A/N So I wrote this for hissaviourqueen for the Klaroline Valentine Gift Exchange 2017 but totally forgot to post it here so here you go!
Everyone had one. It grew bit by bit, year by year until your eighteenth birthday. That's when it became complete. For years, Caroline had awaited her eighteenth birthday with a nervous anticipation watching as the tiny lines and strokes of colour build upon her wrist as she constantly tried to figure it out. It was unusually big, in comparison with her friends Bonnie and Elena whose tattoos appeared to be no bigger than a penny, and it was in swathes of black and grey. It unnerved her slightly. Most people's tattoos were a riotous blend of colours but she thought her eventual tattoo would be nothing more than clean black lines and grey strokes. It saddened her too. Elena's wrist was decorated with beautiful swirls of blue and Bonnie's with jade green sketches but she seemed to be stuck with black and grey.
That was until today. Today was her eighteenth birthday. Today, she had finally found out what her tattoo was and it was beautiful. It had quite literally exploded into colour from the dull greys and simple blacks. And, it was a masterpiece. She looked down at her wrist in disbelief. She had never believed that it would be so beautiful. She had seen other tattoos, in fact seen plenty of them, but never had she seen something so big nor so unusual. Ordinary tattoos tended to be clichéd with hearts, initials and stars and definitely not as striking as the one that had now appeared. A handsome russet wolf with vivid blue eyes nuzzling a snow-white tiger with changing blue eyes. Animal representations. That almost never happened. She only knew one other person with an animal representation, Elena's cousin and Caroline's sometimes friend, Katherine Pierce. And, even hers wasn't this size. Hers was a small red fox facing a black stag with its claws extended. And, she had found her soulmate within days of her eighteenth birthday because of the unusual nature. Caroline wondered about her soulmate. Was he the wolf? Or was he the tiger? She had never thought of herself as wolf or tiger so it was a shock to her senses.
"Caroline" Bonnie shouted from outside her window. She was accompanied by Elena and Katherine. "Come down. We want to see" She drew out the words to empathise their excitement.
Caroline stood still for a second. She wasn't quite ready for the barrage of questions that were coming away nor the matchmaking attempts to find her soulmate. She shivered slightly. She had been waiting for this day and now it was here she felt a strange mix of anticipation and nerves. What would her soulmate be like? Would he be kind and funny? Would he want to know her as a person and a friend not just as his soulmate? "I'm coming" She yelled back down as she threw on her favourite ballet pumps and denim jacket.
Her heart was pounding as her mind raced through the possibilities. Having a soulmate didn't necessarily mean that you like them, that you stayed with them, all it meant was that person was supposedly the best for you on a social and emotional level. But, it didn't always work out. Some people never found their soulmates until much later when they were married and had kids and then the choice was between abandoning their family or staying and knowing you'll never be with your soulmates. You could marry your soulmate and still break up. It wasn't like the movies. It wasn't a happy every after. Just like Elena's aunt Jenna. Her soulmate had been Logan Fell but theirs hadn't been a happy marriage. Jenna had divorced him after learning he cheated on her and was now seeing Alaric Saltzman even though his soulmate was Elena's biological mom Isobel. It wasn't a guarantee. She felt herself being embraced.
"So show us the new ink, Barbie" Katherine grabbed Caroline's arm and tried to turn it over.
Bonnie stopped her. "Let her do it, Kat. It's her tattoo. Her soulmate" Bonnie looked at Caroline who was looking rather flushed and slightly apprehensive. "You are going to show us aren't you, Care?"
"Come on, Caroline. It's no big deal" Elena had pulled out the doe eyes.
Caroline gingerly took off her jacket and exposed her wrist. The wolf seemed ever brighter in the day's light. "This is it, guys" She hoped her voice wouldn't betray her nerves. It was a scary moment and she almost wished that she was one of the last to get her tattoo instead of one of the first.
"It's beautiful, Care" Elena gushed over it as it was such a mesmerising image. It was strange but stunning. "And, so unusual" She unconsciously looked down at her own wrist, still devoid of its full image and prayed for something more interesting than the heart that had appeared on Matt's wrist.
Bonnie touched it gently. "It is gorgeous, Care. And, massive" She was surprised by the size more than anything. They had thought it would be big but this tattoo covered up most of Caroline's wrist. The animals too were unusually rare. Very few people had animal representations let alone a wolf and a tiger.
"What about you, Kat? You've not added your usual two cents" Caroline thought Katherine's silence was uncharacteristic. "You're not jealous, are you?" Katherine had grown used to be the one of seven people in their town with an animal. She was gratified by the small laugh that Katherine let out.
Katherine forced herself into a smile. "Very edgy, Blondie. And, here was me thinking you'd end up with Barbie doll" She quipped with a light hearted flash of her teeth. But, she had felt a jolt looking at that tattoo. A jolt related to one Klaus Mikaelson. She had found his soulmate. And, Caroline had no idea. No idea that she was soulmates with the sarcastic boy who had pushed her off the swings as children. This would be interesting. She was still warring between telling Caroline or not to tell Caroline. And, she had to tell Klaus. He was her ex after all.
"Funny" Caroline sarcastically applauded Katherine who quickly excused herself with the excuse that she was meeting Elijah whilst Elena still cooed over Caroline's new tattoo whilst Bonnie was setting up a night out to celebrate Caroline's adulthood. Finding her soulmate could come later, they needed to party.
Klaus POV
He flexed his arm as he listened to what Katherine was saying, her eyes narrowed at him, as she threatened to kill him if he mentioned this to Caroline. "Have you got any proof, Katerina? Or did you just come here with a half-cocked story?" He glared at her. They had dated and he had been fascinated by her throughout that period. At least, until she got her tattoo and it turned out Elijah was her soulmate.
"Of course I did" She said flippantly as she scrolled through her phone to find the photo she had taken. She had taken it secretively for this precise reason. Klaus did not trust nor believe easily. "I always have proof" She handed it over to Klaus. Maybe, this would get him off her back and actually let her and Elijah live in peace.
Klaus looked down at the photo. For once, Katerina was right. Caroline Forbes. Miss Mystic Falls had the same tattoo as him. The same wolf and tiger that was etched upon his wrist. He had been awaiting this time with trepidation. Finding out who his soulmate had never been the priority but now it was facing him. The concept of a soulmate had never appealed to him, one solitary person who he was supposed to love, and he had certainly never expected her to live in the same town. "Your information is much appreciated, Katerina" He handed her the phone back.
"So, what are you going to do?" Katherine asked. "You better not fuck it up" She threw a menacing look at him. "And, you better let me and Elijah have the house for the next month alone" She demanded.
Klaus contemplated, his face inscrutable. He would let Katerina and Elijah have their peace for by then he would have revealed himself to his soulmate. To Caroline. The little girl who he had warred with as children, the teenager he had kissed under the mistletoe and the woman who had grown up. "What would be your suggestion, Katerina?"
"You're asking for my advice? Aren't I the ex you love to hate?" Katherine was unsurprised. They may have broken up but they were still close enough. She would help him keep tabs on his siblings and the people of the town and he would stay out of her way. "Put it this way, Klaus, your best chance is tonight. Blondie and her little friends are going out to party and you could be there and bump into them. Then, the rest is up to you" She smirked as she imagined the look on Caroline's face. It would not be a pretty sight when she found out.
Klaus looked sceptical. "Is that all your cunning mind could come up with, love?" He was severely unimpressed. Katerina's suggestion to just turn up was a waste of time. He wanted to disclose this information to Caroline in a different fashion, not at some trendy club.
Caroline POV
"Time for more shots!" Elena squealed as Bonnie set down several shots, in every colour from teal to sunshine.
Caroline picked up a shot and threw it back. She shuddered slightly. "Eww! Bonnie what are these?" The taste of medicine lingered in her mouth as she surveyed the rest of the shots with cautious apprehension.
"I don't know, Care. I literally just bought a load of whatever looked good" Bonnie was buzzing. Her voice was raised higher than normal and her green eyes sparkled. She downed her own shot. "This one tastes good" She picked up another.
Caroline raised her own shot in salute. "To finally being 18" She threw it back with a practised air. They had been drinking since they were sixteen thanks to Kat. She could feel that the alcohol had hit her system when she stumbled backwards, her legs no longer able to dance.
"Careful, love" Klaus steadied her with a grin. He had been on the fence about coming despite Katerina's recommendation and it had only been when Kol had threatened to tell Caroline himself that he changed his mind. She was wearing a tight black dress and looked sexy as hell. She had certainly matured that's for sure.
Caroline blinked in confusion. "Klaus, what are you doing here?" She slurred her words as she sank down onto a bar stool. His abs were on full display in that navy Henley. She licked her lips unconsciously. He looked good. It had been a while since she had seen him, given that he had chosen to go to New Orleans for college.
"I missed you, love" Klaus looked her in the eye. "You didn't think I would wish you happy birthday on your eighteenth? I'm offended" His eyes roved across her body. He looked appreciative. "It's been a while, sweetheart"
Caroline rolled her eyes. Drunk or not, she knew when Klaus was lying. That tense jaw and darting blue eyes told a very different story. She noticed he was looking at her wrist. At her tattoo with an intense glare. "I call BS" She folded her arms and met his gaze. "What's the truth?"
"You really think so little of me, love?" Klaus glanced at the tattoo again. It was the same as his. There was no doubt. But, the question now arose as to how he could break the truth to her as there was only so long he could hold this façade before she realised. She had always been oddly perceptive in relation to him.
Caroline stood up and swayed. "If you're not going to tell me, then I'm going back to party" Her voice was louder than normal and Klaus visibly winced. "It is my eighteenth birthday" She made to stumble away but Klaus held her hand as she tried to pull away. His sleeve ripped off.
"Love-" He was interrupted as Caroline's eyes narrowed on his now visible tattoo.
Caroline felt waves of hysteria flow through her. She looked down again. It was the same.
"For fuck's sake, you're my soulmate?" She looked at him in disbelief. She would never have guessed Klaus was her soulmate. The man who was her first kiss. The Klaus who she had drunkenly kissed at Christmas and then pretended it had never happened. She breathed in. "Maybe this is just a bad dream" She muttered to herself as she sat back down on the stool.
"What's so bad about me being your soulmate, love?" Klaus looked hurt. It had been a surprise to him, certainly, but he was not necessarily upset about Caroline being his soulmate. She had a beauty about her, something that had grown since he had seen her last.
Caroline looked frustrated. "Nothing except you've got the whole bad boy vibe thing going on and how I'm supposed to explain this to my mom and friends? Elena will totally murder me" Her voice went up several octaves. Elena had hated Klaus since the day Katherine had brought him home. But, a voice niggled in her head, she had history with Klaus. She knew him. She knew his messed up past and abusive parents. She knew he was more than that bad boy image.
"I'm sure you'll find a way, sweetheart" Klaus met her gaze with a smile playing on his lips. She was fierce and passionate. He had no doubt that Caroline Forbes could do anything she put her mind to with that passion. This had been evident to him since their early teenage years when she campaigned for various charities with astounding success. "If that of course is what you want? And, if you can of course put aside the view of society?"
Caroline's thoughts ran a million miles through her head as she contemplated a possible future with Klaus. It would not be sunshine and eternal happiness with marriage at twenty three and kids at twenty five but she was willing to try. "Fuck society!" She cursed which was rather unusual for her indeed but showcased a raw honesty. Her mind was made up though she was far from sober. "We can try, Klaus"
"We can do more than try, love, we can succeed" Klaus leant closer and kissed her forehead. "We have the world at our feet: cities to be explored, delicacies to be tasted and each other to be understood. I want to do these things with you, Caroline. With my soulmate. I want to see the world with you standing by my side"
Caroline instinctively moved closer to Klaus. "Okay" She squeezed his hand, her sky blue eyes straining to focus themselves on Klaus. "Okay" She repeated as she nodded her head in acceptance.
She had not expected to find her soulmate on the very day of her birthday nor had she any inkling that it might be Klaus but she felt an odd sort of contentment in knowing. She knew Klaus. She had grown up with him. They had been rivals and friends and partners and they could grow together. She felt at peace in a place that was at odds with the very meaning of peace, full of heavy thumps and flashing lights, because she had found her soulmate. The man who was the perfect match for her with his wolfish grin and ocean blue eyes. She looked down at her tattoo. He was evidently the wolf with russet fur and she the snow white tiger, though she had never seen herself as particularly fierce. The wolf and the tiger would grow together. The path would not be easy nor common but she had faith that they would remain together. Call it intuition but Klaus felt like the soul that hers yearned to find. She only hoped that they would be happy in the future.
A/N Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! :)