#but Klaus has lived twice as long as my other cats so far

[alchemistbee]

Back in your Arms

「Five Hargreeves x reader」

Ask: Could you write a Five reader fic where y/n gets kidnapped by the Swedes and Five saves them. Thx

Words: 2556

Warnings: mentions of blood and torture. Kidnapping. Season two spoilers.

A/N: this is the first fic I’ve ever got requested. I hope I did it justice. I hope you enjoy! I know I took long to publish it, I apologize, school is kicking my ass. Sorry for grammatical errors. Enjoy!

[gif from @thisgameissonintendo ]

After having attended the horrific light brunch with the Hargreeves family, they were all feeling far more worse than when they had arrived. Five had explained to Sir Hargreaves each of their powers, Vanya had exploded a bowl of fruits, Allison rumored Diego, Diego got a very non-friendly slap of reality, Klaus seemed to have a seizure mid-dinner and Lurther confronted their father by ripping his shirt off in front of everyone.

In your opinion, it could have gone a lot better, but it could have also gone a lot worse.

Unlike the other siblings, Five had stayed behind and you had figured that it would be better to wait for him in the lobby. He was having a conversation with his father, whom he hadn't seen for over fifty years, he bet his ass you were going to wait for him. Especially after the horrible way he had spoken to the rest, you would be there for Five if he needed to. What you didn't know by then was that Five was trying to see if his father could tell him how to go back to 2019, one that didn't evolve making a deal with The Handler. Which, may I add, he hadn’t told anyone about, not even to you.

You waited patiently for Five, your back leaned against the wall while your arms intertwined in front of your chest. You counted the minutes that passed, not that you were in a hurry, but to hopefully make it seem like the time was passing faster. After almost twenty-seven minutes, the elevator emitted that one ‘bing’ it did whenever the doors were about to slide open. As you expected, it was Five, who now had his hands shoved inside his pockets and seemed quite puzzled. You asked him if he was okay, but Five only dismissed your question to tell you to go ahead of him to Elliott’s place. Apparently, there was something he needed to take care of, something he wasn't willing to explain to you just yet.

He knew that if he did tell you, you would either try to stop him or not let him do it on his own. Five didn’t want to drag you into Commission business. He found that not telling you of the plan all together was the easiest way to keep you from being in Commission's eyes, more than currently at least.

You nodded suspiciously towards Five, but did not push the subject any further. Maybe he just needed some time to let everything sink in, and it's not like you nor him considered the walk back to Morty’s dangerous. You could take care of yourself pretty well. You parted ways with Five, and walked back to Morty’s where you saw Elliott himself was just arriving too. He smiled kindly upon seeing you, to which you returned with a smile of your own. You had to be honest, you had grown to like Elliott more than expected. He was like that one cousin in the family, and you enjoyed hearing his rambles about any conspiracy he could think of. He truly was a sweetheart.

You followed Elliott up the stairs to his place, he carried a paper bag in hand, calmly telling you the things he brought back from the supermarket. You listened thoughtfully. Once inside. Elliott flickered the lights on and to both of your surprise, a cat sat in the middle in the kitchen. Elliott looked confused, but figured the cat must have somehow climbed in “Hey buddy, how did you get up here?”

He approached the kitchen casually, where he sat the bag down and looked at the cat as it meowed to him. You couldn’t help to feel your skin crawl. The nagging feeling of people watching you being present “Elliot?-” You turned your head to look behind you, swearing you had seen something lurking in the shadows. You averted your gaze back to him, now watching as he pulled out a tiny can of food for the cat and asked if it was hungry. You walked to the kitchen window, the one that let you view outside in case anyone was suspiciously close to the building. You saw nothing, but that was because you didn't know that they were already inside.

Your head snapped back to Elliot the moment a loud sound came from the living room, there you saw that one of the tall assassins had punched Elliott right on the side of his face. You felt your heart accelerate, and moved quickly to help him until you felt someone pull you up, stopping your tracks to help the man. The other assassin got a hold of you, if it hadn't been for your small body, you could have stopped the leader from hurting Elliott any further.

You saw the man try to scramble from his gun, but the other man was quicker to lift him up by the throat, asking the whereabouts of Diego. Upon receiving no answer, the man punched Elliott twice, this time letting his body fall harshly on the floor while blood dripped down his nose.

“Elliott!” You struggled under the second man’s hold. You couldn't move, you couldn't fight. The siblings were not even back and there was no way for you to contact them when the phone was this far “We don't know where Diego is! Leave him alone! He has nothing to do with this!” you pleaded loudly. The leader only shifted his gaze at you, studying the way your eyes flushed with fear. He was trying to figure out whether you were the one the woman had referred to not killing, you were merely a teen after all. Yet, not killing you didn't mean they could not use you for information.

After that little stare down happened, making you hope that maybe the men would not use Elliot as their little puppet..You were gravely mistaking. The man dragged Elliott through the living room, knocking over a lamp and breaking it before pinning him into the dentist chair violently. He kept asking for Diego, and Elliott is only able to answer with a “I d-dont know” while you keep battling for the second man to let go of you. At this point, you felt the tears welling in your eyes as you noticed him take the forceps, priding Elliott's mouth open and sticking them into his mouth.

“NO!” you cried out “ELLIOTT!”

Elliott’s screams filled the building alongside your pleas and cries, but as much as you told the men that none of you knew where Diego was, that didn't seem to make them stop. Not until Elliott’s body was drained from life entirely, the blood from his body splattered all across the floor and body. You couldn’t help the soft cries leaving your lips, calling his name out ever so softly in hopes of him still being alive but that’s when you felt a sharp pain come from the back of your head. The world turned black and your body fell not too far from Elliott’s chair after the second man got tired of holding you.

The brothers could use you. They could use you to lure Diego, the man they believed responsible for the murder of their younger brother.

The next day, after Diego and Lurther find Elliott’s body, they try to figure out who did this to Elliott. Diego believes it's the feds, but Lurther claims that was no work of feds but of a psychopath. Believing the words written below are a name, they search through the phone book until discovering the phone number linked to whom they believe is responsible for Elliott’s death; They phone the number up.

Five jumped into the building, quickly noticing the blood painted words on the floor, making him hurry up the stairs to meet Elliot’s body. He can feel a lump forming in his throat as he approaches it. There were clear signs of torture, there was something stuck into his left eye. Five couldn’t help to feel guilty. He liked Elliot, he was a good man, he had helped them and welcomed his siblings in without the slightest complaint. He had become one of them, and for that, his life paid the price.

Five followed the voices of Lurther and Diego through the kitchen, taking off his blue and blood dripped jacked as he heard the brothers threaten someone over the phone for killing one of them “Hey! It's Öga för Öga, idiots. Swedish for ‘an for en eye’. It means The swedes killed Elliott '' He didn't want to think how the missions went after his run; It was clear Diego and Lurther shared one brain cell.

“Wrong number, have a lovely day” Diego hanged the call, looking at Five and easily spotting the blood on his clothes “Uh, you got some blood on your clothes”

“A lot actually”, Diego added as Five pushed by them, entered the bathroom and turned the sink handle to let the water flow down. He grabbed a white towel, carefully washing the blood off of him as best as he could “I found a way home”

“What? How?”

“All the details are irrelevant but i made a deal to get back to our timeline”

“What about doomsday? And the 2019 apocalypse”

“won't happen. Everything will be back to normal” Five remarked exasperated “All right? No more questions. We gotta go. We have to find the other and get back in 77 minutes. Luther, you get Allison, Diego go get Klaus, I'll get Vanya, Y/N-“ he stopped his pacing all suddenly, eyes roaming the room and back to his younger siblings “Wait—Where’s Y/N?”

Five’s eyes widened as realization suddenly hit him and his siblings. He saw you last night, you were supposed to be here, why weren’t you here?

“They stayed after the brunch, we thought they were with you…” Diego, Five and Lurther shared a look, all of them now realizing that you had been taken by the men who killed Elliott.

“Dammit!” Five exclaimed angrily. He had just gotten a way back home, and you...You had been taken. How was he supposed to find you in such little time? He didn’t even know where to start.

“Calm down. Okay—We’ll find them—“ Diego started while Five started to pace around, muttering words under his breath “This was so simple. So simple!” He turned his head to look at them “I am going to go find Y/N, and get Vanya. We meet here as planned, this is our only chance to go back” Five raised his finger at them both before started to walk to the stairs, but stopped abruptly when he Diego spoke up once more

“You expect us to not help you—“ before Diego could finish his sentence, Five jumped from the small distance to right in front of his brother, raising his fingers with a threatening look “If you don’t do this, I swear I’ll kill you myself” he said more sternly “there's not enough time for all of us to go in a search, I’ll tell Vanya to meet up here. If i don't make it in time just go back home, I’ll manage a way back”

“How are you planning on finding them?” Was what Diego last said before Five teleported out of the building.

You woke up with a sharp breath. Your head was pounding and when you opened your eyes, you were welcomed with nothing but a blindfold on your eyes. You tried moving your arms. But soon found out they were tied down to your back while your ankles were tied against the legs of a chair “Shit” you muttered hoarsely, your throat was still dry from the crying. What the hell happened? Where were you?—

That’s when it hit you

“HELP! SOMEONE!” You tried to scream as loudly as you could, but considering the silence in wherever you were, you knew no one was coming to your aid. Strangely, the smell was like cat fur, and that was confirmed when you heard the several meows and the cat passing it’s tail over your leg.

How in the world were you going to get out of here now?

Five jumped all over town trying to find any clues, even the smallest, of your whereabouts. Even though he didn’t show it, he was extremely anxious and worried for your self being. He feared what the Swedes could be doing to you, or worst, what they had already done. The images of Elliott kept flashing back to him, and something in his stomach made him believe that if he didn’t hurry up, he would find you the same way.

He didn’t know whether it was luck or simple fate, but as he walked through the town he spotted the familiar milk truck that had followed them around for some instances. It was parked in front of an apartment, a quite small one, and Five knew that you should have been there. He kept looking down at his watch, counting the minutes they had left before having to go back to 2019.

They still had twenty minutes. He still had time, it was enough to save you and go back. At least he hoped so.

He watched The Swedes get in the truck, and without thinking it twice, teleported himself inside the cat filled apartment. His blue eyes roamed the place all over, scanning it for any trace of you until he heard a few knocks coming from a nearby closet. He didn’t waste time on pulling the door open.

Five’s eyes fell on you, and instinctively, you started to try and kick thinking that The Swedes were back again “Y/N!-Its me!-Y/N” he crouched down to your level, scanning your body for any signs of torture or harm. He sighed sharply, relieved to see that The Swedes hasn’t gotten their way with you. Gently, he reached out to pull your blindfold off. It broke him to see you like this.

Your eyes weren’t shining like they used to. They were completely flushed by pain, regret and fear “F-Five” you muttered softly, finding it hard to believe he had actually found you. You felt the ropes become loose on your legs and wrists, and the moment you had the chance, your body fell against Five’s. He held you firmly, worried that maybe you weren’t as okay as he thought you were. He was only relieved to have you back on his arms again, the place where he could make sure of your safety.

“F-Five—Elliott—I couldn’t s-save him” You started, tears stinging your eyes as you remembered what The Swedes did to the man “I c-couldn’t—“your shoulders shook alongside your small sobs.

“I know...It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have left you” Five said softly, his arms slowly wrapping around you, hoping that would comfort you in the slightest “We have to go...I found a way back, but we need to go now or we’ll be stuck here forever” He pulled you up the ground, his thump caressing your tear stained cheeks while his free hand took a gentle hold of yours.

“You w-what? How?” You blinked twice, sniffing softly “Five, what did you do?”

“I’ll explain on the way...Let’s go home”

[lalainajanes]

klaroliiinnnee + i kissed you goodbye by accident - old habits die hard okay?!?!

@goldcaught sent me this one too! Great minds, lol.

Keep It Around

Caroline’sgot her fists clenched around the steering wheel, tense and worried, becausetraffic has chosen to totally work against her. Not by being an impossiblegridlock, however. No, the drive from her apartment to Klaus’ house (formerly their house) has been a freaking dream.She doesn’t think she’d hit even a single red light.

She barelyhears Mojo Jojo and Professor Utonium yowling from their travel kennels, tunesout the sound of their little claws trying to rip through the plastic mesh.When she’s not staring at the road she’s glaring at the clock on the dash,willing it to jump forward twenty minutes.

She’searly, something that would usually be a point of pride. In this case? Early isbad. Early means spending more time with Klaus than she’s prepared to, fillingminutes with more than rehearsed instructions and plans. This is the fifth timeshe’s had to go out of town for work since they’d broken up and Caroline hadtimed each previous drop off to perfection. The last four times she’d allottedherself less than fifteen minutes between the time she’d arrive at Klaus’ andthe time the cab she’d ordered would pick her up. Just enough time to park inKlaus’ garage, wrestle the cats into the collars that would allow them throughthe pet door and into the backyard, and spend a few minutes giving Mars a bellyrub.

They’dworked out a decent joint pet custody agreement but the twice weekly runs whereshe gets to hang out with Mars were far too short. She misses the dog, a huskymutt who’s never quite accepted the fact that he’s too big for her lap. Hemight have been Klaus’ but he’d been barely out of puppyhood when she’d movedin, had spent more of his life with her in the house than without. He’d beenthe one to suggest she leave the cats, a pair of tuxedos she’d adopted yearsbefore she’d met Klaus, with him when she had to travel for work so Carolineassumes he’s in the same boat.

When sherolls into Klaus’ driveway she sees Mars in the window, perched on the back ofthe couch, his tail wagging furiously. She can’t help but smile, heranxiousness easing a little. Maybe, if she focused on the dog, not on the dog’s owner, she’d be fine.

Optimism istotally Caroline’s thing and she tells herself she can do this. Klaus had beenher roomie and friend long before he’d been her boyfriend. They’d had abajillion conversations before she’d realized she was in love with him. What’sone more now? She’s pretty sure she’s stillin love with him but she’s working on it. It’ll fade.

Eventually.

She thinks.

The cats,probably sensing their location, have gotten more restless, their cries growingin pitch and frequency. Mojo is smaller than his brother, is turning circlesand bumps his head against the kennel’s side when Caroline reaches for him.She’d bought them after the first time she’d had to transport the cats toKlaus’ had learned that juggling two hard kennels full of wriggling cats was adisaster. Professor Utonium had managed to spring himself, busting through themetal door, and streaking up a tree.

She’d hadto leave, had fretted her whole flight, until she’d landed and a text fromKlaus had come through saying he’d got the cat down and that Prof was safe andsound and gorging himself on dinner. He’d even sent pictures to prove it, ashot of his dog and her cats curled up on the living room rug.

Caroline’sgot dozens of similar pics stored in her phone. When she’d first moved in withKlaus her cats hadn’t been too sure what to make of the bouncy ball of fluffthat was forever pouncing on their tails. Within a month they’d all been fastfriends, their occasional scraps quickly forgotten whenever there was a sunnyspot open and a group nap beckoned.

The newcarrying cases resemble sports bags and she loops one over each shoulder,swaying for a moment until the cats settle down and she can find her balance,before pulling up the handle of her suitcase to roll it behind her. She’s notthe least bit surprised to find Klaus slipping out of the house when she looksup, or hear him ordering Mars to stay. The dog whines but obeys and Carolinepresses her lips together to fight a smile. Mars had been a puppy schoolsuperstar and she can’t help but be proud.

She leavesher suitcase at the base of the steps, hands over her keys so he can move hercar if he needs to. She hadn’t seen his on the street, assumes it’s parked inthe garage. For all she knows he’s got a hot date tonight and she’s blockinghim in. She might have wanted labelsbut plenty of women didn’t. “Thanks again for taking them this weekend,” shesays, letting him take Professor Utonium’s kennel from her. “And I’m reallysorry it’s so last minute this time. I hope it won’t happen again but I’m stillfeeling out my new boss. It’s possible he’s evil but I’m hoping he’s justdisorganized. That I can work with.”

Klaus laughssoftly though the look he shoots her is speculative. Likely because Caroline’sbeen careful not to let their conversations stray into personal topics. She’dthought it best to keep things between them surface level but, considering howmuch time she has to fill before her cab arrives, it would be pretty awkward ifshe didn’t at least start a conversation.

“Yes, I’msure you could whip him into shape in no time and he wouldn’t even notice.”

“Damnright,” Caroline chirps.

“Congratulationson your promotion,” Klaus says. “You’ll be brilliant.”

She pauses,turning to look at him. “How did you…”

He turnshis attention to mounting the steps, very carefully not looking at her.“Instagram.”

Huh. Klausbarely uses Instagram, hadn’t posted anything in at least a month (yes, she checks and she’s not proud of it) andher promotion is barely two weeks old. Maybe she’s not the only one who’s gotsome feelings lingering.

Carolineknows she shouldn’t be happy about that realization but hey, the heart wantswhat it wants. It’s nice to know hers isn’t alone in its stubbornness.

He pushesthe door open, “Sit,” he says firmly, and she can hear Mars’ nails scrabblingon the tiles, glances up to see him quivering with excitement, mouth open andtongue lolling.

Carolinehurries into the house, bending to rub his ears, “Who’s a good boy?” she coos.“And so handsome.”

“He toredown the drapes the day before yesterday,” Klaus says dryly. “So definitely nota good boy.”

She doesn’tlet up, stands so she can run her hands over his fur. His tail is a blur,swishing rapidly back and forth. “Aw, I’m sure it was an accident. Mars-y, didyour little squirrel friends come back? They shouldn’t taunt you.”

Klaus sighsand she knows he’s holding in a comment about how she babies the dog – somethingthey’d bickered over often. Mars is an excellent guard dog, very intimidatingwhen he needs to be. So what if he’s privately a big ol’ cuddly softy?

They saiddogs resembled their owners, didn’t they? Klaus is definitely in the pricklyouter shell with hidden inner depths club.

Carolinerises, setting her kennel on the hall table. Klaus has left the cat collarsthere and she picks one up. She fiddles with it for a moment, loosening it.Apartment living has caused Mojo to gain a little weight (he’ll hog the food ifshe lets him) and she’s started him on a laser pointer regimen but hasn’t seenmuch of a difference. She hands the carrier off to Klaus, “I’ll hold, youcollar?”

He agreeswith a soft hum and Caroline unzips the flap, shooting her hand in before Mojocan poke his head out. She scoops him out, safely immobilized under her arm,and Klaus neatly clicks the collar shut around his neck.

Caroline’scareful to ignore how close he is, keeps her gaze focused on the cat. She setshim down and he immediately throws his body against Klaus’ legs, rubbingaffectionately. Caroline feels a small pang of guilt but shakes it off and Mojois quickly distracted by the Mars, who greets Mo with a very inappropriatelyplaced sniff.

“Hey,rude,” Caroline chides, nudging the dog when she bends to grab the otherkennel. He thinks it’s a game, crouching down into pounce position and yipping.Caroline just can’t say no to that face, reaches out to pat his headaffectionately. “No one likes a butt sniffer, Mars.”

Klaus openshis mouth but Caroline points at him warningly, “Do not even thing about channeling Kol right now.” His lips presstogether and a bright light of amusement remains and it’s so easy to smileback. “I’m sure we could google and find out I’m wrong but do we really want to?”

“Likelynot.”

“I love itwhen you agree with me,” Caroline jokes.

“You likeit more when I don’t,” Klaus shoots back.

She thinksabout arguing, decides it’s too dangerous. Today’s the most comfortable she’sfelt in Klaus’ presence since before things had gotten bad between them. Shefinds she doesn’t want to put the wall back up between them. If Klaus were toreference any of the many (many)times one of their arguments had ended up with the two of them naked or nearlyso against the most convenient flat-ish surface she’d have to.

No way canshe endure the next twenty to thirty minutes of his company if she’s thinkingabout how she can still only seem tocome if she thinks about him.

She liftsthe other kennel and they repeat the process and get Professor Utonium’s collarsituated. When he’s on the floor the animals are quick to pelt out of thehallway. Caroline holds her breath, half expecting a crash, but soon she hearsMars barking and she knows they’ve made their way outside. “It’s supposed to besunny this weekend. The boys will probably spend most of it rolling around onthe grass and out of your hair.”

Klausdoesn’t seem particularly concerned. “They’re no bother, love.”

Carolineknows he genuinely means it. She’d met Klaus while looking for a place to rent,had been having trouble finding something pet friendly that was availableimmediately. When she’d met her friend Enzo’s new boyfriend Kol he’d been quickto offer up a solution in the form of his brother (‘kind of a wanker but a softtouch for any fluffy beast who crosses his path’) who’d been between housematesat the time.

Carolinehad met Klaus the next day, had quickly fallen in love with the house and Marseven as she’d sternly told herself that she would not, under any circumstances,consider sleeping with Klaus even if he happened to be distractingly hot.

Her vow hadlasted almost seven months and, if she were being honest, Caroline’s superimpressed with her will power that she’d held out that long. Klaus hadn’t beenshy about expressing his interest and had quickly developed some kind ofallergy to shirts.

They’dfallen into a kind of roommates with benefits situation. They’d worked well asroommates and the benefits had been goodand a year passed before Caroline even realized it. She’d been out withfriends, a long overdue girl’s night, and some creep had gotten belligerentwhen she’d turned down his offer to buy her a drink.

He’dinsisted she tell him if she had a boyfriend and, while she’d had no problemleaving him in her dust, his words had lingered as she’d made her way back toher friends.

Because, asfar as Caroline had known she didn’thave a boyfriend. She hadn’t been seeing anyone else and she’d known Klaushadn’t been either. Still, they’d never discussed commitment, hadn’t reallymade big future plans beyond the everyday ‘Mars needs shot in a month, the yardwill need to be graded in the spring’ type that came with living in the samehouse. They’d fallen into such an easy thing that the big discussions –marriage, kids, joint bank accounts – hadn’t come up.

Carolinehad figured that was a sign that Klaus wasn’t interested in any of thosethings. And it sucked realizing that shewanted them more than anything.

She’d drunkway too much vodka. Had started looking a new apartment the next day.

“When does your cab get here?” Klaus asks.

She fishesher phone out of her jacket, fights to keep from visibly cringing. “Uh, liketwenty minutes? Sorry, my timing is off today. I can wait outside it you want…”she rocks back a step, fully prepared to wait out on the porch with hersuitcase.

Annoyanceflashes across Klaus’ face, “So eager to leave my company?”

“You’re theone who asked me when I was leaving.”

His jawclenches, his eyes fluttering shut briefly and he’s back to casual pleasantnessin an instant. “Just making conversation. Why don’t you come in to the kitchen?I made coffee not too long ago.”

“Sure.” Sheslips off her flats – Klaus is weird about shoes in the house – and follows himthrough the house. There’s a wall of windows that face the backyard and she cansee Mars chasing one of the cats though they’re moving too quickly for her tonote which one.

“Just likeold times,” she says, then immediately wishes she hadn’t. Klaus’ back is toher, and he tenses as he reaches into the cupboard where he’s always kept themugs. He doesn’t say anything but she can tell it’s a struggle from the way hemoves, jerky, her usual mug clinking loudly when he sets it down.

Ooookay. Alighter topic is needed ASAP.

“How’s workgoing for you?” Caroline asks.

“My clientssend me a steady stream of requests.” Klaus’ main source of income isillustrations, mainly plants that appear in textbooks and field manuals.

She thinksabout dropping it, about sitting quietly and sipping her coffee but a silencethat long seems excruciating and Caroline just can’t do it. “And yourpaintings?”

Klaus isfar more passionate about his own work, had often holed up in his studio at theback of the house for so long Caroline had grown worried and taken it upon herselfto bully him out to eat and sleep. He’s shown at galleries in several majorcities and while she doesn’t know much about how much he makes off of them thesize and location of his house tells her he must do pretty well.

He glancesat her, too quickly for her to read, “Stalled,” he replies, clipped.

Whoops.Maybe not the best choice of topic. “Sorry,” she offers.

He sets thecoffee in front of her and it’s the exact perfect color. A sip tells her it’sjust as sweet as she prefers too. “I hear you’re going to be an uncle again.”

She changesthe subject whenever Enzo or Kol bring up Klaus. It’s bad enough that she can’tresist the urge to check up on him via social media. Bits and pieces about hisother family members still filter in and she’d seen the announcement that Sagewas pregnant again the last time she’d been at Enzo’s for dinner.

“Finn’spleased, of course. Insufferably so.”

“Perfectlyon brand, then.”

That teasesa smile from Klaus, “Indeed.”

“The firstkid’s really freaking cute, to be fair. You Mikaelsons were given more thanyour fair share of pretty.”

He laughs,most of his bad mood having melted away, “Such flattery. You’ll make me blush.”

“Like youblush.”

Klaus’inability to feel embarrassment was something Caroline had deeply envied. He’dtaken delight in turning her on in public, both via text or by whisperingsomething filthy that no one else could hear. Her pink cheeks had likely givenanyone observant enough a big clue about the subject they were discussing.

She’d triedto turn the tables a few times and, though Klaus had loved it, he’d also alwaysmanaged to one up her.

In the end,once they were alone and free to do more than talk, Caroline had never minded.Klaus always kept his promises.

But shecan’t let herself think about thatjust now.

She findshim watching her, knowing, a little bit heated and she wishes she’d taken offher jacket too. Caroline clears her throat, “You’ve still got their food andeverything, right?”

Best toturn to safer topics and be a responsible pet parent.

“Assumingthey still eat the same thing, yes. I noticed Mojo’s looking a bit… er… plump.”

Carolinecan’t help the rather unladylike snort-laugh that erupts at his delicatephrasing. Klaus is quick to laugh too, ather she’s sure, but she lets it slide. She slaps a hand over her mouth tosmother it, gets herself under control. “He prefers the term roly poly, thankyou.”

“Noted.”

“We’retrying exercise before a food change. You know how picky The Professor is andit’s a pain to have them on separate foods.”

“I think Istill have one of those feather sticks they like to chase tucked awaysomewhere. I’ll make sure he gets his cardio in.”

“Probablynot necessary. I think Mars will get him moving just fine.”

Klaustwists to look out the window, “You’re probably right.”

She looksover too, notes the fence has been painted, and an easy conversation aboutother home improvement projects springs up. She’s actually startled when herphone buzzes, the notification that her cab is arriving shortly.

Carolineslides off her stool, rounding the island. She’s got one hand on Klaus’shoulder, the other on his jaw, turning his head to her, and her lips pressedto his before she even thinks about it. She’s sat in this kitchen with him, shared coffee and smiles and talked about things big and small, so many times. Kissing him goodbye is muscle memory.

She freezes, her muscles locking as shetries to process just how she’d gotten to this point. Her eyes go wide only tofind that Klaus’ have closed and he wraps an arm around her waist before shecan pull away.

“I’m…” herapology fails, ending in a squeak when Klaus stands, the full length of hisbody pressed to hers.

“I’m not,”he says, against her mouth, low and a touch gravely, just before his hand sinksinto her hair and tips her head up for a firmer kiss.

She knowsshe should resist, turn her head awayand tell him they can’t. He feels too good for her to want to.

His hands arefirm, the slightest bit unsteady, like he’s afraid she’ll disappear. He kissesher deeply, fast and fierce, with an edge of desperation.  She moans into it, moulding her body to his,touching him tentatively at first, with more purpose when he shudders againsther palms. She can’t bring herself to pull back until her lungs are burning.When her head falls back with a gasp his wet mouth drags down her throat,shoving her sweater aside so he can pant against her shoulder.

Carolinelicks her lips, tries to gather her scrambled thoughts. “This is a bad idea.”

Klausshakes his head, an immediate denial. He bites gently at the curve of her neck,careful not to mark her, and then licks away the sting. Caroline shivers, herthighs clenching together from the sensation, fingertips digging into his backto hold him closer.

She triesagain, “I can’t do this again. Not…”

Hestraightens, takes a moment to blink away the haze of want. When his eyessharpen Caroline swallows harshly, the gulp audible. He looks frustrated, alittle angry. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for months, Caroline. I’ve beenpatient, waiting for a sign. Pestering my brother at every availableopportunity, crossing my fingers that you weren’t doing something senselesslike moving on.”

Caroline’smouth falls open, her temper sparking. “Something senseless?” she spits. “Senseless? You’re such…”

“Senseless,”Klaus interrupts, his expression daring her. “Ill-advised. Foolish. Pick yourterm, love. They all work.”

She shovesaway from him but can’t go far, crossing her arms as the island digs into her back.“Well excuse me for wanting more than just sex, Klaus. For deciding I wanted tobuild a life with someone.”

His fistsclench at his sides, his harsh inhale shaking his shoulders. “We had a life, Caroline. One that I thoughtwas pretty bloody fantastic. One that you walked away from without evenbothering to tell me why. My brotherhad to do what you were too cowardly to.”

“I am not acoward,” she hisses. “You never said…”

“Neither didyou!” Klaus shouts, his hands rising in frustration.

“Not evenonce!”

It’s a weakdefense and she knows it but Caroline’s never been one to go down without afight. Klaus had been the one to start flirting, Klaus had been the one to kissher. Had he wanted more, her future, the rest of their lives, wouldn’t he havesaid so?

“I didn’t…”God, she wishes she’d thought to prepare for this conversation. It’s been along time since she’d felt this tongue tied. “Well, I guess I just thought longterm wasn’t your thing. You seemed kind of… scornful or marriage as aninstitution.”

“Because I’veseen it be a nightmare.”

Fair.Caroline’s seen her share of bad ones too.

“I figuredit would hurt less if I got out early,” Caroline mutters. “When I thought aboutmy future, all I saw was you. I didn’t think you saw the same.” She’d been theone to ease back from Klaus, had calmly informed him that it was time for herto have her own place over dinner. He’d been shocked, angry, had stormed out ofthe house. “I should have asked, huh?”

She’d beenscared to. Hadn’t wanted to hear Klaus tell her she wasn’t enough. She’d goneto bed before he’d gotten back that night. Had been taping boxes together whenhe’d woken up the next morning. They hadn’t had too many conversationsafterwards.

One of hishands runs through his hair and the other hovers. She watches him considertouching her, sees how his eyes flick to her mouth again, and then think betterof it. When he speaks again it’s quieter, incredulous. “I cannot believe youdon’t know that I’m in love with you.”

It’sshocking and she takes a moment to absorb the full weight of the statement, togauge his seriousness but she sees nothing but sincerity, a weariness, in hiseyes.  She moves this time, collidingwith him, kissing him even as her eyes sting with tears that want to fall. Thisis slower, searching, and she wraps her arms around him and let’s herself enjoyhow warm he is, how good he feels. He pushes her jacket off her shoulders, hishands sliding under her sweater, a little rough and greedy for skin.

The knockat the door tears them apart. Caroline considers ignoring it when her eyesflutter open to find Klaus’ lips swollen and his eyes dark, his breathing justas uneven as hers. “That’s my ride,” she rasps. “I wish I could stay.”

Had shestill been at her old job she might have been able to swing it. Her pay raisehad come with new responsibilities and she’s supposed to be leading tomorrow’smeetings.

Klaus tipshis head forward to rest against hers, “What’s a few more days?”

Ugh,torture. It takes great effort to pull away. “I’m back Friday. Do you want tohave dinner together? We can talk and see if we can figure this out.”

Klaus nods,“I’ll pick you up. We’ll get takeout and we willfigure this out.” He retrieves her jacket, shakes it out, motions for her tospin around.

She letshim help her into it, “So confident,” she murmurs.

Klaus laughs,pulls her back into him. He presses his face into her hair, inhales with acontented noise. “I finally got the full story from Kol only because Enzorefused to let him do anything more drastic. Such as lock us in a small roomtogether with only food, water, and condoms until we’d come to an agreement.”

“Yourbrother watches too many Lifetime movies.” Not that Caroline can complain. Kol’sthe only one who’ll watch them with her.

There’sanother knock from the door and, reluctantly, Klaus nudges Caroline forward,snagging her hand and enclosing it in his. She squeezes, “Can I call youtonight?” The idea of waiting three days to speak to him, knowing what she doesnow, is super unappealing.

Klausagrees, easily and instantly, presses her up against the door for one lastbrain melting kiss. It’s only the knowledge that there’s probably a veryimpatient cab driver on the other side that prevents Caroline from wrapping herlegs around his waist.

“Be safe,”he murmurs, just before he pulls away.

Caroline’sslightly dazed as she leaves the house. The cab driver confirms her name, grabsher bag and walks ahead to stow it. She’s lucky she’s walked down the porchstairs and the front walkway hundreds of times because she does it onautopilot. It’s not until she’s in the cab, turning to wave one last time atKlaus that she realizes she’s forgotten something.

If she werein a Lifetime movie she’s have made the driver stop, would have sprinted back tothe house. Caroline really likes her job, has very specific plans for hertrajectory. Thankfully, there’s always the wonders of modern technology. Shepulls out her phone, taps the screen to connect a call to Klaus and waits forhim to pick up.

“Caroline?”he asks, sounding puzzled. “You can’t have forgotten anything.”

“Just onething.”

“Oh?”

“I love youtoo. Just so you know.”

Klaus’reply is slow to come and Caroline holds her breath. “I had an inkling. But it’sgood to hear.”

She laughs,tipping her head back against the seat. “Hence the reason why I mauled you.”

His voicedrops, the tone familiar and promising seduction. “You can, of course, feelfree to maul me anytime.”

“I had aninkling,” she jokes.

Theycontinue talking until Caroline gets to the airport and has to focus onchecking in. In the evening, the next few nights, after she’s done with workfor the day. When it’s dark and she should be sleeping they get to the hardstuff. Her insecurities, the reason she’d decided to run without fighting. Howhard it is for him to say certain things. He promises to try, she vows never tobe afraid to talk to him about the hard stuff.

She leavesthe call connected, listens to him breathing to fall asleep.

In themorning, despite her lack of rest, Caroline feels fantastic. Better than shehas in months and, on the flight home, she gets an email from her boss sayinghe’s been hearing impressive things about her performance at the conference.

She and Klaus make a tiny little scene at theairport, get a little too handsy and heated considering their audience.

They forgothe takeout and, once again, the traffic gods smile on Caroline. Last time she’dthought it a curse. This time? Not so much. They manage to avoid any and alltraffic snags and make it to Klaus’ in record time.

The animalsare very excited to see them. At first. They quickly grow indignant when they’relocked out of Klaus’ bedroom without even getting a moment’s of attentionlavished upon them. The drapes come down again, half the books on the livingroom shelves end up on the floor. Along with a bowl of fruit that had beensitting on the kitchen island.

NeitherCaroline nor Klaus hear the commotion. They’re too busy making up for losttime.