Author's note: This was written for KC Week Day 7 - Emotions. We'll mostly explore confusion and, of course, embarrassment in this story as Klaus meets a bubbly blonde at his family's stable and is irritated to see that she appears to be dating his brother (when she could be dating him instead). Misunderstandings abound as Klaus clumsily attempts to be the noble brother...
"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people."
― W.C. Fields
A thousand hot knives pierced his skin and painful flames radiated from his bicep as Klaus let out an impressive string of curses that echoed throughout the stable. He glared at the Andalusian, who tossed back its thick black mane as though daring him to come closer after delivering such a powerful (and incredibly painful) bite to his bicep.
An annoyed huff startled him, and he whirled around to see a stunning blonde glare at him before scolding, "Seriously? What the hell did you think would happen when you approached his blind zone? Marcellus is very sensitive."
Despite his annoyance at the blonde, he couldn't help but appreciate the way her dusty jeans and faded black tank top hugged her curves. "I can assure you, I'm quite familiar with Marcellus' mood swings." Cocking his head to the side, he smirked down at her as he asked, "You don't know who I am, do you, love?"
"You're one of the over-privileged, overindulged Mikaelsons. Since I hear Elijah is a fussy chronic suit-wearer and Finn would cut out his own tongue before stooping to speak to the help, I'm assuming you're Klaus — internationally renowned artist whose mood swings are even more legendary than Marcellus'," she told him with another unimpressed eye roll.
What remarkable fire. Intrigued, he started to hold out his hand to properly introduce himself when an involuntary spasm of pain from his arm reminded him of his injury courtesy of his temperamental horse.
Concern flickered in her blue eyes despite her obvious irritation with him, and she quickly maneuvered him out of the stall and sat him on one of the wooden benches just outside. Her touch was surprisingly tender and he found himself leaning into it while breathing in the smells of saddle soap and a hint of peaches that made him wonder what she would taste like. "I'm Caroline. I'm the farrier for Mystic Stables," she introduced herself with a brief nod, pushing up his shirt sleeve to get a better look at the horse bite.
Klaus dumbly stared at her as she examined the rapidly bruising flesh, oddly compelled to count the adorable cluster of freckles dancing across her nose. "Klaus...I'm uh, Klaus Mikaelson," he clumsily offered, noting her amused expression as he hurriedly added, "But you already knew that I guess." Inwardly groaning at how ridiculous he sounded, he tried to regroup and think of something witty to say, but was too distracted by the warmth of her touch as her fingers grazed the wound.
"Even though horses are grass eaters, their jaws are very strong and they have surprisingly sharp teeth. If startled, they'll act out aggressively, even if they recognize you. Of course, you haven't been to visit Marcellus since he was moved to Mystic Stables a year ago, so I'd argue his reaction is perfectly understandable," Caroline told him in a voice full of reproach. Standing up, she rummaged through a cabinet above their heads, her tank top riding up to give him a teasing flash of her bellybutton.
Clearing his throat, he turned his head slightly, not wanting to come off as a creep. "Can I assume that is how you handle stable visitors with poor manners then, sweetheart?"
Grinning down at him, Caroline grabbed a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and began lightly dabbing at the edges of his bite where the horse's teeth had sunk in slightly. "Actually, I have a few different methods of dealing with bad behavior at the stables."
"Like threatening completely innocent, slightly tipsy blokes with a shotgun," drawled a newcomer, and Klaus grit his teeth as he recognized the voice of his mischievous little brother, Kol.
Klaus watched with a sinking feeling as Kol draped his arm companionably around Caroline's shoulders, and Caroline bumped him affectionately with her hip as she told Klaus, "It was my second day here and I was working late when a completely shitfaced Kol and his equally drunk buddy had climbed over our gates and were clumsily trying to put saddles on Tyler and Mason." She shrugged, smearing a bit of ointment on Klaus' bruised flesh as she added in fake innocence, "I thought they were trying to steal our clients' best Quarter Horses, so naturally I pulled a shotgun on them and threatened to shoot off their balls."
"Fairly certain Josh pissed himself when this fiery little minx started shrieking at us about deep cracks causing pressure on laminate and how it could lead to Tyler being lame," Kol joined in with a cheeky smile, "Honestly, we would've picked a different horse to race against Mason had we known Tyler was injured, little bird."
While Caroline returned the medical supplies to the overhead cabinet, Klaus studied the way his brother watched her with a fond smile that was worlds away from his typical smugness. Damn it — Kol genuinely liked her. "It's sensitive laminae, Kol. And yes, had you and Josh tried to do your stupid drunken race, Tyler might've ended up permanently lame. And you and Josh would've ended up permanently ball-less," she told him with a sinister gleam in her blue eyes.
"That's why I'm your apprentice farrier, little bird. That and I bring you lunch every day," Kol replied, shaking the sack his was holding.
Caroline squealed adorably, snatching it and inhaling deeply. "Your brother is the best, Klaus. He's always looking out for me," she told him, ruffling his brother's brown locks affectionately. "I'm going to go take my break now and Kol, please get started measuring Mason for those special racing shoes we discussed." She nodded at Klaus and told him, "It was nice to finally meet you, Klaus, but watch out for blind zones next time, okay?"
As the brothers watched her walk away, Klaus couldn't help but feel as though part of his future happiness was walking away too. Stop being such a prat. Kol is clearly happy with her. "Hell of a story, mate. Caroline seems like a special girl."
Quirking an eyebrow, Kol replied, "She is, Nik. She was so bloody protective of the horses, not realizing at the time that our family owned over half of the ones stabled here, and I knew I needed to figure out how to get her to be that protective of me."
"And that's why you're mucking about this place as her assistant, rather than gallivanting across Europe like usual," Klaus asked curiously. He briefly recalled a completely gobsmacked Rebekah telling him that Kol had moved in with someone, but it hadn't occurred to him that his spoiled, selfish little brother had finally decided to settle down.
Buckling a leather tool belt across his waist, Kol answered somewhat defensively, "Caroline is a good person who didn't see me as the constant screw-up our family thinks I am. All us Mikaelsons have more money than we could ever spend, but so what? She saw through who I've been pretending to be all my life. I like the person I am now because of her and I'd hate to think what kind of mess I'd be if Caroline wasn't in my life." Brown eyes narrowed, he pointed a finger at Klaus, warning him, "And I saw how you were trying to chat her up. Nik, don't cock this up."
Klaus reassured his brother, "I wouldn't dream of it, mate."
Having never played the role of the noble brother, Klaus found himself a bit lost over the next two weeks. He told himself that he started frequenting Mystic Stables because he missed Marcellus after being overseas at various gallery openings for the past year. However, it wasn't his temperamental Andalusian's company he kept seeking out. He'd take Marcellus out for a quick gallop through the main trail dotted with apple trees, but he found himself constantly craning his neck for a glimpse of golden curls tucked underneath a ragged baseball cap.
He watched with an admiring eye the gentle manner she had with all of the horses, clearly willing to take the time to get to know their individual personalities and earning their trust. She'd once confessed to Klaus that she'd had few close friends growing up, always feeling more of a kinship with horses, and wanted to repay the kindness those gentle giants had shown her by giving them the best life she could. Selfless, gentle soul. She was a hard worker and incredibly loyal to the creatures, and Klaus found himself feeling almost as jealous of the horses as he was of his brother.
And then there was the singing. The first time he'd heard it while walking Marcellus for his post-ride cooldown, he'd assumed one of the grooms had left a radio on. However, the second time it occurred, he realized it was Caroline softly crooning to a skittish Dutch Draft. The gigantic creature was stomping the ground, but Caroline was fearless. Her melodic voice seemed to soothe the beast until it docilely allowed her to lift each of its massive hooves as she trimmed and filed away, blissfully unaware of her enthralled audience.
When she wasn't unwittingly serenading Klaus, Caroline could be found working in one of the smaller pens to take advantage of the sunshine and gentle breezes. The precious few times he'd seen her astride a horse had left him breathless and blushing like a schoolboy. She'd been magnificent, like a fierce warrior queen charging into battle. She'd caught him staring one time too many and had teased him with, "What's the matter, Klaus? Did you forget how to ride?"
"I'd be open to a riding lesson, sweetheart," Klaus purred, inwardly berating himself for his dodgy innuendo. Stop trying to flirt with your brother's girl.
Caroline threw back her head, laughing as she told him, "You Mikaelson boys are shameless flirts. Kol warned me about you, you know. Sexy broody artist-type who Kol swears collects hearts the way I collect boots."
The fondness in her voice as she spoke of Kol sent him crashing back to reality, and he felt the teasing smirk leave his face as he told her abruptly, "Yes, well, Kol has been known to exaggerate from time to time." Uncomfortable with the way her own sunny smile dropped at his sudden coldness, he mumbled something about being late for a previous engagement and rode Marcellus back to his stall. A few days later, he found a flyer for children's riding lessons and Caroline's cheerful, curly-cue writing at the bottom that read, "Hey grumpy, I signed you up for the beginner's class." He couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped as he looked at the smiley face she'd drawn with its tongue sticking out.
After that, he was on his best behavior — friendly, but not overly so in case he forgot himself and started shamelessly flirting again. It helped that Kol seemed to be popping up more than usual lately, teasing his brother good-naturedly and always leaving the stables when his shift ended with a careless wave in Caroline's direction, telling her, "See you at home, little bird." Granted, he felt his heart sink just a bit more each time he heard Kol say that, but he couldn't fault his brother for wanting to constantly announce that he was the lucky bastard Caroline came home to. If it were him, he'd probably have hired a skywriter.
Of course, he could've sworn that Kol seemed to take particular delight in pointedly dropping little tidbits about his relationship, going on and on about something they called Margarita Monday Madness, wiggling his eyebrows comically whenever Caroline's back was turned.
Or, the time Caroline asked Kol to move a few of the hay bales and he did a mini-striptease as he stripped off his shirt in front of her as she rolled her eyes and giggled. Klaus recognized the challenge in his troublemaking brother's expression, and pulled off his own shirt, unable to stop himself from casually peeking to see if Caroline was watching. From the pink staining her cheeks, he thought she was, until he realized Kol had added to his little show by slowly pouring his water bottle over his chest. Bloody wanker.
Klaus accidentally had left his sketchpad behind, telling himself he wanted to document Marcellus grazing along the picturesque ruins of an old farmhouse. Bloody liar. Caroline featured quite prominently in his sketches these days. Giggles coming from the office drew his attention, and he decided to see what mischief Caroline was getting up to. He rounded the corner and stopped short at what he saw through the open doorway.
One of the stable hands, a dodgy bloke named Enzo, was leaning in dangerously close to Caroline, his dark eyes shifting from side to side as though checking to see if they were alone. Klaus hung back in the shadows, fists clenched as he watched Enzo whisper something that was no doubt scandalous in her ear.
Whatever he said made Caroline squeal in delight, clapping her hands excitedly as she enveloped him in a hug, pressing her curves against him as Enzo squeezed her tightly, his eyes closed blissfully. Bloody hell. That blonde tart was cheating on his brother. How could he have been so wrong about her? How in the hell was he going to tell Kol? Or, should he stay out of it? Fists clenched in anger, he stormed off, intent to drink until he no longer had the disgusting image of Caroline and Enzo seared into his brain.
Daylight streamed through Klaus' bedroom window, temporarily blinding him as he rolled over and let out a string of curses as his head began to pound from his hangover. Caroline. Enzo. It all came rushing back to him and he rubbed the side of his face with a heavy sigh. He had to tell Kol. Just picturing how heartbroken Kol would be made his own heart ache, but he couldn't allow his brother to be played for a fool. Ignoring the pounding in his skull brought on by far too much bourbon and self-doubt, he threw on some clothes that didn't appear too rumpled and drove over to the flat Kol shared with Caroline.
High on equal parts righteous indignation and adrenaline, he didn't bother knocking before using the key Kol gave him for emergencies to barge in. He found them passed out on their couch, the TV playing softly in the background. He glared down at Caroline, hating how her soft golden waves perfectly framed her beautiful face. Deceitful trollop.
As though sensing Klaus' presence, Caroline stirred, yawning loudly as she opened one eye to regard him blearily. Nudging a snoring Kol with her foot, she grumbled, "Why is your hot, grumpy brother glaring at me so early on a Saturday morning?"
Klaus hated the way his heart fluttered hopefully when he heard that Caroline thought him attractive, but he quickly tamped down that feeling. He was furious — how dare she be such a callous creature and toy with his baby brother like this?! Jabbing an accusing finger in her direction, he ground out, "Tell him what you've been doing, Caroline! And don't try to deny it, I saw you yesterday!"
Shifting to rest on his elbows, Kol mockingly gasped at Caroline, "I knew it! You did eat the last slice of chocolate raspberry torte!" High-fiving Klaus, he added, "Good show exposing that dirty lying vixen, Nik."
With an exasperated sigh, Klaus told him, "No, Kol. I saw Caroline with Enzo yesterday." As his little brother's eyes widened, Klaus ran his fingers through his messy curls, his tone apologetic as he told him, "I don't know how long it's been going on. I'm so sorry, brother."
He threw another glare at Caroline, who had the gall to look offended. "What the hell, Klaus? So, you're my grumpy stalker now?"
"That's a bit rich, you feigning righteous indignation, sweetheart," Klaus seethed. At her angry scoff, he shouted, "You're cheating on my brother with Enzo!"
Klaus watched in confusion as Kol and Caroline glanced at each other, seeming to carry on a silent conversation with a quirk of their eyebrows. When they both burst into hysterical giggles, Klaus realized he'd clearly made a mistake.
Still breathing hard from laughing, Caroline said, "Kol and I are roommates and friends. Where the hell did you get the idea that he and I were dating?!"
Kol wore a chagrined expression as he cleared his throat awkwardly, "Yeah...so I might've figured out you thought Caroline and I were a couple and I had thought about setting you straight, but you so clearly fancied her that I thought it would be a bit of a laugh to see how long I could keep up the pretense."
Caroline began brutally smacking Kol in the face with one of the fluffy pillows from the couch, muttering mostly incoherent phrases like "let me go on and on" and "you knew this whole time" heavily laced with curses while Klaus just yelled, "Arsehole!"
Jumping off of the couch to escape Caroline's pillow assault, Kol's brown eyes glittered with mischief as he said, "Nik, I swear I was going to tell you soon...for your birthday."
Klaus growled, "My birthday is next summer, you wanker!"
"I think we're all forgetting the most important bit we learned here — Enzo." Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he asked her anxiously, "Did you talk me up? Is it time to get out my naughty spurs? Come on, help a bloke out, little bird!"
Thoughts racing, Klaus tried to make sense of everything he'd just learned while fighting off the remnants of his hangover. "So you're not dating Caroline. And you're gay?"
Rolling her eyes, Caroline answered for his brother, "Kol's not a fan of limiting his dating pool." Glancing at Kol, she told him, "And yes, I was an awesome roommate and lied my ass off about you and didn't even tell your crush how you secretly think Mariah should've gotten an Oscar for Glitter."
Horrified, Kol hurriedly said, "That's not what I said! The movie was just not as bad as everyone says it is...And also, Margarita Monday Madness secret confessions are supposed to stay secret!"
Klaus couldn't help the indulgent smile that crept across his face as he watched his brother and Caroline bicker back and forth good naturedly. He saw it now, the connection they share was clearly one of a close, loving friendship, and he couldn't believe how blind he'd been. Before he could begin to form an apology for his ridiculous assumptions, Caroline commanded Kol, "And you can return the favor by joining Enzo at his favorite breakfast spot over on Augustine Street so I can show your brother my naughty spurs."
Klaus could feel his neck flush from Caroline's blatant interest, but still managed to throw a flirtatious smirk her way which caused her to blush prettily under the heat of his gaze. Kol interrupted their moment when he poked him in the chest on his way out of their flat, warning him, "Nik, don't cock this up."
Klaus smiled as he reassured his brother, "I wouldn't dream of it, mate."
