Anonymous asked: if you're taking prompts, how about KC + childhood friends?

Klaus stared at the painted slats of the ceiling, haphazardly fitted together so he could see the leaves and stars above. How many afternoons had he whiled away in this treehouse? Too many to count, and not nearly enough since all the Mikaelsons had grown up and away from Mystic Falls. Still, he wasn't surprised to hear the familiar squeak of the rope ladder, nor the cursing that accompanied it.

"I can't believe your mom hasn't destroyed this thing, it's got to be a death trap for the grandkids." Caroline huffed her way into the cramped space, though she fit as easily into her corner as she always had. Sighing with relief at the chance to stretch out, she smiled at him. "What has you hiding away up here? And without me? I'd be offended, but I know one of those beers is for me."

Obediently, he handed her the second bottle he'd only half intended to drink. "I apologize for the quality, but they're easier to carry up the tree than scotch."

Shrugging, Caroline leaned back and sipped her drink. "No complaints here, except for Kol's singing. God, who let him bring a karaoke machine?"

"My guess would be Elijah. He lives for mischief others can be blamed for."

"That tracks." Her foot nudged his shoulder, and he rolled his head to meet her eyes. "Seriously, what gives, grump?"

Klaus sighed, sitting up to pull her foot into his lap. He nudged off her sandal to massage the arch and grinned at her soft moan. "It's just strange, being back home."

"Is it sharing a bathroom with Rebekah again? Because I lived that hell in college and agree 110 percent that she has unreasonable expectations of hairspray."

He tweaked her big toe, and she halfheartedly kicked at him. "I love my siblings, but they're easier to take in small doses. And Mother…"

Caroline grimaced in sympathy. "She offered you a ring, didn't she?"

"I think they're all quite ready to propose for me at this rate," he admitted, squeezing her foot affectionately. "I'm not sure how to tell them we're already married."

"We got married in the third grade, right at the base of this tree."

Tugging on her leg, he carefully lifted her onto his lap. "Sweetheart."

"I know." She leaned her forehead to his, teeth nibbling at his lip until he wanted to do it for her. "I think the easy route would be to tell Bekah and let her outrage spill the beans."

"And the honorable route?"

Her smile spread, and he loved her all the more for it. "We give your mom the framed picture of us, the one with Elvis cropped out. Everyone but Kol can have all the others. I'm pretty sure that was in my vows, too."

Kissing her softly, Klaus brushed his nose down her cheek. "I seem to recall something to that effect."

"Okay, let's go rip off the band-aid. Then we have to go to my mom's before Kol or Rebekah ruin the surprise for her."

"For better or worse, love."

But following his wife out of their childhood haven, he was feeling better already.