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#the fact that Klaus's is almost 100 words longer than the rest is absolutely in no way me playing favorites...
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Soft comforting cuddles with your pick of TUA?
A/N: You say “my pick” but all I hear is “MINI-FICS FOR EVERYONE! SEVEN CUDDLES FOR THE SEVEN CHILDREN!” Except that it’s actually only 6 of them because I don’t feel comfortable writing this prompt (most prompts) for Five. Also I feel like he’s not one for physical contact anyway so I don’t think there would be cuddling. Word Count: 1508 (or 202+244+257+350+239+216) Now cross-posted to AO3: here
LUTHER
He had never been comfortable in his own skin, especially since the accident and the serum which changed his physiology. He was too big, too strong, too much. Clumsy and never quite sure of his own capabilities. Every day was spent with the lingering fear in the back of his mind that he would accidentally hurt someone he cared about.
But when you slip silently into his room, dropping face first onto the bed (or him if we’re being technical) with a sob, his arms wrap around you on instinct, as if the circle of them is enough to protect you from the world.
“Y/N, what’s wrong?” he asks softly.
When you shake your head and refuse to answer, he tries a different angle.
“What do you need? How can I fix it?”
Because Luther is, underneath everything, a giver and a problem-solver, and he’ll do anything for the people he cares about, and you rank the highest of that list.
“Just you,” you murmur, snuggling closer to him. “Just hold me, please?”
He tenses for a moment before giving in, tucking your head up under his chin and holding you as tightly as he dared, smiling softly when you sigh contentedly.
DIEGO
The late nights of being a vigilante’s significant other are hard, even if you would never admit it to him. Proper date nights were rare, you often had to go to bed without him, and almost always you worried that tonight would be the time he didn’t come home at all. Which is why, when you were awake (more often than he would like, and he felt guilty about disrupting your sleep patterns so completely) when he came home, you were seeking his touch as soon as he came through the door.
You snake your arms around his waist, resting your forehead against his or leaning to the side to lay your head on his shoulder. He responds by mirroring your action, hands tight around your middle and head resting on the top of yours.
If it’s a night when you are particularly tense, which he always picks up on, he’ll whisper how much he missed you as the pair of you walk in tandem toward the bed so that he can hold you properly. And properly usually means as tightly to him as possible, almost enough to be uncomfortable, legs tangled together, skin against skin, his fingers trailing patterns over your shoulder and lips pressing occasional kisses to your temples and cheeks.
“I love you,” he’ll say, waiting until you’re half-asleep as if afraid that if he says it for real you’ll vanish in a puff of smoke, nothing more than a dream.
ALLISON
Most of the time, Allison is prim. Gossip magazines are so invested in her life, both as a famed actress and as a former child superhero. And she is so determined to keep them away from you, from the one private thing she has, that it often gets in the way of casual intimacy. For the first months you are together, you can’t even get her to hold your hand in public.
She still occasionally freezes, stiff and tense as if afraid of the contact when you lean into her side while the two of you are on the couch. Even though all you want is her arms around you and a quiet night watching a movie (that she does not star in) and forgetting both your troubles, you shift away again, turning to face her, taking her hands in yours.
“Allison,” you say softly. “It’s okay.”
“What?” her answer is startled, as if she doesn’t even realize she’s shutting you out. “What are you talking about Y/N?”
“It’s just us, love.” You smile, coaxing. “You can relax. You can trust me.”
She smiles back, and though it’s hesitant, it is still the most dazzling sight in the world.
“You’re right, sorry. Come here?” she raises an arm, making a perfect space for you to curl into, resting your head against her chest as she drapes it back over you, resting along your side.
“You know, my girlfriend makes the best pillow in the world,” you say sleepily, grinning as her laughter echoes through your living room.
KLAUS
Once he has someone, you can guarantee that cuddling is almost always happening. Your space is his space, and he is determined to prove it. Usually the one to initiate physical contact anyway, he loves getting you to cuddle, loves the moment of calm and quiet and peace.
He’s also empathetic as hell and doesn’t even need a word or odd behavior to know when something is off with you. As soon as he senses it, activate cling-mode. Of course, if you’re the stubborn sort who doesn’t want to bother others with their problems (and who would) he’ll find a way to make it seem like he is the one that needs you, to let you pretend to be the strong one. He’ll make something up about a bad trip or ghosts being particularly chatty (things he has enough experience with for real to be able to bullshit well) and whine until you relent.
“Oh Klaus,” you’ll sigh, biting back your emotions in order to care for him, holding your arms open to him. “Come here.”
But no, a hug will not do here. He wraps his arms around your middle and tugs, guiding you to the nearest acceptable surface. Normally it would be the couch or a chair or the bed, but tonight he can feel the way you tremble almost imperceptibly, tonight the floor will do because you need to hold and be held and you need it now. He keeps you hugged close as he folds his long legs over you, sitting in your lap. His chin rests on your shoulder, face buried in your neck, and if he sneaks little kisses, neither of you are complaining. Eventually he releases his hold so that his hands can roam your body, reassuring you both that you are real and solid and there with him (also because the handsy boy just likes to be touching you all the time). He may even make an attempt at massaging your shoulders and limbs from your entwined position, whatever it takes to feel you sigh contentedly, to know that you’re okay again.
BEN
You come home after a long, hard day, the door slamming violently enough to piss off the neighbors. Ben is sprawled on the couch reading, as usual. He doesn’t say anything, just lifts his book up in the air, away from his chest, making room for you to slip in between him and it, lying along him from shoulders to toes. Then he brings it back down, resting the base of the spine between your shoulder blades and keeps reading, arms framing you and gentle breathing coaxing you into a sense of calm.
When he reaches the end of a chapter, he’ll stop, setting the book aside to ask you about your day now that you’ve had time to relax. Only when he looks down, he’ll find you asleep with your face buried in his chest. He’ll smile down at you, heart swelling with how much he loves you, and with how much it means to him that you trust him enough to surrender so completely, knowing that he was there and you were safe, a feeling he never expected to have. It had taken him a long time to reach this point, where he didn’t question if you were secretly afraid of his abilities, where he would let you have contact with his stomach like this. And now, there is nowhere he’d rather be than lying there under you, even if you were drooling on his favorite sweatshirt.
VANYA
She’s not a cuddler. And not just because she’s spent her entire life touch-starved and unsure of herself. It just feels awkward to her. When she’s upset, she needs space to breathe, and she doesn’t understand how someone could be the opposite.
But when you come home, upset, crying, her heart aches. She reaches out to you, to cradle your face and brush away the tears. Then she laces her fingers through yours and tugs you over to the couch where you sit, facing each other, knee bumping knee.
“Y/N, talk to me?” she’ll ask quietly, staring at your still linked hands.
Her gentle words are all it takes, and you break down, crying yes, but telling her everything. She’s angry at whoever or whatever upset you, but she knows that isn’t helpful, so she takes a deep breath and she listens and when you sag, overwhelmed and exhausted, she wraps her arms around your shoulders and pulls you into a hug, letting you cry on her, supporting you and holding you up literally. All the while she mutters soothing things about how much you mean to her and how no one else mattered but you and her.
It’s awkward and it’s stiff, but it’s heartfelt and she makes you feel better in her own way.
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The Originals Season 5, Episode 1. Those Europe spoilers started my mind on a path I could not control and this was born. It is very rough but I just had to get it out of my head and onto a page. Enjoy my take on Klaroline’s first meeting since 2014.
           Caroline is sitting in her office at the Salvatore boarding school having just done her final check to ensure everyone is in their rooms as they should be. It’s past curfew after all. She is about to start grading a few assignments when her cell phone rings. The word Rebekah takes over the entirety of her screen and for a moment she is confused. First, confused because she has changed phone’s so many times since she and Rebekah had last seen each other that she is shocked her number remains in the contacts (this confusion is quickly rectified when she realizes most of the Mikaelson’s are in there as emergency contacts for Hope). Second, because she hasn’t heard from or seen Rebekah in like a decade. It is curiosity more than anything that has her pressing the green “accept” button.
           “Hello?” she asks cautiously
           “Caroline” Rebekah says, her tone not snippy, sarcastic or bitchy, which surprises Caroline immensely. Perhaps the years have been a growing experience for the youngest original “how are you?”
           She is taken aback by the question, the familiarity of it, as though they call each other all the time just to chat “I am alright, how are you Rebekah?” her voice comes out more formal than anticipated
           “Could be better, and I am so hoping you will help with that” ah, there’s the Rebekah Caroline knows and kind of tolerated at one point
           “Is this about Hope?”
           “Indirectly, yes”
           “Then I’m happy to help. Anything to make the students more comfortable”
           “Oh I am so happy to hear you say that” Rebekah responds, mischief in her voice
           “I feel as though I have walked into a trap” Caroline sighs
           “Only if you consider an all expense paid first class trip to Barcelona a trap”
           Caroline can feel her eyebrows raise “what’s the catch?”
           “Well” Rebekah starts, and she sounds almost… desperate? If that is even something Rebekah can feel, she isn’t one for begging “the last time I spoke to Hayley she told me that Hop has been asking for um, her father a lot lately”
           Caroline nods her head “of course she has, the man just up and disappeared for over half her life, personally I can’t relate to the idea of not seeing Klaus in a decade being a negative thing, but Hope is young still, she has much to learn”
           “Well that is what I wanted to talk to you about” Rebekah says “as you know, my family must stay apart from each other to protect Hope-”
           “Yes, I was glad to hear that the Mikaelson’s appear to be about as functional of a family as ever”
           “We do what we have to” Rebbekah says darkly and Caroline feels a pang of guilt in her chest. This can’t be easy for them. Whatever else they are and however they torture each other, the Mikaelson’s love each other more than anything
           “I’m not sure how this involves me”
           “Klaus has decided to bugger off to Europe and be a gigantic self loathing ass, spewing some nonsense about Hope being better off without him and blah blah blah. He stopped taking my phone calls years ago but my sources tell me he is in Barcelona and since Hope is so distraught over him and I obviously cannot go to him myself and drag the pompous twat back to the continental USA, I was hoping you could act as my proxy”. Rebekah’s words click with the previous offer of an all expense paid trip and Caroline can feel the no ready to rip its way out of her throat, but Rebekah speaks again “Please, Caroline. You know I wouldn’t call you unless there was no other option, and you did say you would do anything for your students” she prattles on in such a syrupy sweet voice that Caroline can practically hear her eyelashes batting
           “I don’t understand” she responds simply, pushing her hair out of her eyes “why me? Why not Hayley? Or that new magical Mikaelson that I heard popped up? Or even Kol’s wife for that matter- still super weird to say based on the Kol that I knew by the way- or literally anyone that he met, talked to, and had a relationship in the last decade”
           Rebekah scoffs audibly “tell me Caroline, are you completely obtuse or are you simply trying to torture me by forcing me to say it out loud”
           “Insults, awesome, what a fantastic way to treat someone you’re asking for a favor. Glad to see some things never change”
           “You seriously don’t know?”
           “Don’t know what?” Caroline growls, slightly frustrated by this point
           Rebekah sighs, “everything I am about to say is for the good of my precious niece and in no way reflects my personal opinion of you, Caroline Forbes” she starts “he’s in love with you. He’s still in love with you. He never stopped being in love with you. Don’t ask me why but you and that stupid little town really did change him, for the better. He has never listened to anyone the way he listens to you. If I send Hayley or Freya to him he will just snap their neck and hop a plane to a new continent. He won’t do that to you, I know it. Furthermore, nobody talks to him the way you do- well, I have in the past but it’s gotten me a dagger to the chest” she pauses for a moment “there I said it. Are you happy?”
           Caroline is stunned silent for a moment and when sound does leave her it is not what Rebekah was expecting. She laughs, like seriously laughs as though she has heard the funniest joke on the planet “are you insane?” she asks still laughing “he had a crush on me years ago, I doubt he’d even let me get a word out, there is absolutely nothing to stop him from snapping my neck.”
           “I am not going to spend hours of my time on the phone trying to convince you that my brother is in love with you. I just need you to trust me when I say that I have known him a thousand years longer than you and trust me, he will not snap your neck”
           Caroline sighs, not wanting to accept what Rebekah is saying so instead she changes the subject “even if I wanted to help you, I have a school to run, I can’t just abandon all my other students to go on a possible suicide mission to help one”
           “I know he is human, but I should hope that Alaric can handle a school full of magical brats for a week”
           Caroline sighs. Again. “Fine” she grits out “but mostly because I could really use a vacation. Also if Klaus kills me you have to donate 5 million dollars to the school so it doesn’t fall into disarray”
           “I am not agreeing to that because if Klaus kills you I will die of shock before I can pay anything”
           Caroline rolls her eyes “when do I leave”
           Rebekah breathes out a thankful sigh of relief and says on a tone that is the most genuine Caroline thinks she has ever heard from the other blond “thank you”
 XXX
             When Rebekah said first class she really wasn’t kidding; limo to the airport, private pod on a massive commercial jet, lobster and champagne in the sky, complimentary facial kit (which she had used, life at home was so busy she always forgot how important little luxuries like a face mask can be). Unfortunately she cannot fully enjoy the experience because of the permanent knot in her stomach. Which really makes no sense because seriously, she should so not be nervous right now. Despite what she told Rebekah and perhaps even despite what she has always told herself, she knows that Klaus isn’t going to kill her. Snap her neck? Distinct possibility, but actually kill? Probably not.
           That is even worse though, because it means that she is nervous to see him. It’s been so long, and she would be lying if she said there wasn’t an attraction there… at one point. Long ago. Definitely not anymore though. Nope. That was not an option, that was not the mission. That is not what she is here for.
           This mantra runs through her mind for the rest of the flight and ride to her- unnecessarily extravagant- hotel. It doesn’t help the mantra stand that everything seems to remind her of him. Champagne on the flight, the pretentious art that covers the walls of her hotel, the Spanish men (or maybe she should say Catalonian? Another thing she hasn’t had time to fully keep up with, she will have to do her best not to stick her foot in her mouth while here) have an annoying habit of replicating Klaus’ laid back Henley and necklace style. Perhaps that’s why he likes it here so much. Even the annoying fact that the first time she is truly venturing out into the world is because of him forces her to think about declarations she had long since filed away. When she grabs her room key and the front desk lady’s sparkling diamond bracelet sends her thoughts swirling back to the man she shouldn’t be thinking about Caroline is convinced she has gone crazy. A diamond bracelet in a 5 star hotel was hardly a strange sight. She is just obsessing and it needs to stop.
           “Is there anything else I can do for you?” the woman asks, clearly uncomfortable that Caroline is so lost in another world.
           She snaps out of it immediately and smiles “sorry, I’m a little jet lagged. No everything looks great” she says and then stops “oh if I want to call a car can I just charge that to the room?” she asks, because Rebekah was 100% paying for her to see some of the sights while she is here.
           “Of course” the lady smiles “or if you want a little bit more of a novelty experience we also have horse and carriage rides that will take you through the old gothic side of the city”
           “Of course you do” Caroline mutters, leaving the nice employee baffled as she slumps away to get into her room and fall asleep.
 XXX
After she has slept, indulged in a delicious room service breakfast and wasted her morning on a little therapy in the hotel boutique/spa/salon, Caroline is feeling completely zen and borderline bullet proof. Which means now is probably as good a time as any to report for duty. She slowly pulls her cell phone out of her bag and clicks the top name in her recent calls.
           “Did you find him yet?” Rebekah’s voice sounds in her ear
           “No Rebekah, I’ve been here less than 12 hours and I have no idea where to look for him. That’s why I’m calling, how exactly am I supposed to locate Klaus?”
           “Oh. Well, if I know Niklaus he is going to be with some witch trying to build another little army of lackies. It’s practically a hobby for him. Klaus and his witches” she shakes her head in disapproval
           “Right, so this is my first time here- where do the witches hang out? I’ve done a lot of research but I feel like the gothic quarter is probably a little too on the nose right? I mean that’s going to be all tourists and fake psychics and stuff”
           “True” Rebekah agrees “but in my experience the easiest place for real witches to hide is among the phonies-”
           Before she can finish her sentence Caroline feels a tall man come up beside her, giving him a side eye she steps forward a couple paces but doesn’t get far as she feels his hand close around her wrist “one second” she says to the girl on the phone and turns around to stare at this very rude man “can I help you?” she snaps
           “Why are you looking for Klaus Mikaelson?” he asks darkly, maintaining his vice grip
           Caroline looks down at her wrist and then up at the man. She rolls her eyes and lifts the phone back to her ear “I’ll call you back Rebekah, I think I just found him” she hangs up and looks at the man “I’m an old friend”
           “Follow Me,” he says, moving towards the door
           “Sorry, I’m not in the habit of following strangers I just met into vehicles, you understand I’m sure”
           “If you are truly a friend of Klaus’ you have nothing to fear from me. I am required to bring him anyone that is looking for him”
           “So he can decide what to do with them” she nods, unsurprised
           “You do know him,” the man confirms
           Caroline rolls her eyes “unfortunately. Let’s go,” she says, following the man.
 XXX
           Rebekah was right, as it turns out, because the large black car that mystery vamp lackey had ushered her into stops in front of a large ornate home in the center of the gothic quarter. She rolls her eyes at the predictability of it all.
           “Klaus did not answer his phone, please allow me to go in first and see if he is in the mood to receive company”
           Caroline scoffs “yeah that’s not really how our relationship works” she says, stomping out of the car and heading straight for the door with mystery vamp trailing right behind her “lord knows he’s shown up in my life unannounced enough times” she mutters, lifting the ostentatious brass knocker and hitting it hard 3 times against the metal plate beneath it, sending a reverberation through the house that even she can hear from outside.
           And yet, no answer comes. She waits several minuets, bangs it one more time and the man behind her shrugs “Perhaps try coming back in the evening”
           “Yeah right” she says, twisting the knob, completely unsurprised to find the door unlocked. No one in the world can really hurt him and if anyone could, a lock certainly wouldn’t stop them. She is equally unsurprised by her lack of need for an invitation.
           “This is really not a good idea” tall man says and Caroline rolls her eyes once again. They are getting quite the work out on this trip, she notes.
           Caroline steps confidently into the foyer of the home and yells “Klaus” there is no answer but she can hear movement upstairs so she knows he is home “Klaus seriously, do not make me come and find you I have travelled quite far enough already” she says, the end of her words falling out as she hears the telltale whoosh of a vampire. She turns her head and sees him standing at the top of the stairs.
           Utter shock and disbelief crosses over his face for perhaps one second before he manages to compose himself and simply say “Caroline”
           “Um yeah, did you not hear me knocking on your ridiculously oversized metal knocker thing”
           Klaus looks down at her, fixing a lazy, satisfied smirk on his face “of course I heard you, Caroline” he flashes down the stairs to stand right in front of her “I think the whole of Barcelona heard you”
           Caroline scrunches her face up at him “cute” she says sarcastically “but I know how that one ends and unfortunately I don’t overly care if you are in the mood for company”
           “On the contrary” he says, seeming overly chipper “I am always in the mood for your company, love”
           “Well then how about you dismiss Creepy Mcstalker and we can have a proper conversation” she says, referencing the vampire still standing outside of the very open doorway
           Klaus looks up, clearly having not even noticed his minion was there at all “you are dismissed, Charlie, excellent work” he says, directing the final words at Caroline
           “Please, I would have found you on my own”
           “I’m sure you would have, though I must say I am rather surprised you wanted to find me at all” he says on a low voice, eyes connecting with hers and drawing her in the way only he can, making her feel like a very willing prisoner inside of his gaze
           She speaks quietly, and without breaking the connection “I’m actually not the one who wanted to find you” she says, the words managing to shake her out of it. She steps back, putting her hand on her hip as he tilts his head, clearly intrigued as to who is trying to find him “I’m a proxy”
           Klaus barely moves, simply nods his head and tries (successfully) to catch her eyes again, moving in closer to her as he speaks “and here I was so hoping you were finally ready to take me up on my offer”
           Caroline swallows hard “it hasn’t been a century yet”
           “True” he laughs, stepping back casually “and yet here you are at my door, oh well. As you pointed out, still plenty of time for that” he waves his hand, stepping behind her to shut the door before turning back to face her “can I get you a drink? We can have a chat about who has contracted your assistance”
           Caroline nods, slightly taken aback at how unfazed and accommodating he is being. For someone with minions trolling the streets to make sure he isn’t bothered and who doesn’t answer his door and who, above all, clearly does not want to be found- he is being awfully receptive to her barging into his hideaway. She shakes her head, refusing to overthink it and simply responds “anything but champagne”
           Klaus smirks back at her and nods his head obligingly, gesturing towards the sitting room, which she enters and carefully sits down in a plush arm chair near the window, having only a moment to look around the room before he returns with a crystal tumbler of amber liquid in each hand. He passes one to Caroline and seats himself across from her.
           Klaus sits, watching her for a few careful minuets before speaking “now why don’t you tell me all about who has enlisted you as a proxy, sweetheart. My first inclination would be a vamp friend in need of a cure for a nasty werewolf bite, but I can imagine that situation would have you in a slightly more urgent state so consider me intrigued”
           “Rebekah called,” she says simply and that seems to drain the mirth from Klaus’ face
           “I was unaware the two of you kept in contact” he states stiffly
           “We don’t” she replies, “that’s how I knew how urgent the situation was, but I’m not really here for Rebekah either” she says
           Realization seems to dawn on his face as Klaus puts all of the pieces together and there is a decided change in energy as his jaw tightens “Hope is better off without me Caroline, you should know that better than anyone”
           “You aren’t Mikael,” she says quietly
           “No” he replies, “I may actually be worse in some ways”
           Caroline looks up at him, setting her drink down “don’t give me that crap Klaus. You love her, that’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what follows you or anything else. You love her and I know that because you are one of the most selfish people I have ever met and yet staying away from her is incredibly selfless” she pauses for a moment “but also stupid-” she tries to begin again and is cut off
           “I think I know what is best for my child moreso than you do Caroline” he growls
           “Are you sure about that? Because only one of us in this room has watched her grow up for the past 8 years. Only one of us has watched her learn and been there on every birthday. Only one of us has walked past her room at night and heard her crying on the phone to her mother about why her dad left. Only one of us really knows her. And it isn’t you” she glares down at him, watching him clench his fist, feeling that he is about to lash out. She only has minuets to get what she wants to say out before Klaus is gone and the monster takes over.
She steadies her emotions and reaches for his hand, forcing him to look at her as she continues “speaking as a girl who was once 17 with a less than perfect dad, I promise that whatever it is about you that makes you think she’s better off without you, she isn’t. You’ve killed people, you have a temper, you’ve tortured people, I get it. But my father didn’t just torture people, he tortured me. Like literally, in a dungeon, vervain ropes, burnt skin, the works. He tortured me for days and I still know I would never have been better off without him. I love him. A girl needs her father” she says “ and I don’t want to hear about all the horrible things you have done. I was there for some of your most horrible moments. You are not a good person” she says point blank, no need to sugar coat it “but you could be. I’ve seen you be selfless, I’ve seen you be caring, I know you love your family, I know you love Hope” she says “and if that isn’t enough” she sighs, standing up “well too damn bad because after a thousand years it’s time to grow the hell up and just do what you are supposed to do. Got it” she says, pointing a finger menacingly at him
“That was a lot of information all at once, sweetheart” he says
“Yeah well you were getting murder eyes and I knew I was losing my chance. If I’m going to die I’m sure as hell at least getting my point across”
“I would never hurt you,” he says, not for the first time since they’ve known each other
“I know” she replies quietly “that’s why Rebekah sent me” she looks up at him again “but don’t you think if you can make that promise to me, you can make it to your daughter? The person you love more than anyone in the world”
That seems to take him aback “I suppose you do have a point” he admits
“Of course I do, I always have excellent points”
Klaus stands, moving closer to her, lifting a hand to brush a curl out of her face, leaving his hand nestled against her neck as he speaks “when are you leaving?”
Caroline takes a deep breath in, trying not to think about the fireworks igniting on her skin where his fingers touch her “Sunday” she breathes
Klaus nods “I will com with you” he says “on one condition”
“I swear to god Klaus if you ask for a confession I’m going to break your neck”
he laughs, shaking his head “no” he assures her “though it is nice to know where your mind is at” he smirks “I simply want you to agree to let me show you the city”
“Oh” she says, once again taken aback “I suppose that would be alright” he smiles at her answer and she can’t help but return it.
In the days that follow Caroline would flip back and forth on whether she was more excited that she managed to accomplish her goal or angry at how increasingly obvious it was that Rebekah had been right. About everything.
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