Title: Backwards
Author: d0ntbleenk
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries, AU
Ship: Kol Mikaelson/Faye Salvatore
Rating: M

Chapter Four

"Hold still, or this will never get done."

Faye nearly gasped as Rebekah tightened the bodice of her dress once more, shooting an annoyed look towards the ceiling as she rolled her eyes. "Haven't I told you a dozen times before that this is a terrible idea?"

Rebekah quirked a brow, eyes focused on the laces at the back of Faye's dress. "And haven't I explained to you that Nik will never forgive you if you miss his party?"

"What's the point of having a birthday celebration when you live forever?" Faye mused, brows furrowing slightly in thought. "You're not getting any older." Rebekah chuckled.

"Well, even if you're so lucky as to live for an eternity," she explained, shrugging, "everyone wants to be celebrated every now and then, and Nik's certainly no exception. So you're going to be there" - she tugged at the laces again, almost threateningly, earning a warning glare from her brunette counterpart and only flashing a smug smile in return - "whether you like it or not."

"Fine," Faye grumbled resignedly, pressing her palm against her abdomen and trying to focus on breathing. Why she had allowed Rebekah to choose her dress for the evening she didn't know.

Her eyes wandered as Rebekah was finishing up, falling on the open doorway just as Kol was walking by, too busy with his tie to notice that she was watching him. Almost as though by impulse, Faye promptly followed after him. "I'll be right back!" She called in response to Rebekah's protests, before hurrying out into the hallway. He had disappeared from sight, but she knew he couldn't possibly have gotten very far.

A few doors down was his bedroom, so she tried there first, pushing the door open very slowly, quietly. Her footsteps were light, as though she didn't want to be heard, but it was a bit difficult to be sneaky with the extravagant dress that Rebekah had picked out for her catching the light with every step and turn.

"You could have knocked, you know. The door's there for a reason."

Faye's eyes swiftly shifted to the source of the voice on her left, where Kol was standing across the room in front of his mirror. "You say that as though you would've allowed me to enter if you'd known it was me."

He studied her for a long moment, his neutral expression unwavering as he turned to face her. "I suppose you're right." Kol slid his hands into his pockets. "What is it you wanted?"

"To thank you," she said simply, the words thick on her tongue. She wasn't used to thanking anyone, at least not recently, not since she'd torn herself away from her father's watchful gaze years ago. "For… being there the other day."

"Well, that's certainly a surprise, considering you never seem to be able to stand the idea of anyone helping you with anything, ever," Kol said, raising a brow.

Faye bit her lower lip, looking away. She couldn't possibly deny what he'd said, because she knew it was very much true. Perhaps it was her overwhelming amount of pride, but she liked to do things for herself, to be able to prove to everyone - as well as to herself - that she wasn't weak and dependent on a man. But something about him made her want to see things a little differently, made her sort of crave the comfort and support of another person.

And she didn't know why.

Kol gazed at her for a few seconds, the look in his eyes much softer than usual. But it only lasted for that moment, before he finally broke the silence that had fell over the room. He started to move past her to his wardrobe, where his jacket was hanging on a hook. "Well, if that's all -"

"No," she replied, stepping into his path. "It's not." She paused, her light eyes searching his dark ones. "Why were you there at the graveyard the other day? You could have just slipped away unnoticed but you didn't."

"I didn't," he echoed. "What's your point?"

"The point is, Kol, I practically spat in your face the day before, and then you were nothing but sympathetic. Can you really blame me if I think that's a bit odd?"

Kol clenched his teeth, moving past her and not meeting her eyes. "Just leave it, Faye -"

"No!" She shot back, spinning round as he passed her. "I want to know why -"

"Because I can't get you out of my head, okay?" He shouted back, matching her octave, not caring who could hear. Even if they were whispering, the entire house would've been able to hear it anyway. "I screwed up, Faye. When you shut me out… I couldn't help but think about how right you were about me. I didn't have the right." Kol's brows furrowed, shaking his head. "Now it's all I can think about. No matter where I am or who I'm with it's always going to be about you."

Faye couldn't do anything but stand there and stare. Her mouth was slightly open, fingers hovering over it in shock. She hadn't expected this, didn't know what to say. And what was she supposed to say? She couldn't get him out of her head either? That she felt the same way? No. She couldn't give him the satisfaction. Her damn pride wouldn't let her, even though her heart wanted nothing more than that.

"I shouldn't have said anything," he said, half to himself. But the words had not escaped her. She hated that this was always a person's first line of defense - trying to take back what they'd said. But they were already burned to her brain, running through her mind over and over.

She couldn't just stand there all night, and though she couldn't give him the satisfaction and permanence of words, she had to do something to let him know that what he'd said hadn't been a total mistake.

Faye stepped forward and, grasping the collar of his shirt, pulled him into a rough kiss. It wasn't entirely surprising that this was the first thing that had come to mind, considering he wasn't terrible looking and she'd wanted nothing more than to kiss him since that day in the forest that separated their properties (well, before the attack, anyway).

When she pulled away finally, she found a smirk on his lips. "Now if you're going to kiss me like that, you'd ought to take me out somewhere nice first."

She rolled her eyes, giving him a harsh look. "Asshole." Faye tried to turn and leave, but he caught her with an arm around her waist, pulling her back towards him.

"Who said you were allowed to leave?" Kol inquired in a low voice, his hand cupping her cheek and gaze steady before he leaned down and kissed her again. Faye didn't protest, instead deepening the kiss and smiling slightly against his lips.