For All Human day of Klaroline AU Week over on tumblr. The prompt: You're the one person who can do my elaborate stage makeup so every night you spend half an hour in close proximity to my face and I am distressed.
xxx
There really was no two ways about it, Klaus Mikaelson was a diva.
A prima donna, even.
There was an urban legend in the theatre industry that once, while rehearsing his role as Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Klaus opted to sit his dressing room, rather than 'save' his leading lady from the wolf attack at the beginning of act two.
"I was just throwing the moron to the wolves," Klaus allegedly said smugly, to the rightly irate director.
Yep, he was biggest drama queen in the theatre industry.
All who worked with him agreed Klaus was actually a soprano in a baritone's body. Though they would never say it to his face. Nope, to his face, all were perfectly lovely.
Because, no matter how many three-year-old-esque tantrums he threw, or crazy demands he slung at a company, or assistants he fired, Klaus Mikaelson was still the best.
Contemptuous he may have been until the very last second, but once he was under the spotlight, he was magic.
No note, nor line was missed. His honey voice caressed every ear like a lover. His impeccable acting could bring to life every character from King Herod to Jean Valjean.
So naturally, when casting for a reinvigorated West End production of Phantom of the Opera, whom else was to set to play the titular character?
Rehearsals certainly weren't easy for the crew.
The nature of the show meant already two divas needed to be cast for the roles of Christine and Carlotta. How were they to cope with a third?
But they had managed to make it to opening day without too many scuffles until –
"What the bloody hell do you mean Bonnie's in the hospital!?" Klaus roared. "Who is going to do my make up?"
"Have some compassion, Niklaus!" Elijah, Klaus' brother – who also happened to be his manager, (and what was more pertinent, the only one who could make any sense of a tantrumming Klaus) – sighed. "She is in the hospital, after a car accident!"
"We are opening in three and a half bloody hours, Elijah! I refuse to have my Phantom butchered by some blonde-bimbo-beauty-school-drop-out, playing face paint, just because Bonnie decided to have an accident!"
"Oh be reasonable," Elijah snapped, though made the mental note to tell Ms Bennett just how indignant Klaus was about working with anyone else. Surely that was some vote of confidence? "She was hit by a car!"
Klaus glowered, but didn't return fire. Even Klaus, diva or not, knew car accidents were bad.
"There are two options," Elijah said, after both men had a moment to calm themselves. "You can have your makeup done by the associate head of make up. This will require you to leave your dressing room, and join some of the other cast members."
"I don't mingle with the peasants, Elijah," Klaus pouted, petulantly. "They chatter and natter about inane things, and I cannot focus on what is important. Which is the work!"
"Fine! The second option is you trust Bonnie's substitute. A Ms Caroline Forbes, currently the head of artistry on Broadway's Phantom of the Opera."
Klaus rolled his eyes intensely. He hated Broadway. He hated working on Broadway. And with people who worked on Broadway. And just people in general, but that was beside the point.
"Brother, my feelings about Broadway aside, I'm not sure if you've seen a globe recently. But this is London. Not New York City."
It was Elijah's turn to roll his eyes – honestly maybe it was time to quit, and live as far away from Klaus as possible.
"I'm well aware of the geography, Niklaus," Elijah groaned, rather uncharacteristically. "Ms Forbes, an old friend of Ms Bennett, is currently visiting London. Had tickets for tonight's show, in fact, so is very well placed to aid us tonight."
"Fine," Klaus grumbled, after a moment of contemplation – though there wasn't much to contemplate, no make up was so bad that he would endure the blather of other cast members. "This Broadway woman will have to do. But I refuse to be pleasant to her."
"I would expect nothing more of you, Niklaus."
Just then, there was a knock at the door of Klaus' dressing room.
"Ahh, that will be her."
"You did not just approve her to come backstage before consulting me brother!" Klaus growled.
"Well," Elijah said, buttoning his suit jacket as he stood up, an air of finality in his tone. "As you so eloquently put it, brother you're 'opening in three and a half bloody hours', there really isn't any time for your arguments."
Elijah strode away from the sulking Klaus, and greeted the woman on the other side of the door.
"Ms Forbes," he said politely. "Please come in, and thank you so much for this, the company is indebted to you."
"Please, call me Caroline," Klaus heard a bright, cheery voice say, though she was still blocked from his sightline. "Anything for Bonnie!"
"And how is she after the accident?"
"Shaken," the woman said, her bubbly voice suddenly laced with worry. "Her injuries are mostly superficial, but her arm will be in plaster for the next few weeks."
"I see," Elijah said, before they both came round the corner, and Klaus was able to get a good look her for the first time. "This is Niklaus."
"Hi!" she said, smiling a smile so bright, he should have been wearing sunglasses. "Caroline."
She held out her hand for him to shake, but Klaus just looked spitefully at it, before looking away.
Klaus couldn't believe his misfortune. She was a blonde bimbo.
"Right," Caroline said, a little disheartened, as she withdrew her hand.
"Anyway, Miss Forbes, I'm terribly sorry, but I have to dash. The world does not cease for Niklaus, although he'd like to believe it would. I'll catch up with you both later."
The two of them chuckled together, much to Klaus' chagrin, and then Elijah left, the same way Caroline had just arrived.
"So," Caroline said, sitting herself daintily beside him. "You and Bonnie have been working on some pretty cool techniques for your look."
Klaus said nothing, just stared pointedly at her.
"She took me through her plans for tonight, anything you –"
"We actually open very soon, and I would very much appreciate it if you just got on with it," Klaus snipped. "Though try not to talk, love. It will be a bit painful otherwise."
"There's no need to be rude," she said, as she raised her eyebrows coolly. "I was just going to ask, if there's anything you wanted to tell me before you get started. Latex allergy, warm ups that need doing, that kind of thing."
"No, nothing to share," he muttered. "And as if I would need to do warm ups."
"Okay!" Caroline said brightly, trying to ignore his cockiness. "Then let's get –"
"I do warm up, but not near the help," Klaus interrupted. "If you want a free show then go back to Broadway."
"Yep, I get the picture. I'm just going to –"
"Urgh, the quality of Broadway is nothing on the talent of those of us on West End."
"Mmhmm, I understand, Broadway is the worst. But please –"
"In fact, I swear Broadway casting directors just goes to Times Square and nab any old riff-raff street performer to make up their ensembles. It's lunacy _"
"Uh huh, I get it, Broadway suck, but Klaus I really –"
"I'm literally the best in the country. I have won multiple tony awards, even a grammy award. I have more original cast recordings under my belt than –"
In years to come, Caroline would swear herself black and blue that it was an accident. That it was a mere, yet mildly severe, slip of the hand brought about by loss of concentration because of Klaus' continual ramblings.
And she would never live it down. But she would also be revered by many because she actually managed to make Klaus Mikaelson shut the hell up for once in his life.
For, at that exact moment, Caroline's deft hands wiped fast drying liquid latex over Klaus' mouth, and Klaus, who was completely stunned by the movement, did not move quickly enough before the latex dried.
Sealing it completely shut.
"Oh my god, Klaus, I'm so sorry!" Caroline said, with all the correct emotions. She certainly sounded convincingly mortified, until she followed up the with a quirked eyebrow and the comment, "though, try not to talk, love. It will be a bit painful otherwise."
And, to Caroline's amazement, Klaus stopped squirming, stopped trying to form words when his amplifier was completely blocked, and Caroline was finally able to get to work.
"What a happy little accident," Caroline said, jovially, now a little more at ease that he wasn't being so obnoxious. "Might just snap a little picture, I'm sure Elijah would appreciate it."
Klaus narrowed both his eyes at her.
"Oh? Don't like that idea?"
Klaus just remained stock still, the menacing look still etched on his face.
"But you are so cute when you're not talking!" Caroline joked, before quickly realising what she said, and going a lovely shade of magenta.
Somehow, Klaus managed to smirk, even without full use of his mouth.
"Oh don't look at me like that," Caroline said, with all the bravado of someone trying to dig themselves out of a hole. "You know you're cute, why deny it?"
Klaus just shrugged, and dismissively inspected his nails.
"Fine, let's get on with it," Caroline said. "And if you're a good sport, I'll dissolve the latex before it's time to sing!"
xxx
"All done!" Caroline beamed, happily inspecting her work.
It was a little under two hours since Caroline began Klaus' transformation, and a little under twenty minutes since she freed him from his gag.
In the past twenty minutes, even though he had the option of railroading her for having the audacity to seal his damn mouth shut, Klaus found himself, funnily enough, keeping his damn mouth shut.
Experiencing Caroline as she worked was rather mesmerising.
She certainly wasn't anywhere near just a blonde-bimbo-beauty-school-drop-out as he feared. She was very talented, extremely precise, and had an almost unparalleled eye for detail.
But further than that, at any given moment, her face was liable twist and change, letting him know exactly what was going on. It was rather endearing.
She filled the silence in with bits of chatter, about the different steps she was up to in his transformation, about her life, and just about many inane things really.
And, though Klaus despised the inane, coming from Caroline it felt natural and a little bit lovely.
"You do look fantastic," Caroline said, proudly, spinning him around in his chair so he could more closely inspect her work. "Definitely like a weird dungeon dweller who'd fall in love with beautiful young things who sing to you!"
"Then you nailed the brief love," Klaus quipped. "I don't recognise myself."
"Well, I would be worried if you did!" Caroline giggled, squeezing his shoulder briefly. "Then you would have to admit to me that you're a weird dungeon dweller who'd fall in love with beautiful young things who sing to you!"
"I'd never admit it, love," he said nonchalantly. "Though, I have to say sincerely, your work is impeccable. Bonnie's work is excellent, but you've provided just an extra spritz of something else."
"Not bad for a Broadway babe, huh?" Caroline winked, nudging him with her hip.
"Not bad at all."
In that moment of eye contact that so often follows a tease, Caroline was stolen by the glint in Klaus' eye.
"So umm," she said, looking away. "Where to next for you, Mr Phantom, sir?"
"Warm up, last minute director notes, back here for a costume and touch ups."
"I'll stay here until you're ready for your touch ups."
"I look forward to it."
And with a wink, Klaus was off.
xxx
A few hours later, Caroline was back in front of Klaus' face, tenderly wiping away the residual make up.
The show had gone off seamlessly. And honestly, Klaus was so completely on cloud nine by how it all went, he was actually being pleasant to those around him.
And now he was with Caroline again, and that was a joy in and of itself. Though he'd never ever admit it to anyone.
Klaus couldn't help noting how soft and delicate Caroline's fingers, and the stroked along his skin at different places.
"Nearly done," Caroline murmured, concentrating on removing a particularly stubborn strip of latex. "Nearly done."
"Not a problem, love," Klaus said, absently. "This is the most relaxed I've felt in months."
"Opening night behind you," she replied. "That's got to be a relief."
"Mmm."
He shut his eyes, and felt himself get mildly lost in the sensations, until –
"Klaus," she said, softly.
"Mmm?"
"We're finished."
"Oh."
"Umm," Caroline said, searching for something to say. "I guess I'm done for the night, unless…"
"Unless?" Klaus prompted.
"Well, I'm really hungry, but I don't know where is any good around here…"
"Are you asking me out?" Klaus smirked.
"What! No?" Caroline blustered. "I mean, I am asking you to go out, but not out. Not like on a date out."
"Glad to hear you're so indignant at the idea of a date with me," Klaus teased in mock offence.
"I'm not indignant! Dating you would be fun, I think! But this wasn't a date! I'm just hungry, and I thought you would be too!"
"Dating me would be fun would it?"
"Oh shut up. I'm leaving."
Caroline grabbed her coat and huffily stalked from the room.
"But you're hungry, and don't know where to eat," Klaus grinned, hurriedly gathering his own things so he could follow her out.
"I can google it, I just thought company might be nice," she snipped. "Glad you arrested me of my illusions so promptly."
"You wound me, love!" he laughed, catching her hand in his, and stroking a thumb along it gently – apparently her skin was as soft under his hands, as it was on his face. "Come on, let me take you to my favourite post show hang out. You'll love it."
Caroline stopped walking, and narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"
"Not a chance, love," Klaus quipped.
Caroline couldn't help the wry smile stretch across her lips.
"Fine."
And so it was, the two went to that post show hang out that night. And the night after that. And the one after that. Until Caroline had to leave, back to her home, back to Broadway.
And, in a mystery never fully explained, Klaus put aside his distaste for the iconic New York creative hub, and somehow ended living in New York, reprising his role as the Phantom on Broadway, only a few short months later. Before going on to perform many more incredible shows there.
It was a mystery.
Unless you were familiar with Caroline Forbes.
Then it wasn't much of a mystery after all.
xxx
I'm pretty sure I started writing this in 2015 and could never finish it. I've been doing that a lot lately! Finishing or continuing stuff that has just sat in my files for years! So stay tuned for a few more updates of a couple of my other fics soon (hopefully). Much love to you all.
