#vampire diaries fan fiction

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Three Doors Down

Title: Three Doors Down

Word Count: 11,000

Warnings: Bullying, descriptions of blood, a little bit of a slow start.

Summary: Alright, so maybe pretending to be Jeremy Gilbert's neighbor wasn't all that bad. After all, the kid's gorgeous cousin lived just three doors down. She stutters, but it's kinda cute... || Kol x Disabled!reader || Here lies my Masterlist

A/N: No, I am never going to stop with the disabled fics. Please note that any misrepresentation of Hypoxic brain injury and speech aphasia in this fic was done on purpose to make things clearer for those who are unfamiliar with the condition. Thank you!

"Dude, we can do anything you want, but not before we get some lunch. I swear, if I don't eat something soon, I'm gonna drop dead," Jeremy said, a little out of breath as he tugged his helmet off and placed it back on the shelf. 

"You're worse than me, mate," Kol chuckled. He twirled the wooden baseball bat in his hand and shook his head, pushing himself off the wall. Turning around, he moved over to his locker and opened it up. He messed up on the lock code the first try, not because he was trying to seem more human, but because he simply hadn’t bothered to memorize it and just resorted to listening for the click of the tumblers. No one would be able to tell the difference, however, so like most things, this just served to work in his favour. He stashed the bat and helmet in the locker and retrieved his camera bag, slinging it around his shoulder before closing the locker door. 

Kol Mikaelson was in Denver on his brother’s orders, posing as Jeremy Gilbert’s friend and neighbour from across the hall. He was here to serve as a proverbial axe poised just over the boy’s head so the kid could be used as motivation for a Benett witch to unlink him and his siblings. Kol despised following orders of any kind, even more so when they came from his brother, but he also liked not being dead so self-preservation was trumping his grudges and personal feelings for the time being. Besides, Nik’s doppelganger and her friends had the white oak stakes, and they were in Mystic Falls - easily 1,500 miles away from him - thus he was quite alright with leaving Nik and Bekah to handle that task. That way, if one or both of them messed up and they all died, then that was one less thing for them to pin on him in the afterlife. Anyway, Kol was there playing the part of Cole Mitchell, a British photography student shooting photos for a project about something to do with America and culture and whatnot. Though it had originally been a prop, Kol had actually come to enjoy photography beyond just playing pretend.

Jeremy raised a brow. "And what's that supposed to mean?" He asked, falling into step beside him.

Kol shrugged. "Well, my sister claims my mind is occupied solely with the thought of food, but I think you make me look tame. Do you ever think about anything else?" He teased. Jeremy just snorted, giving his newfound friend a playful shove which he returned in kind, naturally.

"Is this you telling me you wanna pick what we eat?" Jeremy demanded, ducking Kol's attempt to whack him upside the head.

"That is exactly what it is, mmhm," The taller boy stated matter-of-factly.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Okay, then what do you want?"

What he wanted wasn’t exactly something the human would like very much. He would just have to go find himself someone to snack on later.

"I wouldn't say no to never ending breadsticks…" Kol drawled, glancing at the younger boy with hopeful eyes and a cheeky grin.

"No way, man," The younger Gilbert scoffed. "I'm seriously too broke for Olive Garden."

"I'll pay!" The taller boy offered. 

"You don't have a job," Jeremy pointed out.

"Nope!" Kol cheered, flinging an arm around his shoulders. "But I do have two loaded parents who hate my guts!” The dysfunctional family was part of his cover story; no acting required there. “Thus, I get all the money I want as long as I stay far, far away from them. You know what that means?" 

"Drowning your emotions with spaghetti?" The kid guessed.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Jeremy laughed. "Alright, man, whatever you say. Let's just-" Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he stopped. “- Hold on just a sec…” He was staring at something at the other end of the batting cages. His relaxed disposition vanished and the smile on his lips morphed into a thin line. "There’s something I gotta take care of,” He muttered.

Kol stopped and caught his shoulder, frowning. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

The Gilbert boy didn’t answer, he just sighed and shot Kol an apologetic glance. “You know what? Why don’t you just go on ahead, I’ll be right behind you.” He started moving and Kol followed without a second thought.

“You look like you’re about to start a fight,” He remarked, trying to hide his amusement at the thought.

“I might,” Jeremy grumbled, his eyes still fixed straight ahead.

The vampire nodded and shrugged easily. “Well, you know what they say. Friends don’t let friends go to prison for assault and battery alone!” That comment earned a huff of a laugh and Kol turned his attention to what the other boy was so focused on.

Towards the other side of the batting cages, there were these three girls all standing around a fourth girl who was clearly their victim. The fourth had her back to a wall and the other three stood one on each side, boxing her in like a pack of hyenas. Though none of them were much taller than the girl they were ganging up on, they each wore these enormous heels that allowed them to tower over the girl in her grey sneakers. Now that he paid attention, he could hear them talking. The voice of the girl that was doing most of the talking - Kol would assume she was the leader - was high pitched and piercing and her tone was sickly sweet.

"You know, I actually really love what you've done with your hair, Y/N," The leader said. The other girl, Y/N, shifted her feet, tugging on the strap of her satchel. She stood sort of curled into herself and her eyes flicked nervously between the three girls as the first one continued to speak. "I mean, I think it looks really cute on you, yeah. Just makes me wonder why you did it." Y/N shook her head, shrugging a little. Kol wasn’t sure why her hair mattered but girls always seemed to make a big deal about stuff like that. "I mean, did you do it 'cause you want attention? I know I’m not you, but if I were then I don’t think I could handle any more than what you have to deal with all the time. Though, now that I think about it, that’s probably not the right kind of attention so, like, is there someone you're trying to impress? Oh! Or are you just attempting to go blonde so you can try and keep with the whole blue eyes, blonde hair, dumb ass thing you got going on?"

Y/N hung her head, shuffling her feet as the girls around her did nothing but laugh. Kol raised a brow and scowled. They  were within human earshot for that last bit, so he had to keep in character, though doing so wasn’t very difficult. For whatever reason, something about the situation just bothered him; he didn’t like seeing the shy girl getting ganged up on. It reminded him a little bit of his own family, and he didn’t like it. Clearly, Jeremy didn't have an ounce of patience for this sort of thing either.

"Well if she's dumb then, man, I'd hate to see your IQ scores," He remarked, comming to stand behind the girl doing most of the ridiculing. The leader turned around with the sort of smile Kol had seen more times than he could count. It probably would have been attractive had he not been able to see right through it. Now he just found it equal parts pathetic, hilarious, and revolting.

"Oh! Hi, Jeremy!" The lead girl's gaze flicked from the Gilbert boy to where Kol stood just behind him and she paused for a moment. Her eyes raked up and down Kol's figure and that smile of hers sharpened. He was used to reactions like hers by now, they amused him. "Who's your friend?" She asked, twirling a lock of hair around her finger in an attempt to be cute. He knew exactly what sort of thoughts were running through her head at that moment, he knew the game girls like her loved to play. He could play that game too, and he was much better at it.

"Someone way out of your league, darling,” Kol said, sending her a smile that was all teeth. The lead girl blinked and her smile faltered. She glanced at her little minions, clearly shocked.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave Y/N alone?" Jeremy demanded, glaring at her. The lead girl recovered and shifted her attention back to him, rolling her eyes with a huff.

"I don’t know, maybe until I see a good reason why I should.” She smirked.

“Oh, I’ve got your reason,” The younger boy sneered, stepping forward. The other two girls took a step back, but the leader didn’t flinch. From behind them, Y/N looked up with wide eyes and shook her head at him frantically.

“What are you gonna do about it?” The leader challenged. “Ya’ gonna hit me?”

“Maybe,” Jeremy growled, taking another step. That was something Kol liked about Jeremy Gilbert, the boy reminded him a little bit of himself. He was an all-or-nothing sort of person and if he was going to confront someone then he wasn’t afraid to take it all the way. Kol, however, was older and he’d been raised better… in a way. He held a hand out to stop the kid.

“You don’t touch a lady, mate,” He muttered, shoving Jeremy back. The lead girl folded her arms and gave a prim little huff. Kol glanced up at her, raising a brow with another very fake, very threatening smile. “That being said, you, darling, are far from what qualifies as a lady and even further from deserving to be treated like one. You are a sad, pathetic little girl who preys upon the weaknesses of others to make herself feel better about her own insecurities. You are terrified that no one will ever have any respect for you and thus cannot stand it when another person has even a little bit for themselves. Now, if you have a modicum of intelligence, I would suggest you go home, rethink your life, and decide to do as my friend says and never come near this lovely young woman again.”

The girl’s mouth dropped open in shock. Then she clenched her teeth and hissed. “Or what?”

"Or I'll fetch an eraser and remove those eyebrows you drew on yourself this morning," The older boy supplied, not missing a beat. That seemed to have an effect. The ugly-pretty girl blinked and tried to hide her complete demoralization with a scoff.

"We-we were just kidding!" She defended. "Don't take things so seriously!"

Kol's smirk grew.  "Duly noted. Have a lovely day, darling." The girl pouted and slunk away, dragging her minions along and he waved at them as they left. It was quiet for a moment before Jeremy let out a low whistle.

“Dude…”

Kol just waved him off. “If there’s anything my parents ever taught me, it’s how to offer an insult. Now, are you going to introduce me to your friend or what?” 

He shifted his gaze to the girl left standing before him. Now that he actually took the time to look at her he noticed several things. The first being that she was beautiful, no question about it. Her’s wasn’t the show-stopping beauty of some, but rather an endearing sort of beauty. It was less something found in her face and more something he caught in her sparkling E/C eyes that gave him pause. Her eyes were deep and soulful and, good Thor, he could stare into them all day. Those eyes were so full of life and enthusiasm that he found himself wanting to smile; he could see why any woman - any person, really - would be jealous just looking at her. 

The second thing he noticed was her heartbeat. Her heart was racing as she now took the time to look at him. The reaction was similar to those of millions of other women when they first saw him, but the expression she wore was completely different. She was smiling, yes, but not in the way he had grown so used to. Her smile was enthusiastic and flattered, though a little bit shy as if she was surprised he could even see her but ecstatic that he could. She smiled at him like he was a dear friend, not like he was an object she was trying to appraise. The cynic in him wanted to call her a fool but, oddly enough, he found himself enjoying the change of pace. 

The third thing he noticed was the crescent-shaped devices perched over her ears. Hearing aids - as they were apparently called. They were bright green and she’d clearly had them for a while, which led him to wonder when she’d first gotten them and why. Although, the scars that caught his eye next led him to believe her hearing loss hadn’t been natural. Whatever the accident had been, he could tell it had happened a long time ago. The scars were pale and stretched from where she’d grown, they crisscrossed her cheek and jaw bone, moving down the right side of her neck where they disappeared beneath her shirt. Yet, they did nothing to mar her beauty. This girl had him looking twice… and that was a first.

“Um, sure.” Jeremy’s voice pulled him back to reality. “This is my cousin Y/N,” He said, gesturing back and forth between them. “And uh, Y/N, this is my friend-”

“Kol Mitchell,” He lied easily, stepping forward and offering his hand. Y/N smiled and took it, but instead of shaking, he pulled her hand to his mouth, leaving a soft kiss against her knuckle. She grinned, and her nose crinkled up in a way he couldn’t help but find adorable, and the laugh she made was more of a snicker than a girlish giggle. She surprised him - another first. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, darling.” Y/N nodded enthusiastically but said nothing. He tilted his head. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

There was a sharp pain sprouting from his side as Jeremy elbowed him in the ribs. “Aheh! Aheh! Shut up! Ahem!” He coughed, trying without success to disguise his words.

Kol shot him a questioning look but didn’t have time to ask. 

“It-it's al-alr-right.” 

The girl was the one to speak. It was strange, the way she said the word - as if she was learning how to say it out loud as she spoke. She nodded and smiled, waving her hand a little in a dismissive gesture. "H-hello, K-Ko-ol. Thank you for… for… uh, for, um…" She frowned and flicked her eyes upward as if trying to remember something. "For-for, um…" She started snapping her fingers. "What-what's the word? Gimme the word." 

"Defending you?" Jeremy suggested.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed. "Yeah, that's it! Thank you for de-defending me. A-and for ke-eeping Jer-rr out of pr-risio-on."

"Eh, it was nothing. What are friends for?" He shrugged. 

"B-bail money," She replied.

Kol snorted, that was actually pretty good. He was surprised by her quick wit because she didn't seem like the sardonic type. "So how exactly are you two related?" He asked, gesturing between them. He didn't actually care, he just wanted to ascertain whether or not the girl was aware of the supernatural. The two cousins looked similar in age, though Y/N seemed just a little older and he knew the Gilbert family had a legacy but was unsure if their sense of duty had spread through the family tree. He thought it unlikely considering how clueless the kid seemed to be, but he couldn't rule it out.

"Uh, on my mom's side," Jeremy answered. 

"Sh-she was my Da-ad's sis-t-ter," Y/N added. Alright, so he would label her awareness as a loose maybe.

"You know what? No, I just can't see the resemblance," He joked. "You're much too gorgeous to be related to him." He jabbed a thumb in Jeremy's direction, simultaneously dodging another jab in the ribs from the same while his cousin just snorted.

"I've seen you," She said. "I-I've seen you places a-and h-here when I'm doing. I-I should - no, uh, I wanted to… I-I wanted to… um…" The girl started snapping her fingers again, bouncing on her heels. "What's the word? It's, um, what is it?"

He frowned. Again, that stutter irked him. Women often struggled to think clearly around him - an occurrence he enjoyed thoroughly - but she didn't seem nervous. A little shy, maybe, but not enough to be stumbling every other word. Then there was her speech pattern. While her voice was pleasant, it sounded almost hampered by something; she spoke in a halting way that put emphasis where it wouldn't typically belong. If he didn't know better, he would have thought her brain and her mouth couldn't agree on what they were trying to say.

"Help? Uh… talk?" Jeremy tried. 

"No, no!" Y/N cut him off. "L-Let me get it! It's uh…" She scowled. "Ugh… it's… GREET! Yeah! I sh-wanted to g-reet you w-when you come, er, came. Your eyes- I saw them a-and th-thinking you were ni-ice. But there's a… there's a…"

"Reason," Her cousin muttered.

"Uh, huh. There's a reaso-on I don't ta-alk to… to, uh…"

"People." 

"To people." Y/N's voice faltered to a whisper and she looked away, fixing her eyes on her shoes. 

Kol nodded. "I see. Darling, not to be rude, but I can't help but notice the way you speak. Am I allowed to ask about that?" He wondered.   

Jeremy shot his cousin a sidelong glance. She smiled slightly and nodded at him. "Um, I don't know what it's called…" He trailed off.

"It's spe-ech a-apha-aphasia. From, uh, from H-Hypox-Hypox-oxia," She told him quietly.

"And what is that exactly?" He wasn't strictly familiar with modern medical terms. 

"Oxy-Oxygen def-deficie-en-ency in-in the brain for an exten-en-ded period-d of time that caus-s-es perm- uh, u-um… perma-perma… um…"

"Permanent."

"Yeah, perma-nent brain d-dam-damage," She admitted in a whisper. So Y/N was like him then, damaged beyond repair. That was something he could understand.

"Yeah." Jeremy reached out and draped his arm around her shoulder, comfortingly. "Car crash. Happened when she was six. Y/N and her mom were driving home one night and a drunk driver ran 'em off the bridge and into the water. A lot like what happened to my parents, 'cept my aunt was able to get out and she got Y/N out, but she'd been under for too long." He sighed. "She ended up with hearing loss too but the doctors said it was a miracle she made it at all."

"Ah, I see." He nodded. The girl just fixed her eyes on her feet ashamedly. Not that there was any reason she should. Losing a part of one's self wasn't something to apologise for, he knew that better than most. "Well, I'm glad you did, darling," Kol said, offering her a small smile. 

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smirked and figured he would try his luck. "May I just say you have the most fascinating eyes I've ever seen?"

Y/N shook her head, blushing and hiding her face in her hair. 

"Here we go again," Jeremy muttered. Kol shot him a cheeky smile before reaching out to touch Y/N gently on the hand. She had soft hands. 

"We were just about to grab something to eat, would you like to come with?" Because he was actually rather enjoying not having to be anyone and as long as he was faking one friendship, he might as well go for two. Besides, Y/N was interesting and for some reason he couldn't quite place, Kol found himself drawn to her. 

The girl lifted her head, blinking in surprise. She glanced between the two boys, seeming almost confused. "Y-you want me t-o?" She asked. 

Kol raised a brow. "Well, I am inviting you so… obviously," He said with a charming smile.

Y/N's eyes gained a suspicious gleam. "Wh-why?" He opened his mouth to answer when Jeremy spoke for him.

"'Cause he's a nice guy, Y/N/N," The Gilbert boy reassured his cousin. "I mean, yeah, he flirts with anything that breathes, and I apologise in advance for that, but he's not inviting you along just so he can make fun of you." The girl didn't seem entirely convinced but she nodded anyway, deciding to trust him.

"I'm sorry but… do people do that often? Stab you in the back like that?" Kol wondered. The idea seemed unnecessarily cruel to him and certainly uncalled for. 

Neither of the cousins answered, but Jeremy looked up with an expression that told him all he needed to know. He gave Y/N's shoulder a little squeeze and Kol could tell that the boy was extremely protective of her, which wasn't hard to understand. What he couldn't seem to comprehend, however, was why he - Kol bloody Mikaelson - suddenly felt the same way. Perhaps it was something about her frail stature or the way she'd been ostracized by her peers. She was small, like Henrik had been, and with the same willful yet vulnerable heart as Rebekah. 

"Well, those people are clearly idiots," He replied with an empathetic smile. "Do you like Olive Garden?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Olive Garden? Yell heah!" She cheered, grinning. He snickered at her little mistake, perhaps some would find it annoying but he just thought it was cute. "Sooo… we fr-riends?"

"Of course, darling. I defended your honor and now I'm inviting you to lunch - that practically makes us cousins," Kol mused. Her enthusiasm made him smile. Y/N's eyes flew wide and she gawked at him, then she turned to Jeremy in disbelief. 

"Fr-friends!" She squealed. Her cousin chuckled and nodded, clearly not as shocked by this as her. She turned back to Kol and threw her arms around him. He froze, unsure what the girl was hugging him for before accepting her embrace. She tapped his back softly.

"One," She muttered. "No, no… that's wrong… Start?"

"Do you mean first?" Kol guessed.

"Yeah! Yeah. You're my… my first! That's it." She hugged him a little tighter. "You're m-my first."

The one-thousand-year-old original found himself smiling then, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. “In that case, I’m honored.”

***

Food is always good; however, it’s even better when someone else is paying for it. You had offered to pay for yourself but Kol had adamantly refused. You had been wary of tagging along with your cousin and his friend, having no desire to be the third wheel but you were pleasantly surprised when that wasn’t the case at all. Kol gave you the same attention he gave Jeremy and that surprised you. People didn’t really do that outside your family because everyone else didn’t care enough to put forth the effort. Yet, Kol did and you found yourself genuinely enjoying his company. He was animated and lively when talking and an equally engaged listener - he was fun! The three of you talked about all sorts of things while eating breadsticks like there was no tomorrow. 

So far you had learned that his favorite color was purple (he insisted there was no such thing as a ‘girly’ color), he was insanely good at close up magic (the guy was wearing short sleeves and he disappeared a pen right in front of your face), his family was apparently wealthy but he didn’t like rich people, his favorite animal was the fox, his favorite dinosaur was the velociraptor, he was claustrophobic (for reasons he would not expound upon), he spoke multiple languages (because his parents were apparently unpleasable and once you learn one of each type you can figure the rest out pretty easily), and when he was a kid he had wanted to grow up and become a professional wizard. 

“A-are you lov-ved?” You asked next, mentally cringing a second after the words left your mouth. That was just your condition; you knew what you wanted to say but could never find the right words to say it how you meant. Often your words offended people, it was one reason why you’d never really had a friend outside of your family. Over the course of your conversation with him, you had put together that Kol came from a dysfunctional family; thus, it wasn’t exactly hard to see how your words could hurt him.

The British boy choked on his drink. “Excuse me?” He strangled out. You saw a twinge of hurt flash through his eyes and you wanted to run and hide.

“No, no! That’s not… I m-mean are-are you, uh… Do you… Do you, um…” You started snapping your fingers, trying to remember and looked desperately to Jeremy for help. He just shrugged, equally as confused as Kol. “What’s the word? It’s… It’s, uh… Where did it go?” You couldn’t remember the word you were looking for and you could feel your cheeks begin to burn as you grew more and more frustrated and flustered. You bit your lip and tore your fingers through your hair - another one of your nervous tics when you struggled, like snapping your fingers or bouncing your feet. A lock of hair got caught around your birthstone ring, tugging painfully and giving you a sudden idea. You gasped and slipped the ring off your finger. “Ring!” You exclaimed. The two boys glanced at each other, still confused and you huffed. Kol made a shocked noise when you suddenly snatched his right hand off the table, pointing first at his ring finger and then at yours and then holding up your ring. “Ring!” You said again.

Then something seemed to dawn on him and he smiled. “Wait, are you asking if I have a girlfriend?”

“Yeah! Yeah.” You relaxed, feeling a shy smile flutter across your face which was surely flushed. 

“Well, no, actually, I don’t have one - not at the moment - but I’m open to auditions.” A slow but very cheeky grin spread across Kol’s lips. The boy was a thousand miles beyond cute and he knew it. “Why is it that you ask, darling?” 

“‘Cuz she’s into you,” Jeremy said through a mouthful of breadstick. Now it was your turn to choke on your drink. 

“N-no! I just-” Jeremy cut you off, pointing his breadstick in your face.

“Liar,” He deadpanned. Then he turned to Kol. “She never makes this much of an effort to talk to anyone. Not even me. I mean, I think this is the most I’ve ever heard her actually speak. Most of the time she just uses google translate or this funky text to speech thing to talk for her.” 

You glared at him and made a show of pulling your phone out of your bag and turning it on before typing something in. Thankfully, you had fast fingers. “It’s pretty hard to type while you’re eating, dofus.” Your phone said in the monotone voice of a computer.

“Is it really?” He challenged. “I bet I could do it.” You typed another message. 

“There is no way you’re touching my phone, butterfingers.” 

Your cousin rolled his eyes. “I dropped that lego set one time,” He insisted. “And that still doesn’t explain why you’re so chatty. I haven’t heard you talk this much since you were six!”

You raised a brow at him. “It's a little thing called being polite. No one has bothered to engage me in a conversation since I was six, outside of our family, but I don’t have to be polite to you maggots.” 

Kol laughed at that but quickly tried to cover it with a cough.

“Why don’t you just admit it?” Jeremy pressed, leaning over to ruffle your hair. You moved to smack his hand away but he used the opportunity to snatch your phone out of your other hand. When you reached for it back he held it out of reach. “Nope!”

“Give!” You demanded. You reached for it again but he quickly slid it over the table to Kol who swiped it up. He glanced from the phone to you and back with a very satisfied smirk. 

You raised a brow. “Not girl talking with you. I’m a gir-rl. Not you.”

“Well, you certainly have the figure of one,” Kol pointed out. His eyes wandered to your neckline and you knew he did that just to make you blush and of course, it worked. You weren’t used to being noticed.

Jeremy groaned and dragged a hand over his face. “Dude, this is Olive Garden. Could you not?”

Kol shrugged. “You’re the one who brought this up,” He retorted. 

“Well, someone had to. I know a good thing when I see it, but you’re too stupid, and she’d never admit it,” Your cousin claimed. You scoffed, that boy wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit him on the rear. “If I’ve learned anything this past year, it’s that drama sucks. So, yeah, just kiss but not here and not in front of me. Get a room.”

“I have one.” Kol smirked. “It’s right across from yours.”

Jeremy frowned and turned back to you. “Nevermind. Stay single, please.”

You groaned and put your head down on the table. A waitress must have seen because a second later, one was kneeling beside you.

"Are you alright, miss?" 

You glanced up and nodded before picking up a breadstick from the basket.

"How many of, uh, of these to cl-clean-cleanse a sou-l."

The woman frowned. "The jury's out on that one, sweetheart."

You hummed and sent her a thumbs up. She walked away. When you finally worked up the courage to look back up at Kol, he was staring at you which didn't help your confidence in the slightest. He seemed a little out of it, though. His eyes were glazed over and they fixated on your shoulder… or was it your neck he was staring at? He was probably just lost in thought so you waved a hand in front of his face. 

The boy blinked and met your eyes with a slight frown.

"I'm sorry, but I just remembered that there's something I need to take care of. I need to go," He said, standing up. His tone was remorseful but there was a trace of something else… something uncomfortable. You frowned.

"Oh…" You knew you would probably never see him again. At least, nothing more than a brief encounter on the street. You were a fool to think he actually tolerated you - a person who was a burden simply to talk with. "I'll look ar-round."

"It's 'I'll see you around'," Jeremy muttered.

"I mean, I'll see you ar-around," You corrected yourself in a whisper. You expected him to just leave then but he lingered. 

"You really do have the most captivating eyes, Y/N," He said. You just kept your gaze on your lap and nodded, not wanting to watch him go. Then, you felt a finger lifting your chin, guiding you to look up. "You know, when someone calls you beautiful, it usually means they like looking at you." He smiled a little and all you did was nod. You were trying really hard not to let him see you cry. "When can I see you again?" He asked softly. 

You blinked and finally met his eyes. "Y-you want to see me?"

Kol chuckled. "As a matter of fact, darling, I do."

"A-any-t-time. Jus-just hit," You said. He raised a brow.

"Oh, we didn't tell you?" Jeremy asked, leaning forward. 

"Tell me what?" The British boy asked. 

"Y/N lives three doors down from you. She means knock, by the way, not hit," Your cousin supplied.

"Uh, huh," You agreed. Kol grinned and you were surprised by how genuine it seemed. 

"Well, you can be sure I won't keep you waiting long." Then he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against your forehead. Kol's lips sent bolts of electricity down your spine and through your limbs. Then he turned to leave.

You gasped. “Game nigh-t-t?!” You suggested. He stopped at the door and glanced back, spreading his arms.

“Why not? There's always time for games!”

So three nights later, that’s exactly what the three of you did, deciding to play board games instead of video games, at your suggestion. The event was held in your apartment, on your kitchen floor because you didn’t have a table big enough, and Kol had shown up wearing one of those tacky poker vizors. After getting your butts handed to you in Monopoly, you and your cousin decided to play Uno and unleash the full power of all the draw four cards you could find on Kol who had been less than amused. Currently, the sun outside your window was sinking low in the sky and the three of you had moved on to the Game of Life. Evidently, Kol had never really played board games before because his parents were jerks so explaining the game took a while.

See you were quickly approaching 8:00 PM and by nature that meant things were very dark, which was a problem because your apartment didn't have enough light to see the game you were playing. Luckily, you were prepared. 

"Y/N, your lights in here are awful," Your cousin declared, squinting in an attempt to see his cards.

"I hate to agree with him, darling, but I can't even see how badly I'm losing," Kol hummed.

"You got anything to fix that?" Jeremy wondered. You nodded vigorously and scrambled to get off the floor, moving over to the cupboards. You reached in, pulling out a long tube and a bowl full of little plastic pieces. 

"Sn-nap light!" You cheered, pouring a few hundred glow sticks out on the floor in front of you. 

"Glow sticks, Y/N/N," Jeremy sighed. "They're called glow sticks."

"Uh, huh. Yeah." You giggled a little and glanced at Kol who was studying the multicolored rods as if he'd never seen one before. Maybe he hadn't. Maybe British people didn't have glow sticks - you'd been born and raised in Denver so you wouldn't know - or maybe his parents had just been truly awful. You grabbed three of the sticks and cracked them, watching Kol's eyes widen as they began to glow. Then you used the plastic pieces to fashion them into a ring, which you proceeded to place on his head. He went a little cross-eyed, grinning as he tried to look at it.

"A crown fit for a king," He announced. He reached forward and grabbed a handful of sticks from the pile, copying what you had done. "And one for a queen." Kol placed the so-called crown on your head and you smiled, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek. It was a quick, impulsive thing and both parties involved were equally surprised. Your insides felt all tingly.

"Do I even wanna know where you got all these things?" Your cousin demanded, cracking two handfuls of the little rods. Glow sticks may not give off much light but you had a lot of them, like a LOT.

"Uh…." You snapped your fingers a few times. "The… The groove?"

"You mean that dance a few weeks ago?" He guessed. "Why would you-"

"Free!" You claimed defensively. The people running the thing had been desperate to get rid of all the extras so you had done your part. You weren't one to turn down free stuff no matter how unnecessary it was. 

You continued to play the game, all the while making more and more rings with the glow sticks. Your cousin wouldn't permit you to make him into a human light fixture but Kol just laughed and let you hang as many glowing rings on him as your heart desired. There were quite a few by the time you were done.

"Ph-phone!" You held out your hand expectantly.

"What do you need mine for?" He asked, regarding you with a somewhat cagey expression. You could feel a throbbing ache beginning to build at the base of your skull but you didn't want the night to end so you decided not to start a wrestling match with your frontal lobe. Instead, you opted to make a rectangle with your fingers and a little click-click sound with your mouth. "A picture?" He clarified.

"Yeah."

"Alright then," He grinned, shaking his head. "Just be sure to get my good side." He handed you his phone and you took the picture, flipping it around to show him when you were done. "You're going to steal my career, darling," He said. You just snickered. "Hey, why don't you send that to my sister? I think she's under the contact name: Fingernails."

"Fingern-ails?" You repeated. What kind of contact name was that? Kol just smirked.

"Yep. Fingernails."

"Okay…" You went searching through his contacts and Jeremy came to lean over your shoulder.

"Dude, what is with your contact names on here? I mean first Fingernails…and here's uh… Rover… The Stick + The Mud… this one's just an eyeroll emoji…" Your cousin laughed and Kol shrugged, taking his turn. "What, do you have something against using names?"

"Yes," He replied with a smirk. There was something behind that expression but you didn't know what.

"What d-did you ca-call me?" You asked.

"Oh, I don't think I have your number," He replied. "Which is a criminal offense on my part, now that I think of it. Here, put your number on that while you've got it."

"Okay." You did as you'd been told, sending the picture to his sister and putting in your number. "Back." You passed it back to him. He thanked you with a soft smile and glanced down to read what you'd sent along with his picture.

"Really, darling?" He sighed, though his lips were twitching. "I'm a pretty, pretty princess? That's what you choose to send?" You just nodded vigorously, a cheeky smile spreading across your face. Kol glanced up and his chocolate eyes met yours. He was just looking at you but no one had really done that before, you weren't used to attention that wasn't annoyed or pitying. Your cheeks heated and you tucked a strand of hair back behind your ear.

"W-what?" You mumbled. Was there something wrong? Had you done something? 

"Nothing." He shook his head. "You're just adorable."

You ducked your head, unable to keep the smile off your face. Why was he so kind to you? People didn't do that. So why did he? You didn't get it.

"Your turn, Romeo," Jeremy interrupted, snacking on a bag of pretzels. 

Kol just laughed and took his turn. He moved his piece along the board and his face fell. "Tree falls on house, pay seventy-five thousand if not insured. Great." You snickered and reached up to ruffle his hair.

"Sucks to be you," Jeremy supplied. "So what's my contact name on your phone?"

"Han Solo," Kol replied without missing a beat. Jeremy nodded.

"I can live with that."

"Me?" You asked hopefully. Kol hummed.

"Let me think…" His eyes skimmed up and down your figure and you knew he did that just to make you blush. A smirk spread across his lips when it worked. "Candy," He decided.

You tilted your head. "W-why?"

"Because you're sweet," He answered with a shrug. "And eye candy," He added under his breath.

Kol's response made you laugh, which subsequently made you flinch at the pain that jolted through your skull. That migraine wasn't going away. Your heart sank, you had really been enjoying yourself. Now you had to be the one to end things. This was why no one wanted to be friends with you; geez, you were always such an inconvenience.

"Whoa-" Jeremy placed a hand on your shoulder. "You good, Y/N?"

You shook your head, rubbing your temple. "Mi-migr-ra-raine," You stuttered out, guilt taking over your features. "I'm sorry. I just- I can't-"

"You want us to leave?" Your cousin asked. Kol was watching you intently but you couldn't meet his eyes. Always an inconvenience.

You shook your head. "I'm so s-sorry."

"Well that's just bloody fantastic," Kol spoke up. You flinched a little at his words, though they didn't sound particularly angry or even annoyed. "How convenient of you to make friends with possibly the only person on the planet who knows how to cure a migraine." You glanced up and there he was, smiling at you as though this changed nothing. As though this wasn't just another reason to prove you were more trouble than you were worth. He smiled as if - No. That wasn't a thought worth entertaining. You weren't going to delude yourself into getting your hopes up.

"A, uh, a cure?" You asked, a little bit skeptical.

"Not for the cause, I'm afraid - just the pain," He said. But that was enough for you. "Would you like to try it? It's back in my flat but I can go and get it, if you'd like."

"Apartment," Jeremy muttered under his breath.

"Flat," Kol affirmed, eying you with an expectant gaze. You just shrugged.

"Y-you had me a-at-t pa-ain."

Kol blinked. "That's… good to know." You could see the smirk tugging at the edges of his mouth and you groaned, hiding your face. He barely withheld his laughter as he patted your arm and got up, moving towards the door. "It's alright, darling, it's cute - part of your charm. I'll just go get that out of my flat. Be right back."

"Apartment," Jeremy grumbled.

"Flat!" Kol countered.

"This is America! It's called an apartment!"

"I'm British! I'm calling it a flat!" He shut the door sharply behind him, effectively ending the debate. You would have found their ridiculous banter amusing if not for your migraine. The harsh bang of the door reverberated painfully through your aching skull and you whimpered. The door opened just enough for Kol to peak his head back in with a sheepish expression. "Sorry 'bout that." He closed the door again, much quieter this time, and you sighed.

As far as his supposed migraine cure went, you weren't exactly convinced. You had been dealing with frequent migraines since the accident and though you took medication for it, it could only decrease the frequency of your migraine days. The pain was the real problem and nothing, it seemed, could make the vicious combination of searing, pounding, and ringing sensations disappear completely. But that was your lot in life. Your bedside table was a pharmacy and you knew the local hospital staff on a first-name basis. A normal life just wasn't in the cards for you and you had given up hoping for one a while ago.

"Do you think this migraine cure will actually work, or are you just humoring him?" Your cousin asked, taking his turn. You lifted your head just enough to look at him, lifting a very weary eyebrow. "No, huh? Is it 'cause you think he's full of crap or 'cause you just don't wanna get your hopes up?" You clicked your tongue and shot a finger gun at him. "Little bit of both?" He clarified. You nodded; non-verbal communication was just easier, especially when it was just you and Jeremy. You didn't have to perform for him, anyone else was another story.

"You know… you're allowed to like him, Y/N," Jeremy tried, sounding a little hesitant but convinced. "I mean, there's no law that says you can't." You huffed a bitter laugh. It must have been so easy for him to say that.

"Yes, there i-is," You muttered, a sour smile creeping across your face.

Jeremy sighed, giving you that same look as so many others. It was pity and you hated it. "Y/N, what those girls say-"

"I-I-I d-don't care, really. I-I don't-" You shook your head. "I'm a… uh… um… I'm not-not… um… what's the word?" You tapped your hand softly against your thigh, not wishing to insight further wrath from your migraine. "Bird? No, no…. Burden! Yeah. I'm a bur-burden, Jer. I-I'm not gonna ma-make him, o-or any-o-one, de-eal with me." That wasn't his responsibility. You couldn't expect anyone to actually like you and you weren't going to put Kol in a position where he would feel obligated to cater to a silly crush on your part. You knew he only hung around you because of Jeremy - you knew that - but as long as he wasn't actively protesting your presence, you would enjoy his. You had learned to be a scavenger by now. 

Before Jeremy could say anything else, the door opened and Kol appeared with a steaming mug of something or other. "You two better not have stolen anything from me while I was out," He warned playfully. You rolled your eyes and he sat down on the floor across from you again, sliding the mug over. "There we are. I hope it's not too hot." The liquid inside the mug was a questionable peach sort of color and question it you did. "Oh, come on, darling! It's not going to hurt you, I promise it'll help." The expression on Kol's face seemed sincere, so you sent him a soft smile.

Lifting the cup to your lips you took a small sip. The taste was earthy, yet sweet with a hint of something you couldn't quite place. "What's in h-he-ere?" You wondered, enjoying the drink's pleasant warmth.

"It's herbal tea." Kol shrugged. "With a secret ingredient, of course."

"Sp-spill," You demanded. The boy scoffed.

"And give you an excuse to get rid of me? I don't think so, darling. Now take your turn." You rolled your eyes but did as you were told. You passed two payday spaces and found buried treasure so you weren't going to complain. Play moved around the board two more times before Kol spoke up again. "So how do you feel?"

Well, you felt a little tingly but other than that-

Wait.

The pain was gone. Just gone. You hadn’t even noticed it leave.

"G-Good… I'm… I'm good!" You exclaimed with a bright laugh. "No h-hurt!"

Kol grinned and there was something unusually soft in it that made you feel something strange. You felt… special. "See? What did I tell you?"

You didn't give him time to be cocky, opting to tackle him in a hug before he had a chance to react. He seemed surprised but wrapped his arms around you a moment later. You buried your face in his neck and hoped how tight you were holding him could communicate the gratitude you could never say.

"Somebody's enthusiastic," Kol chuckled. You just held on tighter. "Ah! I'm being strangled! Jeremy, she's trying to murder me!"

"Don't act like you don't like it," Your cousin scoffed. 

You snickered and Kol shifted your weight easily so he could glare at your cousin over your shoulder. "Load of help you are." 

"Thank you, Ko-ol," You whispered. For once, you really truly meant it. 

You felt Kol's hands smooth over your back, settling around your waist as he turned his head and pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. "My pleasure, love." He sounded like he meant it too.

"Seriously? Right here? Ugh, just take your turn, Y/N. You guys can make out when I leave," Jeremy grumbled. Your cheeks flared with heat and you let go of Kol, moving back to your seat to take your turn. The game ended a few turns later and Jeremy won, only because he'd stolen your salary card at the last second so you had ended up coming in second. Poor Kol had come in last and suffice it to say, he wasn't too happy about that. 

"I still think you cheated," The British boy insisted as he helped clean up the game.

Jeremy shrugged. "You're the one who chose to skip college, man."

"It's his first time playing, give him a break." You had your phone out and let it do the talking.

Your cousin just shook his head with a smile. "Well, guys I gotta go, I've got work tomorrow. This was fun, though."

"We should do it again," Kol agreed. 

Jeremy moved over to you and gave you a hug. "Be good," He hissed in your ear. He didn't give you time to smack him before he went for the door. Then he turned to Kol. "Hurt her and I'll kill you."

Kol nodded, a cheeky grin tugging at his lips. "Noted."

Jeremy sent him a thumbs up and you a wink. "Also, keep it down. 'Night!" He closed the door before you could throw anything at him and heaven knows you would have.

You groaned. What was his problem? Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut? He probably thought he was being funny, but he really wasn't. His words just hurt, really because you knew you were hopeless. Kol would never like you that way, no one ever had and no one ever would, least of all him! He was so far out of your league you couldn't even see that far. He was handsome, witty, well-spoken, and British! And what were you? A broken Plain-Jane with speech aphasia who takes glow sticks from parties to make up for the fact that no one asked her to dance. Oh yeah, you had it all going for you.

"So, just you and me now, eh? Whatever will we do to pass the time?" Kol drawled, throwing himself down on the couch beside you. The grin he wore reminded you of a puppy somewhat, full of energy. You gave him your best attempt at a smile in return. 

"It's okay, Kol. You can go now, if you want." If you spoke, you were sure your voice would betray what you really felt and you hated crying. 

Kol's face fell. "Darling, is everything alright? Did I do something?" He seemed oddly sincere in his question and a tad bit nervous if you were reading him right. You had thought he was just a flirt for the fun of it but maybe… No. Getting your hopes up would only hurt. But Kol reached out and placed a hand on your knee and hope started to creep into your heart without your permission. 

"Jer-Jeremy's go-one. You-You don't have to put u-up with-with me any-any-any-m-more." You stuttered and stumbled but perhaps it was better to say this yourself. "I know-ow you o-only h-h-hang out with me be-because of-of him." You looked away, letting your hair fall over your face like a curtain.

"Y/N…" His voice was soft and had you been looking you were sure you would have seen pity drawn across his features. "That's not true."

A bitter laugh escaped you as you shook your head. "D-don't say, uh, that. Don't, um… um… w-what is it? Uh… Don't, uh… Lie. Yeah. Don't lie." That sounded harsher than you meant it to but you could barely get it out at all. "P-pity doesn't h-help me. Don't do it."

"I'm not pitying you," He insisted.

"You-You al-already did. Not-not trying though," You sighed. It was always the same. Everyone thought that they were being helpful or kind but their attempts only served to burn you further. It would be better if they just did nothing at all.

"Y/N, please look at me." His tone was patient but you shook your head, content to hide behind your hair. Apparently, such a response wasn't enough for him. A sharp gasp escaped your lips as Kol's hand trailed higher on your leg. The pressure of his fingertips was all you could register and your eyes shot up to meet his. He watched you with concern and it… it looked real. "I'm not lying to you, darling. Jeremy and I are mates, but that has nothing to do with you and me. What I think of you, how I behave in your presence, that's for me to decide - it has nothing to do with him. If I choose to spend my time with a beautiful girl, it's because I enjoy her company… simple as that."

That wasn't an idea you could comprehend. People didn't enjoy your company, that was just part of your life. You were used to being ignored and pushed away. Anything else didn't make sense.

"No…" You shook your head. "No that's not-" Then it hit you. It hit you like a ton of bricks. Kol had just called you beautiful. The thought gave you pause and you frowned. "I-I'm not pr-retty." You had scars from the accident. They covered your shoulders, neck, chest, and back. Some even crossed your cheeks. They didn't make you beautiful.

Yet, Kol lifted his other hand and brought it up to cradle your face, his thumb brushing along one of those old scars. There was something in his eyes - it was focused and real. "Pretty? No." He smiled. "Gorgeous? Absolutely."

"No-no one else…" You struggled to find the words in your scattered, damaged mind. But as he stroked your cheek, your thoughts were consumed by the warmth that seemed to overtake you. You couldn't stop yourself from leaning into his touch, and when you did, the joy - the excitement - that flickered to life across his face made your heart pound. The guarded quality he always kept melted away, leaving his eyes kind and innocent.

"I think you'll come to find-" He began softly, leaning in closer. His right hand shifted ever so slightly higher and you swallowed deeply as his fingertips tenderly clinched your thigh. "-that I'm quite a bit different from other people you've met."

"Wha-what, um… speaking like?" You shook your head, unable to make sense of it - of him. Everyone always wanted something. What was it that he wanted from you? "How? How dif-different?"

The boy sighed, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Well, for one thing, I understand what it's like to lose a part of yourself," He claimed. You nodded, encouraging him to continue, and with a shaking breath, he did. "Something happened when I was younger and-and I lost the thing that made me… that made me. It-It was just… in a snap -" He snapped his fingers. "- it was gone. Gone and I couldn't have it back." 

You could hardly believe it. He understood. He understood. He wasn't lying. In your lifetime of people trying to sugar coat things, you had gotten quite good at spotting a liar. But Kol was telling the truth. You could see it in the hurt contained in his eyes and feel it in the tremble that wracked his hands. 

He really did know, and for the first time in so, so long - longer than you could remember - you truly weren't alone. It felt wondrous. And that boy, he leaned in closer to you still. 

"I know what it's like to yearn for something you can't have; something just out of reach, so close you can taste it on the tip of your tongue..." Your foreheads were nearly touching and you hadn't realized it until now, but his eyes were fixed on your lips and he was still talking. "So close but you just can't have it and you keep reaching, keep hoping, but every time it dissolves in your grip, a little piece of you dies. And all you want is what's right in front of you…" His voice was so soft, just a dull mutter and you couldn't really hear it - so soft your hearing aids couldn't pick it out. But you could read the words on his lips and feel them in the air he breathed as it ghosted over your face. His eyes were on your lips and his breathing was heavy. It was like a spell and you wanted to kiss him. "So close… but not for you to keep…"

Kol's lips brushed over yours so gently you wouldn't have sensed it had you not been so hyper-aware of him at that moment. Your eyes fluttered closed and though there were butterflies filling your whole being, you felt oddly relaxed. Maybe it was the way he held you - as if you meant something - as if you were something he wanted. The feeling that flooded you then was odd - it was pure and blissful and right, right, right! What was it? You didn't know, you had no word for it.

"What i-is this?" You asked breathlessly. The lack of air was marvelous.

"Something I shouldn't do," He replied, too low for you to hear. You felt the words against your lips, reading them like Braille. And Kol shifted his hands to your waist, squeezing lightly. 

"No?" You breathed. He was so close.

His lips nipped at yours just the slightest bit. "I shouldn't…" He shook his head a fraction and nipped again. "I-I shouldn't…" It was almost as if he were fighting something. Your hands moved on their own it seemed and fisted his shirt. It was something to feel - something you could believe in. You didn't know what he was fighting but you wanted this moment to win.

Kol cursed.

"But I want to." 

And he was kissing you. He closed the space between you, setting your senses on fire. His lips were soft and warm and the way he moved was so sweet. You gasped against his mouth and he just kissed you harder. The experience was so strange, you had never kissed anyone before but Kol felt so safe. You felt so safe with him. The way he cradled you like you were something to be cherished sent something beautiful burning through your soul. It was real, he was real, he meant it - you knew it. He tangled one hand in your hair, tugging on the roots just a bit because he needed to make sure you were real too. Kol's mouth lingered, but one kiss wasn't enough for him and he was right - it wasn't enough for you either. He came back for more, pressing you closer to him. Each kiss seemed more adoringly hungry than the last. For each time his lips captured yours and for each time he pulled away, you counted: 

One… Two… Three…  

A quick breath in-

Four… Five…

Kol moaned sweetly, slipping a hand beneath your shirt - just so he could touch your skin. He didn't want anything else at that moment, only you.

Six… Seven… Eight…

He broke away, only for a moment and only so he could speak. You opened your eyes to look at him and he was perfect. He licked his lips. His voice was hoarse and pleading, his breaths ragged -

"Lay back." 

And you did. Because Kol was safe. His lips found yours again and he positioned himself over you.

Nine… Ten…

Kol's perfect kisses left your lips, moving lower. Over your jaw, down your throat. He tugged at your shirt to leave a trail of tantalizing bruises along your collar bone and back up. He stopped at your jugular, pressing his lips against your pulse and groaning as if he were in pain… Why was he in pain?

"This wasn't in the plan," He murmured against your neck. "I should stop… I need to stop." Words spoken absently, as if to convince someone else.

You frowned and opened your eyes. "My f-fault?"

"No." He sighed heavily and his grip on your waist tightened. “No, it's not your fault.” With one final, lasting kiss to your lips, he shifted his hold on you and moved over so he could lay by your side. Twirling a strand of your hair around his finger, he smiled at you. "If anything, you're a little too fantastic." You weren’t sure what he meant and for a moment you wished you could read his mind. You wanted to know everything he was thinking.

"I don't see in-inside," You said, frowning. You ran a hand through his hair because you could and to tell him what you meant.

Kol laughed softly. "I'm saying I fancy you, darling.” He slid his hand away from your waist, over your hip, and down your thigh, squeezing carefully - as if asking permission. You shivered but didn’t protest and he repeated the motion over and over. “Was that not obvious?" You blinked, searching his face for any sign of a lie. You couldn’t find one.

"You… like… me?" It was real. He really did. That was more than your brain could process. "Why?"

And Kol just smiled, his sweet grip on your thigh tightening just a little in a way that told you he wanted you to pay attention. "Because you see with more than just your eyes. You look deeper and… you like what you see." He sighed, shaking his head with a laugh that held a ring of pain. "Not many other people do."

"We-we dance," You muttered, nodding. “Per-per-f-form.”

"It gets a little old, doesn't it?" He agreed.

"Yeah." 

"You don't have to perform for me," He promised. Kol smiled in that crooked way he always did and brushed a strand of hair behind your ear, pressing a butterfly kiss to your hair. "Come here, darling." He wrapped his arms around you and guided you to rest your head on his chest. It was warm and you could hear his heartbeat and this was all a first for you but it felt like the first of many.

He was so warm and you could have sworn you only closed your eyes for a second…

But when you opened them again, Kol wasn't there, and you knew you'd been fooled. It was ten AM and you were all alone. He hadn't even bothered to say goodbye!

You sighed to yourself as you sat up, burying your face in your hands. You kept your eyes screwed shut to keep the tears at bay but a small sob escaped your lips without your permission. As much as you wished you could shrug it off like you had every time before, you just couldn't, because it was different this time. This time it wasn't just a little scratch on the surface of your heart. This time it was a gouge the size of the Grand Canyon and it hurt like hell. It was different this time because Kol was different - at least, you'd thought he was. For once, you thought someone had actually meant their words to you - he'd had you so convinced. But you'd been wrong about him. He was just like everyone else.

To be honest, you should have known better. Kol was a flirt and he always would be. That was just who he was and maybe he couldn't help it, you thought.  Maybe he was still a decent person, maybe he hadn't really meant to hurt you the way he had. After all, the boy had the attention span of an adult child and the impulse control of a- 

Nevermind. He had no impulse control.

You just should have known better than to think he'd see something in you worth sticking around for. You were lucky to have gotten what you had from him. Guys like Kol didn't look at girls like you. Sure, you weren't ugly, but you were damaged beyond repair. Just a burden you couldn't expect him to bear.

That didn't make it hurt any less though. The way Kol had kissed, and touched, and held you - it had all seemed so real. But maybe you were just a fool to have believed it. No one had showed interest in you like that before, you should have known better that to think anyone ever would. Kol had been the first, yet you wished you'd never met him because you knew now that he would be the only one. And if he was the only one, then you could be sure you would never forget him. You would never forget his kisses, the gentle way he spoke to you, that playful glimmer in his eyes, the laughter he could coax from you, or the bruises he'd left along your collarbone. Even when those bruises faded, they would leave a sweet pain behind.

Resigning yourself to that fact, you stood and started with your day. You got dressed, made yourself breakfast, washed the dishes, and then checked your phone. You were somewhat surprised to find fourteen missed calls from Jeremy, though you weren't much in a talking mood, so you ignored them.

You really shouldn't have.

Because sometime around eleven-thirty, there was a knock at your door. You ambled over - a little listlessly if you were being honest - and answered it, fully prepared to tell whatever salesman was standing there to go away. The door swung open and your jaw dropped. There, leaning in the doorway, stood Kol. Now, normally that fact alone would have been shocking enough, but that was the least of your worries at the moment. 

Because Kol was covered in blood.

"Good morning, darling. How are we today?"

He was smiling at you - beaming really - but his shirt was soaked in crimson, along with his jeans. It almost looked like he'd been laying in a pool of blood. His face seemed slightly ashen and in his shirt, right over his heart, was a large, jagged hole. Like he'd been stabbed. Yet the flesh beneath that hole was completely intact, without so much as a scratch.

"Kol? W-w-wha-what?" Your eyes were wide and you shook your head, trying to clear your thoughts. "W-what ha-ha-happen-end?" You demanded.

"Funny story about that, actually." There was so much blood. Yet he laughed. "Jeremy and I had a bit of a falling out, if you can believe that. One if his other friends stabbed me."

You gaped at him. He shouldn't have been standing. He should've been dead. "Y-you-you can't… You can't be h-here…" You whispered. You wanted to ask how he was still breathing but the words were lost on you.

Kol grimaced, but not as if he were in pain. "Sorry about that disappearing act earlier, darling. I think there's something you should know," He declared. "I haven't been entirely honest with you, and I promise I'll explain everything, but first…" Kol pushed himself off the door frame with a slight groan and stepped forward, placing a hand on your shoulder and trapping you in a vice-like grip. He looked deep into your eyes and you found yourself unable to break free. 

"First, you're going to do exactly as I say."

Tagging: @yn-ymn-yln @r13mar @rootbeerfaygo @iiskittles16ii @fandomrulesall-blog @dark-night-sky-99 @railingsofsorrow @apolloroid (Tell me if you want on or off the tag list!)

[roselilies]

[wholoveseggs]

~Your local egg carton~

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18+

THANK YOU so much for all your love and support; it truly means the world to me. lets get cracking!

Warnings: Its all mostly smut (or soon to be published smut)

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hi :) my name is Lissa ♡♡

I've been writing for myself for a long time, but this is the first place I've posted it publicly. I'm thrilled so many people like my work! Especially for a show that's been over for five years~

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decisions, decisions / damon salvatore x reader

heyoooo ! new damon fic ! I don't know that this one will have a part two, but I loved the idea of it :) lmk what you think!

decisions, decisions / damon salvatore x reader

summary: the two times you discussed your apprehension to transitioning with Damon, and the one time you didn't get to.

word count: 5.5k

warnings: mentions of death, blood, violence, etc. typical tvdu stuff, no real reference as to when this takes place in canon

As you walked through the doors of the boarding house, flanked by both of the Salvatore’s, you thought of the night your parents had died and how you eerily felt the same way as you did then… your boots clicking against the wood floors could be heard by anyone, though it wasn’t quite reaching your ears, neither were the voices of Stefan and Damon as they led you into the kitchen and sat you on a bar stool. Logically, you knew exactly where you were, but really if someone asked you wouldn’t have an answer. The only thing you knew for certain in this moment was that your skin was itchy and your mind was racing, replaying the events of the past hour as it tried to sort and categorize what it had seen, what it had done.

“Should we… call someone?” Damon asked, and this you heard but your eyes remained locked in place, looking at something that wasn’t really there as you felt a hand on your shoulder and a glass pressed to your lips, thankfully your body had the instinct to go on autopilot and sip the water Stefan was forcing you to drink. 

“Who?” he shot back, and if these were different circumstances you would have laughed, said my dead parents? A crisis counselor? A therapist? Good luck explaining this one.

“Bonnie, Elena, Caroline?” Damon listed off and each name made you wince.

“I don’t think any of them will be much help right now,” Stefan answered. Good, at least someone is thinking clearly.

“I’m fine,” you finally said, voice hoarse as you spoke for the first time in over an hour, and both boys snapped their heads to look at you, varying levels of concern clear on their faces. “I just, uh…” you paused, looking down at your hands, blood caked underneath your fingernails, seeped into the fabric of your clothing, even down to your socks. “It’s a lot of-” your hands started to shake and Stefan was quick to grab them, steadying them as he pulled you up.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he said softly, leading you up the stairs and into a bathroom where you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and had you had the capacity to process the sight before you, you again might have laughed… an inappropriate reaction to an inappropriate situation. Stefan left quietly, leaving you alone as you began stripping yourself of your now-ruined clothing, trying to ignore the way it clung to your skin before smearing the blood everywhere… as if it would have made a difference.

You didn’t even flinch when the door opened, unconcerned with the fact that you were standing in just your bra and underwear because it’s not like there was anything to really see beneath all the red and Damon’s eyes were apologetic as he sat a stack of clothes and several towels on the counter. “Sorry, just leaving these here for you,” he said and you gave him a dry smile.

“It’s fine, sure you’ve seen worse.” you replied.

“I’ll be just outside, shout if you need anything.” You nodded softly as the door shut once more, and you peeled off the remainder of your clothing before flicking the faucet on and stepping under the stream. The shower floor quickly became a violent red, bright and angry, as the water washed over you and it did nothing to quell the images flashing through your mind. You almost felt embarrassed by how shell shocked you were, it wasn’t like you hadn’t killed before… a rogue vampire, or a werewolf that one time, in the heat of battle amidst the chaos that was now your life but this was different.

This was a hunter, a human, someone new drawn to the horrors plaguing Mystic Falls that set a perfect trap for Stefan and Damon, leaving you in the crosshairs after a training session in the woods. The irony of you pinned to the ground with only a small knife to your name after an afternoon spent wielding weapon after weapon was not lost on you, and the real kicker was the stake driven through your abdomen… the only human staked with two vervained vampires laying a few feet away. Instinct and self-preservation had taken over, mixed with a little fear, and in all honesty you don’t know where your knife had landed, just that you’d fought with all your might until his body slumped against yours. You’d known it had to be you, if either of them had awoken they wouldn’t have hesitated, you had to be the one to do it.

You briefly thought of Carrie, how the pig’s blood poured over her and drenched her so completely… only this wasn’t a movie, you weren’t on a stage in a pink dress, and this was not pig’s blood. It was sticky and hot pouring over your face, dripping down your neck, seeping through your clothes… it was human. It wasn’t a vampire, or a werewolf, it was another human just like you. You’d seen the light burn out in his eyes, you’d felt the limpness in his form as you shoved him off, you’d felt every inch of the stake as you pulled it out with shaking hands, terror pumping through your veins as you realized if you died right here, you would not be dead.

It was something trivial, a knife slicing through your palm so deep you felt woozy, you remembered the laughter as Damon begrudgingly gave you his wrist and Elena’s comment… I think we need to establish a schedule, make sure you’re with a vampire at all times otherwise your clumsiness is going to be your doom. 

You scrubbed your scalp, nails raking across the skin as you desperately waited for the water to run clear. It felt like there wasn’t enough soap, enough water, enough patience. But eventually it did, what’s the saying… all bleeding must stop? Soon everything will pass. How long until this passed? You recognized Damon’s scent as you pulled on his clothes after drying off, wrapping you in a sense of comfort you found odd. It wouldn’t have been the case had it been Stefan’s, you always felt safe with him, trusted and valued… but Damon? You were friends, sure, by circumstance not choice, you never fully knew where you stood with him which left you on edge and unsettled in his company.

You opened the door to find him exactly where he said he would be, leaning against the wall opposite you, eyes glued to the floor until they snapped up, searching yours for the answer to a question he didn’t ask, a question he wasn’t really sure of in the first place. He let out a chuckle as he scanned you, settling on the sweatpants threatening to drop right off your frame, and he gently reached out to secure them tightly around your waist. “Better?” he asked and you nodded.

“Finally feel clean,” you answered, voice still scratchy and hollow, as he led you down the hallway to his bedroom where he pulled back the covers for you to settle in. You looked up at him with a look of confusion and amusement as he busied himself with tucking you in, truly fretting over you. “Who are you and what have you done with Damon Salvatore?”

“Ha ha,” he responded sarcastically. “Thought this would be more comfortable, the guest rooms are kind of creepy in my opinion.”

“If you say so,” you replied, a smirk clear on your face and he tried not to dwell too much on how reassuring it was to see you sinking back into your old self.

“Do you need anything? Water, food, Stefan?” he asked and you just shook your head, “okay, I’ll be down the hall… or you know where Stefan is, whoever you’re more comfortable with, if you need anything…” he said, rambling as he was overwhelmed by the emotional intimacy of tending to you, yet he still felt like he wasn’t really doing enough as he walked towards the door.

“Damon?” you called, and he was quick to turn around, eyes warm and curious as they settled on you. “Could you maybe… stay? If that’s not weird?” you asked, and he was sliding into the other side of the bed in an instant, careful to leave an appropriate distance to not spook you.

“I think we left weird back in the woods,” he answered and you let out a soft laugh. Silence permeated the space as you both tried to figure out what to say next, there were about a dozen thoughts on the tip of your tongue and only one question on Damon’s that he finally found the nerve to ask. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know, I think so? He was going to kill all of us, I know I did the right thing, but… it’s just weird, I guess I was overly prepared for killing something supernatural, and underprepared for something human.” 

“You did do the right thing, and you saved one of us from the hunter’s curse… thank you for that, by the way,” he said, and you cracked a smile. “It was him or us and you chose right.”

“I almost died,” you nearly whispered, recalling the feeling of your blood rushing out of the wound in your abdomen, using all of your strength to crawl over to Stefan and Damon’s unconscious bodies. “I know it’s not the first time that’s happened, but it was the first time I felt it, the losing energy, feeling weak… when neither of you were waking up I was terrified I was going to die.” You recalled your panic, both of them out cold as your hands darted around the ground, sifting through dead leaves to try and find the knife you’d dropped to slice open Damon’s wrist to drink from.

“And you still had my blood in your system,” he finished, and you looked over to him a little shocked that he remembered, and that he already seemed to know that’s what was really bothering you. “You don’t want to turn?” he asked, genuinely curious. You’d always refrained from giving your two cents on the matter when it came up, and you were usually impossible to read.

“I don’t know,” you answered. “I’ve thought about it, not enough to figure out my stance on it. I don’t feel the same as Elena did, it was her worst nightmare… She wanted kids, and the picket fence, and sitting on the porch swing old and gray. I don’t want the same things, I don’t view vampirism as a hindrance to my goals or an unnecessary evil, but I also don’t know if I want to give up my human life.”

“You’ll stay here the next few days,” he responded and you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “Until it passes from your system. You deserve for it to be a choice, and I don’t want you out in the world where you could stumble into another person on the hunt for me… or with your luck, oncoming traffic.”

You let out a laugh, “thank you.” You settled into the blankets as a wave of exhaustion rolled over you, and you tilted your head slightly when you saw Damon lift an arm up for you, creating a space for you to lay against his chest. You exhaled in relief as he held you firmly, caging you in and wrapping you in a sense of protection.

“Get some rest, I’m not going anywhere.” he whispered, fingers drawing absentminded patterns against your skin as you already began fading into sleep. Nothing about the day had been predictable, but the most unexpected thing was this peaceful moment with Damon… 

The incident with the vampire hunter had left you rattled for weeks to come, while you weren’t subject to the hunter’s curse that didn’t stop it from hanging over you like a storm cloud, lightning threatening to strike at a moment’s notice, but it became easier to manage with time… you were able to compartmentalize and rationalize. Yes, he was human, but he was also trying to kill you and two of your friends. At least, that’s what you (and everyone else) were constantly repeating. Eventually, the dreams subsided and you were able to take a shower without seeing pools of red at your feet, and life began to return to normal.

Well, normal except for one key difference… Damon had become not just a friend of circumstance, but a genuine friend. You’d seen a side of him you were entirely certain didn’t exist and he had suddenly seen you as something more than just one of Elena’s human friends. He had discovered that you were deeply insightful, had good ideas when he actually listened instead of tuning you out, and you were a hell of a drinking buddy despite your weak tolerance for bourbon, which he was currently pouring for himself as you laid sprawled out on his bed with a grimoire underneath you.

“This one is a dead end,” you sighed, crawling off the bed and discarding it on the stack of books Bonnie had asked the two of you to read before swiping his glass and finishing it off, nearly snorting the amber liquid at the look on his face.

“That is good bourbon meant for sipping, it’s not meant to be treated like cheap tequila.”

“My bad,” you said, amusement lacing your tone as you held your hands up in surrender. “I didn’t realize there was a protocol to drinking alcohol.” He just gave you a look as he refilled his glass and poured one for you, one that said you’re insufferable. “I’ll let Bonnie know we didn’t find anything.”

“We’ll figure it out eventually,” he responded, placing the glass in your hand as you clinked it against his. “Got any plans tonight?” he asked, eyes darting to the window showcasing the setting sun.

“Besides drinking you out of house and home?” you answered with a question, tilting the glass back and swallowing it in one gulp, as if to further annoy him, “nope.” He rolled his eyes, walking towards the door and you followed him instinctively, like he was a magnet pulling you along with him, and you let out a gasp when you landed in front of the liquor cabinet, watching him pull out a bottle of tequila.

“That is for you, if you insist on not enjoying your drinks.” It was your turn to roll your eyes as you pulled the top off and drank directly from the bottle.

“We can’t all be old like you, I’m firmly in the stage of my life where alcohol is a means to an end,” you responded with a shrug of your shoulders, making your way over to records where you flipped through, looking for something to put on.

“I’m not old,” he protested and you raised your head slightly to shoot him a look.

“You fought in the civil war,” you pointed out. “On the wrong side, might I add.”

“Not by choice, and I deserted... a fact you always conveniently forget." he protested, rolling his eyes. “Why is it that this is always the album you pick?” he asked, changing the subject entirely as he watched you take another swig from the bottle.

“Do you have a problem with Prince?”

“None at all, however… variety is always a good thing,” he mused.

“Did you ever see Prince? Like, in his heyday?” 

“Once or twice,” he responded, smirking at the way your eyes lit up just imagining it. “Perks of vampirism… compelling yourself into the best spot at any show… One of my fonder memories is watching Fleetwood Mac from the side stage.”

You sighed dreamily, “that is something to put in the pro category.”

“Given it anymore thought?” he asked, extending his hand for you to take as he twirled you around to the sounds of I Wanna Be Your Lover, and you obliged his request to dance instantly, allowing yourself to be pulled into his orbit as your hips swayed in motion with his, both of your bottles long since discarded on a nearby table.

You nodded, “the incident put things into perspective, made me consider things a little more thoroughly. I actually remembered a conversation Elena and I had, long before we ever met you and Stefan, after watching a vampire movie… it was the middle of the night, we should have been sleeping but I asked her ‘if vampires were real, would you want to be one?’ She answered, ‘if they look like Brad Pitt, definitely.’” you paused to chuckle. "But, this isn’t a hypothetical question at a sleepover, it’s a real possibility I’ve teetered on the edge of more than once.” You two were no longer really dancing, merely swaying side to side as he looked down at you with rapt attention, more invested in what you thought than he ever would have imagined. “When I look at you I see endless opportunity, wild fun and trips around the world once, or twice, or a dozen times just because you can, and freedom. When I look at Stefan I see a constant struggle for control, longing for the true humanity he lost, and deep-rooted self-loathing for where he’s been and what he’s done. You two are on opposite ends of the spectrum, which makes it really difficult for me to gauge how I actually feel.”

“You could look at Lexi,” he pointed out. “She was the poster child for self-control and moderation but that girl got up to some wild things when she wasn’t saving hero hair.”

You smiled softly, “I did, actually… I only met her once, and granted I didn’t know she was a vampire at the time, but she did seem good, and free-spirited.” You watched his face fall slightly, no doubt reliving the moment he killed his brother’s best friend, and you wrapped your arms around his neck to break him from the thought. “I want to be like you… uninhibited, bold, a little reckless at times because you’re just invincible enough to be okay no matter what… but then I think of Stefan, or how much Elena wishes she could change things, or how hard Caroline tries to make the best of it and it pulls me right back into questioning everything. And the rub is that if I decide I want to stay human, I can change my mind at any time… if I decide to be a vampire on the other hand…”

“There’s no going back,” he finished and you nodded. “Whatever you decide, you’ve got my support. It’s kind of admirable, the way you’re really taking the time to actually figure out what you want.”

“Was that a compliment?” you teased and he harshly tugged you closer.

“Definitely not,” he whispered before letting you go to return to his bourbon… and you to your tequila.

“If you say so,” you mused, making your way to the record player to make a new selection.

“For the love of god, no more Prince.” he protested, already seeing you halfway through making that choice. You raised your hands in surrender, a cheeky smile on your lips as you instead selected Bon Jovi.

“Oh, you’re going to pay for that.” he said, already lunging for you as you squealed and ran thorough the living room, desperately trying to evade him.

Trudging through the dark woods you struggled to see more than a few feet in front of you, entirely unguided by the light of the moon and the dim glow of your phone screen. One wrong turn had you separated from the Salvatore’s with Klaus on the loose and you thought to yourself that there couldn’t be a worse time for you to be lost and un-flanked by the brother’s. You were unsure of exactly why you were facing off with Klaus, the whole thing felt rather ridiculous to you, but you were whisked off the front porch just as you’d raised your hand to knock… simply there to collect a forgotten textbook. You shouldn’t have been surprised, this was just your life now, breezing from one supernatural disaster to the next.

You thought about calling out to them, but realized it would only alert the person you were desperately trying to avoid, and settled for your careful and slow movements, one foot in front of the other, until you finally, hopefully, found them before Klaus found you. It was an effort entirely in vain, you were human, he was an original vampire, you couldn’t even be shocked when you heard the tenor of his voice or felt a strong arm wrap around your waist as he hauled you through the forest kicking and screaming. “Klaus! Put me down!” you tried, but that was also in vain. 

“I can hear you, Stefan,” Klaus sneered as he dropped you rather unceremoniously to the ground, and you scrambled to your feet… contemplating running but it would only make matters worse.

“Just let her go, Klaus.” Stefan said, emerging with Damon through the tree line and you felt the tiniest bit of relief that was quickly squashed as you realized if they’d angered Klaus there was only so much backpedaling they could do. 

“I thought I told the lot of you to stay away from my family,” Klaus roared and a shiver slinked down your spine… if they messed with his family you were really done for.

“I thought retaliation was fair play,” Damon replied, confusion evident in his tone as he walked towards you, stopping only a few yards away. “Might want to tell that sister of yours to keep her emotions in check.”

“I’ll be sure to pass along the message,” he said, turning to harshly yank you forward. “But it appears you all need a message in return.” He bit into his wrist and you struggled in his grasp as the brother’s moved forward, only to stop in their tracks when Klaus said, “take one more step and I’ll snap her neck.”

“Klaus, don’t!” Stefan pleaded, you could already see the guilt clear as day across his face as he realized you were about to suffer the same fate he wouldn’t wish upon anyone else. “She wasn’t involved, don’t do this to her.”

“Makes for a better lesson then, doesn’t it?” he asked, shoving his wrist against your lips and you tried to fight it but it was futile as you choked his blood down. “An innocent life, completely derailed by your actions.”

“Klaus,” you whispered, the shaky fear drawing his attention to you. “Please don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry, love,” he responded, brushing a stray tear from your cheek and you stiffened at the touch. “You’re what's known as collateral damage, it’s nothing personal.” The worst part of it all was that as you looked up into his eyes you saw genuine remorse… he didn’t want to do this to you, he felt like he had to. “Perhaps in a few years when you’ve adjusted to this new life of yours, I’ll make it up to you.”

“Alright, come on… you’ve given everyone a good scare, message received, just let her go and we can all forget this ever happened.” Damon tried as Klaus’s hand gently cradled the back of your head.

“The next time you think of crossing my family, I want you to look at this lovely young girl, frozen in time, immortalized as a monster, and reconsider,” was the last thing you heard before everything went dark.

You jolted upright in a bed that wasn’t your own, chest heaving as you looked around frantically, trying to decipher where you were and your breathing slowed, only slightly, when you realized you were in Damon’s bedroom. Your mind was reeling as you checked yourself over for injuries before realizing if you were waking up in the boarding house whatever had happened had already been magically erased from your body. You stilled when you heard arguing on the other side of the door, Damon and… maybe Elena? Your head throbbed as you swung your feet over the edge of the bed, prepared to stand and figure out what the hell had happened when it all hit you like a freight train… snapping twigs, Klaus’s blood, darkness. You were in transition.

You jumped to your feet just as the door swung open and Damon was surprised to see you awake, “there she is. How are you feeling?” he asked in an uncharacteristically chipper tone and he was unsurprised when you charged towards him, tiny fists clenched and thudding against any inch of his chest you could hit.

“What the hell did you do?” you shrieked as he just stood there taking it, allowing you to get it out of your system and it didn’t take long for you to realize it wasn’t going to change anything and you stopped as you stepped back and ran a hand through your hair. There was a sinking feeling in your stomach, a chill in your veins as you whispered, “I’m a vampire.” You thought of the conversations you’d had with Damon, exposing your feelings on the matter to only him, feelings you hadn’t quite deciphered for yourself. It was a choice you were debating, only for that choice to be ripped from your grasp.

“I really didn’t think he’d take it that far,” Damon tried and you just scowled at him, if looks could kill he��d be staked by now. You stood there for a moment, sorting through the mountain of emotions swirling through your head and your heart before laughter bubbled past your lips, true unfiltered laughter. 

“Is everything okay?” Stefan asked, entering the room and you noticed the blood bag in his hand he was trying to keep concealed.

“Oh, everything is just peachy,” you replied, thoroughly in a fit of giggles as Elena was pulled in by the sound and the three of them just watched through confused eyes with concerned expressions. “I mean, I don’t respond to texts for what…? Three hours? I try to have just one night to myself, and that’s the night you decide to piss off an original and I get murdered in the woods,” you ranted, breathless laughter still surrounding your words. “He called me collateral damage to whatever idiotic stunt you pulled with Rebekah. Collateral fucking damage,” you whispered the last part and Elena shared a look with Stefan that translated to what should we do? “That for me?” you asked, striding across the room and plucking the blood bag from his hands, and Elena flinched when you ripped the top of it off.

“You don’t have to drink it right now, you have time to decide-” Stefan started but another bout of laughter cut him off.

“Decide? That decision has already been made for me. I mean, what am I going to do, just let myself actually die?” you replied as you sucked the liquid down and he suddenly felt like he was in over his head. While this reaction from you wasn't shocking for Damon, Stefan had expected tears, breakdowns, and maybe a broken vase or two… but he might have been right about the breakdown, he was at a loss for any other way to describe what he was currently seeing. When the bag was empty you discarded it on Damon’s desk and took a moment to steady yourself, inhaling and exhaling all of the bad.

“Okay, what’s done is done.” you said suddenly and Elena’s face twisted up in confusion.

“It’s okay if you’re not okay, you can take a minute… process what happened,” she tried.

“Your emotions are really heightened right now, I think you should just sit down and take a beat.” Stefan added, and Damon was being unusually silent.

“Nope. I’m good, we can’t go back, we can’t change it… this is how things are. What’s done is done,” you repeated.

“That’s… it?” Elena asked and you nodded.

“That’s it. Now, I’m going to go home, take a shower, take a nap in my own bed, and I will be prepared for whatever hero monologue about self-control and moderation you were preparing during my brief stint into death tomorrow,” you said, directing the last bit to Stefan as you moved to exit the room and Damon cleared his throat.

“About that… you can’t leave, yet,” he said, voice cautious as you turned on your heel, eyes catching the sunlight and you took in another deep breath to steady yourself.

“Turns out we used the last lapis lazuli ring on hand for me…” Elena started, “Bonnie’s out getting one right now, but until then…”

“I’m stuck here.” you finished. You nodded, “perfect. Cool if I raid your kitchen?” you asked, but didn’t wait for a response. “Great, thanks so much.” You bounded down the stairs, stumbling on the landing as you realized you moved far quicker than you intended to… something for you to get used to, and you threw open the fridge with a huff as you sorted through its contents and settled on what looked like leftover takeout from the Thai place you loved so much, not even bothering to heat up the noodles as you hopped up onto the counter.

“By all means, help yourself, wasn’t looking forward to those later or anything,” Damon said as he entered and you let out a humorless laugh.

“Don’t even,” you warned as he leaned against the counter across from you. “Should I make you the same promise you made Stefan? An eternity of misery?” 

“I’d rather you didn’t,” he answered and you focused your attention on your noodles. “I’m sorry.”

“What for? It’s not like you pissed off Klaus and robbed me of having a say in how I live the rest of my life,” you replied and he nodded, knowing there wasn’t really anything he could say in this moment to make it right. “I meant what I said, what’s done is done. I just… I didn’t know if I wanted this,” you sighed.

“I know,” he responded, and he did. “I had a plan if you’d ever decided you wanted to.” he said, and that pulled your attention back to him, eyes curious and prompting him to continue. “I was going to give you one last truly epic human day… maybe a little road trip away from all the chaos here with greasy drive-thru french fries and milkshakes, deserted dive bars with questionable décor, cheesy roadside tourist traps, maybe a hike thrown in there to remind you of the utter humanness in struggling with something as simple as a walk. Then we’d stop at a motel, watch really terrible made-for-tv movies, and when you were all tuckered out and fast asleep that’s when I’d do it… so you’d just wake up in your new life.”

“That’s… oddly sweet,” you said, skepticism lacing your tone.

“Everyone’s story is traumatic… I didn’t want that for you. I wanted it to be easy, and peaceful.” he said and you smiled softly at the sentiment. “I’m really sorry my choices resulted in the opposite, and got your choice taken away.”

You sighed, “it’s okay. I meant what I said, what’s done is done. I have decided that I did decide I wanted this, I just hadn’t shared that with anyone yet and really Klaus did me a favor. I’m reframing and moving on.” 

He chuckled, “you’re incredible, you know that?” he asked as he stepped in between your legs, palms resting on your thighs. “I will spend the rest of my eternity making sure you have the most fulfilling vampire life possible. My bad choices are not going to hinder you from having the life you want, whatever that ends up looking like.”

You laughed, “you shouldn’t have told me that because you just gave me so much power,” you teased. “I already have a request.” 

“Whatever it is, consider it done,” he replied, smirking at you.

“Can you go get me some clothes from my house? Something cute and fun…. you’re taking me out as soon as the sun goes down because I’m hungry and not for something that comes out of a blood bag or a take-out container.”

“On it,” he answered, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “In the meantime, go upstairs and relax. Take a bath, raid the liquor cabinet, raid the fridge in the basement, whatever you want, and when I get back I’ll give you the best first night of vampirism you could ask for.” he said and you laughed as he disappeared, hopping down from the counter to follow his instructions. Sure, this wasn’t how you’d imagined it, before you woke up you weren’t even sure this was what you wanted, but there was no use dwelling on things that could be unchanged… there was only making the best of it, and welcoming your new life with open arms.

taglist: @caseysalvatore @minalblood @styxflower

[wearesociety]

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.”

or

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

[moon-witchs-world]

Champagne Problems

Sometimes you just don’t know the answer, ‘til someone’s on their knees and askes you. ‘She would’ve made such a lovely bride, what a shame she’s fucked in the head,’ they said. 

Author: moon-witchs-world

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x  Witch! Reader

Words:831

  Warnings: One swear word, lots of heartbreak

Summary: When an original vampire gets down on one knee, he gets a different response than he had hoped for.

Author’s note: heavily inspired by TS’s Champagne Problems, one of my favourite songs of all time.

It felt as if the world had stopped spinning. Your heart started racing while you looked at Elijah. Handsome, sensitive, noble, intelligent Elijah. He picked you up after sunset and hadn’t told you where you were going. Even though his request had been unusual, you had no idea what he had been planning.

You should have known he wasn’t going to invite you for a walk around New Orleans late at night for no reason. New Orleans hadn’t been this unsafe in years and he wouldn’t do anything that could potentially cause you any harm just for a simple walk. He picked you up at your apartment and then walked with your fingers intertwined.

You didn’t really talk much while walking. You assumed he was lost in his thoughts in the same way you were, trying to figure out the next move. Over the last couple of weeks the Original family had received many death threats. This wasn’t new or anything out of the ordinary, but the threats had been followed with actual attempts at murder. You and Elijah had fallen in love a little over a year ago and even though he was an Original vampire and you were a witch, you were a great match.

He was caring and old-fashioned, you were kind and powerful. Your relationship was mostly private due to the fact that Elijah’s family and your coven of witches didn’t approve.

The Original vampire had suddenly stopped walking. It was at that exact moment you realized something was about to happen. You had stopped at a park and Elijah halted in front of a gazebo. It was decorated with peonies and what looked like at least a hundred candles were lit. You felt a nauseous feeling in your stomach. Just when you wanted to ask what he was doing, he did something you never expected.  

The whole cosmos halted in a pause by one action of the Original vampire. It made you mad. He must have known what your answer was going to be well before he even bended one knee. But even so he sat there, kneeled, holding a beautiful diamond ring and looked at you with longing in his eyes.

‘I am the happiest I’ve ever been, Y/N and that’s all because of you. I have no idea what challenges lay ahead, but I feel confident facing them with you by my side. Would you make me even happier and marry me?’

‘I can’t.’ It was nothing more than a whisper. The sight before your eyes was a painful one. A man, always strong and unbendable, completely shattered by a whisper. You immediately knew that there was no way you could have hurt him more.

‘You don’t want to marry me.’ His words triggered an anger you had been holding back. 

‘Actually, no. This is not about what I want, Elijah. It’s never about what I want because that would be just too fucking easy.’  It wasn’t in your nature to scream, but you were getting so close to it you felt an uncomfortable pain in your throat. You were naturally soft spoken, but the emotion was getting the better of you. His dark eyes pierced yours and he just stared, like he was daring you to look away, like you were having a staring contest.

‘Then please, do explain, because I really don’t seem to understand.’

Overwhelmed by emotion you looked at him.

‘Where would you like me to start? With the fact that I’m a witch or the fact that every single member of your family hates my guts?’

Both of those things were true, but at the same time none of it really mattered. You loved Elijah. Elijah loved you. And it was the intensity, the pure and consuming love that scared you.Elijah didn’t respond immediately. The silence felt heavy. Every second that passed without either one of you saying anything added to the weight. Then he looked up, his dark eyes piercing yours.

‘Neither of those things is a good enough reason to reject my proposal. Marriage is between two people who love each other dearly and want to promise each other to stay together.’ He paused and sighed.

‘You should stop making excuses, my love. You’re afraid.’ His words were spot on. He knew you well. The fact that he remained calm was confusing. It would have been easier if he had gotten mad. Yelled at you. But his calm voice dripping with disappointment was worse.

 ‘I can’t

‘You don’t want to. The least I deserve is the truth, Y/N.’

You looked at him. Somehow he seemed a bit smaller, crushed by the weight of your words. Your rejection. You averted your eyes, unable to look at his disappointment. You had no idea what to say next, but you didn’t have to. When you looked up again, he had disappeared. Your eyes filled with tears when you wondered if you’d ever see the love of your life again.

[rhaenin-time]

So back when the TV writing industry was slightly more permeable without connections and TV itself was more episodic, a common way to get your foot in the door was with "spec scripts." Where you'd write your own episode of a show.

You (well, your agent) would never submit a spec script of the show to the show you want to work on to the actual show you want to work on though. Rather, it was only meant to demonstrate that you understood how to write a self-contained story that remained faithful to the overarching story. Consistent in tone and theme and characterization. That not only were you a writer, but a writer able to tell a story someone else asks for, alongside other writers.

So yes, you'd basically submit fan fiction. And your goal was to make it read like a genuine lost script, rather than like... "fan fiction."

Anyways, Julie Plec once wrote a Buffy spec script. And it's EXACTLY what you think.

I mean it, a hellish mix of cringey and boring. All the incompetence and self-indulgence we associate with bad fan fic, but with none of the fun. None of the soul. If you ever feel embarrassed about writing what you consider a particularly cringey fan fic, just remember that Julie Plec not only did worse, but that she wrote it for a professional reason, looked at it, and decided, "Oh yes. This will get me all the jobs." And proceeded to SUBMIT it.

[tandonshows]

We're hard at work on the second season of our fiction podcast, That Vampire Show! The whole first season is available to listen to for free now while you wait-- But what's it all about?

In short: Kat Wright and Warren Young. Kat's like most of us on this website: she's incredibly stressed and overwhelmed, and she copes with that by hyper-fixating on her favorite TV show. It's called Bloodlines, and it centers on twin siblings Bex and Callum Rainier, who come from a long line of Vampire hunters.

They've also got an arch nemesis of sorts: Luther. He's a centuries old vampire who came to town with one goal -- fulfill a hit on Bex and Callum.

Kat loves Callum. He's her baby boy, her little guy, her sweet cheese. And she writes a lot of fan fic for him, mostly dealing with his humanity and his need for redemption. Warren hates the way the fandom obsesses over Luther, who he views as a simple, clear cut villain motivated by evil.

So... he picks Kat's fic to be the winner of the contest. Which means she comes to set, meets the cast, and has a big run in with Warren himself. Their collision course derails Kat's senior year, and changes the future of Bloodlines forever.

We also wanted this show to be a proper love letter to fandom and the community that comes out of it -- which is why the show is interactive, with Kat's online profiles fully accessible. She's right here on this hellsite @9lives6ftunder, and her fan fiction is available on AO3 (including some works that are not featured in the show itself!). There are even online only characters that you might hear from in the canon someday soon, but incredible fan art made in world is usually highlighted on @benditlikebrooklyn.

That Vampire Show is for you if you obsessed over shows like Supernatural, Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries, or Buffy The Vampire Slayer, loved the Simon Snow trilogy, or have ever read fan fiction, written fan fiction, or spent too much time thinking about fictional characters. (so, if you're reading this... on this website... it's for you)

You can listen to all of season 1 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts now. The trailer is below, for a little treat :)

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Fine On My Own

Title: Fine On My Own

Word Count: Wouldn't you like to know?

Summary: Your parents had been on the secret council of Mystic Falls and as the eldest child, they had told you everything that being a founding family member meant. But you hadn't wanted their legacy. On a whim, you had dated the original vampire Kol Mikaelson just to spite your parents. You were supposed to hate him and vice versa but you ended up feeling the opposite. But he left - you knew he had to but that didn't make it feel any better. Then someone blew your parents to kingdom come. When Kol showed up at your door, you didn't know how to let him back into your life. Did you even want him to come back? || Kol x reader || Here lies my Masterlist

Warnings: Blood, violence, fluffy and protective Kol, a manipulative wack-job, and way too many LOTR references.

Requested By: @misswe03 I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks for being here.

A/N: Listen to Who Did That To You by John Legend when you read that last half. Makes it 10x better. Also Y/B/N stands for your brother's name just so there's no confusion. Anyway... Roll Tape!

Pulling your hair into a ponytail at the nape of your neck, you cracked open the door to the guest room quietly, peaking in for just a moment before entering. An unconscious smile spread across your face as you wandered over to the far corner of the darkened space. 

"Hello, lil' miss! Hows' ya doin' today?" You cooed. The adorable little baby giggled softly in her bassinet, staring up at you with chocolate brown eyes that looked strikingly like her father's. You waved at her before bending down to pick her up. "Did you have a good nap? Yes? Oh, dere's a good girl, yes. Yes, ma'am. You're just the sweetest, aren't you?" 

The baby gurgled and showed you the beginnings of a smile. She really was a mercifully sweet baby. For three and a half months old, the girl hardly ever cried. You held her up against your shoulder and gave her a kiss on her head. Downstairs, the doorbell rang and you frowned.

"Now who could that be, sweet-bubby?" You muttered. The baby didn't offer any probable suggestions of course, though you probably would have been more upset if she had. 

You debated for a moment whether or not you should go get the door. It was five o'clock in the afternoon and you hadn't been expecting anyone so odds were it was probably just some door-to-door salesperson or something. They'd probably go away if you ignored them. There was also an off chance it could be one of your friends, but none of them had contacted you in weeks. Not since the-

You winced a little.

It wasn't like you could blame any of them, they'd all tried their best. You'd have done the same thing in their shoes. It wasn't their fault they didn't have a clue what they should say to you. What on earth can you say to a person when their parents get blo-

You held that sweet baby girl closer and shoved the end of that thought away, blinking rapidly. You'd been doing so well.

The doorbell rang again and you rolled your eyes, secretly grateful for the distraction now. "Let's go see who that is. Yeah, we're gonna go see, huh baby?"

Descending the stairs carefully as you were still holding a baby, you arrived at the door just as someone rang the bell again. You slid away the deadbolt and flipped the lock, opening the door just a smidge - just enough so you could see out - you wanted to be able to easily slam it shut if needed. You shifted the baby to keep her out of sight. Paranoia had been plaguing you recently, it wasn't something you couldn't help. You peered out at the person standing on your porch and gasped, blinking a few times to assure you weren't seeing things. 

The boy outside was tall - a little over six foot - and thin, but in a lithe, muscular sort of way, not the wimpy kind of way like other boys. He wore dark blue jeans, a black shirt, and a gray canvas jacket with the collar turned up against the weather outside. His thick, dark hair was longer than it had been the last time you'd seen him and it looked a little windblown, but that was okay; it still looked cute on him. He stood with his hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels nervously, with his head bowed and his gaze fixed on the ground. He only glanced up when he heard you gasp, raising his head to look at you with hooded eyes - big, chocolate brown, puppy-dog eyes that you loved more than you should. 

"Kol?" You breathed, opening the door a little wider. The corners of his lips twitched up in a smile that was both hesitant and reserved.

"Hello, darling."

That smooth, silky voice washed over you and you instantly felt your body relax a little. It was involuntary - just muscle memory at this point. That boy had been your safe place once, but that was before he'd taken off in a puff of smoke. Sure, he texted and called, but that just wasn't the same as knowing where he was and seeing his face. You understood that was for your own safety - didn't stop it from hurting though. You had still missed him.

"Hi," You whispered. All you could offer him was a fragile smile - it was nothing like the broad, wild one you knew he liked, but you were trying your best. You felt stretched pretty thin. "I, uh… I didn't know you were back. Have you been in town long?"

He shook his head. "Not long. Only about two, maybe three hours or so."

"And how long will you be staying?" You asked even quieter, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear with your free hand. You knew he would hear you regardless of how quietly you spoke.

"A while, I hope," He replied. Kol took a step forward. "May I come in, love?" He kept his voice gentle and you wanted to feel safe but he had that look on his face that said he wanted to talk to you about something. Talking was the last thing you wanted to do - you had to keep moving.

You shook your head, staring at your feet, you moved to close the door but Kol stopped it with his hand. He didn't overpower you though like you knew he could. He just watched you with something soft in his eyes. 

"You don't have to shut me out, Y/N/N," He murmured. 

"I know that," You said.

"Do you?"

A moment passed and you sighed heavily. 

"Take your shoes off in the foyer." 

That was all you said before abandoning the door. At least you hadn't made dinner yet so you could include him in your preparations. Might as well do that now;  he didn't technically need to eat but you would include him anyway - it was the right thing to do. The sound of the door closing came from behind you as you entered the kitchen. You could have fought him harder but there wasn't really a point in doing so. You were already so tired.

After taking a moment to obey your singular command, Kol shuffled into the kitchen wordlessly. You didn't even have to glance over your shoulder to know he was leaning against the doorway with his arms folded, watching you and wondering. You chuckled slightly and faced him, turning the baby in your arms around as well. You gave her a gentle kiss on her head.

"This is Millie," You said, nodding towards her. Then you stooped a bit to address the baby girl. "And this here is Kol, Millie. He's my friend. Wanna say hi? Yeah, can you say hi?" You took her hand and helped her wave at Kol. "Yes, that's a hello from you! That's a little hello from Millie!" You glanced up at Kol, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

A small but genuine smile spread across Kol's face as he waved at the baby. "Hello, Millie!" He chuckled. "Are you having fun with Y/N/N?"

"Oh yeah, totally." You smirked. "This lil' Miss is my new best friend."

Kol gasped in foux shock. "But Millie, Y/N is my best friend! Did you steal her away from me?" The little baby giggled in response, flapping her arms a little.

"I think she did," You hummed, sending him a pitying look.

Kol stepped forward and held his hand out to Millie, letting her wrap her little hand around his finger and smiling as she did. "I don't believe this, darling. What's this little munchkin got that I haven't?"

You shrugged. "Sorry, Kol. She's just a lot cuter than you."

Kol rolled his eyes and smirked. "I take offense to that," He said. You huffed a laugh and turned around to preheat the stove so you could start making dinner. Mac 'n cheese because you'd always thought you'd have time to learn how to cook. Not anymore.

You could feel Kol's eyes burning a hole into the back of your head as you moved around the kitchen. You knew what he was wondering - knew he didn't want to ask. It had been almost eight months since he'd last seen you. It was possible. You stopped what you were doing and sighed.

"She's not mine, Kol," You told him, your voice soft. You didn't turn to face him but you could hear his breath of relief. "This is Milie Stoker - my second cousin I think… something like that, I'm not sure. She's three and a half months old. I've been taking care of her since-"

You cut yourself off with a strangled hum, trying to ignore or maybe distract yourself from the sudden spike of pain in your chest. You hugged that little girl closer - she needed you to be stronger than this. 

"Y/N?" The weight of Kol's gaze grew heavier on your back but you refused to look at him. In fact, you sniffed and straightened, acting as though you hadn't even heard.

"Did you know babysitters get paid like 18 dollars an hour?" You forced a laugh. "That's better than working at the grill, and all I have to do is hold a baby!"

Kol sighed. "Darling, why didn't you tell me?" He asked, his voice firm but gentle.

You stiffened and shifted Millie's weight to hide how much your hands were shaking. "You had your own problems," You mumbled. "You know, being on the run and all that… I guess I just didn't wanna bother you."

"Bother me?" Kol took a step closer to you but you still couldn't face him. "Angel, I would have come running - in fact, that's exactly what I did. I heard the news from Rebekah and I came here as soon as I could. I could have been here sooner if you had just told me." The space between your bodies disappeared as he took another step. You shivered as Kol's warm arms found their way around your waist, tightening simply because he liked to listen to your heart skip a beat. He leaned his head down to nuzzle into your neck, letting his lips brush over every inch of exposed skin. "You were there for me when I needed you, darling. You knew what I was, yet you let me lay with you, let me hold you all the night long when I felt as though I could scarcely breathe. Even when I had no one, I had you. Yet when the unthinkable lands in your lap… you didn't even say a word."

You clenched your teeth against the tidal wave of emotions his words brought swelling to your mind. 

"And what was I supposed to say?" You choked out. "How was I supposed to say it, Kol? I can't. I can't say it! I can't even think it!" Kol sighed and urged you to turn around. It's hard to properly hug someone when they're holding a baby so he took your face in his hands and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead instead. You leaned into his touch, grimacing against the painful hole in your chest. "It hurts so bad and I don't know what to do."

"I think it's about time you told someone, darling," He said, stroking your cheek. "You don't have to do this all alone."

You nodded and took a shuddering breath. "Kol?" You forced out. He hummed to let you know he was listening. You bit your lip and held little Millie closer. "Kol, my parents are dead." A sob escaped your lips, sending a painful tremor through your whole body. "They're dead!"

You'd never admitted it out loud before and you felt as though the words were knives, shredding your soul. An overwhelming pain burned in your chest and you fisted his jacket with your free hand, pulling him closer to you.

Kol rubbed your arms, nodding. "I know, darling," He mumbled, feathering his lips over your cheek. "I know and I'm sorry… Now, tell me how they died."

He already knew. He just wanted you to say it - to face the facts you had spent months denying.

"They-they said it was a fire," You hissed through clenched teeth. "The police - they told all of us it was some sort of freak accident, but I know it wasn't. It was on purpose, I know that! The whole council - my-my parents, my mom and dad - somebody blew them up, Kol! And the worst part is, I can't do a thing about it!" You cried, letting your tears soak his shirt.

Kol nodded, watching you intently with understanding in his deep chocolate eyes as his gentle touch drifted down your arm until he held your hand in his own. He pressed his lips against your knuckles in much the same way as he had when you'd first met him - except the gesture now was much sweeter, more familiar, and intimate than it had been that night at his family's ball.

"I'm terribly sorry, Y/N," He said.

"Y/B/N still doesn't know," You continued. "Dad was gonna tell him, and now more than ever he deserves to know the truth but I don't know how to tell him! He's already struggling! How do I tell him that his whole reality is a lie? I-I love Mom and Dad so much, but I don't know what to do, so I have to go along with all this crap the police are spewing and it makes me so angry! I can't even tell my little brother the truth!"

You felt Kol's finger under your chin and chose to comply as he tilted your head up to look at him. He cupped your jaw, tracing your cheek over and over with his thumb. 

"I know who did it," He said after a moment. "I know who killed your parents."

Every muscle in your body tensed, yet when you spoke, your tone was eerily calm. "Did you kill them?"

"Yes," He whispered.

You nodded. "And did they suffer?"

"I'd like to think so."

After months of anger and grief, you finally felt yourself begin to relax. "Good," You replied, pressing yourself further into Kol's warm embrace. He stilled, and you could tell that your actions confused him. You had always been such a fair and compassionate soul - your calm demeanor was a breath of fresh air in his confusing and chaotic life. You were practical and level headed and Kol admired that about you, it wasn't like you to wish unnecessary suffering on others.

"Would you like to know who it was?" He asked slowly, petting your hair. You shook your head. You didn't need to know. "Do you want to know why he did it?"

"No." Your voice was hoarse from crying. "All I need to know is that he's never gonna hurt anybody ever again. Too many kids like me and Y/B/N have lost their parents because of him, Millie's never even gonna know hers because of him. I don't think that monster deserves a name."

Kol nodded and let go of you, allowing you to step back and take a breath. You turned away from him, composing yourself as you finished up with the mac and cheese. 

"I know you feel guilty about not being here these last few months," You spoke quietly.

Kol sighed and you didn't need to see him to know he was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Y/N, I'm not sure there's a good way to explain this to you but-"

"I'm not finished." You cut him off and he stopped to listen. That had always surprised you about him, the boyfriends you'd had in the past had never respected you the way he did. You didn't have to yell at him to get Kol to listen, you liked that about him. You took a deep breath and it only shook a little. "I know you think I've been suffering, and you're right, I have. I know you're frustrated with me because you think I was being stubborn and you think that you could have eased my burdens if I had just told you. But I'm actually really glad you weren't here," You said thoughtfully. 

He blinked, surprised by your admission. "Why?" His tone held a cautious quality in it as if there was a certain answer he was expecting.

"Because of Millie," You answered. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you made a note to drink some water but you weren't sure you had any extra energy to waste on yourself. "If you had been here, she would've had nowhere to go."

Kol's hands dropped from your sides as though he'd been stung. "You think I'd hurt her?" His tone was as much of a question as it was a statement and his voice took on that guarded quality from earlier. Kol didn't like to be pushed away, he wanted the love and trust he gave to be returned. He scoffed and shook his head. "Look, I'm sure your parents had good intentions when they filled your head with lies upon my departure, but you must believe I wouldn't hurt a babe. Regardless of whether or not the child was yours - or heaven forbid, even mine - if you wanted a family, I wouldn't be opposed to the idea! I-I mean, I meant it when I told you I was serious about this - about you - and if you think I would have hurt you over something so trivial as-" He stopped, blinking in confusion as you failed to stifle a laugh. "Wait, love, why are you laughing?" He demanded, his mouth twitching up into a confused smile. Your shoulders shook as you snickered and he couldn't help but chuckle as well. "I'm sorry, was something I said humorous to you?"

"You completely misunderstood me," You giggled, shaking your head.

He raised a brow, his hard tone melting into something more playful. "Did I now?"

You finished serving up your skillfully made five-star cuisine into some plastic bowls and turned back to him with a small smile, shifting Millie's weight against your shoulder as Kol returned his hands to your hips. "I know you would never have hurt Millie," You promised. "If you had stuck around, you probably never would have known about her. You would have been too busy taking care of me."

Kol frowned. "I'm afraid I still don't understand."

You sighed, not bothering to fight the bitter scowl that spread across your face. 

"Her parents were on the council. She didn't have any other family… So when I saw Sheriff Forbes standing on my porch, holding this little bundle of sweetness, I knew she needed me. It was only supposed to be for two nights, but two nights turned into two weeks and one day I called Sheriff Forbes and asked if I could keep her. W-we are related after all, and I-I just figured with the frankly ridiculous number of cover ups the Forbes have pulled over the generations that, uh, well that we could find a way to make it legit." You knew you were rambling but Kol's questioning expression had you worried.

"Y/N?" Kol cut you off, holding your shoulders as he watched you worriedly. "Why is it so important that Millie stays with you?"

"Somebody's gotta protect her!" You exclaimed. Your tone sounded as though you were arguing though you weren't sure with who. "The council is gone! Mom and Dad are gone! Millie doesn't have anybody, Kol. She needs me. She needs me to be stronger than I am!"

Kol's brows furrowed and he frowned. "Stronger than you are?" He parroted. "What do you mean stronger?"

You opened your mouth to retort but quickly closed it. Your gaze drifted down to your toes because you couldn't look at him. "I can't get out of bed in the morning until I hear her cry," You admitted, shrinking with shame. "I put her down for a nap and I spend every minute of that time in tears. All I can think about is how proud my parents would be if they could see me. But I don't want them to be proud. I want them to be here, but they're not! Millie is the only way I can make things right." You were crying, your breaths coming in short gasps. 

"That's why you don't want to let me help, isn't it?" Kol muttered, nodding in understanding. He stroked your cheek, smiling gently. "You're afraid - terrified that I'll leave again… I promise I won't."

"You can't stay. You can't. If I let you help me, I'll just be enabling my grief." You whispered, shaking your head with a bitter frown. "I'll get used to having you around, a-and then you'll realize I'm not getting any better so you'll leave and I won't be able to function without you!" A sob shook your chest as you raised your head and met his chocolate eyes with your E/C ones full of tears. "I can't fail Millie that way, Kol. I can't and I won't."

"I know you won't," He said. "However, I won't let you go through this alone." You sighed heavily but he wasn't finished speaking. "I can help you without enabling you. Just because you're strong enough to do this on your own doesn't mean you should have to."

You rolled your eyes, groaning. Why couldn't he understand? 

"That's just the thing, Kol. I'm not strong enough to do this!" You huffed, gesturing around at your mess of a kitchen. "I broke the second the police showed up at my door! I broke and I keep on breaking!"

"You're not broken, Y/N."

You pushed his hand away, bitterly. "Yes, I am. I can't sleep, I hardly drink, and eating is an actual chore. Don't you get it? I can't do anything!" You cried, letting the ache in your chest seep into your voice.

Kol just smiled. "Well that's because you're trying to do everything," He said, taking hold of your hand. He gave it a squeeze. "I promise, you're not broken, Y/N. You're just sad, and there's nothing wrong with feeling sad."

"No," You hissed, halfheartedly. "No, you're wrong. You need to wake up and see it!" You twisted and tugged at the loose strands of hair that hung in your face, delighting in the sharp pain that followed because you knew that meant this wasn't a dream - that you were justified in pushing him away. "I am not the girl I was before you left. I'm not her. I don't even know what I am anymore." 

"I do," Kol spoke up. He dipped his head to look you in the eyes. "You are all the things I've always adored about you, brought to light. You are the compassion - the fierce fierce compassion - and love that you give, that you've always given, to the lonely, the ignored and the abandoned…" Kol leaned in closer, resting his forehead against yours as he continued. "The same compassion and love you offered to me when I needed it most… That same compassion and love I fell for in the first place." He grinned, a little wry and nervous, but sincere all the same. "You're still my girl, Y/N… just a little dirtier, a little bit bent, and a little bit more."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I just can't handle a relationship right now, Kol." You sniffed, blinking away tears. 

"No, darling. You can't handle drama right now," He countered, smirking. His hand played with a loose thread on your sleeve. "I told you I was serious about us and I meant it. I want you, I want to be with you - no drama, no sneaking around just to annoy your parents - just you… just being here for you, to make you smile and to help out where I can, to hold you when you need it, and to annoy the living hell out of you when I inevitably forget to put the milk back in the refrigerator at six in the morning." 

A rogue grin played across your lips at his proposed imagery and he chuckled softly, finally taking hold of your hand.

"Just let me help," He pleaded. "No hovering, you have my word. I don't mind waiting for you to sort through all this and I'll be more than willing to support you wherever you choose to go next. I won't leave." A slow grin spread over Kol's face as he took the tiniest shuffling step closer to you. "And who knows? Maybe I'll even teach you what little I know of cooking because, by the gods, woman; you cannot live on boxed macaroni and cheese!"

You couldn't help it. Your lips quirked and your nose scrunched up and you laughed. You just had to, and that was the first time you had done so since your parents had been murdered. That was your first real, wholehearted laugh.

And a moment later, you felt like you might throw up because of the wave of guilt that crashed over you like a tidal wave. How could you laugh? How could you feel good, even for a millisecond, when your parents were dead? You were supposed to be mourning them. 

Your face fell and you shook your head. "I can't do this. I'm sorry." Pushing against Kol's chest with your free hand, you tried to create some space between the two of you - physical or emotional, you weren't entirely sure - but the boy didn't budge.

"Can't or won't?" He questioned dryly. His voice was soft but his eyes were narrow and hard.

"I can't," You stressed.

"Why not?" Kol demanded. He moved in even closer. Too close - too close to avoid, too close to escape - boxing you in with the burden of feelings you had spent months smothering. "Because you're afraid? Because I make you happy?"

"Because you're you!" The words barely made it past your clenched teeth. "Because you're Kol Mikaelson! Because you're an original vampire and you're dangerous! You are the embodiment of everything my Mom and Dad dedicated their lives to destroying and…" 

You trailed off, losing your bravado as he watched you with eyes that weren't as dark as you'd always thought. Now that the last few rays of sunset were leaking through the window over the kitchen sink, you could see their color properly. They were warm like amber, like sunshine through autumn leaves, like a bonfire on a frigid winter night.

"And?" His voice was so soft you barely heard it.

"And I love you anyway." You shrugged, blinking rapidly through the tears. They kept flowing despite your efforts. "Guess that makes me an awful person, huh? Cause I don't care? My parents are dead and I can't even bring myself to do the one stupid thing they wanted me to do. I mean, that's why they had kids, right? To carry on the legacy!" You forced out a bitter laugh. "But I can't… I can't hate you! I can't honor them because I love you…"

"If you spend your whole life trying to appease the expectations of others, then you never really lived at all. You shouldn't burden yourself with guilt for feeling the way you do moment to moment because emotions aren't meant to be black and white." He shrugged, offering you a smile that was somehow more encouraging than anything anyone had said since your parents had been killed. "You have to let yourself feel these things, work through them, and move on. You can't ignore it. You can't use Millie as a crutch for your grief, Y/N. That's not right, and that's not why she's here. Only you can process your grief."

"How?" You wondered, blinking the tears from your eyes as you stared up at him

"You can start by letting me help you," He whispered. His gaze flicked from your eyes to your lips and his tongue darted out to wet his own. He brushed a stray strand of hair away from your face and smiled down at you as his hand trailed down your side to rest on your hip. "Am I still allowed to kiss you?" He asked, almost nervous. The boy took a step closer, pressing you back against the counter. His lips brushed yours and you let your eyes flutter closed. You had missed being close to him. The boy lingered there, restless, awaiting your answer. He was so close; you could picture yourself giving in. Kol nipped at your lips, hesitantly, sweetly, like he couldn't resist. "Please say yes," He begged.

You nodded. "Yeah."

"Thank you." 

Passionate was Kol's default setting. The second his lips met yours, he kissed you like your lips were water and he'd been parched for days. He captured your lips over and over again, breathlessly mumbling a 'bloody hell' every so often and you could tell he was trying to hold back for your sake though he wasn't exactly succeeding. You couldn't help the moan that escaped you as he slid his tongue across your lower lip.

"Kol," You warned, though your voice sounded a little too breathy to be any sort of intimidating. He shook his head minutely.

"Shhh. I'm not done yet." He cut you off with another kiss, pressing against you more firmly. You gasped as he slipped his hand beneath your shirt and trailed it higher inch by inch, caressing your skin lovingly. His nose nudged your cheek as he broke away for hardly a moment. "I need you to trust me, Y/N." He tangled his other hand in your ponytail, tugging sweetly as he caught your lips again and kissed you hungrily. "I'm not going to abandon you," He whispered against your mouth.

"Are you sure?" You had to hear him say it. 

"Absolutely," He mumbled, kissing you again. Kol drew his tongue along your lip, torturously slow and devastatingly sweet. You shivered and he smirked victoriously, squeezing you tighter. "You're mine." His words sent a thrill of excitement down your spine and you blushed. 

"I'm yours?"

He purred, nodding. "Mine… Always and forever." Kol bit down on your lower lip ever so gently, squeezing your side and you wanted to melt. You wanted to beg him for more but you couldn't.

"Kol, I'm holding a baby," You pointed out, pushing yourself away from that boy and his liquor-like kisses. 

He shrugged. "She won't remember anything." The boy leaned down to your neck, leaving butterfly kisses along your jugular. 

"True as that may be," You giggled, squirming in his grip. "I made dinner and it's getting cold."

"Oh, heaven forbid," He mumbled. 

"Excuse you, sir. I worked hard on this boxed mac 'n cheese." You grinned, feeling yourself slip back into the pattern of banter you'd had with him before he'd left.

"I suppose you did." He grinned and stepped back, holding out his hands. You raised a brow. "Pass the baby," He clarified. 

"What?" You asked blankly.

"So you can go get your brother?"

You shook your head. "Uh, no. You go get him."

"Me? He's your brother!"

"He hates me," You huffed. 

"No, he doesn't."

You rolled your eyes. "The kid won't even look at me."

"Probably because you look so much like your mother," Kol suggested. "I'm helping you, remember? This is how."

"Come on, Kol," You groaned. "You know he's always looked up to you."

"Not my fault!" The boy raised his hands as if to surrender. You leveled him with a flat look. He sighed, shrugging. "It's because I'm such excellent company, love - I can't help it." You rolled your eyes and he smirked, holding out his hands again. "Baby?"

You sighed and let Kol take Millie from you. He held her up, looking her in the eyes playfully. You heard him talking to her as you walked away.

"You may have her fooled Millie, but not me. I'm not so easy - I know exactly what you're after. I'll hold you, but that's it! There will be no bouncing, and absolutely no rocking you to sleep, young lady. Mark my words."

You rolled your eyes but didn't fight the smile that crept across your lips as you listened to the original vampire ramble in baby-talk. When you arrived at the door to your brother's room, you didn't bother knocking. Your parents had raised both of you under a strict rule of no locked doors, and now that they were gone, neither of you had the heart to break it. If you wanted to get away with something, both you and your brother had learned a long time ago to be more sneaky about it than hiding whatever it was behind a locked door. However, you did have the courtesy to knock on the door frame - that and you just didn't want to wade through the piles of dirty laundry that covered the floor. 

"Yo, humungosaurus, come and eat," You called over the sounds of The Lord of the Rings extended edition. He was watching the Two Towers if you placed the dialogue correctly. 

"Can't." Y/B/N replied over his shoulder. 

"What a compelling argument," You deadpanned. "Mind adding a sentence to that response?"

"They're taking the hobbits to Isengaurd."

You frowned. "Dude, you can pause it."

He waved you off. "I'll eat later." 

That was code for not at all. Your little brother had lost a lot of weight in the past few months, more than you were comfortable with. He used to be a little on the chubby side but now he was skin and bones. It wasn't drugs or violence you had to worry about when it came to your little brother. No, his coping method was escapism - he spent all his free time in made-up places, forgetting that he had an actual body to keep alive. It hurt to watch him.

You sighed. "Kol's here."

That got him to pause the movie. Y/B/N turned his head to stare at you, brows raised. "Weirdsmobile is back?" He asked.

"Yeah." You nodded. "He's in the kitchen, probably skimming some off the top of your mac 'n cheese."

"But he's back?" Your little brother asked again.

"That's what I just said." 

Your little brother laughed and hopped off his bed. "Now this I gotta see- whoa!" He swayed and stumbled, catching himself on his dresser. "… I stood up too fast."

You offered him a strained smile as he passed you to leave the room, steadying himself on the wall as he walked. You followed and ended up slamming into his back as he stopped just outside the kitchen. Y/B/N glanced back at you with the most genuine smile you'd seen on his face since your parents had died. He pointed into the doorway and you peaked around him to be greeted by the sight of Kol with Millie in his lap, eating a bowl of mac 'n cheese while he read to her from a copy of The Hobbit you had left on the kitchen table.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort." He paused to take a bite of the macaroni. "This sounds excellent already, doesn't it Millie? Do you think we should wait for Y/N and her little brother to quit spying or continue on as though we can't see them?" Kol asked the baby, glancing up at you with a smirk.

You stepped into the room and pulled your younger brother with you. "I brought the kid," You reported, jabbing your thumb in his direction.

"So you did." Kol grinned and waved. "Hey there, sport! How've you been?" 

"He hasn't been eating," You mumbled, moving to sit by your boyfriend. 

Y/B/N glared at you, sitting as well. "She hasn't either," He grumbled.

"I've been eating more than you."

"No, you haven't."

Kol raised a brow. "Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty. Don't argue about it." He turned to your brother. "I know your sister hasn't been taking proper care of herself and believe me when I say that's going to change, but what's the problem with you? Last time I was here, I distinctly remember you devouring an entire happy meal in three minutes flat. Why give up on a record like that?"

Y/B/N just shrugged. "I dunno."

Kol squinted at him, frowning doubtfully. "B.S. detected, mate. Come on, what's wrong with making a sandwich?"

"It's exhausting," Your brother sighed. "And for some reason it takes forever. I don't feel that hungry so I just don't make anything. It didn't used to be so tiring but it is now. I don't know why."

"I see." The older boy nodded in understanding. "Well, how about this? When it's lunchtime, instead of putting together a sandwich, just eat some of the individual components. Oh, and don't forget to drink some water - it's important." 

Y/B/N blinked at him, tilting his head. "Wait… what?"

"Dehydration sucks, kid, believe me." Your boyfriend took a bite of mac 'n cheese. "Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something you didn't catch?" He pressed with his mouth full.

"I can… I can eat the sandwich parts separately?" Y/B/N asked.

"Why not?" Kol shrugged. "I used to do it all the time after my parents passed.. " He paused. "You know, actually I still do… drives Elijah absolutely bonkers so that makes it all the more worth it."

Your brother still seemed shocked. "I just always thought it was some sort of unspoken rule, you know? Like, whole sandwich or nothing."

"This is why I'm going to rule the world someday," Kol declared. You snorted, grinning and this time, it was real.

***

"Turns out I miscalculated, Kol's gonna be a problem," Shane said, fingering the bloody hole in what had previously been his second favorite shirt.

"I almost killed someone and that's what you miscalculated?" Bonnie exclaimed, staring at him incredulously. "April could have died today!"

"That's only because you didn't know the extent of your abilities," He shrugged simply, resting his weight back on his desk. The witch couldn't believe him, it was almost as if something in her friend and mentor had flipped - like his near-death had him gunning for something but she couldn't guess what.

"My father just became mayor… I-I can't be out doing black magic-" She turned to go.

"That's not what Expression is!" Atticus called out to her. Bonnie hesitated at the door and, against her better judgment, turned back.

"It's a way of doing magic that isn't monitored by the spirits - it isn't good or bad," He explained. "But it also has no limits." The professor's eyes darkened as he stood. "So how you use it is up to you. That's what I'm here for. To help you." He approached her and Bonnie took a shuffling step back. It was like her eyes were fixed on him - she couldn't look away though she wanted to. She wanted to turn and run - this had gotten out of control.

"Bonnie, listen to me," Shane said. She couldn't provide a single reason why she did. "You are the key to everything. I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you."

Bonnie nodded, feeling reassured despite the gnawing voice in her brain screaming that she shouldn't. "What do we need to do?" She asked.

Shane smiled almost knowingly before moving to sit behind his desk. He waved for Bonnie to sit across from him. "Well, Kol Mikaelson is probably the most dangerous of the original family - at least, to you specifically. We'll have to handle him delicately." 

The young witch scoffed. "I've taken on Klaus, I'm pretty sure I can handle his baby brother." 

"I have no doubts about your power, Bonnie," Shane sighed. "It's your inexperience that worries me."

She frowned. "Why should that matter?"

"Because Kol is a legend in the witching community - every coven has a story. He's spent the last thousand years traveling all around the world, studying every branch of witchcraft there's ever been. His knowledge of magic is expansive and twisted - a compendium of crazy you or I could never dream of." Shane ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Brute force isn't going to work, he knows how powerful your bloodline is so he'll try to remove that variable as soon as possible. He won't wait - he'll come at you fast and hard, and you'll be an ancestor before you can think of a spell to fight him."

"We have to strike first," She surmised.

"Exactly!" His lips twitched up in an unnerving smile. "But if we're gonna do this, we gotta fight dirty."

Bonnie frowned. She wasn't fond of the turn this conversation was taking. "What do you mean?"

"We can't beat him on a fair playing field, Bonnie. We can't play to his strengths, we have to target his weaknesses," Shane said.

Kol wouldn't stop coming until anyone interested in the cure was either dead or daggered. Bonnie's lips hardened into a thin line. 

"Okay." She nodded. "What are his weaknesses?"

"That's the problem; I don't have an answer for you." Shane grimaced and leaned back in his chair, twirling a pencil between his fingers idly. "The stories characterize him as emotionally driven and impulsive, but I don't know how we'd play that in our favor without a hostage. I mean, the only people close to him as far as I can figure would be his family, but from what I saw today he doesn't seem too concerned about their well-being."

"And you said he has the white oak stake," She pointed out.

"And there's that, so its not like we could hurt any of them anyway." 

Bonnie frowned, thinking. Something itched at the back of her mind but she couldn't put her finger on it. There was something she remembered seeing - an image - but it hadn't seemed important at the time. She stilled.

"What is it?" The professor asked.

"N-nothing. I don't think-" She hesitated, biting her lip. "I-It's just that I-"

Shane leaned forward. "Bonnie, if you know anything about this guy, you need to tell me," He stressed.

The witch looked down, playing with a loose strand on her sweater. "It was a couple of months ago - back before Alaric went crazy and Elena turned. I-I was walking down the street to the grill on the weekend and I passed by him. I remember being scared because he saw me and I'd heard about what he did to Matt, but he didn't do anything." She shook her head, still confused as to why he hadn't done anything to intimidate her like Klaus or Rebekah liked to. "H-he just nodded at me and continued on his way…"

Atticus raised a brow. "I think you lost me there… Why is that important?"

She blinked. "Because he was with someone," Bonnie realized, straightening up. "I remember now! There was a girl with him, h-he was holding her hand and smiling." That didn't mean much though, did it? Not when it was someone like Kol Mikaelson. 

The Professor shrugged. "Well, that's not much but it's something, I guess. Does this girl have a name? Do you know her?"

Bonnie pursed her lips. "No… I-I don't really remember her face, I wasn't paying attention to her."

Shane hummed, nodding. "Not ideal, I'll admit. But if you're willing to trust me, I might have a way for us to find out."

"What is it?" She wondered, a little weary. The last time she'd used her magic, she'd nearly killed someone.

"It's a linking spell… of sorts," He answered. "It will allow you to see Kol's surroundings through his eyes. If this girl is important to him, this spell could give us a hint as to her identity or, at the very least, her location."

The girl shook her head, fear twisting in her gut. "I-I-I can't. I just-"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up to see Shane offering her a comforting smile. "I'll help you, Bonnie," He assured. "I'll guide you through it and I'll be here every step of the way. Alright?"

That was what he was here for. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. He had promised.

"Okay," Bonnie whispered.

The spell wasn't too complicated. The ingredients were relatively common and the incantation only took her a few minutes to master. She just hoped that she was doing the right thing.

"You can do this, Bonnie," Professor Shane encouraged. "Close your eyes and begin."

Taking a deep breath, the Bennett witch did as she was told, drawing on her Expression as she began to chant. The candles scattered on the floor around her flared bright and hot, yet she felt cold. She always felt cold when she used Expression.

"Very good. Now, focus on Kol Mikaelson, picture him in your mind, open yourself to the magic, and allow the spell to show him to you. Reach, look, and listen. Tell me what you see."

"It's… dark," Bonnie concluded.

"Focus."

"No no, I am focused. He's just in a dark room." She frowned, tilting her head. "He's looking at a t.v… I-I think he's playing a video game?" It was odd to think that a one-thousand-year-old serial killer would enjoy playing Star-Wars Battlefront, but Bonnie was pretty sure that was a poorly rendered Darth-Vader that she was seeing displayed on the screen. "It's a multiplayer game - split screen… There are two other people playing."

"Two?" Shane asked.

"Yes."

"What else do you see? Do you recognize the location?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, it just looks like your standard living room. But it's not the mansion Klaus built, it's too small a-and there are picture frames, I think. He's not looking at them so it's hard to tell what those are but they look like picture frames, the family photo kind except somebody's knocked them all over…" She stopped. "Hold on."

"What? What do you see?"

"There's a backpack on the floor," She noticed. "It has a name on it."

"What name?"

"Y/B/N…" Bonnie muttered. "There's no last name."

"Well, that's interesting but not exactly helpful," Shane grumbled. "You have to go deeper, Bonnie. Listen. What's being said?"

The witch obeyed. She focused, losing herself. There were voices. Three voices.

"Why does Kol always get Public Enemy?" - The voice of a young boy.

"Because he's completely incapable of telling friend from foe." - The voice of a young woman, almost familiar.

"I see a head and I shoot it - simple as that." - The voice of an original vampire.

"Kol, you can't use the sniper on Dagobah."

"You play your way, I'll play mine. Wait a second is-is that a tank?"

"Indeed."

"Can I get in?"

"Gimme five bucks and it's a deal."

"Y/B/N! What did we say about haggling?!"

"Eat the rich!"

"Love the enthusiasm there, sport, but I think I'll have to decline. Also, love? Our daughter is crying."

"Dang it! Y/B/N, pause the game!"

Kol looked up then but all Bonnie could see was the back of a H/C haired girl rushing towards a set of stairs.

"Millie's not your kid," One of the voices said. Kol turned his eyes on a young boy who looked to be about twelve. He watched the vampire with an expression that was a mix of suspicion, curiosity, and confusion.

"You're right - she's not," Kol's voice agreed. "But your sister is pretty dead set on being that little girl's mum… and I'm pretty dead set on your sister."

"Do you actually mean that?" The young boy asked. "Or are you gonna leave again?"

Kol sighed. "I didn't want to leave."

The kid nodded. "She missed you while you were gone. She tried to act all okay, but she really wasn't."

"I missed her too."

"That's not what Mom and Dad said," The boy claimed, narrowing his eyes. "Mom and Dad said you don't really care about her - that you're just using her."

"Well, they were wrong." Kol's tone was adamant. "I love your sister very much… Probably more than I should."

"And you wanna help her take care of Millie?"

"If that's what she wants, then yes," Kol said. The sound of footsteps defending the stairs ended the conversation.

"Millie is okay - crisis averted!" The girl's voice cheered as she swung her weight around the banister. Kol looked up, focusing on her and, in the professor's office, Bonnie gasped. She knew that girl.

"Good to hear," Kol hummed. "One more thing before we start back up, however; Y/N, can I spend the night?"

Bonnie didn't maintain the spell long enough to hear the girl's reply. Her eyes shot open and she scrambled off the floor, gasping.

"Bonnie? Bonnie!" Atticus called her name. "Breathe, Bonnie. Breathe. Calm your mind… What did you see?"

"I-I-I saw her," The witch stammered. "I-I saw the girl but I-" She looked up with green eyes as round as saucers. "Professor, I know her."

"You do? Who is she?" He asked.

"Her name's Y/N Y/L/N. She goes to my school, o-or she did. She graduated last year," She answered. "Her parents were on the founder's council and her dad was a deputy, I think. She's been taking care of her brother since the explosion. That's where Kol was - he was at her house."

"I see," Shane nodded. "Does she know anything?" 

"I-I don't know. I don't think so."

"So why was Kol there?" He wondered.

Bonnie frowned. "I think he might be dating her…"

"That's a little sick, but go on."

"Well, I heard him tell Y/N's little brother that he loves her…" The witch trailed off.

Shane clapped his hands, grinning. "Excellent job, Bonnie Bennett. You just got us exactly what we needed."

"B-but he could have been lying, so-"

"Why would he lie if he could just compel?" He pointed out. "We'll have to wait until he leaves her… then we'll hold Y/N hostage and get Kol to back off."

"Wait, what?!" Bonnie spluttered. 

"This is what you agreed to, isn't it?"

"That was before I knew who she was!" She argued. "I can't kidnap her!"

"Why not?" Shane demanded.

"Because she's innocent! Me, Elena, and Caroline used to play with Y/N at founder's meetings all the time! She snuck us cookies from the refreshments table and taught us how to paint each other's nails… She's a good person, not to mention her parents just died!" Bonnie shook her head. "How can I do something like that to her?"

"To stop your friends from getting hurt," He replied. "This has to be done. Besides, you'll probably be doing Y/N a favor."

"What?"

The professor shrugged. "Remember what you told me Damon Salvatore did to your friend Caroline? How he treated her when she was human?" She nodded slowly. "Well, I'd bet good money that whatever Kol is doing to this poor girl is a thousand times worse. You won't be harming her, Bonnie… You'll be liberating her."

Shane was right. Kol was evil.

"So, we'll be doing this tomorrow then?"

"Right." He smiled. "Have a good night, Bonnie."

"You too."

And Bonnie Bennett left the office of Atticus Shane with all but her heart convinced that she was doing the right thing.

***

Kol had spent his morning taking care of a bar full of newly turned vampires. He'd slaughtered all of them and then, as an extra treat, he'd gotten to beat Damon Salvatore to a pulp before compelling him to kill Jeremy Gilbert so he wouldn't have to. Overall, he was having a really good day. All that fun and it was only ten in the morning!

However, he'd promised you he wouldn't be gone long and when Kol made a promise, he kept it. So instead of finding himself a hard drink or an unfortunate local, he made his way back to your house. He took his usual route, an extraordinarily confusing and frustrating ritual of twists turns and loops through several nearby neighborhoods that he deemed thorough enough to lose or discourage anyone who might consider tailing him. When one had lived alongside a paranoid bastard like Klaus for as many years as Kol had, one learned to be a paranoid bastard himself simply for the sake of some privacy. Kol had promised to keep you out of Mikaelson Family drama, so he was careful.

Evidently, he had not been careful enough.

A bolt of fear shot through him as he took in the state of your front door. The thing was laying halfway up the stairs, having been blown completely off its hinges. Kol passed over the threshold silently, moving to inspect the damage in hopes of determining the culprit. His eyes scanned briefly over the door and its frame; no cracks in the wood, no signs of anything being used to ram the thing open. The door itself had just been blown backward as if by…

As if by Magic.

A harsh, animalistic growl tore from Kol's throat as he stood, clenching his teeth.

Magic = Bennett witch.

He stood and continued his search through the house on silent feet, moving first through the kitchen, then the formal dining room. There wasn't much to be found. Nothing appeared to be broken or tampered with, yet you were missing. If someone had taken you, where was the ransom note? He moved on; looking, listening, tasting the air for any sign of-

Blood.

Moving faster than he ever had in his life, Kol dashed up the stairs to the origin of the enticing scent. The guest bedroom turned nursery for sweet little Millie. There, he was met with a sight that turned even his stomach.

Dark, dripping letters marred the wall in front of him, positioned ominously over the white bassinet you had arranged in the room. He'd found the ransom note. 

WHITMORE 

The crimson stain read.

As soon as he caught sight of it, he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away. He could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his chest, much too loud and racing faster as he realized that you might not be okay. His breaths, usually mostly calm no matter the situation, picked up yet he felt as though he wasn't getting enough air. Something clawed at his chest, rendering his muscles stiff and his throat dry and Kol didn't know what the hell that feeling was, but he didn't like it. He didn't like anything about this. Where were you?

That ugly red stain on the wall taunted him. He knew what it was… whose it was. 

Kol had tasted your blood before, he would recognize that scent anywhere because you had always smelled something like herbal tea with honey - warm and sweet. That was your blood so where the bloody hell were you?

Millie was gone too, as evidenced by the empty cradle. Bonnie Bennett was the only witch in town and she may have been an annoying pestilence but she and her friends were all stubborn do-gooders. She wouldn't stoop so low as to kidnap a baby, unless…

Unless someone had convinced her it was the right thing to do. Just as someone had convinced her to practice Expression.

Atticus Shane. 

The bloody mad professor was the only explanation. He'd taken you as revenge for the original vampire's attempt on his life.

Kol tore his hands through his hair and gasped for breath, letting loose a string of curses in every language he knew. You were right! He never should have come back. You had been better off on your own. This was his fault.

The rustling of paper caught his attention. Wind from the open window must have made the noise; it came from the direction of the cradle. Wandering over there, Kol caught sight of a torn piece of paper that lay tucked neatly into baby Millie's blanket. In the cramped, untidy scrawl of a mad man was written one more note, left just in case the message on the wall wasn't enough to paint a clear picture.

"Shhhhhhh… The baby is sleeping. Surrender or your girls will never wake again."

Kol dropped that note like fire from his fingers and he ran.

***

Getting kidnapped sucked.

You couldn't believe that Bonnie freaking Bennett, the quiet girl you used to tutor, had actually blown your door off its hinges and tossed you around with magic before taking you hostage. What had you ever done to her? You weren't sure what the deal was. No one knew you were dating Kol - at least, no one of consequence. Until now apparently. What else could anyone want from you?

"What you're saying is impossible, Shane!" Bonnie's voice argued from somewhere in front of you.

"Nothing is impossible, Bonnie." That voice belonged to a man, you'd heard it before when you'd been taken. "You of all people should know that by now."

Bonnie huffed. "Vampires are dead. They can't have children. She can't be Kol's daughter - it's impossible!"

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Were they talking about you? Gross! Why would they… 

Wait…

Millie!

"Think about it, Bonnie," The other voice coaxed - Bonnie had called him Shane. "If you were carrying the child of a mass murdering psychotic, would you tell anyone? Or would you make up every excuse in the book to make sure no one ever figured out the truth?" 

His comments seemed to give the witch pause. You couldn't let them hurt Millie.

"She… she's not his," You croaked, struggling to sit upright. "She's not his… I swear. I swear she's not."

You forced your eyes open and instantly regretted it. Light seared your retinas and you groaned, flinching. After a moment, the pain subsided and you glanced up at your captors. Bonnie and a scraggly lookin' dude stood over you. Millie rested happily in Bonnie's arms, content to blow little spit bubbles while being blissfully unaware of her situation. You wished you were her. 

Taking in your surroundings, you figured you were sitting in an office of some kind. There was a desk flanked by two chairs and a window behind that. The room felt stuffy and full of old stuff so you figured this must be Whitmore College. Ugh.

"Sorry, sweetheart but, uh, I don't believe you!" Shane said, casting you a fake pitiful glance.

"You really should, you know," A voice drawled lazily from the door. "I mean, little Millie doesn't even look like me… alright maybe a little but that's hardly a bad thing, right love?"

Kol's eyes met yours and you instantly relaxed. He was here. If he was here, you were safe. In his eyes, there was something swirling and black that promised death but it didn't scare you. It didn't scare you because you knew that he was on your side - nothing bad would ever happen to you as long as Kol was around.

You spoke too soon.

Shane latched onto your arm and dragged you to stand in front of him. Before you knew it there was a knife poised in front of your throat - ready to do something you wouldn't like. Kol's whole body stiffened and Bonnie cried out.

"Glad to see you could make it!" Shane barked. "You know what I want. Sure would be a shame if Y/N here had to die on your account." The knife dug into your neck and you hissed in pain. Kol snarled - eyes alight with fury. When he spoke, his tone was slick and cold like ice.

"I will say this once, and once only… let my girls go and I'll grant you a quick death." You didn't often see this side of him - the one thousand-year-old prodigal witch. The side of him that tears an opposing force to shreds all with that calm, playful grin dancing across his lips.

"Shane!" Bonnie hissed. "This isn't what we agreed on."

Shane pressed the knife against your throat with renewed vigor and you yelped. "Sometimes you gotta play dirty, Bonnie," He raved, chuckling like a psych ward patient. "This is how you win against things like him. You can't reason with a maniac."

Kol's eyes darkened and he cocked his head. "Oh, I quite agree." He smirked. "You have five seconds to let Y/N go before I kill you."

"I'd slit her throat before you got the chance," The professor claimed.

"Be my guest," Kol hummed with a wave of his hand. His eyes were sharp. "Let's see who's faster… One."

"Shane…" Bonnie warned.

"He wouldn't dare," Shane said. He sounded assured but you knew better.

"Two…"

Bonnie tugged at Shane's arm to no avail. "Come on, professor. We'll find another way, just let her go!" 

"NO!"

"Three…"

You felt an arm wind around your waist before you could blink and a gust of wind stung your eyes. Shane screamed. You blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears so you could see what was going on. Kol held you against his side and in front of you, Shane collapsed to his knees, clutching a hand that no longer looked like a hand. It had been twisted so far at the wrist that you could see bone sticking out. Beside you, Kol laughed lightly. In his fingers, he twirled the knife that only moments before had been poised to slit your throat. 

"Who would have thought, darling? Looks like I'm faster." He grinned, spinning the knife around and around. He spared you a glance, flicking his eyes over your figure to check for injuries. "Are you alright, love?"

A little shocked, you nodded. He raised a brow questioningly. "I'm fine," You assured him. 

Evidently, that was all he needed to hear. 

He tugged you further behind him and leveled a chilling glare on Shane, who remained gasping on the floor. "Your turn." Kol knelt down and readied the knife with a grin that was nothing short of terrifying. He caught Shane by the throat and stood to his full height, lifting the mad professor off the ground with little effort before throwing him down onto his own desk. The hand on his throat kept him pinned as Kol impaled the knife through each shoulder, twisting for good measure. Then the original vampire started carving. Five letters across the professor's chest.

T-H-I-E-F

A blood-curdling scream ripped from Shane's throat with each letter and your stomach almost twisted in sympathy. But no. He had taken Millie. He deserved everything he got.

While your boyfriend was handling that, you twisted on your heel to face the young witch, holding out your arms. "Give me back my baby," You demanded. Bonnie stumbled back, gaping. Her eyes flicked between you and Kol in utter disbelief but you didn't particularly care what she thought. "That wasn't a request, Bonnie."

"Hand over the child, Bennett witch," Kol reinforced, not bothering to take his eyes off Shane.

"Y-you said five seconds!" She sputtered. Kol shrugged.

"I changed my mind!" He dismissed casually. Then he flicked his wrist and sent the knife straight into Shane's left eye. The corpse twitched for a moment then lay still. You cringed at the bloody sight but forced your attention back to the high school student and the baby in her arms. Millie was crying.

"Bonnie, I know this wasn't your idea and I know that the only reason you went along with it is because you're scared. That being said, that's my baby girl you're holding and I want her back. Whatever querell you have with Kol has nothing to with her, so give her back right this instant or I swear to high heaven, you will regret it." You glared at her, raising a brow.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed, flicking between you and your boyfriend accusingly. "He was right," She mumbled.

You took a step forward, gritting your teeth. "Bonnie, don't. This isn't what your father would want."

The witch took a reflexive step back. "Shane was right, wasn't he?" She demanded, a little louder. "This is his child, you've just been covering it up!"

Kol rolled his eyes. "For the last time Bennett, vampire's are incapable of having biological children, alright? That child is Millie Stoker by birth, Y/N's second cousin. Her parents were on what was formerly this town's secret counsel. The same counsel - as luck would have it - that your darling absent-minded professor blew to kingdom come a few months back."

Ah… so it was him, was it? Your eyes flicked to the bloody corpse laying on the desk and your jaw locked.

"No!" Bonnie gasped, her eyes flying wide. "You're lying! Shane would never-"

"I'm not here to debate with you, Bennett." Kol's expression held no sympathy - just cold detachment. The only reason that girl wasn't dead was because she was holding Millie. "Now hand over the child and we'll see if I'm feeling merciful."

You held up a hand, eyes still trained on the body of your parent's murderer. "Wait." Kol raised a brow and you pointed. "You said he's the one who killed Mom and Dad?"

"Yes," The boy confirmed, nodding.

"Can I see that knife?" Your tone was emotionless. You felt Kol's bloodied hand slip into yours. His thumb spread the substance over the back of your hand but you didn't care.

"Darling… he's dead," Kol murmered.

"I know that." You nodded. "Can I see that knife please?" He hesitated but pressed the weapon wirelessly into your hand a moment later. You gripped it tight and stepped over to the desk. 

Shane lay there. Dead. 

"This isn't for me," You said, glaring down at the corpse. "This is for Millie, and Y/B/N and everything you stole from them. This is for the empty seats that'll be at Y/B/N's graduation and all the Christmases and Birthdays Millie was supposed to have with her real family." You took a shuddering breath, glancing at the nameplate sitting on the professor's desk. "This isn't for me, because I'll be fine on my own. This is for being a thief, Atticus Shane. This is simply what you're owed." 

You didn't yell or scream or cry. You just drew the blade across his neck, solemnly and silently, cutting to bone and letting the blood pool around the corpse and spill off the edge of the desk to the ground. Then you grabbed it by the shirt and pulled. The body slid to the ground with a wet squelch - face down in the dirt and dust where it belonged.

You blinked, turned on your heel, and smiled.

"You know, I really think I needed that!" You announced, pushing the hair out of your face with a blood-soaked hand. Kol just stared at you, clueless as to what should be said. You simply shrugged. "Desecrating the bodies of murderers is therapeutic, I guess. Anyway, back to you Bonnie."

The young witch seemed even more baffled. "B-but I… I thought-" She shook her head, blinking rapidly.

"You thought I was being compelled." You finished, softening your tone. She was just a teenager, after all. The girl nodded glancing between you and the baby she held. You nodded in understanding. "You really trusted this professor guy, huh?"

Bonnie nodded hesitantly. "H-He said… He told me Kol was using you for sport or something really messed up like that."

"Oh…" You blinked and glanced at Kol, thoroughly disgusted. 

The boy blanched and shook his head vigorously. "Woah, woah! Don't look at me! I have more confidence in myself than that!"

You chuckled at his attempted defense and turned back to Bonnie. "While I appreciate the concern, Bonnie, as you can see, I'm fine. Now please give Millie back to me." You held out your hands again, this time with a more teasing expression. "I've been working on my Mom Voice; don't make me use it."

"Oh, anything but that," Kol muttered under his breath. You elbowed him in the side and he smiled wryly. 

Bonnie watched the original wearily as she passed Millie back to you. Once she was safely in your arms again, your cheeks split with a radiant grin. You turned away and lifted Millie into the air, giving her an Eskimo kiss to make her giggle. Behind you, Kol took a threatening step toward the witch.

"Uhh… Y/N?" Bonnie called out, voice strained.

"He won't do anything," You tossed over your shoulder, unconcerned.

"I won't?" Kol asked.

"No, you will not."

"What if I really want to?"

"You will refrain or you will be sleeping alone tonight," You declared calmly. "She's just a kid, Kol."

He scoffed. "Where I'm from, I was an adult at thirteen."

"Yes," You acknowledged, "However, this is the twenty-first century and Viking traditions are no longer observed. Bonnie is still legally a child, she was scared and she didn't know any better. She will not attempt such a vile and degraded scheme ever again. Isn't that right, Bonnie?"

"Y-yeah, I…" She shook her head as if trying to clear something from her mind. "I-I don't even know why I went along with this in the first place… Y/N?" When you glanced back at her, the girl's eyes were filled with tears. "I'm really sorry," She said.

You nodded and offered her a small smile. "I forgive you." 

"Well, I don't!" Kol supplied, moving to take your hand. 

"Yeah, I know." You smirked, shifting Millie to one arm so you could accept. He pulled you towards the door. "See you later, Bonnie!" You called back. 

"Not if I can help it," Your boyfriend grumbled, tugging you down the hall before the girl could say anything.

"Which you can't."

Once you were outside the building, Kol stopped and faced you. His hands moved to your arms, thumbs tracing invisible patterns over the skin. His eyes weren't cold when they looked at you - they weren't the cold, black eyes of a one thousand-year-old vampire. They were those warm, amber eyes of the most reliable friend you'd ever had. So when he opened his mouth to speak, you already knew what he was going to say.

"Y/N, I'm so sorry. You were right, I-"

"No, I wasn't." You cut him off with a smile. 

He frowned, brows furrowed in confusion. "Yes, you were. I should have stayed away, you were better off without me," He insisted.

"No, Kol. I really wasn't." You laughed, shaking your head. "I was a mess in pretty much every sense of the word. Hell, I still am mostly. I needed you, but I was just too stubborn to admit it."

"You've never needed me," Kol whispered. He leaned in, resting his forhead against yours. "No one ever does. Wherever I go, chaos follows. Whatever I touch, falls apart. If it wasn't for me-"

"I would have died with my parents," You stated firmly. Kol blinked, reeling back a bit.

"No, darling. That's not-"

"Yes, it is." You shook your head, shrugging. "That Shane guy would have blown up the counsel no matter what; his actions wouldn't have changed had you never taken me on that first date. Sure, if you and I had never dated, than no one would have even thought to kidnap me. But now that someone knows about us, the only thing leaving me is gonna do is put me in more danger."

"Y/N-" He tried. But you weren't having any of that.

"If not for you, I would have died with my parents in that explosion. I would have followed their blind hatred for the supernatural right to their deaths because you're the one who changed my mind, Kol." You grinned at him and squeezed his hand. "That was you."

"Well, I am irresistibly charming…" He smiled wryly. 

You rolled your eyes and grabbed his collar, pulling him down so you shut him up with a kiss. He instantly reciprocated, moving his hands to your hips and squeezing a little more firmly than he usually did just to remind himself that you were okay. You kissed him harder to say you weren't going anywhere. Pulling away much too soon for his liking, you adjusted your hold on Millie and tried to move away but Kol tugged you closer and chased your lips for more. You indulged him until you needed air.

"You know, I may be fine on my own but I really like having you around, Koala," You whispered against his lips as you caught your breath. "Think you can help me fix the front door?"

Kol just shrugged, nipping at your lips with a cheeky grin. "Who needs it?"

"I do." You gave him one more peck and pulled away, giving him your best pleading eyes. He sighed.

"Darling, you can't just scare me half back to life and then expect me not to kiss you senseless," He complained. 

"I think you can handle it," You teased, smirking. 

"Mmm. I don't want to, though." 

You couldn't even complain as Kol crashed his lips into yours again - this time with no intention to stop. The sound of someone clearing their throat startled you enough to break apart. Standing in the doorway of your house with an aluminum baseball bat in his hands and nothing short of panic in his wild E/C eyes, was your little brother. He seemed pretty miffed.

"Would y'all care to stop making out and tell me what the hell is going on?!"

You looked back up at Kol. "This one's all yours."

He paled. "It's your family legacy, darling. I think you should do it."

"Yeah, but you're covered in blood."

"Touchè…"

Tagging: @yn-ymn-yln @r13mar @rootbeerfaygo @iiskittles16ii @fandomrulesall-blog @dark-night-sky-99 @railingsofsorrow @apolloroid @thatweirdoleigh @misswe03

[ella10pythonissam]

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

[wholoveseggs]

Blood Bath

18+ ---- {Masterlist}

Aunt Flo comes to visit and the noble Elijah stands up to the bitch.

{The main inspiration behind creating this blog stems from my quest to find what I initially thought would be the most cliché smutty scenario involving vampires, only to find a surprising lack of content.} So in the words of Thanos: "Fine, I'll do it myself" - haha -

If you rather read this on Ao3- Link is here

2k Words - Warnings: smut, weed & period blood ~the holy trinity~

Blood Bath

In these moments, you found immense gratitude for your tub—a deep and spacious clawfoot marvel. Lighting a few candles and introducing some exquisite soap into the water, you crafted a cozy atmosphere within the steamy confines of the bathroom. You were looking forward to a relaxing soak, trying to alleviate your period cramps. 

As you waited for the tub to fill you took an edible and poured a glass of wine, hoping the combination of substances would numb your pain. Once in the tub, you let the warmth of the water ease your discomfort. The soft glow of the candles added a calming touch to the simple pleasure of the bath, turning it into a brief escape from the day.

Elijah walked into the bathroom, observing the candlelit scene. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, a warm smile on his face.

"Sure, pull up a seat," you replied, patting the edge of the tub. As he settled on the side, his hand casually dipping into the warm water, you started sharing stories about your day, from the funny moments to the challenges at work.

In the midst of laughter, you flinched; your cramps were particularly bad that day.

He looked concerned. "Are you alright?” He asked, his hand moving to your knee. 

“I'm fine, it's just cramps,” you replied, adjusting your position in the tub.

“Anything I can do to help?” He asked, giving you a knowing smirk.

You chuckled. "I don't think you can compel away period cramps, as much as I'd love that superpower."

He grinned. "Well, there's something that might help."

You raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

His response was to pick you up out of the tub. Water splashed in all directions, a mix of laughter and shock escaping you.

"Elijah! What are you doing?" you exclaimed.

"Taking you somewhere more comfortable," he said with a playful smirk. He carried you to his bed, and with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he threw you onto it. You bounced a little from the impact, a mixture of surprise and amusement evident on your face.

He crawled into bed beside you, the air thick with newfound energy. The candles in the bathroom continued to flicker, casting a soft glow on the scene that unfolded in the bedroom.

He kissed you softly, his hands trailing down your wet, naked body. “Lijah,” you whispered, cupping his face as you returned the kiss. “I'm sorry, I really don't have the energy for sex right now.”

“You don't have to do a thing but lay back,” he said softly. Moving downward, he began trailing kisses down your neck and shoulder. He cupped your breasts and ran his thumb over your nipples, and you let out a quiet moan from the sensation.

You knew exactly where this was going, and you began to rub your thighs together in anticipation. The combination of the wine, weed, and extra hormones in your blood made his every touch more pleasurable than usual. “You don't have to,” you weakly protested, knowing damn well he wanted it even more than you did.

With a devilish glint in his eyes, Elijah continued his exploration of your body. His kisses descended lower, tracing a path of fire along your stomach. As his lips reached the sensitive area between your thighs, you gasped, a jolt of pleasure coursing through you.

The combination of his skilled touch and the heightened sensitivity from your current state had you squirming with desire. His hands pressed into your thighs, spreading your legs wide. 

The tip of his tongue gently traced over your clit, causing your hips to react with each movement. Using his thumbs, he spread your folds, maintaining an intense rhythm as he pleasured you. A deep, satisfied groan escaped him, finding pure ecstasy in consuming your blood while nestled between your legs. His dark eyes locked onto yours, gauging how long you'd let him stay this way.

Your body quivered under the pleasure he skillfully crafted, the room filled with the sounds of your soft moans and his contented groans. Elijah's focus was unwavering, his actions deliberate as he brought you to the brink of ecstasy.

As the intensity built, he sensed the subtle shifts in your breathing and the tensing of your muscles. The heat building inside you reached its peak, and you climaxed on his tongue, a wave of pleasure coursing through every inch of your being. The pain and pressure of your cramps instantly unwound and you enjoyed the sweet relief.

Your core pulsed with the aftermath of your intense orgasm and your moans filled the room as you ran your hands through his hair. Elijah responded with a low hum of approval, altering his pace. He shifted his attention, planting kisses on your clit before drawing it into his mouth, sucking on it gently.

A loud gasp escaped your lips, and you propped yourself up on your elbows, captivated by the sight. His cheeks were covered with blood and his vampiric nature was on full display, it was oddly sexy, especially when you observed just how much he was enjoying himself. Your climax began to build for the second time and you collapsed back on to the pillows, your arms draped dramatically over your head and your legs trembling.

"Elijah," you panted, feeling his fingers digging into your thighs at the sound of his name. "Please don't stop.”

His response was a muffled acknowledgement as he continued to consume you, his focus unwavering. Your hands came down to tug on his hair, your toes curling as he flicked his tongue against your clit. The sensations he ignited between your thighs were electrifying, and you surrendered to the pleasure, every worry and ache melting away as your second orgasm hit you. 

You let out a long breathy moan, breathing heavily and sinking onto the bed, completely spent. Despite your exhaustion, he persisted in pleasuring you, his tongue moving at an inhuman speed, filling the room with soft, wet slurping noises.

"Elijah, I can't... please," you whimpered, your voice a breathless plea as you sensed the intensity of the pleasure becoming almost overwhelming. You tugged on his hair, your legs shaking uncontrollably.

He responded with a dark determination, his grip on your thighs tightening as he spread them wider. "Just one more," he declared.

Sliding two fingers inside you, he orchestrated a flawless rhythm between his hand and tongue. You attempted to close your legs, overwhelmed by the stimulation, but he forcefully kept them open, pushing your knees up around your waist.

His tongue, lips, and fingers worked in harmony, triggering a potent wave of pleasure. Your body convulsed in ecstasy, and a loud moan broke free as your third orgasm surged through you. Elijah savored each moment, delighting in the sweet taste of your blood as your back arched.

Just when you thought he was finished, he continued his relentless attention, pushing you towards another climax. Your body attempted to retreat from his overwhelming attention, every flick of his tongue making you squirm and squeal.

“Please, Elijah,” you begged, too spent to resist. “No more.”

He responded with a low hum, intensifying his rhythm, determined to draw out every last ounce of pleasure. You were caught in a whirlwind of sensations, pleasure mixed with exhaustion, yet his actions persisted. Elijah's hunger for your pleasure seemed insatiable. Despite your protests, he skillfully brought you to the edge once more, his fingers moving with precision, and his tongue dancing with a rhythm that surpassed human capabilities.

As your fourth climax overwhelmed you, your body twisted in pleasure. Elijah, unwavering in his pursuit, consumed you as if it were the last drop of blood he could ever taste. Your thighs went up like a vice, gripping his head, and a low chuckle escaped him as he forced them back open.

“Pl—” you whimpered as he persisted. You felt on the verge of passing out, your heart racing, and your entire body trembling. The edible you consumed had fully taken effect, leaving you incredibly lightheaded.

“Just one more,” he repeated, his tone a low growl.

You attempted to argue but had lost the ability to speak as he thrust his tongue deep into you. He relentlessly fucked you with his tongue as he let out a soft groan of pleasure. His hands pressed into the back of your thighs, causing your hips to spring up so he could delve deeper inside you. Your legs kicked, and you cried out, attempting to escape the over-stimulation. You begged and pleaded for him to stop, but deep down, you knew you were at his mercy and you loved it.

As Elijah continued his relentless assault, your pleas became desperate whispers, lost in the throes of pleasure and exhaustion. Each movement of his tongue intensified the overwhelming sensation, and you succumbed to your fifth orgasm. You moaned his name with long stretched out syllables, your entire body shaking in pleasure.

Just when you thought you couldn't take any more, he pulled away, a wicked grin on his face. Your body lay limp on the bed, the aftermath of pleasure and weakness coursing through you. Elijah's eyes were black, with gray veins snaking around them, they gleamed with satisfaction as he licked his lips, relishing the taste of your blood.

He moved to hover over you, gazing down at you with a predatory glint in his eyes. As you lay there, breathless and spent, he leaned in, his lips brushing against your ear.

"Such sweet surrender," he whispered, his voice soft and loving.

The room spun as the combined effects of Elijah and the edible took their toll, and you could barely muster a response. Your body still trembled from the intensity of the experience, and the afterglow of pleasure and weakness continued to course through you.

Elijah, with a contented smile, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, savoring the remnants of your essence. "You taste divine, my love," he murmured.

He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead, and then made his way to the bathroom to clean up. He returned with a warm cloth, wiping away the blood and arousal between your legs.

“Now I need another bath,” you chuckled weakly.

Elijah chuckled, "I suppose you've earned it." He helped you up, and you felt a bit wobbly as you stood. Together, you made your way back to the bathroom, where he prepared a fresh bath for you.

As you settled into the clawfoot tub once again, Elijah joined you, the warm water soothing your senses. You leaned against him, enjoying the closeness, feeling the comforting embrace of his strong arms.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

You nodded, letting out a contented sigh. "Definitely better, thanks to you."

He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the side of your head. "Anytime, my love.”

You let out a chuckle, “Don't pretend like that was all for me,” you teased. 

Elijah grinned, his lips brushing against your ear. "Perhaps not all, but seeing you relaxed and happy is a reward in itself."

You playfully swatted his arm, "Smooth talker."

His laughter filled the room, a rich and comforting sound. "Guilty as charged.”

I could not find a gif of him all bloody where he looks actually pleased about it; so I gave up. If you happen to have a good one, please send it my way!

I laughed so hard when I found this gif, I was SO close to using it as the header, just to amuse myself.

[starlightsalvatore]

ripper / damon salvatore x reader

this was inspired by this blog post !!! idk if this is really what you wanted but this is where the spirit moved me lol - I hope everyone enjoys! as always lmk what you think!

ripper / damon salvatore x reader

summary: Stefan flipped his switch and you and Damon have been trying your hardest to bring him home... but Stefan has other ideas.

word count: 1.9k

warnings: typical tvdu stuff (blood, fear, pain, etc)

“Goodnight, Linda! I’ll see you next week,” you called out as you pushed the door to the boutique open, letting it shut behind you as you crossed the street to find your car. Your mind was swimming with unanswered questions, things in Mystic Falls had been topsy-turvy since Stefan flipped his switch and skipped town with Klaus. You and Damon had been hunting down every lead while keeping it from Elena, encouraging her to move on while the two of you ignored your own hypocrisy as you refused to do the same. On top of every dead end or trip down south to cover up the carnage Stefan left in his wake there was something brewing just beneath the surface with Damon the two of you were refusing to acknowledge. It wasn’t the time, there was too much on your plates but it didn’t stop the tension that seeped into every late night you spent with him poring over files Sheriff Forbes had given you.

You unlocked your car as it came into view, listening to the chirps echo down the empty street but stopped in your tracks when a figure appeared before you, “Stefan?” you asked, hope filling your voice but it faded just as soon as it had appeared when you looked into his eyes… so cold and dark, unlike the ones you’d come to know. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you.”

“I know,” he answered, “I’m here to tell you to stop.”

“Come on, Stefan… let us help you, I can help you,” you pleaded and he just chuckled darkly. He was someone you used to trust implicitly, he’d saved you from sudden death time and time again, taken you in and given you a home when Klaus had killed your parents to prove a point but this was not the Stefan you knew. 

“You can help me, sweetheart,” he said, fingers trailing along your collarbone and you felt sick to your stomach at his touch. “God, have I been dying to know what you taste like,” he muttered mostly to himself. You thought about running, but it was pointless… you thought about screaming for help, but he’d just kill whoever showed up… Damon. Damon was at the grill, just a handful of yards away. “So many nights hearing that heartbeat just down the hallway, like a siren call. How stupid was I to resist?” he asked rhetorically and while his attention was focused on the pulsing of your neck you slowly pulled your phone from your back pocket, dialing Damon’s number and praying to whatever god was listening that you didn’t hit the wrong buttons.

“So, what’s the plan, Stefan? Just going to kill me right here in front of the grill?” you asked, voice wavering as you tried to stall him. “Who are you trying to send a message to? Damon? Elena?” He growled in response.

“Maybe the message is for you,” he said, hand closing around your throat. “Did you think I wouldn’t know you’ve been helping him? That it wasn’t you who’s been covering my tracks?” he asked but you couldn’t answer. His hand disappeared and you sucked in a breath only to let out a cry of pain as he gripped your wrist, pulling your phone into view before he pried it out and you felt your bones crack under the pressure as he tossed it aside. “Stupid girl, are you trying to make this easier on me?”

“So this is hard for you?” you asked, clinging onto that as you took a step back and tried to ignore the pain in your wrist. “Good, lean into it. You don’t want to kill me, even with your humanity off you can’t tell me you don’t miss the fun we used to have together… dancing with Lexi to Bon Jovi, crushing Elena and Jeremy at pool…” you trailed off, trying to spark something in him. “Just, come home, Stefan. Let me help you, everything can go back to how it was.”

“Yes, I really do, because the real fun is what I’ve been denying myself all this time.” he sneered and you felt a gush of wind behind you.

“Whoa brother, just take it easy,” you heard Damon say and suddenly you were flipped around with your back pressed against Stefan, his arm a vice grip around your waist as his other hand held onto your throat. 

“You really should have stopped looking for me,” Stefan growled as you squirmed in his grasp, pain radiating through your arm as you struggled for air. “I don’t want to be found.”

“Yet you came all this way to Mystic Falls, to the middle of the town square. That doesn’t scream don’t find me,” Damon pointed out, taking a step closer but he stopped in his tracks when you let out a cry as the grip around you tightened. Damon could hear your heart thudding against your ribcage, quick and uneven as your eyes pleaded with him to do something. 

“Had to deliver a message,” Stefan responded. “But now that I’m here, she is a lot of fun, isn’t she, brother? Always was so brave, even in the face of death,” he chuckled as he brushed your hair from your neck. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it,” he taunted. 

“Just let her go, we can talk this out… come to an understanding,” Damon said, slowly taking another step. He’d never felt so helpless, like control was slipping through his fingers like sand.

“Oh, I’m not in the mood for talking,” he replied and you felt his lips kiss along your carotid artery and you stiffened in his grasp before thrashing against him. “So responsive,” he chuckled and anger flared in Damon’s chest at the sight. “Come on, Damon… all this time you’ve been pushing me to have more fun, now you want to stop me?”

“You want real fun? You’re not going to find it here in Mystic Falls,” he said, gesturing to the empty town around him. “Let’s go on a good old fashioned brotherly road trip, find some girls that actually enjoy being fed on,” he said, and you didn’t miss the desperation in his voice as you tried to calm your breathing and focus on anything other than the ache throbbing in your wrist. Stefan wasn’t swayed and you let out a pained cry as his fangs sunk into your neck, opening you up as he drank you in and you struggled in his arms.

“Stefan- don’t,” you choked out, fighting against him. Your words came out strained as blood poured from your neck and you felt tears slipping down your cheeks. “Elena will… she’ll never forgive you.”

“She’s right, brother. Just let her go, we can make this all go away,” Damon pleaded and he knew you didn’t have much time before he ripped your head off. You were already starting to go limp in his arms and Damon’s eyes were apologetic as he looked at you but you didn’t have enough time to process what it meant before you were flying through the air and hitting the ground with a thud that winded you. You groaned as you lifted your arms to press against the wound in your neck, each nerve ending protesting with a fiery jolt of pain as you tried to control the bleeding.

You couldn’t see anything, couldn’t move… all you could hear was a crack in the distance as your eyes fluttered closed before you felt your body being tugged upright. “Come on, drink…” Damon said, shaking you softly and when you didn’t respond he shook you harder. “You don’t get to do this, damn it! Drink,” he said again and your eyes opened as you wrapped your lips around his wrist, letting the sickly sweet liquid slide down your throat. You were alone again, vaguely making out Damon on the phone with somebody before you lost consciousness. 

“Hey, hey, easy, you’re safe now,” you heard as you sat up in bed, startled as your eyes darted around and you saw you were back in your room at the boarding house. Damon was looking down at you intensely as tried to ease you into laying back down but you just shook your head.

“Where is he?” you asked frantically, “please tell me we didn’t lose him.”

“He’s in the cellar,” he answered. You let yourself relax a little at this, knowing the hope you’d been clinging to all summer seemed a little more realistic now. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered and your face twisted in confusion. “This is all my fault.”

“What? Damon, this isn’t your fault,” you tried but he just shook his head.

“He knew the way to get to me was through you, I shouldn’t… he didn’t want to be found, I shouldn’t have pushed,” he said and your eyes softened as you took him in. He looked exhausted and the faint light peeking around your curtains let you know he must have been waiting a while for you to wake up. 

“He knew I was helping you, this was as much a message for you as it was for me,” you replied. “I’ll be okay.”

“But you’re not right now,” he said and you smiled sadly.

“But I will be,” you reassured, “nobody said bringing a ripper back from the depths of inhumanity would be easy.” 

“I’m so sorry,” he repeated and you just wrapped your arms around him, letting yourself move to straddle his hips to pull him closer into you. “You don’t deserve this, I… I should have protected you better. I can’t lose you,” he muttered into your chest as his arms snaked around your waist and held you tight.

“I’m not going anywhere,” you said and he pulled back to look up at you, eyes swimming with emotion. 

“You… you mean too much to me,” he said, fingers brushing your hair behind your ear before cupping your jaw. “I can’t lose you,” he repeated.

“And you won’t,” you promised, eyes sad as you knew this wasn’t really a promise you could keep, but you would try… for him. You let your fingers thread through his hair as you held him close, needing the comfort right now as much as he did. Putting on a brave face was what you were good at, you seemed to face a new evil every week in this town but this was different… This was Stefan, one of your closest friends who used you to prove a point, who made it look so easy to bring you within an inch of your life. You needed Damon as much as he needed you and with someone downstairs locked in a cell who was so important to the both of you, you didn’t have any fight left in you to pretend you didn’t need him.

“I love you,” he muttered against your skin and your heart skipped a beat, wondering if you’d heard him correctly. “I won’t let him hurt you ever again, I’m so sorry.” You shifted, leaning back to look down at him and those intense blue eyes held so much emotion you felt your heart crack wide open.

“Damon-” you started but he cut you off by cupping your face and pulling you down to meet his lips. You responded immediately, letting your lips move in tandem with his before pulling back breathless.

“I love you,” he repeated as you rested your forehead against his. 

“I love you too,” you responded, letting yourself smile genuinely for the first time all summer. “We’re going to get your brother back, okay? We’ll get him back and everything will be okay.”

taglist: @caseysalvatore @minalblood @styxfly (if you’re name is struck through it means I couldn’t tag you - sorry!)

tagging you because you inspired this one! @tmhxll​ 

[c1eepypas1a]

C1eepypas1a's masterlist №¹:

(a/n: my first ever masterlist!!!, fluff/smut/angst/dark, I do it all just ask ❤️❤️❤️)

Supernatural:

Dean Winchester:

Sam Winchester:

None yet xo

Castiel:

None yet xo

Charlie Bradbury:

None yet xo

Jo harvelle:

None yet xo

Claire Novak:

None yet xo

Rowena:

None yet xo

Gabriel:

None yet xo

Michael:

None yet xo

Lucifer:

None yet xo

The vampire diaries:

Elena Gilbert:

None yet xo

Jeremy Gilbert:

None yet xo

Damon Salvatore:

None yet xo

Teen wolf:

Scott McCall:

None yet xo

Stiles stillinski:

None yet xo

Jackson Whittemore:

None yet xo

Lydia Martin:

None yet xo

Kira Yukimura:

None yet xo

Liam Dunbar:

None yet xo

Theo raeken:

None yet xo

(a/n: I write for male/female, I could try non-binary and I do write for trans people!!!, also I will be posting all my fanfics on Wattpad!!)

[ashesandbone]

Do you do playlists or moodboards for your fics?

Moodboards is something that I'm really into nowadays but don't really get the time to make it (also partly because i don't exactly know where the story is heading) but when I get the inspiration, I would want to make some.

and i know what the reaction might be for what I'm about to say but I don't really listen to music so no playlist yet!

[enchantzz]

Podfic - Mitchell’s Diary - Autumn Reflections

Trying something new. This is my recording of one of my Mitchell's Diary stories. It's just under 6 minutes.

Please note that English isn't my first language. You can follow the very long subtitles text below. I had fun recording this and it's a little scary posting it, but here I am. I hope that you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed writing and recording it.

One-shots in the series of Art & Vampires. Excerpts from Mitchell’s diary.

Words: 1028

Mitchell reflects upon the past and his relationship with New York City and his vampire life.

References to stories in the Art & Vampires series - 1. New Orleans and 6.New York

Art & Vampires is about the relationship and developments around Mitchell, a vampire and Amy (Ames), a human. It’s about the vampire world, the supernatural, but also about history, cities around the world, art, antiques and adventures.

Face claims vampires: Aidan Turner - John Mitchell, Richard Armitage - Rick Marlowe, Jaime Murray - Alana (Lana) Lenoir and Ben Barnes - Ben Sheldon. Humans: Mila Kunis - Amy (Ames) Quinn, Bianca Lawson - Lena Parker (witch).

List of Mitchell’s diary One Shots in the Art & Vampires Master list

Dividers by@firefly-graphics

We went back to New York, just Rick and me. Ames wanted to come, but we told her she couldn’t. That didn’t go over too well, but it was just business, you know and I didn’t want to linger here too long, since I’m not very fond of the place.

But I must admit that it wasn’t as dreadful as I had imagined it to be. I didn’t really want to come back here after what happened to Ames last year, being held hostage by those vile vampires just because of some dark relic. And of course because of the sad memories of the time after I lost my beloved Belle just after the turn of the century, the 19th century that is. I thought that I would be miserable with all those bad memories, but it was actually quite nice. It was just me and Rick again and we actually had a good time.

When we didn’t have to work, we met up with old friends,  we enjoyed good dinners, some theater, art exhibitions and strolls through the park. We reminisced about the past and how everything has changed so much. I mean, I can talk to Ames about it but Rick and I, we lived through those years, you see, and we have seen it change with our own eyes. It’s just different talking about it with him.

But next to the fun times, there was plenty of time to reflect as well. Of course I haven’t forgotten the old days, how could I? New York and I have a history and it wasn’t always good. So much happened here on an emotional level. They say you forget physical pain, but emotional pain will always remain and I agree.

The other day, I took a stroll through Central Park. It’s beautiful this time of year, in autumn, or fall, as they call it here. Autumn sounds so much better in my ears though. It has a certain  warmth to it, I think.  I love the colors and the soft rays of sunlight making their way through the foliage to illuminate the fallen leaves on the ground and making the dew drops sparkle.  

It was early and not too busy yet. I was taking in the fresh autumn air, my mind wandering to memories of old times like I wandered the paths of the park. It was so much different back in the day with all the carriages and horses. But even then, people were escaping the busy city, only to find themselves among everyone else again, but just in the park. In that respect nothing much has changed.  I guess that when you live in a busy city like New York, there is no way of escaping people, really.  

I stopped and took a moment to admire some of the old trees, the same trees who were planted here when the park was created or maybe have been here even longer, like us vampires. They too have seen the world change, from a sparsely populated marsh area with a couple of farms, to this, a rectangle piece of land, boxed in by all these skyscrapers. It’s not less pretty though. I quite like the contrast between the park and the shiny tall buildings surrounding it.

But as I stood there, taking in all the beauty and the relative calm, my mind wandered back to the old days, when we arrived here, after I lost Belle. It was like a switch was flipped in my mind back then. The human in me no longer cared if the beast in me came out and it sure did. 

I remember watching the people gather in this park, observing the crowd, waiting until I found the right victim. I never fed on anyone here though. No, I carefully picked them and followed them back into the city at the end of the day, when darkness fell. There, in the dark and deserted alleys, I would feed until the pain of my memories was reduced enough to feel alive again and I was ready to go home and do it all over again a couple of days later, until finally, Rick, Alana, Ben, they succeeded in quieting the beast in me. It will always be there, but I had it under control, for a while. But I don’t want to go there with my thoughts right now.

Those were very dark times, but experiencing New York like this, relaxed, happy, more human than beast, it healed my feelings about the city. I don’t dislike it as much as I used to and I’m even thinking of taking Ames Christmas shopping here, since she didn’t get a chance last year. She will love that.  

I’m happy that my feelings towards New York have changed. We have a special bond, me and her and I think that there is hope for us. After all, she has been my home in a time when I needed a refuge, a place to heal. And she still is, even though New Orleans feels like my real home now and I will be happy to return there and to my beloved Ames tomorrow. I can’t wait to hold her in my arms again. We have only been apart for one week, but it feels like an eternity. 

PS. I’m debating if going Christmas shopping is really something I would like to do or if it is a strategy to avoid Amy’s cold treatment when I get back. I mean, she made it pretty clear that she was very disappointed that she couldn’t come with us and that is putting it lightly. Maybe I’m just dreading her reaction. I just hope that the gift I bought her and the promise of Christmas shopping will redeem me. I know that I am supposed to be a vicious, scary and strong vampire, but somehow Ames has the power to make me forget all that when she is angry with me. Being human is very complicated sometimes. Or maybe love is. And I don't think that being immortal and living forever will be enough to figure out either one of those.

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