A/N: Ok so... I tried to put more dialogue than description in this chapter. Mostly cause my chapters are very prose/description heavy and I wanted to change things up. But also cause whatever book I'm currently reading influences my writing style.
SORRY for the delay. Please COMMENT!
Also this one will focus a lot on Klaus and Hunter and the start of their relationship. So enjoy.
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Klaus Mikaelson paced up and down the corridor, stopping in front of Hunter's bedroom door now and then; raising his hand to knock, only to freeze in place, then go back to pacing. He listened to the soft noises in the room, but nothing could bring him to knock. Hunter cried during the night. Klaus could hear it. His son needed him, yet his fear paralyzed him.
Cursing himself, Klaus was sure he would be the worst father in the history of fathers. He panted, walking in circles. With an angry scream stuck in his throat and close to tears, Klaus leaned against the wall. Staring at his son's bedroom door as though it was a black hole, ready to swallow all his hopes for life.
"He's just a child, Niklaus." Finn's voice echoed from the other end of the corridor. He smiled, walking slowly towards his younger brother. "I'm sure your quick wit won't fail you. Just make the boy laugh. You can play the fool well enough. Or is the mighty hybrid that scared of a teenager?" He chuckled, leaning against the wall. His tone was playful, but his eyes were soft.
"How did you know?" Klaus scoffed, glaring at his brother. "Did Rebekah really call you over to mock me?"
"Elijah called me." Finn smirked, clearly amused. "He thought this occasion called for a proper family reunion. Kol just arrived. Freya and Henrik are on their way, too." He shrugged, glancing at Hunter's door.
"How wonderful." Klaus groaned, feeling the sudden urge to slam his head against the wall until he was unconscious. "The family reunion of the century! That's truly all I needed right about now..."
"It would take father and mother raising from the grave to make this a complete family reunion." Finn said slowly, staring at the ceiling.
"And you blame me for that, obviously..." Klaus said, his heart twisting in his chest.
"No." Finn smiled softly. "No, Niklaus. I don't blame you for their deaths. For as much as I missed them—even mother, though it's a lot easier to miss father..." he scoffed, smiling bitterly. "Even then... I don't blame you for that loss. You did what you had to do..."
"Thank you..." Klaus smiled, "Brother, I..."
"I do, however, blame you for being a complete arse, and a whoreson—may our mother rest in peace—and a bastard. In the worst way. You're also a dick. And an idiot. I can blame for that. It is your fault..."
"Are you finished?" Klaus asked, exasperated. He knew his siblings had every right to hate him, but he could not bring himself to listen to Finn for much longer, or else his shame and guilt would turn into the usual rage.
"No," Finn smiled pleasantly. "But, for now, that's enough of name calling. What I actually wanted to say..." he sighed, placing a hand over his brother's shoulder. "I think it's good we are all here together. You might hate it, but we will be here to help you. No matter what."
"I-I thought you... Hated me..." Klaus mumbled, swallowing his guilt.
"I do. You deserve it. But you're still my brother. And that boy," Finn nodded to Hunter's room. "Still needs you. Us. Mikael was a brilliant father to all the children he raised. No one can say otherwise. But he had some blind spots. And... he's not here anymore. The boy needs his family. Now more than ever."
Klaus shook his head. "I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to do, Finn! How am I supposed to be his father if I can barely... A baby is already scary, and bloody hard enough... But I have Hayley. We'll start from the beginning. At least that... For now, that child is an idea. I still have time to adapt, to prepare to be a father to her, to be better..." he scoffed, his lips trembling. "But with Hunter... Even if Mikael didn't tell him enough to hate me, even then... I cannot be better than our father. I'm a far worse man... He'll despise me. I know it in my bones, brother. He will hate me... Like I've always wanted to hate Mikael..." he laughed bitterly, "Maybe that's just what I deserve. Maybe mother finally found a way to punish me, make me pay for what I own... Gods... Sometimes I wish Mikael was as terrible as Mother wanted him to be... I wish he had put me out of this misery..."
"Oh, just shut up, would you?" Finn said gently, frowning. "There's a child in there who needs a shoulder to cry—a child who needs you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Even our father knew he could never be perfect, even if he always tried. No one will hold you to your high standards. And," Finn smiled, light shining in his eyes: "Like our father always said: 'how can you be so sure you will fail, if you haven't even tried?'... You should stop mourning Mikael until you can remember what he tried to teach us..." He glanced at the closed door. "Besides, from what Rebekah tells me, the boy is kind and sweet. I'm sure you can manage three words out before he hates you..."
"Gods!" Klaus sneered, exasperated. "Just say something. That's your bloody best advice? Fuck. I thought you were more articulated than that, brother, with all the books you read."
"Well, maybe this will be articulated enough for you, dear brother." Finn Said, smiling menacingly.
He moved swiftly, knocking softly on Hunter's door with one hand and grabbing Klaus by the end with the other.
"Come in..." Hunter's voice rang softly from within the room.
"No, no, no." Klaus protested. "I have no idea what to say!" He muttered angrily, turning away from Finn.
Klaus was ready to run, throw himself into a ditch or off a building.
"Not so fast, dear brother." Kol said, grabbing Klaus' shoulders as he turned away from Finn.
The two wankers had planned it all, Klaus realized, cursing under his breath.
"Stop being a bloody baby and go talk to him, you idiot!" Finn said, smiling as he opened the door and pushed Klaus inside.
.
Hunter giggled softly, but it was loud enough for Klaus to hear from the door. He cleared his throat before approaching the couch where the boy sat, reading.
"Sorry about that." Klaus muttered, smiling awkwardly. He quickly gathered all his slyness back, putting on a mask of calm confidence. "Those two fools thought it would be funny to just—it was childish. I can leave. I wouldn't want to disturb you."
"That's okay. You can stay. I'm not doing anything." Hunter laughed, clearly able to see right through Klaus. "I never had siblings—Well, I had Fran, and a few others that Mikael sorta just adopted... But I guess that's just what siblings do?" He shrugged, "Seems fun, though—the whole siblings and pranks thing... When it's not annoying."
"Oh, it's very often extremely annoying..." Klaus laughed, looking hopefully at the boy.
Hunter held his gaze, smiling. Then his blue eyes got wider. He remembered something deadly important all of the sudden. In the long silence dwelling over them, both father and son swallowed, their throats dry, their eyes avoiding each other, looking down anxiously.
"So..." Hunter stared at Klaus with his bright eyes. "I'm guessing you're here to finally tell me—" he took a deep breath, his lips trembling. "Am I... Mikael's son?"
His teary eyes begged Klaus for an answer he could not give him. Shaming burning his cheeks, Klaus looked down, avoiding his son's question.
"His biological son, I mean." Hunter added, a touch of anxiety and anger in his voice. "I am his son. Even if not by blood. I am... So... am I his son... by blood, too?"
Klaus held his breath. He had no idea how to say it. How could he say to his son the same thing that had ruined his life a thousand years ago? How could he do this when Klaus knew how awful it felt? Wasn't it better to live in blissful ignorance ?
Then it flashed in his mind. The perfect words, the best way to tell Hunter the truth.
"You know... Many years ago, I asked my mother the same question. I was just as desperate as you are—at least I think you are desperate—for the answer to be yes... I wanted to be his son more than I'd ever wanted anything in my life..." he held his breath, smiling as softly as he could. "I'm really sorry to say... your answer is the same as mine..."
"That's alright." Hunter sniffed, silent tears running down his face. "Family doesn't end in blood. This doesn't change anything to me... shouldn't change anything to you either..."
Klaus laughed awkwardly, stepping forward to sit in front of Hunter.
"I don't think it ever changed much for me..." Klaus said, sadness drowning his voice. "It made me miserable for a while. Still does... If I think too much about it... but you're right. Family isn't just about blood..."
"Yeah... but you said I was family..." Hunter said slowly, his tearful eyes studying Klaus. "And I'm guessing you didn't mean it like that. I mean—from what I heard about you—I don't think you'd be this nice to me if I was just Mikael's adopted son..."
"Well, we have kept you prisoner..." Klaus said jokingly, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. "Though I have to say I'm a little heartbroken, you think so little of me..." He swallowed, smiling to pretend the thought didn't break his heart completely.
"I don't think little of you." Hunter said softly, shrugging. "But you have a terrible reputation...like seriously bad... So, it's not really my fault for being cautious, is it?"
"No... I suppose you are just being cleaver." Klaus smiled, almost unable to hide how much happiness Hunter's words brought to his heart. "Just like Mikael thought you to be..."
"Yeah... Well, some of his teaching stick better than others," Hunter chuckled, grinning. "He also taught me not to jump headfirst into a dangerous situation..."
"And yet here you are," Klaus mused, analyzing Hunter more closely. "Arriving at the lion's dent, with an unconscious teen in your arms, ready to bargain in good faith..."
Hunter laughed. "You are really full of himself if you think you're the big bad lion in this story, man. No offense, but Mikael always thought of you as a puppy—and you can make scary faces all you want-I'm still not scared of you." He held Klaus' gaze, a smirk on his lips.
"I'm glad..." Klaus said slowly, looking away. "I'm glad you aren't scared of me..."
Hunter frowned, his mind racing to understand just what had prompted Klaus to act like this.
"Well, I was raised by Mikael. And he could do really scary faces. He was a lot better at it than you. And I still never thought he was scary, so..." He shrugged, soft memories of his father flashing behind his teary eyes. "Besides," he cleared his throat, straightening his back. "I wasn't just gonna let that poor girl alone on the Other Side. My father taught me to be better than that... Believe it or not, Mikael taught me to be kind to people. But I guess you missed that lesson..." There was a judgement tone in his voice, even if his tone wasn't harsh.
Klaus swallowed. "I must have... Though, in my defense, kindness is not always an option."
"You can always make it an option." Hunter said, more severely. "But anyway," he straightened his back, taking a deep breath. "You still haven't answered my question..."
"I haven't?" Klaus pretended to forget the topic of their original conversation. He had been so glad when Hunter fell for his divergency, and went on a tangent. Klaus knew he had to tell the kid the truth now. But he simply could not bring himself to say the words. And even if he did, was it so unreasonable to be scared of how Hunter would react?
"Do you know who my father is?" His voice was desperate.
"Yes..." Klaus said, biting his tongue. He closed his eyes, searching for strength. "I...I..."
"Don't say it." Hunter cried, hugging his knees. "I don't want to hear it... saying it makes it true. Hearing makes it true. I don't—I just don't." He shook his head, tears marking his face. "I'm sorry, but I just—I just can't."
Klaus swallowed the lump in his throat. 'This isn't about my feelings'. He forced himself to remember, quoting the phrase Mikael had said to him when they learned the truth about Klaus' parentage. It didn't make the pain and fear growing in his chest less heavy, but the thought helped him focus and calm himself.
"It's alright." Klaus said, smiling and leaning forward. "I-I understand... We don't have to talk about anything you aren't comfortable... Ever..."
Hunter shook his head, sniffing. "I wanna do another test. I wanna be there. I want—I need to see it..." He tried to hold be sobs, closing his eyes to stop the flow of tears running down his face. It was no use.
"I'll talk to Sophie to arrange that. But only for after you've regained your full strength." Klaus said quickly, his worry about Hunter growing in his chest and numbing all other emotions. "We can do it when you're ready... There's really no need for you to do anything you don't want to do. I—we want you to feel at home here. You are family—no matter what..."
"Thank you..." Hunter smiled, cleaning his face with the back of his hand.
"Of course." Klaus muttered, nodding.
He smiled, but Hunter avoided his eyes, focusing on stopping himself from crying. Clearing his throat, he stood up as the silence went on. 'Maybe I should give him some more space to process everything... I sure still need some time...' Klaus thought, unsure, and turned to leave.
"Klaus?" Hunter called, shyly. "I don't mean to say you aren't—or won't be a wonderful dad... I'm sure you will... but I just... It's really not about that, you know?" He smiled, still hugging his knees. Hunter looked much younger than he should have. It reminded Klaus of Henrik, bringing both warmth and pain to his heart.
"I understand." Klaus said, laughing bitterly. "To be frank, I think I'm one of the few people in the world that truly understands what you mean..." He smiled, sitting closer to Hunter. "When I found out about... my parentage;" The word left a foul taste in his mouth, but Klaus went on, closing his eyes and replaying the memories behind his eyelids. "I met Mikael far away from our village. We had both just gotten the news. After an argument with my mother, he left. To think, I suppose. But I followed him... I don't know why I did that. I knew seeing me was the last thing he needed or wanted at that moment. But I just had to... To see him, talk to him..." He smiled. The memories were so bittersweet. "Then, when I got there, I fell to my knees and begged to be his son. Saying I'd forsake my other father, I'd never even want to know him. All I wanted was to be his son... I meant every word of it. To be his son—to make him proud of me..." Klaus scoffed softly, smiling, sadness glittering in his eyes. "That's all I ever truly wanted back then."
"What did he say?" Hunter asked, his eyes wide as he took in every word. "After all that, what did Mikael say?" Desperation and anxiety ringed in his voice. He was afraid of the answer—after all, for all he knew, it could change the way he always thought about Mikael.
Klaus opened his eyes. "He told me it was a gift to be my father... And that he wanted me to meet my—well, my other father. Mikael didn't resent him, or my mother. Least of all me..." He smiled, gentle tears running down his face. "He said: 'How could I be angry with them, when their actions allowed me to be your father?' and then he hugged me..." Klaus laughed, shaking his head and smiling.
"He loved you." Hunter said softly, smiling through his own tears. He reached forward, quickly and quietly hugging Klaus.
"Yes... I suppose you're right. Mikael really loves us both—us all..." He smiled, reaching to hug Hunter back, but in a moment the boy was gone. Sitting back on the cough, hugging his knees and drying his tears.
"Well.. but then... It all went to shit, of course. Mikael's love couldn't do much..." Klaus said, surprised at the sudden foul bitterness in his own voice. "But I'm sure you've heard that story..."
Klaus swallowed, looking out of the window. His heart twisted in his chest. In a corner of his mind, he could sense something happening. As though long shadows reached for his most precious memories of Mikael, corrupting them. The shadows poisoned everything they touched. Soon, Klaus would be sure his father had always hated him. The corruption would reach even his most sacred memories, forcing Klaus to think his father was vicious. His tender memories turned bitter and violent.
'This is Mother's doing,' Klaus thought numbly, a lone tear dancing down his face. 'There's nothing I can do about it. Whatever it is, it'll make me hate my father. Not even in death Mikael is allowed to just be my father... Gods, what have I done to deserve this new curse?'
All the love Mikael had shown to his children, all his sacrifices to protect them... It all disappeared from Klaus' mind in the blink of an eye.
Klaus stood up, motionless, still feeling the pain of the invisible loss he suffered, but already unable to remember it.
"Thanks." Hunter blurted out, breaking the long silence and bringing Klaus back to reality. "For telling me. Not just the result, but your story with Mika... It meant a lot."
"You're welcome..." Klaus said in a weak voice, drying his face. "I—maybe we could... Talk some more..."
"Sure. I'd love that." Hunter smiled, his eyes dry and almost happy. "But you can take your time. We're strangers to each other still... I know it's hard to talk about him. Well, it's for me, so I'm guessing you feel the same..."
"I'll admit it's not the easiest thing..." Klaus said, sighing. "But, if he helps you with... Well, with anything, really. If it helps you at all... We can still try..."
"It will mean a lot to me." Hunter nodded solemnly, a smile on his face.
Hunter was clearly eager to talk more to him, Klaus thought, perhaps not even about Mikael... But a low growl coming from Hunter's stomach told Klaus there were more pressing matters for him to attend.
"It's settled then." Klaus said, getting up. "I'll get you some food. It's lunchtime already... Once I'm back... Maybe we could exchange some stories?"
"Yeah. Sure!" Hunter nodded, excited.
"Klaus?" Hunter called softly as Klaus opened the bedroom door. "Just for the record... I don't think you'd be a bad dad... From your speech, I dunno. You kinda sounded like him so... I think you'll be pretty good at the dad thing."
Klaus nodded, not even trying to hide his bright smile.
Perhaps fatherhood would not be so difficult after all...
Yet, pain tugged at his heart. How could he be so honored to be compared to Mikael, when his father was so awful?
And why, even as he thought about his father's cruelty, a part of his heart could not believe in it?