but my smile probably came out a little more tense than I originally intended. "I'm good; thank you."

Klaus looked at me for a few seconds before shrugging and pouring his own glass. Elijah took this opportunity to continue, but not before letting out another sigh. "As I was saying before my brother so tersely interrupted us, Genevieve has agreed to meet with us after I told her that you—Marcel's right hand, as Niklaus put it—were going to be representing us."

I tried to focus all my attention on the task at hand instead of my absent father who kept looking over at me periodically. I remembered what this was like when I did it for Cellie; I just had to get back in the game. "So, if you are looking to make an agreement of some sort, what are you willing to negotiate—give up, even?"

Just as Elijah was about to answer, Klaus briskly cut him off. "Oh, that's all on you, love." I narrowed my eyes slightly and he elaborated. "You decide then and there what you think is fair." He shrugged again, and although he looked carefree, he also had a smug look on his face that I doubt he was even trying to hide. "Ball's in your court." This was a test.

I didn't ponder on that for too long, nodding to him. "I can do that."

Klaus nodded back. He looked like he wanted to say something, but a quick look from Elijah seemed to make him want to hold his tongue. Thank God.

While I seemed like I was coming a long way, just the mere idea of holding a conversation with this man was terrifying. There were so many things I was holding my tongue about. It was just lucky that I so happened to be 500 years old. A few, quick conversations with my dad who had no idea I was his illegitimate child would not break me. Maybe it fucked with my head, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

I'm here after all, aren't I?

Elijah cleared his throat. "Well, it seems to me that we've discussed everything we needed to discuss for today." He stood up and I followed suit. "Again, it was lovely seeing you, Y/N."

"Likewise." I shook the hand he held out, once again ignoring the weird original rush I felt. "I'll see myself out." Couldn't get out faster.

I walked toward the exit before Elijah could say something gentlemanly about escorting me out and before Klaus could say something that'd boggle my mind even further. I assumed he'd text me the details about the meeting later.

I took a deep breath immediately once I was far enough from the compound that I was sure they wouldn't hear me. I had no idea how I was going to get used to any of this, but it was too late to go back now.

In the meantime, I decided to take my mind off the Mikaelsons for a bit by visiting someone who I've yet to see.

I walked into the old church with caution. It wasn't like I had a problem with Kieran; I just felt awkward whenever I talked to him, so I'd rather avoid him. I've had enough awkward situations in these past few weeks to last me a lifetime.

To my luck, he was absent and so I just walked straight upstairs, dodging cobwebs as I went until I made it to the attic's ajar door. A girl sat on a stool in front of an easel, painting a landscape. She was so focused she didn't even notice me push the door the rest of the way open.

I smiled, leaning on the door as I looked around the room that'd changed since I last saw it, now more decorated and screaming it'd been touched by a teenage girl. "So Marcel's still got you holed up in here, huh?"

She instantly spun around with her jaw dropped. "Y/N?!" She ran toward me, engulfing me in a tight hug that I'm sure would've broken some bones if I was human.

I chuckled, "Hi, Davina. I've missed you, too."

She pulled back, looking over me with disbelief visible on her face. "Oh, my God- when did you get back?"

"A little while ago. I'm sorry I couldn't come see you sooner, but I've been absolutely swamped. I promise, though—going into the future, I'll make time to see you." Davina smiled, pulling me back in for another hug. Her happiness spread to me and I started smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt. I think this might be the first time I've been this happy since I got back to New Orleans.

Davina was an amazing kid. I was supposed to meet up with Marcel the night of the harvest when he saved her, and so I ended up meeting her a few months before I left. She just so happened to be one of the few people who know my secret. She was incredibly gifted and reminded me so much of my younger self. I felt like I owed it to her, to myself, to be there for her. In the short time I've known her, she's become something like a little sister to me, if not a daughter.

When we broke from the hug, we both ended up sitting on the bed. I let her catch me up on what's been happening, even though I already more or less knew it from Marcel's summaries. "Okay, so if the witches aren't trying to hunt you down anymore, why are you still hiding away in this attic?"

"Well, I'm not hiding away anymore," she replied. "Marcel just figured it'd be safer for me to stay here instead of with them. He still doesn't trust them and, honestly, neither do I. They've been acting kind of weird since the witches were resurrected, but I just deal with it and go there everyday to practice."

I hummed. I understood Marcel's reasoning; keeping Davina at the church was actually pretty smart. I wouldn't trust her with a bunch of vengeful witches, either, especially after they tried to kill her once. But this attic was far too small for a little girl to spend her days in.

I looked around the cluttered room, thinking before I said screw it and decided to propose my idea to Davina. "What if you didn't have to stay here?" I asked, looking back at her.

She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean? It's not like there's anywhere else I could go, besides with the witches."

"Not necessarily true." I sat up straighter. "I mean, my townhouse has three rooms, and only one of those rooms isn't empty." I shrugged, gesturing around the room. "It's bigger than this place, so all your stuff would fit."

She sat up too. "Wait, are you being serious?"

"Hell yeah, I am. And the protections on my place are a lot better than this church's, trust me."

"You want me to move in with you?"

"Yeah, Davina, that's what I've been sayi-" I was cut off when she threw her arms around me in the tightest hug she'd given me since I entered the attic, and that was saying something.

"Oh, my gosh! Yes, of course!"

I giggled at her enthusiasm, hugging her back before pulling away to pull my phone out of my back pocket. "Okay, I'll drop you off at the apartment now and I'll text some people to come pick up your stuff and bring it to you." I glanced back up at her for confirmation, looking back at my phone when she giddily nodded. "You can just make yourself at home and get settled in. I'll be home a bit later; I just have a business meeting first."

"Yeah, sure." Davina then stood up, looking around and clapping her hands. "I'll start packing!"

I laughed for what felt like the umpteenth time since I've seen her, standing up too. "Alright, D. I'll see you later," I said, but she was already far too engrossed in packing her things, giving me a distracted goodbye. I shook my head, the corners of my lips going up even higher as I left the room.

Thank God I wouldn't have to come back to this creepy ass church anymore. I really hadn't even thought of asking Davina move in with me; it was such a spur of the moment kind of thing, but I had no doubts then and no doubts now. She'd be safer with me than here, with the witches, or even Marcel.

At the though of my friend, I went to text him about this new development, coming across a message from Elijah along the way.

Elijah M. We'll be meeting the witches at 7:00 PM at the compound.

You OK, I'll be there.

I stuffed my phone back into my pocket after responding to Elijah and texting Marcel about Davina. Seven was two hours away, so I had time to go home and freshen up before the meeting.

I wasn't nervous; I'd already been here before, already done it all, but I did feel a weird pressure to do this well. Something in me said Klaus was counting on me to fail, so it was my job to prove him wrong.

I walked right into the compound later without standing out front for ten minutes like I did this morning. I was gonna have to get used to this all eventually and I'd prefer that'd happen sooner rather than later.

I was apparently earlier than everyone else because there wasn't a Mikaelson or red-haired witch in sight. I checked my watch: 6:30, it read. Earlier than I expected, but that was fine with me. I wiped the imaginary dust off my outfit: slacks and a tight white dress shirt that I'd unbuttoned just enough to not look like a female Elijah. Resemblance to the Mikaelsons was not what I needed right now.

I was just about to pull out my phone to keep myself busy when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around, my eyes meeting the mother of Klaus' kid. "Oh, hi," she greeted, a surprised look on her face. "What are you- oh, right, Elijah told me you guys were meeting with the witches tonight."

"Yeah- it, uh, appears that I'm a bit early." I chuckled, making small talk even though I really didn't want to have any unnecessary conversations with anyone that lived in this building.

"No, it's a good quality. Elijah's like that," she told me. I nodded, ignoring my thoughts which were questioning her relationship with Elijah. Something told me it was a lot more complicated than it seemed. "I wanted to thank you, by the way."

My brows furrowed. "Hm? For what?"

"For covering me that day with Elijah- and for saving me from that vampire that day, too," she expressed with an almost bashful look on her face. "I realize I was pretty rude to you, but I was really just having a bad day, and-"

"And I'm a vampire, so you were just being careful." She let a small, embarrassed smile form on her lips which I reciprocated. "It's fine, I get it. I'd do the same if I were in your shoes."

"Thank you for understanding; I really appreciate it." I told her it was no problem, resisting the urge to be nosy and ask why she didn't wanna tell Elijah what happened; I didn't want to risk her growing suspicious of me.

Before Hayley and I could fall into an uncomfortable silence, Klaus and Elijah strolled in through the gates into the courtyard. Klaus' eyes narrowed between me and Hayley, probably in a protective manner, while Elijah greeted me.

"Y/N, sorry to have kept you waiting-"

"Oh, no, it was no biggie." I gestured to Hayley. "I had good company, anyways." Hayley smiled, excusing herself after wishing us luck with the witches, but I doubted I'd need it.

I was good and I knew it. Half a millennium alone in the world taught you how to negotiate, how to get your way when you had no one else on your side. Really, I was less worried about the witches and more worried about being in Klaus' presence.

Speak of the devil.

"The witches should arrive soon," Klaus announced, glancing down at his watch then up at me, a smirk arising on his face. "And then you'll be able to play your hand."

I stopped myself from narrowing my eyes or doing anything that showed I felt the shade he was so obviously throwing my way. Clearly, without even having really spoken to me, dear old dad has decided he doesn't like me, much less trust me. I don't know why that hurt because I don't even want to be talking to him period. I guess there's just a part of me that disagrees with that.

Like this morning, Klaus didn't waste a second before walking over to the bar. "Can I interest you in a drink whilst we wait, love?" He poured himself a glass. "Some... liquid courage, if you will."

He's being a jackass on purpose.

I declined, "No thanks." I shook my head. "I don't need it." And I also don't need to be under the influence around the Originals.

Klaus chuckled in an almost sardonic manner. Like the night I met him, he had a dark air around him that he barely cared to conceal. Klaus wanted people to notice that about him; he wanted people to be scared. And I was, but for entirely different reasons.

However, I'd sooner die before letting him know that. If he wanted to play hard ball, then I'd be the best damn batter he's ever seen.

Klaus turned around, tipping his glass to me. "You're quite confident."

"Well, I can back it up," I quipped back. In response, he sarcastically smiled, taking a sip of the brown liquid in his hand. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elijah glancing in between us watchfully.

"So I've heard- and you know, it got me thinking, what exactly is it about you that makes you so special?" This-

I was given time to pause by Elijah's interjection. "Niklaus."

He held his hands out in the air. "What, Elijah? I'm just curious," he reasoned.

I cut Elijah off before he could say something more in order to respond. "No, it's alright, Elijah; I understand the skepticism." I looked back to Klaus whose eyes just so imperceptibly narrowed. "The reason why people are more inclined to listen to me is because I don't operate with a desire to instill fear in others, just respect." I maintained eye contact with Klaus, hoping he was picking up what I was putting down. I knew he got the message when I saw his jaw clench.

He looked like he was going to say something else, but before he could, the gates to the compound opened. All three of us looked toward the entrance to see Genevieve and two other witches walking beside her, like a little entourage.

Elijah seemed to let out a sigh of relief at the intrusion. "Genevieve," he greeted, walking toward them. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. Please, take a seat. Can we interest you in any beverages?"

While Elijah was clearly doing his best to mediate, Klaus didn't say a word, only burning a hole into the side of Genevieve's head with a hard glare while he drank his scotch.

The three of them sat down on one couch as Elijah and I sat on the one parallel to it. "No, that'll be alright," she said, crossing her legs. "I know you appreciate verity, Elijah, so I'm gonna be honest: I wouldn't have agreed to this meeting if it weren't for the woman sitting next to you."

Elijah nodded. "Yes, I'm completely aware. Y/N is here to make sure that we both get what we want and to ensure that the future of the Quarter, and everyone in it, is prosperous."

I smiled, holding my hand out. "Hello, it's lovely to meet you. I've heard many good things about you." That was a lie.

Shaking my hand, she responded, "Likewise. The elders of the coven are practically smitten with you. I've never seen witches so eager to deal with a vampire."

"Well, I hope that, after our discussion, you will also be more eager to work with the Mikaelsons."

Genevieve almost scoffed at what I said. In my peripheral, I saw Klaus roll his eyes—at me or her, I'm unsure. "Please, Y/N—I'm sure you're aware of who exactly these people are and what they've done. Even though you're a vampire, you have to admit it's outrageous." Her voice was incredulous.

I really don't understand what she was making a big fuss about. From the way the story was told, Genevieve used to have a huge crush on Klaus back in the day—ew—but I wasn't gonna actually use that against her. I didn't want her to resent me; I actually needed her to like me for this to work.

"I understand where you're coming from," I told her, managing to muster up a sympathetic expression. "But we all want the same thing: peace. That is the final destination; there are so many stops along the way to get there, so if peace is where we truly want to be, then we need to be willing to put aside our differences."

The redhead sighed. "I hear what you're saying, but how can we expect peace while working with these people? How do you expect us to trust them?" Now, Klaus scoffed, causing both Genevieve and Elijah to look over at him, Elijah with a more stern look in his eyes. I, on the other hand, ignored him altogether, focusing completely on the witch in front of me.

I said her name to get her attention back onto me, thus causing Elijah to look away from his brother, too. "I am, in no way, asking you to trust blindly. We're willing to negotiate; just state your terms." I knew this was dangerous, giving her the opportunity to ask for whatever she wanted, but the witches had been recently oppressed; giving them the chance to ask for what they wanted was like an apology of sorts, one that I felt they'd appreciate.

Genevieve looked hesitant, glancing at both of her associates, to Elijah, Klaus, and then back to me. Even without looking at him, I could feel Klaus staring at me, probably questionably. None of them were expecting that move.

See, because I was representing the Mikaelsons, Genevieve expected me to state their terms first then negotiate since they were more powerful. So, of course she was surprised.

After a beat of silence, she finally spoke up. "We want to practice freely."

"Done."

"And we want to celebrate our festivals without a hassle."

"Of course."

"And we want to reclaim witch territory for ourselves and ourselves alone, like the Lafayette cemetery."

"Reasonable," I noted, waiting for her to say something else. When she didn't, I asked, "Is there anything else we can give you? You don't have to answer right now; we'll take some time then I'll get a contract drafted-"

"Esther Mikaelson's grimoire." At her interjection, the room went silent. I didn't even wanna know what Klaus looked like right now, but Genevieve sure as hell seemed to have regained her confidence. "We want Esther Mikaelson's grimoire." That was one ballsy request.

"Are you out of your mind?" For the first time since the witches walked into the compound, Klaus spoke. I looked over at him to see a look of shock adorning his face as if the redhead just tried to kill him—and, I mean, was he that far off?

You don't ask for the Original Witch's spell book without wanting to kill or at least having the ability to kill if you so need it.

Elijah seemed to recover from a shock of his own, trying to calm his brother down. "Niklaus-"

"I am not giving you my mother's grimoire." Klaus had set his drink down, walking toward where we were all sitting. Smoke might as well have been coming out of his ears. I knew that, if I were one of the three witches sitting across from me, I'd be shitting myself. "After what you tried to do to my family, you expect me to hand over-"

"Niklaus." Elijah cut him off, but more firmly and this time Klaus actually listened, turning to look over at Elijah with hard eyes. His eyes flickered to me for a split second before looking back at Genevieve—or glaring, rather.

While Genevieve looked slightly startled, I saw the dead-set expression on her face. It'd be hard to try and convince her that Esther's grimoire wasn't what the witches wanted, but it was possible.

Gears turned in my head as I thought it over until a quick idea popped into my head. At that moment, I began, "I'm sorry, Genevieve. We can do everything else you mentioned, put it in writing, but Esther Mikaelson's grimoire is a no-go." I saw her shaking her head before I even finished.

"Then no deal-"

Elijah cut in, "Genevieve, please-"

"I can give you the next best thing." I caught Genevieve's attention easily, along with everyone else's in the room. In seconds, I had come up with a quick fix; it was a gamble, but if you aren't willing to go big, then go the fuck home. "I currently have a Bennett grimoire in my possession." I paused, gauging her reaction. Clearly, this night was full of surprises.

I suppressed the urge to glance over at my relatives; I had a feeling that I already knew what their faces looked like.

Genevieve struggled to compose herself, so I continued, "It's yours, so long as you accept." I understood what was happening here: the witches or the spirits or whatever were already decided, and they wanted the Mikaelson grimoire, but how could they be upset with what I was offering? A Bennett spell book was a damn good replacement if I ever saw one, and if anyone knew that, it was Esther's children themselves.

I knew the history—I've spent my life learning it. Ayana taught Esther everything she knew; the Bennett bloodline was one of the strongest, maybe even stronger than the Mikaelsons. And although I doubt Genevieve knew the lengthy Bennett history, she quickly got her bearings and responded, "I- we accept-"

I cut her off, smiling, "Great. Now our turn." I clasped my hands together. "You guys can keep your sanctuaries, the cemetery and whatnot, but in shared areas like the rest of the Quarter, we ask that you remain peaceful and avoid altercations with other factions. We're asking the same of the other factions, as well. Similarly, the Mikaelsons don't want conflicts, so we'd also like to avoid altercations in that area."

It seemed pretty simple because it was. It was like what Elijah said to me that night in Rousseau's: everybody wants power, and the witches were no different. They didn't agree to this meeting for peace; they agreed because they wanted power, and the Mikaelsons struck this deal for the same exact reason, even if that's not how the nobleman would've phrased it.

While I didn't provide the witches with the same prepared list of terms, what I was asking for would have the same effect. The Originals were already on top, so what more did they really need to ask for?

Genevieve, once again, looked over at the two girls sitting next to her who both nodded at the silent question she was asking. When she turned back to me, the smallest of smiles was on her lips. "You have yourself a deal."

I reciprocated her expression as we both stood up. I shook her hand. "Pleasure doing business with you. I'll work on getting that contract drafted in more detail, so please, come to us with any other requests you may have."

Genevieve nodded, letting go of my hand, and Elijah took the pleasantries from there, walking them out of the compound. This left Klaus and I alone momentarily.

I looked over at him to see that he was already staring at me. I felt a chill go down my spine from how intently he was looking at me, my mini adrenaline rush dying down. It looked almost like he was picking me apart with his gaze.

I didn't want him to think I had something to hide, so I held his stare. We were both silent until Elijah walked back. This time, he didn't seem to sense the tension in the room—that, or he just chose to ignore it.

"Thank you, Y/N," he said. I looked away from Klaus to smile in response, but the second I did, he broke his vow of silence.

"How do you have a Bennett grimoire in your possession?" Klaus' voice was cold and accusatory, just as his eyes were. Elijah just might have frozen had he not been a thousand-years-old; hell, I probably would have, too, but I'd already been crafting an explanation as soon as the idea popped into my head.

Not the real explanation, but one that made more sense.

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I met one a few hundred years ago. She died after she was in the wrong place, wrong time, but she left that book to me."

Klaus didn't look sold. "A Bennett witch left her grimoire with you, a vampire? Not with her family?"

"Well, to be fair, she wasn't in touch with her family at that time," I retorted. "And I was human at the time so, yes, she left it to me because she knew it could come of use one day."

Klaus didn't reply to me, instead choosing to continue staring me down. However, his glare was now lessened, so I knew he sort of believed me, even though he had doubts.

In the time that Klaus wasn't saying anything, Elijah cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to him. When I looked over, he smiled and tried to further de-escalate the situation. "Thank you, again, Y/N."

That was my cue to leave. "No problem. Are you okay with meeting up tomorrow to discuss the contract?"

He nodded. "Of course. Lunch?"

"Sounds great," I said, grabbing my bag that I'd left on the armchair next to me. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Elijah bid me farewell while Klaus remained mute, but I still felt him staring at me, even as I was walking out; only when I'd walked two minutes away from the compound did I finally let go of that feeling

I didn't speed all the way home this time like I had been doing recently after exiting the Abattoir. Instead, I decided to take this time to think since I really haven't gotten a moment alone all day.

The excuse I gave Klaus wasn't too far from the truth—I only warped it slightly. I didn't know who he knew or how well he knew my mother before he slept with her, but I knew that if I gave him the real story, there was a possibility that he'd find out who I was.

The real story was that my mother was best friends with a Bennett. Almost like history repeating itself if you thought about it; Amelia Bennett was to my family what Ayana was to the Mikaelsons. She was both a mentor to my mother and me.

In reality, we were a lot closer than I made it sound. She was a lot closer to my mother than she was with the rest of her family. We were in Salem; the witch trials were just beginning, so any witch in the area was either preparing to leave or to die. She was anticipating the latter, so before she died, she made sure to leave the assets she had to my mother.

The other Bennetts didn't dispute this, fleeing west. The rest of the story, I try not to think about. I needed to be strong, for Davina, for Marcel, for Amelia, for my mother, and for myself; otherwise, everything I've sacrificed would've been for nothing.

With that thought, I had a new resolution.

This, what I was doing here in New Orleans, could not fail. I have not lived the life I've lived just to fail. So from this moment forward, I decided to be better, to be stronger. No more quivering at the mention of my father or his baby, no more getting shaken up by conversations with the Mikaelsons.

Walking toward my apartment, I made myself a promise.

This city will not break me, no matter what.

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fitzs-trained-monkey · 1 year

Text

Bruised and Battered

Kol Mikaelson Helping You Through An Injury Headcanons :

(Prepare for immense fluff)

Sweet baby Kol...

First of all, this boi would feel sooooooo awful about you getting hurt.

(How could this happen??? He left you alone for five seconds???)

He doesn't blame you at all whatsoever. Even if you were being dumb.

If it was someone else's fault...

Well, let's just say that if you broke an arm, this person would find both arms freaking shattered beyond recognition.

Is that useless hunk of flesh even an arm anymore? Nobody knows.

He does get a little frustrated with you tho. Just a bit

Why won't you take his blood? It would make this so much easier!

(news flash: that's nasty and you don't want to take no chances!)

It physically pains him when the doctors won't let him go back with you for x-rays. He can hear your whimpers of pain through the walls and it makes him want to cry. He just curls up in a ball and waits it out.

If you have to get surgery??

Heaven help the poor hospital staff...

It KILLS him that he can't be by your side the whole time.

Kol would be pacing back and forth in the waiting room, tugging at his hair and telling himself all the reasons you're gonna be fine. Over and over and over again.

He is there the second you wake up.

Technically he's not supposed to be, but if compulsion can't keep the nurses and doctors quiet then the cold chilling glare he dishes out certainly will.

Once you're home, you will not be doing anything for yourself.

Movies.

Anything you want to watch. All day. Even if he hates it.

Unlimited popcorn supply!

He will get you whatever you want to eat or better yet he'll compel someone else to do it so he doesn't have to leave your side.

So. Many. Hugs.

Cuddles.

Cuddles all the time

All the cuddles.

Seeing you in pain tortures him.

If he accidentally bumps you he will apologize ENDLESSLY.

He's always asking what he can do to make it better

He can't really do anything and that's the worst part

You just ask him to stay

He's only too glad to do just that.

Though he certainly remembers to give you your medication. Even if it's 1 AM. He never forgets.

He stays with you all through the night. Every night.

If you wake up in tears from sleeping wrong, he's right there to hold you close.

If it were up to him, he would never let you go.

Scars from surgery?

Kol would make it his mission to keep you from hating them.

He would tell you how cool they look all the time

Also, the gentlest kisses.

He would kiss every inch of those scars.

Endless "I love you"s

Don't think for a second that you're a burden because he will go into a 20 minute speech about how he has literally nothing better to do with his immortal existence.

When it's time for physical therapy, he always makes sure you can get to your appointments.

Kol would 100% compel the therapists to let him come back with you and cheer you on (even though seeing you struggle makes him want to scoop you up and hold you until the tears go away)

He always makes sure you do your exercises too. There is no amount of bribing that can sway this man. You are doing those exercises.

End. Of. Story.

So encouraging tho. The complements are ever flowing from his lips.

And again, all the cuddles after you finish.

Constantly making jokes.

"If I rip off one of your arms, that will make it better right? I mean, it will certainly distract you from the pain!"

Kol would also help you come up with an excellent story for how it happened.

Whether it be jousting on unicorns, fencing with glass blades, or assassinating the president, there is no limit to his creativity.

Kol would do literally anything to see you smile.

Special thanks to: @space-princess-charming

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wearesociety · 2 months

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read here | the vampire diaries universe | bonnie/klaus | e | 12k words

His rich scent—spice rum and oak maybe? Surround her, as he places two fingers underneath her chin and raises her head to meet his gaze. Piercing ink-blue eyes stare into hers.

A warmth spreads on her skin.

He licks his lips. Senusal, it pulls at her gut. “It’s a maze until someone reaches out, then you're found.”

Bonnie finds herself entangled with a man, she knows she won’t survive.

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wholoveseggs · 5 months

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Moonlight {Masterlist}

As Emma navigates a life filled with abuse and darkness, a chance encounter with Klaus and Elijah, who she believes to be demons, sets in motion a tale of forbidden desires, ancient pacts, and the struggle between light and darkness. Will Emma succumb to the darkness or find liberation?

Now that I have you all significantly horny.. ahem.. sorry... intrigued. I've decided to post my longest work. I basically wrote it in a fugue state all September / October. I will be putting specific warnings for each chapter as they come out, there is smut and violence in some but I'll tag those chapters accordingly. {Main - Masterlist}

NOTE: I'm no longer posting this fic on tumblr, please go to A03 for the remaining chapters! Link is here

{Smut 🌹 - Graphic Violence 🔪- Drug Use 💊}

Chapter One- Chapter Two- Chapter Three- Chapter Four- Chapter Five- Chapter Six- Chapter Seven- Chapter Eight- 🔪 Chapter Nine-🔪 Chapter Ten-🌹 Chapter Eleven- Chapter Twelve- Chapter Thirteen- Chapter Fourteen-💊 Chapter Fifteen- Chapter Sixteen- Chapter Seventeen-🌹 Chapter Eighteen- Chapter Nineteen- Chapter Twenty-🔪 Chapter Twenty-One-🔪 Chapter Twenty-Two-🔪 Chapter Twenty-Three-🔪 Chapter Twenty-Four-🌹 Chapter Twenty-Five- Chapter Twenty-Six- Chapter Twenty-Seven-🌹 Chapter Twenty-Eight-🌹 Chapter Twenty-Nine-

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pentopaper23 · 7 months

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Mating Call

“I don’t know what you mean!” Caroline screams, the vervain ropes cutting into her wrists, “It’s Stefan! I loved Stefan!”

“Lies!” The witch yells flicking her hands so the ropes around Caroline’s wrist tighten, “Lies! You love someone else!” Caroline sobs her head falling forward so her chin rests on her chest.

“Why does that matter!? His dead!” She yells avoiding her daughter’s and Hopes eye line. The three girls were huddled in the corning of the room, Hope having thrown a protective shield around them, the blue glow shimmering in the dark dankness of the basement.

“But it does matter….say it” the witch said again flicking her hand tightening the ropes, “You stop lying or I’ll bring your daughters in to this!” The witch yelled, the walls of the house shook and the glass in the windows shattered. Caroline felt her eyes roll into her heads as a stabbing pain engulfed her.

“KLAUS!” Caroline screamed as she felt blood start pouring out of her nose. She noticed that Hope’s shield flickered at the mention of her father’s name.

“Its Klaus! I love Klaus” Caroline sobbed her head falling so her chin rested on her chest. The witch lowered her hand and smirked.

“No why was that so hard?” she spat as sparks flickered from her fingertips and Caroline felt the ropes tighten again.

“Why are you doing this?” Caroline sobbed. The witch just laughed.

“Because I want him to suffer”, the witch said stepping forward to wipe Caroline’s tears from her face with a tissue.

“A love confession merely started the spell. The tears of a loved one will balance it and the blood of a mate will complete it” the witch said had she stabbed a knife into Caroline’s forearm ripping the skin apart. Caroline let out a high-pitched scream and her vision started to blur.

“What are you doing!” she heard Hope yell as the witch threw the tissue into a bowl and tapped the knife on it to flick Caroline’s blood into it. The bowl started to smoke and the meagre lights in the basement dulled and then stuttered back to life.

“Come now Hope, a witch like you should know this spell. Time travel can’t be that far out of your wheelhouse.”

“You can’t” Caroline begged, and the witch slowly turned her head towards her. Picking up the knife again she walked back over to Caroline and place the knife at her neck, the blade nicking the skin.

“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do.”

“He will kill you.” Caroline said looking the witch dead in the eyes, “If not for harming me, but for harming his daughter. There is nowhere on this earth you will be able to hide.”

The witch smiled and then then laughed.

“Oh Caroline…you have no idea. I’m not bring his here. No, no, no. You’re going to take a little trip.” She said flicking the knife, so it sliced into Caroline’s neck. Caroline felt blood start to pour down her shirt and she tasted it bubbling out of her mouth.

Caroline panicked her eyes flicking towards the girls shielded in the corner. She could see that Hope was struggling to keep up the shield against her daughters trying to break through it.

“Mum!” they screamed, beating their hands against the flicking blue shield.

The witch started to move her hands over the now smoking bowl, chanting low under her breath and Caroline started to feel her hands tingling and her heart started to beat rapidly. She screamed when a bolt of pain ran through her body and the last thing, she saw was Hope’s shield fail and the witch fell to the ground.

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andreafmn · 6 months

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Kinktober ⛓️ Day 13

Word Count: 1.6K Paring: Klaus Mikaelson x Fem!Reader Prompt @kinktober2023: Heartbeat WARNINGS: SMUT 18+ (minors DNI), dub-con (don't read if you don't like this), compulsion, handjob, obsession

Summary: Klaus Mikaelson is obsessed with the hunt. As the world's biggest predator, there is nothing he enjoys more than the racing heart of his prey. And his newest target is the beautiful waitress at Rousseau's.

A/N: so far behind but really trying to get back on track, might take me a while because instead of writing kinktober I started on the next Speak chapter 🫣 the next ones might be short like this cause I just want to get them out.

<- Previous | Next ->

Klaus Mikaelson liked prey. He liked the thrill of the hunt when he wasn’t the one being hunted. He reveled in the smell of fear. Most of all, he loved drowning in the sound of their hearts.

When he was just a vampire, people believed he was attracted to the smell of blood, the liquid that rushed through their veins. In reality, for him, it was the way their hearts raced. The moment they saw his fangs or the black veins that rushed to his eyes, the small organ would patter at a beat that was enough to kill them. Obviously, it was never the fear that got to them. Klaus would always drain their blood because their hearts were only interesting for a second. After? They were merely waste.

Until he met the lovely (Y/N) in the town he loved the most. His town.

She had started working at Rousseau’s not too long after he had settled back in New Orleans, and it was almost instantly that she caught the Hybrid’s eye. Her warm charisma and enchanting smile were only some of the superficial things that had grasped his attention. It was the intoxicating way her heart beat faster than everyone around her that made him gravitate toward her.

He bid his time, though. Klaus didn’t approach her quickly. Instead, he came to the bar every day at 1 in the afternoon like clockwork. He would sit at one end of the bar, order a glass of whiskey, and nurse it for an hour. Then, he’d down the liquid in one go and leave.

Three weeks.

It took three weeks for (Y/N)’s interest to finally peak. She had seen him come in every single day, ordering the same drink and holding it for an hour, then leaving. Every. Single. Day. It was hard not to become curious about the handsome blond that came into her work daily.

“Are you ever gonna sit in the dining section?” she asked curiously as Klaus sat on his usual barstool. “I’ve seen you come in every day for three weeks at exactly 1 o’clock. And you sit there, watching me work, but never come in to eat. You just drink your one glass of whiskey.”

“I guess I was working up the courage to speak to you finally,” he responded coyly. “But it seems you beat me to the punch.”

“Well, I never work behind bar, so it would have been almost impossible for our paths to cross.”

“And yet they did,” he smirked. “So, what say you about answering this fateful call of the universe, and you agree to go on a date with me?”

“A date?” (Y/N) chuckled softly. “I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Klaus Mikaelson, love,” he grinned deviously. “Now, what say you? 5 o’clock, my house?”

(Y/N) didn’t know what took over her. Normally, she would have never agreed to a date with a random stranger. Much less to their home. But, for some reason, she found herself saying, “Sure.”

That night, she found herself inside the Abattoir, in the heart of the French Quarter. Klaus had welcomed her in and had been a perfect gentleman all night. They drank, they ate, they talked and laughed. It was perfect. Almost too perfect.

At some point, the friendly nature of the evening had turned sexual. Klaus had kissed her first, his tongue tasting of honey whiskey and desire. And she didn’t hate it. She enjoyed the roughness of his hands as they ran across her body, mapping the expanse of her body over her clothes. She enjoyed the rush that traveled inside her, making her heart rush and her chest heave. It was all so enjoyable.

Until…

“Stand up,” Klaus instructed, his blue-green eyes staring intensely into hers. “Don’t move after. Don’t talk.”

And she did exactly as he said. Suddenly, fear took over her. It was as though her body was acting without any command from her brain. She could feel her heartbeat all the way up to her throat, her pulse loud in her ears.

“Sweet (Y/N),” he said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Sweet, naïve (Y/N). You should have asked around about me. One story from your fellow New Orleanians, and you would have stayed far, far away from this house.”

There was something in the way he talked that made her tremble. His voice made her blood run cold in her veins, and she couldn’t move. It terrified her because she was frozen in her spot.

“You see, (Y/N). Ever since I heard the beautiful beat of your heart, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it,” he whispered against her ear as he ran his fingers across her arms, making her skin erupt in goosebumps. “You have no idea what that pitter-patter in your chest does to me, love. Every single afternoon I came home from the bar, I had to wrap my hand around my hard cock, and I’d stroke it to the beat of your heart. I’d slide up and down my length until I finally came thinking just of you. It’s truly intoxicating, dear. And now that I have you here, I don’t know how I could ever let you go.”

(Y/N) tried to talk, but her words got caught in her throat. Only whimpers would leave her mouth. Thin strands of water ran down her cheeks, terror sinking into her bones.

“Alright,” he chuckled. “You can speak.”

“W-what are y-you?” she stammered. “W-why are y-you d-doing this?”

“Oh, darling, I’m the best thing that has ever happened to you,” he grinned darkly. “You’re gonna be a queen, love. Your heart will belong to me, and I will give you anything that you desire.”

“Why me?”

“It’s your heart,” he said. “It sounds so beautiful it could only beat for me. Just feel how excited it makes me.” He placed one of her hands on his hardened bulge, massaging his length through his pants. “That’s what you do to me, sweetheart.”

“B-because of my h-heart?” He nodded. “But how can you even hear it?”

“I’m the Hybrid,” he said matter-of-factly. “The first of my kind. Both vampire and werewolf. Immortal and invincible.”

“W-what? That’s nonsense!” Suddenly, his eyes flashed an intense yellow starking surrounded by all the black, dark veins swimming toward the irises. It made all words die in her throat. Her eyes widened as four fangs appeared in the top row of his teeth. Truly a scene out of a horror movie. “Please, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone anything.”

“Oh, I’m not afraid of that, love,” he smiled sickeningly. “And why would I let you go when you so willingly walked into my home? I know you want this, (Y/N). Your heart tells me so.”

Still frozen in place, she could hear the sound of a zipper going down. Klaus was terrifyingly close to her body, his warmth making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on point. He was so close, and her escape was so far away.

But the scary part wasn’t the fact that she couldn’t move or that she was in the presence of a supernatural being. What scared her was what the situation was doing to her body. Warmth had pooled between her legs, her desire dripping slowly onto her panties, creating a visible mark of just how aroused the situation was making her. Still, was her lust stronger than her fear? That she had yet to find out.

“Tell me if you want this, (Y/N),” Klaus said, his yellow eyes trained on hers. “Tell me if you want me.”

“I want you,” she said breathlessly, entranced by the creature before her. “I want this.”

“Good,” he chuckled deviously. “Because this body already belongs to me regardless.”

Klaus took one of her hands and wrapped it around his painfully hard cock, sighing as he finally sensed what her skin felt against his. With the precum that had already leaked from his red-hot tip, he ran her hand along his shaft, recreating what he had dreamed of every night since he had seen her first—a movement done by her, but everything controlled by him.

Her heart skipped beats as her breathing became staggered, sweat forming on her forehead and the back of her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her skin, the timing of his inhales and exhales matching the beat of her chest and the stroking of their hands. Her head swam with conflicting thoughts. A part of her wanted to jump away from him as though he was made of fire –the same part that was repulsed by what he was doing. But there was a small part of her that wanted more –the part that wanted to see just how far he would go.

His movements became sloppy as he felt his orgasm nearing. Just the sound of her racing heart was enough to topple him over. But the entirety of the moment had him on edge. She was under his roof, pleasuring him, and she had said she wanted him. Maybe she didn’t know it yet, but she truly belonged to him already. He had decided as much. And as he painted her skin and clothes white, he knew that she would forever be marked by him.

“A-are you done?” (Y/N) stammered, still unsure of the situation. “Please tell me you’re done.”

“Oh, darling,” he said, kissing her cheek tenderly. “We’ve only just begun.”

Next ->

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soshadysoquiet · 2 days

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TUA fanfic WIP: Sibling Beach Trip

I've recently devoured @assaily 's WIP posts and you know what, why hoard all of my WIPs when I may never finish them and people might enjoy them?

Having said that this isn't a snippet so much as it's a 2 thirds done fic that I've lost inspiration for the ending for so grab yourself a drink and enjoy!

Working Title: Beach No Beach. Love a working title

Length: 6k. Self control? Who is she?

Premise: Post apocalypse a family beach trip is proposed. Five has his reservations and is finding real life hard to adjust to, but he'll go if that's the Sibling Movement of the week. This is basically a slice of life fic that I'm pretty sure was going to build to Diego needing to save Five from drowning at the beach, because of course it was, but I think the rest of this has enough low-level angst and family moments to be entertaining on it's own.

Warnings: This fic discusses body dysmorphia in small detail and has underage drinking from Five.

It was embarrassing. More than embarrassing, really.

Shameful.

But Five couldn’t swim.

They’d had what constituted as ‘lessons’ when they were kids, apparently. Five had very limited memories of life before the Apocalypse, and often they seemed more surreal than anything.

‘We did?’ He asked blankly, barely looking over his morning cup of coffee to Viktor and Klaus.

‘All the time bro!’ Klaus replied breathily, laughing, eyes just a little wide in the thrill of memory, or possibly at Five not remembering something. ‘You don’t remember the pool? I’m pretty sure Dad blocked off the door after we started sneaking down there to play.’

‘I remember.’ Viktor nodded along, smile curling his lips so that his face lit up. ‘That’s how we found about Diego-‘

‘And his creepy fish power!’ Klaus looked ready to implode with hysteria and even Viktor bent to the table with a snort before looking between them.

‘You really don’t remember that?’

‘Diego isn’t a fish…’ He spoke slowly. He was talking to children after all. Or maybe he was hallucinating again. It happened. Hiding his grimace, Five took a sip.

‘Yeah! Yeah he can really hold his breath, come on you have to remember that, we teased him for weeks!’

‘Yeah that was kinda mean of us.’ Viktor grimaced a little into his own coffee. Probably for no reason, Viktor at that age wouldn’t have said Boo to a goose.

Hold his breath? It almost was a memory. Someone laughing, Diego pouting, then throwing a fit.

‘I think I’d remember us finding out about that.’

‘Maybe you blocked it out, it was pretty horrible at the time.’ The tone shifted after Viktor’s words.

‘Why doesn’t that surprise me.’

‘What doesn’t surprise you?’ Diego.

‘Speak of the devil!’ Klaus chorused, Five flinched a little at Diego’s hand falling briefly onto his shoulder as he passed. But it was barely noticeable now, he’d almost got a hang on it. ‘We were reminiscing about the time Dear old Dad decided to test out our underwater endurance.’

‘You mean when he held us all under the water until you all near passed out and I beat all your asses.’

‘Definitely would have remembered that one.’ Five murmured, covering up the chill skipping over his flesh.

‘Technically you didn’t beat my ass, since I wasn’t included in How to Drown Your Kids 101.’ Viktor replied with a darkly amused smirk and the sort of steel satisfaction that only true trauma inspired.

‘Well I’d have beaten you too.’ Diego retorted, confident as he went about fetching some ungodly looking juice concoction from the fridge.

How many different fruits went into just that, how many vegetables? The math wasn’t worth it, wasn’t worth the pang of mixed dread and desire it inspired in him.

‘And then we all called you, ah, well, never mind eh?’ Diego’s glare had silenced Klaus.

‘For the record, we’re sorry.’ Viktor offered, voice so gentle and meaning.

‘I’ve got nothing to be sorry for.’ Five retorted. He wasn’t there after all, and he was above childish name calling. He had found more creative insults.

‘Well you got off the hook easily anyway, you weren’t even there.’ Diego chimed in, but did take the time to nod to Viktor in a passing sense of camaraderie. He sat heavily at the table and looked at them all as he took a drink. ‘What brought this on anyway?’

‘We’re trying to convince little Fivey-‘

‘Older than you!’ His insistence was soundly ignored.

‘To come to the beach with us all at the weekend.’ Diego hastily swallowed the mouthful of his juice. What could all those ingredients even taste like together? Five shook his head at the sight.

‘Hell yeah you should come! You don’t get out enough.’

‘I get out plenty.’

‘To the library maybe.’ Klaus mumbled, twiddling with the buttons undone on his shirt.

‘Come on Five, it would be fun!’

‘Would it really?’ He sighed, wished he’d just blinked back up to his room with the coffee.

‘Its the beach bro.’ Diego’s voice was so deadpan that Five managed to feel insulted.

‘There isn’t even anything there! It’s all dead anyway!’ One of his hands gestured with the coffee cup for effect as he complained but the others were staring at him and, oh, right. Nervously he cleared his throat. ’I mean-‘

‘No, no what is it?’ Klaus was too gentle. They’d started doing this recently, paying attention to him rather than responding with their own drama and pushing what he said aside. Five didn’t know what to do with it. And it only took a few rapid equations to work out the cheapest way out of this situation.

‘Fine I’ll go. But don’t expect me to enjoy it.’ He blinked away. But not far.

Paranoid.

‘Alright alright.’ Five muttered quietly at Dolores’ imagined critique from where he sat in the pantry, listening.

‘Well, that was surprisingly easy, only took ten minutes.’ Klaus sounded both pleased and a little disappointed. Had he not wanted Five to come after all, or had he just wanted to do more wheedling?

‘What do you think he meant by it being dead?’ Viktor asked, voice contemplative and too damn observant.

‘I swear to God Klaus, if you making him go to the beach causes another apocalypse-‘

Diego and Klaus devolved into childish squabbles and Five blinked out of the pantry.

The beach huh. He hadn’t seen it in decades. He’d only been the once. If they’d ever done any missions by the sea as children Five certainly didn’t remember it.

It could be nice this time.

‘We can’t swim Dolores.’ In the emptiness of his room, the reminder drifted lifeless. He’d learned that one the hard way. ‘And only you can float.’

A weekend beach trip sounded like hell to Five but apparently he was one of the few. Yet it was interesting that the closer they got to the date the more cracks appeared in the others’ armour.

Diego would boast about his abilities, but when Luther had guffawed ‘oh my god! Fish-Boy!’ Their knife-wielding vigilante had begun to stammer on and off when they talked about the ocean. Allison had bitched at Luther down the phone for it, as had Klaus in person. Five had been listening in on parts of the phone call.

Because he liked to hear their voices, not because he was paranoid, Dolores!

But it wasn’t just Diego.

Allison had sounded hesitant, and wanted to bring Claire, but remained nervous about mixing Claire with their family. Five usually made himself scarce on the rare occasions that Allison brought Claire around. It had only been twice, but no matter how much he wanted to meet her, Five didn’t have anything to fall back on when interacting with people outside his siblings. Unless they were a threat, or it was for less than two minutes.

Three minutes fifteen had been his record, at the library where he went to practice. And after that he’d had to go hide in the bathroom stall and have a minor panic attack.

With people that mattered it was harder. Because there was only so long Five could talk to someone who mattered before he fucked it up. He’d only been able to say ‘Hi, nice to meet you’ to Claire before becoming overwhelmed by her childlike open-stare and making an excuse to run away. But he wasn’t the only reason for Allison’s hesitance.

Five thought she was worried about the crazy rubbing off.

During last month’s visit Klaus had told Claire the story of Dead Uncle Ben after she’d caught Klaus talking to what looked like thin air. Five had overheard on the phone call the week after how Claire had begun ‘talking to Dead Uncle Ben’ at school. For a custody battle situation, it was understandably a nightmare.

Diego always had knives on him, and children had sticky fingers. Claire kept trying to pull them out from Diego’s pockets and holsters and fingers. It wasn’t as if Diego encouraged or approved of it, but he had offered to teach her before he’d caught Allison’s look. And even at the beach Diego would probably be packing at least three knives. Probably more.

Luther had been fine at first, and was Claire’s favourite uncle. But then the Holy Trinity of Stupid; hitherto named Klaus, Luther and Diego, had loudly reminisced about the all the times Luther had accidentally injured them during training when they were kids. Even Five had joined in; Luther smacking him hard enough into the wall after a mis-timed jump and cracking his arm during combat training were ironically some of his clearer memories. Allison trusted Luther with Claire’s life, but she had looked a little green around the gills as they all laughed about it.

Viktor hadn’t done anything to directly inspire worry, but Allison had told Luther she was worried about Claire finding out what she’d done to her sibling when they were children. Five had stopped listening to the phone call once Allison started crying, feeling more than a little guilty about his eavesdropping.

So, Allison was apprehensive about Family Fun-Time at the Beach because it involved Family Fun-Time. Otherwise known as ill-facilitated chaos.

Klaus worried about taking Ben to the ocean and Ben being sad about only being able to be so-corporeal in the ocean. A guilt Five felt Klaus didn’t need to put on himself, given that without him there would be no beach for Ben. But he’d been told he had a rather unsympathetic view on things and asked to leave. It didn’t help that Ben was apparently desperate to go to the ocean and also sad about it, apparently.

Or so Five could tell from what he’d heard when he stood nearby Klaus’ room at night, or followed him at night down the street, or when he was hiding in the pantry eating fluffed-nutter sandwiches and just listening to his siblings being alive.

Friday lunchtime and Five thought that most of the pre-beach drama had probably run its course, that said nothing for what would blow up when they were actually there in typical Hargreeves-style. And he counted the journey to and from as a separate nightmarish entity altogether, but at least this time he was one of the cats to be herded, not the one doing the herding. Small mercies.

They were just lucky that Lila had decided not to come. Apparently their powers ‘gave her a headache’ whilst she was pregnant. Five had gone to visit her out of boredom and sibling duty, and swore to report back on the idiocy for her, and had somehow gotten roped into shopping.

‘Just zap us all there, I want to feel alive again.’

‘You could do it yourself.’ He pointed out, and she groaned and grabbed his hand. They did that a lot, held hands. Five had actually come to enjoy the brusque contact with his most violent sister. There remained a certain comfort in the knowledge he was holding the hand of another killer.

‘Don’t be a prick.’ She groaned. He waited, brow raised. ‘Look you’re more practiced than me alright! I don’t want to jump there and find out little Lila Junior is all over the floor somewhere else!’

‘Okay that’s disgusting.’ He’d blinked them just to stop the conversation, but not so quick that he hadn’t seen her wicked grin at his pain.

And, of course, after jumping that far, he didn’t have the juice to escape.

‘Do you even own anything that isn’t some god-awful dark academia bullshit?’

‘Rich coming from a punk.’

‘You’re going to the beach not a banquet-‘ They’d snapped and bitten at each other whilst grinning through their shark teeth and Lila had forced him to buy a pair of truly heinous swimming trunks about the length of the Academy shorts he’d used to wear. At least until Allison had dragged him out shopping again.

‘You wore that nice suit in the Sparrow timeline, you do not need to go back to looking like a prep-school kid.’

At least Allison had taste.

And secretly, Five had been glad that someone had made him do it. Old routines were the hardest to break for him when they seemed so ultimately unimportant.

‘Sunglasses!’ Lila belted out, breaking his musings and dragged him roughly over to a stand. She’d fussed over trying on shades and insisting on him doing the same and Five had allowed himself to pick out a pair he actually quite liked.

They suit you better than those goggles. Five huffed a smile at that. Dolores always had deplored his apocalyptic wardrobe.

‘I just, I want to be out there, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be out there.’ Five’s head popped up over the sunglasses stand.

‘Viktor? Luthor?’

‘Five!’

‘Lila?’

‘There’s the boys! No Klaus?’

‘He was, um, what are you doing here?’ Luther stumbled the words, other than Klaus and Five, the siblings were still somewhat awkward around Diego’s partner. Lila didn’t let it show, but Five thought the distance there bothered her. Five certainly wasn’t the one to know what to do about it. Klaus had told him he ‘imprinted’, like a duckling, and that had been enough ‘friendship’ talk to last another lifetime.

And he got embarrassed enough by Diego’s obvious happiness at him taking the time to include Lila.

Five held up the shorts he was being frog-marched into buying.

Not that there was a point, because he wouldn’t be stepping foot in the ocean ever again.

‘Apparently this is required dress code.’

‘Oh, same.’ Luther grinned a bit, before his face fell. Viktor, who’d been the one talking earlier, looked a little sullen.

‘No offence, but me and my spawn are going to walk away from all this.’ Lila gestured and excited stage left back towards the child section where, embarrassingly, Five had just come from to get the shorts in his hand. She had meant that their powers were bothering her, a weird pregnancy side-effect, but the pair of them looked a little slapped in the face.

‘What’s up with you two?’ Five asked, coming around the sunglasses stand to eye them up and down better. ‘Was it Diego? It’s usually Diego.’

‘What? No.’ Luther insisted. Viktor cleared his throat.

‘It’s just,’ Viktor paused for a breath and looked to Luther, who nodded encouragingly. ‘It’s hard to, cross some hurdles, with the dysmorphia.’

‘It’ll get easier, or I hope it will.’ Luther’s half-encouragement was half-hearted but well meaning, and Viktor offered him a small sad smile. Five just frowned at them.

‘Dysmorphia?’ He rolled the word around, squinting. ‘The medical condition?’ He frowned harder. In a sense, Luther’s ape-like physicality could be called that. But Sloane had gone a long way to helping with that. But she wasn’t fully welcomed into the loving disaster that was his family yet, so she wouldn’t be at the beach. Maybe that was the problem.

He’d said the wrong thing, Luther was flushed in embarrassment and Viktor put a hand on his arm before cutting in.

‘No, well-‘

‘Sort of, in my case. Both I guess.’ Luther spoke over Viktor, seeming to pull in his confidence with a truly remarkable strength. Strength of character that their father had always failed to measure. Much like Viktor’s patience.

‘Body dysmorphia. It’s when you might feel like the way your body looks isn’t how you think it should be. It’s how I felt, before. And somedays there’s another new hurdle to cross.’

‘It’s not comfortable, the idea of being on show like that.’ They managed their words with aplomb, but Five was somewhere between them and himself.

Maybe that was selfish, but he found himself looking at his own hands as they spoke, jaw a little slack.

Dysmorphia.

‘Oh.’ He didn’t have many more words for them, but the silence suggested he should, so he pulled away from himself and looked to them again. ‘What are you going to do about it?’

Taken aback a little by the blunt question, they looked at each other. Viktor found his voice first.

‘We were debating between making a ’t-shirts are ok’ pact or a-‘

‘’Skin or nothing’ oath.’ Luther finished. Five didn’t think he had the skill set to say the right thing.

You do. Dolores insisted softly. You’re kinder than you think.

‘Well, let me know what you decide.’ He offered, hoping he was somewhere on the track to wiping the misery off their faces. Three apocalypses and it’s still the human condition bringing us all down. ‘I’ll join you.’ Decidedly he nodded, and turned to make sure Lila wasn’t getting caught shoplifting. Honestly her skills needed some improvement. Although she would probably say the same about him.

Viktor and Luther’s seaside-problems Five could understand maybe a bit better on a personal level than those afflicting the rest of his family, because there was a certain degree of dysmorphia to all their bodily situations that didn’t bother dwelling on but couldn’t not be dwelt on at the beach. It wasn’t like he enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror, so on some level he got it.

He’d bring a t-shirt in case.

Despite their united worry, and Five’s pessimism, the Hargreeves family all descended on the mansion Friday evening for their trip to the beach the following day.

Five nearly blinked to the roof when Claire ran up and hugged him, standing with his fists clenched throughout and then vanishing behind the bar. As in hidden behind the bar. He had long ago sworn to Allison that he wouldn’t drink in front of Claire. They could at least both agree that she was a child.

Luther and surprisingly Viktor got drunk on the other side of the bar and Klaus merrily joined in.

Lila dropped Diego off to stay overnight since they had an early start come the morning, and Five contemplated blinking into their car to escape whilst Diego shouted at her to not do anything criminal while he was gone.

Allison escaped to smoke twice in between fretting about which sibling to entrust Claire to in the meantime, and quickly decided to just put Claire to bed instead.

Five listened to it all hidden behind the bar. Klaus knew he was there, he kept passing his glass down for Five to refill. Five left a shot out for Ben as well, because it felt polite, Even if apparently Ben disapproved of alcohol.

All too soon, they were turning in for the night in dribs and drabs.

Five hung on until the end. Surprisingly with Luther and Viktor.

‘Ahem.’ Luther cleared his throat and knocked a little sloppily on the bar top as they were turning to go. Five had been humming ‘Dream a little Dream of me’ for Dolores for the last few minutes and hiccupped himself to a stop. ‘For tomorrow, no shirts.’

‘No shirts!’ Viktor chorused loudly and very, very drunk, toppling a little from the sounds of it.

‘No shirts!’ Luther joined in and the pair stumbled up for the night.

‘No shirts.’ He toasted to the air, took his last swig and went to pick up Dolores-

But she wasn’t there. The shop had thrown her away.

In a flash the martini glass he’d been drinking from smashed against the bar where he’d thrown it.

You’re gonna have to clean that up now.

‘I know, I know.’

He ignored the catch in his voice as he moved to do just that, craving to hold her and getting glass shards instead.

—

‘Get up Five! Christ, there’s always one.’

‘And it’s usually him, or you. Actually it's usually you.’

‘Shut up and help me! Oh wait you can’t.’

‘Wow, low blow.’

‘Oh I can go lower-‘

‘Shut up.’ Five smacked his pillow at Klaus like a true teenager and glowered. His hair was ruffled and he smelt like a bar.

‘You look like some nasty little cat I found on the sidewalk and just want to put in a blanket,’ Klaus half-crooned, half sneered, grabbing his grumbling gremlin of a brother. ‘Now come on, get up and showered or Allison will have our asses.’

‘Have our asses!’ All three of them turned with slightly horrified gazes to see Claire standing in the door giggling, fingers pressed over her mouth and looking like she knew exactly what she was doing. The little tyrant. With a final giggle she turned and ran. ‘Mooooooom!’

‘No no no no no!’ Klaus abandoned Five to his fate and sprinted off after his favourite little terror of a niece. If she made it to Allison, they were all doomed.

She made it Allison.

Five managed to get himself somewhat presentable, down the stairs and into clothes. In fact they all did, more or les on time, it was a Hargreeves miracle.

‘Loving the shorts buddy. You needed more colour in your wardrobe.’

‘Keep talking and I’ll sk-‘ Five stopped himself, Ben snorted uncharitably behind Klaus’ shoulder as Claire looked eerily around at them, eyes wide and guileless. Klaus cleared his throat whilst Five’s brain seemed to re-wire itself, clutching his coffee for dear life and eyes shielded by shades. ‘Skkkunk you.’

‘Skunk you.’ Claire mouthed, hand benignly in Allison’s, eyes bright with hell-fire.

‘Skunk me?’ Klaus turned to Five again, disbelief and laughter battling for dominance in his chest. ‘That’s the best you could do?’

‘Keep talking, and you’ll find out.’ Five’s coffee got grumbled into and Ben guffawed behind them.

‘You’re both idiots.’

‘Shut up Ben!’

‘Dead Uncle Ben’s here?!’ Klaus shrivelled under the weight of Allison’s incredulous raised brows turning to him with the sweet promise of death as Ben ‘awwed’ behind him.

Allison had already had to put up with Claire having a tantrum about not being able to talk to Uncle Ben, and had thrown her hands in the air when Klaus had said Ben also wanted to talk to Claire.

‘Sure, why not! Let’s just wheel her right into therapy rather than window-shopping it!’ She had stormed to the back of the bus and sat next to Five, because he was currently the quietest and she saw the least of him.

Ben’s blue conjured form absolutely enchanted Claire, and her eyes swelled so large and happy and un-affected by rumour as she looked gleefully between Dead Uncle Ben and her Mom that it made Allison’s heart lighter.

Watching Ben form into what existence Klaus could give him was always a delight, if a bittersweet one, and Allison found herself relaxing a bit at watching the joint joy on her child and brother’s faces.

They had taken the bus to the beach, changed three times and by the time the ocean breeze was coming salty and refreshing through the window Allison’s hungover siblings had drunk enough coffee, water and juice to grace the land of the living. Viktor and Luther had woken from their nap enough to tease Diego about his upcoming life of parenthood. She’d berate them, or join them, but honestly they were just the warm up act for the terror Allison herself could inspire if she told Diego the truth of parenting. But she didn’t quite want to do that.

Something in her knew the horrors too well to joke about them right now, the emotions always too present. And some dark voice inside her said that she didn’t get to lord it over anyone. Not with the mess she’d made the first time round.

And probably was making, letting her kid talk to her ghost Uncle.

‘It’ll be fine.’ Allison jolted a bit, and glanced down at Five, slumped still somewhat bonelessly, dressed in a plain top and tropical beach shorts that were almost the same shade of yellow as Allison’s own bikini under her wrap dress. Five was alert enough to be verbal, which was good, but not quite enough to move further down the bus and put up with their family’s particular brand of unending bullshit.

‘What will?’ She asked, bewildered. ‘This family trip? I’m pretty sure its’ already gone way better than it should, which means we’re due for a tsunami at least.’ He snickered at that and she smiled at the rarely heard sound.

‘Well I won’t disagree, but I meant Claire with Ben. If anyone can talk sense to her, it’s the one who usually holds the brain cell.’

And Five was somewhat right. Despite the way he very awkwardly coughed and looked through his fringe out the window when Claire came to sit between them.

‘Mom, I’m sorry about pretending to see Dead Uncle, I mean, Uncle Ben at school. I know it’s a Serious Topic now.’ She nodded solemnly, and Allison felt her face crease up in adoration at the attemptive-adult look on her daughter’s angelic face. And the apology that she wasn’t sure she deserved, but couldn’t help melting over. ‘But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop talking about him because Uncle Ben and Death are important.’ And just like that, adoration turned to the sort of disbelief that only children could inspire. Five snorted.

‘Smart kid.’ He muttered, and Allison found her smile reforming.

‘Thank you Claire, and you’re right, those are important topics. We’ll have a talk about bluntness at, a much, much later date.’ Because there were only so many Serious Parenting Moments she could handle before 10 in the morning. She thought she had an easy out, but then Five was turning to Claire with a devilish look at Allison over his glasses and a truly awful smile. Her stomach dropped.

‘Whatever she says don’t listen to her, your Mom mastered bluntness at age Six.’

‘Six?!’

‘Six.’ Five nodded.

‘I think you should go talk to Uncle Ben while he’s here sweetie, Uncle Klaus can only keep him visible so long-‘

‘But I wanna talk to Uncle Five too!’

‘No you don’t-‘ Allison and Five flashed each other an awkward look at their matching words.

‘Hey Claire! Claire! Wanna see the octopus in Uncle Ben’s belly-‘

‘NO SHOWING HER THE HORROR!’ Allison shouted as Claire squealed and ran for a glaring Ben and shit-eating Klaus.

She didn’t have one child, she had a whole bus of them.

The beach spray in the air wasn’t like he’d thought it would be.

Five watched the unreal blue hue of the ocean, heard the waves crash rather than slosh thickly, felt sand rather than trash and rubble under his feet.

It was beautiful.

‘So, we doing this?’

‘We’re doing this.’ He glanced to Luther and Viktor. They’d set up their family’s base-camp on the beach, and Allison was over at the nearby changing huts getting Claire sorted. Diego had set them up under one of the available umbrellas and was lecturing Klaus on sunscreen. Because of course he was.

Red rays from the too-hot sunlight burnt through the distorted atmosphere, piercing dust-and-storm clouds, lighting the grey sloshing water in an eerie light.

‘Don’t you want to swim? I always wanted to swim.’

‘Hey Five!’ Sand hit him in the face. Five spluttered and spun around. No crap littering the golden sands. Just his family and the blue tide. Disguising his shaky breath, Five glared at Diego. ‘You too, sun cream, come on line up.’

‘Sun cream Nazi.’

‘Want me to spray it in your face Klaus?’ Klaus just groaned, turning around obediently as Diego sprayed an endless can of aerosol ‘factor 30’ onto his pale skin.

‘Might as well get it over with Five. He’ll have his way.’ Klaus pouted.

‘That I will, alright, you’re done, come back in three hours.’

‘Alright Mom.’ Klaus mocked with a grin and escaped away, donning his brimmed hat and heading to the ocean.

‘You’re up.’ Diego beckoned him over and Five shook his head snorting.

‘The sun’s not even radioactive at this point.’ Diego stared and then grabbed him.

‘You’re the most in danger, young skin is important to protect.’

‘Get off me!’ Five snatched the can and roughly sprayed over himself before throwing it back. ‘Happy?’

‘That’s not how you apply sunscreen bro.’

‘Its literally what you just did.’

‘No sunscreen, no sun.’ Diego stated with an impressive amount of finality and pointed at the towels under the parasol where Viktor and Luther were lurking. Beyond them, Allison was running after Claire to the water.

‘Fine by me.’ He wasn’t swimming anyway, and he’d had enough of the sun’s harsh rays. Diego seemed appeased, and headed to the ocean himself.

Five settled down and, seeing his remaining brothers had already removed their shirts, did the same. Solidarity and all.

Job done, he settled back, and watched the ocean.

It was even more mesmeric now than it had been back then, thick with ash and ruined life, but the largest amount of water he’d seen in months.

He hadn’t washed in months.

Is it even real? Dolores laughed at him

‘Of course it’s real.’ Walking there had been a dream, heart thudding, shedding clothes along the way haphazardly, stumbling over ruble and Dolores in his arms, in a dream till the water sloshed over his ankles.

The sensation had sent shivers up his spine.

‘Hey, you swimming?’ Viktor nudged him back into focus and Five looked around him, glad of the sunglasses hiding his eyes.

‘No.’

‘Really? But we’re at the beach, and it’s pretty empty, even Luther’s in.’ It took Five a moment to notice that yes, he was. Tossing Claire up in the air and into the water as she squealed in delight. Diego looked like he was doing some pretty serious swimming while Klaus and Allison lounged in the shallows.

‘You go, have fun. I’ll guard the camp. Wouldn’t want us loosing our clothes.’ He got a frown at that, but Five had lost his Academy uniform that day on the beach and with it the only reminder of home he had left, the only identity he had. Not to mention the only clothes he’d had.

Just because he’d wanted to feel water and hadn’t weighed them down.

‘Well, come over when you’re ready. You’ll like it.’ He grinned in lieu of answering and Viktor shrugged and went off, both him and Luther bare-skinned from the waist up and wearing it with growing confidence.

Smiling a little, Five folded his arms behind his head and stretched his toes into the sand. It burned a bit, but the feeling was unlike anything he’d felt before. He kept doing it over and over, finally sitting up and admitting that he wanted to touch it.

Five settled off the towel and felt the sand all over, shivering, digging his fingers into it.

Dry and hot on top, cool and heavier underneath if he dug down far enough.

Golden, soft.

His fingers found a shell and Five took a while staring at the delicate pattern, mesmerised. He looked for more.

‘What are you doing?’ Five had to get a better handle on being snuck up on. He looked around to see Claire staring at him, rocking on her feet.

‘Finding shells.’ He replied.

‘I’ll help!’ She lay down next to the hole he’d dug and reached her arms in to tease through the sand. ‘They’re pretty.’

‘Uh, sure.’ Seeing how deep Claire had to reach into the hole, Five looked around and winced. Half of their belongings were covered in sand and to match the hole was a large mountain he’d moved aside, digging straight down mindlessly.

‘Is this one good?’ Claire pulled out a long, thin shell, poking Five’s knee with it.

‘Its great.’ He took it and tried not to feel her eyes on him as he looked it over. ‘It’s a razor clam shell.’ He offered, turning it over in his fingers and admiring the barred pattern. He put it in the ‘clam’ pile.

‘Really? What’s this one.’

‘A snail.’

‘And this one?’ Five glanced over from where he’d reached for another speck of porcelain white buried in the sand.

‘A crab claw.’

‘Where’s the rest of the crab?’

‘Given that that’s it’s arm, I’m assuming that it’s dead.’

‘Like Uncle Ben.’

‘Like Uncle Ben. Although, I don’t know if crabs have ghosts that stick around, that’s really an ethical and philosophical debate on the presence of a soul and frankly it’s exhausting.’

‘Oh.’

‘Claire! There you are, don’t run off like that!’ Allison looked vaguely harassed as she hurried to them. ‘Oh, Five, thanks for looking after her.’

‘Don’t mention it.’ He replied, somewhat guilty where he had moved to sit in the hole he’d dug, and hadn’t even noticed Claire being ‘missing’ in the first place. He’d been too focused by the texture of sand and delicate shells.

‘What are you two doing?’ The frown and amused quirk to her mouth suggested that this wasn’t normal.

‘Uncle Five’s collecting shells.’ Incredulous eyes turned his way, Five scowled.

‘I can stop.’ He snapped out.

‘No, no Five, it’s okay. People collect shells at the beach.’ Her assurance was swift but gentle, genuine. Claire was looking at him wide-eyed.

‘Oh. Okay.’ He replied, somewhat derailed from defending himself.

Prickly. Five ignored Dolores’ fond chuckle.

‘Impressive hole Five.’ Luther came up behind Allison and Five hopped out enough to sit on the rim of his sand pit. Claire squealed on seeing him and reached up to be lifted, she kept hold of the crab claw.

‘What is that?’

‘It’s Uncle Five’s dead crab!’

‘Don’t touch things like that!’ Allison wrestled it from Claire who pouted.

‘Uncle Five touched it!’

‘Well, he’s a heathen, not a lady.’ Five snorted, but didn’t deny it. ‘Let’s go wash your hands.’ Claire was led away with a plea of ‘but mooooooom’ and Luther took her place.

‘You’re not swimming?’

‘Apparently I’m collecting shells.’ Five gestured over to the neatly sorted collection he’d accumulated.

Dolores liked them.

‘I just thought you were digging a hole. Maybe we should make a sand castle.’

‘A what?’ Luther was already gathering the sand Five had piled up and grinned.

‘I’ll show you! I used to try and make miniature ones on the moon with the moon dust I collected, but we could make a really big one!’ The childlike enthusiasm was enough to stir Five’s eternal curiosity, he followed Luther out of his hole and felt the sun lap his skin as they began forming a ‘foundation’.

It was surprisingly enjoyable. Therapeutically technical.

It looks good.

It did, Five thought.

Give it a tower for me, like a princess would have.

‘It needs a tower.’

‘Good idea. And a flag.’

They built for a while before Diego came to join them and added himself in with a comment of ‘sick’. They stuck one of Diego’s knives in the top in place of a flag and Viktor and Klaus came by with a heaping assortment of lunch foods.

‘Feeding time at the zoo!’

Allison and Claire followed having been in the sea again, and Five got up and stretched from where he’d been hunched over. The water glittered in the sun.

Five thought he might like the beach.

‘Five, your back!’

‘What about it?’ Five looked at Diego askance but got pushed under the shade.

‘It’s coming up red already, I told you to stay in the shade.’

‘Such a parent in the making.’ Klaus teased. ‘What? I think it’s sweet, really!’ Ben, apparently, was getting involved.

‘I’m fine.’ Five protested, but was wrangled onto one of their sandy towels and he watched bemused as Diego wetted a t-shirt and draped it over Five’s shoulders. The coolness did feel good, he hadn’t realised how hot his skin had gotten. Sometimes it was hard to feel things.

‘After lunch, you’re putting sunscreen on.’ Diego warned with a raised finger and firm stare. ‘Now drink your water.’

‘You’re not the boss of me.’ But he wasn’t about to waste water, so he drunk what he was given and ate the hotdog passed his way and listened to their chatter. With the distraction of the sand gone, his thoughts ticked lazily back to the last ocean trip he’d had.

He’d been so hungry that time that he’d contemplated eating one of the rotting fish carcasses before deciding better.

#the umbrella academy #tua #five hargreeves #diego hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #luther hargreeves #tua fan fiction #tua fanfic #allison hargreeves #viktor hargreeves #ben hargreeves #family bonding #slice of life #wip

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air--so--sweet · 8 months

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Something that's just occurred to me - is there actually any confirmation of Klaus being afraid of the dark? Like obviously he was locked in a mausoleum as a child which could logically lead to one and many of us presumed it's why his childhood bed has fairy light strung above it but is there ever definitive proof it is something I've just accepted as canon after reading a million fics incorporating it?

In fact in season 1, when Hazel and Cha Cha attack the house, isn't he taking a bath in the dark? And when the ghosts disturb him, he lights a joint but he doesn't make any attempt to turn the lights on.

There are certain things I know I got from fan fic that I feel are probably the case/would make the most sense in canon (e.g. Klaus finding out he had a niece from a magazine cover) but this was something I thought was fully, in the text canon and I'm realising it might not be...

#the umbrella academy #klaus hargreeves #tua klaus #fear of the dark #TUA #tua fanfic #fanfic #fan fiction

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walkingintheheartbreaksatellite · 9 months

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Yours, To Eternity

A side part to Little One

(Au where reader is an Original Vampire from the Vampire Diaries/The Originals. They are in a family of vampires called the Mikaelsons)

Harry wants to be a vampire really bad… but will Y/N give in?

“Lovie?”

I look up at him from my spot on the couch, his eyes gazing at me.

“Yes, Harry?”

He walks over to me and sits next to me, wrapping an arm around me so I can lean into him.

“When you-When you drink blood… does it taste like anything?”

I look at him, my brows furrowed.

“Um… Ive never really actually tried to think of it tasting any way. I don’t drink more than I have to-.”

“And that ring you always wear, it’s so you can walk in the sunlight, isn’t it? What happens if you lose it?”

My mouth gapes, and I have to think for a minute before answering.

“It burns, a little bit is like a sunburn but too much is like a 3rd degree burn..”

He only nods and pulls me closer, turning his attention to the tv.

His questions don’t cease over the next week. He continues to ask more and more about what it’s like being a vampire.

“Y/N!”

I look up from my easel to see a very eager Harry in the doorway of my studio.

“What’s eternal youth like? You’ve been this way for 1000 years right?”

He pulls up an empty chair, his eyes gazing upon me in wonder. I set my brush down and turn to him.

“I guess it depends. I was lonely for a very long time and I hated what I was. But after meeting you… You have my life more meaning. So now I don’t really think of it as having eternal youth, more as living every day to the fullest.”

He nods and takes my hand in his with a smile.

“Have you thought about it? Spending the rest of our lives together? Or maybe even spending eternity together?”

I raise a brow at him but he only smiles.

“I mean I suppose I’ve thought about it once or twice.. Where are you going with this? Are you thinking of asking me to marry you or something?”

He blushes and shrugs. He then insists I stop painting and go on a walk with him. As always, I have a hard time telling him no.

____________________________

It was a slow Saturday morning, and with no plans, we decided to stay in bed and cuddle. Harry held me close, wrapped up in his arms and close to his heart as he would say.

“Y/N… Would you- How would you feel about turning me?”

I pull away from him, my face in complete shock.

“You don’t- What are you talking about Harry?”

He bites his lip and is quiet for a second before he answers.

“Turning me into a vampire…”

I shake my head immediately, disgusted with the idea.

“Absolutely not. I love you, and I always will, but that’s something I just can’t do. I refuse to. I haven’t ever sired anyone and I never plan to.”

He frowns and shakes his head.

“I know you hate being a vampire, but you don’t have to go through it alone! I want to be with you Y/N, for the rest of our lives! You said it yourself, you were miserable before we met, imagine how miserable you’d be once in gone!”

I start to tear up and I continue to shake my head.

“You have no idea what it’s like to sire someone. I’ve had to watch all my siblings do it for decades! Do you have any idea how hard that is?! And becoming a vampire doesn’t essentially mean you’re never going to die! So no Harry, we’re not having this conversation anymore because it’s not happening.”

I get up from the bed and walk out of the bedroom, refusing to talk to him anymore. Our peaceful, relaxing day off is now filled with silence and tension.

I understand what he means but he doesn’t have any idea what that’s like… I could never bring myself to do it…And I don’t want anyone else turning him either…

After almost a full day of not talking, I hear a knock on the door of my studio. I set my charcoal down and turn my head to the door to see Harry.

“Love, can we talk?”

I let out a sigh and I nod. He takes my charcoal covered hands in his and sits down opposite to me.

“This is something I think should be discussed together. I understand your fear, but you can’t just dismiss me like that. I want you to think about it, and I mean really think about it.”

I’m quiet for a minute before I nod.

“I think we should go visit my family. Elijah is the best to explain this to you… I just don’t think I can bring myself to do that to you… and I don’t want anyone else to either… It’s awful Harry! It’s not like it is in the movies! I’d have to-.”

He takes me into his arms and cradles my shaking body, quietly shushing me.

“Shh. I won’t make you talk any more about it. We’ll go see your siblings. If that is what will help you then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll leave in the morning.”

I only nod and sniffle. Harry rocks me slowly, kissing my head every little while until I fall asleep.

>>>—————————->

“Your family has a place in New Orleans?”

I only nod, squeezing his hand tight before letting out a shaky breath.

“The Mikaelsons practically built the French quarter, until we were chased out by our father. We were very happy here for a time..”

Harry squeezes my hand and together we walk into the house.

“Lijah! I’m here!”

Harry closes the door and out of nowhere pops Niklaus, scaring the daylights out of Harry.

“Jesus-.”

“What, does my dear sister not do that to you, Harry? I’m surprised you’re scared.”

Harry shakes his head and I can only roll my eyes.

“Well done Niklaus, top form as always. Where’s Elijah?”

Klaus only shrugs and smiles.

“I have no idea where our elder brother is and he refused to tell me why you were coming to visit..”

“Klaus, leave our little sister alone before I have to beat your bloody ass.”

Rebekah comes jogging down the stairs, an annoyed expression on her face until she sees me, a smile hitting her instantly.

“Y/N! Thank god, I couldn’t take much more of him on my own.”

She hugs me tight and I smile.

“Missed you too, Beks, now do you know where-.”

“I’m here, Y/N. No need to stress yourself.”

Elijah comes down the stairs, his same casual look on his face.

“You both may take your belongings upstairs to your old bedroom Y/N. Then we’ll talk in the study.”

I give him a small nod and take Harry’s hand, leading him up the stairs. We put our bags away and I lay on the bed for a minute, letting out a long sigh. Harry lays down next to me and takes my hand in his.

“We’re doing this together, like we do everything.”

I only hum and lay my head on his shoulder. We’re quiet for a moment until Harry gets up, pulling me up with him. We walk downstairs to find Elijah and Rebekah already waiting in the study. Elijah gestures his hand to the couch, and we take a seat.

“Harry, Y/N has told me that you’ve asked her to turn you.”

He only nods and squeezes my hand.

“Y/N has never turned anyone, she has always refused. So the fact that she’s even thinking about it means you mean the world to her. But she’s not able to… talk about the process…”

Harry nods again and I have to bury my head in his neck, already dreading this conversation.

“In easiest terms, you would have to consume some of Y/N’s blood and then you would have to die. Now-.”

I shake my head, refusing to hear about this anymore. I stand up but before I can walk out, Harry grabs my hand and gives me a pleading expression. I sigh and sit back down, by my eyes are trained on the floor as Elijah continues.

“With her Vampire blood in your system, you would awaken, not fully transformed, only in transition. You would have approximately 24 hours to consume human blood before you would inevitably die. But there’s many things to factor in. You want children, do you not? Y/N is unable to-.”

I frown and Rebekah interrupts him.

“Actually, Lijah, I’ve figured that out. Davina. Davina has found a way to make it possible. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

It’s quiet for a minute before Elijah clears his throat.

“That being said, that is still only a possibility. If Davina is willing to perform the spell, then that would take care of that. But the fact still stands that you would have to die, and Y/N does not want that. I did however offer to do so for her, but she refused. If you are going to turn, she would prefer it on her terms.”

Harry takes his hand and lifts up my head to reveal the tears in my eyes.

“I want to Harry, but I can’t do that to you…”

He doesn’t say anything, he only takes me into his lap and holds me close to him. It’s quiet for a moment until there is a knock on the door. Rebekah disappears for a moment before she returns with 2 people in tow. I faintly look up and I run at the man now with her.

“Marcellus!”

I jump out of Harry’s arms and throw myself into Marcel’s waiting arms. He smiles and wraps me up in a tight hug. I feel so relieved to see him and I can’t help but let out a small laugh.

“My god, Rebekah said you were here but I didn’t believe her. How are you doin’ baby girl?”

I shrug and he lets me go and gestures to the woman that’s with him.

“Y/N, this is Davina Claire. She’s agreed to help you.”

My mouth drops in shock and I am filled with confusion. She gives me a comforting smile, easing my worries.

“Marcel would talk about you a lot and he has been even more. How you were the only Mikaelson that was never able to accept and adapt with what you were, so I want to help you. It won’t be easy but I’ve done it a few times and it’s been successful every time.”

I start to tear up and I can’t help but cry. Davina hugs me and rubs my back as I continue to cry. She then guides me back over to Harry on the couch and takes a seat across from us.

“There is however a catch. I can only do it to one of you, the mother. Vampire blood ruins a male’s um… half of the process… so in order for this to work… you would have to stay human. At least until she’s pregnant and you both decide you don’t want anymore..”

Harry nods and folds his hands together, resting it on his forehead. After a minute, he takes my hand in his and kisses it.

“Whatever you want my love. I’m with you for the rest of my life.”

I take a deep breath and nod.

“Okay… We’ll have a baby. And then? We’ll get married like we wanted. And then I’ll turn you. But you have to really understand what you’re sacrificing, H. You’ll outlive everyone. Your family. Our friends. You can’t stay in the spotlight forever… Are you okay with that?”

He pulls me into his lap and hugs me tight.

“I want an eternity with you. Nothing else matters to me, Y/N, not after I met you.”

I sigh and nod, leaning my head on his chest.

“Then it’ll be us. To eternity.”

>>>———————————->

Alright! 2 more parts left! Let me know what you thought! Please like and reblog!!!! Please check out my other writings!

Tag List

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ella10pythonissam · 2 years

Text

Some of my favourite klaroline fanfics:

On fanfiction.net:

Talking with the eyes, by Alexis.CursedMoon

Pieces, by Alexis.CursedMoon

Baby Wolf, by Alexis.CursedMoon

Christmas Miracle, by Sci-Fi Christian

The Photographer and the Lonely Artist, by ALost Heart

Lost in the sea, by Marianita195

The Only Hope For Me Is You, by livingdeadblondequeen

Oh My Love, by ZebraBow

Therapy, by The-Passionate-Sun

Stone Cold Silence, by parummortem

Monsters Under the Bed, by wanderlustfaery

Halloween, by wanderlustfaery

Klaus, Caroline, and an Egg, by Tonight.At.Noon

Of Muffins and Men, by prettypinklips

The Lady And The King, by LoveOblivious

I'll be there for you, by All about Klaroline

By my side, by NJBC Gal

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, by clangwee

Klaroline family drabbles, by xKlaroStylesx

Home, by Angelikah

You are my light în the dark, by SelenaKat

My Littlest Wolf, by Paroma

Can't Go Back, by RosalynGlass

What Could Have Been, by TNaPKI

1491, by Klaristar

Always and Forever, by Winged Lady Colette

On Ao3:

Free Cookies, by honestgrins

Flower in the Wasteland, by honestgrins

Choosing You Was Everything, by Beautifulsoulheart

The World Is Still Turning, by mikaelzman (it's not about them in this one, but they were married and raised Hope, Lizzie and Josie kind of together)

Talking with the eyes, by Alexis_lupus567

Pieces, by Alexis_lupus567

Baby Wolf, by Alexis_lupus567

Lord Niklaus, by captaintranduiloki

"I'm glad you came.", by GNM_dreaming_girl

Which Road, by LaLainaJ

#klaroline fanfiction #caroline and klaus #klaus and caroline #klaus mikaelson #klaroline #tvd klaus #caroline forbes #fan fic writing #fanfiction #fan fic requests #fanfic #fic rec #fan fic blog #fiction #the mikaelsons #the vampire diaries #the originals #tvd universe #klaroline fic

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fitzs-trained-monkey · 1 year

Text

Treading On Thin Ice

Word Count: 8,000+

Warnings: Some language, insanity, frightening sequences???

Summary: A little bit of peppermint bark goes a long, long way. || Kol x reader || Here lies my Masterlist || Christmas At The Compound 2022 ||

A/N: This fic was requested on Wattpad. The books mentioned and quoted in this fic are The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I do not own them. Thanks for reading!

☃️Story Begins Below☃️

Generosity - The spirit and action of freely and frequently giving to others.

"Y/N/N!"

Rebekah's voice carried your name across the compound and you glanced up from wrapping garland around the railing of one of the Mikaelson's many stairwells. You knew you should have been prepared for when the blonde girl just appeared at the top of the stairs as if having teleported, yet the sight still made you jump. It wasn't your fault though, despite having been raised in the house of a witch. You were really only used to the concept of vampires - not the reality.

"Y/N/N," She repeated. "I need to ask you something."

"Hi, Bekah." You offered her a small smile to show that you were listening. The girl waved her hand dismissively.

"Yes, hello. I-" She paused, regarding the decorations you'd been working on. "Oh, darling, that's coming along splendid!"

You let go of a chuckle at her attitude. Oftentimes Rebekah would forget that she didn't have to be terse with you. "Why thank you, Bex," You said, moving into a mock bow.

"You're welcome." The girl smiled, grateful you understood her behavior. So few did. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you intended to make any more of those thin mints by chance?"

You raised a brow. "Are they gone already?" You wondered, amused but not surprised. "Man, I knew those were gonna be popular but I didn't know they were gonna be that popular. I should've made a bigger batch."

Rebekah's smile turned a little sheepish. "Could you make another one? Please?" She turned her pleading eyes on you and though you hadn't intended on refuting her request, you most certainly weren't going to now. You couldn't deny that girl anything. "I don't mean to be demanding, but they were so fantastic."

You snorted and turned back to your decorating with a slight shake of your head. Mass murderers or not, her family was way too good to you. "You're not being demanding, Bekah. Honestly, I don't think you guys ask enough of me, all things considered."

She frowned. "But you're-"

"Pregnant! I know. Trust me, I'm well aware." You cut her off, holding up a finger. "However, one month pregnant is not dead. I'm fine and I feel great. So as long as you guys are providing room and board for me, the least I can do is help out and cater to y’all’s raging sweet tooth's. Savvy?"

Rebekah groaned playfully. "Ugh! I suppose if you must," She huffed.

“Oh, I must.”

The blonde original's face softened affectionately and she sighed. "Has anyone ever told you how amazing you are, Y/N?"

"No, not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?" You tossed her a wink and she rolled her eyes. "I'll get on those thin mints as soon as I'm done here," You said. "Who knows? Maybe I'll make some Chex Mix too."

The girl's expression lit up and she skipped down the stairs to pull you into a hug. "You're the best Christmas present ever!" She cheered.

You couldn't help but laugh. Turns out, all those stories about the youngest Mikaelson were completely wrong. She wasn't outright cruel and snide, she was just cautious. She didn't like being betrayed and thus didn't trust easily. However, you had quickly worn down her defenses with your sugary confections.

You pulled away from her arms upon hearing the familiar squeal of the front gates. Elijah was back! Though you turned to greet him with a smile on your face, that excitement quickly dimmed as you caught sight of the grim expression he wore. Beside him, Josh - one of your closest friends since you'd moved in - looked equally disturbed. Something was very wrong.

"Joshua, in the basement you'll find what we need. Fetch them quickly please," Elijah said. His tone was polite as always but it carried an undercurrent that made it clear he wasn't asking. Josh nodded, quick to comply.

Worried, you cast a quick glance at Rebekah - a question evident in your eyes. The blonde just shook her head, lips pursed and brows drawn together.

"Rebekah?" Elijah called from below. Something in his voice was urgent.

"What is it, brother?" The girl demanded, pushing passed you. "What's going on?"

A scowl twisted your good friend's lips and his eyes darkened. "It's Kol."

Rebekah inhaled sharply. "What?"

"He's come back." Elijah's frown deepened. "Kol is here in the quarter and he appears to be in the midst of one of his episodes."

"Oh bloody hell." That was the first time you'd seen Rebekah look truly frightened.

"I know," Elijah sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We have to get Y/N out of here. Now."

You blinked, feeling a spike of dread slash through your chest. You-you couldn't leave. You couldn't. He was out there. He would find you. You couldn't let him get to you. You didn’t care what sort of danger you were in now, getting torn to shreds by an original vampire would be preferable to allowing that disgusting excuse for a man to ever lay his beady eyes on you again. Elijah had promised.

"It's too late for that!" Rebekah argued faster than you could open your mouth. "If he's already in the city, then he'll be watching us, brother. The second we try to send Y/N anywhere, knowing Kol, he'll probably try to eat her!"

Alright, admittedly that didn't sound like a great option.

"Then what?" The dark-haired original questioned. "What do we do with her, Rebekah? Because, by the old gods, I will not allow that girl and her child to be hurt by anyone, especially Kol."

"And I appreciate that!" You called down to them timidly. "Excuse me, just so we're on the same page, is this the super insane brother who likes to snack on people like I snack on cheese and crackers?"

"That would be the one," Rebekah huffed, frowning. She turned back to Elijah. "If we caught him, could we keep him contained until he rides it out?" She suggested.

Your friend shook his head. "I don't like the idea of Kol and Y/N under the same roof."

"I don't think we have another option," Rebekah said.

“It’s too risky,” Elijah insisted.

“I’ll take that risk,” You spoke up. Your voice shook only slightly and you clutched the railing for support but you stood your ground. You would be brave.

Elijah sighed again - he’d always taken such good care of you and you loathed to ask him for one more favor but you had to. “Y/N, you know I respect you, but I don’t think you comprehend how dangerous my brother truly is.”

“Maybe not,” You admitted, shrugging. “But you’ve beaten him before, haven’t you?”

“Only with the help of Niklaus, and only when we’ve managed to catch him by surprise,” He pointed out with a shake of his head. “But Niklaus is miles away, and Kol is expecting us to retaliate.”

“Expecting?” Rebekah scoffed. “He’s not expecting us to retaliate, Elijah. You make him sound passive. This is Kol! You know as well as I that he intends to force us! I’d bet he’s already dropping bodies, so either we subdue him or we lose the quarter!”

Grim realization cast a shadow over your dearest friend’s expression and he nodded his weary agreement. “It’s a trap,” He conceded. The deceptively young man raised his eyes to you again. “Now do you see why you must go?”

“If I leave, then that just plays into his hand doesn’t it?” You noted. “If his whole goal is to bait you into reacting, then-” you jabbed a finger toward your chest “- let’s not hand him extra bait!”

“You know she’s right,” Rebekah pressed softly. He clenched his jaw.

“Please don’t make me leave?” You whispered. “Please don’t break your promise.”

He held your eyes for a moment, then Elijah cursed under his breath and turned to his sister. "Fine, we do it your way," He reluctantly agreed. "Y/N, go to your room and stay there please. Don't come out unless Rebekah, Josh, or myself come to collect you. This is for your own safety, do you understand?"

You could sense the seriousness of the situation in the depths of his pine bark eyes. You decided it best not to question.

"Okay."

It wasn't as though you'd been living with the Mikaelsons for very long - no more than a few weeks really - but even in such a short time, the three siblings you were familiar with had told you plenty about their youngest brother. Horror stories, that was what you'd been told. Even Rebekah, who spoke of the wild Original with the most fondness among her family couldn't deny his thirst for mass slaughter. According to his siblings, Kol liked hurting people.

That wasn't a concept you could really understand. While it was true that you didn't know him personally and that you had a tendency to see the best in people, you found it hard to believe that Kol could be quite as horrid as his siblings claimed. From what you had been told about their kind by your mother, the Mikaelsons themselves, and Josh, Kol sounded more like a raging addict than a raging psychotic. Though you were probably wrong. Again, your familiarity with the nature of vampires was purely theoretical.

That was why you decided to heed Elijah's orders.

All danger aside, being confined to your room for a few hours didn't bother you so much. After all, you had the entire Stormlight Archive sitting on your shelf, so it wasn't as if you could really get bored. Funnily enough, it was only after Elijah and his sister returned that you found it much harder to remain behind your locked door.

Your head shot up when the first scream tore through the air. Ear piercing, shrill, bloodcurdling, and ominous, the sound alone was enough to set your heart racing. That scream was followed by several shouts.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Get that away from him!" That voice belonged to Josh - he sounded worried, disturbed.

"No!" A different voice cried. "No, Ethan! Don't do it!"

Then that scream came again. It morphed into words.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

"Ethan, no!" Josh yelled desperately.

The scream came once more, intense and unremitting, rising to a crescendo that chilled you to your very bones. Then, all at once, the sound cut off.

You sat there on your bed, frozen. Your back ramrod straight as you clutched your book to your chest and waited. For eight beats of your pounding heart, silence permeated the compound - a shocked, absolute sort of silence. The kind that follows death like a shadow.

Then like a crack of thunder in the night, there was laughter. Sick, horrid laughter. It was rasping and manic, crazed and deranged - unfeelingly cold and slick like ice, there was a hoarse, retching quality to it, lurking just beneath the surface. It echoed off the walls and through your skull, sending a shiver down your spine. The sensation of a thousand invisible eyes descended upon you and your breathing turned harsh and frantic.

The laughing stalled.

"Oh, what fun this is!" A new voice exclaimed, you'd never heard it before and you would have been satisfied never to hear it again. "I do so love a little jaunt through an inferior mind. Perhaps you should mandate vervain intake for your lackeys, Elijah. After all, the least you could do is make it a challenge for me, eh?"

That voice… That voice! It was repulsive - downright sickening. There was no warmth in it whatsoever - no life - only stone-cold death and wretched, scathing, venom. It stole the warmth of the room you resided in. Yet, at the same time, something about the sound was so smooth, so alluring and playful, that you almost felt inclined to listen. Something in his voice nearly goaded you to relax, to trust whoever welded it like a gleaming silver blade. That voice didn't sound dangerous.

It sounded… tempting.

Perhaps that was what made it so bloody terrifying. You had never felt more unsettled in your life. Not even when he had been shadowing your every step. That man's obsession with you was nothing compared to the stark horror now flooding your senses.

What was going on out there?

The calm timbre of Elijah's voice cut through the air soon after, but his words didn't do much to calm you.

"Why do insist on this bloodshed, brother?" He demanded, voice ragged - patience worn thin.

"Because. It's. Fun."

And that awful laughter came again, seeming to fold in on itself and multiply. Growing louder, almost gleeful, it was manic and maddening, like a pack of hyenas encircling their prey. Locked in your room, you felt trapped yet exposed. What was going on out there? You had to know.

So you did something undeniably stupid. You got up and opened your door. Stealing out into the hall, you swiftly ducked behind a pillar and peeked through the second-floor railing, taking in the courtyard below. There in the center of the compound, a ring of vampires stood around a young dark-haired man.

He both scared and fascinated you.

Perhaps you would have thought the boy to be beautiful had his features not been tainted with madness. His thick dark hair seemed soft and you might have liked to run a hand through it had those locks not been disheveled and flecked with blood. His lips might have distracted you had they not been twisted into a vile sneer. His teeth were perfectly white but the terrible, deadly fangs he displayed ruined the illusion. Perhaps his eyes might have been deep enough to lose yourself in, but the curse in his blood and the rage in his heart had corrupted them with a horrific blackness that seemed to overflow, fracturing his otherwise innocent features into the visage of a monster.

Two steel cuffs clad his forearms, these attached to hulking, robust chains that looked strong enough to hold the weight of an ocean liner. Those cuffs burned the skin beneath them, rendering his arms a repulsive mess of scorching red flesh and blood. He hissed and laughed, purely demented, as he tugged and tore at the chains but, positioned on either side, each holding fast to a chain, stood Rebekah and Elijah. Both of your friends had their respective chains wrapped around their arms, struggling despite their teamwork to restrain their brother.

The vampires circled around them each kept hold of their own ropes. The thick cords were wrapped around his throat, others around his arms and legs and yet, all of them together couldn't seem to bring him down. There was one rope, you noted, that had gone slack. You followed the line with your eyes and quickly stifled a scream. A bloody corpse lay sprawled on the ground with a jagged length of wood impaled through his heart - self-inflicted.

Above you, a clap of thunder shook the sky and the heavens opened, raining down vicious hail though the day had been cloudless only minutes before. This was New Orleans - it doesn’t hail in Louisiana. You shuddered from the cold and the horror, but that disgusting, unhinged laughter only re-doubled.

"No matter what you see or hear, know that it is merely an illusion!" Elijah's voice rang through the courtyard. Bold and commanding, it rose over the unnatural icefall. "Keep him out and you will not be deceived."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," The awful voice drawled, sounding so clearly from the boy at the center of it all. He merely grinned.

Within moments, a second scream - not the first you'd heard - erupted from the courtyard. Then another, seconds later. And another one again after that! One by one, shrieks permeated the atmosphere until the cries of the undead were all you could hear. Several of the surrounding vampires collapsed to their knees. There was retching and sobbing, some were choking while others gasped for breath.

Amidst the pain and the chaos, Kol lifted his face to the sky, eyes closed and mouth warping into a grin. And that monster kept on laughing. "I don't think they can help it, Elijah!" He taunted, sadistically gleeful.

"Josh?" Rebekah called over the gathering storm. "Josh, you have to fight it!"

Of all the others surrounding the siblings, Josh was the only one left standing. He screwed his eyes shut, his expression drawn with effort.

"I-I'm trying!" He bit out between clenched teeth.

You drew in a sharp breath, wishing you could reach out and take your friend away from this insanity. "Josh…" You whispered, still crouched as you watched from your hiding place.

The monster in the courtyard heard you. His eyes snapped open and locked onto your own. It all happened so fast.

You had never wanted to imagine what a lobotomy might feel like, but you were certain you received a taste of one then as something - some powerful, vile force worked itself into your mind with all the delicate touch of an ice-pick driven by a sledgehammer. You squeezed your eyes shut, shaking your head in an attempt to wrest his consciousness away from yours but your feeble inexperience was pathetic in the face of this practiced maniac, backed by enough raw power to rival that of Klaus. An unnatural chill ran down your spine as any mental barrier you had shattered like stained glass in a storm and the last glimpse of reality you caught was that demented grin of his widening into a bleeding gash across his face.

"Now, now, now… What do we have here?" That terrible voice whispered into your ear. A pair of hands - soft and warm though you didn't want them to be - settled on your shoulders and you froze. You didn't move. You couldn't move as his hands trailed down your arms and he knelt just behind you. Those hands slid to your wrists, thumbs pressing in to find your pulse. "Human," He hummed a second later, blunt teeth tugging gently at your earlobe, nipping almost teasingly. "How interesting." You didn't understand why you couldn't move! Your body simply refused to respond. "You know, I've torn through quite a few of your kind today…" Kol's mouth moved lower, leaving soft kisses along your throat as his hands shifted to your hips. Two sharp points scraped over your jugular. "Yet, not one of them smelled so sweet," He murmured, that insatiable hunger more than evident in his tone. "What are you going to taste like, I wonder?"

Finally, you could react. (He let you react. He was the one in control here. Kol wanted to see you run scared.) You cried out, jabbing your elbow backward into his chest and scrambling away from him as fast as you could. The monster just watched, amused, and tilted his head. "Who are you, sweet-thing?"

"Y-you're not real," You stammered, trying to sound brave.

"Are you sure?" His tone was playful, mocking as he grinned and stalked closer. "I think you should guess again."

He seemed real, he felt real but it was all in your head. Elijah had said so. You could always trust Elijah.

"You're not real! " You shouted, voice growing firm. "Get out of my head and leave me alone!"

His expression soured into a scowl. "Perhaps you're right," He said. Then, in a split second, Kol was behind you. "But I'm not too far away, am I?"

Your eyes snapped open and you knew he had let you go because those haunting black abysses stared back at you with a promise.

Yet, in the moments you had grabbed Kol's attention, Josh had found his opening. He raced up from behind and jabbed a syringe directly into that monster's neck, injecting him with enough vervain to down three original vampires. Kol roared and threw his head back, clipping Josh's skull with an impact that would have killed any human instantly, but it was too late. His legs soon gave out and he fell to the ground - out cold.

Yet, you found yourself unable to truly process what had happened. You got to your feet, clinging to the railing for support but you didn’t move beyond that. Below you, the other vampires recovered from whatever attack Kol had unleashed on their sanity.

“Take him to the basement,” Rebekah ordered, letting go of a long breath as she collapsed into a chair. The others nodded and got to work. You just watched them, seemingly unable to tear your eyes from her brother as they dragged the temporarily lifeless corpse away.

“Would you like to tell me exactly what you were thinking,” Elijah’s voice sounded from behind you, effectively shocking you from your stupor. You jumped, turning to face his displeased expression. Yeah, you were in trouble all right.

“I can honestly say I have no idea,” You replied, pressing your lips into a thin line. “It just sort of… happened.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Do you have any idea what my brother could have done to you if he had broken free?”

“I don’t think I want to imagine that, thank you.” You rocked back and forth on your heels nervously as Elijah’s glare intensified. “But, hey! He’s out for the count, so it’s all fine!” He crossed his arms over his chest and you let go of a nervous chuckle. “How was he so powerful anyway, huh? I mean, that was weird,” You pointed out, gesturing to the storm overhead. Its intensity was rapidly waning.

“The dude was higher than a kite, that’s how!” Josh called up to you. He’d begun cleaning up the body of his fallen friend.

You raised a brow. “What does that have anything to do with it?”

“Kol’s been snacking his way through several states on his way here, and with our father dead, its not like he had to worry about avoiding attention,” Rebekah sighed, rubbing at her temples.

“I mean, we’re talking a kill count higher than my carrer best in Call of Duty,” Josh added. “And that’s saying a lot!”

“Is it though?” You teased.

“It is actually,” He sassed. “Anyway, running on that much death is like running on a concoction of jet fuel, monster energy, red bull, sixty three pounds of sugar, eight tablespoons of the essence of Dwane Johnson, a five hour energy, seven triple espresso shots, and gorilla testosterone… with just a dash of peppermint.”

You blinked. “Interesting metaphore,” You admitted. “Please never say that again.”

He just shrugged grinning. You turned back to Elijah. “So if your brother is that doped up, then what’s going to stop him from tearing his way outta’ this joint as soon as he wakes up?”

“We'll keep injecting him with vervain on the hour until he regains a grasp on his fragile sanity,” Rebekah answered for her brother.

“And if that fails we’ve raised a barrier spell to keep him contained,” Elijah said. His expression softened and he placed a hand on your shoulder, meeting your gaze. “As long as you stay out of the basement, Kol will be unable to harm you.”

Nodding, you bit your lip. “I sure hope so.” Unwittingly you cast your eyes toward the doorway through which Kol had disappeared, and a thread of curiosity tugged on the corner of your mind. You shook it away. “I’m gonna go make those thin mints now.”

For the next week and a half, you did a rather excellent job of putting Kol out of your mind. It was no easy task, mind you, considering the occasional screams of outrage, strings of profanity, and creative death threats that rang through the compound every now and again. (That boy had quite the set of lungs on him.) The death threats especially gave you a good reason not to go wandering into the basement. It wasn't until the tenth day of administering hourly vervain injections, that Josh finally declared the guy "moderately chill".

"Define, moderately chill?" Rebekah demanded. Elijah had forbidden her from seeing their brother - knowing their presence was only likely to rile him up. But that couldn't keep her from worrying.

Josh shrugged. "I mean, he's not trying to impale me on my own rib cage anymore."

"Wait, I thought you guys said he was restrained!" You said, a slight note of panic rising into your voice.

"Oh, he is," Josh assured you. "Doesn't stop him from trying though."

You grimaced, reminding yourself yet again why going down to see the wild Original was a less-than-intelligent idea.

But two days after that, your curiosity began to outweigh your common sense. You started to pity the guy, he must have been lonely down there all alone - not to mention bored… and hungry. As a person who was quite fond of food, you didn't want to imagine what going without it for a week would have to be like.

Thus, you decided to pay him a little visit and came up with every justification in the book as to why because morbid curiosity was an awful reason. Rebekah had told you that Kol could be really sweet when he wanted to be, so you figured that it certainly couldn't hurt to earn yourself a place in his good graces. Bringing him something to eat sounded like an excellent way to do just that. Besides, you had found a new recipe for peppermint bark and you needed a guinea pig. Elijah and Rebekah were off doing whatever it was they did to keep the peace in the French Quarter, and Josh was on a date. You wouldn't have a better chance.

So, you pushed all thoughts of self-preservation aside and ventured down into the basement, armed with a cookie sheet, a billiard cue, two blood bags, a plate of peppermint bark, and Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings.

There wasn't exactly a cell down there per se - just a dingy alcove behind a small archway with a cot set up in the center. Despite it being invisible, you could instantly tell where the barrier spell was. Apparently, Kol had been entertaining himself by attempting to spit past it. He clearly hadn't had much luck as there was a semi-consistent line of dried blood marring the stone floor. It reminded you of something out of Lilo and Stich. Well, you'd been right about the boredom.

Peering through the archway, you studied the boy inside. His wrists were still clasped in those shackles you'd seen before, except now those had been secured to opposite walls. The skin beneath the cuffs was still red and raw, in fact, you thought you could see smoke curling off of it. That had to be painful, though you tried very hard not to pity him. Shifting your attention to his face you were shocked at how peaceful and innocent his expression seemed. He was sprawled across the cot, fast asleep and you couldn't help but find him… cute. This boy looked nothing like the monster you had seen two weeks ago.

You sat down on the floor just beyond the magic barrier and watched him for a bit. Not in a creepy way. You just didn't want to wake him and if you did, you had no idea what to say.

Turns out, you didn't need to worry about that because Kol woke up on his own. He groaned, lifting his head and his eyes fixed on yours.

"It's you…" His voice was dry and scratchy, though you couldn't expect much less from a person who hadn't had anything to drink in two weeks. Confusion colored his expression initially but within seconds, dark veins crawled outwards from his eyes, spilling down his cheeks and you caught a glimpse of his fangs. You froze as he stared at you longingly. Then he groaned and curled himself into a ball like a child with a stomach ache. Only then did you notice the shadows beneath his eyes and the profound lack of color in his skin.

"Are you hungry?" What a stupid question.

"Starving," Kol growled miserably. "Come to torture me, have you?"

"No, actually I brought you a snack."

He glanced up, raising a brow. "Excuse me?"

You held up one of the blood bags and his eyes widened. In a split second, he was off the cot and straining against the chains. Their length allowed him within a mere three feet of where you sat and you jumped back. Kol hissed, his pitch-black eyes singularly focused on the bag in your hand. He struggled and thrashed, gleaming fangs on full display.

The color in your face drained away.

There was the monster you'd seen in the courtyard.

"Scared, are we?" He growled, sneering. Those teeth snapped at you with all the power of a hyena.

You didn't reply. You just backed away.

"DON'T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!"

But that's exactly what you did. You turned and ran from that place as fast as you could, clamping your hands over your ears to block out his voice as Kol screamed insults at your back.

Yet, you found yourself returning two days later. Apparently, Josh's date had gone well and there was some problem across the river that Bekah and Elijah had to take care of. You knew you had absolutely no reason to extend your kindness to that monster in the basement again, especially after he'd so completely rejected it the last time; however, you were a generous person and if he wanted to be a jerk to you then that was his problem. You would keep being kind regardless of how he decided to treat you because really Kol was only hurting himself. He was growing weaker by the minute - starvation had to be excruciating and you were offering him a respite from that pain. He was sure to concede eventually.

So down the steps, you descended once again, moving to sit on the floor just beyond the barrier spell. This time, Kol was already awake. He struggled to sit up, arms shaking, and glared at you viciously.

"Ah, she's back," He snarled, lip curling with disgust. But it wasn't entirely genuine, you could see the curiosity and surprise shining through his eyes.

"I am." You nodded, holding up the blood bag as you had done before. "And I brought you something."

Kol's eyes immediately turned black, but this time he remained carefully still. "What do you want?"

You shrugged. "I wanna give this to you."

His eyes narrowed as he forced himself to look at you - not the crimson substance in your hand. "What do you really want?" He pressed.

"I really want to give this to you! Unless you try to attack me again, in which case I'll leave and come back tomorrow and the next day and the next until you get over your ego and take the hand that's being offered to you."

Kol scoffed, rolling his eyes. "And why would you want to help me get out of here, darling? First thing I'd do is rip into that pretty little neck of yours."

"Oh, heavens no," You snorted, grinning wryly. "I don't want you out of there any more than you want to be in there."

"Then why offer?" He demanded.

You shrugged. "Well, starvation doesn't sound too pleasant. You must be feeling pretty sick by now."

The vampire's eyes darkened and he scowled. "I don't want, nor do I need your pity, bug," He spat. If looks could kill, you would have been drawn and quartered.

"Good thing this isn't pity."

"Then what is it?" He mocked.

"The fruit of generosity," You answered, “which you have long denied your fellow men.”

“That’s Charles Dickens,” Kol hummed. “Never did like him.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of your lips. "Well, in that case, think of it as a Christmas present."

"Generosity…" Kol hummed the word, watching you appraisingly. "People will take advantage of that, you know."

You huffed a laugh but there was no humor in it. "Believe me… I know." You knew better than most. You quickly met his eyes again. "But you won't."

He seemed to find that deceleration extremely amusing. "Oh, is that what you think?" He chuckled. "Darling, with that in your hand, I could easily find my way back into your head. I could do whatever I wanted. I could drive you mad."

"You could. But I know you won't."

"Do you have faith in my humanity, sweetheart?" He teased. His grin was a sharp row of gleaming teeth.

"Nope!" You exclaimed. You held up your hand exposing a ring. It wasn't really your vervain jewelry - that was the new ankle bracelet that Elijah had bought you - but Kol didn't need to know that. "I got an upgrade. Smart bug."

He huffed a laugh, amused by your cheek. "The possession of a brain does not make you intelligent."

You just rolled your eyes. "Look, do you want this or not?" You asked, gesturing to the blood bags again. Kol's attention was once again enamored with it. You watched him try to hold back, try to retain his pride but it wasn't long before he broke.

"Fine," He bit out. His eyes flicked to meet yours. "I want it."

"Next time I'll teach you to say please." You smirked and tossed him the bag.

He caught it easily and for the briefest of moments, you thought you caught him watching you. Then that moment was gone and he tore into it, groaning voraciously as he practically inhaled its contents. As soon as he was done with it, you tossed him the next, wordlessly. He downed it without a second thought, and though he tried to keep up the spiteful, angry facade, you could see Kol's relief visible in his posture.

"Is that better?" You asked as soon as he finished. He just glared and tossed the empty bags back at you.

Shrugging, you scooped those up and opened the Tupperware container you'd brought with you - the one full of peppermint bark - and shook it.

He watched you for a moment, seething. "Now what?"

You grinned cheekily. "Want some? I made it just yesterday."

Kol rolled his eyes, moving to sit on the cot where he rested his arms on his knees. He watched you with narrowed eyes but took his time to reply. "What I want, darling, is to know who the hell you are."

"Me?" You raised a brow. "I'm Y/N Y/LN."

Kol huffed. "What's a bloody name mean to me?"

"Not too much, apparently," You muttered.

"Who are you? What are you? Why are you here?" The boy in the cell demanded, seeming more curious now than furious.

"Well, I already told you my name. I'm pretty human as far as I know, and I'm here because I make poor life decisions," You said. It was no crime that you didn't want to tell Kol your life story. He didn't need to know any of it.

"Poor life decisions, eh?" He offered you a wry grin. "Would you mind elaborating on that?"

"Yes," You deadpanned. "Look, I did something stupid and Elijah brought me here. That's all you need to know."

"Why would my brother bother himself with you?" His tone was somewhat accusatory, though you couldn't comprehend why.

You shrugged. "I dunno. I guess it's because Elijah's sorta like my… cousin."

"Cousin?"

"One can never have too many cousins," You said, smirking.

Kol scoffed. "I beg to differ. One can absolutely have too much family."

"True, however, cousins are not immediate family," You countered. "They're more like friends who feel obligated to do you favors."

"Ahh…" He nodded. "I see. So you're a manipulative bitch then, eh?"

Your face soured though it was mostly theatrics because Kol was entirely right. Beneath that frown, you were smirking. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. I prefer the term: opportunist. Plus, I'm not a complete leech. I help out here and there. I dust shelves, sweep floors…" You shook that container of peppermint bark again and shrugged. "I bake... I'm helping."

Kol snorted. "It's cute that you think that."

"Oh, so you admit that I'm cute?" You teased, winking at him.

He raised a brow. "Flirting are we? When you're so fond of my brother? Darling!" He shook his head reprovingly. "That'll get you onto Santa's naughty list for sure. Then again, my brother does have a thing for women who take advantage of him…"

"Elijah?" You balked. "Dude! I just said he's like my cousin… This ain't Alabama!"

Kol chuckled darkly and once again, he was in control of the conversation. The guy was quite good at gaining the upper hand. "Well, in that case, sweetheart, I'd be infinitely more worried."

"Why?" You questioned, narrowing your eyes.

"Because you won't be able to keep this little ruse of yours up forever," He reasoned. There was a sick gleam that didn't belong in such innocent eyes. "Niklaus or my sister - one of them will figure out what really drives you, then you'll be wishing you had the romantic affections of that noble stag to protect you when the claws and teeth come out. My family is not one to be manipulated."

Kol was good at intimidation, that much was true, and his inferences were logical but he needed to work on his humility. That boy had jumped the gun.

You smirked. "Who said it's them I'm manipulating?"

He blinked, tilting his head. His eyes flicked along your frame, inspecting you again. "Clever bug." He grinned. "This isn't generosity, is it? No, not at all. You're just trying to butter me up."

"Is it working?" You hummed.

"Nah."

"Alright!" You shrugged. You didn't need it to work. Not right away. "I've got some time, want me to read to you?"

"Certainly not!" Kol said. "I want more answers."

"Then ask more questions." You shrugged, mostly indifferent. "But at least be a decent person and try the treats." You loaded up the cookie sheet with a few pieces of peppermint bark and, using the billiard cue, pushed it past the boundary spell. Kol got up, regarding you somewhat distrustfully. Despite the restraints, he managed to get close enough to hook his foot around the lip of the cookie sheet, pulling it closer to himself before bending down and picking up a shard of the treat. He inspected it carefully, then after a moment, cast his eyes back up to yours.

"It's poisoned, isn't it?" He accused.

You scowled, taken aback. "Of course not! I'm offended, Kol. Honestly, what do you take me for? I wouldn't waste perfectly good vervain on you! Not to mention, that's a vile misuse of perfectly good peppermint bark!"

"Then why are you so desperate for me to ingest this?" He challenged with a sneer.

"Because it's a new recipe," You reasoned, tossing your hair over your shoulder with an indignant huff. "What if it turns out to be nasty? I wouldn't want to feed my friends something subpar, now would I?"

He rolled his eyes leaning back against his cot. "I thought you said Elijah was like your cousin," He said. Kol popped one of the pieces into his mouth idly. He probably wouldn't have done it had he not been so hungry - anything to at least provide the illusion of comfort, you supposed. Yet, he couldn't hide his genuinely surprised reaction when he tried the treat.

The boy did a double take and a small, yet radiant smile overtook his face. You grinned. Though, a second later, he caught your eyes and wiped that expression away.

It didn't bother you, however. It couldn't bother you because, though it had been for just a moment, Kol had proven you right. There was more to him than that horrid monstrosity of an exterior. There was more to him than the villain he played. Under all of that, there was a boy - scared and hungry, upset and alone. Beneath the monster, there was a person with the same desires as any other.

Because this month was December and December is the time when all people just want the same things. Generosity and companionship are the two things everyone wants for Christmas and deep down, Kol was no different.

A few beats passed and Kol reached for another shard of peppermint bark as silence settled between you. Tilting your head, you watched him and, after a moment, you opened your mouth.

"Bravado," You said, smiling just slightly.

Kol's head shot up. His eyes were wide and weary but not near as sharp nor as threatening as they'd been merely a moment before. He looked more like a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar because you'd seen him. You'd seen past his front and he knew it.

"What?" Kol's voice was hardly more than a whisper.

You leaned forward, settling with your elbows on your knees.

"Bravado," You repeated, gesturing minutely to his hands which still shook, though not as severely. "Bravado is the hallmark of insecurity."

It was the wrong thing to say.

Whatever warmth you had seen in his eyes drained away in hardly an instant, his expression growing hard as obsidian as his posture closed off to you yet again. You cursed yourself. You should have known better than to push.

"Get out," Kol hissed, teeth and fists clenched tight.

"Kol I didn't-"

He spoke again, voice taught with barely constrained rage. "I. Said. Get. Out." He kicked the cookie sheet back at you with force and it skidded across the stone floor, nailing your knee hard enough to make you wince.

"Fine," You said, quietly. Then, you gathered your things and left.

Yet, Kol's ire didn't stop you from coming back. You returned, again and again, every day and though Kol continued to take the blood bags from you, he refused to engage you in conversation. This went on for days. Though it wasn't long before you grew tired of it. You had seen something in him that day, and he was trying to forget it existed but you weren't going to let him.

The next time you descended those stairs and sat on the floor, you waited for him to down the blood bags just as you had every other time. Kol grew weaker by the day, though he was in less pain than he would have been thanks to you. He sat facing you, with his back resting against the far wall of the cellar. You knew he expected you to leave, but you didn't. You held your ground and said what he needed to hear.

"I'm not mad at you, Kol."

The boy slowly raised his head, it lolled to the side as though he hadn't the strength to keep it up. His skin was ashen and his eyes were dull, sunken into his face as though there was some black hole inside him. The breaths he took were shallow and unstable. He was falling apart, yet still, a bitter smirk spread across his face.

"Well that's a first." Somehow his voice, raw and quiet, was more unsettling than the screams you'd heard weeks ago in the courtyard. The hollow whisper worried you more than that unholy laughter had. It made you empathize with him.

"I'm not mad, because it wasn't your fault," You continued.

"Another first."

You sighed, shrugging. "Your reaction was only natural. I would have done the same thing."

"I'm sure you would have."

You took a deep breath. You were about to do the dumbest thing you would ever attempt, yet you weren't all that afraid. Getting to your feet, you approached the barrier spell - the only thing guaranteeing that Kol could not harm you - and crossed over the invisible boundary. Those deep brown eyes followed you, trailing your every step with suspicion and disbelief as you crossed his cell and knelt beside him.

Kol, starving as he was, didn't attack you. So you offered him a gentle smile.

"It's okay, Kol. It was my fault," You said quietly. Kol froze. "I just got too close, didn't I?"

His eyes grew wide, pupils dilating as he stared at you with an uncomprehending expression. Reaching out slowly, you ran a hand through his hair. The dark locks were dirty and tangled, but soft all the same. Kol hesitated, but leaned into your touch as though he simply couldn't stop himself.

Leaning in, you pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I forgive you."

"Why?" He demanded, watching you with wonder.

You just smirked. "Think of it as a Christmas present."

"For me?" He coughed, grimacing. "Or for Elijah?"

You sighed. "I'm not here for Elijah."

"Then why are you here?" He looked at you, desperation for understanding showing clearly through those eyes. "My brother hardly bothers with his own siblings if he deems them unworthy of his limitless time."

"I'm in over my head," You said simply, shrugging. "I think it's what got me in so deep that maybe he saw something in."

"And what was that?"

"Generosity." You smiled - thin as a strand of hair. "I showed someone too much and he turned out to be a creep who took advantage of me. Elijah's making sure it doesn't happen again. That's all."

Kol's expression twisted with confusion, then cleared with understanding. "A-are you-" He trailed off, unsure.

"Oh come on," You said, chuckling slightly. "I know you've heard it by now."

Your baby's heart had started beating three days before.

The boy's bright grin confirmed your statement. He laughed, though the sound was tired. "You're going to make an excellent mother," He said.

You smiled. "Thanks."

Kol leaned his head back against the wall, weak but grinning, and sighed. "So, what's that book you brought with you?"

With a bubbling laugh, you stood and wandered back to the boundary spell where you'd left your stuff.

"Wait, don't-"

"I'm not going anywhere, Kol," You snickered, bending down to snatch the book. Then you made your way back to sit beside him. The boy leaned against your shoulder and though it made you just a tad bit nervous, you let him. Carding a hand through his hair, you opened the book and began to read aloud.

"Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, wore white on the day he was to kill a king."

It wasn't long before you lost track of time. Unfortunately, reading out loud ensured that you couldn't hear the footsteps of your friends when Elijah, Rebekah, and Josh returned. If Kol had heard them, he didn't inform you.

The door to the dungeon swung open on hinges that protested rather loudly and your head shot up from your reading.

"Y/N, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from him," Elijah's cold, commanding voice sounded from the entrance.

You bit your lip. "You know, uh… I can explain this," You promised.

"Can you?" Elijah's glare was a frigid sort of rage and it was concentrated entirely on Kol.

You opened your mouth. "No. No, I cannot."

"I see," Your friend hummed. His eyes flicked to you and you thought you felt just a little of what it might be like to jump into a freezing lake. "Y/N, return to your room at once, please. I would like to speak to my brother."

"Okay." You weren't going to object, not when Elijah was providing your room and board. Though, that didn't stop you from looking back at the boy you'd finally brought to the surface. Picking up the tray off the floor, you gave him a small smile and slid the Tupperware container full of peppermint bark back toward him. Then you left without another word.

You didn't hear anything from Elijah, Rebekah, or even Josh for the rest of the day. You sat on your bed and waited, but the only sound that came from downstairs was an exasperated Elijah's indistinct yelling. Whatever discussion took place in the basement lasted for a few hours, but no matter how many times you texted Josh, all he would tell you was how reckless your actions had been.

The following day, you ventured to the kitchen. You weren't going to stay in your room the entire day. If Elijah wanted to stay put, then you would do so while being productive via baking. That day, you decided to bake thin mints. Tasting one, you hummed as the chocolate melted on your tongue. You didn't even hear the kitchen door open.

"Might I try one of those?"

You shrieked, jumping nearly a foot into the air. Whirling around, you were rather surprised to find Kol standing in the kitchen doorway, smiling at you - not smirking, just smiling. He looked a lot better

"I dunno," You said, returning the expression. "I think you're gonna have to say the magic word."

Kol stepped closer, crossing the room until he stood directly in front of you. He reached out and took your hands in his own, pulling them to his chest. “Please?” He said, in the sweetest tone you’d ever heard. The puppy-dog eyes he gave you were the color of melted chocolate. You grinned.

“Here-” You held up one of the squares. “-Catch!”

Tossing the mint up in the air, you giggled as Kol threw his head back and caught it between his teeth. He winked at you, biting a piece off as he leaned against the counter.

“These are fantastic,” He said. “Thank you.”

“Ah… So he does have some manners - good to know.” You nodded to yourself sarcastically and he rolled his eyes.

“Only for you, sweetheart,” He hummed. “Only for you.”

You chuckled. “I see. Now, do you wanna tell me how you convinced Elijah to let you out on - what I’m assuming is - vampire parole?”

Kol shrugged and tried to steal a second mint but you slapped his hand away. “We made a deal,” He said simply.

“You promised to behave?” You questioned, raising a brow. “You? Just like that?”

“You seem surprised,” He chuckled.

“Oh. Well, then I’m not being expressive enough because I am astounded!”

Kol waved a hand dismissivly. “Eh, shouldn’t be too hard, I don’t think - not with you manipulating me and all that.”

You blushed. “Is that permission to keep making sweets?”

“Oh, yes. Absolutely.”

Snickering, you passed him another thin mint. “Well, in that case, Merry Christmas, Kol.”

He took it. Then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss sweeter than chocolate to your cheek. “Merry Christmas, darling.”

Tagging: @yn-ymn-yln @r13mar @rootbeerfaygo @iiskittles16ii @fandomrulesall-blog @dark-night-sky-99 @railingsofsorrow @apolloroid @thatweirdoleigh @misswe03 @eat-cake @felinegrate @trikigirl271 @cute-freak27 @fayeatheart @archangelslollipop @slaypussypop-21

Hey there, people of the internet! If you want on or off the tag list for this series and/or all my other works, just comment or send me a DM to let me know! And if Tumblr won't let me tag you, I'll just send you a friendly DM reminder at your request. Thanks for reading!

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vivdagoof · 2 years

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just because I haven't seen anyone address this

do you guys think Christopher from tua was born human and turned into a cube-box thing later in life as his powers developed

was he like born a cube and his poor mother who did not ask for it was like "well I just had a child might as well look after it- oH WHAT THE FUCK IS T H A T"

was Christopher's mother a cube as well? if so that theory offers the thought that their are aliens in the tua universe?? is Christopher an alien???

#honestly I wouldn't be surprised #tua #the umbrella academy #christopher hargreeves #five hargreeves #Klaus Hargreeves #alien box man confirmed #I need answers like right now #does anyone write Christopher Hargreeves fan fiction or am I insane #the sparrow academy #ben hargreeves #who voiced him and how much were they paid

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wholoveseggs · 5 months

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Moonlight - Chapter Fourteen

A woman’s life is turned completely upside-down when she encounters some demons in the woods.

I will be putting specific warnings for each chapter as they come out, there is smut and violence in some but I'll tag those chapters accordingly.

If you rather read this on Ao3- Link is here

31k Words - Warnings: Drug use

{Masterlist} - {Chapter list} Chapter Thirteen - Chapter Fourteen - Chapter Fifteen

Smoke

A dull ache had been steadily growing in Elijah's chest ever since the wedding. At first, he thought it was for Hayley, a deep loss he was working through. But when he closed his eyes at night, all he could see was Emma's face.

When Esther cracked open his red door, the memory of Emma was the first thing to come through. So profound was losing her that he completely hid her away, forgetting her very existence for centuries. He hated himself for what he did to her, plucking a perfect flower and grinding it into dust, then discarding the memory of her because he couldn't handle the guilt.

When he saw her at the wedding, his mind was so fractured he wasn't sure she was even real. At first, he believed she was just a hallucination he conjured to help him get through a dark day. So much else was going on; Klaus continued nonsense, his heart breaking over Hayley. Then, there she was, his Emma, more beautiful than his memory could ever detail. For a brief moment when he held her in his arms, all his problems melted away, and they were back in the clearing, speaking of soft things.

Then she disappeared again, and it was once again all his fault. Too distracted by his own pain to see hers.

After moving to Algiers, he spent most of his free time searching for her. Marcel and his vampire rabble were useless in this regard. The only clue he had that she was still in the city was from Cami, who told him that she saw Emma at Rousseau's a few times.

After many weeks, he had given up and assumed she had left the city. He started taking long walks at night; the lively nightlife was always a welcome respite from his dark thoughts.

On this particular evening, the humidity of the day had lingered after the sunset, creating a hushed blanket of fog over the city. People lazily strolled the streets, too warm to do anything more.

He was taking his usual route when he heard the annoying sound of bass reverberating from a car. He moved to the side of the street, listening to the car get closer, music blasting so loudly it made everything around it shake. He expected the car to zoom by him, but it slowed down and began cruising next to him, matching his pace. His annoyance grew, wondering if the inconsiderate fool harassing him knew how easily he could rip them apart. He turned to look at the driver, a deadly glare on his face.

"Wanna go for a ride? hot stuff," Emma chuckled. She was leaning out the car window, a cigarette in her hand. Her dark hair framed her perfect face, red lips curled into a wide smile. For weeks he had been looking for her, only for her to find him again.

"Emma, what are you doing out here?" He asked, stunned by her sudden appearance.

"Driving," she responded, taking one last drag of her cigarette and throwing it on the ground next to him. "Are you going to get in?" She asked.

Elijah's feet took him to the passenger-side door before his mind could catch up. After he took a seat, he looked her up and down; she was singing along to the lyrics of the vulgar rap song she was blasting. She turned down the music and looked at him, a cheeky smile on her face.

"Something to say?" She asked, looking him up and down.

"You are nothing like I remember," he chuckled.

"It has been almost nine hundred years, darling," Emma laughed. "What did you expect?"

She had a point, what did he expect? The sweet girl he fell for in the clearing who wasn't allowed to read?

She was watching him with intensity, her eyes lingering on his own before looking away.

"I've been looking for you," he said, sincerity in his voice. "I'm sorry about my behavior at the wedding."

"I dropped back into your life unexpectedly after centuries apart. You have nothing to be sorry about," she replied, her tone gentle and understanding.

He reached out and took her hand, bringing it to his lips; she smiled sweetly at his gesture.

"What are you doing tonight?" She inquired, as he let go of her hand.

"Nothing," he shrugged, intrigued by her sudden interest.

"Want to go to a house party with me?" She asked.

"A… house party?" He repeated, slightly bemused.

"Yeah, it's like a gala or a ball. But actually fun," she teased, letting out a soft laugh.

Without waiting for a response, she started driving them away into the night, the city lights reflecting in her eyes. He observed her outfit; she was wearing a black long-sleeve dress that went to her mid-thigh, with expensive leather boots that went to her knees. She gave him a side glance, a knowing smile forming on her face.

"How's the family?" Emma asked, her eyes briefly meeting him before returning to the road.

"Finn and Kol are dead, Rebekah is in a new body, and Klaus is Klaus," he replied, turning his gaze to the window.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said genuinely, her voice carrying a touch of sympathy. "Rebekah was so sweet to me and Kol was a lot of fun."

"I recall you and Kol getting into all sorts of trouble," Elijah remarked. "Didn't you get him to compel a man to strip naked and sell all his clothes to you?"

Emma burst into laughter, a vivid memory playing in her mind. Then, her expression turned slightly guilty. "Yeah, that wasn't very kind of me."

They parked outside a high-rise. Emma pulled down the driver mirror to check her appearance, then noticed Elijah watching her and gave him a wink. She got out of the car and stretched, then moved to the back door on the passenger side. He got out, waiting for her to finish rummaging under the backseat. She then pulled out an unopened bottle of whiskey.

"Here, hold this," she said, handing the bottle to him. With his hands occupied, she started undoing his tie. He looked down at her with dark eyes, enjoying the moment of closeness.

"Elijah Mikaelson, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you are into me," she smiled, slowly pulling the tie off his neck while maintaining eye contact. She tossed his tie into the backseat, then took the bottle from his hands.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked.

"Because you don't wear a suit to a house party," Emma responded.

"That's not what I meant," he said flatly.

"You need it. Now, take off your jacket," she replied. He pulled it off and handed it to her, and she tossed it in the back with his tie.

"Better," she said, then walked past him toward the front door of the building. He followed wordlessly, trying not to stare at her lovely backside.

"What do you think I need?" he inquired, his voice low with intrigue.

"You always try to fix what's broken in other people," She opened the front door and held it open for him. "It's time for someone to do that for you."

Is it that obvious that I'm broken, he thought. The way she looked at him made him feel so vulnerable, like she could see right through him. So much time had passed without her, yet she seemed to understand him intrinsically. But he didn't want her to see the truth of him, that he really was a demon. A monster who picked the wings off every beautiful butterfly he found.

"Stop it," she said softly, looking at him as they got on the elevator. "Whatever is eating you up inside, it's written all over your face."

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, looking down at his feet.

"That's alright," she responded. She took a step forward and reached for his shirt, unbuttoning the first few buttons then smoothing her hands across his shoulders. "Make me a promise," she asked, looking up at him.

He nodded, her touch suddenly making it hard to speak.

"Try and have fun tonight," she said, giving him a sweet smile. "It will do you good."

Elijah could hear the whispers begin as soon as they walked in. Patrons gave them stolen glances as they passed.

"I would have thought partying with a bunch of baby vampires was beneath you," he murmured to Emma.

She let out an exaggerated gasp and turned to him, her eyes widening in mock surprise. "Oh, vampires here? How utterly shocking," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She pressed a hand playfully into his chest, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Will you protect me?" she asked in a girly voice before breaking into a playful smirk. She then backed away and effortlessly flicked the cap off the bottle of whiskey.

He took the bottle from her hand, his movements smooth and confident. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear, his voice a low, velvet growl. "I did promise I'd attempt to enjoy myself, but even I have my boundaries," he said, his playful tone laced with a hint of seriousness. "I won't indulge straight from the bottle. Let's at least use proper glasses." With that, he made his way to the kitchen with the whiskey in hand.

He returned to the main room, glasses in hand, looking for her. He focused his hearing, trying to locate her, but didn't pick up anything. He continued through to the next room, partygoers parting around him like the sea.

Bright neon nights and smoke obscured his vision, the sound of electronic drums and synths drowned out all other noise. A woman was singing a slow love song into a mike, a pleasant contrast to the background music. A group of listeners were gathered around her, swaying gently to the song, others were dancing raucously to the synths.

He picked up on Emma's voice from across the room, and started heading in her direction.

"Are you a new one? I haven't seen you around here before," said a man.

"I'm new around here," Emma replied, her voice soft and breathy.

"I can help you out, teach you a thing or two," the man responded.

"Really?" She replied, with perfect sincerity.

"Absolutely, beautiful. I've been around for a while. Know lots of people, even Marcel," he said in a confident tone.

"The king? That's so cool." She replied without a hint of sarcasm.

"I can even help you get a daylight ring," he said.

"Wow, you have a daylight ring?" she said in amazement.

Elijah could see the young vampire sitting close to Emma, his hand on her thigh. He was leaning in to whisper in her ear. Mild jealousy bubbled in his chest, even though it was unfair for him to feel that way.

He approached them, handing Emma her drink and sitting on the other side of her. He placed a possessive hand on her waist, staring intensely at the man.

The man's face completely drained of color when he saw Elijah. Emma was still looking at the young vampire, her mouth twitching as she tried to control her laughter.

"Elijah Mikaelson… I… uh… oh, there's my friend," the young one said, getting up and walking away as fast as possible.

Emma burst out laughing, casually placing her hand on Elijah's knee and taking a sip of her drink as she watched the young one scurry away.

"I see you are still fond of torture," he said, pulling her closer to him, his hand resting casually at the base of her neck.

She leaned into his side, watching the singer belt out another slow love song.

"Torture? No. I was just teaching that young man a life lesson," she chuckled.

She turned to look at him, the neon lights illuminating her perfect face. "Are you having fun yet?" She asked, giving him a curious smile.

"Perhaps after a few more of these," he said, holding up his drink.

She rolled her eyes and pulled something out of her bra. It was a small plastic baggie with a few pink pills in it.

"Emma," he admonished, "No."

"Over one thousand years roaming this earth and you never learned how to have fun," she chuckled.

"I'm not a degenerate drug user," he said seriously.

"Right, you just eat people and occasionally rip hearts out," she responded, her tone teasing. "What's more degenerate?"

"I don't think it's wise for me to alter my mental state presently," he responded.

Emma turned to look into his eyes, leaning close to ensure no one else could hear. "MDMA can help reduce anxiety," she said quietly. "It helped me; it could help you."

"I could lose control and hurt you," he whispered back, his concern evident.

"I won't let you lose control," she reassured him, her hand gently touching his cheek. "I can guide you through it."

Elijah let out a long sigh, hoping he wouldn't regret this. "Fine."

The time began to pass in a strange manner, as if he was blinking too slowly and excessively. He felt the music in his muscles, and could feel laughter in the air. He found himself on the dance floor, his arms wrapped around Emma's waist.

"Your eyes are mesmerizing," he said, looking down at her in awe.

She smiled, running her hands through his hair as they moved together. All his anger, pain, and guilt had completely dissolved; all he could feel was bliss. Emma was right, he needed this.

"That feels amazing," he whispered, closing his eyes as waves of euphoria crashed over him.

"There's my Elijah," she said softly, gently caressing the creases that formed around his eyes when he smiled.

In the haze of euphoria, he found himself transported to a different place and time. They were standing in the doorway of her old house, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight. It was reminiscent of the night he had first fallen in love with her, the memory etched into his mind like a cherished painting.

Yet, the intoxicating high was abruptly shattered by a jarring shift in his perception. The moonlight turned crimson, casting eerie shadows across Emma's face. Blood oozed from her hairline, staining her skin as if the moon itself wept tears of red. Her face transformed into that of his first love, someone he had killed. She clutched at her neck as blood poured from it, her screams and pleas overwhelming his senses.

Emma was pulled into his mind, facing a red door. In her peripheral vision, a woman darted past her, begging for mercy before Elijah tore her throat out. Emma turned away, only to see another version of him leaning over a bathtub, howling in pain, cradling a dead woman's body in his arms. A loud bang echoed as the door slammed open behind her. Emma turned around to see Elijah covered in blood, walking toward her with a cold expression and pitch-black eyes. She reached out, pressing a hand against his chest to halt him, gently touching the skin around his eyes as veins danced around them. "It's alright, dark one," she whispered.

"I'm a demon who plucks the wings off every beautiful butterfly he finds," he growled, attempting to push her away, consumed by a thirst for blood that clouded his reasoning. She held onto him tightly, her strength nearly matching his own and her control far superior.

"You never plucked my wings; you freed me from my cocoon," she said softly, pushing him back. "Remember? You saved me."

Elijah recalled the look on Tomas's face before he snapped his neck. He enjoyed killing Tomas, never regretting it for a moment. He remembered the way Emma looked on the floor, helpless and dying. I did save her, he thought.

"Elijah," she said gently, "do you remember when I showed you the horses at sunset?"

Her words cut through the torrent of his thoughts, transporting him back to the peaceful memory they shared. The golden hues of the setting sun, the soft neighs of the horses, and the delicate scent of lilacs and mint surrounded him once more. Emma's presence became a lifeline, pulling him back from the abyss behind his red door.

"Yes," he responded.

"Good, picture it in your mind," she whispered. "What did you hear? What did you smell?"

"I could hear the village bell and galloping hooves. I could smell lilacs and mint, the scent of you," he murmured as his hallucinations faded.

"There you go," she said softly, "you're alright, you're in control."

Their eyes met; she had a warm smile on her face and huge pupils from the drugs. She cupped his cheek, and he placed his hand on hers.

They moved together, the world a blur around them until they reached the car. The waves of euphoria washed over him once more, heightening his senses and intensifying his desire for her. Unable to resist the magnetic pull between them, he gently pushed her against the car, the metal cool against her back as his body pressed into hers.

"I want you," he whispered in her ear, then began trailing kisses down her neck.

"Neither of us are fit to drive," she giggled, her hands roaming his chest then gently pushing him away.

Elijah spotted a passerby and, in an instant, compelled them to assist. The unsuspecting individual was pulled into their whirlwind, agreeing to drive them to Elijah's place under his compulsion.

"You should pay for their cab back," Emma chuckled, her figure relaxed against the front door of his building, observing the confusion etched on the driver's face.

"Fuck. Right." Elijah's voice was laced with realization as he swiftly turned back to the stranger. He held the person's shoulders firmly, his eyes locking onto theirs. "You will forget all of this; thank you, here." He pressed a handful of bills into their hand, before hurrying back to Emma, pulling her inside.

"Are you having fun yet?" she teased as they entered his apartment, her voice a playful lilt.

"Absolutely," he replied, his smile wide and genuine. Guiding her to the sofa, he settled down, bringing her onto his lap. Her legs wrapped around his hips. His eyes, filled with desire, lingered on her lips, mere inches away from his.

"Good," she murmured, her hands tracing the contours of his neck and jaw.

Elijah leaned in, eager to capture her lips with his own, but she prevented him from doing so by holding onto his hair.

"Do you want to kiss me?" she asked, saying it in the exact same way she had almost a millennium ago.

"Yes," he whispered, his eyes meeting hers.

"I don't think that's wise," she responded, a gentle smile on her face.

"I don't care," he responded teasingly.

"I do," she said softly, pushing herself off of him. She turned away, her silhouette framed by the moonlight streaming through the window, casting a gentle glow on her features as she looked down at the city below.

"Emma," he said gently, his voice a caress as he moved to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing tender kisses onto her shoulder.

"I have always loved you, Elijah," she whispered, leaning into his embrace. "But I'm not going to sleep with you. You needed a friend tonight, not a lover."

"Why not both?" he murmured, his lips tracing a delicate path up her neck.

"That's just the drugs talking," she chuckled, her tone a mixture of amusement and fondness, as she gently moved away from him.

He reached out, his hand grasping hers in an attempt to pull her close once more, but she shook her head gently, her resolve unwavering.

"Good night, dark one," she said, her words laced with both tenderness and finality, before turning away and walking out the door, leaving him standing there, bathed in the soft moonlight.

{Masterlist} - {Chapter list} Chapter Thirteen - Chapter Fourteen - Chapter Fifteen

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