The question is on the tip of her tongue, but what will he say? (Prompt from anonymous: Klaus/Caroline prompt! Friends with benefits but someone wants more)

Helping her into her coat, Klaus allowed his hands to brush over her shoulders before he stepped away. He briefly thanked the hostess as he led them out of the restaurant, his tone casual as ever. "Want a lift back to your hotel?"

Caroline bit her lip and struggled to meet his eyes. Countless times over the years, one of them would toss out the question; more often than not, the answer was yes, and they'd spend the night taking great advantage of said hotel until it was time to say goodbye again. No strings, no overthinking, just two old friends catching up and enjoying the benefits of being single.

It started in college, when stress was overwhelming and relationships too much work. He was the black sheep of a wealthy family, obstinately taking an art degree from the prestigious yet stuffy university they'd funded for generations. She worked her ass off with two jobs and multiple scholarships to pay her own way, and she didn't have the time or inclination to use her Ivy League education for the marriage market so many had expected of her. Klaus and his playboy reputation made for an excellent casual fling, one that satisfied them plenty to become a regular habit until graduation landed them on different coasts.

But Caroline's work travel sent her to New York City several times a year, and Klaus always happily agreed to meet her for dinner and the occasional benefits they once enjoyed together. There were times she was seeing someone, or he was, and dinner would end with nothing more than a friendly hug and a parting barb. Once or twice, they failed to make it all the way into the restaurant before falling back into old patterns. Then, she'd fly home to Los Angeles, no worse for the wear.

She wouldn't be flying home this time, though.

"I, uh..." She hesitated, her preplanned speech no closer to existence despite needing to say something. Klaus, meanwhile, appeared to take her lack of actual words as finding a polite way to decline and gently moved to give her space. "No," she nearly yelled, pulling him back toward her. Luckily, he seemed more confused than annoyed, which was a good sign that maybe her idea would be worth pursuing after all. "I don't have a hotel. I sort of moved here."

"What?"

"Last month."

Klaus shrewdly looked her over for some sign in her expression. Not knowing what he might be looking for made her nervous, so she rushed to explain. "My company was wanting to promote me, the catch being that I would work from the New York office. I like the city when I come here-" She defiantly ignored the delighted amusement on his face, despite the blush it brought to hers. "-so I said yes. And I didn't want to tell you until I made my own decision and settled in."

Nodding, he tightened his hold on her arm, urging her further into him. "That sounds fair," he conceded. "But why not mention it over dinner?"

She shrugged. "We were having fun, and I wanted to know where you stood before I..." Trailing off, her gaze fell to the slushy sidewalk and she made a mental note buy more appropriate shoes.

"Before you what?" he asked as she watched his free hand clench into a fist. She wondered if her idea wasn't just her idea, a thought that made her bold. Looking up, she found him watching her intently. "Caroline?"

"If you had a girlfriend, you would have told me over dinner and you wouldn't have asked to come home with me," she said with certainty, though she appreciated his quick nod of agreement. "I want you to come home with me, but I worried it would change things between us now that it's really home. Maybe-" She took a deep breath, liking that his eyes didn't waver from hers. "I hoped it would change things between us, living in the same city."

His tongue slid across his bottom lip, and Caroline fought not to lean in. She had months to think about the possibility, and she just dropped it on him; he deserved a chance to mull it over without her distracting him. Not like that, anyway. "And it doesn't have to be an 'all or nothing' right now, obviously," she pointed out. "I'm not asking you to be my boyfriend or even a general exclusivity. It's not exactly fair for me to drop in and declare us a thing when all you're expecting is a-"

"What if I want to be your boyfriend?"

"-quick roll in the h- What?" His words caught up with her, and she barely choked back a laugh. "Klaus, you don't want to be my boyfriend."

He smirked at her blunt statement. "If you've taken up mind-reading with this new job, sweetheart, you're quite bad at it."

Her mouth fell open, surprised at how sure he seemed. "I- We've never- You're seriously ready to commit? Just like that?"

"When it's you? Absolutely." Her teeth clicked with how quickly she shut her mouth. "I enjoy you, Caroline, and I'm thrilled that you're here for good. I have no objection to seeing you more often, or on an exclusive basis."

Well, that was more than she was expecting. "Okay," she breathed, smiling when she saw his dimples deepen. "Okay. Exclusive. Maybe we build up to the boyfriend label, though. Work is still crazy for me, and I'd hate for you to give up on me before I can go full girlfriend mode."

Klaus smoothed his free hand up her back, tucking her into a warm embrace. "I can hardly wait," he teased as his nose brushed hers.

Leaning in, she kissed him, slow and inviting. With a coaxing pull on his lip, she smiled in his face. "Does that mean I finally get to see your place?"

"You're the one who insisted upon keeping to your hotel room," he argued, though he was smiling, too. The hand at her back hadn't stopped moving, and they both clearly wanted to get out of the cold. "And we're in your city now, too. Maybe I want to see your new home."

Her smile strained with a wince. "I'm in Kat's spare bedroom. It was my plan in case the new job didn't work out or I horribly embarrassed myself with you, then I wouldn't have to break a lease to move back to L.A."

Of all they'd shared, that was what left him dumbfounded. "She hates me."

"Kat doesn't hate you," she lied, but her best friend from college was prickly with everyone. Klaus just didn't help matters by giving as good as he got from her, and Caroline was close to murdering them both that semester they'd been paired for some English Lit project. "But it does make the apartment less than ideal for right now," she said, helping herself to the skin under his ear. "Take me to yours?"

"If you insist," he sighed happily, and she smiled against his jaw when he lifted a hand to the street. "Taxi!"

Laughing to herself, she let him pull her toward the curb, just as eager now that she knew her idea wasn't so bad at all. It might even be the best one she ever had.