A/N: I finally decided to put all of my Klaroline drabbles on here as a series! The title is based on the URL of the Tumblr drabble blog where I post the aforementioned drabbles: drabblesinklaroline. This is the first KC drabble I ever wrote, and from now until I reach the most recent one I've written, I'll be posting one each day. I genuinely hope you enjoy them, and it would be really sweet of you to leave reviews here or send in comments/questions/etc. to either drabblesinklaroline or my main blog, beautyqueenforbes, on Tumblr. Enjoy!
When Caroline makes the one mistake she swore she never would, she discovers that there are some things that are worth giving in to.
Caroline's breath caught in her throat as her eyes fluttered open, greeted by the harsh sunlight that managed to rebel and squeeze past his tightly shut curtains. She had finally done it.
She had slept with Klaus.
Her body ached and sung simultaneously, and she reveled in the sweet touches he had delivered to her quivering body from the previous night. It was enough to send shock waves of desire wracking through her petite frame. Trying to squelch them, she rolled onto her side. There, sleeping so peacefully, was the waiting hybrid himself.
His chest rose and fell as he inhaled deeply, an almost imperceptible smirk lingering on his lips. Or, perhaps, it wasn't a smirk at all, but asmile.
Caroline Forbes had to get out.
She couldn't face the inevitable consequences of her actions. Not today, at least. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and pushed to her feet. Whirling around, she prayed that he hadn't detected the movement and awoken. Instead, he groaned a little, smacked his lips, and rolled to the other side.
She smiled, witnessing the innocence that he expelled in so very human movements. She had made him happy, and she had finally forced him to accept the truth that he, too, was capable of love. While she felt a pang of guilt for needing to leave and collect herself the moment she woke, she settled on writing him a morning after note, instead. And maybe a shower wouldn't hurt, either.
On her tiptoes, Caroline thanked God for the flexibility and, consequently, stealth that cheerleading practice had lent her. The door eased open without so much as a creak, and she began to slip out into the hallway.
She was met by a tall, statuesque form, arms rising on either side of her head.
"Leaving so soon?" Klaus teased, injecting a false pout into his words for effect. He smirked, but had she not grown to discern certain facial cues in this man, she wouldn't have noticed the hurt pooling in his eyes.
"Klaus," Caroline breathed. How relieved she was that she hadn't been greeted by Rebekah instead. What a pain that would've been, not to mention the fodder she would offer her blonde nemesis. Just another kink that she would have to work out with her new…what were they? Lover wasn't a term that Caroline could accurately apply to it. Lover didn't essentially imply that emotions were involved. And, oh, yes, they were. Boyfriend? It seemed such a frivolous term, one that would never suit a man such as Klaus. Her cheeks heating, she realized that the only way she could possibly describe it would be as hers.
Klaus was hers. She was Klaus'.
"Good morning." Caroline chirped, trying to sound cheerful as opposed to the nervousness that truly pooled in the depths of her queasy stomach. She'd never been one for nerves, and any second now, she was terrified that she might vomit. Her eyes cast to the floor. It would look awful to be puking the morning after they'd first made love, and even worse if she couldn't make it to the bathroom and instead had to settle for his feet.
"Good morning to you, love," He answered, kissing her forehead where the soft line of curls began. She smiled weakly, and he watched as she ducked beneath his arm and began to head to the bathroom. It was a relief, but it wouldn't last long.
As he followed, nerves of his own began to strain. He wasn't sure how to ask what was nibbling at the back of his mind, but he had to know.
"Are you leaving? Won't you stay the day? The week? Forever?"
Caroline laughed softly. Now that she had seen the side of him that could love with such passion, she couldn't fear and find annoyance in him any longer. Love had no room for annoyance or fear, or any other sort of contrasting emotion. Was that what this was? Love?
She decided it was, apprehensively. It was love. She was in love with Klaus.
"Klaus, we can't," She sighed, staggering into the bathroom. A part of her now felt incomplete without his touch. She pulled him into a hug to remedy the ache, sighing a second time. "At least, not right now. I promise, I'll be back tonight. Maybe even this afternoon. But I need to take care of things. Figure things out, you know? Figure out what this is." But she already knew.
"Couldn't you stand to put it off for a while? We can go off the radar, together. I can fly you to Paris, and there, you would be free from judgment and troubles." Assessing her doubt, he added lightly, "We could even make love under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower."
She snorted again - while he'd grumble through the first time she forced him to sit through a montage of guilty pleasure romance movies, at heart, he was a hopeless romantic. Just like her. The big bad hybrid would never admit it, but he wanted that wholeness, too. He wanted trips to Paris, breakfast in bed, flowers on sappy holidays and even morning after showers with someone as devoted as he. If Caroline's soul was milk chocolate, his was laced with cherry. A little different, but chocolate all the same.
"Spend the day with me," He continued. "Take a shower, with me. Eat your breakfast, with me. We can watch movies, talk, whatever you wish, love. Just spend your time in my company, and I swear to you, I will be there for you tomorrow when you confront your friends."
Caroline hesitated. This shouldn't have been Klaus. His touch should not have been gentle, nor his words sweet. But this was Klaus. This was Klaus, at heart, behind bitterness and loneliness, loss and grief. A true gentleman, filled with overwhelming passion and devotion. It was something she couldn't resist.
Because with all his flaws, she loved him just the same.
"Alright," Caroline sighed, and he lit up, pulling her into the bathroom with him. He flicked the hot water on, and it pattered on the bottom of the bathtub, beckoning Caroline. Their clothes already missing, he stepped in, offering his hand to her.
She took a deep breath. This was what it all came down to. She could turn away; it wasn't too late. She could forget this, and go back to being Tyler's Caroline. It would be so easy. But she met his eyes earnestly, and her heart started to pound.
"Come on, sweetheart," He prompted. She assessed his outstretched hand once more.
She took it, and he pulled her in with him, for better or worse.